Chapter Seventeen
“Accepting Lord Arnprior’s proposal is certainly the most sensible thing to do,” said Edie Gilbride as she plucked a lobster patty from the plate in front of her. “And if Sir Dominic believes it’s for the best, you might as well get on with it.”
Victoria put her teacup down with a decided click. “Perhaps, but it’s not his decision to make, is it?”
She was still annoyed with Arnprior for writing to Dominic, asking permission to court her. Her mentor had agreed with alacrity, as had Victoria’s brother, Aden. Why they thought it was any of their business was a mystery to her, and she’d made that clear to them in tartly worded letters. Her missives, however, had been met with deafening silence.
“Alec thinks it a splendid idea too,” Edie said, “and he has a nose for matchmaking. He knew we were going to end up together even when I still believed he was a dolt.”
Victoria shook her head. “Men. They always stick up for each other. By the way, where is your dear husband?”
Edie perused the elegant supper room, where they’d managed to secure one of the larger tables in a spot behind a few potted ferns. Graeme and Grant were intently engaged in conversation with two young dancing partners, while Victoria and Edie awaited the appearance of the rest of their party.
“I expect he’s still at the Tontine Coffee Room, droning on with his business partners,” Edie said. “He’d better get here soon, though, or we’ll miss the dancing.”
“He’s a dimwit for talking about business when he could be dancing with you.”
Edie laughed. “I agree, but I’m happy we’ve had the opportunity to have a quiet chat about your situation.”
Alec and Edie, ensconced in Glasgow for much of December, were throwing a grand Hogmanay ball on New Year’s Eve and had invited the Kendricks. That sudden invitation had apparently been the only excuse Arnprior needed to whisk them all to the city, two days after his stunning marriage proposal. They were now in their second week at Kendrick House, and Victoria felt like she was still catching her breath from the whirlwind of activity.
She also felt curiously vulnerable.
Kendrick House was a gracious mansion with every convenience, and the staff already displayed a tendency to treat her as the lady of the manor. But that only increased her sense that she was somehow tempting fate by taking up such public residence in Glasgow. For all the problems at Kinglas, she’d felt safe and happy in that drafty old castle in its quiet glen.
“Speaking of husbands, where is Arnprior, anyway?” Edie asked.
Victoria glanced at the twins, seated close enough to eavesdrop, and gave her friend a warning grimace.
Edie chuckled. “Dearest, everyone knows Arnprior is courting you, especially his family.”
“Yes, but I don’t want them to assume I’m going to say yes.”
“Playing hard to get, are we?” Edie winked at her. “I did that with Alec—unintentionally, I must admit—and it had a splendid effect on him.”
“I’m not playing . . . oh, never mind.”
For the last ten days, she and Arnprior had been at a stalemate. He was acting as if they were already betrothed, and she was steadfastly maintaining they weren’t. So far, though, she was convincing no one. In fact, the entire family seemed thrilled, and their enthusiasm made it awfully hard to keep her distance. Of course, her foolish heart urged capitulation as well.
Despite her reluctance, she was falling more in love with her handsome, mysterious laird every day. And yet so many obstacles stood between them.
Edie briefly pressed Victoria’s hand. “I’m teasing. I know how tricky these situations can be. But you shouldn’t doubt that Arnprior is devoted to you. All of us see that.”
Victoria ignored the leap of her heart and made a point of looking about her. “So devoted he has left me entirely in charge of his scapegrace brothers.”
Edie grinned. “The bounder. But the twins are behaving themselves quite nicely. From what Alec had told me, I was expecting a pair of blue-faced, bare-chested Celts bent on terrorizing Glasgow.”
“Yes, they’ve been doing very well so far. I’m rather proud of that.”
The twins were still chatting with their dance partners. Miss Lainie MacBride was the daughter of a vicar, while Miss Anna Peyton was the only child of a wealthy Glasgow businessman. It was rather mind-boggling that Graeme seemed entranced by a vicar’s daughter, but he’d latched onto the charming Miss MacBride from the moment they’d met. As for Grant, he and Miss Peyton had danced on three occasions in the last week alone.
“They’ve been inspired by their elder brother’s example, no doubt,” Edie said with a twinkle.
