Darrington 01 - Marriage Minded Lord (11 page)

“What is wrong with you?”
Charlotte hissed. She yanked her hand from his.

“I have apparently lost my mind, but please, keep Mother occupied while I talk to Miss Delacroix.”

“Are you mad? Lady Drummond’s companion?” Charlotte craned her neck while she scanned the gathering. “Here?”

“I might be, but I’ve never felt such a pull to a woman before.”
He rolled his eyes. “I simply wish to talk with her, and perhaps remove her attention from the man looking at her with the wolf’s own intent in his gaze.”

“Oh, Felix, I don’t know…”

“Please.” His pulse pounded in his ears. “Mother will never understand.
I
cannot understand why I must do this, but I need to.”

Charlotte nodded. She narrowed her eyes. “Very well. I cannot guarantee how long I can deflect
Mother’s attention.”

Felix leaned in a placed a kiss on her cheek. “Thank you. I only require a few minutes with her, and I promise to buy you that pearl necklace you’ve been
admiring.” The prospect of being in Clarice’s company again gave wings to his feet. In short order he’d crossed the room then drew to a halt in front of Clarice and the unknown Frenchman. “Good afternoon, Miss Delacroix.”

Her eyes rounded. The
ir deep color was very much like melted chocolate in the sunlight. “Fel—Lord Swandon. What a pleasant surprise.” Pretty color stained her cheeks. She gestured to her companion. “This is Mr. Guy Fournier. He’s Lord Landry’s valet and an acquaintance of mine from a few years ago. I had no idea he was even in London, let alone so close to Mayfair…” Her voice trailed off. She fluttered her hands as if she tried to search for words. Eventually, she let them drop to her sides.

“Fournier,” Felix said in lieu of an introduction. He had no interest what the man’s function in society was. His only goal was to separate him from Clarice. “I’m surprised Landry
allows his valet mingle with members of the
Ton
. I would think you’d be abovestairs, preparing to dress him for dinner.”

Yes, it was beneath him to mention a man’s profession in open company, but Felix was beyond caring. As if something inside him had been tripped, the need to make certain Clarice saw him in a favorable light burned strong.
He wanted her to choose him as a potential suitor.

Guy Fournier bowed from the waist. The thin blond mustache clinging to his upper lip curved with his cold grin. “Thank you for clarifying my duties in such a succinct way,
Lord Swandon. Without you to sum them up so nicely, I’d be awash of confusion.” Heavy sarcasm hung in his slightly accented voice. “However, I am also Lord Landry’s second cousin once removed, so this affords me a small position in Society.”

“A rather tenuous position, if I may say so.” He glanced at Clarice. Splotchy color blazed over her chest. Her eyes flashed. She clenched her skirt in her fisted hands. Belatedly, he realized he’d slighte
d her as well. Her position in Society was somewhat less than Mr. Fournier’s. That wouldn’t do at all. He’d wanted to make Fournier feel inferior—not Clarice. He glanced at her. “Forgive me. I apologize. You already know of my respect for you.” He then narrowed his eyes at the younger man. “How do you know Miss Delacroix?”

Guy stared back, his green eyes
frosty. “She and I had considered marriage at one time.”

“Ah.” Felix glared. Had they been lovers as well?

“How do you know
ma cherie
Clarice?”

Felix
resisted the urge to grind his teeth at the endearment. “I had the great fortune of eating a dinner she prepared. Beyond that, she’s becoming a fast friend.” He slid a look at Clarice. “I should hope.”

“Yes.” Though she smiled, it didn’t soften the lines of anxiety on her face. “It seems
Lord Swandon and I have a few things in common.”

“Aha. She cooked you dinner, but you cannot converse with her or take her driving as it would be unseemly for a lord to tarry with a servant, yes?”

“I suppose that is true in some cases.” Felix hated that his viewpoints at times mirrored Guy’s. “But I hold Clarice with a much loftier respect than I do servants. If I want to take her driving, I shall do so without another thought.” In fact, that sounded like a capital idea. She’d probably enjoy such an outing.

