How To Build The Perfect Rake (15 page)

‘Will you?’ she paused, looking at him
blankly. ‘Why?’

‘Because I’m going to call on you!’

‘Are you? Oh…’ Olympia tucked her hand into
the crook of her brother’s arm and smiled but it looked strangely
bleak. ‘Tomorrow, then.’

Luc watched the small
party move away and wondered what the devil
that
had been about. He couldn’t
help but think that he was missing something. Tomorrow, he vowed,
he would discover exactly what Lord Howe had said to Olympia to put
her in such a mood.

Chapter Seven

Olympia greeted the new day with doubtful
eyes, still unsure if she had experienced something of a brainstorm
the evening before or if she had just imagined her stunning
revelation.

The clear light of morning did not give her
any comfort, however for when she searched her emotions she still
found that she was in love with Lucien St James.

An absurd situation. That
she could be in love with her best friend was… was ridiculous! And
yet, even as she questioned it she knew it to be true. She loved
Luc and not just as a friend. The idea of him kissing another
female was repulsive to her while the idea of him kissing
her
brought a flush to
her cheeks that had nothing to do with embarrassment and everything
to do with desire. Unless she was sickening for something, she had
to accept the fact that her feelings for Lucien St James were
anything but sisterly. The thing was, now that she understood the
way things stood, what was she to do about it?

While preparing for the
day ahead, Olympia pondered the matter. Truthfully, she did not see
what she
could
do
about her unexpected revelation. She thought back, wondering when
friendship had somehow transmuted into love but her feelings for
Luc blurred together, tangling up in one big, warm ball of
happiness. She had never had to ponder her feelings for him, for he
had always been there and whatever had grown between them had been
comfortable and so natural that it did not need thought. But
somewhere, sometime, her feelings for him had changed. So
imperceptibly that she had not even realized it had happened,
except when it came to the very tangible problem of Luc vying for
the hand of Carisse Houghton. No wonder she had thought the girl
was wrong for him. Although, she was prepared to acquit herself a
little on that score. Carisse, vain and self-obsessed as she was,
was wrong for a lot of men. Still, while she might have wanted to
distract Luc’s attention elsewhere, she had never been able to come
up with a suitable candidate for his wife. Clearly, there had been
a part of her that had known what she did not. The only woman for
Luc was Olympia Grayson herself.

‘This is going to be dreadfully awkward,’
she predicted glumly, staring at her image in the mirror.

Her maid Constance, who had been laying a
dress on the bed, paused. ‘Excuse me, miss?’

‘Oh, nothing. I am just going mad. I’m sure
it will pass.’

Constance had been with Olympia for six
years and knew her charge well. She merely grinned. ‘Ah, well.
Comes to us all, they say.’

‘Do they? How comforting.’ Olympia muttered,
thinking that she could have done without this particular madness
ever overtaking her.

The inevitability of their
next meeting – and presumably the ones that followed - being
awkward was true, however. It was going to be strange, seeing Luc,
knowing now how she truly felt about him. How could it be anything
else?
He
might
not have a clue, but she certainly did and already she could see
herself looking at him with different eyes. The flop of brown hair
that was as unruly as it was adorable… she would no longer be able
to lean forward to push it out of his eyes. Could she really do any
of the things she had taken for granted over the years? Punch him
in the arm when he said something ridiculous, straighten his
neckcloth when it was awry, poke him playfully in the ribs? All of
these actions bespoke an intimacy that suddenly seemed off limits
and a small twist of unhappiness made itself known in the pit of
her stomach. She had assumed that when Luc did wed thing would
irrevocably change and the thought had saddened her. But that had
been when he appeared to be in no danger of getting buckled down to
some female, a sometime-in-the-future scenario that had not
seriously disturbed her peace. Sometime in the future had been easy
enough to ignore when it had not loomed large. But now…

‘Wretched Carisse!’ Olympia sighed, but she
knew that it wasn’t Carisse’s fault. It was just… life.

