From Governess to Society Bride

‘She’s going to swoon,’ Henry predicted.

‘I am not,’ Eve protested, defying her pronouncement by almost toppling off the wall.

‘Oh, for God’s sake!’ Lord Stainton thundered, casting the cigar to the ground. Grasping her about the waist, he scooped her up into his arms and headed for a bench further along the terrace. ‘Find Mrs Seagrove, Henry, and ask her to come at once—and find some hartshorn or whatever it is that brings one out of a swoon. And for heaven’s sake be discreet. Should anyone come outside and find me with a senseless woman in my arms, gossip will be raging through London like wildfire before breakfast.’

Henry rushed off to do his bidding while Lord Stainton carried his helpless burden along the terrace.

Coming to her senses and blisteringly aware of her close proximity to Lord Stainton’s broad chest, fury and indignation shot like red-hot sparks through Eve’s body. ‘How dare you?’ she cried, squirming against him, trying to break his hold. ‘Will you put me down? No matter what you think, I do not deserve such treatment.’ Her struggle only seemed to make him angrier.

‘Be quiet and keep still,’ he ordered, going a little further before dumping her unceremoniously on to a bench.

Eve fought the lethargy that was stealing over her and snapped her head up, intending to launch into a tirade, but looking past her tormentor she saw a figure in a pale pink gown rushing towards her.

‘Beth,’ she cried. Never had she been so relieved to see anyone in her life.

‘What on earth has happened?’ Beth bent over her friend, her face creased with concern. ‘Is your headache worse, Eve?’

‘No, no, it isn’t, and none of this is my fault. Beth, will you please tell this puffed-up lord who has the manners of a barbarian and who is bent on assassinating my character that I am suffering nothing more serious than an overdose of your headache powders and not over-indulgence of champagne.’

‘Headache powders?’ Instead of looking guilty because he’d made a mistake, Lord Stainton looked infuriatingly amused. ‘You are prone to headaches, Mrs Brody?’

‘No, as a matter of fact I rarely suffer minor ailments, but earlier today I had the misfortune to meet you, Lord Stainton.’

‘Then what can I say?’

‘Sorry would be a start,’ Eve bit back.

‘Very well. The mistake was mine. I apologise most humbly.’

‘Humble? You?’ she gasped, unable to believe her ears. ‘You couldn’t be humble if you tried.’

‘Contrary to what you obviously think of me,’ he drawled, ‘I was merely coming to your rescue. Your actions, like on our previous encounter, led me to believe you were in danger of swooning.’

‘And I seem to recall telling you that I never swoon—and I was not in any danger,’ Eve lied coldly, avoiding Beth’s questioning eyes, knowing full well that she would have to give her a full account of her encounter with Lord Stainton in the park.

Lazy mockery lit his eyes. ‘And you are sure of that, are you?’ he asked, as amusement seemed to drain the tension in his body.

‘I most assuredly am.’

‘To show you how wrong you are, Mrs Brody, I suggest that when you get up off that bench you will allow me to assist you.’

Eve opened her mouth to make some suitably scathing remark about his outrageous conceit, but his bold smile was too much for her. Swinging her legs on to the ground, she got to her feet unsteadily. When Lord Stainton reached out to take her arm, she snatched it away and glared at him.

‘Don’t you dare touch me. I wouldn’t let you touch me to save me from drowning,’ she retorted furiously.

‘I understand,’ Lord Stainton drawled mildly.

Placing her hand on Beth’s arm, Eve completely ignored Lord Stainton. ‘I would like to go home, if you don’t mind, Beth. I really must go to bed before I make a total fool of myself and fall asleep in Lady Ellesmere’s salon. That would never do.’

Seeing the funny side of the incident, Beth suppressed a smile. ‘No, it would not. It’s almost time to leave anyway. We’ll find William and say goodnight to Lady Ellesmere.’ She turned to Lord Stainton and Mr Channing, who was looking totally bemused and holding a bottle of hartshorn in his hand. ‘Goodnight, Lord Stainton, Mr Channing, and thank you for your assistance.’

‘Good Lord, Lucas,’ Henry uttered after a long moment of silence, staring at his friend in disbelief. Grown men rarely dared to challenge him, yet here was this young American widow—an exquisite, extremely ravishing American widow—who had done exactly that. ‘She actually accused you of having the manners of a barbarian. Mrs Brody is one angry lady,’ he said, shaking his head in disbelief. ‘I doubt she will forgive you in a hurry.’

Lucas glanced toward the closed doors through which the aforesaid lady had just disappeared, and in the space of an instant, Henry watched his lazy smile harden into a mask of ironic amusement.

‘I’m sure she won’t. But that’s Mrs Brody’s problem, Henry. Not mine.’

