Wallflower (Old Maids' Club, Book 1) (11 page)

By Jove.

Leith cursed ferociously beside him
and dragged a hand over his face. “Owen and Toby can’t know,” he
said quietly. “Particularly Toby. He’d do something reckless and
land himself in prison.”

“
Agreed. But we can’t let
them...we can’t...” Words were failing Noah. Words never failed
him. He could always find a way to speak.

“
We can’t let either of
those bastards win,” Leith finished for him. “Which means
you
need to step up your
efforts. And any time either Oglethorpe or Eggerley might be
around, neither of us can let Lady Tabitha out of our
sight.”

Noah was thinking more along the lines
of not letting her out of his reach, but there was no need to let
Leith in on that particular thought. “Of course.”

“
It’s clear that Lady
Tabitha and Miss Faulkner don’t intend to be separated much this
Season, so we have that working for us. When you call upon Lady
Tabitha, I can call on Miss Faulkner at the same time.”

“
We’ll have to be sure she
dances as many sets with us as possible at balls,” Noah mused
aloud. “And always the supper dance.”

“
Always.”

“
Do you think you can
convince Miss Faulkner to stay with Lady Tabitha even more than
normal? Without raising her suspicions, that is.” If Miss Faulkner
suspected something was amiss, she might go to either Raynesford or
Shelton, or perhaps even to their father, Newcastle. If someone was
going to avenge Lady Tabitha’s honor, Noah wanted it to be him. The
men in her family might not allow him that privilege, if they
discovered the situation.

“
I’ll do what I can.”
Leith glanced over his shoulder to where the other gentlemen of
their party were still sitting. “Write the wager down. We need to
get back before they start to wonder what is holding us
up.”

Once more, Noah dipped the quill in
ink. But he couldn’t write their wager on the same page as
Oglethorpe and Eggerley’s vile bet. He couldn’t bear to look at it
any longer. He turned to a new page, then found he could take a
breath again. He marked down the details, closed the betting book,
and shoved it with disgust across the table.

Chapter Six

Lud, Father’s carriage felt
overcrowded and stuffy. This presented Tabitha with a rare instance
to wish she could breathe some London air.

She had known Owen and Elaine intended
to accompany her to the ball that evening, so their presence had
not come as a surprise. But for some reason, Toby had changed his
mind at the last moment and decided to join them. Not long before
that, Father had announced his intentions of enjoying a night spent
in company instead of holed up in his study, as he had done so
often since Mother passed. Tabitha was pleased about her father’s
decision; she could have lived a perfectly content life without
Toby’s change of heart.

The atmosphere in the
carriage was not helped by the fact that Toby had been in one of
his
moods
since
the previous afternoon. One might think him a female experiencing
her monthly courses with the way he behaved like a cat that had
been tossed unceremoniously in the pond.

His conduct in relation to Tabitha, in
particular, was rather galling.

Just that morning at breakfast, he had
flopped down at the table and scowled in her direction when she
greeted him with her usual “Good morning.”

“
And why would anyone
think it good?” he had grunted, glaring across the table at her as
he chewed a mouthful of kippers. “It is
morning
, after all. Well before
noon. One ought to have the common decency to respect that some of
us would prefer not to be awoken by the sounds of chirping birds
and the sight of a bright sun blinding us through the open windows
at this ungodly hour of the day.”

His surliness chafed more than
usual.

She
had not been the one to insist his windows be opened, after
all. That decision had been made by Lord Leith. The earl had called
rather early in the day, it was true, but he had declared it urgent
that he speak to Toby. Tabitha knew that rousing her twin in such a
manner was the most effective way to ensure he would actually get
out of bed—in fact, it was one of the few methods one could employ
against Toby.

Lord Leith’s purpose for waking her
brother at such an hour was none of her concern. But Toby’s
behavior in the matter had only served to reinforce her resolve to
see her brother married off as soon as was humanly possible.
Particularly since he refused to tell her later in the day what had
been so urgent.

