His Perfect Game (10 page)

“Have fun.” Her mother smiled encouragingly as if she could feel her reluctance.

Abigail followed along behind Braiden as he led her to the portrait room. Although it was her brother’s favorite place, she preferred to avoid the room. All of her father’s estate manors held such rooms as the dukes always commissioned several portraits of either themselves or their families to display.

Her brother always gravitated to the picture of their family. To an outsider, it depicted the vision of a childhood ensconced in happy moments, but Abigail could see through to the truth. Braiden’s younger self embodied the laughter and happiness of his childhood, but he remained the only joyful image. Her father’s domineering smile combined with both her and her mother’s tight expressions presented a different picture.

Turning from the unhappy image, Abigail moved to her favorite portrait. Her grandmother. The long red hair and teasing green eyes always made Abigail feel happy. She often wondered about the life her grandmother had led.

The one time she’d asked about her grandmother, her father had raged, and she never asked again. Later that day, her mother told of how her grandmother had died when her father was very young. Not only did he blame her for dying, he loathed his father for consorting with other redheaded women after the death of his wife.

Tired of being lost in bad memories, she turned to her brother. He regarded her oddly. Her face heated thinking of the image he could be conjuring of her and Lord Merrick.

“Tell me about your betrothed, Viscount Merrick.”

“From what I know, he is a good sort, and he came handpicked for me by Father.” Abigail knew their father’s approval would be all her brother needed to hear.

“That is surprising. Surely Father would prefer someone tamer for you. I noticed Merrick was very aggressive the other night.”

She lowered her gaze, ashamed at her part in it. “It wasn’t as if he didn’t have encouragement.” Her face felt as though her cheeks had been touched by fire.

“Clearly he was taking advantage of your innocence.”

“What does it matter? We are to be wed in a matter of days.”

“I don’t like this. Yesterday I asked around about him, and I didn’t like what I heard.”

Her head snapped up to study her brother. Considering Father had already bestowed his blessing on her marriage, she would never imagine Braiden would seek additional approval. Did she dare hope his opinion of their father would change? Mentally shaking her head, she knew the idea to be improbable. He very well could have obtained the sought information from their father.

Curious about her betrothed, she could not refrain from asking, “What did you learn?”

“He is illegitimate. I’m not certain how he gained the title, but the facts still remain. He is also a gambler.”

Resisting the urge to glare at her brother, she kept her unwavering gaze fixed upon him. How easily he dismissed Lord Merrick simply based on Society’s gossip bothered her.

“I already am aware of the particulars of his birth. As far as gambling, is he successful, or should I worry about the future?”

Braiden’s mouth fell open. She couldn’t understand how he expected her to react to the information, but she refused to miss out on a chance to learn more about her future.

“From what I heard, he manages to hold his own. Why are you not distressed by this?”

“He already told me he was a gambler. Do you want me to be upset?”

“I’m not sure. This whole situation confuses me. Father never mentioned your upcoming wedding in any of his letters, and then I received an invitation. I would ask if you were with child, but I can’t imagine you would be that irresponsible. But then again, the other night . . .”

“Don’t be ridiculous. You do me a great disservice. First, to think so low of me, and then to not understand why someone would marry me hurts more than you might realize.”

“I didn’t mean it that way.” Braiden raked his fingers through his hair as he shifted his feet.

“What do you hope to achieve by these questions? Regardless of your disapproval, I will marry Lord Merrick in less than a week.”

“I’m your brother, and I can’t fathom another man being good enough for you. I just want to protect you.”

She felt her annoyance subside. “I know, and I appreciate your concern.”

“Come on.” He gave her a crooked smile. “Let’s go steal some of Cook’s scones like we did when we were children. It will be fun.”

Recalling those lighthearted moments with her brother made the tips of her mouth turn up. “I suppose it can’t hurt to take a few.”

“Too bad we aren’t at Donetic. I’ll never forget the time you helped me catch that frog. I suspect Mrs. Helmsley will never forget it either.”

