“A drinking competition?” Daniel said with a hint of disapproval in his tone. This surprised Penelope, for his reputation of a dandy seemed completely in line with an event such as a drinking competition. Mr. Mavis surely seemed all for it.
“Isn’t it marvelous? We will have a grand time. And, of course, we both must take part in the competition. The prize, I am told, is to steal a kiss from any of the assembled ladies in the audience!”
“It was a lot of fun last year,” Penelope said. “The winner was Mr. Smith, the local baker. He was already betrothed to his now wife. Indeed, they are only married now because he used the win as opportunity to make his affections for her known.” She smiled as she remembered the event. She and her father both attended the wedding, earlier in the spring.
“I am not sure that a drinking competition is something an Earl ought to participate in. Nor a future Baron, Alistair.”
Mr. Hughes waved his hand in the air. “It is but a harmless bit of fun. I will even partake, and I am a well-respected diamond merchant. Indeed, if I remember correctly, some of the local lords have taken part these last few years.”
“They have.” Penelope eyed Daniel, wondering what his reluctance was all about. “It would be a great way to impress a young lady, say, if one was to be in the middle of trying to win someone’s heart in marriage.” She winked at him even though every part of her wanted to rescind her offer of assisting him with Bridget.
Why did I ever consent? It is bad enough that I cannot push away these feelings of love for him. Now I have set myself up to make sure he marries another. Alas, it cannot be helped and he thinks of me as nothing but a sister anyhow. I will have to grow used to this feeling. This desire to be near him but never have him.
“Lady Penelope?” Alistair voice sounded out and she turned to him.
“I am sorry. I was in thought.”
He smiled at her. “I can see that. I was just saying that I much agree with you and Daniel ought to take part. I certainly will. The winning reward alone is worth it.” He winked and she colored. She knew at once if he won it would be she who could expect a kiss from him.
She turned and looked once more at Daniel in order to convince him to partake. However, when her eyes settled on him, she took a step back. His face had darkened and his nostrils flared ever so slightly. She was sure neither Mr. Hughes nor his friend would have noticed, but she did. She knew him too well. Daniel, her childhood friend and the man she’d secretly loved all of her life, was livid. But why? As she looked at him from the side, she could not quite make sense of it all.
It had to be said, where once she could read him like an open book, and noticed the small changes in his mood, he was now a mystery to her. She realized this hurt her almost as much as losing him to Bridget. It reminded her once more that what had been between them, was long gone and forgotten.
Her gaze lingered on him for another moment when suddenly she could not fight the desire to speak, to find out what thoughts he kept so closely guarded.
“Daniel,” she said his name in a quiet whisper and he looked at her, his eyes blazing still. A thought came to her then. Was he upset because Alistair had implied he’d like to reward her with the winning kiss, should he succeed? Surely not. Surely an innocent comment such as this would not cause him to grow so angry. Or could it? Could he possibly…
Her thought was interrupted before she could complete it when behind them, the sound of a horse neighing could be heard. She turned around and saw Bridget’s carriage arriving in the distance. Beside her, Daniel’s countenance changed from angry to soft as he, too, spotted the carriage.
No, this fleeting thought, the moment of hope, vanished. She’d been wrong about his intentions and thoughts again, as she had so often in the past.
Chapter 18
Before Alistair could resume his flow of words and with it, his more than obvious advances toward Penelope, he was cut short when a carriage arrived at the tavern. Daniel raised his eyebrows at the rather grand-looking vehicle, one befitting a lady of thetonmore so than the daughter of a merchant. It was white, with colorful lilies painted on the doors in place of a coat of arms. A line of gold ran along the sides and the handle and even the windows had golden trim.
“Ah, there she is now, the apple of my eye. Returned from having spent half my fortune, I am sure.” Mr. Hughes laughed and made his way toward the carriage as it arrived.
The carriage door was opened by one of the footmen and a moment later, Bridget stepped out. Her ginger-colored hair was pinned up with ringlets hanging down around her face. Her white round gown complemented her hair and she looked rather pleasant, he had to admit. The moment she saw him her eyes lit up and she beamed at him.
“My Lord! What a pleasant surprise! I was just saying to my father this very morning how lovely it would be to see you again and now here you are.” She curtsied before him and turned to do the same before Alistair.
“We were going to call on you this very morning, but your father has just informed us that you are going to Banbury,” Alistair explained.
She sighed. “Indeed, we must. I am in need of a new gown for the ball. There is nothing nice to be had in this town. But perhaps you could call on us to tour the estate after the Harvest Festival.”
“By Jove, we were just conversing about the very event. Your father, Lady Penelope, and I were about to convince Lord Carlton here to take part, though he is reluctant.”
“Reluctant? But why? Faith, you simply must come. It is such fun. There is dancing, food, and drink. I would be so disappointed if you did not join us.”
“You may even be able to call on us directly after the competition. If any of us are in any condition to do so, of course!” Mr. Hughes laughed, joined by Alistair, whose deep-throated laughter was usually so infectious that Daniel could not help but join in.
Today the effect was quite the opposite. While Daniel was not usually one to decline an invitation to an assembly, especially one that promised entertainment and merriment, he feared what taking part in this particular event might do to him. He found that drinking excessively sometimes played with his mind, and feelings he did not want to feel became stronger, as well as things he did not wish to say found their way out of his mouth. At times, he had difficulty not giving in to his desires.
This wasn’t a problem as such when in London, where his life revolved around little else but having a good time. But here? He could hardly contain the truth about his feelings for Penelope in a sober state, but drunk? And what if it caused him to lose his grip on his temper? He realized while he’d been contemplating his next move, the conversation had gone on without him. The group was all but agreed upon when and where to meet the following Monday. And his partaking in the competition seemed all but agreed.
Even Penelope seemed excited at the prospect.
“Penny,” he said, whispering into her ear. “I do not think it a wise idea. Especially not the competition. It is not befitting of an Earl.”
