Wallflower (Old Maids' Club, Book 1) (18 page)

Shelton gave a grim smile. “Well, she
is home now. She’s safe. You ought to go and dry off. It wouldn’t
do for you to become ill.”

Fighting the urge to follow Lady
Tabitha upstairs and take care of her himself was proving far more
problematic than Noah ever would have imagined. But he had to trust
her care to her brothers. At least for now. At least until he
convinced her to marry him. “You’ll be sure she is
well?”

“
Of course,” Shelton
replied caustically. “I want her in perfect health when I murder
her for giving us all such a scare.”

Noah wanted her in perfect health for
very different reasons. He couldn’t get the image of her wet body
out of his mind—the round hips, the perfect, soft mounds of her
breasts, the smooth peachy, creamy skin. He wanted to do things to
her. Wet things. Slippery things. By Jove, he needed to remove that
image from his mind. He’d never survive another day in her company,
otherwise.

~ * ~

Hester’s eyes were
fretful. “My lady, you
must
come down to see Lord Devonport. At least for a
brief time. Your father insists.” The maid wrung her hands together
as she looked over at Tabitha nonchalantly writing in a
diary.

“
Father can insist all he
wants. I refuse to see the man.” Not yet. Not now. Not while she
was still so angry and hurt and addled. Not while she couldn’t
erase the image of him riding steadfastly alongside her, drenched
to the bone and shivering, refusing to leave her side. It was only
one day past the wretched event. Tabitha put down her quill and
closed the diary before facing her maid fully. “I know you don’t
fancy delivering this news to my father. I’ll do it. He ought to
take his frustrations out on me instead of you anyway.”

Finally, Hester seemed able to breathe
again. “Are you certain? I could do it.” Her tone held little, if
any, conviction.

Tabitha stood and winced. Just when
her ankle seemed to finally be on the mend, she was forced to favor
the knee on the other leg, thereby putting more pressure on the
ankle. Who knew fleeing from confrontation could be so painful?
Still, she steeled herself against the discomfort and made her way
through the corridors to her father’s private study. A sharp knock
at the door was followed almost immediately by “Come!” A liveried
footman pushed the door open wide, and Tabitha crossed the
threshold into a room filled with the scents of leather and
wood.

Father was poring over his ledgers,
but after a moment he glanced up at her. “Yes?” he prodded. “Why
are you here and not below stairs with your gentleman caller?” A
lock of his graying hair fell over his gray eyes—the very same eyes
as Tabitha’s—and he hastily brushed it aside.

“
I have no desire to see
Lord Devonport,” she said. Father’s eyes flashed silver for a
moment, but she pressed on. “He has made it clear he only wants my
dowry. He does not want me. I’ll not have him.”

“
And just how did he make
such a thing clear to you? Did he tell you as much?”

“
No. I overheard a
conversation.”

Father looked up at her and scowled.
“You were eavesdropping again. Will you and your cousins ever
outgrow such a habit?” He shook his head as though to clear it. “It
doesn’t matter how you heard what you think you’ve heard. What does
matter is that he’s never said anything of the sort directly to
you. Nor has he to me.”

“
He as good as admitted it
to me,” Tabitha countered. “Or at least he didn’t deny
it.”

“
When was this?” Father
asked. His expression held dubious inquiry.

“
Yesterday afternoon. Lord
Oglethorpe asked me if I wanted Lord Devonport to accompany us on
our way back here. I said I wanted nothing to do with the fortune
hunter. Lord Devonport did not refute my claim.”

Her father shook his head. “Tabitha,
that is hardly an admission. I think, perhaps, you ought to go down
and talk to him. Sort it out like adults.”

The only thing she wanted to sort was
Lord Devonport’s backside out of her house. “There is nothing to be
discussed. His attentions are unwanted. I’ll not see
him.”

“
You will if I order you
to,” Father said. His tone held menace, but Tabitha would not
budge. “I expect you to find a husband this Season. I think I’ve
made myself perfectly clear on that matter.”

