Cupid's Choice: She's a shy beauty in distress. He's a chivalric gentleman. (7 page)

Sir Frederick flashed his quick grin. “I don’t pretend to understand the workings of Lady Smythe’s mind, Caroline! As for myself, I am urged to action simply because I cordially dislike Miss Holland’s parent.”

“That alone is certainly enough,” agreed Mrs. Richardson with a distasteful grimace. “I have never met anyone quite like Mrs. Holland.” She quickly made a decision. “Very well, Freddy. If Lady Smythe is of the same mind, I shall help. But what is it exactly that you wish me to do?”

Sir Frederick frowned because his thoughts were only half-formed on this point. He had sought out Mrs. Richardson on the spur of the moment and had no very clear picture of what he actually wanted of her. Slowly, he said, “I pitied Miss Holland from the bottom of my heart, Caroline. She is an entirely different person when she is not influenced by her mother. My fear, perhaps irrational, is that Lady Smythe may indeed bring her into fashion, and then where will she be?”

“I am not certain I am following you, Freddy,” said Mrs. Richardson

Sir Frederick shook his head as his conclusions came sharper into focus. “Caroline, what will be accomplished by a social success if nothing comes of it? I should think it would only point up a starker contrast for Miss Holland between what could have been and the reality of her life when the Season is over. What she really needs is to escape the tyranny of her mother and become mistress of her own establishment.”

Mrs. Richardson broke into surprised laughter. “Freddy, are you asking me to
scheme
on this girl’s behalf?”

“Yes, I am. Think of it, Caroline. Here is a challenge worthy of your scope.” He flashed a grin. “Besides, if you are working on Miss Holland’s behalf, you will be too caught up in it to bother with anyone else. I shall be able to reassure poor Henry that he will escape your toils yet one more Season!”

Mrs. Richardson laughed again, her eyes dancing. “Horrid, Freddy! What if I should decide Miss Holland will be the perfect wife for Henry Duckworth? Or for you, even?”

Sir Frederick laughed and shrugged his broad shoulders. “We shall have to take our chances, of course!”

“All right, Freddy, I shall help Miss Holland make a respectable match,” said Mrs. Richardson, rising and holding out her kid-gloved hand to him. “It will be amusing, in any event.”

Sir Frederick bowed over her hand. When he straightened, he smiled at her. “Thank you, Caroline. I thought I could count on you. You are the best of friends.”

“Abominable creature! Now, do go away, for I must fly if I am to make my appointment,” said Mrs. Richardson, shooing him toward the door.

Sir Frederick left the Richardsons’ town house fairly well pleased. He was just a few doors away from his original destination, and he sauntered down the walkway, nodding to acquaintances as he met them.

At Lady Smythe’s residence he sent in his card and was immediately shown up to her ladyship’s private parlor. Lady Smythe reposed in style in a large stuffed chair with her feet propped up on a padded stool and her gaunt figure wrapped in several Norwich shawls.

It could not be said that Sir Frederick’s pains over his wardrobe stood him in the least stead, for her ladyship’s expression did not lighten on perceiving his handsome figure. Instead, Lady Smythe welcomed him with a somewhat acid smile. “What, pray, brings you here at such an ungodly hour, sir? I’ll have you know that I have not yet had my Bohea tea and toast.”

Without a blink, Sir Frederick said, “I would be delighted to join you in tea, my lady.”

Lady Smythe gave a short bark of derisive laughter. “Oh, aye! And no doubt you take weak tea and toast every morning.”

“Only when I have a head,” said Sir Frederick blandly and quite untruthfully.

Lady Smythe stared at him very hard. “You do not appear to be foxed, nor suffering from the effects of a late night. And I know very well you have not come to enjoy my company, for I am a tartar before noon and I always look a fright, besides. Very well, Sir Frederick! You have made me curious. You may stay.”

“Thank you, my lady,” said Sir Frederick meekly. He seated himself in a wing chair appearing completely at ease.

Lady Smythe regarded him suspiciously for a moment, but then snorted. By the time she had finished with her tea and toast, and somewhat maliciously watched Sir Frederick politely choke down some of the same, her good humor was completely restored.

Lady Smythe waved away her servants and prepared herself to be entertained. She rearranged the expensive shawls which she could reach and settled more snugly into the chair’s soft cushions. “I can now see why you are so highly regarded in diplomatic circles, Sir Frederick. There aren’t many gentlemen who would be able to stomach Bohea tea and toast,” she said in congratulatory accents.

Privately wondering if he could stomach it, Sir Frederick smiled and bowed from his chair. “I hoped to bring myself securely into your good graces, my lady,” he said.

Lady Smythe chuckled, her shrewd eyes alight with amusement. “Well said, Sir Frederick! Now, out with it! What has brought you to my door before noon?”

Sir Frederick allowed his expression to sober. “I went riding in the park this morning, ma’am, and our conversation of yesterday evening was brought forcibly back to my mind. You see, I met Lord Holybrooke and his sister out riding.”

