Dear Lord Blacknight,
If you are not otherwise engaged this afternoon, I might be available at half past three for a ride in a carriage.
With regards,
Mrs. Feld
She was asking him to take her for a ride. A lady asking a gentleman? Surely that couldn’t be proper, but blast it, if he didn’t love it when she wasn’t proper. Zane looked over at his uncles and sister. They continued to be in deep conversation over poor Thelma’s love life and children she’d yet to have.
At least there would be a bright spot at the end of the day for him, and he’d do his best to see that Aunt Beatrice’s daughter had a bright end to her afternoon as well. It they wanted him to be the head of the family, damnation, he would.
Chapter 20
Sitting in the back of a well-polished landau on plush comfortable seats with the top down and being driven by a liveried driver was the proper way for a gentleman to take a lady on an afternoon ride through the park, Brina thought.
It would also be quite boring if not for the fact the dashing Earl of Blacknight was seated beside her. He made all the difference in how she felt.
The reason most everyone in the ton remained in their best clothing and took to the parks on a sunny Sunday afternoon during the Season was so they could see and be seen by others. The weather hadn’t disappointed Londoners today. The sun was midway down the western sky with only a stray trace of white clouds breaking across the moderate shade of blue. Warm air didn’t have a hint of breeze to stir it around, making the day pleasant. Cloaks, capes, and coats had come off in favor of lightweight clothing.
Brina held a pale gray parasol edged with a darker shade of braided ribbon to match her dress and pelisse. Zane wore a black hat and dark brown coat and trousers. The buttons on his dark-red quilted waistcoat were covered in the same fabric. Well-matched horses and expensive wheels allowed the carriage to move along the road at a smooth and gentle pace.
If not for Zane, Brina would have much rather been back at her house rolling bandages for the sisters, which was her usual Sunday afternoon project. However, she had agreed to such outings as this with the earl to show his family he had settled down, graciously accepted his place in Society, and was ready to be a respectable member of the ton.
Much to her surprise and dismay, he was doing a splendid job.
It also vexed her that time was passing quickly, and she still hadn’t heard one hint of gossip that Zane might have slipped and taken a drink. No one had come forward to say he’d uttered so much as a swear—let alone an obscene one. He’d come close with her. But not close enough for him to surrender and agree she’d won. Some oft-used words of exclamation couldn’t be considered obscene. Too many people said them or variations of them. She often said “merciful heavens” or “drat,” which a few people would say are variations of “hellfire” and “damnation.” Both words were in the Bible for goodness’ sake! How could she insist they were obscene?
His strength troubled her, impressed her, and drew her. Drew her with such fearless abandonment, it would be so easy to give in to it and not even struggle. His sense of character was stronger than she’d suspected, than she was led to believe by all the gossips who said he cared nothing for his family or the responsibility of an earl that had fallen to him.
And she couldn’t forget Paris.
But what was she to do? Go back on her word and not marry him? There might be no other choice but that seemed almost as dreadful as marrying him. There was the comment he said the other day in her house.I bet you.Though she was in a mind to let it slide at the time, she hadn’t forgotten it. Slip of the tongue, well-used turn of phrase, or whatever he chose to call it, he couldn’t deny he said those three little words and offered her a wager no matter his intention at the time. She must keep it as an arrow in her quiver if he didn’t start drinking or gambling soon. She might have to use it.
Not only did she have to consider all that, she also had to reflect on the fact she enjoyed being with him. He made her laugh, but he’d never laughed at her. He desired her but hadn’t taken advantage of her advances. How could she not appreciate a man who surprised her with a horse to ride and helped her make bags of tea for the poor? All these things had somehow helped her come to care for him. How deeply, she didn’t know yet. Hadn’t wanted to know. Which, of course, left her emotions in turmoil because she knew she could never trust herself to marry again.
So, what would she do if he somehow managed to refrain from all the gentlemen’s vices she’d asked of him, and really expected her to marry him?
“You seem deep in thought, Mrs. Feld,” the earl said as they crossed the busy street and headed onto the path that would put them in St. James’s Park.
“Do I?” she asked, grateful he couldn’t read her mind and hoping her cheeks weren’t coloring as she answered.
He nodded. “You seem troubled. Are you not appreciating our proper afternoon ride?”
She looked over at him and smiled. “Very much.”
“Really?” He gave her a half grin and moved moreinto the corner of the landau and turned his body so he could face her directly without having to continue turning his head. “Are you not missing the horses yet?”
“Yes, and I’m upset you know that I am,” she teased. While the thought of a neighborhood and park she’d seen a thousand times might be boring, the man she was with was not. She missed sitting atop a horse and guiding the animal where she wanted it to go. It made her feel more a part of her surroundings rather than someone who was looking at them.
“Tell me,” she said, “are we being followed by anyone today?”
“I’m followed every time I leave my house. I have adapted much in the same way I am getting used to having a butler, a solicitor, and my uncles arriving every day to go over yet more documents, account books, contracts, and requests for my help.” A chuckle reverberated softly in his throat. “Don’t ask our driver to lose the cabriolet shadowing us today. He’s not capable and neither are the mares.”
She gave Zane a confident smile. “I wouldn’t. I trust no one but you to handle a team of horses so expertly.”
“I’m waiting for the day you will trust me with other, more important matters.”
His gaze swept over her face, making her feel she could believe him, even though she didn’t know specifically what he was referring to. It still made her want to believe him. He was winning her over with his unpredictable, slightly ungentlemanly behavior. He’d never been crass or rude to her or anyone else when he was with her. Well, perhaps he was rude when he hadn’t responded to the duchess’s dinner invitation to let the lady know he would be attending. Now he was reluctantly, but graciously, making amends for that with a party of his own.
