The Perfect Suitor (Bewildering Love Series) (2 page)

CHAPTER TWO

Upon his return to the box, Paxton ran into his friend Cole Stanton, the Marquis of Geary and future Duke of Scottsdale, in the hall. “Missing the performance, eh? I saw Lady Patricia in your box. Perchance she’s the reason you are out here and not in there?”

“Of course. You wouldn’t by chance care to take my place?” Paxton asked.

“No thank you. I have my hands full right now. Did you notice the tall blond with the luscious curves in the show? She has been keeping me quite busy for the last month,” Cole boasted.

“With your stamina, I’m sure you have room for one more female,” Paxton replied in jest.

“Sorry, my friend, but I’m not interested in your leavings. Catherine occupies enough of my time, not to mention the strain she puts on my pocketbook with all the expensive baubles she insists I buy her.”

“Ten women wouldn’t put a strain on your pocketbook.”

“True. Are you going to the Countess of Madison’s soirée
demain
?” Paxton knew Cole probably planned to go but likely assumed Paxton wouldn’t attend.

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I am. I need to make up tonight’s misadventure to Lydia. I feel terrible that she has had to sit in that box tolerating Lady Patricia’s rude behavior all evening.”

“I’d say you owe her more than one night out, considering.”

“Yes, likely I do. Finding my sister a proper husband is a daunting task, Cole. Let me stress again how lucky you are that your sisters are still too young to marry.”

“Thank the Lord. I’ll see you tomorrow then. I have to head backstage. Catherine has a conniption fit if I’m not there when she’s finished. She loves for me to shower her in compliments.” Cole slapped Paxton on the back. “You better return to your box before your sister decides to never speak to you again.”

“I know. I’m going.” Paxton moved along with hesitant steps. “To tell you the truth, I wouldn’t blame her.” He grudgingly turned, entering the box.

As soon as he sat down, Lady Patricia glared at him heatedly.
Good, she’s mad
. He didn’t care if she was angry. It served the woman right, forcing him into taking her out for an evening. With luck, she’d never ask to accompany him again, but even if she did, he would refuse, regardless if the regent himself was present.

But the young miss he met in the hall, now she was another story. Her lovely red hair and those captivating blue eyes, along with her enticing figure, had him imagining all sorts of wicked things he should not consider. He had no business contemplating any type of relationship with an innocent miss.
But hell’s teeth, the woman’s alluring smile is etched in my mind.

***

The Stonehaven women made their way out of the theater and onto the pavers. As they headed toward their carriage, Evelyn searched the crowd earnestly in the hope of finding her mystery man. The coachman helped her mother and sister into the black landau, and then he waited as Eve scanned her surroundings one last time, to no avail.

“My lady?” The coachman watched as she twirled around for the tenth time.

“Oh…yes,” Eve answered, not wanting to hold them up any longer. Her mother watched her attentively from the open doorway. Eve knew she had to be wondering about her odd behavior and so she climbed inside.

The carriage made its way toward home, and she could feel her mother’s gaze upon her. “Would you care to share your adventure with your sister and me?” she finally asked.

Eve was staring out the window, watching the first drops of rain splash onto the road and the windows of the carriage. “I love listening to the rain.”

Her mother smiled, knowing Eve had always been a lover of nature but that thunderstorms were her favorite. “What happened to you during the intermission?”

“Yes, what did happen to you? You were gone for a long time.” Cassie suddenly became very interested in what Eve had to say.

“I met the most intriguing gentleman,” Eve supplied without explanation.

“So I gathered from your glowing smile,” Mother stated impatiently.

Eve knew they wanted the whole story and she became excited thinking about it. “Well, you see, the waiter was not in the corridor and…” She hesitated, wondering if she was about to find herself in trouble, but then she trudged on because she really wanted her mother to be able to identify the man she met by her description of him. “Well, I probably shouldn’t have done so, but I descended the stairs in search of refreshments. There were so many people and they were all pushing and shoving. And that is when it happened.” At her mother’s glare, she grinned sheepishly. “I didn’t think about needing a chaperone to retrieve a glass of punch.”

