To Love A Lord of London (Wardington Park; Raptures of Royalty) (6 page)

A
my pulled
the hood of her cloak further over her head and knocked on the door once more. She wanted to enter before anyone spotted her. The door opened, and a butler ushered her in. The house was dark, so she took the hood off and handed the coat to the butler as she started down the hallway. She already knew her destination.

S
topping in the study
, she turned into the room, finding the space to be just as masculine as his office in the country.

“You’re late.”

She spun at the words. “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t—”

“No!” Wardington shot up from his chair. “What did we say about response?”

Amy’s shoulders dropped, and she blinked a few times, “I thought our lesson didn’t start until—”

Walking toward her, he said, “Lessons begin the moment you walk into the door.” Coming to a stop less than a foot away from her, he whispered, “You’re late.” But this time, there was no annoyance in his voice, only patience in his green eyes.

A
my looked away
and could hear his voice playing in her head—the instructions he’d been giving her for the past few weeks. She played his words in her mind.
You’re late.
Then, she cleared her throat and said, “Were you waiting on me, Your Grace?” Then she smiled and turned away, taking a seat by the fire.

He chuckled, “Excellent. Never say what a man is expecting. Keep them intrigued.” He took the seat next to her. His eyes moved to her hands. “What’s that you’re doing?”

Amy looked down to find herself toying with her cross. Moving her hands apart, she shook her head, “Nothing.”

He lifted a brow. “Oh, but now I actually am intrigued. You do that often,” he said, pointing toward her glove. “Show me.”

A
my sighed
and then took off her glove before presenting her wrist.

Wardington didn’t reach out for her. He didn’t touch her with his hands, only with his eyes. He stared at the jewel. “Christian.”

“Yes.”

He smiled, “It must be very precious to you if you keep it hidden. Who gave it to you?”

“My father.” She put her hand down. “Before he died.” He’d actually been on his deathbed for a month before he’d finally allowed Amy to see him. In such a short time, his sickness had caused him to begin wasting away and he hadn’t wanted Amy to see him... until the very end. She remembered looking into his brown eyes and running a hand over the damp brown hair that matched hers. He wasn’t the most handsome person, and many had told Amy that she looked just like him.

Follow Him
, he had told her. And that was all he’d said. Amy had been keeping her promise to do so ever since. At least, she was trying.

She asked Wardington, “I hate lying to people. I continue to tell my family that I’m unwell so that I am not forced to go to any parties. The season has already started. Why am I not at the parties?”

He slouched in his chair as he stared at her, “Because, you, my dear, are going to make your entrance at the best party of the year. The party that marks the true beginning of the season. And you will be presented so effectively that my son will regret ever telling you that you would fail.”

S
he’d told
him about some of their conversation on the balcony. “How? How can this be?”

He smiled, “Because, when you’ve got the right people in your corner, no one can touch you.”

“Who are the right people?”

He waved her away. “Let’s not worry about that at the moment. It’s time for your next lesson. Now, how do you make a man who is speaking to you remember you?”

Amy turned toward the fire and thought. After instructions on walking, eating, and conversation for the last two weeks, Amy was beginning to feel exhausted. A few moments later, she sighed and turned to him. “I give up. What do I do?”

Wardington grinned and leaned forward, holding her with his green eyes, “Listen to everything I say, and do exactly as I tell you. If you do this, you will not fail.”

“
H
ow did
I ever get invited to his thing?”

Nathaniel turned to look at Joseph Croftman as he took another sip from his glass. As Catherine and Jane’s eldest brother, he was forced to accompany them around from party to party, making sure no one like Nathaniel happened to come along and ruin them for all else. “Joseph, this is the party of the year. Everyone was invited.”

“I wasn’t invited last year,” he countered.

“You were. Invites are for the entire family.”

“Well, I wasn’t invited formally,” he said, tartly, his anger growing. “My name wasn’t on a single invitation. Now, my name is on every last one. Why?”

A few daughters of the ton passed by the men, their gowns an array of bright colors, their smiles reaching their eyes. They broke into giggles as they walked away.

Nathaniel laughed, “You must know.”

Bright brown eyes turned to him. “I don’t.” Compared to most men, Joseph was large. One to get involved when it came to repairs on his land caused Joseph’s bulk to stand out against every other man’s more lean physique. And when he scowled, as he was doing now, he had the tendency to look almost dangerous—a feature many of the young women were drawn to.

N
athaniel sighed
, “The mothers are running out of young wealthy men to wed their daughters. And since you refused to go to any parties last year, they made sure you would be here this year.”

Joseph grunted.

“And, you’ve sisters to chaperone.”

“Catherine can handle herself.”

“Jane?” Nathaniel asked.

Joseph frowned, and his eyes began to scan the large gathering.

Nathaniel’s eyes took in the room as well. No one threw a party like the Dowager Cartridge. Last year, she’d hosted her own zoo in her gardens with lanterns lighting the way, leading her guests down paths of danger and wonder. This year, she’d had a section of her house set up as an exhibit of archaeological discoveries from Greece. Nathaniel had taken the tour and had been amazed. Many men might have dreaded the season, but no one wished to miss a Cartridge affair.

M
usic
and cheerful chatter poured through the room and ran out into the open balconies and other rooms of the house. It was a happy event, but then there was Joseph. Nathaniel turned to look at Joseph and knew why he really hadn’t wanted to come. The job of escort hadn’t been his to begin with, but an elder brother who’d died in the war.

Joseph let out a breath, “Jane is not on the dance floor, and she’s not standing by my mother or Catherine. The little elf is always running off.”

Nathaniel turned to him. “I don’t believe you’re doing the whole escort thing correctly.”

Joseph stared at him, “I’m standing by the most dangerous person in the house. I believe I’m doing it quite well.” Then he grinned.