Abigail laughed at the memory as she allowed her brother to lead her to the kitchen. After all these years of being forced to live a quiet, dull life, it felt nice to enjoy one last carefree moment before she wed. She had no way of knowing what the future held or if her intended would hold to his promises.

Later that evening, as she prepared for the dinner party, the lighthearted time she spent with her brother melted away. This event was being hosted by the Marquis and Marchioness of Stonemede. They had invited close family and friends to dine with them in an intimate setting prior to the wedding.

The marquis was a friend of her betrothed, and knowing that made her uneasy about meeting him. The way Lord Merrick spoke of Lord Stonemede indicated they were close. Part of her worried she would not measure up to his expectations.

For the first time in many years, she wanted to disregard her armor and show up as herself. She could only imagine everyone’s horror if she entered the room with her red hair exposed. Her father would no doubt fly off into one of his rages. However, the reaction more concerning to her was the viscount’s. Would he like the shade, or did he abhor the color as her father did?

The question remained on her mind until the carriage stopped in front of the elegant house. Falling into place behind her mother, they entered the drawing room and were immediately approached by their host and hostess.

Lord Stonemede stood as tall as Lord Merrick, but the similarities ended there. The marquis was handsome in a more classical way and had an open and kind face. Abigail imagined his wife had no trouble discerning his emotions. Turning to Lady Stonemede, Abigail observed she matched her husband in both beauty and friendliness.

The marchioness insisted Abigail refer to her as Brianna before she left to greet the other guests. Her silky black hair boasted loose curls that bounced when she walked. Beside Brianna, Abigail felt worse about her dull, oily hair.

Watching Brianna and Lord Stonemede’s interactions told her their relationship resembled that of Julia and Winston’s, who were also present. A twinge of jealousy slid down her spine, making her skin prickle.

Turning to Lord Merrick she noted how his eyes lit when they met hers. Hope infused her. She smiled. Considering his friend treated his wife with respect, would her betrothed act in the same manner?

“Must you look at him like that in front of all these people?” Julia chided in a playful tone.

Abigail’s face heated as her attention turned to her cousin. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“You are smitten with Lord Merrick. As pleased as I am, I must warn you, if you make your feelings so obvious, particularly with so many witnesses, he will not have to work to gain your regard. You will miss out on so much fun that way.”

“I’m not smitten, nor would Lord Merrick have any use with my regard.”

Abigail could not believe her cousin would suggest such a thing. She felt no different toward Lord Merrick than she did to any other gentleman who acted with friendliness toward her. Certainly she liked him and enjoyed his company. His kisses, too, were very pleasant, but that didn’t mean anything. Her cousin was wrong.

“As you say.” Julia shrugged. “What do you think of the marchioness? She appears to be quite pleasant.”

“Yes. She was very kind to me.”

“The two of us came out last Season together. Although we didn’t personally know each other, I heard nothing but good things about her. Most of the other debutants who were declared diamonds of the Season tried to secure the affections of all the most eligible gentlemen, but she never tried to compete with them.”

“Her strategy apparently worked. After all, you only need one husband. Once she married the marquis, she certainly obtained her goal.”

“True. I worked on several gentlemen until I met Winston. After that, he received all of my attention.” Julia looked over at her husband in a way that Abigail imagined Julia would have scolded her for.

“Are you ladies enjoying the evening?” Lord Merrick asked from beside her.

“Yes,” Abigail responded, suddenly embarrassed. His deep voice sent tremors through her body and called to mind his lips upon her.

“Lord and Lady Stonemede are very gracious to extend the invitation to me and my husband,” Julia added.

“They are the finest of people. Although they had not intended to travel with their son being so young, they made the journey for the wedding.”

Such pride resounded in his words that Abigail suspected not many people went out of their way for him. Sympathy surfaced as she stared into his face. With her father’s title and reputation, many people were willing to inconvenience themselves for her or her family, so the idea was foreign to her.

“I can see that about them.” Abigail noticed that she failed to hide her pity so she quickly turned away to avoid his gaze.

“Dinner is prepared, my lord,” a servant announced as he entered the room.

“As this is an informal gathering, would you allow me to escort you to dinner?” Lord Merrick offered his arm, which she accepted.

