A Perfect Groom (11 page)

“Good to see you again, Sebastian.” The two men shook hands, and Sebastian turned to Grace. “Grace, you look enchanting as always.” He turned to Arabella and took her hand. “And Arabella! It’s been several years now, hasn’t it?”

Arabella smiled up at him. She had always liked his calm, forthright manner, even as a child. “Hello, my lord.”

“No need to stand on formality here. Call me Sebastian.”

“Sebastian, then,” she murmured.

“I hear tell you’re the talk of the town. Do you know, I predicted several years ago you’d take the
ton
by storm.”

“She certainly has,” injected Aunt Grace. “Did you know she’s had three offers already?”

Her aunt was practically crowing. Arabella smothered a groan as she thought of Walter. What would she do if she knew the number was really four?

Sebastian chuckled. “A discerning woman, then. I can appreciate that.”

Just then a woman emerged from one of the rooms off the entrance hall. She was petite, with bright, golden hair that shimmered in the sunlight. Her eyes, Arabella noted as she drew close, were almost the same color as her hair.

“Grace. Joseph!” she sang out. “How good to see you again.” Extending her hands, she greeted them warmly, then slipped her arm through her husband’s, slanting a smile toward Arabella. “Who is this lovely young lady?”

Sebastian made the introductions. “Arabella, my wife
Devon
.
Devon
, Miss Arabella Templeton. Her mother Catherine is Grace’s younger sister.”

Devon
’s eyes widened. “Arabella!” she exclaimed. She glanced at Sebastian. “Is this the same Arabella who gave Justin his comeuppance some years ago?”

Arabella bit her lip and glanced at her aunt. This was probably the only one of the escapades from her younger days that her aunt didn’t know about.

“A female who got the best of Justin.”
Devon
was almost squealing, her eyes sparkling. “Oh, what I wouldn’t give to have been there. Oh, but I think you and I will get on famously.”

Arabella couldn’t help but smile in return. She liked
Devon
’s warmth and openness immensely. But she had the distinct sensation Aunt Grace would have a few questions for her later…

For the time being, Grace transferred her attention to
Devon
. “We’ve hardly seen you in
London
since the little ones were born,” Grace said.

“We’ve hardly been in
London
since they were born, which suits us just fine. We love it here in the country,”
Devon
said simply. “It’s here we want the twins to grow up.”

Arabella gasped. She couldn’t help it. “
You
carried twins?” she said in disbelief. Her gaze went up and down
Devon
’s diminutive figure. “My word, how —” She colored and broke off. “Forgive me. I meant no offense.”

“And none taken,”
Devon
responded with a laugh. “Believe me, I was big as a cow.”

“Not quite,” her husband said with a chuckle. He covered her hand with his. “But no matter, you carried it off beautifully.” He was staring down at her as he spoke, and in his eyes glimmered an unmistakable light.
Devon
flashed him a dazzling smile in return.

Arabella winced. Another obscenely happy couple. What was it these days?

She was just about to clear her throat when
Devon
dragged her gaze from her husband’s.

“I’ll have Jane show you to your rooms,” said the marchioness. “We’ll dine at half-past eight. That should give all the guests a chance to rest. It’s such a tiring journey from
London
, isn’t it?”

Indeed, Aunt Grace was yawning. “A nap sounds just the thing, don’t you think, Arabella?”

Arabella didn’t, but she didn’t say so. Nor was she the least bit tired. But she didn’t mind shutting herself away in her room till the dinner hour. The longer the time till she encountered the beast in his lair, the better. Perhaps, she decided cautiously, luck was with her after all, and Justin would not be joining his brother’s house party.

She was totally unaware of
Devon
’s thoughtful gaze following her up the grand staircase.

“Love, you’re up to something,” Sebastian said sternly. “I know that look.”

“Oh! I am not! I was only thinking that young Arabella seems a very spirited sort.”

Sebastian cocked a brow. “
Young
Arabella,” he stressed, “is probably not much younger than you, my love. But yes, she’s definitely a woman of spirit.”

Devon
smiled a smile that sent warning bells clanging through her husband.

Sebastian expelled a breath. “
Devon
, what is on your mind?”

Her eyes opened wide. “Sebastian! Don’t look at me like that. I was just thinking…”

“Yes?”

“…that Justin may have met his match.”

“
Devon
,” he said dryly, “you don’t understand. While I have always regarded the prank Arabella pulled on our dear Justin as vastly entertaining — which is why I told you about it — Justin was never so amused. ‘The vicar’s child is the devil’s child,’ he always said. And if you saw his scowl when he —”

“But she is a child no longer, Sebastian. You made the observation yourself.”

“Nonetheless, believe me when I say that Arabella Templeton is the last woman on earth that Justin would —”

“Precisely why she may well be the
right
one.” Impish amber eyes twinkled up at him. “Look at the two of us.”

Sebastian narrowed his gaze. “Has the duchess arrived yet?” he asked suddenly.

He referred to the Dowager Duchess of Carrington. “As a matter of fact, she has,”
Devon
confirmed.

“And the two of you have had your heads together, haven’t you?”

“Why, whatever do you mean?”

“Meaning that I’m well aware she loves nothing more than to play matchmaker, and I do believe you’ve decided to take on the very same role yourself.”

“Oh, come!”
Devon
protested. “We’ve been wed for two years already and I’ve yet to do so for either your sister or your brother.”

“Well, we both know how Julianna feels about marriage. As for Justin and Arabella —” He shook his head. “
Devon
, he’s always regarded her as a veritable hellion.”

She raised her brows. “Precisely the term I would use to describe your brother.”

