The Incorrigible Mr. Lumley (15 page)

“Perhaps you should enter yourself at the
next race meeting. I’m sure your pedigree would stand alongside
those of the horses.”

He folded his arms over his chest. “All
right, I admit I’m still a bit giddy with the win. You must know
what I am feeling. Or has all the excitement disappeared due to the
number of wins Patriot has earned?”

She understood exactly what he described.
“It’s not the number of wins that dulls the pleasure, it’s being
unable to be there to see him win.”

His smile faded slightly. “Ah, yes, I hadn’t
considered that. From what you’ve told me, Northcotte feels your
presence is required in London. Well, there are only a few more
meetings before the Season ends, and perhaps then you’ll be able to
attend at your leisure.”

Only a few more race meetings also meant
only a few more weeks to find a suitable husband, or be forced to
marry Sir Frederick. This seemed the perfect opportunity for Mr.
Lumley to hint that he considered himself among her prospective
choices, yet he said nothing.

She sighed and looked over the crowded room
once more. The fates were unfair to her, to be sure. Why taunt her
with such a specimen and not let him be available for the taking?
It only served to make the rest of the choices that much less
palatable.

“Is the supper dance still available?” Mr.
Lumley asked.

“Yes, it’s free.”

“Lovely. It shall be mine, then.” He bent to
speak around her to the other ladies. “And what of you both? Did
you save me a dance?”

“I’ve several open as yet,” Amelia
answered.

Lady Hannah wrinkled her nose. “Must I fill
my card with my brother’s names? I am not so ugly as to need the
assistance of family to not appear a wallflower.”

Mr. Lumley shook his head. “If you prefer
not to dance with the most handsome gentleman in attendance, that
is your choice. It will allow me another hand in the card
room.”

Joanna and Amelia laughed at his conceit,
which Joanna knew to be false. As tempted as she was to put him in
his place and offer to release him from their dance so he might
spend the entire evening at cards, she was too selfish. She wanted
to spend every possible moment with him, just to have the memories
to carry her through whatever life had in store for her.

It was the wrong thing to do. She should put
that time into getting to know other gentlemen. Into letting other
gentlemen see what a desirable companion she was. But she had no
heart left for the hunt, having seen what she couldn’t have. She
was grateful when her first partner stole her away from her friends
and led her off to dance.

David clasped his hands together behind his
back and willed his body to stop trembling. He was not prone to
nerves, so he convinced himself, almost, the quaking inside him was
due to excitement. Having given himself permission to let his
feelings be known to Lady Joanna, he couldn’t wait to get
started.

He had no idea where to begin. He couldn’t
just blurt out some poetic words. He needed to demonstrate his
interest in a more marked fashion than he’d been doing all along.
His interest early on was forced, but if he made too large a
turnaround, it might encourage her to reflect on the reason for the
differences.

When Lady Joanna moved to the dance floor on
the arm of her dance partner, and the other ladies followed suit
with theirs, David found himself wandering to where his mother
stood with her friends. “Good evening,” he said.

“Why, David, I didn’t expect to see you
here. I thought you were at Goodwood.”

“I returned this afternoon. I didn’t think
to inform Trey he would not be needed here this evening.”

She laughed. “Trey quite enjoys dancing and
mingling. He’d have come, regardless.” She looked about the dance
floor. “Is your lady friend here?”

“My what? Mother, if I had a lady friend, I
would not bring her to an affair where you might be present.”

Her brows rose. “You are certainly
distracted this evening, if you think I’d ask about that sort of
woman, no matter where we were. Now, I know your horse won twice at
Goodwood, so that can’t be what’s occupying your thoughts. Which
leaves me one other cause. Who is she? Which one of these fair
misses has turned your head?” Mother raised her quizzing glass as
she studied the crowded room.

“There is no one occupying my thoughts,” he
lied. He wanted to be certain Lady Joanna returned his affections
before letting his family know of their attachment.

“Hannah has spent a lot of time with
Northcotte’s sister, and I understand you ride with them
often.”

He grew warm under her scrutiny but would
not play her game. “I escort Hannah often when she rides in
Town.”

“Bridgethorpe told me in his recent letter
he’d heard Lady Joanna had quite the interest in racers. She seems
to be rather talented in nurturing the young colts.”

David was not sure which surprised him more,
that his father still kept current on what the other breeders were
up to, or that Lady Joanna’s skills with a horse were that well
known. “She has mentioned wishing she were at a race meeting rather
than the ballroom.”

His mother’s eyes narrowed. “From what I’ve
heard of the lady, she would be quite an asset at Fernleigh
Stud.”

Her plot was blatantly obvious. David licked
his lips to keep from grinning. “Are you suggesting I hire her? I
believe Knightwick is the one you should speak to regarding that. I
only attend to the training of the horses and grooms.”

She laughed at his nonsense. “Mind you,
you’ll never be too old for me to take you by the ear and haul you
from the room to give you a good scolding. You know perfectly well
what I meant.”

Sobering, he nodded, then spoke so only she
might hear, couching his words carefully so as not to encourage his
mother’s matchmaking. “She will make an excellent wife, I am
certain. I hadn’t planned to take such a step just yet, and she’s
in need of a husband soon. There is also the lack of friendship
between our fathers over the years. Her brother likely continues
the ill will toward our family.”

