Page 4 of Too Wylde To Tame
“It is my pleasure to meet you,—formally—Miss Wylde. Perhaps I could call on you tomorrow that we might better our acquaintance with on another?”
“I’ve no doubt we will be too fatigued after tonight’s festivities to entertain callers tomorrow, Lord Jameson,” Marguerite’s dismissal of the man was quite firm and it only served to lend credence to Charity’s feeling that he was not a trustworthy gentleman at all. “Good evening, sir.”
With that Charity turned, linked her arm with her aunt’s and together they walked away. Neither of them noticed the way his mouth firmed, that his handsome features twisted into a petulant scowl as he watched them fade into the crowd.
TWO
“Avoid him, dear. At all costs,” Marguerite cautioned.
“Oh, I require no such warnings about him, Aunt Marguerite,” Charity assured her. “I’ve no interest in spoiled boys… and that is my impression of him. A spoiled little boy who always gets his way.”
Marguerite smiled. “You could not be more right, dearest. Now, go find Felicity and stay out of trouble. I’d hate for Phinneas to have to fight a duel on your behalf.”
Charity said nothing as she thought of how recently that very thing might have occurred. How far would Oliver Kent have taken his accostment of her had Phinneas not arrived on the scene? And of course, there was Felicity. She would never want to give her cause for worry or create strife in their marriage. The very thought of what her sister might do to her if her husband was, even inadvertently, placed in danger was positively terrifying. Nodding to her aunt, they parted ways in the center of the ballroom and she made for the permitter where Felicity was standing with her husband, Lord Phinneas Merrick. They looked so right with one another, him so tall and powerful, and her sister who positively glowed with happiness.
She wasn’t jealous. Even as Charity mentally reminded herself of that, it rang false. She was jealous. Not begrudgingly, of course. That her sister had found love, despite the circumstances of her betrothal and marriage to Phinneas, mired in scandal as they were, had been such a relief. She wanted only good things for Felicity. Was it so terribly wrong to want those things for herself, as well?
“Charity!” Felicity called out with a wave when she caught sight of her.
Charity’s smile widened. They would never be what they were supposed to be, she thought. They’d always be loud and brash, a bit too vocal, and much too honest for society. That had been true in Bath and it was even more true in London, it seemed.
“Good evening, sister. Good evening, brother,” she acknowledged, giving Felicity a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “I’ve missed you.”
“You must come visit,” Felicity insisted. “You and Cordelia should stay with us! For an entire week. It will be just like when we were little. Maybe we could prevail upon Payne to part with Benny for the week, as well!”
Charity took note of the less than enthusiastic expression on her brother-in-law’s face. They were newly married, after all. What man would want his wife’s sister to descend on them only a few months into their marriage? “Aunt Marguerite would never let me out of her sight! Between your foibles and now Benny’s, it’s a wonder she let me cross the ballroom without wearing a lead like a trained spaniel.”
Felicity frowned but Phinneas had to camouflage a laugh with a cough. “I must ask your forgiveness for that,” he said softly. “It won’t last forever.”
“Don’t ask for forgiveness. That seems to be a theme for the evening,” she replied. Finding the man who had bumped into her, Felicity asked, “What is your opinion of Lord Jameson Dartwell?”
“Trouble,” Phinneas replied. “Trouble of the worst sort. Irresponsible, irascible and unscrupulous. He’s part of a very fast set. Please say you have no hopes in that direction.”
“Oh, no! Not at all. He bumped into me and I can’t help but think it was some sort of scheme to finagle an introduction. Though why he would bother, I cannot imagine!”
Phinneas blinked at her in surprise. “Can’t you? Really?”
Charity blushed. “I have no illusions about my appearance, my dear brother-in-law. If I did, I’d have only to look at my twin and be assured that we have all the necessary charms to attract a man. But if he’s a fortune hunter, and I can only assume that he is, mine is much too modest to draw his attention.”
Felicity held up her hand. “Enough talk of this Lord Dartwell— he’s of no interest to you and if his interests have been piqued by you then the man is destined for disappointment. So let us move on to happier topics… such as Mr. William Stockton. He’s very handsome and quite wealthy… and looking for a wife.”
Charity shuddered. She couldn’t dismiss him out of hand, sadly. But he was certainly her last resort. “He is handsome. And if I had to suffer his courtship, I might well die of boredom. Unless all other avenues have been exhausted, I’d prefer not to set my cap in that direction.”
Felicity grimaced. “I know he’s dull, but he’s indubitably eligible.”
“Yes, and Phinneas’ eligibility is precisely why you married him,” Charity quipped. This only resulted in her brother-in-law concealing his laughter behind another cough.
Felicity cast an angry look in his direction. “If Charity doesn’t find a husband by the end of the Season, she’ll have to go back to our parents… and to the slow, agonizing death of being a lonely wallflower in Bath.”
Oh, dear heavens. At Charity’s description of her impending future, Felicity felt positively ill. It was utterly bleak. Her parents disappointment loomed large in her mind. Her father would mutter and shake his head, her mother would look at her with that forlorn, hangdog expression that seemed to imply she was willing to bear the burden of having such a thoroughly unmarriagable daughter.
“It won’t be so bad. Surely,” Phinneas said. “Perhaps we could offer an alternative to London or even Bath. The Season is near its end, after all. We could retreat to the countryside and host a house party. Your parents would not object to your remaining with us at least through such an event.”
“You looked rather pained at having the lot of us descend upon you here.”
“Randford House is significantly larger than the house in town,” he said. “And offers greater opportunities for privacy.”
Felicity elbowed him sharply in the ribs. “What he means to say is that Randford House would be the perfect place for you to meet eligible gentlemen who could pay court to you while you are in residence.”