“True, but —”

He broke off when his wife picked up her skirts and stepped around him.

Now he was the one who was scowling. “Where the devil are you going?” he called after her.

She swiveled to face him, her expression one of the utmost innocence, which only made him all the more suspicious. “To see to the seating arrangements for dinner.”

“But you did that days ago!”

She blew him a kiss. “I know,” she said sweetly.

Arabella tried to nap after all, but she couldn’t sleep. She was too restless. And it felt as if a hundred butterflies had taken up residence in her belly. An hour before dinner, her maid came in to help her dress. By then, Arabella was almost finished. All that remained was to pin up her hair, lace up her stays, and do up the myriad buttons on the back of her gown.

Standing before the mirror in the room she’d been given, Arabella gazed unsmilingly at her reflection. She looked well enough, she supposed. Her gown was made of airy peach gauze, a color that softened the brassiness of her hair. The cut was simple and flowing, trimmed by a row of iridescent beading around the neckline and high-waisted bodice. She chose it on purpose, for it was one of her favorites. She needed comfort. She needed courage. She needed whatever she could muster to rally her defenses against the enemy.

Exiting her room, she glanced to the right, then the left, an expression of consternation on her features.

Across the hall a door opened. “Oh! Hello, there,” said a lilting, musical voice.

Arabella glanced up to see a stunning woman with rich chestnut hair standing across from her. “Hello,” she said. “You’re Julianna, aren’t you?”

“I am. And you are…Arabella, yes?”

Arabella nodded. Like the marchioness, Julianna was tiny; Arabella noted wryly that she barely reached her chin. Her eyes were as vivid as Justin’s, but they were blue — and without his icy penetration.

“I thought so. I recognized you by —”

“Yes, I know. My hair. No one ever forgets me. Ah, that’s what comes of being a redhead, I suppose.”

“Actually, I was going to say I recall you from some years ago.” Julianna’s eyes sparkled. “A particular incident involving my brother Justin —”

“Oh, dear.” Arabella couldn’t withhold a smile. “I fear I’m quite infamous in your household.”

“Yes, well, Justin can be a swaggering oaf at times. He stomped around for days, while Sebastian and I laughed for weeks!” Julianna tipped her head to the side. “Shall we join the others?”

“Yes, thank you.” Arabella gratefully accepted the offer. If left to her own devices, she should have been quite hopelessly lost. They had turned to the left and now traversed a hallway that seemed to go on forever.

“My word,” she said. “How big is this house?”

Julianna let out a laugh that sounded like bells tinkling in the wind. “One hundred and two rooms. It’s a monstrosity, isn’t it? I quite prefer my own tidy little house in
London
.”

Arabella eyed her curiously. “Do you live alone?” The question emerged before she thought better of it, but Julianna didn’t seem to mind her forwardness.

“Yes. Sebastian, Justin, and I all resided together until Sebastian married
Devon
. Indeed, it was time for Justin and I to go our own ways. I am, according to the gossips, a spinster.” Her beautiful eyes darkened. “It’s beyond me why, when a woman passes the age of one-and-twenty, she is promptly put on the shelf. A man, on the other hand, is hailed as a gadabout and no one thinks the worse of him. That I have chosen not to marry is no one’s business but my own. Why must I do what everyone expects? Why must
you
? Why must anyone?”

Arabella blinked. Julianna’s vehemence was startling.

Julianna appeared to have noticed it as well. “Pray forgive me. I didn’t mean to lecture.”

“And I didn’t think you were,” Arabella assured her promptly. She smiled. “Frankly, it’s refreshing to find a woman who isn’t afraid to think for herself. I fear I’ve never been able to hold my tongue when I probably should, so I’ve acquired a reputation as the opinionated sort, and it’s just so…” As usual, her hands began to flail about.

“So unfair,” Julianna put in. “And so vexing!”

“Yes. Yes! As if our only goal in life is to marry and have babies…not that there’s anything wrong with that — but I should like to make up my own mind without Society constantly looking over my shoulder and passing judgment.”

“Oh!” Julianna declared. “Blessed be, a woman after my own heart. But you must find the whole business of being regarded as The Unatt —”

Arabella threw up a hand. “I beg of you, do not say it!”

By the time they reached the drawing room, they were chatting as if they’d been friends for ages. A little of her unease departed, and for the first time since yesterday, she was cautiously optimistic that this house party wouldn’t be such an ordeal after all, particularly when she saw that Georgiana and her parents were present. She beckoned to Georgiana, who hurried across the floor.

Georgiana’s face lit up when she saw her. “Arabella! I’m so glad you came! I confess, I feared you would cry off—” She broke off as Arabella sent her a warning look. “But it appears I’ve forgotten my manners. Who is your friend, Arabella?” Georgiana smiled at Julianna.

Arabella made the introductions. “Georgiana Larwood, Lady Julianna Sterling.”

Georgiana bobbed a curtsy. “Lady Julianna, I’m so very pleased to make your acquaintance,” she said hastily.

But the look that had passed between Georgiana and Arabella had not gone unnoticed by the sharp-eyed Julianna.

“I do hope your reluctance to attend doesn’t stop you from enjoying the house party.”

“It wasn’t that I was reluctant,” Arabella said lamely, “I simply forgot about the invitation until Aunt Grace reminded me yesterday morning.”

A dimple appeared beside Julianna’s lovely mouth.

“Good. For I should hate to think you
were
reluctant. Or that it had something to do with my brother Justin. His behavior can be atrocious, you know. I do hope he hasn’t been rude to such lovely ladies as the two of you.”

“Oh, he’s been nothing but charming to me,” Georgiana put in brightly.