The Wagered Heart: Signet Regency Romance (InterMix) (16 page)

Kel crossed his legs at the ankles and shrugged. “I have not decided. As long as I am amused, I shall linger. By the by, what has caused you to descend upon me?”

“You, of course,” Mattonly said with a shrug. “It pains me to say so, but without you there to kick up my heels with, I find London dashed dull. Come, Kel, what say you? Let’s quit this dreary hamlet and find something to stir up the blood.”

Kel shifted again and appeared to think while Mattonly waited hopefully.

“I think not.”

To this, Matt gave a disgusted snort. “The more important question is why you are here. The vision of you standing in line at the Pump Room with cits and dowagers does not sit well.”

Kel gave a light shrug of amusement. “I’m indulging my sister’s desire to have me here. Bath reminds Maman and Grandmère of their younger days, when Bath was all the crack. We have not spent much time together of late. Several weeks in their company is a pleasant enough way to spend the spring.”

“I commend you on being such an attentive son and good brother,” Mattonly said with a sly grin. “I shall keep myself here also. Though it ain’t London, there may be some amusement to be had here after all. No matter what you say, I suspect the lovely Miss Allard may be one of your reasons for staying.”

Kel gave a dismissive bark of laughter. “There may be a grain of truth in what you say. For all her beauty—and I admit she is exceedingly beautiful—Miss Allard is a peculiar minx. One moment batting her lashes and hanging on my every word, and the next looking as if she would take great delight in skewering me.”

“You don’t say.”

“Indeed. I usually have little time for changeable misses, but I do find Miss Allard’s fits and starts diverting for the moment—if only to see what she will do next. You are correct in saying Bath is not London, but it amuses.”

At that moment, Julia was in the salon of her cousin’s townhouse, conveying yesterday’s events to Caro and Mariah Thorncroft, who sat in rapt attention, watching Julia pace back and forth.

“And then to cap it off, he says to me, ‘I will tell Mattonly that he is not to mention the incident on Bolton
Street. I would be immensely distressed if you suffered any ill effects from that foolish lark.’” She deepened her voice to a gravely pitch, mimicking the duke.

Mariah snorted, and Caro bit her lip and said, “Oh my.”

Julia continued to pace the room, throwing her hands up in disgust.

“Could anyone be more odious or insufferable? I am almost as angry with myself. Oh, Mariah, when I think of all the clever things you helped me think of—I could cry, for they all flew from my head. I must be the most inept flirt there ever was. But I am more determined than ever to get my revenge. I must regroup and determine where I went wrong.”

“Do not you think it would be best to abandon this dangerous plan before it goes further?” Caro asked, a deep frown creasing her forehead.

“No,” Julia stated flatly, continuing to pace.

Caro and Mariah exchanged glances.

“She has always been stubborn,” Mariah said with a light shrug.

“‘Tis true,” Caro sighed with a nod. “And because she came to my aunt and uncle rather late in their lives—in essence she is an only child—they rather spoiled her. So I daresay part of her vexation is because she has not gotten her way with the duke.”

Mariah considered this statement while Julia glared fiercely at her cousin and continued to pace.

“I do not know if I agree with your assessment, Caro,” Mariah said with a troubled frown. “I have always known her to be a most generous and thoughtful creature. I would say she is more willful than truly spoiled.”

“Indeed, you may be correct,” Caro conceded. “But I fear being stubborn and willful may get her into trouble in this matter.”

“Would the two of you like me to leave the room
so you may continue to malign my character in private? I believe that is how it is usually done.” Julia’s tone oozed sarcasm.

“Do not bestir yourself, m’dear, we shall not let your presence stop us.” Mariah gave her old friend a mischievous grin.

“Well, neither of you are any help. How am I to regain my footing where the duke is concerned?”

“I know you are used to being very popular in Chippenham, but His Grace is used to much more sophisticated ladies. If only you had developed a little more Town polish, you might not have been so easily thrown by a man of the duke’s consequence,” Caro offered.

Julia stopped her pacing to look askance at her cousin. “My dear Caro, are you off your head? If I do not have any Town polish, as you put it, you can put the blame for it at the duke’s door.”

