Page 4 of Shining Knight
“Does she deliberately flout the rules?” Perth asked.
“That is the devil of it. She seems to forget them. Thankfully, she has the beauty, connections and name to keep her from complete censure. Knighton will still hold me responsible, however, if anything happens to her. He asked me to look after her.”
“She is not your kin,” Sir Martin pointed out unhelpfully.
“She might as well be,” Graham retorted.
“Is that the way the wind blows?” Perth asked. “I was thinking about courting her myself.”
“Not at all. She might as well be my sister.”
“Then to whom do we apply for permission to address her? You or Knighton?”
Much though Graham hated to admit it, Perth was an excellent choice for Eugenia. He was of an age with Knighton and was cousin to the duchess. Knighton would very likely welcome the match. Graham would be delighted to have her off his hands too, would he not? He turned his horse about to follow after Eugenia. “If you are serious, I would write to Knighton. I have no objection.”
“I will call on her this afternoon, then,” the earl remarked.
Graham doffed his hat and took off after his wayward charge. Why did he suddenly feel so unsettled?
He dismounted in front of his town residence, which was only two houses away from that belonging to Lady Hambridge. He handed his mount to a groom and then walked up to Hambridge House to have a word with Eugenia.
“My lord,” Winfred greeted him as he opened the door.
“I wish for a word with Lady Eugenia.”
“Unfortunately, my lord, she requested that she be left undisturbed.” The butler looked most uncomfortable. Graham could press the issue—he had been charged with protecting Eugenia as much as Lady Hambridge, who was chaperone in name only. However, he did not feel like arguing with her just now. Her feelings were hurt and much though he was aware she did not wish to hear it, she needed to live within certain boundaries whilst in Town.
“Very well, Winfred, I will abide by her wishes…on this occasion.” He had little doubt that Eugenia could hear his words. He left and walked back to his own house.
Perhaps he should write to Rowley and encourage a match with Perth. For the entire previous Season, he had discouraged every fortune hunter who came sniffing at Eugenia’s skirts. But Perth was an earl with a vast fortune and also a bit of a dull dog. Perhaps that was exactly what Eugenia needed.
He sighed heavily. It was not yet noon and he was already exhausted. He supposed he should write to Knighton before he received the news-sheets and read of more of Eugenia’s antics. During her come-out Season, having Lady Sybil by Eugenia’s side had mediated most of the chit’s impulses to do things before properly considering, but this morning was a perfect example of her needing someone to watch over her. Graham had not minded doing so from a distance, but he could hardly sit in her pocket all the time without causing a great deal of remark or even ruining her reputation. The Knight brothers considered him one of the family, but Society would talk, and much though it pained him to admit it, it was time he found his own wife. He did not know of many gently-bred females who would want him tagging along like a puppy behind another eligible lady whilst he was trying to woo them.
And for all of Eugenia’s mischievousness, she was still extremely eligible. He had overheard more conversations and betting about the youngest Knight sibling than he would care to recall. Many of the men believed they could tame her once she was leg-shackled and many did not care about her eccentric behavior so long as they had her dowry and connections.
He ran his hand over his face. He hated the thought of Eugenia being forced to conform into a stuffy Society lady, but what could he do? Unless the duke and duchess or one of the sisters-in-law were willing to come to London to take her in hand, it was all that was left. For the past year, he and the brothers had deflected more than a dozen offers from unsuitable gentlemen, yet they had done nothing to facilitate a proper match.
He sat down at his desk, pulled out a sheet of paper and dipped his quill in the standish, but the words were difficult in taking form on the page.
Dear Knighton,
I believe the time has come. I further believe Perth will be applying to you shortly and I can see no objections.
Your servant,
Tinsley
There was no need to be verbose. Knighton would know exactly what he meant. This week’s worth of news-sheets would arrive at approximately the same time as this letter. He expected the duke to arrive post haste. Eugenia would not be delighted with the news, but she had had a year to make a proper choice and had proven she needed a little push.
He sanded the letter and folded it, stamping his seal down into the hot wax. He sat staring at the window that overlooked the park for some time, feeling morose and somewhat guilty, as if he were betraying Eugenia. But it was what he would have to do for his own sister one day, he supposed.
A flash of a colorful bonnet flew by his window with a maid trailing behind.
He cursed and then scurried from his study to the front door, barely grasping his hat as Wallace held it out to him. Where the devil was she going now, trying to hurry in front of his window? Eugenia was tall enough that she had to be bending down in order to pass as she had. She knew very well it was his house.
Had he not been in his study, writing to her brother, it was unlikely he would have seen her. Now he was obligated to follow her. At least she had had the forethought to take her maid along.
She crossed the street into the park, walking with long strides like a man. He followed discreetly behind, but if she bothered to look at her surroundings, she would see him.
