Wallflower (Old Maids' Club, Book 1) (9 page)

“
Do you really think so?”
The younger girl fairly flushed at the prospect.

“
Yes. Yes, I do. And
you’ll have to tell me all about it afterwards.” Tabitha might have
even managed saying such a thing without revealing herself for the
liar she was. In the meanwhile, Tabitha would have to remind
herself that she was an old maid. By choice. And glad of
it.

Even if it hurt.

Chapter Five

The clip-clopping hooves of the pair
leading Noah’s barouche through Hyde Park fairly echoed from the
silent lack of conversation. Twice he had already chastised himself
for his surprise over Lady Cressica’s seeming inability to natter
on about anything. After all, she had proven herself far from
loquacious upon their first meeting at Lady Kirkaldy’s musicale.
Their second meeting the following evening at Lord and Lady
Rippington’s ball yet again displayed a distinct lack of garrulous
behavior.

Why should she be any different when
they were away from the prying eyes of anyone save her lady’s maid
and his driver?

Still, as a gentleman, he ought to
make more of an effort. Even if the last four attempts at a
discussion had been initiated by him. “Have you been enjoying your
first Season, Lady Cressica?”

“
Yes, it has been
lovely.”

Then silence.

Lovely
is not a word he’d typically associate with London. Noisy.
Crowded. Filthy. Smelly. But lovely? And still, she did not engage
him further. Noah stifled a sigh. “I imagine things are very
different here from your normal life. London is certainly a change
of pace for me from life in Cumberland. Much more hustle and
bustle. I find I rarely have a moment’s thought to
myself.”

“
Indeed,” she replied. She
turned her listless stare and plastered smile to the Serpentine,
carefully twining the fingers of her gloved hands and returning
them to her lap.

Silence reigned again.

Noah caught the maid’s gaze and
imploringly raised an eyebrow. She jerked her head toward Lady
Cressica almost imperceptibly and lifted an eyebrow of her
own.

How terribly helpful. If ever Noah
married Lady Cressica (he cringed at the thought), he’d have to
hire the girl a new maid—one who could provide as much assistance
to him in terms of understanding his wife as she would provide to
her primary charge. “And where does your family live the rest of
the year? I don’t believe you’ve mentioned that.”

Lady Cressica didn’t even turn to face
him. “Have I not?” she asked, though surely she knew she hadn’t. He
could probably count all the words she’d uttered in his presence
over three meetings on his fingers and toes. “Mother and I winter
in Southampton.”

He should have called on Miss Jennings
today. She, at least, could hold up her end of an exchange. But the
thought of paying court to her did not create any sense of
excitement within him. She was enjoyable enough to spend time with,
certainly, and easy enough to look upon. Truly, she had no real
faults.

Except, when he did spend time with
her, inevitably, his thoughts drifted to someone else. Someone
whose curves spoke to him at night, waking him from fitful dreams
to lie awake for a fitful night. Someone with eyes of sparkling
silver when she laughed, burning coal when she was in a temper, and
cool grey clouds the rest of the time. Someone whom he had no
business thinking of, when he ought to be entertaining his current
companion, particularly since that precise someone had not exactly
encouraged his attentions.

Better not to think about
her at all. He was supposed to be trying to find someone
else
suitable to be his
bride. Someone like Lady Cressica.

A curricle passed by them traveling
the opposite direction, and its occupants called out a greeting.
Noah smiled and waved, but Lady Cressica did not even make an
effort at greeting them. Good gracious, could she not make herself
presentable to anyone? Was it all too much of a bother?
“Southampton? It must be lovely to live by the sea. I imagine it is
similar to living in the Lake District, though much more vast. Tell
me, have you ever gone for a swim in the ocean?”

Finally, she turned to him. Her eyes
looked ready to pop free from their sockets, she held them so wide.
“No,” she breathed. “Of course not.” Then her gaze regained its
limp quality and she turned it aside from him, yet again fidgeting
with her hands and repositioning them in precisely the same manner
in her lap as they had been since she first climbed into his
barouche.

