The sarcastic tone was not lost on Cecil. He flushed uncomfortably, but he refused to be daunted and tackled the problem from another angle. “You know as well as I do, my lord, that Charlotte cannot spend her life wasting away in the countryside looking after a simpleton. It is high time she is properly settled down in an establishment of her own, but she cannot hope to do that without a proper Season and that is out of the question if she is hampered by that…that boy. If his existence is kept quiet, she should take quite well. While it is true that blondes are all the rage at the moment, she is not ill-favored and she comes with a considerable enough portion that someone is bound to take her.”
Having been warned by Charlotte, and having already formed his own unfavorable opinion of Cecil, Lord Lydon was not so surprised or disgusted at this callous disposal of Charlotte’s future as he might have been, however, he was surprised at the exception he himself took to Wadleigh’s description of Charlotte.
Not ill-favored.
Why, when she was not on her high horse she was a taking little thing and when she smiled that conspiratorial smile at him as she occasionally did, she was truly enchanting.
Not ill-favored.
Maximilian found himself longing to wipe that condescending smile off Cecil’s face in a most ungentlemanlike manner, however he restrained himself. “There is no need to put yourself out to such a degree, Wadleigh. As their guardian, I shall insure that the futures of both my wards are amply taken care of.”
“Ah yes. This, er, guardian agreement. It is an agreement of some long standing, I collect?”
With difficulty, Max controlled his rising annoyance. The man’s impudence knew no bounds, but then, Harcourt was a rich enough prize that it gave courage to even such a miserable coward as Cecil Wadleigh. “Since it had never occurred to me that a
gentleman
might question another gentleman’s word, naturally I did not bring proof of my guardianship with me. However, you may consult with Harcourt’s solicitor and my solicitor to allay any misgivings you might feel on this score.” And without deigning to do so much as glance in Cecil’s direction, the marquess turned on his heel and strode up the wide marble steps.
Cecil was neither particularly quick-witted, nor thin-skinned, but he did sense the implications of this stinging retort and, realizing that he had gone too far, hastened after Lord Lydon. “No offense meant, my lord. It was but a natural concern for the well-being of my young relatives that inspired me to voice my misgivings. But I am sure your lordship…”
The marquess did not bother to acknowledge his apologies with so much as the shrug of a shoulder and, nodding at the footman holding the door, he disappeared inside.
Chapter Ten
Having seen more than he cared to of the Wadleighs, and with his sympathies now lying totally with Charlotte and William, the marquess began to devote his energies to ridding his wards of their cousins’ presence—not such an easy task where such determined self-interest was involved and the stakes were so high.
Almeria felt compelled to point out these stakes to her husband when he later confessed to having questioned the validity of Lydon’s claims of guardianship. “Really, Cecil, that was most ill-judged of you. Just because
you
were not aware of a guardian’s existence until after your cousin’s death does not necessarily cast doubt on his lordship’s position. And whether or not it is all that is proper is immaterial. The Marquess of Lydon is a leader of fashion and a most powerful man; it would behoove you not only to accept his claims without a murmur, but to cultivate his good will. As usual, you have mishandled the situation completely.
I
must see what I can do to remedy it.”
Consequently, Lady Wadleigh was more cordial than ever to the marquess at luncheon. Positively oozing conspiratorial friendliness, she attempted to compare notes with him on the fashionable world, referring to Lady Jersey and Mrs. Drummond-Burrell as though they were her closest friends, calling Lord Lydon a
sad rake
and smiling coyly at him as though they had shared innumerable intimate conversations at countless
ton
functions. She went on to the point that Max was hard put to decide who annoyed him most—the impertinent Cecil, or the fawning Almeria.
It did not help matters in the least that when at last he was able to look away from Lady Wadleigh, he encountered a pair of green eyes, brimming with amusement, fixed on him and his loquacious partner. The amusement was transformed into surprised gratitude when Maximilian, prompted as much by an urge to discompose the Wadleighs as to encourage William, turned to the boy, remarking, “William and I had a most enjoyable drive this morning. He was kind enough to show me the countryside.” He nodded encouragingly at William.
