An Elaborate Hoax (A Gentlemen of Worth Book 5) (16 page)

BOOK: An Elaborate Hoax (A Gentlemen of Worth Book 5)
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“Sir Benjamin?” Lady Pelfry interrupted most politely.

The baronet stopped his discourse and gazed across the table at his wife. “Yes, my dear?”

“Your soup is growing cold,” she informed him.

He glanced at the dish before him and replied, “So it is. I beg your pardon, Mrs. Cavanaugh. If the temperature of my soup drops, it will be inedible.”

“I quite understand, sir.” To Penny’s relief after a short dinner prayer, which she supplied, he took up his spoon and proceeded with his first course, allowing her, and the others at the table, to do the same. Before beginning, she glanced toward the head of the table and met David’s gaze, sharing a moment of mutual understanding of their present circumstance: their evening might not be enjoyed but endured.

Some minutes later, Sir Benjamin, having finished his soup, did not, to Penny’s relief, resume his discourse on the topic of truffles, mushrooms, or the fungi family.

“That was quite excellent.” The baronet rested his spoon in the bowl and sat upright. “I must thank you for allowing your children to visit Manfred Place, Mrs. Cavanaugh. To have playmates on our doorstep—I have never seen my children enjoy themselves as they have these past few days.”

“Lucy and Davy are quite beside themselves as well, Sir Benjamin. I, too, think it is due to the company of your children. Not to mention Miss Lemmon is most extraordinary. She always manages to have the most diverting activity scheduled for each visit.”

“I enjoy my time with my nieces and nephew, and the addition of your children makes the afternoon merrier!” Miss Lemmon commented.

It was noticeable to Penny that the four of them, she and the three guests, were enjoying easy dinner table conversation, while David, the host, did not participate. This meal was meant to be more of an extended family occasion where there would be friendly exchange.

“Would you care for any beef, Mrs. Cavanaugh?” Sir Benjamin arranged the slices on the platter.

“Thank you, Sir Benjamin.” The boiled parsnips on Penny’s plate now lay alongside her slice of beef.

David had, without a word that Penny could hear, supplied Lady Pelfry and Miss Lemmon each with some portions of the roasted chicken on his end of the table. They had helped themselves to the vegetable dishes and the fruit tart.

During the quiet interval that passed while the diners were occupied with their plates, the room grew quiet. David slid a forkful of chicken into his mouth and took his time chewing, clearly savoring the flavor. It had no sauce or truffle enhancement. The bird had been roasted under Cook’s watchful eye only a few hours before. Penny had learned it was his favorite and wondered if the joy of consuming his meal would diminish if he learned their dinner had previously resided at Manfred Place.

David thumped his right fist three times on the table and with his eyes tightly closed proclaimed, “This is absolutely delicious!”

Chapter Fifteen

D
avid managed to survive the meal and the dessert course. He consumed a bite of cake, several nuts, and some fresh fruit, no doubt supplied from Sir Benjamin’s orchard or an exotic shrub basking in one of the baronet’s sublime conservatories.

Oh, he had had quite enough of Sir Benjamin!

It was as if Penny could read his mind. As he deposited the unwanted remainder of cake on his plate, she addressed their guests.

“Shall we ladies remove to the small parlor?” Penny rose from her chair, and the two other ladies followed.

David could hardly wait to be done with the meal. There was not a question in his mind whether he would remain alone in the dining room with the baronet as was expected. He simply would not.

“I shall escort you, if I may?” Sir Benjamin rose and offered Penny his arm.

“Will you not remain in the dining room with Mr. Cavanaugh?”

“Dining
en famille
as we do, it is not my custom.”

“Very well, sir.” Penny accepted his escort, and they led the way out of the dining room.

“I hope you take no offence that Sir Benjamin does not remain after our meal.” Lady Pelfry was much better at the niceties than the baronet. “He truly does not do so. He neither smokes nor does he partake in spirits.”

Yes, David had noticed that. He was actually quite relieved at being spared isolation with Sir Benjamin. The baronet did not drink anything stronger than claret with his meals, did not wager on cards or dice, and horses—they were only used for transportation or to plow fields. Pelfry was a different sort, all right. Not at all the type of fellow with whom David would care to keep company.

“Not at all, my lady. Shall we join the others?” David escorted Lady Pelfry from the dining room, trailing her husband, her sister, and Penny down the corridor to the small parlor. The fire in the hearth had been lit and made the room cozy.

Sir Benjamin halted near the sofa where Lady Pelfry ultimately sat by his side. Miss Lemmon came to a rest in the chair next to her sister. David eased into the chair that sat a bit away from them, back in the corner.

He had not cared for the thought of his children, his godchildren, spending time away from the Willows and especially in the company of Sir Benjamin. The dratted man behaved as if he were a saint and most people—not David—were of the same mind.