Beth insisted on picnicking away from the crowds of people who poured into Hyde Park to watch a French aviator’s ascent in a huge balloon, which was the cause of much excitement among the Seagrove children and Estelle. The event had generated so much interest that it had disrupted the usual cavalcade of handsome equipages that congregated daily in the afternoon. It consisted of men mounted on fine thoroughbred horses, colourful and elaborately clad dandies and women in the best society, the carriage company some of the most celebrated beauties in London. The sun was pleasantly warm, and people were laughing and joking, all talking about the giant, hissing balloon that had taken off successfully.

Accompanying the carriage carrying Miss Lacy and his children on horseback, Lucas came upon the picnic scene by chance. It was one of complete enchantment, of a small group of people—three adults, one of them a nursemaid or governess, and three children, two boys and a girl. The adults were sitting on the grass in the shade of the giant beech trees, a white cloth spread on the ground on to which baskets of food had been unpacked. The children, in high spirits, were running about trying to catch one another, shrieking with laughter.

It was the woman, dressed in a delightful lightweight blue-sprigged dress with a wide sash of deeper blue tied in a bow at the back, on whom his attention was focused. He looked at the sunlight glinting on the flaming strands of her glorious wealth of auburn hair that tumbled on to her shoulders in a mass of curls, the sides drawn to the back of her head and secured with a blue satin ribbon. Her feet were tucked under her dress, her face upturned to the sky. She looked about sixteen, though her figure was mature. She was watching the balloon, which had just become airborne, soar up beyond the clouds, causing much excitement among the crowd.

Taking her eyes off the balloon, she turned her attention to the children, a serene smile on her face as her eyes settled on the little girl. Beth’s two boys, boisterous and as audacious as a barrowload of monkeys, were a bit too much for Estelle, and she found it hard to keep up with them. But determined not to be left behind, she persevered. Suddenly Estelle stood stock still and her face broke into a bright smile at something she had seen further away, and then she was running in a fever of excitement to Eve.

‘Sophie! Mama, it’s Sophie and Abigail,’ and before Eve could stop her she was scampering off across the grass as fast as her little legs could carry her to where a carriage had halted so the occupants could watch the balloon.

Eve scrambled to her feet and ran after her, smiling delightedly on seeing Sarah Lacy and her young charges.

‘Sarah, how lovely to see you again.’ She looked at the children. ‘Have you come to watch the balloon?’

‘Yes,’ Sophie said, her eyes shining with glee, clearly having enjoyed the spectacle. ‘It was ever so exciting.’

‘And it made a hissing noise like a dragon,’ Abigail babbled happily, at three years old already having a good command of the English language.

‘The children were so excited,’ Sarah said, returning Eve’s smile. ‘They’ve never seen a balloon before.’

‘Neither have I. It was quite a novel experience. Sarah, why don’t you come and share our picnic? It would be lovely for Sophie and Abigail to play with Estelle—and there’s ample food.’

‘I don’t think so, Mrs Brody. Thank you for your kind offer, but Miss Lacy and the children must be getting back.’

Eve whirled round at that familiar deep voice, and looked into the face of Lord Stainton. She knew by his expression that he was not as stunned as she was. For some inexplicable reason her heart set up a wild thumping. His face was still, but his eyes were a brilliant, quite dangerous pale blue. He lounged indolently against the back of the open carriage with the ease of a man discussing nothing more serious than the weather. The remembrance of their previous encounters, all of which had been angry and bitter experiences, touched her deeply.

He wore a plum-coloured cutaway coat and buff knee breeches tucked into highly polished black riding boots, and his neck linen was sparkling white. His gaze was sharp and penetrating and he radiated the same strong masculine appeal. Eve watched him warily, experiencing the depth to which her mind and body were oddly stirred whenever she was in his presence.

Pushing himself away from the carriage, he bowed his dark, shining head. ‘I trust your headache is much improved today, Mrs Brody?’

‘Yes, thank you for asking,’ she replied stiffly.

‘I didn’t expect to meet you at such a gathering,’ he remarked, his expression unreadable.

‘I can’t think why not. I enjoyed watching the ascending balloon enormously—almost as much as the children.’ Distracted by Estelle, who was jumping up and down beside her, better to see Sophie and Abigail in the carriage, she said, ‘Please let your daughters play with Estelle—just for a minute.’ Lord Stainton’s face became cool with the compelling arrogance she associated with him.

‘I told you, we have to be getting back,’ he uttered sternly.

Eve looked at his daughters. Their little shoulders were slumped in dejection and her heart went out to them. There was something rather timid about Sophie and Abigail, something cowed and contrary to the normal exuberance of children.

‘Children need to run about and shout and laugh once in a while, Lord Stainton,’ she said calmly, trying to speak to him without the abrasive tongue of an enemy. ‘There’s no harm in it.’