bred gentleman, defending a woman's honor. And, for a fleeting moment, she couldn't help but envy Penelope just a little.
How would it feel to have
Blackmoor defend her?
"That said," he pressed on, deliberately ignoring her embarrassment, "you are right about most men. We are, of course,
initially
drawn to the immediate. To beauty, wealth, youth, what have you. Each of us has our own weakness. But without the rest
—
the
intelligence
, the wit, the humor
—
our attraction is short-lived. At least, mine is. And I am not alone. Of that I am certain."
He had moved past her criticism of Penelope deftly, without
all
owing for discussion, arguing his side of the debate with cool reason, conceding where necessary, and concluding with an unflappable, quiet certainty.
It was as though her insult had never been uttered. Of course, it had been, and she was going to have to apologize. She grimaced at the thought. She
hated
apologizing. She took a deep breath. "My apologies. I never meant
to imply that Penelope's intell
ect was inferior."
He smiled, reaching out to tap her on her chin, "Of course you did, Minx. However, I appreciate that it has never been easy for you to apologize, and so I
will
accept this one without argument." She blushed, chastised, as his eyes narrowed on a point over her shoulder. "Besides, I am not overly fond of certain members of
your
legion of suitors."
Confused, Alex turned her head to
follow
his gaze and broke into a broad smile when she saw Lord Stanhope seated high on a beautiful black gelding riding next to the carriage. Stanhope tipped his hat and offered a greeting. "Lord Blackmoor, this is a stunning curricle. I should like one just like it for myself!" Turning to Alex, his voice dropped. "And you are doubly lucky
—
for you have found the only companion worthy of such transport. Lady Alexandra, as ever, it is a pleasure to see you." He
all
owed himself a lazy perusal of her attire before continuing, "You are particularly lovely this afternoon ... that color only makes you more beautiful."
Alex looked down at the dark blue riding habit she had donned for her outing, appreciating the rich texture of the fabric and the deep color against her bright skin, and she smiled warmly into Stanhope's glittering brown eyes. Taking in the cut of his dark coat, the perfect knot in his cravat, the tilt of his gleaming black hat, she replied, "Why, thank you, my lord. And you look rather dashing yourself!"
He leaned over with a conspiratorial, flirty whisper: "I took extra care in preparing for this outing, Lady Alexandra. One never knows when one might run into a lady of extraordinary beauty."
She laughed at his bald statement and replied with a shake of her head, "You're incorrigible!"
He joined her in her laughter and turned his attention to Blackmoor. "Your companion seems to think I'm rather more than incorrigible, my lady."
"Indeed," agreed Blackmoor, darkly, "it's not the first word I would use to describe you, Stanhope."
"Come now," Stanhope teased, "you've always enjoyed my exploits in the past, old chap." He turned back to Alex with a wide smile. "After
all
, what's wrong with a little bit of flirting between friends?"
Alex cut in before Blackmoor could speak, "There's
nothing at
all
wrong with it, Freddie. It's my fault that Blackmoor is in such an
ill
humor. I'm afraid I've landed him there."
Stanhope responded with feigned shock, "Surely not! You couldn't possibly bring
ill
humor.
shall
I
tell
you why?"
"Please do!" Alex was beginning to
really
enjoy herself.
Stanhope leaned close. "Too pretty."
Blackmoor
rolled
his eyes in obvious irritation as Alex's laugh tinkled around them. "Stanhope, don't you have somewhere else to be? Perhaps someone else to ply with your charm and wit?"
His rudeness was undeniable, and Alex felt
compelled
to speak. "I rather enjoy Lord Stanhope's charm and wit. I find it quite refreshing, honestly."
Stanhope's face broke into a devastatingly handsome grin.
«Well
said, my lady. However, Lord Blackmoor did win your company this afternoon, and I should hate to take any more of your attention. That said, may I have your permission to
call
on you on Sunday for a similar excursion?" Reaching for her hand and waggling his eyebrows, he added, "I
shall
endeavor to be
all
propriety."
She couldn't control the giggle that escaped her at his
silliness
and she placed her hand in his, watching as he effortlessly bowed over it despite their awkward positions. "I should like that very much, my lord. Sunday it is."
Stanhope's "Capital" was lost as Blackmoor urged the curricle forward and Alex's hand was wrenched from the other man's grasp. She leaned out the side of the carriage to wave good-bye to her friend, then turned back to her companion. "That wasn't very nice.
Freddie didn't even get a chance to say his
farewell
s."
"Didn't he? I thought he did that while quite improperly asking you to spend Sunday afternoon with him
while
you were in the company of another gentleman."
