Dreaming of You (16 page)

Though in many ways it seemed like just yesterday, in truth, far more time had passed than even seemed possible.  The days when she had scoured the London papers searching for news of a nobleman who’d gone missing, the report of an abducted aristocrat, or anything that might have provided her with a clue to his identity, had long since gone by.  After a while she’d convinced herself to let it go, to let
him
go, knowing it was best if she moved on with her life, or at least tried to move on.  But now, here in London, with the possibility of finding him once again prevalent in her thoughts, she found it increasingly difficult to suppress that small glimmer of hope that had stubbornly lingered deep within the depths of her soul.  The hope of one day finding the man she had loved and lost.
 

Gavin tossed his cards onto the table in mild frustration, throwing down another lousy hand.  His luck wasn’t usually so poor.  Perhaps he should call it a night.  Then again, it was still early, and he
was
enjoying himself, despite the losing hands.
 

“Not like you to have such a run of bad luck, Rutherford.”  The friendly jibe, echoing his own thoughts, came from the man sitting directly across from him, Devon Ryecliff, the Earl of Kennsington.  
 

He grinned, despite the sizeable sum he’d lost during the night’s gaming.  It was a mere pittance after all, in comparison to all that he’d won during the past several years.  He didn’t play for the money in any event.  He hardly needed it.  Aside from his own fortune, which continued to increase exponentially thanks to his astute business sense and a wide variety of profitable investments, he had inherited the bulk of his family’s fortune as well, along with the title Duke of Rutherford, the title that should have passed from his father to his brother, but had instead, upon their tragic and untimely deaths two years prior, passed to him.  “Don’t get used to it, Kennsington.”  His sardonic tone caused the other men at the table to chuckle.  They were all friends, and had been since their days at Eton.
 

“Don’t worry, I won’t,” he replied with an answering grin.  “But I
will
take advantage of it while I can.”
 

A server approached their table with another round of drinks then, interrupting their good-natured banter.  Gavin took a glass and immediately raised it to his lips, savoring the taste of the expensive French brandy as it slid smoothly down his throat.  He emptied it and reached for another, seeking to dull the sharp flicker of pain that accompanied the unbidden thought of his father and brother, struck down before their time during their return from a business trip abroad, when their ship had capsized in a fierce storm just a few miles from the English coast.
 

Once all of the drinks had been dispersed, the young man pulled a small envelope from his jacket and handed it to Gavin.  “This just arrived for you, Your Grace.”
 

“What is that?” Devon asked, watching closely as Gavin broke the wax seal, his brow raised shrewdly.  “A note from the lovely Countess Petrovich?”
 

It was
.  He read the brief note, smiling to himself.
 

“Will you be leaving us then?” Devon asked with a wolfish grin.  
 

Folding the note, he slipped it into his vest pocket without answering.  Though he wasn’t one to speak openly of his amorous pursuits, it was fairly common knowledge that he had recently been enjoying the carnal favors of the attractive Russian widow.  Much to his annoyance, there were very few secrets that could be kept within the
ton’s
broad network of wagging tongues.
 

The others eyed him speculatively, but they knew better than to press him.  Though he had long been considered a bit of a rake by several of his peers, those that knew him well knew that he didn’t brag about his bedroom exploits.  “Deal the cards, Talbot.”
 

Edward Talbot, the gentleman seated to Gavin’s immediate right, smirked and picked up the cards.  “Speaking of widows, I hear that the Countess of Edgington has just come to town,” he said.
 

“Old Charlie’s widow?”  This asked by Andrew Darby, the red-haired chap seated to Gavin’s left.
 

“The very one.”  Edward, always eager to impart the latest bit of gossip, nodded his head briskly up and down.  
 

Devon’s eyes widened in interest.  “You don’t say.”
 

“Hell, it’s been nearly five years since Edgington passed,” Andrew said, wrinkling his brow in confusion.  “Where has she been all this time?”
 

Edward shrugged.
 

“Have you gotten a look at her?” Devon asked, directing the question to Edward.
 