So now, jammed into one corner of the
carriage where she shared a bench with Owen and Elaine, she sat
directly across from her twin and nemesis, who made it a point to
stare at her. If anyone apart from Jo and Bethanne knew her well
enough to recognize how quickly that would drive her to the brink
of insanity, it was Toby. Damn him.

“
Is there something I can
help you with?” she asked him through gritted teeth.

Toby lifted an eyebrow.
“From what I understand, you already are. Although I have no
earthly idea how what you’re doing is meant in any way to be of
assistance to
me
.”

“
What is that supposed to
mean?” Tabitha asked. When Toby merely scowled in response, she
turned to Owen. “What does he mean?”

“
I can only imagine he’s
referring to the fact that you and Jo are attempting to find him a
bride.”

“
Are you really?” Elaine
leaned across her husband to take Tabitha’s hand. Her blue
eyes—Lord Devonport’s very same blue eyes, Tabitha realized with a
start—lit up with excitement. “I want to help. Let me help. It will
be such fun! I have a few young ladies in mind who would be
absolutely perfect—”

“
Perfect for an utter
scoundrel?” Toby drawled. “The only
lady
who would be perfect for me
would be the sort frequently found at Haymarket.”

Elaine blushed ferociously at his
pronouncement. Toby had clearly meant to discomfit her with his
bold pronouncement, and had succeeded.

“
Watch your tongue,”
Father piped in, entering the conversation for the first time.
“There are ladies present.”

Toby turned to Elaine. “I apologize,
my lady.” He intentionally avoided looking at Tabitha.

“
You’re not going to
help,” Owen said decisively to Elaine after a moment. “I’ll not
have my brother avoiding me because he’s avoiding my wife and her
schemes.”

“
Perhaps you’ve forgotten
it was because of the efforts of your sister and cousins that you
and I were introduced.” Elaine’s counter-attack contained no small
degree of heat. “Perhaps you think you’d be better off if you were
still a bachelor like your brother.”

“
Perhaps
you’re
overreacting,”
Owen said. “It wouldn’t be the first time.”

Elaine punched Owen in the arm with
her tiny fist before she crossed her arms over her chest and
flopped back against the squabs with a huff. No one said a word for
several moments.

Toby finally broke the silence as the
carriage turned onto Hanover Square. “Well, this has been a cheery
jaunt. I’m so glad we were all together for it.”

Father cleared his throat, catching
Tabitha’s eye and holding it. “I wonder,” he said slowly, “if
you’re not spending more efforts on finding brides for your
brothers than you are on finding a suitable match for
yourself.”

Not again. Good Lord, how many times
in the last decade had she tried to make it clear to him that she
had no intention of marrying? She tried to soften it, always. She
tried to make him see that she would not marry a man who only
wanted her because of the size of her dowry or the connection she
would give to her father and brothers. But he never seemed to
listen.

Was that why Father had decided to
come tonight, instead of trusting Owen with the responsibility? To
keep an eye on her and be sure she made an effort?

She took a breath and steeled herself.
“Father, I—”

He stayed her with his hand. “I know
all your excuses. There is no need for me or anyone present to hear
them again.”

The carriage rolled to a stop. Tabitha
had to bite the inside of her cheek in order to force back her
tears. They refused to understand, to care how she felt. She
wouldn’t give them—particularly Toby—the satisfaction of seeing her
cry.

The driver started to open the door
and set down the steps, but Father reached over to hold it closed.
“I expect to see you making an effort tonight. You are not to be a
wallflower, plastered to the walls of the ballroom. I’ll be
watching.” He sighed and took one of her hands into his own, much
larger hand. Funny how, as exceedingly sizeable as she was for a
lady, her hands could look so tiny next to his. “I only want what’s
best for you, Tabitha. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

She snapped her head up and met his
gaze. “I fail to see how marriage to a man who loves money and
position, but fails to love me, could be what is best for
me.”