“Yes and Lord Lydon let me take the ribbons and I drove for a way without making any mistakes, didn’t I? His team is bang-up. The action is smooth and the—
“Thank you, William. I am sure it was most kind of Lord Lydon to allow you such a privilege, but you need not describe it to the very last detail.” Cecil hastened to stem the tide of William’s enthusiasm, but his efforts were wasted as Maximilian, refusing to allow this bald-faced exclusion of the boy, chose to continue the conversation.
“William is quite a good judge of horseflesh and he is entirely correct in praising my pair. They are certainly unique and I spent a good deal of time and effort tracking down horses that were so perfectly matched, not only in size and color, but in pace and stride.”
“Lord Lydon says it is almost impossible to acquire grays and that one must pay an extra price to get them,” William could not help adding.
Charlotte, thoroughly enjoying her cousin’s discomfiture at being preempted in the conversation, threw in her own comment for good measure. “So that is why it is said that grays are unfashionable; it is not that they are so much out of favor with the
ton
as they are beyond the reach of most people.”
Max grinned. “One might say that, if one cared what the fashionable world thought. Color was the least of my considerations when purchasing them, however.”
“I wager it did them no harm in your eyes that they were beyond fashionable.” The teasing glint in Charlotte’s eyes became even more pronounced while the saucy smile hovering at the corners of her mouth lent a piquancy to her usually serious expression.
“Touché!
I am discovered at last. But as you also insist on avoiding that world altogether, I stand in no fear of having my secrets spread throughout the
ton.”
It was Charlotte’s turn to chuckle. Really, the marquess, when he was not ignoring one completely or acting odiously overbearing, could be quite amusing.
However, Almeria and Cecil, completely excluded from the conversation in general and the repartee in particular, did not share her appreciation of Lord Lydon’s charm. In truth, they were not a little put out by his ready acceptance of William and his easy camaraderie with William’s sister; however, there was very little they could do except smile and bear it with as good grace as they could muster.
“And how long can we hope that you will be with us, my lord?” Almeria inquired sweetly, gritting her teeth at the conspiratorial glance exchanged between the marquess and his ward. Really, he was allowing the girl to act far too familiar with him. If he were not careful, she would lose all respect for him and he would have no authority over her whatsoever. Charlotte was already inclined to be pert enough as it was toward her elders and held far too little appreciation for their superior wisdom; the last thing she needed was encouragement.
“Why I expect that I shall stay long enough so that you and your husband feel satisfied that you are leaving your cousins in good hands and are comfortable enough to return to Wadleigh Manor without any qualms on their behalf,” he responded just as sweetly; however, there was a firmness in his voice and a steadiness in his eyes that left no uncertainty in anyone’s mind that he expected this to occur in the very near future.
“Oh, but we would not dream of leaving poor, dear Charlotte all alone in this vast place until, until…” Almeria faltered under the marquess’s ironic gaze. “…until suitable arrangements have been made,” she finished lamely.
Charlotte opened her mouth to point out that having spent her entire life
all alone in this vast place
she stood in no need of
suitable arrangements
just because the father who had never visited them had passed away, but she was quelled by the look from her guardian.
“Naturally you are concerned for your relatives’ welfare, but there is absolutely no need, and they must not grow to depend on two people whose responsibilities lie elsewhere.”
Even Almeria did not have the temerity to respond to this clear dismissal. “Well, it is indeed true that Cecil has a great deal to attend to in Somerset. There is always some quarrel among the tenants, and our bailiff, Winklemere, though an honest person as far as that goes, is not so forceful with them nor so clear-sighted as Cecil.”
Charlotte was hard put not to giggle, for the dumbfounded expression on Cecil’s face revealed more clearly than any words how little accustomed he was to being given any credit at all by his imperious spouse.
“Then I think you may be able to assure Mr. Winklemere that you will be relieving him of his more onerous duties within a week.”