“Don’t think his lordship hasn’t pointed that out to me,” Victoria said tartly. “Repeatedly.”
“It’s annoying when men are proven correct, isn’t it?”
Victoria let out a reluctant laugh. “Yes, but I shouldn’t be taking my frustrations out on you.”
“Dearest, I understand how disconcerting your situation is. I was caught in a similar position with Alec, while he was betrothed to another woman, no less. You can imagine how embarrassing that was.”
“Good Lord. What happened?”
“You mean, what were Alec and I doing when we were caught?”
“No,” Victoria said. “How did you get out of it?”
“We didn’t. And if you and Arnprior were similarly compromised, I’m afraid you must face the consequences of your actions, too.”
“But I was merely comforting the earl when he was, er, distraught.”
“Comforting? Is that what they’re calling it up at Kinglas?” Edie asked politely.
“All right, it wasn’t entirely innocent, but Arnprior is making too great a fuss.”
Edie’s good-humored gaze turned serious. “Victoria, if you truly don’t wish to marry the earl, I’ll support your decision. But you need to know there’s already quite a bit of gossip about you and Arnprior.”
“I know. Everyone seems to take it for granted that we’re already betrothed,” Victoria said gloomily.
Edie hesitated for a few moments. “My sense is that you have strong feelings for the earl. Am I correct about that?”
“I suppose it’s rather obvious, isn’t it?” she said with a sigh.
“Rather, since you look moony-eyed as soon as he walks into the room. It’s also obvious how eager he is to make you his wife, so I’m not sure why you’re holding out.”
Victoria thought there was a distinct possibility Arnprior felt more obligated than eager, but there was an even greater impediment. “I am considering his proposal. It’s just that—”
Distracted by movement to her left, she broke off. Graeme was whispering in Lainie’s ear with alarming intensity, and it looked like one of his hands had disappeared under the table.
Leaning across the chair between them, she jabbed Graeme in the thigh with her fan. He jumped a good two inches, and his hand suddenly reappeared. He grimaced in reply to Victoria’s warning scowl, but sat up straight and started talking to Grant.
“I wonder where Lainie’s mother has gone,” Victoria said, turning back to Edie. “She’s supposed to be chaperoning those girls.”
“She’s in the card room. I’m sure Mrs. MacBride trusts that you’ll keep an eye on things.”
“Keeping an eye on the twins keeps me busy enough. I don’t need two pert misses added to the mix.”
“Oh, they’re all fine. Now, let’s get back to you and Arnprior. Why are you dragging your feet?”
Victoria leaned in close. “Do you truly imagine the earl would be keen to have a killer for a wife?”
“But you were simply defending yourself, dearest. Besides, Dominic and Aden have the situation well in hand, I’m sure. That matter shouldn’t stand in your way.”
Dominic had said as much in his last letter, although there were apparently still a few minor details to clear up with Lady Welgate and her father. In the meantime, her mentor had advised that it was best to maintain complete silence on the matter to prevent the spread of any injurious gossip. She could tell Arnprior the details once everything was resolved, although Dominic didn’t seem to feel that was strictly necessary, either.
Victoria hadn’t known whether to be more annoyed at his assumption that she would be marrying the earl, or that she would keep something so monumental from her future husband. “It simply doesn’t seem right not to tell him, no matter what Dominic says.”
“If you think it’s best to tell him, then you should.” Then Edie held up an admonishing finger. “But only after Dominic says you may. You need to trust him in this matter, Victoria. He knows what he’s about.”
“I know. It’s just that . . .” She hesitated, knowing how silly it would sound.
“What?”
“Since we’ve been in Glasgow, I’ve had the sense that someone is watching me, and that it’s somehow connected to Fletcher’s death.” She gave an uneasy laugh. “It seems ridiculous, but I swear it’s true.”
Edie frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“When I’ve been out running errands, I’m quite sure someone is following me.” More than once, she’d caught glimpses of a man furtively watching her.
“I see. Believe it or not, the same thing happened to me before Alec and I got married. That fellow tried to kill both of us.”
“Edie, that is hardly reassuring.”
Her friend wrinkled her nose. “I’ll mention it to Alec and see what he thinks.” She glanced across the room. “And speaking of my errant husband, there he is.”