As everyone settled around the table, Abigail was surprised to see not too many more than a dozen people present. She recognized everyone, but didn’t personally know anyone beside her own family.

The conversation centered on recapping the more memorable moments of the Season, and Lady Laramie’s ball constantly came up. The first mention of the ball brought Braiden’s narrowed gaze to her and Lord Merrick.

Heat flooded her cheeks as she felt the viscount stiffen beside her. Her brother needed to forget what he saw. She didn’t wish for anyone to observe their reaction and question them. Lord Merrick wished to improve his name, and rumors about that night would not aide in that matter.

Her wedding drew near, but so many things could happen in that brief amount of time. She would have to speak to her brother again and make sure he understood. The tricky part would be insuring Braiden didn’t talk to their father about it. Since her brother’s return home, she’d been saved from her father’s wrath, but she suspected the reprieve would be short.

Greyson entered Richard’s drawing room and immediately his eyes sought out his betrothed. She sat on a chair, speaking to her cousin and Lady Stonemede. Asking Richard to invite Lady Willimena’s family had been a good idea, as she appeared more comfortable.

His first inclination was to join her, but he caught Jonathan’s assessing gaze, and he didn’t wish to give his friend something to comment on. As he made his way over to Jonathan, he noticed Richard doing the same.

“What do you think of my betrothed?” he asked his friends.

“She is amiable. Brianna seems to like her as well.” Richard indicated his wife seated next to Lady Willimena.

Although Richard’s assessment of his wife appeared correct, Lady Willimena didn’t seem to share the sentiment. With her body tense, she watched Lady Stonemede’s smiling face with trepidation. Greyson wondered what the marchioness had said to get such a response.

“I think I like her as well,” Jonathan added, a hint of amusement touching his voice. “She is a puzzle. I do enjoy that in a woman.”

“She isn’t yours to solve,” Greyson retorted, gritting his teeth.

“I like your reaction even more.” Jonathan laughed, and, much to Greyson’s surprise, Richard joined in. Normally Richard sided with
him
, and this change made him wonder what he missed.

“Would you care to include me on the jest?”

“In time,” Richard answered, sending Jonathan in another round of mirth.

Greyson turned away from his friends, intent on leaving them, when he saw Hauney’s piercing look directed at him. The man appeared to have lost his anger from the other night, but he still seemed quite displeased.

“What do you know of the Marquis of Hauney?” Greyson asked his friends.

“Not much. He is the son of the Duke of Donetic, but you already knew that,” Richard said.

“I heard his father sent him off to run an estate before the ink was dry on his school papers. He is obviously not fond of the boy,” Jonathan added.

“When the duke speaks of his son, there is nothing but pride apparent, so that can’t be the situation.” Greyson assessed each member of the family before returning his attention to his friends.

Something in the duchess’s countenance as well as Lady Willimena’s gave him pause. Thinking back to the conversation he shared with his betrothed at Lady Laramie’s ball, he wondered if another reason existed for their conduct. However, Hauney didn’t have the same look as the women.

“I wonder what questions Hauney is asking about you,” Jonathan said thoughtfully.

Greyson followed his friend’s gaze to see Hauney talking with his father. Both pairs of eyes rested upon him, but they turned away as soon as they made contact. If Hauney relayed the encounter he observed with him and Lady Willimena, it mattered not. As she had already been instructed to entice him, her father would no doubt be proud of her success. However, the assurance didn’t alleviate his discomfort with her name being disparaged by her brother.

“I take it the brother isn’t pleased by your union,” Richard said, gaining Greyson’s attention.

“Well, Greyson, you have charmed the bride and the father, now you must exercise your talents on the brother.” Jonathan’s tone held confidence, as if the feat would be simple.

Unfortunately, Greyson knew the chances of that had passed. Even if Hauney voiced his disapproval, it would not change anything with the wedding being so close, with
him
holding all the power. The duke could not change his mind. The wedding would take place. The only task left to do would be to ensure Hauney didn’t damage Greyson’s new hard-earned reputation.