"For goodness sake, Blackmoor, I don't know why it bothers you so much. After
all
, it's not as though you and I are
actually
on an outing."
He turned a surprised look on her and waved a hand to indicate their surroundings. "No? How is this not an outing?"
"You know very
well
what I mean. Certainly we are on an outing. But not in the way that most of these other couples are 'on an outing.' There, look there."
She pointed to a couple walking toward them on the other side of the Row, the eldest son of the Marquess of Budleigh and the youngest daughter of the Earl of Exeter. The young woman was looking at her companion with a look of starry-eyed adoration, and he appeared to be returning her attentions.
"They are courting and, to look at them, they might
well
be the first match of the season. A good one, too," she added, distracted for a moment by the twosome.
He spoke, shaking her from her reverie. "How does this relate to Stanhope's impropriety?"
"There was nothing improper about Stanhope's behavior, and you know it. You and I look nothing like those two. And everyone who sees us
— especially
Stanhope, who has been friends with us both for years
—
knows we're just out for a ride. Not
out
for
a ride."
He looked at her, shaking his head in confusion. "Women truly are strange and unknowable creatures."
She smiled at him, color high on her cheeks. "Indeed. But your kind would not like us quite so much if we were
all
transparency."
After a few moments of thought, he nodded. "That much is true, Alex. That much is true." They rode along in silence for a few minutes before he pressed, "So, are you... intrigued ... by Stanhope?"
"Intrigued by him?"
"Indeed. Do you find him ..." he paused.
"Intriguing?" she teased.
He sent her an exasperated look.
"Lord Stanhope is a good friend and an even better companion. He is entertaining and interesting and
intelligent
and
full
of energy. I can think of few others with whom I would like to spend an afternoon. However, you know my opinion of marriage and
all
of its trappings. I'm not interested in it. Not with Freddie, nor with anyone else. And he knows that
as well as
anyone, I should think."
"I rather imagine that he's not looking for marriage either," Blackmoor replied drily.
"What does that mean?"
"Simply that men like Stanhope are not the marrying kind. At the risk of repeating our conversation from last night and engaging in an additional verbal battle, I caution you. I know Stanhope. He's rarely after something respectable. Which leaves your good reputation in the balance."
"I shan't repeat our argument, Blackmoor. I
will
simply remind you that Stanhope and I are friends. We have been for years. Just as you have been, I might remind you. Yes, he's a rake. Yes, he prides himself on his dastardly reputation. But you and I both know that he's more bark than bite, and that he is approximately as likely as you are to do damage to either me or my character." Her tone turned teasing. "If you're
all
owed to defend Penelope's honor, do I not deserve the same chance to defend Freddie?"
The noncommittal grunt he released was the closest he would come to admitting that Alex was right in this case, but when she heard it she knew she had won. For now.
Al
l
owing a few moments to pass, she turned and asked impishly, "Tel me, my lord, in
all
seriousness, when
will
I get a chance to drive this gig?"
He laughed before responding, "In
all
seriousness, my lady, not any time in the near future."
Your mother
all
owed you to forgo an outing that would have brought you closer to marriage to go riding with Blackmoor?"
Ella
's eyes were enormous in their amazement.
One side of Alex's mouth turned up. "Indeed. When she asked me who I'd chosen, Gavin stepped in and convinced her it was
all
for the best because we would see a number of the men in question on our ride, and I could make 'an informed decision by the light of day as to who I would consider a potential husband.' She agreed without protest. It
really
was quite marvelous. What about you two? How did you fare on the morning after?" Alex looked from
Ella
to Vivi as they walked across Hyde Park meadow searching for the perfect spot to picnic in the midday sun.
Vi
vi spoke first. "I received call
ers
all
afternoon, which was as uninspiring as one would imagine, considering that both of my aunts swooped in to chaperone the entire event." Alex and
Ella
groaned in sympathy as Vivi went on. "Individual
l
y, they're tolerable, but as a pair, they're completely insufferable. They simpered over every eligible male who
entered the house with a complete disregard for personality or motive. It appears
all
they're hoping for is a heartbeat. I've never been happier to see my father as I was when he came home and ended the whole fiasco."
"So you didn't receive a visit from The One, I'm guessing?"
Ella
asked drily.
Vivi laughed and shook her head. "I certainly hope not!" Pointing to a sunny rise in the meadow nearby, perfectly situated under an enormous oak, she suggested, "I think that looks like the perfect spot for a picnic."
Alex agreed, "And it's in a line of sight to the entrance to the park, which means Nick and Kit
will
find us easily."