Nathaniel laughed, “Touché.” The words had been said in jest. Nathaniel had no intentions where Jane was concerned. The girl was more family than anything. Like a little sister, but that didn’t stop Nathaniel from teasing Joseph. “Perhaps, I’d have a better shot at finding her.” When Joseph didn’t respond, Nathaniel looked over at him and noticed his eyes fixed in a singular direction. Following his eyes, he saw a glimpse of shimmering white before it was engorged in the presence of those around. A rush of whispers around him let him know it was someone of importance. Someone new had shown their face in London, but who?

A
crowd was drawn
in the direction of the ballroom entrance.

Lady Cartridge’s voice boomed over those present, “Oh, I’m so glad you could come, dear.”

“Dear?” Nathaniel asked. He shook his head. “Lady Cartridge never calls anyone
dear
.”

Joseph grinned, “Well, if you’d seen the lady, you might wish she were your own dear.”

That would never happen
, Nathaniel thought.

The dowager's voice rang again, “Miss Ott, you’re the most beautiful woman here tonight!”

Nathaniel stilled at the name. Miss Ott? His Miss Ott? The hairs on the back of his neck stood at attention, and before he knew it, he was moving across the room. When he finally reached the group that surrounded her, a few people pulled back, and there she was

Brown eyes looked up at him, and Nathaniel felt everything inside of him light up.

Lady Cartridge spoke, “Oh, Miss Ott, have you met Lord Nathaniel Dawnton?”

Her lashes fluttered, causing his heart to follow suit. His eyes were moved to her pale lips as she spoke, “Oh, Lady Cartridge, I do believe we have.”

Believe?
There was no doubt about it. Nathaniel could vividly recall their meeting. The moment was paramount in his head. And then their kiss on the balcony. If asked, he would write poetry about her lips. Lush, soft, innocent.

L
ady Cartridge spoke again
. This time to Nathaniel. “Don’t be rude, my lord.”

Nathaniel’s face felt flush, and he noticed something dance in Amy’s eyes. Her face, hair, eyes… they were all the same, but there was something about her that seemed… different. He cleared his throat and extended his hand, “Miss Ott. It’s so good to see you again.”

The corners of her lips lifted, “You as well, my lord.”

“This must be your first event of the season. I didn’t see you at any others.”

“Looking for me, were you?”

He grinned, “I would not have missed you had you been present.”

Her voice was soft. “Nor I you, my lord.”

He grinned again.,“I’d be delighted if I could have your first dance.”

The slight smile that touched her mouth called to him. Her words didn’t. “I’m sorry. My first dance has already been promised to another.” And then she turned away, as though he were no longer there.

N
athaniel’s face fell
.

“Indeed, it is,” came the deep voice from behind him.

Nathaniel turned to find the Earl of Cartridge had approached. Young, handsome, wealthy beyond reason, and with a lack of scandal attached to his name, Cartridge was easily the catch of the season. Every mother’s dream was poured into the six-foot-tall, blonde-haired, blue-eyed man before him.

The territorial glare on Nathaniel’s face must have been obvious because the corner of Cartridge’s mouth lifted before he took Amy’s hand and led her onto the floor to join in a country dance.

H
eat crawled
down Nathaniel’s arms, causing his fists to ball. The voices of those around him—whispering about how good a couple the two looked—faded into the back of his mind as his own thoughts began to bombard him. Amy was his. He should have had her first dance; after all, it had been he who’d kissed her first. Long before Cartridge had had the pleasure of meeting her… or had he?

What if that wasn’t so? What if she had met Cartridge before? He watched them as they danced with one another. Amy’s dress glittered like a white light as she moved. How it was so, he would never know. And Cartridge’s eyes never left Amy; Nathaniel watched him as he watched her. Such a perfect earl, only made worse by the fact that he indulged his mother’s flair of extravagance by allowing her to have this ridiculous party.

A chuckle at his side broke into his thoughts. It was Joseph. “Keep this up, and you’ll look as miserable as I do.”

Nathaniel didn’t bother to spare him a glance. He kept his eyes on Amy, making sure that the earl didn’t so much as breathe on her inappropriately. As he watched, it seemed the dance would go on forever. His eyes stayed focused, following her ever graceful turns. Her private smiles at the earl. Her laugh, which reached his ears and fell on his chest like a heavy weight.

Joseph spoke again, “You know her?”

He hesitated to answer. “I do.”

“How well?” The two words meant much more than they seemed.

N
athaniel sighed
, “Not
that
well.” But, oh how he’d tried. She’d stopped him though. She’d refused him. Him! Lord Nathaniel. Son of the Rogue Duke.
London Lover
. No one refused him.

As if reading his mind, Joseph gasped. “Don’t tell me she turned you down.” And then he laughed. “Oh, I like her much more now.”

Nathaniel took a peek in Joseph’s direction and watched as the wealthy gentry man’s eyes narrowed.

Joseph spoke again, “Do you think she’d settle for anything less than a title?”

Good question. Had Joseph asked the question a few weeks ago, Nathaniel would have thought Amy willing to settle with any man that would have her. After the embarrassment at Wardington Park, he’d assumed her lack of appearance at the parties had been because of shame. Now, he knew the truth. She’d held out in an effort to dazzle everyone. To dazzle him.

J
ust when he
’d thought it, Amy looked over at him and their eyes caught. She missed a step. Barely, but it had been there and would have been obvious were it not for the earl. He still had some control over her. His smile grew.

The dance ended a moment later, and Nathaniel watched as the earl escorted Amy to her chaperone, Duchess Hensman, and made his way there, aware of the other young men who were closing in. But he was sure he’d get there first and once he did, he planned on finishing what he’d begun—making the enchanting Miss Ott his.