Of course she would never swim in the
sea. Lady Cressica Frost would never exclaim in delight over a
puppy either, or string together more than six words in a row, or
lose herself in awe over a display of fireworks.

A lifetime of marriage to this chit
was something Noah could no longer convince himself to fathom. With
every passing moment of her reticence, the likelihood of his being
able to return the girl to her Curzon Street lodgings without first
tossing himself headlong into the Serpentine to break the tedium of
their jaunt grew bleaker.

He’d better head that direction now,
before he did something drastic. Curzon Street, that was. Not the
Serpentine. The water might prove too enticing. “Well,” he said.
“Shall we return you to your mother’s care then?” Noah didn’t wait
for her response. He caught his driver’s attention and signaled him
to turn the conveyance around.

They had not traveled far in their
return when he glimpsed the most welcome sight of the day. Walking
arm-in-arm, Miss Faulkner was leading Lady Tabitha along the path
directly toward them. Thank the good Lord. At least the two of them
could provide him with a moment or two of conversation, something
more than a monosyllabic response.

Noah raised a hand in greeting, and
Miss Faulkner’s smile warmed him through as she returned his wave.
Lady Tabitha neither waved nor smiled. He couldn’t decide if she
seemed more panicked or agitated, from the flash of surprise that
flickered through her eyes before just as briskly
fading.

That would not be enough to deter him
from calling out to them, however. Not today. Not after spending
the better part of the last hour with the dour Lady
Cressica.

“
Lady Tabitha!” he called
out as they drew nearer. Noah ignored the fact that the lady in
question’s cousin seemed to be virtually pulling her along in order
to be within reasonable range for conversation. “And Miss Faulkner.
It is quite a fine day to be out for a stroll, is it not? I trust
that you’ve both met Lady Cressica Frost.”

At the sound of her name, Lady
Cressica condescended to turn her head momentarily in their
direction. She gave a curt nod with a pained smile upon her face.
“Good afternoon,” quietly slipped from her lips—such a minute
sound, Noah wondered if the other ladies could have possibly heard
her.

“
Good afternoon to you
both,” Miss Faulkner said. “Lady Tabitha and I thought to get some
exercise before our evening activities. How delightful that we’ve
run into you. Don’t you agree, Tabby?”

Despite her cousin’s urgings, Lady
Tabitha did not warm. “Yes. Quite diverting,” she said after Miss
Faulkner stomped rather noticeably upon her toes. He’d thought her
expression cool, dispassionate even, before the event. Now it was
categorically frosty.

Noah quashed a chuckle, but Lady
Cressica did not hold back her gasp of astonishment at their
behavior.

“
We’ll be attending Lady
Landale’s entertainment this evening,” Miss Faulkner continued.
“Might we expect to see either of you there? I understand there
will be cards and charades, and any number of other
diversions.”

“
I regret to say I’ve
already accepted an invitation to the Harringdon’s soiree.” Noah
did regret it. He had a sudden and compelling desire to attend the
very event that Miss Faulkner described. He wished he had not
agreed to attend the Harringdon’s gathering. He wished he had
received an invitation from Lady Landale. More than anything, he
wished Lady Tabitha would look at him the same way her cousin was
at the moment.

But Lady Tabitha wouldn’t look at him
at all.

“
Mother and I are
attending the Harringdon ball as well,” Lady Cressica
said.

Having not taken his eyes from Lady
Tabitha’s face, Noah caught a fleeting glint in her eyes. Very
curious. She’d never behaved so peculiarly in his presence before.
He wasn’t certain what to make of it.

“
I’m sure you’ll both have
a delightful evening,” Miss Faulkner said.

“
Yes, I’m sure,” replied
Lady Cressica. “I only hope at least a few gentlemen will ask me to
dance. I’d hate to be stuck on the edge of the ballroom all
evening.”