Fortunately her brother had a few friends to
look up while he was in London so he went out immediately after
breakfast, having first promised his sister a punt on the river in
the afternoon. He was here to ensure that she was in good spirits
and so he would, for he had promised their mama a happier Olympia
upon his return to Warwickshire. His loving sister had taken his
absence with a certain amount of relief. While she was delighted to
see Jasper she was grateful for a respite from his company for
nobody knew her better than her own family and she knew she would
have to put up a convincing front if she were to avoid her
brother’s watchful curiosity. If she began trailing around the
place like a lovelorn idiot, Jas was hardly going to return to
their family home with good news although Olympia had already
decided to return with him. She would mention it to Aunt Flora that
very day. Her aunt would be unhappy that she was leaving before the
Season was done but now there was even more reason to abandon the
capital. The last thing Olympia wanted was to be around when the
banns were read, announcing the engagement of Mr. St James and Miss
Houghton. Dissemble as she might, it would be hard to put a good
face on it and she did not want Luc to think her a sour pot.

And after that, after he did get married and
Carisse was installed at the St James estate… well, she would deal
with that when it happened.

In the meantime, Olympia wanted time to
adjust, the opportunity to gather herself together so that she
could put the best possible face on things. There was no real
reason why she should not tell Jasper of her feelings – he might
think her a goose but he would not chide her – but she did not wish
to speak of it yet. Besides, what was her brother going to do? It
would be so very like Jasper to suggest to Luc that he should stop
mooning after Carisse and go after somebody more worthy. Like his
sister.

She would quite possibly die of
embarrassment if Luc guessed at her feelings!

So it was that when Luc was announced at
eleven, she felt at a decided disadvantage. Aunt Flora was perusing
her mail, making idle chitchat about up and coming social events
and generally having a leisurely morning after their late night
while Olympia made noncommittal responses, trying to work up the
courage to tell her that she was going home. They both looked up
when Mr. St James entered, Aunt Flora smiling at the sight of
him.

‘Well now, how are you today dear boy? How
goes your pursuit of the Beauty?’

Under different circumstances Olympia would
have thought it funny that even Aunt Flora was calling Carisse the
Beauty. Now she just shifted uncomfortably on her chair and shot a
fleeting look at the new arrival from beneath her lashes.

Luc shrugged ruefully. ‘It continues. Well,
I think although it is deuced hard to gauge the situation. One
moment she seems to favor me, the next Branson. Why, she even
encourages that dreadful fop Falstaff and she seemed singularly
taken by Jasper last night.’

‘You do not need to worry about Jasper. He
is a rogue but he means no harm. I knew Falstaff’s grandfather,
y’know. A great deal older than me of course, but a real character.
I can’t help but wonder what he would make of his son and grandson.
Not a great deal, I should imagine. The poor man is probably
turning in his grave.’

‘Women are peculiar creatures, Luc muttered,
still preoccupied by the puzzle of feminine inconsistency, ‘present
company excepted, of course.’

Flora chuckled. ‘No need
to guard your tongue
here
. I know exactly how difficult a
female can be. Better than you, in all likelihood. Would you care
for something, my dear? Tea? Coffee?’

‘Coffee would be most welcome. Thank you,
Mrs. Richmond.’ Luc glanced at Olympia who had been concentrating
rather fiercely on her embroidery. Aunt Flora set her letters aside
and went in search of refreshments, leaving the pair alone for the
moment. ‘I want to talk to you Ollie. About something rather
important.’

Despite herself, Olympia’s heart skipped a
beat. She laid her work aside and looked up at him, desperately
hoping her face was empty of anything but friendly curiosity.
‘Yes?’

‘It’s about Howe.’

She looked at him blankly. ‘What?’

‘Howe.’

For a moment she felt as if she were in one
of those clever word plays that they often put on for Christmas.
What, who, how… ‘Do you mean Lord Howe?’

‘Of course I mean Lord Howe. I saw him
talking to you last night when the fireworks were going off.’

Lord Howe… yes, he
had
been talking to her
last night. Had popped up out of nowhere and sidled up to whisper
sweet somethings into her ear. She tried to recall what he’d said
but it was all a bit muddled as it had come hard on the heels of
her revelation about Luc and she had rather ignored his presence,
taking it as being just another irksome distraction. ‘What about
him?’