Lady Smythe raised her thin brows. Her frosty blue eyes regarded him unblinkingly. “So? What of it?”

Sir Frederick gave his quick smile. “So, I wondered if you were completely serious in what you said to me.”

“I am not in the habit of uttering empty words, Sir Frederick,” said Lady Smythe sharply, slightly affronted.

“I did not think you were, my lady. Hence my visit to you at such an unseemly hour of the morning,” said Sir Frederick.

“I see.” Lady Smythe drummed her fingers on the padded arm of her chair. “I stand by my word, Sir Frederick. I’ll take that girl and make her the toast of the town, if I can.”

“I should like the privilege of helping you to do just that, ma’am,” said Sir Frederick. “When I saw Miss Holland this morning, I was all the more convinced that it could be done.”

“Acquitted herself well, did she? I take it that her mother was nowhere in sight?” asked Lady Smythe, bending forward with interest.

“You have guessed correctly, my lady. Miss Holland was escorted by only her brother, Lord Holybrooke,” said Sir Frederick. “I own, it is not my usual arena, but it is a challenge from which I suspect I should derive a good deal of satisfaction. That is, of course, if you were to enlist my help.”

“Sir Frederick, I ask you again, and I wish you to be completely honest with me, are you in love with this girl?” demanded Lady Smythe.

“Not at all, ma’am,” said Sir Frederick promptly. “However, more than a year ago I discovered in myself a disconcerting tendency to rush to the defense of the helpless. It is a trait better suited to the days of chivalry, I willingly admit, and one that has in the past led me into severely uncomfortable situations.”

“In this instance, it will likely thrust you headlong into trouble,” said Lady Smythe roundly.

“I trust if that is so, you will be able to extricate me, Lady Smythe,” said Sir Frederick with his quick disarming grin.

“Oh, very well! You may as well do whatever it is you have it in mind to do,” said Lady Smythe. “I shall call on Mrs. Holland this week. You may rest assured I shall leave there with that woman’s permission to sponsor her very backward daughter. I suppose you intend to cultivate a friendship with Lord Holybrooke?”

“Just so, my lady,” said Sir Frederick, nodding. “As well as pursue my acquaintance with Mrs. Holland and her daughter. I see my role as teaching Miss Holland to handle herself well in the company of a gentleman, so I shall establish myself in an avuncular light.”

“Be careful you are not entrapped by that woman for her daughter,” said Lady Smythe in abrupt warning.

“I am too old a hand at such games, my lady,” said Sir Frederick, his composure unshaken. He laughed suddenly. “I have far greater fear of Caroline Richardson’s subtleties than those of Mrs. Holland!”

“And with greater cause!” retorted Lady Smythe. “I observed how she drew you up like a banked fish and presented you to Mrs. Holland and her daughter!”

“Not a fish, ma’am!” exclaimed Sir Frederick, for once startled out of his suavity.

“Just like a gasping carp,” said Lady Smythe, with malicious satisfaction. She saw she had momentarily thrown him off balance and smiled. “I have just realized, Sir Frederick, how we might put Mrs. Richardson’s talents to good use in our little conspiracy.”

Sir Frederick eyed Lady Smythe with some misgiving and a good deal of wariness. Though he had already enlisted Mrs. Richardson, he could not help wondering what exactly Lady Smythe might have in mind. As well acquainted with her ladyship as he was, he thought he knew better than to believe it would be simply a matter of requesting Mrs. Richardson’s aid in finding a husband for Miss Holland, as he had done. His suspicions were confirmed when he asked, “And what do you propose, my lady?”

Lady Smythe chuckled, her eyes gleaming. “Never mind that now! You do your part of making yourself agreeable, and I shall do mine. Between us, we should have the Holland chit set firmly on her way to social success by the end of the month.”

Shortly thereafter, Sir Frederick took civil leave of Lady Smythe.

Sir Frederick did not wait on Lady Smythe’s offices to begin his campaign to bring Miss Holland into fashion. After discharging his own obligations that day, he returned to his chambers to change into driving attire and gave orders that his phaeton be brought round from the stables. Then, with his groom up behind him, he drove over a few streets. That morning while riding in the park, Lord Holybrooke had mentioned the general vicinity of his lordship’s residence. Once Sir Frederick turned down the street, it was an easy matter to discover which town house was the Earl of Holybrooke’s from a loitering urchin, who was eager to supply the information in exchange for a guinea.

Sir Frederick was surprised by the modest size of the town house. He had expected something quite different since coming into contact with Mrs. Holland’s overweening pride in her son’s attainment of the title. It occurred to him that the simplest explanation was that Lord Holybrooke had leased the town house. From all accounts the former earl had squandered most of his fortune and had sold or mortgaged the better part of his holdings. Most likely, any permanent London residence had been disposed of long since.