“Then you do not have a claim to her like I do.” Guy sniffed. “My dearest wish is that she’ll want to renew my acquaintance and we can move forward in our relationship.”

Clarice shook her head. “Guy, you know we do not have a relationship. We are merely friends.”

Felix clenched a hand into a fist
, ignoring her correction. “Has she promised you her hand?” God would need to strike him dead first before he would allow Guy to touch her. “For if she hasn’t, her attentions are free for any man to claim.”

“That’s enough,” Clarice hissed. She laid a hand on both their sleeves. “This is neither the time nor the place for such a conversation.”

“No, but it is a certainty. You and I share history.” A smug grin slithered over the Frenchman’s face. He continued as if Clarice had never spoken. “We also share a love of our native France.” He pinned Felix with a hard glance. “It’s highly unlikely she’d choose an improper, passionless Englishman over me.”

Hot ire rose in Felix’s chest at the sight of Clarice touching the other man.
Had she not felt the same connection he had at the pastry shop? “I’ll wager I can best you in any venue you choose.” Anger rasped his voice. He dropped it to a whisper. The last thing he needed was the attention of the room. “Perhaps you’d enjoy a challenge by a game of darts?”

“I grew up playing darts with my siblings.” Guy lifted a thin eyebrow. “If you’d like to be witness to my mastery, so be it.”

“Not in the way I learned. If that is past your skill set, perhaps a game of blind man’s bluff?” The pettiness of his request forced a chuckle. He would not let this man get the best of him.

“That is a child’s game, my lord. Do not insult my intelligence or yours.” Guy crossed his arms over his chest.

Felix’s jaw worked. “Perhaps cards would be your challenge of choice?”

Guy’s laugh grated along Felix’s skin. “Ah, the English bravado. How charming, but I am quite skilled in all the games you’ve suggested, and if I were you, I’d stop before you embarrass yourself.”

“My skill with cards is impressive. Ask any gentleman who frequents Whites. I hold notes for some of the town’s loftiest men.”

Interest flickered in Guy’s eyes. He nodded. “Very well. If you’d care to adjourn to one of the card rooms? I’d love to hand you a disappointment, and do be certain you wager a large sum on yourself. I’d like to collect as well as best you.”

“Damnation, but you are a smart prick, aren’t you?” The gall of the man.

“
Lord Swandon, please. Consider the scandal.” Clarice tugged on his arm, but he disengaged her in short order. “
Homme aggravante
.”

Her muttered words penetrated the angry haze around his brain.
Did she just call me an aggravating man?
He shook his head. It didn’t matter. All he wanted in this moment was to put Guy in his place and show Clarice she deserved better than this weasel of a man.

“
Forget the cards, Fournier. There will be no scandal in a friendly feat of strength between acquaintances.” Common sense fled as Felix shrugged out of the tight confines of his tailcoat then threw it to the floor. It simply wasn’t done to appear in shirtsleeves in public, but there was no help for it. “If you’d care to join me outside on the lawn, Guy, I wish to challenge you to a rousing bout of fisticuffs. In fact, let’s call the guests over and let them pick sides.” In this, he had no doubts he could best the other man. “My brother and I often train when we’re together. I’m quite good.”

“Very well,
Lord Swandon. The lawn is an acceptable place for your disappointment.” The Frenchman’s chuckle grated on Felix’s nerves.

“You’ll be the one who is disappointed.” If truth be told, he couldn’t wait to land the man a facer or perhaps bloody his nose. He wasn’t fit to
touch Clarice’s shoes let alone try to win her hand. No sooner had he manipulated the buttons on his waistcoat than Clarice shoved herself between the two of them.

“That is quite enough.” She planted her palms against Guy’s chest and pushed. “How dare you challenge
Lord Swandon. Have you no care for your reputation or your position? And you.” She turned to face Felix. “You should know better. Your position in Society makes you a leader, and you’re doing a poor job of it.”

“Do not lecture me, Clarice. You know nothing of what
has driven me to this pass.”

