As he drove beneath the trees, he scanned the carriages that passed, hoping to find his wards. He had not seen them since that first ride in the Park, a feat of self-discipline before which any other he had ever accomplished in his Me paled into insignificance. Darcy Hamilton had put the idea into his head. His friend had returned with him to Deliriere House after that first jaunt, vociferous in his complaints of the waywardness of Sarah Twinning. The fact that she was Max’s ward had not subdued him in the least. Max had not been surprised; Darcy could be ruthlessly singleminded when hunting. It had been Darcy who had suggested that a short absence might make the lady more amenable and had departed with the firm resolve to give the Twinning girls the go-by for at least a week.
That had been six days ago. The Season was about to get under way and it was time to reacquaint himself with his wards. Having ascertained that their horses had not left his stable, he had had the bays put to and followed them to the Park. He finally spied the Twyford barouche drawn up to the side of the avenue. He pulled up alongside.
“Aunt Augusta,” he said as he nodded to her. She beamed at him, clearly delighted he had taken the trouble to find them. His gaze swept over the other occupants of the carriage in an appraising and approving manner, then came to rest on Miss Twinning. She smiled sunnily back at him. Suddenly alert, Max’s mind returned from where it had wandered and again counted heads. There was a total of five in the carriage but Miriam Alford was there, smiling vaguely at him. Which meant one of his wards was missing. He quelled the urge to immediately question his aunt, telling himself there would doubtless be some perfectly reasonable explanation. Perhaps one was merely unwell. His mind reverted to its main preoccupation.
Responding automatically to his aunt’s social chatter, he took the first opportunity to remark, “But I can’t keep my horses standing, ma’am. Perhaps Miss Twinning would like to come for a drive?”
He was immediately assured that Miss Twinning would and she descended from the carriage. He reached down to help her up beside him and they were off.
Caroline gloried in the brush of the breeze on her face as the curricle bowled along. Even reined in to the pace accepted in the Park, it was still infinitely more refreshing than the funereal plod favoured by Lady Benborough. That was undoubtedly the reason her spirits had suddenly soared. Even the sunshine seemed distinctly brighter.
“Not riding today?” asked Max.
“No. Lady Benborough felt we should not entirely desert the matrons.”
Max smiled. “True enough. It don’t do to put people’s backs up unnecessarily.”
Caroline turned to stare at him. “Your philosophy?” Augusta had told her enough of their guardian’s past to realise this was unlikely.
Max frowned. Miss Caroline Twinning was a great deal too knowing. Unprepared to answer her query, he changed the subject. “Where’s Sarah?”
“Lord Darcy took her up some time ago. Maybe we’ll see them as we go around?”
Max suppressed the curse which rose to his lips.
How many friends was he going to have left by the end of this Season? Another thought occurred. “Has she been seeing much of him?”
A deep chuckle answered this and his uneasiness grew. “If you mean has he taken to haunting us, no. On the other hand, he seems to have the entree to all the salons we’ve attended this week.”
He should, he supposed, have anticipated his friend’s duplicity. Darcy was, after all, every bit as experienced as he. Still, it rankled. He would have a few harsh words to say to his lordship when next they met. “Has he been…particularly attentive towards her?”
“No,” she replied in a careful tone, “not in any unacceptable way.”
He looked his question and she continued, “It’s just that she’s the only lady he pays any attention to at all. If he’s not with Sarah, he either leaves or retires tb the card tables or simply watches her from a distance.”
The description was so unlike the Darcy Hamilton he knew that it was on the tip of his tongue to verify they were talking about the same man. A sneaking suspicion that Darcy might, just might, be seriously smitten awoke in his mind. One black brow rose.
They paused briefly to exchange greetings with Lady Jersey, then headed back towards the barouche. Coming to a decision, Max asked, “What’s your next major engagement?”
“Well, we go to the first of Almack’s balls tomorrow, then it’s the Billingtons’ ball the next night.”
The start of the Season proper. But there was no way he was going to cross the threshold of Almack’s.
He had not been near the place for years. Tender young virgins were definitely not on his menu these days. He did not equate that description with Miss Twinning. Nor, if it came to that, to her sisters. Uncertain what to do for the best, he made no response to the information, merely inclining his head to show he had heard.