“
You have. But let me make
myself clear as well. I will not marry Lord Devonport. I will not
go down and speak with him today. I don’t care what you do to me.
You can carry me over your shoulder down the stairs, but as soon as
you set me on my feet I’ll march back up to my chamber. I will not
profess to entertain his pursuit, just because you want me to.” Her
steadfast position on this matter had left her father’s face
crestfallen. “I’m sorry, Father. I know you want what is best for
me. Just please understand that Lord Devonport is
not
best for me. Not in
the least.”

He sighed, a long, drawn-out breath.
It made him look old. Frail. Tabitha hated that she consistently
added to his worries.

Finally he said, “Very well. I’ll let
Lord Devonport know you will not be down to see him. But I still
expect you to do your best with other gentlemen this Season,
Tabitha.”

“
I will,” she said, moving
around the great oak desk between them to kiss him on the cheek. “I
promise I’ll give any other gentleman who so desire a chance to pay
me court.” That didn’t mean she would accept any of them. But at
least it would keep her father happy.

“
Go on.” Father waved her
out of his study. “Let me return to my work.”

Tabitha hobbled on her way and spent
the rest of the afternoon resting her ankle and knee. Thankfully,
Lady Mallinder’s plans for the evening did not include dancing. She
doubted she could handle even one set, and Lord Oglethorpe would
surely expect at least that much after their encounter the previous
day. She’d have to find a way to discourage his continued
attentions this evening, despite the promise she had made to her
father. At least he wouldn’t be present to see for himself,
whatever she decided to do to dissuade Oglethorpe.

When evening came around, Hester
helped her to don a peach silk evening gown. Toby knocked on the
open door of Tabitha’s dressing room as Hester fixed her coiffure.
“I see you’re almost ready. But I can’t believe you’re forcing me
to go with you to this vile event.”

Typical Toby. She never
once said anything to the effect of ‘Oh, gracious me, Toby.
Whatever will I do? I don’t have anyone to escort me to Lady
Mallinder’s tonight. Please, you absolutely
must
accompany me.’ She wouldn’t
have done even if she felt it necessary to bring an escort. “I’m
not forcing you to do anything. You may feel free to do whatever
you like this evening.”

He crossed his arms over his chest and
assumed a blasé expression. “Allow me to rephrase. Since Owen and
Elaine had already accepted invitations to the Pulteney ball this
evening and Father is off for a night of cards, no one remains to
accompany you save me.”

“
What fustian nonsense.
Hester can accompany me, can you not?” Even without anyone to
accompany her, Tabitha would be perfectly fine. She was almost
nine-and-twenty, for goodness’ sake.

“
Your maid,” Toby drawled,
“has already proven herself incapable of keeping you from harm. Or
have you forgotten yesterday so hurriedly?”

“
I came to no serious
harm. You’re stretching for a reason to interfere again.” There was
no telling what else he might be planning.

Toby huffed. “No harm? So that is why
you’ve hobbled around and nursed your knee since your return, is
it? No, Tabitha. Clearly you need someone to keep an eye on
you.”

“
You’re acting like I’m
some naïve debutante, like I cannot be trusted to look after
myself.”

“
So ending up alone with
Oglethorpe, wet to your bones and with your gown plastered so he
could see every curve of your body is the behavior of a lady who
ought to be trusted to look after herself?” Toby stared straight
through her. “I’m coming with you.” He stalked off, calling after
him as he descended the stairs, “I’m ordering the carriage brought
’round. Come down when you’re ready.”

Hester pushed a few final pins into
Tabitha’s hair. “Would you still like for me to accompany you
tonight, my lady? I can be ready in a few minutes’
time.”

That would be just what she needed:
Toby poking his nose into her affairs at every turn, and Hester
doing so when he couldn’t. It was going to be enough just to find a
way to convince Lord Oglethorpe to leave her to herself.