Alec waved to them from the doorway but was promptly waylaid by an elderly gentleman.
“One male down, two to go,” Edie said. “Arnprior and that handsome brother of his should be along anytime now, don’t you think?”
“Lord Arnprior was stopping by his club for a bit. As for Royal . . .” Victoria shrugged. “Who knows?”
She’d all but ordered Royal to join them tonight, but no one could tell the blasted man to do anything. He’d much rather lurk about the house and brood, like a hero from a romantic novel.
“Oh, rats,” said Edie. “I wanted to introduce him to Ainsley. I’m quite determined they should be friends.”
“Really?” Victoria asked dubiously. She suspected the combination of Royal Kendrick and Lady Ainsley Matthews could be combustible, and not in a positive way.
“Yes,” Edie said firmly. “It’ll be good for them both.”
“If you say so.”
The daughter of a wealthy earl, Lady Ainsley was staying with the Gilbrides before traveling north to visit Scottish relations. From what Victoria had seen of her, melancholy younger sons with no fortunes hardly seemed her type.
“Is Lady Ainsley enjoying her visit with you?” she asked politely.
“It’s hard to say. She can be prickly but also quite fun. And there’s a kind heart underneath her rather snobby manner. But something’s changed since I last saw her in London, and I can’t put my finger on it.”
“She appears troubled by something, if you ask me.”
“Yes, I think you’re—”
“Look out,” Victoria murmured. “Her ladyship just retrieved Alec and is heading our way.”
“Finally,” Edie said to her husband as he escorted Ainsley to the seat beside Victoria. “Was that Mr. Coltrane you were speaking with?”
Alec dropped a quick kiss on his wife’s head before taking the seat next to her. “Aye. He’s known Grandfather forever, so I could hardly snub the old fellow.”
“I could,” Ainsley said in her cool, well-bred tones.
“And did so quite well,” Alec replied sardonically.
Edie threw her friend a displeased glance. “He’s a totally harmless old man, Ainsley.”
Ainsley’s dramatic eyebrows went up in an elegant arch. “That gentleman—and I use the term loosely—had the temerity to call me ‘a pretty chit.’”
Ainsley was much more than simply pretty. Of average height, the girl had a lush figure showcased by expensive gowns perfectly cut to display her curves. Her coloring was equally striking, with pale, perfect skin, violet-blue eyes framed by thick lashes and slashing brows, along with silky black hair. With her elegant features and proud carriage, she commanded male attention the moment she walked into any room.
Women generally had a different reaction, since Ainsley possessed a rather haughty, unapproachable manner. She was far more likely to provoke jealousy than invite confidences from other girls on the marriage mart.
Oddly enough, she’d never been anything but polite to Victoria, who found it unusual. Most girls of Ainsley’s standing were likely to treat a governess with disdain, if not outright contempt.
“That’s a Scot for you,” Edie said. “Plain speakers, as I well know.”
“Och, that we are,” said Alec, adopting his thick, comical brogue. “Although ye are an outspoken lassie yerself, dinna ye ken?”
Edie laughed, but Ainsley groaned. “That accent gives me the headache just listening to it.”
“You’d better get used to it, pet,” Edie said. “You’ll be hearing a lot of it when you get to Inveraray.”
“Don’t remind me,” she said gloomily.
“And don’t forget the bagpipes,” Alec teased. “They’ll send you leaping for the closest loch by Easter.”
That pulled a reluctant smile from the girl. “Thank you for adding insult to injury.”
“Is that where you’ll be staying, Lady Ainsley?” Victoria asked. “I understand that Inveraray Castle is the Duke of Argyll’s ancestral home.”
“I’ll be close by,” Ainsley replied. “I am related to the duke on my father’s side, but I’ll be staying at my great-aunt’s manor outside Cairndow, a small village at the head of Loch Fyne.”
“‘Small’ being the operative word,” Alec said.
“And remote.” The girl’s frown seemed more thoughtful than gloomy.
“I’ve heard of Cairndow,” Victoria said. “It’s not all that far from Castle Kinglas.”
Ainsley gave her a tentative smile. “Perhaps you might consider making me a visit at some point.”
