The Incorrigible Mr. Lumley (24 page)

“Foolish woman. You don’t know the honor I
give you. Many women throw themselves at my feet and beg me to show
them some affection.”

“Well, perhaps you should offer one of them
a hand up, rather than treading upon them like carpet. Not that
they deserve you. No woman should suffer the belittlement you force
her to endure. I ask one last time that you leave my home, before I
call for my footman to escort you out.”

Footsteps drew near the door and Joanna
scurried down the hall. She didn’t want her aunt to know she’d
witnessed this embarrassing scene. Overwhelming doubt filled Joanna
as she quietly latched the morning room door behind her. Perhaps
her dream of love was truly that, a misty wish with no more
substance than a dandelion seed on the wind. No one she knew had
attained a lasting love without it ending in misery.

When she heard the entry door open and
close, Joanna waited a moment, then stepped into the hallway. “Aunt
Ophelia?”

Her aunt stopped at the foot of the
staircase. “Joanna, darling. I didn’t know you’d stopped by. Did I
forget about an invitation for this evening?”

“No. May we speak in private?” The hallway
was empty, but the butler probably lurked nearby in case he was
needed.

“Of course.” Aunt Ophelia motioned toward
the morning room as she approached. Closing the door, she asked,
“Shall I ring for tea?”

“Not on my account.” Joanna debated asking
for something stronger, a glass of port, perhaps, to calm all the
squeamishness brought on by Mr. Lumley and Westbourne. She sat in
the chair near the fire where she usually perched when visiting. “I
came to ask a favor. I wish to leave for Bath as soon as we may
accomplish it. I can’t go home, and I can’t remain in London any
longer.”

“What’s happened? Is it Sir Frederick, or
something Robert has done?”

“Yes, and more.” She went on to detail her
picnic with Mr. Lumley, his proposal, and the heated conversation
between him and her brother.

Aunt Ophelia pressed a hand over her mouth
for a moment, then clasped her hands in her lap again. “Are you
certain you heard them correctly? I can’t picture either one of
them acting in such a way. Accusing Robert of murder? The very idea
your father or Robert would hurt a horse or a man... I don’t know
Mr. Lumley well, of course, but he doesn’t seem the type to throw
out accusations blindly. There must be more to the story.”

“I don’t care what led to it, Robert said
he’d heard from the investigator the Lumleys had brought up his
name. To think I was falling in love with such a man! Please say we
may leave for Bath in the morning.”

“Robert would not allow you to leave, I
thought. Not until you’ve accepted a marriage offer.”

“I’ve had two offers, and I can’t accept
either one. What shall I do, Aunt? I would marry a widower with a
nursery full of swaddled babes to avoid either of these men.”

“Let’s not be rash. Your chances of finding
a match in Bath are poor at this time of year. Everyone is here in
Town. Attending a race meeting with Robert is questionable. The men
there will share your interest in runners, but how many seek a
wife? You don’t have time to browse the market, so to speak. We
must change our strategy. I’ll review the invitations we have
received. I think it’s time we accept some of the less popular
assemblies. The gentlemen there will have less cachet than at the
ones we’ve been attending, but so will the ladies. You are the
beautiful daughter of an earl, so you will quickly be the most
popular lady present.”

Joanna sighed, accepting the plan of action.
“You make it sound like a military battle. It’s difficult to
continue to smile and be desirable company the way I feel now. I
don’t know what Sir Frederick sees in me, why he’s singled me out
for his attentions, but Mr. Lumley gained my trust while believing
such horrid things about Robert. He can’t love me. I’ll never
forgive him.”

David woke much too early and took Nemo for
a jaunt to pass the time until he could call upon Joanna. He
couldn’t wait to see her and tell her the great news. They had
Northcotte’s approval, as surprising at it might seem.

The sun seemed brighter, the air clearer
that morning. Seeing a girl with a basket full of flowers, David
bought a posy of purple and yellow flowers before heading to Eaton
Place and Lady Joanna’s home. It took all his nerve to keep from
urging Nemo into a run, and still he arrived a bit early. He
dismounted, holding the reins as he looked up at the town house.
How soon could they marry? Would she want to be married from
Hampshire, or would she be willing to let his mother hold another
gala wedding breakfast at Bridgethorpe Manor? He had no preference,
he simply wished for it to happen soon, so they might remove to
Fernleigh and set up house as man and wife.

Checking his watch for the third time, he
saw it was late enough to pay a call and he handed Nemo’s reins to
an urchin loitering in hopes of earning a coin or two. David
trotted up the steps and rapped with the doorknocker. Starley led
him to the drawing room to await Lady Joanna.

Her arrival took longer than David expected,
since she’d known he would come. Perhaps she was nervous about her
appearance, and took extra pains with her toilette. He smiled when
she entered, leaving the door open. David handed her the flowers,
wanting to speak quickly before her maid arrived. “Your beauty is
as bright as the morning sun.”

She looked up and he saw the shadows beneath
her eyes, the pink rims of her lids. Her smile appeared false.
“Thank you.” She moved to a chair and sat.

David followed, standing in front of her.
“Is anything amiss? You seem a bit under the weather.”

“You just told me my beauty shines like the
sun. I’m no longer sure what to believe from you.”

His gut tightened. Was this betrothal nerves
speaking? “I am never false with you. You are always beautiful, but
something is wrong this morning. I can feel it. Have I done
something? Did Northcotte say anything untoward last night? He and
I parted on good terms, so I cannot think what might have changed
since I saw you last.”

“I’ve had a change of heart, Mr. Lumley. I
can’t accept your kind offer of marriage. I’m sorry for any pain
this causes you, but I’m sure it will be of short duration.”

