Newport Summer (17 page)

“You will accept him, Audrey,” her mother said
plainly over toast and tea. That had been Violet’s mantra
throughout breakfast, and it continued in the library
while she paced the length of the Eastlake bookshelves.

Audrey turned a pleading gaze toward her father. He’d
always been her one ally in matters like these. “Please,
Father, I don’t wish to marry yet. The earl is right. Only
Mother saw us. We’re making quite a mountain out of it
all. All this can discreetly go away”

“The Carringtons know,” Violet snapped. “Lionel Carrington sat in on the negotiations with your father last
night.”

“They would not say anything that injured the earl,”
Audrey insisted. “The earl’s reputation is not helped by
word of this getting out.”

“Still, Audrey, you should not act rashly and reject
him,” Wilson St. Clair counseled. “Camberly is an admirable fellow. Never once did he shirk his responsibility last night. He embraced it quite thoroughly. He
professed great devotion to you. He turned down my offer of a marriage settlement. Of course, that won’t stop
me from giving you one. I won’t have you going off to
live in a drafty, tumbledown English manor, even if it is
a love match.”

“It’s not a love match. I won’t marry him,” Audrey
protested, her cheeks hot.

But as much as she protested, Audrey could not
slow the hammering of her heart when Gannon was
announced and admitted to the library promptly at ten o’clock. He looked well rested in contrast to her
sleepless family. He was bearing a bouquet of bright
yellow flowers, which he stopped and presented to her
with great aplomb, his eyes studying her face, trying
to read her mind.

“Miss St. Clair, I have requested this meeting with
you and your family because I have something of the
utmost importance to discuss with you personally.”
Gannon speared her with his sharp eyes. “I have received your father’s permission to ask for your hand in
marriage” Gannon elegantly dropped to one knee and
claimed her free hand. “Audrey, I have enjoyed your
company this summer immensely, and in doing so, I
have also developed a sincere affection for you. Would
you do me the honor of becoming my wife and the next
Countess of Camberly?”

Audrey vaguely heard her mother gasp in delight at
the scene Gannon had arranged. But all her attention
was riveted on Gannon’s face and the expectancy in his
eyes. He’d left the choice up to her, but he wanted her
to say yes.

Panic was loosed within her. Father could have denied
Gannon permission. He could have put a stop to this
madness, but he hadn’t. Gannon had decided to propose
in front of her family, when he must surely know how
much pressure there would be from her mother to accept
him. Both of the people she’d counted on as allies had
superficially left the decision to her, while in truth they’d
decided her fate between them last night without her being in the room. Venting that anger would get her
nowhere. Audrey fought to stay calm.

“Your offer is quite generous, my lord,” Audrey said,
amazed that her voice sounded so controlled. “Might we
have some privacy, to talk? I find I want to hear more
about your estate and your life in England” Her request
wasn’t as skillfully done as Gannon’s maneuverings, but
it was the best she could come up with on such short notice. At least she’d carefully avoided saying yea or nay.

“A few minutes only, Audrey,” her mother said. “You
can talk in the conservatory while I ring for tea”

The conservatory was not far from the library, and
Audrey took the offer gladly. She firmly shut the double
doors behind them, not caring what gossiping servants
or her mother would think about her being alone in a
closed room with a man.

“Are you all right, Audrey?” Gannon held out his arms
to her the moment the door was secure, and she raced
into them, burying her head against his chest.

“I can’t decide if I should hate you or kiss you. Everything has become so confusing,” she said. The only certainty she had right now was the solid strength of his
arms.

“Hate me? I don’t understand” Gannon was caught
unprepared for such a statement. “I assure you, Audrey, I
did everything I could to keep the situation open-ended
until I could speak with you, until I knew your wishes.”

Audrey looked up from Gannon’s shirtfront. “But it
has been decided already. Father told me you expressed affection for me and turned down his marriage settlement. He was impressed. He’s been singing your praises
all morning, and Mother’s wanted this since the moment
you showed up at the Casino picnic. And you. You want
me to say yes.”