Tabitha gingerly got to her feet and
reached for her reticule. “No, that won’t be necessary.” She’d just
have to find a way to avoid both Lord Oglethorpe and Toby. At least
there should only be the two of them to contend with.

~ * ~

Noah stood near the hearth of Lady
Mallinder’s grand hall. The countess had set up a music area in one
corner with a pianoforte, a violin, and stacks of printed music,
should any of the younger ladies care to play for the gathering.
Another section of the room featured tables for cards, and the
older gentlemen in attendance had converged there. The hearth was
surrounded by plush furnishings and had an upside-down hat resting
on a table, filled with bits of parchment. He could only imagine
charades would be the activity of note to take place there at some
point that evening. Various seating areas were scattered
throughout, rapidly filling with matrons who carried glasses of
lemonade alongside small plates of biscuits and sandwiches, and who
often placed their lorgnettes to their eyes in order to look down
upon those supposedly beneath their station.

Lady Mallinder had gone out of her way
to make certain there was some sort of appropriate entertainment
for everyone present.

Noah couldn’t be bothered by any of
it. He had only one focus for the evening, one purpose for being
present. So he had situated himself where he could clearly see
everyone as they came and went, and planned to remain just there
until she arrived. He’d already spotted Oglethorpe, but not Lady
Tabitha. When she had refused to see him that afternoon, Noah had
stayed long enough to ensure Shelton would escort her tonight.
Leith had already promised to attend some other function with
Claremont and Miss Faulkner. Noah needed any extra help he could
get.

A group of debutantes in their various
shades of white, fluttering their fans and looking coyly over at
him, took up seats nearby. He looked the other way.

“
Lovely to see you here,
Lord Devonport,” one of them called out.

He stifled a sigh. It would not do to
be impolite. Noah looked over to where the giggling ladies sat and
found Lady Cressica amongst them. It must have been she who spoke,
as he didn’t recognize any of the others. “Good evening, Lady
Cressica. Ladies,” he said with a nod. This elicited another peal
of giggles. By gad, they were maddening as a group. Then he turned
back to the entryway and watched for Lady Tabitha.

Finally, Shelton stepped through with
Lady Tabitha on his arm, a revelation in peach silk that perfectly
complemented her skin. By Jove, how he wanted to taste her skin
there, just below her neck in that spot where she always fiddled
with the jewels adorning her. She must not realize that her nervous
gesture drew his eye, or she wouldn’t do it otherwise. Each step
she took was placed gingerly, with great care. A smile rested on
her face, but it was far from genuine. Her ankle must still be
troubling her.

She oughtn’t to have gone for a walk
yesterday. She oughtn’t to have come tonight.

He needed to get to her, to convince
her to sit. Noah started to cross the room before he caught sight
of Oglethorpe out of the corner of his eye. The mongrel was closer
than Noah by half and wore a victorious gleam in his beady, black
eyes.

Without making a fool of himself and
bounding across a cluster of armchairs, there was no way Noah could
reach her first. Not that he wasn’t tempted to do just that. But he
somehow restrained himself. Hopefully, Shelton would prevent his
sister from making any rash decisions.

When Oglethorpe reached Lady Tabitha
and bowed, she looked up and caught Noah’s eye. Her silvery gaze
widened for a fraction of a second. Just long enough for Noah to
acknowledge her shock at his attendance that evening. Then
Oglethorpe straightened and blocked her from Noah’s
view.

Noah continued across the grand room,
making his way closer to her with each stride. When he had almost
reached her, Oglethorpe turned with Lady Tabitha’s hand on his arm
and walked away.

“
Why did you allow her to
leave with him?” Noah asked Shelton seconds later.

“
Allow her? I dare you to
try and stop Tabitha once she’s made up her mind. She acts as
though she has no intention of encouraging the man in the carriage
the entire way here, and then as soon as she’s in his presence she
can’t be deterred. I’m as baffled by her actions as
anyone.”

Noah didn’t want to sit about in a
sulk. He wanted to get closer to her, to them, so he could be sure
Oglethorpe had no opportunity to compromise her.