Her words sounded like a child’s recitation,
well rehearsed and without passion, and were completely the
opposite of what he expected to hear. “What has happened?” With one
finger beneath her chin, he lifted her face to meet her gaze. “Is
it Northcotte? Sir Frederick? I thought we were in agreement.”

“No, neither of those men. I do not wish to
discuss it further. Please accept my refusal and go. Spare us any
more pain.”

“This is it? I don’t deserve to know why you
refuse me? If there is something that I’ve said, something I’ve
done, that caused you injury, I beg you for the chance to redeem
myself.”

“I came to know your true nature, if you
must know. There’s nothing to be done for that.”

“What—how—” He turned away and stalked to
the window, staring blindly at the garden beyond the window. The
only thing he could think of that might have caused her to
reconsider was his pig-headed obsession about Zephyr. “Is it
because of Zephyr? If you will allow me to explain—”

“Allow you to explain what? You accused my
brother of killing my friend, Bruce. If you believed that, how
could you even consider marrying me? I cannot fathom how you
thought we could have a happy life together while you believe
Northcotte to be a murderer.” Her hands knotted around the
handkerchief she clutched in her lap, but her eyes were dry. Red
and filled with anger, not tears.

“Or was the plan to cry off, making me look
a fool, and ending up unmarriageable? If that was all you wanted,
you could have left me to Sir Frederick. Whatever his feelings
toward me, at least he doesn’t think Robert is capable of killing a
man.”

David gritted his teeth. She must have
overheard their argument. Didn’t she hear what Northcotte said
about Sir Frederick? Or had she stopped listening when Bruce’s
death had come up?

Regardless, he couldn’t betray his promise
to Northcotte not to say anything about her brother’s connection
with Sir Frederick. Anything he said, in fact, came close to
revealing what Northcotte fought so hard to conceal, and would not
make David look any better in the end. He chose his words
carefully. “After speaking with your brother last night, I learned
some things about myself which were rather unpleasant. I believe he
understood my reasons for acting, and thinking, as I had. I was in
the wrong, I admit it, and Northcotte and I have come to an
understanding about the past.”

He turned to face her, and slowly crossed to
her chair. “I deeply regret anything I’ve done to cause you
sadness. Your happiness has been foremost in my thoughts for some
time now.”

The urge to beg for forgiveness nearly
strangled him, but he drew in a deep breath and fought it.
Groveling was not the way to atone for his sins. “I hope one day
soon you will be able to look back on our friendship and smile at
the fun we had. You are a pleasant companion. I wish you well, and
will trespass upon your time no longer. Good day.” Performing his
sharpest bow, he left the house.

As Nemo trotted beneath him down Eaton
Place, David gauged from the position of the sun that Pierce would
still be abed. David’s family had departed at daybreak for
Bridgethorpe Manor, but he had no desire to speak to any of them at
this moment. He needed to scream, chop wood or something to burn
off the frustration roaring through his veins. She’d turned him
down.

He knew from the start befriending Lady
Joanna was the wrong thing to do. Yet he’d gone against his good
sense and pushed ahead, consumed with the need to please his
father. Knightwick had tried to talk him out of it, but he’d done
so anyway. Barreled on with no thought of whom he might injure in
the process.

No, that was wrong. He had thought about how
it might affect Lady Joanna. He’d simply been so narrow-minded, he
couldn’t convince himself to stop soon enough. Before he’d gained
Lady Joanna’s friendship.

Before he’d fallen in love.

Now she was likely to end up married to Sir
Frederick. Remembering the paper he’d signed at Northcotte’s
behest, David realized that was not true. He drew Nemo to a stop.
There was one thing he could do to see to Lady Joanna’s happiness.
He reined his horse toward the office of his father’s man of
business. He could arrange for the transfer of funds to Northcotte
for the purchase of Patriot. After Stephen’s wedding, he would sign
the horse over to Lady Joanna as planned. No matter whom she ended
up marrying, she’d have the horse she loved to do with as she
wished. And Northcotte would have the funds to pay off Sir
Frederick.

As much as he’d planned the horse to be a
wedding gift, he was grateful to have the means of making up for
some of the pain he’d caused her. She might not love him any
longer, but she’d know he was a man of his word, and he hadn’t been
lying when he said her happiness was most important to him.

A small voice of doubt niggled at him. Had
she ever loved him? He assumed she had. She’d quickly agreed to let
him speak to Northcotte, but she never spoke of her own feelings.
Perhaps he was twice the fool, falling for her as he sought his
evidence, then believing she’d loved him in return. She needed a
husband, any offer to save her from Sir Frederick. David might have
simply been the lesser of two evils. The very thought stung him to
the core.

Whether she’d loved him or not, she’d never
have to see him again, unless she continued to attend race meetings
where he was present. Maybe the next time her horse won, she’d
think of him kindly as she celebrated.

Chapter Nineteen

Bridgethorpe Manor buzzed like an apiary
with preparations for Stephen and Jane’s wedding breakfast. David
escaped the bustle by hiding in the stables. He’d arrived late the
night before, went to his room without seeing anyone, and slipped
away in the morning while the others broke their fast.

There was nothing like shoveling stalls to
clear his head. The physical exertion felt good after being in
London for so long.

Knightwick peered over the stall door. “I
thought I’d find you here. Our valet said you’d arrived last night.
Are you hiding from Mother?”

Leaning on the handle of the shovel, David
wiped his brow with his rolled-up sleeve. “I didn’t want to give
her the chance to put me to work. I’m not good company this
morning.”

“Mother has her list and her quill, and is
enlisting the aid of everyone in sight.” Knightwick folded his arms
across the stall door.

“Well, it is the first wedding in the
family.”