“That is true,” Mariah put in. “You cannot know what it was like for Julia this past year. There has been so much gossip about her in the village. She has had no real way of defending herself. If she assuaged the curiosity by telling everyone what happened, there would be those who would still twist it around to make it appear as if Julia goes around kissing men on the street. Besides, who would take Julia’s side against a duke of the realm? No, I do not blame Julia for wanting to exact a bit of revenge.”

“Thank you, Mariah, though I hardly feel any better.”

“Well, I may not have said it very delicately, but you know what I mean.”

“Did you say that Lady Davinia Harwich was part of the party yesterday?” Caro asked of Julia.

“Yes, she seemed a very amiable and pretty young lady,” Julia responded as she finally lowered herself into a chair facing the two other ladies.

“Well, if you are determined to continue with this ill-conceived plan to capture the duke’s regard, you may have a problem there,” Caro said.

“How so?”

“It has been a common rumor for several years now, that once Kel is done sowing his oats, he will marry Lady Davinia. The families are well acquainted, and I believe part of the duke’s estate marches with the Harwichs’.”

Julia frowned at this information as she tried to recall how the duke and Lady Davinia behaved together.

“My impression of their relationship is that of childhood friends. I allow that would not preclude an understanding between them. Often in great families, alliances are created on less than such a connection. But as there is no engagement, I do not think I shall worry about it.”

Caro shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “Let us call a turnip a turnip. What you are planning to do is tease the duke into desiring you and then laugh in his face. That is a very dangerous game, Julia.”

“Yes, I know it is.” Julia felt the blush rising to her cheeks at her cousin’s bald assessment of her intentions.

“Although I am a year younger than you are, I am married and therefore have a superior understanding of how men and women behave together in private. I have learned that a woman, by using her powers of femininity, dare I say, powers of seduction, can cause a man to lose his head. I have found it to be a very heady feeling indeed.”

Startled, Julia looked from Caro to a wide-eyed Mariah, then back to her cousin. “I have no intention of allowing the situation to get out of hand.”

A mysterious smile came to Caro’s lips. “I caution
you to have a care—while you are trying to make the duke lose his head, you may well lose yours.”

“I shall take great care.” Julia’s tone was very serious in response to Caro’s unexpected disclosures.

“I know there has been talk about you, yet nothing can be stated as fact. But Bath exists on gossip. You may well lose the regard of some worthy gentleman in the future if your unguarded behavior with the duke becomes known.”

“I do not care.”

“But what of your future?”

Julia sighed. “Caro, I am four and twenty, not a little girl pinning my hopes on the dream of a knight arriving on my doorstep. I have a very happy and useful life in Chippenham. If I never marry, so be it. I shall continue with my aunt and uncle. I shall sew clothes for the poor, sing in church, and continue to teach some of the village children to read and write. And when you have children, you may leave them with me on occasion so that you and Clive may go to Town and pretend you are newlyweds again. Rest assured, I intend to be perfectly content with my life.”

“What of our aunt and uncle? You know they would be appalled at your behavior.”

“Yes, they would. It pains me, and do not think I am proud of what I am doing. But Aunt Beryl and Uncle John are not fully aware of how I feel, or what it has been like in the village this past year. I have not told them of some of the slights and insults I have received, because I know it would just cause them pain. Believe me, I am sensible of the risk I am taking.”

“Then there is nothing I can say to dissuade you in this reckless plan?”

“I am afraid not, dear cousin.”

“See, willful and stubborn,” Caro sighed with a woeful shake of her head to Mariah, who nodded her agreement.

Julia looked from one to the other, her expression a mixture of indignation and affection. “Really! Have the two of you forgotten that I know you just as well as you know me? Caro, I seem to recall a fine vase being broken in your mother’s boudoir a number of years ago, and you swearing me to secrecy as to how it came to be broken. And, Mariah, do you recall beseeching me to procure an ink pot for you so that you could play a rather cruel prank upon one of your brothers?”

Caro and Mariah exchanged surprised, yet amused, glances. “As you said, Mariah, our Julia is the most generous and thoughtful of creatures! Now, shall I ring for tea?”