“What happened?” Cassie asked anxiously.

“I was pushed into what I thought was the wall, but it wasn’t a wall. It was a man, a large, handsome, Adonis of a man on whom I spilt punch when I fell into him. He was most understanding about the situation and we began to talk.”

“About the play?” Cassie’s eyes twinkled, knowing her sister was not the least bit interested in the performance.

“No, of course not,” Eve replied merrily. “We spoke of…London and stuff. I was pushed again and he put up his strong arms to protect me. Oh, he was so perfect in stature, impeccably dressed, and very dashing. I know you must know of him, Mother.” Eve paused to enjoy the picture of him that came to mind.

“He sounds wonderful,” Cassie agreed, seeming to enjoy her tale. “Very romantic. A young couple caught up in a crowd and shoved together by fate.”

Mother laughed at Cassie’s whimsical thoughts. Her sister was such a romantic. “That’s all well and good, dear,” said Mother. “But it was actually the rudeness of humans that shoved them together. Evelyn, what is this paragon’s name?”

Eve hesitated, suddenly embarrassed. “I… I’m afraid I do not know, nor does he know mine. It was all very confusing.” She tried to explain the reason behind such an oversight. “I mean, being pushed every which way while trying to apologize to him for the spilt punch and then trying to have a polite conversation… I forgot to ask, and I guess he forgot to tell me.”

“You didn’t introduce yourself?” Cassie was aghast by the mere thought and then let out a sigh. “See, Mother. It is fate. They were both so caught up with each other that they left out the formalities.”

Her mother seemed to agree, Eve noted. Indeed, Eve knew better than to leave out such an important and necessary exchange, an exchange that should have been handled by another familiar acquaintance. On the other hand, there was no excuse for such a blunder and her mother’s look said as much. “Why don’t you describe him to me?”

By the time Eve was done with her flowery description, her mother sat back with a huff. “Evelyn, dearest. There isn’t a man alive who could fit the perfect godlike description you have rendered.”

Well, perhaps not,
Eve thought to herself. But it was true.

“You’re so lucky. I hope I find a man just like him someday. Did he mention having a younger brother?” Cassie’s eyes were bright with excitement.

“No, but I can ask the next time I see him,” Eve assured her, hoping she’d see him tomorrow.

Her mother appeared relieved when they reached the house. “Perhaps, Evelyn, you could see to it to give me a more realistic description in the morning.”

“I shall try, Mother, but he truly is as perfect as I described.”

***

Immediately after the carriage pulled away from Lady Patricia’s residence, Paxton put his hand up to silence Lydia’s protest. “I know, and all I can say is, I’m sorry. I promise I will never put you through something like that again.”

“I can guarantee that as well, brother, for I will no longer be accompanying you anywhere. I shall find myself another chaperone.”

“Come now, Lydia. I said I was sorry and it won’t happen again.”

Lydia looked down her nose at him and crossed her arms across her chest. “Well, I don’t believe you. I don’t understand why you don’t find yourself a wife. If you did, all of the flighty young debutantes that you so dread would finally leave you alone. I think that in fact you thrive on the attention and merely protest afterward.”

His sister knew that neither statement she made was true. Women seemed to find him irresistible and they flocked around him like seagulls to water and would probably do so regardless if he had a wife. She also knew how much he hated all the attention.

“At least the majority of them would leave you alone,” she reiterated.

“Then I would have to put up with a nagging wife and an untrustworthy companion,” Paxton stated in his defense. In fact, Paxton held no trust for the opposite sex, a lesson well learned. “I’m not marrying.”

