Gentleman's Guide 01 - His Impetuous Debutante (27 page)

*

She was standing in the side garden
when he rode up. A smile pulled at her lips and she took a step in
his direction before she remembered herself. Her lips drew tight
and straight, her shoulders back, spine straightened and finally,
her chin in the air. Taylor fought to keep the laugh inside as
Phoebe turned on her heel and marched into the house. He sighed and
removed himself from the back of the horse, tossed the reigns to a
servant and followed her inside.

She wasn’t in the parlor but Phoebe’s
younger sister, Philomena pointed up the stairs, her young face
grim.

Taylor didn’t bother to knock on the
door but entered and closed it behind him. He didn’t have a chance
to catch his breath before she was in his arms. His automatically
went around her as he drew her close, her scent of lilacs wafted to
his nose. He needed this. He needed her. How could he get through
anymore weeks without her by his side?

He pulled back and looked down. His
beautiful wife had grown, or their child had, in his absence. He
brought his hands up to caress the gently rounded stomach and felt
slight movement beneath his hand. The fashion of today hid her
condition well because he had no idea she had increased so much
while standing outside. Soon, she wouldn’t be able to leave the
house, however. Not that he was going to be the one to tell
her.

Her hand came over his. “Did you feel
it?”

He laughed when he felt the movement
again, so slight it could almost be missed. “Stand back and let me
look at you.”

Phoebe did as asked but the gown fell
perfectly so that he could not see what he had just felt and he
drew her back in his arms.

“
This is the last time you
will see me until either they are found or it is time for our child
to be born.”

Phoebe pulled him close and held him
tight. “I don’t want to think about you going already.”

Taylor kissed her temple. “I know, and
it is only going to get worse.”

“
How?” Phoebe studied his
face.

He didn’t want to talk about this now.
He didn’t want to sully this homecoming and the few short days they
had together with the ugliness of what he was about to do. Instead
of answering, he kissed her.

Taylor glared at Noah as he tracked
him down at Whites upon arriving back in London. “Well, it is
over.”

Noah stood and looked him in the eye.
“Good.”

“
Are you happy that I am
ruined? Are you happy that your sister will no longer live in the
manner in which she has become accustomed?”

“
I will see that she lives
quite comfortably,” Noah spit back.

Taylor reached forward and grabbed him
by the lapels. “Oh, I have no intention of dissolving our marriage.
She made this decision and she will suffer right along with me. As
soon as I return to the country, she will be back in my house and
in my bed, even if it is too late for her future.”

“
There is still time,”
someone piped up. Taylor and Noah glared at the man who sank back.
“Doesn’t she?”

“
No,” Taylor bit out.
“Unless you know of a means to bring a baby into this world in
seven months’ time, and not the normal nine.”

The man, red in the face and shaking
opened his mouth to speak.

“
And I don’t mean by ways
usually used by lying about a birthdate so the world doesn’t know
the bride was expecting at the time of her wedding.” He was
shouting and he didn’t care. In fact, it worked to his
benefit.

“
I will not let you bring
my sister down to the gutter with you. Look at how you have lived.
Brothels, gaming hells and the like.”

“
She is my wife and I will
do with her as I please.” Taylor spun on his heel and marched out
of the establishment. Now, to secure a mistress and then he could
go about finding his cousins. They have to return to London soon or
he would go mad. On the other hand, only four more months and
Phoebe will deliver his son. That would at least put her out of
danger, but would it bring danger to his son if the cousins weren’t
found?

Invitations began arriving. His wife’s
name was not included with his. So, for the nobility at large, it
appeared everyone believed the rumors. Tonight he would be
attending the opera with Chambers and two ladies. One in particular
had overtly hinted she wouldn’t be against a mutually satisfying
partnership with Lord Sandlin. Taylor had to think of a way to
discourage the widow without raising suspicion. Following the
opera, they were to attend a ball. His plans included being seen
escorting potential mistresses about town. The problem lay in
maintaining the proper balance between perception and
truth.

*

As the days turned into weeks with no
word from Taylor, Phoebe began a letter to him. She hoped to have
the opportunity to get it to him, but even if she couldn’t, she
still felt as if she were sharing what was happening with the baby
in his absence and what little news she had of home. Unfortunately,
life in the country wasn’t nearly as exciting as a London Season
and there wasn’t much to add. Some horses were being trained to run
at Ascot. No, before he asked, she was not assisting in their
training, though she tended to supervise from a distance. However,
that supervision was soon to come to an end as her condition was
barely disguised, which amazed her, being only five months
along.

At the end of each letter Phoebe would
make her way downstairs to her pianoforte where Mozart flowed
through the room.

*

With no real desire to court potential
mistresses Taylor attended another ball alone. Keeping up the
appearance of being separated from his wife, looking for a mistress
and trying to locate his cousins was exhausting. He had half a mind
to leave and go home for a good night’s sleep, but couldn’t. After
the ball, he needed to return to the gaming hells and continue his
search. The investigators he had sent scouring England for his
family had reported back that they had found nothing. More were
sent into Scotland and to the continent. Surely they had to be
somewhere. But what if they weren’t? What if they had gone off to
India, or someplace equally far? If so, that would mean they
weren’t responsible for Phoebe’s accidents. Or, perhaps they were
but had given up. Either way, he couldn’t assume, or relax until
they were found and it was taking damn too long.

Taylor was standing with Martin and
Janine, when Lavins approached with a lady on his arm. Who was this
lovely creature? It certainly wasn’t Richard’s wife.