B
 y mid-afternoon on Tuesday, a dense, low cloud cover hung over the sloping hills of Bath. Caro, ever the optimist, looked out of the salon window and cheerfully pronounced that it would serve as a pleasing backdrop to the fireworks display planned for the evening’s entertainment at Sydney Gardens.

Now, as her maid helped her put the finishing touches to her toilette, Julia fretted over how to behave with the duke.

For several days she had been feeling an inexorable escalation of tension building within her at the thought of seeing the duke again. As promised, the duke’s mother had sent an invitation to join her party at Sydney Gardens. Julia had accepted promptly and, over tea, had urged Mariah to come also.

“I know it promises to be a dreadful crush, but you and your mama must come. If you arrange it artfully, it will appear as if you are just happening by. I shall be ever so pleased to see you and will make the introductions. The duchess, with her impeccable manners, shall invite you and your mama to join us.”

Mariah had agreed to this plan instantly. “Even if it does not work out to your specifications, I should
still like to attend the gala night. It sounds a lovely way to spend an evening.”

“Good, it is settled, then. We shall see you there,” Julia had said with satisfaction. But that was the last moment of satisfaction she had felt since.

Two days after the visit to the Orange Grove, Julia, Mariah, and Mrs. Thorncroft returned to the townhouse after an afternoon of shopping. Upon entering the foyer, the butler, Hill, informed her that the Duke of Kelbourne had called while she was out.

Julia had exchanged a startled glance with Mariah as Mrs. Thorncroft vigorously fanned herself with her handkerchief. “Bless me! Mariah dear, I think I need my hartshorn. To think a duke of the realm has called upon our dearest Julia! Mariah, you must endeavor to emulate Julia, for she is certainly doing something right!”

Recalling this now, Julia made a wry face at herself in the mirror. She certainly did not feel as if she was doing anything right. After their last encounter, it was obvious that flirting with the duke was much easier in theory than in actuality. Blast him, when he looked at her with that knowing, amused glint in his eyes, every clever thing she wanted to say shriveled up and blew away.

Frowning, she remembered the nasty things Mr. Fredericks had said to her, and the veiled innuendos Mrs. March had spread through the village. Again, her wounded pride gnawed at her.

Glancing at the clock on the mantel, Julia quickly completed her toilette. From her brief acquaintance with Clive, she knew he was a stickler for punctuality.

Gathering her large, deep green shawl and reticule, she checked her appearance one last time. Without vanity, she knew the deep violet blue of her gown
did wonderful things for her pale complexion. She only hoped the duke would think so, too.

Moments later, as a smiling Clive handed her in the coach, Julia was glad of Caro’s excited chatter, for it gave her a few moments to gather her composure. Heavens, she was nervous, she thought as the coach lurched to a start.

When they arrived at Sydney Gardens, Julia noticed the throngs of people—of every level of society—crowding around the entry.

“How shall we ever find the Kelbournes in this crush?” Caro looked crestfallen as her husband helped her from the carriage.

They need not have worried, for the moment they were all down from the coach, two footmen, dressed in burgundy and gray livery, approached and bowed in unison.

“His Grace, the Duke of Kelbourne, sends his felicitations. If you please, come this way,” the older one said.

Julia exchanged a glance with Caro, and the look on her cousin’s face showed how impressed she was with this attention.

“Very good,” Clive said, offering Caro his right arm. Julia followed.

As the group made their way through the crowded garden, the tall footmen took care that the Farrens and Julia were close behind. As they walked up a meandering path, Julia looked ahead, through the trees and past the milling crowds, and saw an elegant stone pavilion. The sky was deep azure, and even though it would not be full dark for some time, she noticed the multitude of fairy lights that illuminated the paths, trees, and lush flower beds.

A vibration of excitement traveled through the very air, and Julia was aware of her own mounting
sense of excitement as they weaved their way through the dense throngs of merrymakers. The breadth of the footmen’s shoulders and the consequence of their livery seemed to part the crowd with ease.

They left the path and moved up to a flat area of lawn near the pavilion, which afforded a sweeping vista of the rest of the park and a clear view of the orchestra below, several hundred yards away.