“
I hardly think that
should be a problem, Lady Cressica,” Lady Tabitha said with no
small amount of derision in her tone. “Surely Lord Devonport has
already placed his name on your dance card. I would imagine for at
least two dances. Please excuse me.”

And without a backward glance, she
spun on her heel and marched the opposite direction.

“
I am so sorry,” Miss
Faulkner said. “I haven’t the faintest idea what has come over
her.” Her eyes pleaded with Noah, though she virtually ignored Lady
Cressica in the exchange. She turned and followed her cousin,
though her gait was more dignified by half.

Noah didn’t know what had come over
Lady Tabitha either, though he had a sinking feeling that he was
involved in some way. If he didn’t know better, he’d think her
jealous of Lady Cressica. But that couldn’t be. Perhaps he truly
had done something at the Scantlebury ball to offend her. He’d have
to rectify it. Somehow.

In the meanwhile, though, he had Lady
Cressica looking expectantly up at him. Noah closed his eyes
briefly to steel himself. “Indeed, I would be honored if I could
have a dance or two with you this evening,” he forced himself to
say.

She smiled a true smile for the first
time since he’d been in her company.

Once he worked out what
he’d done to affront Lady Tabitha and made amends,
she
would have to make
amends to
him
for
forcing his hand with this insipid debutante.

One thing at a time,
though.

~ * ~

“
Slow down, Tabby,” Jo
called out from behind Tabitha. “If you force me to run after you,
I’ll make a scene.”

After nearly thirty years
spent primarily in Jo’s company, Tabitha didn’t doubt her claim for
even a moment. On the contrary, she knew her cousin capable of
making a spectacular scene—one that the
ton
would talk about for weeks. Damn
and blast, she wanted out of Lord Devonport’s company, and
particularly out of Lady Cressica’s company, and she wanted it to
happen immediately. She slowed to a more normal pace and waited for
Jo’s longer legs to catch up with her.

“
Care to explain any of
that?” Jo drawled.

Tabitha frowned. “Not
particularly.”

They walked in silence for a few
blocks, each lost in her own thoughts. When they turned toward
Cavendish Square, Jo broke the silence. “You’ve always been civil
with Lord Devonport before. More than just civil, actually. I
thought he was like family.”

“
He is.” Tabitha didn’t
trust herself to say more. The encounter had affected her in ways
she didn’t understand herself, so how could she possibly enlighten
Jo?

They walked another block without a
word spoken between them. Tabitha intended to remain as
tight-lipped as she could.

But when they turned up the lane to
Shelton Hall, Jo reached out a hand and took Tabitha’s, gently
pulling her to a stop. The footmen had already opened the doors
leading in to the foyer and stood at attention waiting for the two
to come inside.

Jo waited until Tabitha looked into
her eyes. “You’re acting like a jealous dunderhead. Admit you have
an affection for him. And don’t take it out on Lady Cressica.” Then
she whirled about and proceeded inside, leaving Tabitha with her
jaw hanging slack.

~ * ~

Noah needed a break. He couldn’t face
another afternoon of paying court to banal young debutantes
followed by another evening spent attempting to woo the very same
ladies by dancing and flirting. It was enough to drive him to the
brink of insanity.

Still, he ought to visit Miss
Jennings, or perhaps Lady Cressica again (though he shuddered at
the thought of such a call, particularly after being subjected to
not one, but two dances with her the prior evening—including the
supper dance). Instead, he found himself driving his curricle
through the streets of Mayfair with no real destination in
mind.

Before he discovered his own
intentions, he was pulling to a stop in front of Shelton House on
Cavendish Square, where another carriage waited with driver and
horses ready to go. He sat perched atop the curricle while various
and sundry ladies and gentlemen passed by, eyeing him.

Should he go inside and try again with
Lady Tabitha? She had spurned his attentions up to this point. But
he would never be able to repair whatever gaffe he had committed if
he never tried. If he never corrected the problems between them,
how would he ever know if she could, perhaps, be agreeable to his
advances? But she might not be ready. She could send him away
without a second glance.