Wallflower (Old Maids' Club, Book 1) (14 page)

Noah was certain she’d
feel better if she didn’t have to face Oglethorpe. Perhaps he only
hoped that to be the case. He knew
he
would feel better if Oglethorpe,
the dratted interloper, would leave.

Raynesford merely grunted, but Elaine
smiled. “I’m sure she is feeling quite the thing, my lord. She will
be down in no time.” She looked across the sea of daffodils and
caught Noah’s eye. “As a matter of fact, I could go up and see
what’s keeping her.”

“
That won’t be necessary,”
Leith said from behind a grin. “Miss Faulkner will hurry her cousin
along.”

The doors opened and Noah rose, but it
was only a maid with the tea service Elaine had ordered. He sank
back down to the loveseat where he’d been stationed since the
butler ushered him into the Shelton Hall drawing room. Discovering
Oglethorpe already there had riled his temper, but he tamped it
down. It would not do to have a fit of pique before the lady he was
trying to court.

He had forced his anger back further
when Elaine and Raynesford entered, followed soon behind by Leith.
They would all be on Noah’s side, even if they weren’t all aware of
Oglethorpe’s base perfidy.

“
Tea, Lord Oglethorpe?”
Elaine asked sweetly. The cur accepted a cup and took a
sip.

Several more minutes passed with no
sign of Lady Tabitha or her cousin. Elaine played the part of the
perfect hostess: directing the four gentlemen present in polite
conversation and being certain no one was left out, refilling cups
of tea, and offering scones and sandwiches. She ignored the fact
that Noah and Leith were glaring in Oglethorpe’s direction at every
given opportunity, and that he seemed almost to gloat in return. On
top of it all, Raynesford seemed oblivious to the fact that there
was any friction in the room, or even that there were other people
in the room aside from himself and Elaine.

In fact, more than a few times, Noah
caught a glimpse of Raynesford watching his wife with a combination
of awe and desire. It struck Noah like a dagger through the heart.
He wanted that. Not with his sister, of course. But he wanted a
wife he could banter with, one who would be by his side as they
entertained. One who would still amaze him after years of marriage.
One he could still feel hunger for after quite some time had
passed.

After another few minutes, Oglethorpe
rose. “I’m afraid I have a pressing engagement, and must go.” Thank
the Lord. It was about time. Oglethorpe faced Elaine and
Raynesford. “Will you please offer Lady Tabitha my apologies, and
beg that she allow me to call upon her another day?”

“
Of course,” Elaine said.
“I’m sure she’ll be devastated that she missed you, my
lord.”

Not if Noah had anything to say about
it.

Oglethorpe bowed to the room and took
his leave. Good riddance. Leith caught Noah’s eye, and there could
be no doubt he felt exactly the same as Noah.

“
Well,” Elaine said
cheerfully, “that was rather uncomfortable. Anyone care to fill me
in on why you all treated Lord Oglethorpe like a rotten
turnip?”

Noah kept his silence and Leith
likewise seemed disinclined to speak. They couldn’t risk saying too
much in front of Raynesford, so their words had to be chosen with
great care.

“
No one?” Elaine
prodded.

“
Tabitha ought to marry,”
Raynesford finally said, “and soon. There is no doubt about that.
But if she so much as entertains the notion of marrying that piece
of filth, I’ll have to knock some sense into her.”

Noah had to wonder what would cause
such a reaction in Raynesford, but didn’t have a chance to ask. The
double doors to the drawing room opened, allowing Lady Tabitha and
Miss Faulkner to enter. Lady Tabitha was a vision, with her yellow
dress almost precisely matching the shade of the daffodils that
filled the room.

He rose to his feet too abruptly,
knocking his knees against the low table before him. Leith and
Raynesford stood like men who had not been startled out of their
wits. Elaine winked at Noah.

“
I thought Lord Oglethorpe
was here as well,” Lady Tabitha said.