“Of course I want you to say yes, Audrey. I’ve fallen in
love with you. I think I started falling that first day on the
beach, before I even knew who you were” Gannon
hugged her close. “I can’t imagine going back to England
without you. I can’t imagine the rest of my life without
you. When I do, it’s nothing more than a long, bleak set
of scenes”

Now he’d done it. She was going to cry. She could
feel the hot tears forming in her eyes, and she was too
tired to hold them back. She sniffed. “That’s the nicest
thing anyone has ever said to me. I am not sure I deserve
it. I’m sharp-tongued, blunt-spoken, and occasionally
unconventional. I walk barefoot on beaches, and I dance
in gardens with men I won’t marry.”

“Do you feel nothing for me, Audrey? Don’t you enjoy our time together?” Gannon freed a hand and pulled
out a white handkerchief.

“You know I do. I just can’t marry you right now.”
Audrey blew her nose. He loved her. Truth be told, she
loved him. Only she wasn’t nearly as brave. She
couldn’t admit it. She handed the handkerchief back to
Gannon.

He pushed it away, laughing. “No, you keep it.”

Audrey laughed too. It seemed an age since she’d laughed. That was one of Gannon’s many gifts. He could
always find the levity in a horrible situation. He’d kept
her laughing all summer.

“Just not right now? That sounds hopeful, although I
must say it’s not what a lovesick swain hopes to hear after declaring his love” He poked a little fun at himself,
and Audrey’s heart lurched. He was always so strong for
her. She had to remember how difficult this must be for
him. He truly did want to marry her, and she was refusing him, or at least trying to. He deserved a proper refusal with an explanation. She had to tell him. She owed
him that much.

“Wait here” Audrey strode to the piano and retrieved
the letter from Vienna, hidden away in the one place
her mother never looked-inside the piano bench with
its lifting lid.

Audrey silently handed him the envelope and watched
him read.

Gannon read the envelope carefully, noting the postmark from Austria. Did she have a suitor in Europe?
But no, that didn’t explain the “just not right now” aspect of her near-refusal. Perhaps there was a trip she
wanted to take? A girlfriend from school she wanted to
visit? Audrey had mentioned that several of her girlfriends had gone abroad. He could certainly give her
time for such a trip. They could visit all the girlfriends
she liked on their wedding trip.

Gannon pulled out the letter on stiff white paper. There was a seal at the top of the stationery: The Viennese Conservatory of Music. He shot Audrey a quick look over the
edge of the paper. She was staring at him expectantly,
waiting as patiently as possible-no mean feat, since patience wasn’t a virtue Audrey possessed. Fortunately, he
did. He had enough patience for both of them, if he could
only convince her of that.

The letter was a short three paragraphs. Audrey had
been accepted into a school to study piano, and a premier
school at that. All the pieces of Audrey’s plans fell into
place. “Your parents don’t know, do they?” he asked,
carefully folding the letter and putting back into the envelope.

Audrey shook her head. “No”

“This is what you want your freedom for?” He’d already guessed it was. He’d heard her play.

“Yes.”

“Is this why you won’t marry me?” He already
guessed that too, but he had to hear it from her own
mouth.

“Yes.”

Gannon gave a mirthless laugh. “I don’t think I’ve
ever heard such little conversation out of you before,
Audrey”

“Don’t be unkind, Gannon. I just shared my biggest
secret with you,” Audrey snapped.

“And I’ve shared my heart with you. I’d say that’s of
equal value.” Gannon regretted the tone of his remark
but not the reason for it. He was hurting. She’d known all along there was never a chance. He turned away and
began pacing the floor.

“Gannon, I don’t want to hurt you. Please don’t be
angry,” Audrey pleaded.

“I’ve been your fool all summer.” Gannon jammed his
fists into his trouser pockets and sauntered to the bank of
windows. He pulled back a gauzy curtain to look at the
gloomy day outside. It mirrored his mood perfectly. It
was galling to be a thirtythree-yearold man of experience and be taken in so thoroughly by a girl of twenty.
She’d gulled him. How could he begin to compete with a
lifelong dream?

“What do you mean? You can’t mean our agreement”
Audrey’s anger was up. He could hear it rising in her
voice. “I asked you to play the ardent suitor, and in return
I’d guide a few investments for you. You got your money,
and I got my freedom. I’m not to blame if you decided to
fall in love with me!”

“You never told me what you needed your freedom
for!” Gannon exploded.