‘What do you mean, what about him? I want to
know what he was saying to you.’ He took a chair opposite.

‘Why?’

‘Because… well, because he’s a wrong ‘un.
Complete rake. Bad through and through. And I should know,’ he said
firmly, ‘I spent three weeks holed up with him listening to him
recount his career of vice and depravity when he was in his cups.
Last night he seemed to be paying particular attention to you and I
didn’t like it.’

‘You didn’t like it?’ Honestly, Olympia
thought crossly, she sounded like a half-wit. But she could not
grasp what he was talking about. So Lord Howe was not the thing. It
was hardly new information. All of London knew the man’s
reputation.

Luc was looking at her as if she was being
dense and for once, he was right. ‘Lord Howe is after a rich wife,’
he explained patiently, ‘he has told me so himself. You would fit
the bill perfectly.’

‘You think that Lord Howe wants to marry me?
Don’t be ridiculous.’

‘I’m not being ridiculous. You have a decent
dowry, possess passable looks -’

‘Thank you!’

‘You know what I mean. You’re just his cup
of tea.’

‘And you thought you needed to come around
and tell me this?’ she said, narrowing her eyes a little. Passable
looks? ‘If that is the case, then thank you for your concern. It is
duly noted.’

Luc eyed her doubtfully. ‘I am merely
concerned about your welfare.’

‘There is no reason to be. I can manage
perfectly well.’

‘Yes, but what you probably don’t realize is
that you are a target for all manner of fortune hunters.’

‘So you don’t think any man might be
interested in me? For myself?’

‘I never said that. Of course there will be
men who are suitable.’

‘Excellent. Perhaps you might like to point
them out to me. I recall, you do not care for Mr. Featherstone
-’

‘He is hardly husband material. Far too
skittish.’

‘Is that so? Well then…
perhaps you might like to tell me who you
do
find suitable.’ Aunt Flora had
returned and looked from one to the other, her expression one of
surprise. ‘What about Mr. Braithwaite?’

‘Good heaven’s Ollie. He drinks like a fish!
Surely he -’

‘Lord Minchenbury?’

‘Well, I suppose although he plays faro most
nights and it is rumored that he is in debt up to his eyebrows
-’

‘Mr. Garnet?’

‘Edward Garnet? Has he been making up to
you? Good God.’

‘Viscount Wexford?’

Luc looked at her cautiously. ‘He seems a
very sound chap,’ he admitted, after a moment’s silence. ‘Although
he’s rather old…’

‘
I would have thought that
would have been in his favor. I recall you saying I needed a
steadying influence to curb my behavior. Dear me, Luc, it seems
that nobody measures up. Honestly, why don’t you just focus your
attention on securing Miss Houghton’s affection and leave my quest
for a husband to me.’

‘Now Olympia,’ Aunt Flora fluttered,
glancing at Luc anxiously, ‘I am sure that Mr. St James has your
best interests at heart. He is merely trying to be helpful.’

Helpful. Olympia gave her aunt a fulminating
look. Why was she siding with Luc? He didn’t have the first idea
about romance, his own or anyone else’s. ‘I can manage my own
affairs perfectly well,’ she said firmly. ‘But thank you Luc, for
being so – ah – concerned for my welfare.’

Luc stared at her. She stared back, grateful
that anger had saved her from having to find a way to behave
normally. And really, the nerve of the man! He expected her help in
his pursuit of Carisse but still managed to find the time to tell
her what she should and should not be doing in regards to
romance.

‘I was only trying to help,’ he said
quietly.

‘And I appreciate it.’ The tone of her voice
suggested anything but appreciation.

He rose to his feet, face tight with
annoyance. It was possible that if Aunt Flora had not been there he
would have expressed himself more freely as to what he must
consider her absurd behavior. Luc had always been keen on telling
her when he thought she was being a goose. But now he merely bowed,
first to her and then to Aunt Flora. ‘I will leave you, then. I am
sure you have a great many matters to arrange to your own
satisfaction.’