Noah’s heart, which had been pounding
out a swift rhythm somewhere in the vicinity of his Adam’s apple,
nearly stopped entirely as it plummeted to lodge itself between his
toes.

“
He was,” Elaine said.
“But he had a necessary appointment and could not stay. He would
like to call on you again another day.”

Lady Tabitha nodded. Noah tried to
determine how she felt about this turn of events, but she didn’t
give him enough reaction to gauge.

She turned to him, then. “Thank you
for the daisies, Lord Devonport.”

Miss Faulkner leaned in and whispered
loudly in her ear. “Daffodils.”

“
The daffodils,” Lady
Tabitha said more forcefully. “Thank you. They’re lovely.” Her
words came out clipped.

Only half as lovely as
she
. “You’re quite welcome. I see they
match your gown. I can only wish I had planned it that
way.”

Leith brought forward a small bouquet
of red poppies and presented them to Miss Faulkner, whose smile
could have lit an entire ballroom, yet was seductive and sly at the
same time. “You haven’t brought me flowers in a long time, Lord
Leith. Thank you.”

“
I had hoped you would
join me this afternoon for an ice at Gunter’s,” Leith said.
“Perhaps Devonport and Lady Tabitha would agree to accompany us?”
Brilliant. Noah would have to thank Leith later for his brisk
thinking.

Lady Tabitha started to shake her head
in denial, but Miss Faulkner quelled her with a look. “We’d love
that,” she said. “Wouldn’t we, Tabby?”

“
Of course.” She looked
like she’d enjoy nothing less.

“
Shall we go then?” Leith
held out his arm for Miss Faulkner to take. “I brought my barouche
for just such an occasion.”

Lady Tabitha’s eyes widened. “Right
away?”

“
Why wait?” her cousin
asked. “We’re all ready, are we not?”

Elaine leapt to her feet and took the
poppies. “I’ll just have these put in water for you, then. I’d hate
to see them wilt before you return.”

Before Lady Tabitha could change her
mind, Leith led Miss Faulkner from the room toward the front door.
Noah held out his arm and waited for Lady Tabitha to take it. She
looked to her brother, and then to Elaine when Raynesford did
nothing. Elaine smiled and took the poppies from the
room.

Noah could have kissed his sister for
not helping Lady Tabitha find an excuse not to go. Another thing he
would save for a later moment.

Finally, with no one left to appeal
to, Lady Tabitha put her hand on his arm. The butler stood by the
door, holding out her pelisse and parasol in one hand, and Noah’s
greatcoat and hat in the other. She took her articles and scurried
outside, donning her pelisse as she went. “Thank you, Livingston,”
she called out over her shoulder, only to draw up short when she
came upon the barouche.

Leith and Miss Faulkner
had already taken up their seat—their
one
seat—leaving the other for Noah
and Lady Tabitha to share. Perhaps that was the cause of her
apprehension.

He had no such qualms.

Noah came up behind her. “Ready?” he
asked, holding out a hand to assist her up. She didn’t respond
other than to nod, but accepted his aid. Once she was settled, he
joined her. Leith signaled the driver that they were all set to
go.

The seats of Leith’s barouche were
narrower than Noah’s. His body touched alongside Lady Tabitha in
various places...thigh against thigh, arm against arm, hip against
hip. Her heat was heady, even through the fabrics of their attire.
The contact sent jolts of desire straight through his
body.

She squirmed against him
until he felt less pressure against his body. He looked over, and
she was holding herself as firmly as possible against the side of
the barouche. Was he
that
repulsive to her? Thankfully the journey to
Gunter’s would be brief.

Noah needed to get her alone somehow.
He needed to discover what he’d done to offend her, so he could set
it right. They would never be able to move forward with their
relationship otherwise, let alone return it to where it once
was.

Leith smiled across the carriage. “So,
Lady Tabitha, how is your plan progressing?”

She winced, but tried to hide it. “My
plan? What plan would that be, my lord?” She turned a pointed look
upon her cousin, who shrugged.

