CHAPTER 13
"Lord Blackburn," James said. What a pleasure to see you out today."
Victoria looked the gentleman up and down. He appeared to be a few years older than she was herself, with curly blonde hair and a serious looking face. "A pleasure to see you as well, Your Grace," he said, holding eye contact with James and ignoring Victoria altogether. "It's been many years since we saw you here in London."
"Indeed," James replied. "I'm glad to be back after all these years. Though I must say, things are not exactly as I left them. Not quite the way I remember them."
Now, Lord Blackburn did look at Victoria. Though his gaze made her feel shy, she forced herself not to look away. She wondered whether he was one of those who believed all the rumors that had been spread about her. He probably was, because after all, nearly everyone in London believed the things that had beensaid about her. He would be a rare man indeed if he were the one to recognize the truth.
"I wonder if you have been introduced to my late cousin's wife," James said. "Her Grace, the Dowager Duchess of Stormwell."
"Of course I have heard many things about the dowager Duchess," Lord Blackburn said. "But I don't believe we had had the pleasure of meeting in person yet."
"No, we haven't," Victoria agreed, though she wasn't sure she would've described this meeting as a pleasure. She wasn't yet sure what she thought of Lord Blackburn. She had yet to see a smile on his face. Surely anyone who was making someone's acquaintance for the first time could be troubled to smile at them.
Then again, she wasn't sure she had yet smiled at Lord Blackburn either. Perhaps the reason he looked so serious was that he was waiting for a smile from her. She could offer that. Though it felt forced, she managed a small smile.
Lord Blackburn did not smile back. He did incline his head slightly in acknowledgment of her, but that was all.
"She isn't quite as you described her," Lord Blackburn remarked.
His words were like a stone in Victoria's heart. She turned to face James. "You described me? Do you mean to say that the two of you have discussed me?"
"His Grace told me that the two of you would be in town today," Lord Blackburn informed her. "He requested that I come and meet you."
"I believe I also requested that you not share details of our conversation," James said, his voice tight.
Anger bubbled up within Victoria. "Your conversation? So I'm right—the two of you have had a discussion about me."
She couldn't believe that she had trusted James even for a moment. She felt like a fool. How could she have begun to question her initial impression of him? How could she have begun to think that there was a chance he was on her side? Hadn't he been clear about his intentions, right from the very beginning? Hadn't he told her that the only thing that mattered to him was getting her married? He had said so right from the start, and yet she had still allowed herself to be taken by surprise.
"Lord Blackburn is looking for a wife this season," James said. It seemed he planned to completely ignore the accusation Victoria had made. He wasn't even going to address the question of whether the two of them had had a conversation behind her back. But Victoria didn't really need it answered. She knew what the answer was. There was only one way this could have happened. Lord Blackburn had known that he was going to meet them here, and the only way he could have known that was if he and James had planned this together.
Well, Victoria had no intention of making it easy for them. "I wish you luck in your endeavors, Lord Blackburn," she told him. "The marriage mart can be a difficult thing to navigate."
"I suppose you would know," Lord Blackburn said. "How long has it been since you made your debut?"
"Now, now," James interjected. "We are not here to talk about the past, after all. You are both looking toward your futures. Whatever the circumstances surrounding this meeting, I think it's fortunate that it happened, wouldn't you agree?"
"Naturally," Lord Blackburn murmured.
Victoria wouldn't have agreed with them at all. Even if she had been happy to meet with Lord Blackburn — which she wasn't — she knew that fortune played no part in this. This meeting had happened because of James's machinations. She wasn't going to allow them to get away with it. Wherever this was going, she wasn't planning on making it easy for them.
"I feel a bit faint," she said. She clutched James's arm all the more tightly, even though what she really wanted was to shove him away. "It must be the heat. I think we ought to return to the house. I've had enough of town for today."
James frowned at her. "We wouldn't want to just walk away from Lord Blackburn," he said. "Are you sure you can't manage?"
"I'm very sorry," Victoria told him. "I don't want to pass out on the street and force you to carry me all the way home."
"I'm sure His Grace could manage," Lord Blackburn said. "You're very slender. Very small. I don't believe you would be difficult to carry."
His words made Victoria's skin crawl. He hadn't said anything untrue, of course, but what he had said implied that he had made a thorough examination of her figure. It was very forward of him and she didn't like it.
Though it wasn't something she ordinarily would've done, she allowed herself to lean into James for support. "I really think we ought to go," she breathed, doing her best to sound weaker than she truly felt.
James put an arm around her. "Perhaps she's right," he said to Lord Blackburn. "Perhaps I ought to get her home. But I hope you will join us for dinner tomorrow evening, Lord Blackburn. That will give you the chance to get to know the Duchess a bit better."
"Is she always this delicate?" Lord Blackburn asked. "I prefer a lady with a bit more fortitude."
