Her eyes jumped to mine, a hint of pink seeping into the centers of her cheeks. Before she could reply, a familiar, squawking voice came from behind me.
“Could this be one of the Mr. Campbells?”
CHAPTER 14
ARABELLA
My efforts to charm Mr. Campbell were embarrassing, to say the least, but they had seemed to be working until that old woman interrupted us. I hadn’t expected to feel so affected by his flirting, but I should have known better by now. My pulse was still slightly elevated, my palms sweaty, but I turned in the woman’s direction. Her voice sounded older than her face appeared, her youthful skin contradicting her gray curls.
“Colin, I presume?” the woman asked as she stared up at Mr. Campbell. “You are dressed too well to be your brother.” She examined him from head to toe, her eyes gleaming with curiosity and a hint of eagerness. She appeared pleased to have found a familiar face in Bath—and I could practically see her mind spinning with the possibilities of what she might discover about his personal affairs.
My observations stopped suddenly. Had she said…brother?
When I had asked Mr. Campbell about his family, he had only mentioned sisters.
I scowled.
“I’m glad you have noticed my superior fashion taste,” he said with curt smile. “What brings you to Bath, Mrs. Wickerton?” His features were stiff, much like his posture, as he faced the petite, seemingly innocent woman in front of him.
“My niece and her husband were kind enough to invite me for the month.” She gestured at the woman beside her. “My dear Mrs. Lennox, meet Mr. Colin Campbell.”
During the introduction, I took a small step backward. Kate was only a few feet away, but had been thoroughly distracted by her current conversation. I had no wish to meet this Mrs. Wickerton.
Before I could escape, her gaze darted in my direction. “And who might this young lady be?” The piercing curiosity in her gaze rooted me to the floor. She looked at Mr. Campbell expectantly.
“Miss Arabella Sharp.” The lack of details surrounding our acquaintance seemed to only heighten the woman’s intrigue. She bustled a step closer to me, a sweet smile tugging on her lips.
“My, what a beauty you are. I confess I have not heard of any Sharps. You are certainly the first Sharp of my acquaintance.” She let out a tiny laugh. “Have you been long acquainted with Mr. Campbell?”
I chose my words carefully. If I was desperate enough, I could exaggerate our acquaintance and hope that the gossip would drive Mr. Campbell to an earlier proposal. But I doubted that would do anything but scare him away. I had to tread carefully. “Not long at all.”
Mrs. Wickerton’s wispy brows lifted. “I am shocked. The two of you seemed quite familiar. Quite familiar, indeed.” Her eyes darted between us, her hands clutched tightly together.
I laughed lightly. “I fear you are mistaken. Mr. Campbell is simply amiable enough to put a young lady at ease in a crowded room.”
Mrs. Wickerton didn’t seem entirely convinced. She must have been acquainted with the version of Mr. Campbell that I had first encountered—the stoic and unapproachable one. I doubted anyone had ever described him as amiable.
“I see.” Mrs. Wickerton flashed a smile in my direction before turning her attention to Mr. Campbell once again. “What a flattering endorsement this must be, coming from such a lovely young lady.”
Mr. Campbell shifted on his feet, his eyes darting in my direction. “I am honored, to be sure.”
I studied his tense shoulders. This interaction was clearly making him uncomfortable. If he was truly interested in courting me, then why should he be afraid of what inferences Mrs. Wickerton might make? If his intentions were genuine, he would be proud that society knew he was courting me. I was no longer so eager to escape Mrs. Wickerton’s side. Perhaps she and I could become allies.
She inched slightly closer to Mr. Campbell, lowering her voice. “I should hope you would readily accept any praise given to your character. It could not have been easy recovering from the impact of your brother’s scandal.”
It took all my energy, but I managed to keep my expression neutral.
Scandal?
Mr. Campbell hadn’t been exaggerating about Mrs. Wickerton’s love of gossip. She had wasted very little time in bringing up what must have been a sensitive subject. My heart pounded. Perhaps I should have removed myself from the conversation, but I couldn’t help but remain rooted where I stood. I hadn’t even known that Mr. Campbell had a brother…and I certainly hadn’t heard about a scandal.
Mr. Campbell’s brow tightened, his jaw setting before he managed a reply. “It was not easy, no.” The curt words didn’t seem to cut through Mrs. Wickerton’s clueless demeanor.
“The fault was not yours, of course. You managed the situation quite respectably. We cannot help who the members of our family are and what trouble they cause.” Mrs. Wickerton gave him a sympathetic smile. “You bear the burden of your unfortunate relations quite well.”
I watched the growing signs of agitation in Mr. Campbell’s features. I had never seen him so…vexed. Not evenIhad caused such a strong reaction in him, and I had certainly tried.
I stared up at the sharp corners of Mr. Campbell’s jaw, the firm set of his mouth as he struggled to formulate a response. Mrs. Wickerton, on the other hand, carried on smiling as if she hadn’t said anything impertinent at all. “I hope you enjoy the party, Mr. Campbell,” she said when he didn’t reply. “What a pleasure to see you in Bath. If I were you, I would not be keen to leave Miss Sharp’s side.” A sly smile followed the words, and I knew without a doubt that she would be keeping a close watch on us all evening. She bustled away with her companion at a surprisingly brisk pace, and had already begun whispering something in her ear.