“
Miss Faulkner told me all
about it, so there is no point in denying what you’re doing. Have
you found an appropriate young miss with whom to antagonize your
brother? Tell us all about her.”

Color rose up the back of Lady
Tabitha’s neck, drawing Noah’s eye to just that spot. “I have no
idea what you’re talking about,” she said.

“
I told you Tabby would
repudiate her involvement.”

“
You are a vile, hateful
cousin,” Lady Tabitha said on a laugh. “Fine, yes, we’re trying to
find Toby a bride. I’m sure even you can’t deny marriage has helped
Owen’s temperament. I just want the same thing for
Toby.”

“
So very kind of you to
look out for your brothers’ wellbeing,” Noah said. “As I’m sure
you’ve done this all for their benefit, not for your
own.”

She turned her smile on him for the
first time in days. “Of course. He’ll be far better off with a wife
to look after him.”

“
Like Devonport’s sister
looks after Raynesford?” Leith asked.

“
Well, I suppose you could
say she
manages
him more than looks after him. But yes, that is the general
idea.”

“
So you want a female of
the managing sort like my sister, for your twin,” Noah surmised.
“Or would you say one like yourself?” He oughtn’t to have added
that on the end.

As the barouche slowed and came to a
stop, Lady Tabitha lifted her lips in a teasing grin. “You think me
managing, my lord?”

Leith climbed down and turned to
assist Miss Faulkner before leading her off to a spot on the
Square, leaving Noah and Lady Tabitha alone. Since she was in a
better disposition with him at the moment, Noah did not immediately
follow them.

“
I think you take some
perverse pleasure in managing your brothers.”

“
And are you opposed to
females of the managing sort?” Her eyes challenged him to answer in
the wrong way.

“
I have a mother and five
younger sisters, Lady Tabitha. What do you think?”

“
Back to answering
questions with questions, are we?”

Noah laughed. “I suppose we are.” He
climbed down from the carriage before offering Lady Tabitha his
arm. “So you’ve married Raynesford off to my sister, and you’re
looking for a bride for Shelton. Who will you manage
then?”

She linked her arm in his and they
joined Leith and Miss Faulkner. “There is always Father. He needs
me. I don’t know how he’d manage his household accounts without me,
now that Mother has passed.”

“
Surely he could have his
secretary take that responsibility,” Leith put in. “I hardly think
he will shrivel up and die, should you need to leave
him.”

“
And why would I need to
leave him?” she scoffed.

Noah thought her protest a bit too
vehement. “Your husband might have something to say about that when
you marry—”

“
I won’t marry,” Lady
Tabitha interrupted. “That’s all there is to it.” She sat back from
the table and folded her hands in her lap. By Jove. What if she
intended to follow in her aunt’s path?

“
I hear the bergamot ices
are lovely,” Miss Faulkner said, her voice cutting through the
sudden silence. “I think I should like to try one today, Lord
Leith.” She turned a pointed look upon Lord Leith.

So there would be no more discussion
of marriage, at least for the time being. Noah knew when to put a
topic to rest. “And for you, Lady Tabitha? What flavor would you
like?”

She knitted her brow, as though the
decision were terribly difficult. “Maple, please,” she finally
said.

Noah and Leith excused themselves to
cross the street and purchase the ices. On their way back, Noah
turned to his companion. “How on earth am I to convince her? She
seems wholly opposed to marriage.”

“
After we’ve eaten these,
I’ll take Miss Faulkner off for a walk so you two can have some
time alone. Try to talk to her then. You’ve got to convince her.
Maybe not today, but you’ll have to at least convince her to allow
a courtship.”

This was not the most helpful advice
Noah had ever received.

But Leith stayed true to his word.
After they’d all finished with their ices, he rose and turned to
Miss Faulkner. “I feel the need for a bit of exercise after that,
as delicious as it was. Would you care to join me?”

“
Of course,” she replied.
“If Tabby and Lord Devonport do not mind our leaving them alone, of
course.”