“Mr. Cavanaugh?” Penny, who occupied the overstuffed chair that Mrs. Sutton favored, did not need to turn far from Sir Benjamin to address David. “What was the name of that place you intend to bring the children? Where you rode the ponies when you were a boy?”

“That would be Beacon Hill,” David supplied. “The destination is not the hill itself but the adventurous passage along the ridge where there’s a sheer drop to the rocks along the shore that makes the journey particularly treacherous.”

“Oh, dear!” and “It cannot be true!” The two sisters gasped with what David considered adequate alarm of the perceived danger involved.

“Do not fear, ladies,” David reassured them. “The
danger
is only a recollection from my boyhood days. I hardly give it merit.”

There was an audible sigh of relief.

“The precariously narrow path on the crest line, I expect, is best described by my adult self as a broad, flat expanse and a well-worn trail. Furthermore, I am fairly certain the shoreline is nothing but the pebbled edge of a small creek that may not even contain running water.”

“I daresay if you plan to embark on such a
dangerous
journey, your children will enjoy it immensely!” Sir Benjamin chuckled.

“Never say so, my dear!” Lady Pelfry scolded her spouse. “How terrifying for the children! It is monstrous to purposely expose them to such a fright!”

“Dearest, never fear.” He covered his wife’s clasped hand with his own. “Believe me, all children delight in such antics. Is that not so, Mrs. Cavanaugh?”

“It is very lowering to believe such a thing, but you have the right of it, Sir Benjamin. The children will relish the idea of facing great danger,” Penny admitted, rather reluctantly, it seemed. “The idea, mind you. They truly have no wish to face any genuine peril.”

“They have spent far too much time in the city. I must confess Lucy and Davy are finding even the most mundane country chore appealing.” David did his utmost to prevent his frustration with his guest to affect his behavior. “We ventured out to collect berries just last week. The wild berry patch was where we first ran into your Clemmy, Sylvie, and Miss Lemmon, if you will recall.”

“Ah, yes,” Sir Benjamin uttered as if he understood all and could fully commiserate with David. “More’s the pity there were no berries to be found. One would imagine to find a profusion of berries in the middle of summer since we live in Britain’s most temperate region.”

“The
temperate
region?” David repeated to himself in disbelief and was rather glad he’d been seated lest the shock of hearing it caused him to grow weak at the knees. They hardly lived in Italy! He did not wish to be rude and hoped his effort at maintaining a placid composure was convincing.

The man was a bit of a quiz, wasn’t he?

“Why do we not have some music?” Penny interjected in the strangest manner. Ah, she had not been fooled by David’s façade, and she understood his frustration.

“Excellent idea!” David shot to his feet and rubbed his hands, glad that he, that they all, would be spared further lectures.

Penny, escorted by Sir Benjamin, was the first to exit. David, with Lady Pelfry and Miss Lemmon on each arm, followed down the corridor to the small parlor.

A fire crackled in the hearth, welcoming the guests into the cozy, warm room. Candles, from Sir Benjamin’s bees, no doubt, illuminated the corners and the normally dim areas about the room.

“What will you play for us, my dear?” David directed at Penny. He had no doubt that a woman of her character and upbringing would be proficient at the pianoforte in addition to possessing other accomplishments.

“Me?” Penny, whom David considered a most capable lady, faced him, wide-eyed and behaving a bit bewildered. “I cannot, sir, really. I simply cannot.”

“Oh, come now, do not be so modest,” David encouraged her.

“It is not modesty’s sake, I can assure you. I have not practiced in quite some time. It would be quite the humiliation to play before an audience.”

“Belle will be more than happy to play for us, won’t you, my dear?” Lady Pelfry intervened. “This will be a good opportunity to learn what is expected when she attends the Season.”

“A very good observation, my lady.” Sir Benjamin—awakened from his contemplation of British climate changes throughout the seasons or his bee and truffle fantasies, a carryover from the dinner table, or deliberation of pit versus seed fruits—was of the same opinion as his wife. “When will she have another occasion to play before an audience?”

“Very well. I shall play if that is what you wish.” Miss Lemmon rose from her chair and moved to the pianoforte. “I must warn those of you who have not heard me play. I am a competent but not very gifted performer.”

“One does not always play to display one’s ability but to show a willingness to do what is expected.” Penny directed her comment to Miss Lemmon. “It is rare that a young lady has not some musical talent, which a potential suitor might admire.”

Miss Lemmon cast her gaze downward with a flattering blush rising in her cheeks and, it seemed, had mastered the ability to appear demure. She did so quite convincingly.

Very fetching, indeed
.

“I completely understand, ma’am,” she replied, looking quite extraordinary, peeking toward them through her long lashes.