Before he could stop her, Tabitha
climbed over the rest of the inhabitants of the carriage and shoved
the door open, then leapt down without assistance. She landed
awkwardly on her ankle and stumbled. The driver started to rush to
her aid, but she stopped him with a frosty glare and righted
herself on her own.

“
Tabitha!” her father
called out, still seated in the carriage.

She refused to look back. Tabitha
strode up the path and climbed the stairs to Fewster Manor with as
much dignity as she could muster.

Once inside, she made her way as
swiftly as she could to the ladies’ retiring room, ignoring the
calls from Owen and Elaine behind her. She shoved the door closed
behind her and turned the key in the lock.

Only then did she succumb to
tears.

~ * ~

“
You said she’d be here
tonight.” Noah pulled a hand through his already disheveled hair
for what had to be the tenth time already, and he’d only been at
the ball at Fewster Manor for twenty minutes. He’d count himself
lucky indeed if he managed to return home that night with any hair
left on his head. “Where is she?” The first set was set to begin,
but despite his continual scanning of the crowd, Lady Tabitha was
nowhere to be seen.

He had found Oglethorpe, though. It
had taken a supreme effort (and a bit of Leith’s force holding him
back) in order to refrain from turning the man’s face as black as
his soul right there in the middle of the ballroom. But at least if
Oglethorpe was there, he was not wherever Lady Tabitha
was.

“
She’s here,” Leith said.
“I saw Toby and Lord Newcastle come in. Toby swore to me that they
would all come together. It was murder getting him to agree to
come, without giving him an explanation, I might add. He seems to
think I’m merely trying to collect on our wager by helping Lady
Tabitha and Miss Faulkner along.”

Leith’s tone was so placid. How could
he possibly be relaxed? Noah removed his eyes from the crush to
study the other man. Nothing in his posture would alert a soul that
anything was amiss. One had to be close enough to see the slight
jerking motion of a muscle in his jaw or to notice the hard glint
in his glowering eyes in order to discover that anything might be
disturbing the earl. For a fleeting moment, Noah was jealous of
Leith’s ability to maintain his composure.

“
We ought to devise a
strategy,” Leith said. “For once we find her.”

Yes, a plan of attack would be a
necessity. “You said the fourth set would be a waltz? And it is to
be the supper dance as well?”

“
Yes,” Leith said. “I’ll
go and claim her for the first set. Or at least the first one once
she’s come out from hiding. You find a way to distract Oglethorpe
while I’m doing that. Once we’re dancing, perhaps you ought to find
Miss Faulkner and talk with her. Maybe you should even dance with
her. After our dance, I’ll bring Lady Tabitha to her cousin, and
you can claim the supper dance.”

“
And there is another
waltz after supper?” Noah asked. No matter what, they couldn’t let
Oglethorpe near her during a waltz.

“
Yes. I suppose I should
ask her for that one,” Leith said. “Unless you want tongues wagging
about your impending marriage.” He pursed his lips and tilted his
head to the side. “On second thought, maybe that’s exactly what you
want.”

Noah wouldn’t be opposed—he definitely
wanted to marry her—but he wasn’t so certain Lady Tabitha would
agree to it. At least not yet. Hopefully soon. Still, he shook his
head. “I think you ought to take that one. I’ll get her to dance a
country dance with me for a second set. She might be more amenable
to that idea.”

Leith snickered. “Touché.”

“
But...”

There was no need for Leith to ask
‘But what?’ His eyes asked the question for him.

“
What will we do about the
rest of the sets? Aren’t there supposed to be eight of them
tonight?” There was simply no way the two of them could dance with
her more than twice each. Lady Tabitha wouldn’t hear of it. For
that matter, Miss Faulkner would probably cause a scene. Even
Elaine might join them. The ladies would never allow such a
thing.