Page 9 of A Brooding Christmas Promise
Knowing that there was no good in pretending, Samuel chose instead to be honest. Lord Trenton knew him well enough to be able to ascertain when he was lying, that much was certain!
“In truth, I had not thought about coming to London again,” he began, “but the thought of spending more time alone at the estate was not a particularly pleasant one. I felt as though I had endured enough solitude – though it has been my own choice to be alone, of course.”
“I understand.”
“But I also wish for you to understand that I have no intention of seeking out another lady. I will make it plain in amongst thetonalso, if I have to! I have already determined that I shall not marry.”
Lord Trenton’s eyes flared. “Ever? You intend to remain alone for the rest of your life?”
Samuel shook his head. “I must produce the heir, I know that, but I will not marry any time soon. This pain within me must depart completely and then I shall enjoy a time when I am simply in my own company and quite contented with it.Thereafter,I may consider marriage.”
“But that could be years!”
“Yes.” Samuel shrugged. “It could be but that is my determination. I have vowed to myself that I shall not let myself be caught by any young lady. When the time comes, it shall be for my own sake and at my own consideration. I shall never permit myself tofeelanything for another young lady again. Not for as long as I live.” He held up one hand, seeing the way that his friend opened his mouth to speak. “You need not argue with me. I have resolved upon my course.”
Lord Trenton’s lips tugged to one side.
“And yes, I know that there will be speculation about my return to London but I fully intend to make certain that all of thetonknow of it.”
“There will be gossip!” Lord Trenton exclaimed, his eyes sharp for a moment. “Can you endure it?”
Samuel rubbed one hand over his face. “I have endured enough gossip for a lifetime,” Samuel muttered, feeling the urge to retreat back into the shadows again. “I cannot bear any more whispers.”
His friend’s expression grew sympathetic. “I do not think that you are able to avoid such a thing, unfortunately. You know as well as I what thetonis like though, I am sure, they will begin to whisper about something – or someone else – soon enough. You must simply permit them to talk about you for a short while, I think.”
“Considering what I have just overheard, you may be right.” Samuel, seeing his friend’s eyebrows lift in obvious curiosity, chuckled. “I am afraid that I heard something I was not meant to, some difficulty between one young lady and a Lady Foster? You will recall the gentleman, I am sure.”
Lord Trenton’s frown was immediate. “Lord Foster? Yes, I know him. He demanded that I place the most ridiculous amount of money on a game of cards which, of course, I refused.”
Samuel chuckled ruefully. “I played cards with him only last week, I think, when I had just begun to re-enter society. He was not an amiable fellow in the least.”
“No, he is not.”
“And it sounds as though his wife might be much the same,” Samuel continued, his interest still a little piqued. “I should not have lingered to listen, however. I should probably find the young lady in question and apologise for lingering.”
“Do you know their names?”
Samuel shook his head.
“Then I say, forget about it. There is no need for you to do anything of the sort. Besides, given the fact that I can see three young ladies coming toward you with a calculating gleam in every eye, I think that you may find yourself a little… overcome with company.”
Samuel turned sharply, only to wish he had not done so as smiles wreathed themselves across every face, perhaps thinking that he had turned to look at them out of hope or expectation. Inwardly groaning, Samuel had no other choice but to turn his attention to them all fully, bowing as they came near and silently praying that he would recall their names, had he already been introduced – even if it had been some years ago now.
“Good evening, Lord Crestwood,” the first lady said, bobbing a curtsy after she had unlinked herself from her fellow companions. “It has been some time since we have been in each other’s company, has it not?”
“Lady Norah, good evening,” Samuel said quickly, relieved that he had remembered the lady’s name. “I did not think for a moment that you would remember me, since I have been absent from London for so long.”
The lady trilled a laugh, reached out one hand and let her fingers rest on his arm for just a moment. “Oh goodness, Lord Crestwood, you cannot think that I would forget you! Your absence from society has been noticed by many, though I am sorry for what drove you away from us.”
A heavy weight dropped down into Samuel’s stomach and though he forced a smile, he did not feel even a single iota of happiness. Within barely a minute of conversation, the lady had brought the subject about to his absence from London, to the ending of his engagement. He looked to Lord Trenton who, after a small smile, merely shrugged as though to say that this was all that Samuel could expect – and would have to becomeused to – and, sighing inwardly, Samuel forced himself back to the conversation, resigning himself to becoming part of the local gossip for the next few days at least.
Chapter Five
“Now.” Amelia sat down next to Charlotte and beamed at her. “At the last ball, you did not dance more than two dances. I think that this evening, you should attempt to step out a good deal more than the last time!”
Charlotte flushed, laughed and shook her head. “My dear sister, I hardly think that such a thing is a necessary requirement for my presence here in London. I very much enjoyed the ball at Lord Trenton’s abode but I did not need to dance all of the dances in order to have a most enjoyable time!”
Her sister’s eyes twinkled. “But you will enjoy yourself all the more if you dance them all, I am sure,” she said, with a chuckle. “Imagine being swept around the floor for the waltz, for example! That would be quite wonderful, would it not?”