“Not yet, but I certainly intend to.  And sooner, rather than later,” he said with a rakish grin.  “Heard she’s a real beauty.”
 

“Edgington’s widow, hmm,” Gavin mused with only the mildest of interest.  Charles Cavendish had been a longtime business associate of his father’s, though he hadn’t known the man well himself.  His nephew Nelson had been a classmate of his at Eton however, and unfortunately they
were
well-acquainted.  When he’d heard that Nelson had lost his long-coveted title and inheritance to Edgington’s infant son by his second wife, he had felt little sympathy for the man.  Nelson was an obnoxious boor whose unpleasant personality was made even more repugnant by his fondness for the bottle, and these days he did his best to avoid him, as did most everyone else of their mutual acquaintance.
 

“I have it on good authority that she will be in attendance at the Middleton’s ball this weekend,” Edward added, as he tossed out the cards.
 

“Ah, and I take it that you have managed to wrangle an invitation for yourself as well.”  Gavin grinned knowingly.
 

“I have indeed.”  Edward smiled widely, nodding his head.  “And as I have no doubt that you are on the guest list, might I inquire as to whether or not you will be gifting the assemblage with one of your rare appearances?”
 

Gavin’s smile turned to a frown.  It was pretty much a given that his name was on every guest list when it came to
ton
functions, though his attendance was certainly not, for he tended to avoid as many of the seemingly endless number of Society events as possible.  “Unfortunately I shall, for Pennworth is presently attending to business matters in Scotland, and Natalie has coerced me into escorting her in his stead.”
 

 “Don’t look so glum, Rutherford,” Devon said, tossing one of his cards to the center of the table.  “At least you’ve only one sister, and she married after her first season.  I’ve got two, and this is to be Amelia’s
second
Season, and then Bridgette shall be entering the fray the following year.  I am forced to endure nearly every ball, route and social gathering on the bloody calendar.”
 

“You have my sympathies.”  As Devon’s father had passed away several years ago, it now fell upon him to secure marriages for his two sisters.  Gavin certainly didn’t envy him the task.  Dealing with the
tiresome aspects of the marriage mart was a tedious business to be sure.  Fortunately his father and brother had still been alive when Natalie had her Season.
 

“Well I for one, am looking forward to attending the Middleton’s affair,” Andrew stated with a sly grin.
 

The other men at the table, including Gavin, rolled their eyes skyward, for it was well-known amongst their little group that Andrew had more than a passing interest in Felicity Middleton.  It was also well-known among them, and amongst nearly every other member of Society, that Felicity’s husband was a brainless old fool who had no idea that his pretty young wife was reputed to have bedded nearly every able-bodied gentlemen who’d given her so much as a passing glance over the past several years.
 

“Come on, Rutherford.  It won’t be so bad.  Besides, don’t tell me you aren’t just the slightest bit curious to get a look at Edgington’s lovely young widow,” Edward remarked, looking up from his cards.  
 

“He’d better not look too closely if Anastasia is nearby,” Devon quipped with a cheeky grin.   “I hear the countess has a rather volatile temper.”
 

Gavin allowed a small, enigmatic smile to curve his lips.  Anastasia did have a passionate temperament, both in and out of the bedroom.  It was one of the things he liked best about her.  However, and somewhat surprisingly considering her hot-blooded nature, she wasn’t the jealous type, a circumstance he appreciated even more.  Like him, she enjoyed the freedom to do as she wished, and with whomever she wished to do it.  It made their present relationship an ideal situation.
 

As their carriage rapidly approached the Middleton’s London home, Melody glanced down nervously at the ice-blue, watered silk bodice of her ball gown.  She’d had several new gowns, including this one, made for her before she’d traveled to London, but this was the first time she had actually worn any of them.  The designs and fabrics were far more extravagant and sophisticated than anything she had ever worn before, but Madame Dubay, the highly-skilled French seamstress she’d hired to travel to Edgington to create her new wardrobe, had guaranteed her that the styles she’d helped her to select were the height of fashion and all the rage in London.  Nonetheless, she was suddenly unsure of herself and could hardly resist the urge to pull up upon the low-cut bodice of the gown she wore now, that in her opinion revealed a rather shocking amount of cleavage.  Penny however, had assured her that she looked absolutely perfect.  And in truth she thought, glancing across the carriage, the cut of her cousin’s gown was even slightly more revealing than her own, and her husband, seated next to her, seemed not to think that anything was amiss at all.  
 