Victoria repressed her surprise. “I’d like that. Or perhaps you could visit Kinglas. I’m sure the earl would be pleased to see you.”
Ainsley’s friendly manner instantly shifted. “I doubt it. In any event, I’m sure I’ll be too busy for visiting.”
Everyone but Ainsley looked awkward, but then Edie brightened. “Look, there’s Mr. Kendrick.”
Graeme shot to his feet and began waving both arms like windmills. “Over here,” he called to Royal.
“Sit down, Graeme,” Victoria said. “You are not at a sporting event.”
“Sorry.” He subsided into his seat, giving Lainie a sheepish grin. The girl simply giggled. Though a vicar’s daughter, she rather seemed to enjoy Graeme’s brash behavior.
As Royal wended his way through the room, Victoria breathed a sigh of relief to see that he was correctly dressed for once. He looked handsome in a black tailcoat, his white cravat and pearl-gray vest softening his rather austere appearance. With hair that tumbled over his brow, a sardonic expression, and a pronounced limp, he was the very picture of the poetic type swooned over by impressionable young girls. In fact, many female gazes followed avidly in his wake.
But there was one female who appeared decidedly unimpressed, if Ainsley’s expression was any indication.
If Royal treated Ainsley with the disdain he displayed for pampered society girls, they would be sure to see fireworks before the evening was out.
“High flyers and barmaids are more to my taste, Victoria,” he’d bluntly informed her last week when she tried to persuade him to join the family at a fashionable musicale. “And if my sexual preferences shock you,” he’d added, “then I suggest you bloody well stop trying to polish me up for the marriage mart. It’s a hopeless cause.”
Victoria had no intention of giving up. Royal needed her help as much as every other male in the Kendrick family.
“Hallo, old man. Good to see you,” Alec said, standing up and extending a hand.
“Gilbride, it’s—”
Whatever words had been about to emerge died on Royal’s lips when he finally noticed Ainsley. Victoria watched in amazement as his eyes widened and a flush bronzed his sharp cheekbones. While her ladyship was a beautiful girl, he was hardly the sort to be instantly smitten by any female.
Edie shot Victoria a smug glance before smiling up at Royal. “Mr. Kendrick, I’d like to introduce you to my friend—”
“I know who he is,” Ainsley interrupted. “Unfortunately.”
Everyone at the table froze, although her remark seemed to jolt Royal out of his odd reverie. “Och, Lady Ainsley, how nice to see you again.”
“You two know each other?” Alec asked.
Royal crossed his arms and stared at Ainsley with a sardonic expression.
After glaring back at him for a few moments, she finally answered. “I had the vast pleasure of meeting Mr. Kendrick at a troop review in London last winter.”
“And then I had the vast pleasure of sitting next to her ladyship at a dinner party a few weeks later,” Royal drawled back in bored imitation.
Victoria frowned. At the moment, Royal was acting like a hardened society rake.
“Again, unfortunately,” Ainsley snapped.
Royal flashed her a smile that was mostly teeth.
“That must have been some dinner party,” Edie said.
Ainsley’s snort was delicate and dismissive. “You have no idea.”
“Royal, I didn’t know you were in London last winter,” Victoria said brightly.
“Nick dragged me down to see a bloody sawbones,” he said. “Best doctor in London, he said.”
“Ah, splendid fellow, Arnprior. Always looking after his brothers,” said Alec in an inanely hearty voice. “I hope the doctor was able to give you some relief.”
“He suggested amputation for my leg.”
“Oh, dear,” Edie said faintly.
“Too bad he couldn’t amputate your tongue,” Ainsley said in an airy tone.
Again, a horrified silence fell over the table. Victoria mentally scrambled to stave off the impending disaster.
Fortunately, Royal guffawed. “Ah, Lady Ainsley, charming as always. How fortunate that you’ve decided to grace the peasants of Glasgow with your exalted presence.”
“Not for long, thank God,” she muttered.
Victoria patted the chair on her other side. “Royal, why don’t you sit next to me and tell me about your day.” She’d been hoping to save that seat for Arnprior, but preventing bloodshed now took priority.
He hooked an empty chair from the table next to them and dragged it over to face directly across from Ainsley.