“Then let me tell you what I do know.” She glared at him
. Her eyes shot brown fire. “I cannot abide posturing males. Both of you can go to the devil for all I care. You especially, Felix. Don’t assume I haven’t figured out exactly what you’re attempting here.” She spun around and bolted for the nearest doorway.

“It would seem Clarice was not impressed with your alleged prowess,
Lord Swandon.” Smug satisfaction rang in the Frenchman’s voice. “Better luck next time.” Seconds later Guy followed her with a smirk on his face.

Stuff and bother.
Felix glanced around the immediate area as he buttoned his waistcoat. It didn’t appear anyone had noticed the incident, which was a small miracle in itself. Just as he began to relax, his mother sailed over to him. Charlotte trailed behind.

“Have you lost your mind?” Though Roberta kept her voice low, there was no mistaking the indignation in her question.
“Put your tailcoat on right this second.”

“Perhaps I have.” Felix retrieved his coat from the floor then accepted Charlotte’s help in donning it. “I apologize. There is no excuse for my
horrid behavior.”

“Oh, there’s an excuse, all right, but it doesn’t reflect well on you
, and you’re certainly not thinking with your head.” With barely an inclination of her chin, she demanded he follow her as she exited the drawing room through a different door than Clarice had taken. The soft whisper of Charlotte’s slippers assured she followed them. Once in a deserted ante-chamber, his mother turned on him. “You have better things to do than contemplate a dalliance with an unworthy woman. Think of your duty to your title and your family, Felix. Everyone expects better than that from you.”

“Don’t you think I know that?” He brushed dust from his jacket. “All my life I’ve done everything anyone expected of me. What would it hurt to finally do something for me?” Shock ricocheted through his chest.
“I told you before, if I find a woman who interests me, don’t be surprised if I pursue her.”

“Except at this crossroad, interest and duty collide.”
Roberta shook her head. “You are the oldest son. You have certain responsibilities. Don’t disappoint me or your father’s memory. First, you marry—someone suitable and preferably titled. After that, feel free to tup whomever you wish, but not until then.”

“Good God.” He looked from his mother to his sister. Did they both think so poorly of him and his needs?
Then his lips curved with a grin. Clarice was titled. Was now the time to that particular bug in his mother’s ear?

“Forget about the chit, Felix.”
Her expression softened. “I nearly lost your father’s regard to someone much like Miss Delacroix.”

Oh, but there was no one like his Clarice, and certainly not a
comte’s
granddaughter. “You never told me that. What happened?” As much as he tried, he couldn’t imagine his traditional, rule following father keeping a mistress or even contemplating having one.

“I gave him an ultimatum. He could keep a lady-bird
, but he’d lose me. In the end, he made the right choice and chose to honor his title and our marriage bond.”

Ah.” Though his parents had truly loved each other, did his father ever regret the decision? Was the woman who’d turned his head his one grand passion he’d been fated to walk away from? “No wonder Father was so adamantly opposed to seeing his children wed at early ages.” In fact, his father had encouraged all of them to experience the world before they settled down.

“Indeed. Your father was a wise man once he finally got his heart and his head aligned.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Come, Charlotte. Let’s see if we can salvage what’s happened and spin it in our favor.” The clip of her heels rang on the floor. “Your brother is fatigued just now and prone to rash decisions. That’s what we’ll say if anyone asks.”

Once he was alone, Felix glared at the doorway. Damn all the women in his life and their games of feminine intrigue. He’d just been put in his place quite soundly by his mother, hard on the heels of the same from Clarice. His stomach clenched. Not since he was a youth had he felt as thoroughly chastised as he did right now. What next? Lady Drummond scheming to put him in a compromising position?
Oh Lord.
He groaned. Lingering alone in this room left him vulnerable to further antics. He should return to the party, but every particle of his being resisted.
I have no wish to associate with those people.
The only thing his brain urged him to do was seek Clarice out and apologize, yet again, and perhaps beg her to consider spending more time with him. Every time he’d hoped to show her his affection, he’d made a muck of it.