Taking a deep breath, she tried to quell her nerves by focusing not on the night ahead, but rather on the conversation at hand.
 

“I do hope Miss Murdock remembers to give Edward his medicine before putting him to bed,” Penny fretted, glancing worriedly at her husband.
 

“Dearest, you reminded her at least a half dozen times,” Lord Wexley said, smiling fondly at Penny.  “I am quite certain that she will not forget.”
 

Melody was aware that Penny and Henry’s youngest son had been suffering from an unfortunate malady of late, and that this was Penny’s first evening away from home in more than a week.  As a mother herself, she could hardly fault her cousin for her concern, but she had seen for herself that young Edward was indeed on the mend.  In any event, she sought to set her mind at ease.  “We needn’t stay overly long Penny.  I assure you that I shall be content to leave whenever you are ready to return home.”  In fact, she would probably be ready to leave before Penny, though she would never say so aloud.  Her cousin was so excited to begin her introduction to Society that Melody didn’t have the heart to let on how very
unexcited
she was.  In truth, she was only doing this for her children, for she would have been more than content to spend the remainder of her days residing peacefully in the country.  However, as the current Earl of Edgington, William would someday have to take his place amongst his peers, and it was her duty to begin paving the way for him.  As their mother, it was up to her to see to William’s future, as well as Emma’s.
 

“I am being silly, aren’t I?”
 

“You are not being silly at all, my dear,” Henry declared, patting his wife’s hand affectionately.  “You are a loving and devoted mother, and Edward and Phillip are most-fortunate to have you.”
 

“I could not agree more,” Melody added.
 

Penny smiled somewhat sheepishly.  “Well, in any event, I shall do my best to enjoy the night ahead and not spend
all
of my time fretting about Edward.”
 

“Excellent,” Henry grinned, “for I am looking forward to spending a delightful evening with two of the loveliest ladies in London, and being the envy of all the other gentlemen in attendance.”
 

“You see why I adore him so?” Penny said, tucking her arm through Henry’s.
 

“I do.  You are fortunate indeed Penny.”
 

“As am I,” Henry added gallantly, placing his hand over Penny’s.
 

“Most certainly,” Melody agreed with a warm smile.  Their affection for one another was obvious and Melody was delighted that Penny had made such a wonderful match.
 

Several minutes later, as they alighted from the carriage at the front of the Middleton’s lavish home, Melody once again felt a nervous flutter in her stomach.  This was it, her first foray into Society.  
Lord, help her
.
 

Noticing her obvious trepidation, Penny reached out and squeezed her hand reassuringly as they made their way up the front steps.  “Relax, Melody.  You are going to be a smashing success.”
 

Gracious, she shuddered to think what she would have done without Penny.  Her vivacious, kindhearted cousin was an absolute godsend.  Casting a sidelong glance at Penny, she took a deep breath and tried to appear confident and at ease.
 

Moments later, as their names were announced by the Middleton’s regal-looking butler; Melody summoned her courage and made her way into the crowded ballroom with a smile on her face and her head held high.
 

As her cousin had predicted, it wasn’t long before they were approached by numerous ladies and gentlemen eager to make Melody’s acquaintance.  Being the center of attention was a bit daunting at first, but with her cousin’s reassuring presence at her side she managed to calm the worst of her nerves and gradually began to feel more and more at ease as she greeted each person who was presented to her.  Even so, as she was introduced to every new gentleman who stepped forward, she couldn’t completely quell the anxiousness she felt as she listened with added interest to each one of their voices, searching for any hint of recognition.