Lydia’s eyes narrowed defiantly as she lifted her chin to do battle. “Why must I be forced to endure the institution of marriage even as you vow to never enter it? You are the one with the title and a need for heirs! It is completely unfair!” She smacked the seat cushion beside her. “It’s not right. Mary Wollstonecraft stated that women deserve to have the same rights as men. Men should not be given rights in which they are allowed full control of a woman once they marry. And I think men who believe in such degrading treatment of women are a bunch of pretentious puffed-up fools holding on to pompous views of their superiority. They expect women to obey and submit meekly to their demands. Well, I for one will not stand for it!” She threw her hands in the air.

Paxton grinned and shook his head, knowing how his sister loved to quote from the late radical liberal who advocated women equality. Once Lydia got started on her women’s rights tirades, it was hard to stop her. It wasn’t his fault that law, religion, and Society deemed a woman her husband’s property. He watched as her face reddened and she fumed, hollering out her argumentative quotes on equality.

She took a deep breath and dramatically tossed her arms wide again. “The injustice of it all!” She accidently smacked the back of her hand into the carriage door.

Paxton couldn’t help but laugh at her antics as she cradled her arm into her chest and rubbed the back of her hand to ease the pain.

“This is not funny, Pax,” she scolded with irritation. “What do you think you’re laughing at?”

Paxton continued to laugh as he picked up one of her hairpins from the carriage floor and leaned over to secure the floating strands of hair in place for her. “It’s just this display of yours is the very reason I think it’s time for you to wed. You are too willful, defiant, and independent. I think it would do you well to direct all your boundless energy toward a husband and a family of your own.”

“I see. Yet again you haven’t listened to a word I have said,” Lydia replied in frustration, and then she sighed in defeat. The flush on her cheeks told him the one-sided argument had invigorated her. He was aware how bothered Lydia was that society had two separate sets of rules for men and women. He knew she hated how men told women to do one thing when they, like himself, did the exact opposite. He certainly had no desire to marry, and he knew that, as a titled member of the gentry, he was going against the grain of societal expectations. But as a female, Lydia wasn’t allowed to go against the social norm. Marriage was her only option.

Marriage for his sister was not merely expected but demanded, but marriage for him, though also expected, was no longer feasible. Paxton’s aversion to the holy state occurred two years before when he had unwisely fancied himself in love with the beautiful Lady Beverly. Being the lovesick dupe that he was, he asked for her hand. Shortly thereafter, he found out she had numerous lovers on the side and was playing him for a fool. Once recovered from his personal tragedy, he vowed to never wed. He preferred solitude; it never betrayed him.

Lydia rolled her eyes in frustration. She knew why he was against marriage. “You have to rid yourself of this lack of trust you have in women. Not all women are the same you know. Lady Beverly was an exception, brother. She is evil and best forgotten. Besides, you trust me.”

“That’s different. You’re my sister.”

She gave him a smirk, seemingly knowing he’d give her that response. “You could marry for convenience. It’s not as if that is out of the ordinary among Society,” she teased. “Find yourself a woman who is meek and submissive.” She said the last two words mockingly. “That is, if you think you can be happy with a dull-witted female.”

Paxton laughed. He looked out the window at the torrential downpour, contemplating his sister’s words.
A marriage of convenience?
Was it worth some thought? Perhaps that was what he needed, a sweet-natured woman who was kind to his sister and could take over the task of finding Lydia a husband. Suddenly the young woman who had crashed into him earlier at the theater came to mind. No, she was definitely not the meek and submissive type. She was bold and fiery in manner. She had gripped his bicep in a way… Well, it affected him, that’s all. “There are numerous women in London, and if I was inclined, I’m sure I could find one to fit my needs, but I’m not marrying, ever.” His statement was made with such finality that they both fell silent.

“How would you like to go to the Countess of Madison’s tomorrow? I think our cousin Rebecca and her husband will be there and so you won’t have to be stuck with your boring brother all night.”

Lydia’s face lit up with excitement. Paxton knew she hadn’t seen their cousin Rebecca, now the Duchess of Arlington, since the wedding. But just as quickly her enthusiasm disappeared. “Will it only be the two of us going?”