Page 53 of A Promising Little Scandal (Sensual Scandals)

Chapter Nineteen

After her reunion with Isadora, which was as joyous as her elder sister could behave, Calliope went to her rooms. She told herself she wished to rest after her journey, but she was much too frustrated for that, so she ended up pacing her chamber with a dark scowl on her face. She didn’t know if the marquess was just a nasty curmudgeon by nature, or if she had done something to incur his wrath, but either way, she wasn’t going to stand for such a slight. Her father had been the Duke of Marlington, and now her brother-in-law was the honorary heir, even if he chose to allow the title to revert to the Crown and give up the second dukedom. In such, she was more than qualified to speak to Lord Blakely on a personal level, and perhaps marry him if she chose to do so.

She finally slumped down on her bed and exhaled heavily. She was still contemplating her current conundrum, when there was a knock at her door and Emma walked in holding a card. “A messenger just dropped this by for you, my lady.”

Curious, Calliope accepted the missive and turned it over to see the viscount’s seal. Her pulse started to flutter, and she anxiously ripped it open. Inside was a brief instruction. She sighed in relief and put the card to her chest, as if by doing so she might hug Lord Blakely himself. “He wants to meet me along the Dark Walks this evening.”

Instead of appearing just as exuberated by this news, her maid frowned slightly. “You had better take care, my lady. Vauxhall is notorious for trapping more than one young lady into ruining her reputation.”

Calliope dropped her hands to her lap. “That may be true, but I doubt that Sebastian is intentionally using me as bait for his own amusement. If that were the case, he could have damaged my name long before now. Besides, with Grey as his friend, who is now my brother-in-law, he shouldn’t wish to injure their long-standing acquaintance.” She stood up and walked over to her wardrobe. “Now let’s find me something special to wear.” She started to riffle through her silks and satins. “I daresay when the viscount sees me in green, he’s quite taken, so perhaps this one with my emeralds?” She lifted a corner of the jade hem for Emma’s inspection.

Although the maid’s wary expression didn’t change, she curtsied lightly and said, “I will see that it is pressed for this evening’s adventures.”

“Thank you,” Calliope returned, too excited about seeing Sebastian again that she allowed the mocking statement to pass.

A burst of renewed energy shot through Calliope, and she spent the rest of the afternoon soaking in the tub in floral scented water and had Emma take special care to fix her hair.

When she went downstairs that evening, dressed to the hilt in her gown, jewels, and elbow length, white gloves, Calliope was confident that something amazing was going to occur this evening. She could feel the anticipation building in her veins.

She offered Isa a brilliant smile when she joined her in the foyer. Her elder sister was waiting patiently in a lovely, silver satin with a strand of pearls around her neck. Isa’s hair was pinned back in her usual, simple fashion, whereas Calliope’s face was framed with several ringlets. Instead of giving her sister any sort of compliment, Isa lifted a dark brow. “Shall we depart then? I’m eager to get back home as soon as possible. I have some important business to see to.”

Calliope rolled her eyes. “You need to learn how to take a break sometimes, Isa.”

They walked down the front steps together, and when the door of the coach was opened by their footman, Isa said, “If I did that, then who would keep up the household expenses? I need to be responsible if I shall be the last Bevelstroke lady standing.”

As they climbed inside the carriage and settled their skirts, Calliope reached out and took her sister’s hand in her own. She paused to choose her words carefully. “I certainly never intended to fall in love, and most especially with Lord Blakely. I don’t want you to feel as if we’ve all… deserted you.”

“Minty, nor Livy, intended to leave our circle,” Isa returned evenly. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not happy for them. I shall feel the same for you if you marry. There is no need to concern yourself with me. I am perfectly content to be alone, and already, the investments I’ve been making have been paying off quite nicely.”

Calliope squeezed her hand. “I knew if anyone could prove that independence is possible for a single lady of quality, it would be you. You have a particular head for business that I never could hope to obtain.”

Isa shrugged. “We each have our talents. Minty was a born mother, so it’s no surprise that she married first, and we both know Livy never wanted to embark on the future we had originally planned.”

“What of me?” Calliope tossed her copper head.

Isa sat back and clasped her hands together in her lap. “You are a born romantic. Your heart beats entirely too wildly to live in solitude forever.”

Calliope laughed. “But I detest poetry! How can you say I’m a romantic?”

Isadora smiled gently. “Being a romantic doesn’t mean you have to like flowery prose. It could mean a certain zest for things in life that are important to you. Your adventurous spirit makes you a romantic because you are passionate about traveling to new places, like Lyme Regis. It wasn’t the science of the fossils that appealed to you, so much as someplace new to explore.”

“Oh, my.” Calliope blinked. “I daresay you are quite right.”

Isadora inclined her head in agreement.

“All this time I imagined that amorous drivel was for those dreamy debutantes who entered society with fanciful notions of finding a husband swirling about their heads. But now I find out I’m no different. I still had those glamourous ideals; they just weren’t directed toward gaining some stuffy gentleman with a title.”

As the carriage rolled to a stop, Calliope had to laugh. “At least, I didn’t think that was what I wanted, but on my hunt for adventure I suppose I found more than I anticipated. However, I don’t think that would impress Mr. Bullock very much, and what I feel for the viscount certainly couldn’t be displayed in the Egyptian Hall, could it?”

Isadora’s stern composure cracked with a twitch of her lips. “I would say not.” As the door opened, she said, “But it is time to retrieve your happily ever after.”

Sebastian tugged at his cravat, feeling as though it was choking him. But then, if it wasn’t for the promise that he would get to see Calliope, he wouldn’t be here in this blasted area surrounded by his fellow aristocrats.

Musicians performed on the grounds, as well as various acrobats, hoping to impress the crowd so that they might gain a shilling or two. Fireworks boomed in the night air, raining brilliant sparks among the assemblage, but he ignored it all.

It was strange how he had lived among the peerage in London nearly his entire life, and yet, he spent a month in a quaint, seaside village and found that the pursuits that used to be so important to him were now quite lacking. It was as if he had been sick with fever, on the brink of death, and now he was given a second chance at life.

With Calliope.

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