The two couples seated themselves to enjoy the performance. Miss Lemmon sat at the keyboard, taking a few moments to allow the color in her face to fade, compose herself, and decide upon a musical piece. She raised her hands to the keyboard and began to play.

It was a piece not completely unfamiliar to David, yet he could not name it. He was fairly certain he had heard it before. Miss Lemmon was, as she stated earlier, a competent musician, but it did not appear to him that she was an exceptional performer.

The rendition lacked fluidity and, David wanted to say,
expression
. She merely played the composition as written: every note, every rest, and every measure, nothing more and nothing less.

Then David chastised himself for being a harsh critic.

The piece ended and Lady Pelfry was the first to applaud. “Excellent, Belle!”


Brava!
” Sir Benjamin called out.

Penny praised her with an encouraging, “Well done, Miss Lemmon.”

David stood and moved toward the pianoforte. “I am certainly not
eligible parti
, but if I were in the petticoat line, I would be the first in line to volunteer to turn the pages of your sheet music.”

A sharp intake of breath told him he had shocked her. Oh, she must become used to a bit of attention from males if she were not to come across as such a green girl. David could certainly help her in that quarter. He would be happy to spend some of his plethora of idle time with her.

“I have recently discovered that I am quite adept at sketching shades,” he said quietly.

“Oh?” Miss Lemmon straightened and avoided looking directly at him.

“I will draw yours if you like,” he offered. David meant the gesture to aid her further with spending time with males before the approaching Season.

“I . . .” Her gaze moved past him to her sister, across the room. “I think . . .”

“I believe it is time for us to return to Manfred Place,” Lady Pelfry announced.

“As you like, my dear.” Sir Benjamin stood, offering his hand to his wife, who did not quite push it aside but ignored it.

Everyone moved very quickly all of a sudden, standing and progressing to exit. Miss Lemmon had scuttled to her sister’s side, and they slipped out of the room before he could bid either of them farewell. David did not quite understand what had happened. Sir Benjamin lingered for a bit. He bowed to Penny, thanking her for her hospitality, and then he inclined his head to David before following his family.

David thought their guests’ departure was the oddest thing. “What do you suppose prompted that?” The answer to his question was silence. “Do you not think their behavior a bit peculiar?” And when there still was no reply he faced her to ask, “Is there something amiss?” Penny glared at him with such intensity. If a gaze were lethal he would be prostrate on the carpet on which he stood.


‘Is something amiss,’ you ask?” Penny replied, incredulous, as if the reason for their abrupt departure were obvious.

It was far from that to David.

“Do you not know what your actions have caused?” She did not raise her voice. Instead her words were sharp, edged with disturbing calm.

“My actions?” To what was she referring? What possible misstep had he taken? “Are you suggesting that I have done something improper, ma’am?”

A moment or two passed in silence where he replayed the last few minutes before the Pelfry party’s departure, the last quarter of an hour, then the last half hour before reverting to the time since they all had entered the small parlor.

“Indeed, I have behaved with the utmost propriety toward you, ma’am.” From what David could recall. He felt certain of this. “I do not believe I have offended either you or any of the ladies this evening.”

“Really? Did you think we could not hear you? Your offer to sketch her was made not only before me but with your grandmother lying in bed abovestairs. Her family, sitting in the same room, could not help but overhear.”

David had not considered. One could construe it was his way of paying Miss Lemmon some particular interest.
He
had not thought of it exactly in that manner.

“Do you realize in their eyes you are a married man making such a proposal to a single young woman?” Again the chilling, quiet delivery from Penny. “I believe you quite shocked her.”

“That’s not exactly flirting . . .” How could Penny think anything havey-cavey would go on between him and Miss Lemmon?

“Do you not realize the intimacy you suggest?” Penny’s restrained scold faded and was soon renewed by a stern, severe rebuke. “It was a wholly inappropriate action.”

“Was it?” No young miss in Town would take such offence. However, David could tell by Penny’s manner that he had crossed the line, some line—a line of good taste, perhaps? She was clearly not pleased with him. Best he make a note of this and not do it again. “I am sorry.” David hoped his sincerity came through. “Should I apologize to Miss Lemmon? To her family?”

“I am certain you will not have the opportunity to do so.” Penny closed her eyes and tilted her chin a fraction upward as if steeling herself to relay some unpleasant news. “I do not expect any of us shall see them for some time.”

“Really?” David thought that highly improbable. They lived in the neighboring property. Miss Lemmon visited several times a week and read to Gran. Sir Benjamin, as low of an opinion as David had of him, sent remedies or household items nearly every day. Would all that truly come to an end?

BOOK: An Elaborate Hoax (A Gentlemen of Worth Book 5)
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