After giving orders to his groom to walk the horses for a few minutes, Sir Frederick mounted the steps of the town house. Sir Frederick was confirmed in his opinion when his card was taken and he was ushered inside to a front parlor. He cast a single comprehensive glance around him at furnishings that had been in fashion ten years before. He had no doubt that if the town house had been Lord Holybrooke’s own residence, Mrs. Holland would have seen to it that it was refurbished for the Season.

The door opened and Mrs. Holland entered, followed by her daughter. Sir Frederick turned and gave more particular attention to their dress than he had at Lady Smythe’s ball. His practiced eye at once discerned what he had previously overlooked. The ladies were attired fashionably enough, but their daydresses had not come from the hands of an
haute couture
. Shrewdly, Sir Frederick guessed that Mrs. Holland, at least, chafed at the restrictions which a depleted estate had placed upon her. This town house, not in the first stare of fashion, and a wardrobe which did not include many extravagances would scarcely be palatable to one of Mrs. Holland’s cut, he thought.

Mrs. Holland would have been vastly annoyed if she had known how accurately Sir Frederick had summed up her situation. Fortunately, the lady was not privy to Sir Frederick’s thoughts, and so she was able to greet him with every appearance of pleasure. She bustled forward, a lovely smile lighting her countenance, one hand hospitably extended. “Sir Frederick! What a perfectly delightful surprise. You asked to see my son, Lord Holybrooke. The earl is not here at the moment, but I could not send you away without seeing you.”

Sir Frederick gracefully bowed over Mrs. Holland’s shapely hand. “I am disappointed to have missed his lordship. When we struck up a conversation this morning at the park, we discovered a mutual interest in good horses. His lordship had mentioned in particular his intent to acquire a neat hunter. I had hoped Lord Holybrooke could be persuaded to accompany me to Tattersall’s. However, I daresay there will be another time.”

He turned and smiled at Miss Holland, able to acknowledge her at last. “Miss Holland, your obedient servant.” He was rewarded with a shy smile that lit up her countenance.

“Sir Frederick,” said Guin quietly, nodding to him.

Deciding that the pleasantries had been adequately observed, Mrs. Holland chose a yellow-silk-covered chair and waved her daughter to another. Her mind was on Sir Frederick’s errand. “Won’t you be seated, Sir Frederick? Tattersall’s, I believe you said! That is where all of the gentlemen purchase their mounts, is it not? Indeed, I am certain that Percival will be sorry to have missed you, for it sounds just the sort of thing he would enjoy.”

“I haven’t a doubt of it, Mrs. Holland, for from what Lord Holybrooke let drop, I gathered that he is used to riding and has been brought up to appreciate good horseflesh,” said Sir Frederick.

“Oh, yes! Percy, and my daughter Guin, too, were wont to career all over the countryside for hours. Now their riding together has been severely curtailed. It is the one drawback of living in town, I fear,” said Mrs. Holland with a regretful shake of her head.

Sir Frederick commiserated before turning to Miss Holland. “I know that you must feel it, Miss Holland, being cooped up indoors when you are used to going out.”

“Oh, yes. That is, Mama and I do go driving often in the park,” said Guin, looking at him with a slight smile. Her hands were clasped loosely in her lap.

Sir Frederick laughed. “You will never persuade me that a sedate drive can compare with a good gallop in the country, Miss Holland!”

“I should not try to persuade you, sir,” said Guin. A tinge of color had come up into her face, and there was warmth in her eyes. “The countryside at home and at Holybrooke is beautiful when seen from horseback and—”

“Guin, I am certain Sir Frederick isn’t interested in a bucolic description,” said Mrs. Holland lightly, but with a meaningful glance at her daughter.

At once Guin fell silent and slightly bowed her head. Her fingers clenched tight in the folds of her skirt. Before Sir Frederick’s eyes, she actually seemed to wilt with dejection.

Sir Frederick drew in his breath, scarcely able to contain the swift remonstrance which rose to his lips. He determined to exert every ounce of his much-vaunted persuasive powers to pry the young woman loose from her prison, if only for an hour. “It seems a pity to waste the afternoon. Mrs. Holland, may I crave a boon? I have my groom and phaeton waiting, naturally having hoped that I might take up Lord Holybrooke. However, failing his lordship’s company, might I request permission to take Miss Holland for a drive? I would take the most particular care of her, ma’am, I assure you.”

Guin’s head came up. She stared at Sir Frederick with half-parted lips, a blaze of open astonishment on her face.

Mrs. Holland was equally taken aback. “Why, Sir Frederick! I scarcely know how to answer you!”

The door opened and Colonel Caldar entered. “I heard you had called, Sir Frederick. I am glad to see you again.”

Sir Frederick stood up to shake the colonel’s hand. “As I am, you, sir. Do you go to the club this evening?”

Colonel Caldar nodded. The two gentlemen stood talking for a few minutes, before Colonel Caldar inquired what had brought Sir Frederick on a visit.

“I thought I might find Lord Holybrooke at home and take him up with me to Tattersall’s,” said Sir Frederick easily.