“I’m fine right here,” he said, settling in and thrusting his long legs out in a casual stretch. His posture was disgracefully informal, but Victoria suspected it had more to do with his bad leg than any desire to be rude. Knowing him, though, the rudeness would be a bonus.
He proceeded to let his gaze momentarily drift down to Ainsley’s chest as his lips curled up in an astonishingly seductive smile. “You’re looking well, my lady, but I think you’ve gained some weight since last winter. Still, I must say, you carry it splendidly.”
Ainsley pressed her lips into a tight line as red spots of color sprung up on her cheeks.
“Royal Kendrick, behave yourself,” Victoria hissed.
He kept his green-glass eyes fastened on his target.
“There’s nothing wrong with having a little meat on one’s bones, old man,” Alec said in a warning tone. “After all, look at my dear wife. She’s as pretty and plump as a partridge, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
When every woman at the table glared at him, Alec flushed. “What?”
“You are a dimwit, Alasdair Gilbride,” Edie said in a terse voice.
“Oh, blast,” he sighed. “Sorry, love, I was just trying to make the point that—”
“I know,” his wife replied. “Trust me when I tell you the point would be better left unsaid.”
“Lady Ainsley, when do you leave for Cairndow?” Victoria asked, desperate to gain control of the conversation. Where was Arnprior, confound him? When Royal fell into one of his moods, only the earl had any ability to manage him.
Ainsley momentarily ceased shooting death glares at Royal. “Not for a few more weeks. Certainly not until after the Gilbrides’ Hogmanay Ball.”
“Why the devil are you going up to Cairndow?” Royal said abruptly. “There’s not a bloody thing up there but mountains and water.”
“My great-aunt is there,” Ainsley snapped. “I’m going to spend the winter with her.”
Royal frowned and—thank the merciful gods—fell silent.
For the next few minutes, they gamely tried to engage in normal conversation. Victoria pulled the twins and their companions into the discussion and the tension abated.
But it wasn’t long before Ainsley glanced over at Royal, who was studying her with a reflective frown. “Mr. Kendrick, has no one ever told you it’s rude to stare?” she hissed.
He shrugged. “Probably, but I suppose I forgot.”
“Well, please stop it.”
“Is my attention making you nervous, my lady?” he asked with exaggerated politeness. “Fear not. An impecunious younger son—a cripple, no less—would never be so bold as to importune you.” That seductive smile again curled up the edges of his mouth. “Unless you want me to importune you.”
Victoria, scowling madly at Royal, felt rather than saw Ainsley go stiff as a hitching post. She glanced over and saw all the color drain from the girl’s face.
“Are you all right, Lady Ainsley?” she asked.
When the girl finally looked at her, Victoria got a jolt. The expression in Ainsley’s eyes was one of desolation.
“Yes, I’m fine. If you’ll excuse me for a moment.” She rose clumsily to her feet.
“Ainsley, wait,” Royal said, starting to drag himself up.
“Leave me alone,” she snapped, then all but fled the table.
Because she’d been conversing with Alec and the twins, Edie hadn’t heard the ugly exchange. She turned as Ainsley rushed off. “Where’s she going?”
Victoria stood. “Just to the retiring room. I think I’ll join her.”
Edie gazed suspiciously at Royal, who stared after Ainsley with a perplexed expression.
“No need to worry,” Victoria said. “I’ll check on her ladyship.”
As she passed Royal, she jabbed him in the arm. “Sit down and behave yourself,” she said in an undertone.
Surprisingly, he complied without argument.
Victoria threaded her way through the crowded supper room, smiling blandly at anyone who looked curious. When she reached the relative quiet of the hall that ran the length of the classically designed building, she breathed a sigh of relief. Music filtered down from the upstairs ballroom, and a few couples and sets of girls strolled along the corridor, but the high-ceiling space was blessedly calm.
She hurried toward the back of the building and the ladies’ retiring room. But when a man stepped out from a shadowed window alcove, she bit back an exclamation and pulled up short.
“Pardon me, miss,” the man said. “I surely didn’t mean to startle you.”
His accent suggested London with a hint of the East End. Dressed neatly and with propriety, he was neither tall nor particularly handsome, although his features were pleasant enough. At first glance, he seemed entirely bland and inoffensive.