Charlotte could have cheered, but as it was, she was afraid even to glance in the marquess’s direction for fear that her jubilation at such a prospect would show. Much as she despised Cecil and Almeria, she truly did wish to avoid alienating them. Who would have thought that a guardian could turn out to be such a useful sort of person after all?
She said as much later to the marquess when they followed William down to the lake to feed the ducks. “I must thank you, my lord, for routing the Wadleighs. It seems that guardians are not such a bad thing to have.”
Max gave a shout of laughter as he lofted a piece of bread over the heads of the crowd of ducks pecking at each other furiously to one lone duck too timid to join in the fray. “Aha, so I am not such a burden, then. Perhaps your esteemed Papa knew what he was about. However, they have not left yet.”
“No, but I feel certain that they will for Almeria would never have admitted they were needed in Somerset if you had not routed her completely. It is only in the most dire of circumstances that she will allow that Cousin Cecil is good for anything, so you know that if she feels his presence to be needed at Wadleigh Manor you have won your point completely.”
“Am I to gather then, that Cousin Cecil lives under the cat’s paw?”
“If I were a cat, I should consider that an insult, but in general, yes, it is Almeria who disposes of things according to her view of the world, which leaves Cousin Cecil nothing to do but come the great man over William and the servants.”
The marquess cocked a quizzical eyebrow. “You are far too acute for a young woman who has not been about in the world. It is no wonder that they are concerned about attracting an eligible suitor for you. Any young miss as outspoken as you will put all the self-important young bucks in a perfect quake. Though I have not bothered to look over your finances, I trust that your fortune is large enough to overcome this shocking defect?”
Charlotte could not help but laugh. “How lucky it is, rather, that I have fortune enough so that I do not need a husband, if that is indeed the way of the world. However, I cannot believe that an honest man would ever be frightened off by plain speaking.”
“I count myself as honest a man as any, but even I entertain some favorite illusions about myself that I would prefer not to have dispelled by some overly perspicacious young lady.”
“You, my lord? Surely not. I thought you were a
sad rake,
one of those men who cherishes no such illusions.” Charlotte tilted her head to smile impishly at him.
“And where did you get…? Ah, yes, Almeria. Now I know that you do not believe a particle of the good advice she lavishes on you, so why would you suddenly take everything she says about me as the absolute truth? You are not such a ninnyhammer, Lady Charlotte, and if you think you can tease me into sharing any of my particular illusions I might have about myself with you, you are fair and far out.”
“Oh.” Charlotte sounded disappointed, but only for a moment. “It is not only Almeria, but Emily and Selina Winslow also say that you have a reputation as a shocking libertine.”
“My thanks to Emily and Selina, whoever they may be.”
“Oh they are Lady Winslow’s daughters, and very carefully brought up young ladies, both of them. They had a Season last year, you know, and are forever pointing out what a dreadful rustic I am. I must say that it set them back a bit when word got around that it was you who was to be our guardian.” Charlotte’s reminiscent smile suggested that this revelation had settled several old scores with the Winslow girls. “If one
must
have a guardian, I suppose you are not a bad one, and at least you are not a prosy old bore like Cecil.”
“Thank you. If ever I feel that my character is in need of repair, I shall be sure to call on you to attest to it.”
At this point, their conversation was interrupted by William who, having thrown in all his bread, came over to identify the different types of ducks to Lord Lydon. “Charlotte says that in St. James’s park in London they have ever so many different kinds. We are trying to do that here, but we do not have too many as yet. She also says they have tame deer that will let you feed them and pet them just as if they were dogs. I should like that. Have you ever seen that, sir?”
Lord Lydon acknowledged that he had seen the deer, but much to William’s disappointment he had not actually fed them.
“Do you know how they do it, sir, make them tame, I mean?”
“No, I am sorry to say that I do not, but I expect that they do it much the same way as they do with horses, slowly and carefully, gaining the animals’ trust over time. But you know how to do that, William. Griggs tells me you have become great friends with Ajax, and he is an animal who does not take kindly to most people.”