Mother’s brows drew together. “Hannah has
spoken kindly of the young man, from the few times she has met him.
I’m not certain he feels as strongly about Bridgethorpe as you
think.”

He couldn’t remember a time when he and
Northcotte had been civil to each other, but then, they’d kept such
a distance between them, there was no contact. “Why this sudden
interest in my taking a wife? I thought this was Hannah’s Season.
Besides, Knightwick is the heir. He’s the one you should nag.”

“I never nag. I only suggest when I believe
I know what’s best for you.” Her eyes softened when he caught her
gaze. “I should not mind having that one for a daughter. I feel
she’d be as good for you as she would for Fernleigh. But I won’t
say anything more on the matter.”

“Your point is taken. But I fear a match
between us might not come to pass.”

Those sorry words echoed in his mind while
he watched Lady Joanna dance with her various partners.
I fear a
match between us might not come to pass
.

It was true. A month ago, he had no interest
in her other than to gather evidence against her brother. He still
hadn’t given up the conviction either her brother or father had
been behind the poisonings, and he needed to be able to face her
with a clear conscience. She deserved that much. It would require
all the gumption he possessed to walk away from finding Zephyr’s
killer. He would do it, though, for Lady Joanna.

At last, his turn came to dance with her.
When she smiled up at him as he offered his arm, her face was
alight with such joy it stole his breath. He saw the other dancers
taking their places. “Ah, a cotillion. I do hope I don’t embarrass
you.”

“You are a competent dancer,” she assured
him. “Is this more false modesty?”

“I? Be false in anything?” He pressed his
right hand to his chest. “You wound me, madam. Let us see how
complimentary you are when we are through.”

The steps were intricate and bouncy, and he
spent all his concentration on getting the moves correct. But when
Lady Joanna glided away from him, he couldn’t help but stare. Her
gown teased him with hints of the shape of her hips and tiny waist.
The pale curves exposed by the low neckline begged to be kissed.
Did she apply perfume there, in that warm crevice, to increase its
potency?

He bit his tongue to stop the thoughts and
willed the tightness in his muscles to relax before he ravished her
on the dance floor.

Lady Joanna returned to his side. “Is
something amiss?”

“No, no. I was merely lost in your
beauty.”

“And that caused such a look of pain on your
face?” Her laugh was a lilting musical scale. “I never know what to
expect from you.”

“I’m pleased you are never bored in my
company.”

“Never bored, that it quite true. I think we
have too much in common for that.”

He considered that. Beyond their love of
horses, what did they share? They were both children of earls, and
preferred life in the country. She didn’t speak much of her
brother, but when she did, her words held the love David felt for
his siblings. They were well suited in those aspects. “As long as I
can be assured you are not laughing at me, I’ll continue to do what
I can to encourage it.”

They parted again in the dance. When she
returned, she offered him a flirty smile. “I fear I cannot
guarantee not to laugh at you if the circumstance calls for it. My
governess never quite succeeded in conquering my inappropriate
giggles.”

He nodded once. “I am duly warned. And I’ll
do my best to avoid you when my sister is present, as she is sure
to encourage such outbursts.” Hannah was always with him when he
saw Lady Joanna, he realized. He needed to call upon her by himself
so he could deepen their acquaintance. The difficulty was doing so
without his family jumping to a conclusion he might not
achieve.

Three nights later, Joanna again found
herself standing on the outskirts of an assembly, watching her
friends being gracious and exuberant in a quadrille. Amelia and
Hannah both had their cards filled early on, while Joanna’s had a
few noticeable blank spaces. She was uncertain whether the gossips
had her already matched with Mr. Lumley, so the other gentlemen
avoided her, or worse, she’d been labeled an undesirable through
her acquaintance with Sir Frederick.

Perhaps they all knew of her love for
horses, and her wish to continue to train after she married. Not
many gentlemen would allow that of their wives. If that were the
case, Robert would have to let her attend race meetings and skip
the balls and card parties. A wife who loved races as much as her
husband would be a boon to the men in that circle, surely. Her
search for a husband could be accomplished with ease.

Joanna leaned to one side to hear her aunt’s
conversation with Lady Bracklehurst, when Sir Frederick approached.
He took her hand without waiting for her to offer it, and bowed. He
smiled and his furry cheeks puffed out. “I hope you saved a dance
for me.”

She said a quick prayer for rescue as Mr.
Lumley had done in the past. No one came. “I’ve the next dance
free.” She was not about to admit to having two open after the
supper dance, too. Thank heavens Trey had asked for that one.

“How delightful. Would the last dance be
available, too?”

“No, I’m afraid not.” If she didn’t have a
partner for the final dance of the evening before the music
started, she would ask Aunt Ophelia if they might leave early.
Either way, she would never give that honor to Sir Frederick.

“Perhaps you would care to take a turn about
the room while we wait?”

She looked to her aunt for assistance, but
the woman was occupied with Sir Jasper and failed to notice. “All
right.” She placed her hand on Sir Frederick’s sleeve and wished
she might become invisible to the others in attendance.