The girls continued chatting happily as two footmen spread a large square of linen on the warm green grass and set stakes at its corners to anchor it in the spring breeze. One set a large wicker basket that he had carried from the carriage on the edge of the square, stood, and spoke. "My ladies, your picnic is ready."
Vivi turned with a smile. "Thank you, George. And you, John. This is lovely. There's no need for you to stand on ceremony ... please, enjoy this wonderful day." With short bows to the girls, the two footmen moved several yards off to join the girls' ladies' maids, who were acting as chaperones for the afternoon. The servants opened a second basket of food and began their own afternoon luncheon.
The girls had just settled down and started unpacking the picnic basket when they heard a loud noise from across the meadow and saw Nick and Kit running toward them with no regard for decorum. Alex shook her hea
d, watching them. "Boys. A shilling says that Nick chall
enged Kit to a race."
Ella
looked up from her task and grinned. "Kit
will
win, as always."
"And Nick
will
pout, as always." Vivi looked out across the meadow in the direction from which the boys had come. "It looks like someone else came with them ..." She squinted in the sunlight to make out the figure. "Is that Lord Stanhope?"
Alex shielded her eyes in the midmorning sun and attempted to make out the features on the young man in the distance. "It certainly is Stanhope.... I had better be careful," she said, her tone laced with sarcasm. "Blackmoor thinks I'm in danger of spending too much time with him."
Ella
settled onto the blanket and smoothed her skirts before beginning to unpack the luncheon from the basket. "Yet another double standard. Rakes are too dangerous as companions to women, but when there are other men nearby, they're perfectly acceptable ... as long as they have a title."
Vivi looked at her friend thoughtful
l
y. "I think perhaps Stanhope is a rake
willing
to be reformed."
"If you're suggesting what I think you're suggesting"
—
Alex stared wide-eyed at her friend
—
"your brain is obviously addled."
"Think what you
will
." Vivi smiled smugly. "I wager
I’ll
be proven right before the afternoon is through."
A smart retort was left on the tip of Alex's tongue as Kit flew up the rise and nearly crashed into the massive oak. Turning quickly, he leaned back against the tree with his arms crossed and made a show of looking bored as Nick tore up behind him.
"Oh, Nick, you're here at last. We were just wondering what had happened to you."
Nick glared at his brother while he caught his breath. "
I’ll
get you next time
—
I didn't eat much of a breakfast today."
"Is that your excuse for
all
the other times you've lost to him in a footrace?" Alex said teasingly. "Real
l
y, Nick ... I should think you'd have learned your lesson by now. He's faster than you."
Kit smirked at his brother. "See? Even our baby sister knows it."
Taking a glass of lemonade from
Ella
, Alex continued, "However, given the choice between speed and
intelligence
, I'd say you made away with the better part of that deal." Everyone laughed at Kit's narrowed eyes and, with a smile, Alex extended a plate of roasted quail to him as a peace offering.
"Did you bring Lord Stanhope with you?" asked Alex. "Or is it coincidence that he's heading in this direction?"
Nick shook his head. "Stanhope
called
on us this morning at Worthington House. After some conversation, he decided to join us."
Vivi looked straight at Alex and queried innocently, "Oh? He just stopped by Worthington House this morning? By chanc
e?" Alex shot her friend a quell
ing look. Vivi popped a grape in her mouth a
nd smiled around it. After swall
owing, she continued, not looking away from her friend, "How interesting."
Stanhope heard the tail end of the conversation and spoke as he climbed the last few feet of the rise to the picnic blanket. "I hope you don't mind my intrusion, my ladies." Bowing low, he granted the girls one of his trademark lopsided grins, letting his gaze linger on Alex. "When I heard such a trio would be here, I couldn't resist tagging along."
"By
all
means, Lord Stanhope, there is plenty to be shared, including this lovely spot."
Ella
spoke from her perch on the corner of the blanket. She had extracted her journal and begun sketching the scenery that lay before them.
"Indeed." The tenor of Stanhope's voice deepened and he winked exaggeratedly at Alex, who couldn't contain her laughter at his obvious flirting. In return, he offered her another broad grin, and seated himself on the blanket, leaning back against the trunk of the oak and accepting an oat cake from a basket proffered by Vivi, who was struggling to keep her smug look unnoticed.
Alex
rolled
her eyes at her friend and turned so that Vivi wasn't in her direct line of sight. "Lord Stanhope, I seem to
recall will
saying that you have a talent for art. Is that
still
the case?"