“There was no need to. It didn’t change the nature of
our bargain,” she said coolly.

“No, it didn’t, but the nature of our kisses did!” He
wanted to shake the little minx. Couldn’t she see what
was right in front of her? Anger warred with frustration. Gannon crossed the room to Audrey’s side in three
long steps and seized her roughly by the shoulders, his
mouth finding hers in a bruising kiss that would not be
gainsaid. But it was not a punishing kiss, and her body recognized that. After the initial onslaught, she molded
herself against him, her arms about his neck, pulling
him to her, as hungry and desperate as he.

Gannon pulled back. If this kiss went on much longer,
he wouldn’t be able to stop. “Audrey, don’t deny us this.”
His voice was hoarse with need. “You can study piano in
England. You’ll have the best instructors. I won’t deny
you your music. You can have both. I’ll buy you the finest
piano available. We can have a long engagement or a
short one, whatever you prefer. Just say yes” It was the
best, last offer he could make. There was nothing else to
give her, no other argument to make.

Something changed in her eyes. She hesitated for a
moment. “A short engagement would be best, I think,”
Audrey said quietly. “The sooner the better.”

Gannon should have heard the warning in that, but in
his elation, he chose to overlook it. Audrey was his! He
took her face in both his hands and offered a gentle kiss
full of promise. “You’ve made me the happiest man
alive.” He kissed her again and swung her about in his
arms. She smiled at his excitement.

“I suppose we should go and tell my parents,” Audrey
said after he’d put her down.

“Wait. Before we do that, I have something for you.
I’d rather give it to you privately.” Gannon reached inside his coat pocket and took out a small velvet box. He
flipped open the lid to reveal a ring set with a blue sapphire. “This sapphire is part of the Camberly jewels.”
They were part of his entailment and could not be sold. At the time, Gannon had been disappointed. He’d gladly
have sold the gems for another harvest. Now, watching
Audrey’s face light up in awe of the ring, he was glad he
hadn’t.

“A good sign,” Audrey echoed.

He took the ring from the box and slipped it onto her
hand. By luck, it fit perfectly. “A good sign.” He smiled
at her.

Was there uncertainty in her eyes in spite of her acceptance? Gannon wanted to pretend he didn’t see the fleeting doubt in her blue eyes, but his conscience wouldn’t
allow it. “Are you sure, Audrey?”

She met his gaze evenly. “Yes. This is all so sudden.
It will take me some time to get used to the change in
plans” He knew by “change of plans” that she meant the
giving up of Vienna.

Gannon covered her hand with his. “I promise you, I’ll
make you happy,” he said solemnly. He meant every word
of it. Whatever misgivings she had about her decision to
marry him, he would overcome every last one of them.

She squeezed his hand. “I am counting on it.”

The date was set. October 4 at Grace Church in New
York, with the officious Archbishop Potter scheduled to
preside. Violet claimed it would give them slightly over a
month upon their return to New York to settle the last details. The Newport Season had only a short three weeks
to go until it was officially closed down by the Fishes’
Harvest Ball at Crossways.

Violet was determined to make those three weeks into a romantic whirlwind engagement, starting with a
grand announcement at Caroline Astor’s Summer Ball,
the highlight of the Season, occurring just two weeks
after the midpoint of the summer.

Gannon would have preferred to keep the engagement
quiet. He would have preferred, out of deference to Audrey, to not formally announce it. But, having snagged
for her daughter the most eligible bachelor in Newport,
Violet St. Clair would not be swayed.

Caroline Astor was thrilled that her ball would be the
backdrop for the announcement of her dear friend’s
daughter’s most successful engagement. She stopped at
nothing to see Beechwood turned out in splendid elegance. Expensive American Beauty roses filled the Roman punch centerpiece on the refreshment table, where
the best of the Astor china and silver hosted the elaborate finger foods served that evening.

What could only be described vulgarly as gallons of
Champagne were on hand for the supper toast. At each
supper table, guests found exquisite party favors to commemorate the occasion: elegant, painted fans from Paris
with the occasion and date carefully engraved in tiny letters on the ivory handle; for the men, small silver flasks
topped with a jeweled stopper, the occasion etched tastefully on one side in a silver flourish.