But as he continued to smile and block her way, Victoria felt the hairs prickle along the back of her neck. For a man who appeared harmless, one word bizarrely jumped into her mind.
Menacing.
She forced a smile. “No harm done, sir. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
When she made to go around him, he smoothly slid into her path.
“Please forgive my forward behavior, ma’am. Believe me when I say I have no wish to offend.”
She ignored the stirrings of fear in her belly. He couldn’t do anything to harm her with so many people within calling distance. “Then I suggest you move aside, sir.”
“You are Miss Victoria Knight, are you not?”
She hesitated to answer. Was this the man who’d been watching her?
It would be easy enough for him to discover her identity. Anyone in the other room could tell him. “I am. Why do you ask?”
“And you are the governess to Lord Arnprior’s brother?”
She frowned. “May I know your name, sir, and why you would ask?”
“My name is Mr. Archibald Pence,” he said, giving her a slight bow. “I am acquainted with one of your previous employers.”
Victoria’s stomach all but leapt into her throat. “Which one?”
“Mrs. Havergill. She spoke very highly of you.”
“I see,” she said, feeling relieved. “Are you interested in hiring me, sir? If so, I am afraid I will not be available for some time.”
Or ever, if Arnprior had his way.
He held up his hands. “No, I simply wished to satisfy my curiosity. Forgive me if I alarmed you.” He glanced toward the front of the building. “Ah, it appears the earl is coming to fetch you. Have a good evening, Miss Knight.”
He stepped around her and quickly walked away.
Turning, she saw Arnprior striding toward her, a scowl marking his brow. When Pence came level with him, the earl slowed and gave the man a hard stare. The Londoner merely doffed his hat and proceeded on his way.
“Was that fellow bothering you?” Arnprior rested a gloved hand protectively on her shoulder, the leather cool and smooth on her bare skin. “I can follow and thrash him, if you like.”
She smothered a laugh. “Your generous offer won’t be necessary, sir. He wasn’t truly bothering me.” Still, she couldn’t help moving closer to his reassuring warmth.
He tucked her against him. “He did make you nervous. Who was he?”
“No one, really.”
“Victoria—”
“His name is Mr. Pence. He knew one of my previous employers, that’s all.”
“I’m not familiar with the name. I’ll see what I can find out about him.”
“Thank you, but I’m sure it’s nothing.” Though he could be ridiculously overprotective, she was secretly glad of it.
Arnprior tipped her chin up with a finger. “By the way, what are you doing wandering the halls by yourself, waiting to be accosted by strange men?”
Now he was just being silly. “The Glasgow Assembly Rooms are hardly the stews of London, sir.”
“Still—”
“I believe she was looking for me, Lord Arnprior,” said a clipped voice.
They turned to see Ainsley regarding them with her usual imperious manner.
Victoria went to her. “My lady, are you feeling better? You looked a bit unwell when you left the table.”
She scoffed. “That’s one way of putting it. But I’m perfectly fine now.”
Victoria winced. “I’m sorry if—”
She held up a hand. “No need to apologize. If you don’t mind, I’ll rejoin the Gilbrides.” She gave them a brusque nod and sailed off in the direction of the supper room.
“What was that all about?” Arnprior asked.
“I’m afraid Royal insulted her.”
“Good God,” he said, sounding disgusted.
“It wasn’t entirely his fault. Lady Ainsley was just as rude. More so, actually.” She studied his frown. “I didn’t realize they knew each other.”
He nodded. “They seemed to get along quite well when they first met, but then they had a falling out. Royal refused to talk about it.”
She pressed a dramatic hand to her chest. “I’m deeply shocked to hear that.”
When he laughed, she took his arm and started forward. “We’d best go back and try to prevent further hostilities from breaking out.”
He gently reeled her back into his embrace.
“Lord Arnprior!” She glanced around the hall. Fortunately, no one was about at the moment. “This is most inappropriate.”
He ignored her objection and feathered a kiss across her lips. “I think you’ve had enough of my family for one night.”
She had to swallow before she could reply. “Sir, your family is my job.”
His smile was infinitely arousing. “Not tonight, lass. Tonight, your job is to take care of me.”