Stanhope shook his head. "To be honest, Lady Stafford, it's been years since I've had a hand in artistry of any kind. I'm sorry to disappoint." Redirecting his gaze to
Ella
, he continued, "But Lady Eleanor, I see that you are quite the accomplished artist. Would you be
willing
to show us the contents of your sketchbook?"
Ella
looked up from her work, appearing not a little like a doe caught unawares by a hunter. After clearing her throat daintily, something that her friends knew she did to gain time to think of a proper response, she seemed to realize that Stanhope was not the type of person to take no for an answer. Add to that Nick's encouraging, "Lady Eleanor is too modest
—
she has a remarkable eye for charcoal drawings," and she knew she couldn't escape.
Flipping to the front of her sketchbook,
Ella
quickly turned the pages, past landscapes and
still
life drawings, saying, "It's
all quite boring, actuall
y...."
When she reached a page in the book that held a stunning portrait of Alex, Stanhope spoke quietly, "That's not at
all
boring." Vivi coughed into her hand; Alex shot her an exasperated glance.
"May I?" He reached for the sketchbook, which
Ella
turned over reluctantly.
Looking down at the drawing, Stanhope spoke, his voice thick with appreciation. "It's a remarkable likeness, Lady Eleanor. You've captured movement and life here
— something that is virtuall
y impossible for most who try their hand
at being artists." Smiling at
Ella
, he continued, "Now I understand why I rarely see you without paper and pencil."
He continued to flip through the sketchbook, pointing out places where
Ella
had drawn a perfect line, or shaded a figure just so. The two were soon deep in conversation about
Ella
's art, and his compliments were so heartfelt that Alex had no doubt that Freddie Stanhope was far less of a rake than he let on.
Even Nick and Kit were distracted from their discussion of the new curricle that had just passed the group; they appeared slightly dumbfounded at the earnestness of their friend. Alex couldn't resist saying, "You see? It wouldn't hurt the two of you to take some interest in something other than horses, hunting, and cards. Perhaps you should consider taking up a pursuit or two which are slightly more cultured?"
Vivi spoke up, laughing at Alex, "At the risk of betraying our friendship, Alex, it's not as though you've been consumed by artistic tendencies yourself."
Alex smiled broadly. "On the contrary ... I'm just not good at them, so I leave them to you and
Ella
. Instead, I endeavor to be an
excellent
champion
of the arts. I think I'm quite a success at that."
Stanhope looked up from his appreciation of
Ella
's work and smiled back at her. "Champions are certainly as important as the artists themselves, Lady Alexandra."
She laughed. "Thank you, Lord Stanhope, you're very kind, although
I’ll
admit I'm not sure I believe you." Her response brought a rich laugh from him, reminding her of how much she had always enjoyed his company.
He moved closer, replying with a gleam in his rich brown eyes, "Then I
shall
have to attempt to convince you."
Vivi cleared her throat delicately and made a production of speaking brightly to
Ella
across the picnic, "
Ella
, you should try your hand at drawing a
collection
of figures ... perhaps Nick and Kit and I should be your subjects this afternoon?" With a graceful movement, she settled herself nearer the Worthington brothers, conveniently upwind of Alex and Lord Stanhope, and produced a deck of cards. "It's not the most masculine of games, my lords, but may I tempt you into a round of whist?"
And, with that, Vivi had redirected everyone's attention away from Alex and Stanhope, who were now left alone on their patch of linen. Nick noticed and said with a mock threat in his voice, "I've got my eye on you, Stanhope.... Remember, you flirt with my only sister."
Stanhope nodded at Nick with feigned seriousness and replied, "I wouldn't dare be inappropriate, Lord Farrow."
His use of Nick's seldom used title amused the group, and he turned a wide grin on Alex as laughter floated across the green.
"Your reputation is quite impressive, my lord," Alex spoke quietly, referencing Nick's jest, her tone half teasing. "I confess, growing up with you, I wouldn't have expected it."
"I could play as though I do not understand your inference, my lady, but that would be a
silly
pretense. I assume you're referring to my notoriety as a rake? You shouldn't believe everything you hear gossiped about in
ball
rooms."
"Oh, no need to worry, my lord. I don't."
"No?"
"Not remotely. Considering my memories of you from our shared childhood, I find it quite difficult to believe you a danger either to me or to my reputation."
He chuckled and replied quietly, "Be careful, my lady. There's a fine line between complimenting a gentleman and wounding his ego."
Impishly, she smiled up at him. "My apologies, Lord Stanhope. Of course, I meant that I don't believe you pose a threat to either my reputation or to me
at this particular moment.
I would certainly think twice before
all
owing you the chance to escort me somewhere where your notorious wickedness could be unleashed, however."