The woman studied Taylor, making him
quite uncomfortable. If he didn’t know any better, and perhaps he
didn’t, he was being sized up. Who was she and why was she doing
this?

“
Sandlin, I would like to
introduce you to Lady Bates,” Richard announced as he
approached.

Taylor took her offered hand and
kissed its back. “It is very nice to meet you, Lady
Bates.”

Richard turned to Janine and held out
his arm. “Shall we stroll?”

She smiled up at him and linked her
arm with his. “That would be very pleasant, thank you for the
offer.” She looked over her shoulder and winked at
Martin.

Lady Bates stepped closer to Taylor,
linked her arm with his and leaned in, ever so slightly. Taylor
watched her from the corner of his eye. Had she sought an
introduction because of the rumor he was looking for a mistress? He
truly hoped not, though she was quite beautiful indeed.

She turned to address
Martin and in the same movement brushed her breast against Taylor’s
arm. It took all of his control not to pull away, but this was
perfect for the
ton
to observe. Who was she, though, and where did she come
from?

“
I have just recently
returned from America, Lord Meadows. My husband and I moved there
oh, five or so years ago. I just recently decided to return to
London.”

That answers that
question
.

“
I just couldn’t stay away
any longer and came looking for the excitement only a Season could
offer,” she finished in a seductive tone and leaned closer to
Taylor, if that were possible. She was already almost plastered to
his side.

“
Would you care to stroll
in the gardens, Lord Sandlin?” she purred up at him.

“
No, thank you, my lady. I
have already been out this evening and it isn’t nearly as
refreshing as one would think.”

“
There is a waltz coming
up. No one has spoken for that particular dance, my
lord.”

“
I am sure someone will
ask, my lady.”

“
If I didn’t know better,
Lord Sandlin,” she continued in a purr, “I would think you didn’t
find me attractive.”

Taylor looked down at her face without
moving his head and raised one eyebrow. “Then I apologize for any
insult. None was intended.”

“
Lord Sandlin, let’s deal
honestly with one another, shall we?” she proposed, and pulled him
away from the crowd.

Taylor wasn’t given much choice but to
follow. A beautiful lady draped on his arm served his purposes
perfectly. However, this lady tended to be more forward than the
others and was obviously after something. Him. In private he would
be able to deal with the situation better.

It took him just a moment to realize
that instead of dragging him outside, she pulled him up the stairs
to exit the ball altogether. He came to a stop just as she began
mounting the stairs. She stood one step above him, turned and
looked him in the eyes, a wicked smile on her lips. She leaned
forward and placed both hands on his shoulders before she whispered
in his ear, “You will escort me to your townhouse now, Lord
Sandlin.” He started to pull back, but she held him in place. “If
you care for Phoebe, you will do as I ask.”

Who was this woman? She guessed that
he cared for his wife. He didn’t think he had slipped. Perhaps she
knew more than she let on. Had Lavins said something? No, he
wouldn’t have said a word. Well, there wasn’t much he could do
about it anyway. He wouldn’t have his answers until the woman was
ready to speak. They rode in silence. At least she moved away from
him now that they were alone.

Once in his library, she shut and
locked the door. “Would you care for something to drink, Lady
Bates?” He didn’t attempt to disguise his irritation.

“
A glass of wine would be
lovely. And please, call me Olivia, as we are going to become quite
close.”

Taylor slammed down the decanter and
turned on her. “Who are you and what makes you think we are going
to be close? I don’t appreciate you alluding to my wife, nor the
fact that I may have some particular feelings,” he yelled at her,
finally free to say what was on his mind. Maybe his anger would
scare her, and she would run away. He could only hope.

Olivia fell into the chair with
laughter. “I had you worried, didn’t I? Were you afraid I would
blackmail you into keeping your secret?”

Clearly the woman didn’t scare easy.
Perhaps she was daft. Taylor took an angry step forward and Olivia
quickly sobered. “Please, Lord Sandlin, hear me out. I do
apologize, and know I tend to overdo things a bit. Patrick is
always complaining I’m a bit too dramatic at times. I think I would
have loved being on the stage.”

“
Patrick? Who the hell is
Patrick?”

“
He is my betrothed, but
he won’t arrive from America until shortly before Christmas, so we
won’t have to worry about his interference.”

“
Betrothed?”

“
Perhaps I should explain,
but not until you give me the glass of wine you offered
earlier.”

Taylor retrieved the crystal and
handed it to her, then stood back, arms across his chest and
waited.

“
Oh, please sit down and
quit looking at me like that. I have no intention of blackmailing
you. I only have a bit of fun in mind.”

“
Lady Bates, I believe you
have picked the wrong person for your
fun
.”

“
Oh, no, Lord Sandlin. You
are the perfect person. Please.” She gestured to the chair. “Sit
down and hear me out.”

Reluctantly Taylor took a seat and
waited for her explanation.

“
I needed to see for
myself if you were the man I thought you to be or the one
the
ton
is
gossiping about.”

“
The purpose?”

“
I needed to know for sure
before I made my proposition.”

His eyebrows went up. “And what
proposition would that be?”

“
To be your mistress until
the end of the Season, of course. It is obvious you are looking for
one, or so it would appear.”

“
I haven’t yet decided on
a mistress, Lady Bates, but I’ll surely keep you in mind.” Taylor
stood.

“
If I waited for you to
decide, then I would wait forever, now, wouldn’t I. As would the
others who are eagerly awaiting to fill the role.”

She knew he had no intention of taking
a mistress, yet she offered herself. What was she about?