Caroline was silent as the curricle retraced its journey. Max’s questions had made her uneasy. Lord Darcy was a particular friend of his—surely Sarah was in no real danger with him? She stifled a small sigh. Clearly, their guardian’s attention was wholly concentrated on their social performance. Which, of course, was precisely what a guardian should be concerned with. Why, then, did she feel such a keen sense of disappointment?
They reached the barouche to find Sarah already returned. One glance at her stormy countenance was sufficient to answer Max’s questions. It seemed Darcy’s plans had not prospered. Yet.
As he handed Caroline to the ground and acknowledged her smiling thanks, it occurred to him she had not expressed any opinion or interest in his week-long absence. So much for that tactic. As he watched her climb into the barouche, shapely ankles temporarily exposed, he realised he had made no headway during their interlude. Her sister’s affair with his friend had dominated his thoughts. Giving his horses the office, he grimaced to himself. Seducing a young woman while acting as guardian to her three younger sisters was clearly going to be harder going than he had imagined.
———
Climbing the steps to Twyford House the next evening, Max was still in two minds over whether he was doing the right thing. He was far too wise to be overly attentive to Caroline, yet, if he did not make a push to engage her interest, she would shortly be the object of the attentions of a far larger circle of gentlemen, few of whom would hesitate to attend Almack’s purely because they disliked being mooned over by very young women. He hoped, in his capacity as their guardian, to confine his attentions to the Twinning sisters and so escape the usual jostle of matchmaking mamas. They should have learned by now that he was not likely to succumb to their daughters’ vapid charms. Still, he was not looking forward to the evening.
If truth were told, he had been hearing about his wards on all sides for the past week. They had caught the fancy of the ton, starved as it was of novelty. And their brand of beauty always had attraction. But what he had not heard was worrying him more. There had been more than one incident when, entering a room, he had been aware of at least one conversation abruptly halted, then smoothly resumed. Another reason to identify himself more closely with his wards. He reminded himself that three of them were truly his responsibility and, in the circumstances, the polite world would hold him responsible for Miss Twinning as well. His duty was clear.
Admitted to Twyford House, Max paused to exchange a few words with Millwade. Satisfied that all was running smoothly, he turned and stopped, all thought deserting him. Transfixed, he watched the Twinning sisters descend the grand staircase. Seen together, gorgeously garbed for the ball, they were quite the most heart-stopping sight he had beheld in many a year. His eyes rested with acclaim on each in turn, but stopped when they reached Caroline. The rest of the company seemed to dissolve in a haze as his eyes roamed appreciatively over the clean lines of her eau-de-Nil silk gown. It clung suggestively to her ripe figure, the neckline scooped low over her generous breasts. His hands burned with the desire to caress those tantalising curves. Then his eyes locked w
ith hers as she crossed the room to his side, her hand extended to him. Automatically, he took it in his. Then she was speaking, smiling up at him in her usual confiding way.
“Thank you for coming. I do hope you’ll not be too bored by such tame entertainment.” Lady Benborough, on receiving Max’s curt note informing them of his intention to accompany them to Almack’s, had crowed with delight. When she had calmed, she had explained his aversion to the place. So it was with an unexpected feeling of guilt that Caroline had come forward to welcome him. But, gazing into his intensely blue eyes, she could find no trace of annoyance or irritation. Instead, she recognised the same emotion she had detected the very first time they had met. To add to her confusion, he raised her hand to his lips, his eyes warm and entirely too knowing.
“Do you know, I very much doubt that I’ll be bored at all?” her guardian murmured wickedly.
Caroline blushed vividly. Luckily, this was missed by all but Max in the relatively poor light of the hall and the bustle as they donned their cloaks. Both Lady Benborough and Miriam Alford were to go, cutting the odds between chaperons and charges. Before Max’s intervention, the coach would have had to do two trips to King Street. Now, Caroline found that Augusta and Mrs. Alford, together with Sarah and Arabella, were to go in the Twyford coach while she and Lizzie were to travel with Max. Suddenly suspicious of her guardian’s intentions, she was forced to accept the arrangement with suitable grace. As Max handed her into the carriage and saw her settled comfortably, she told herself she was a fool to read into his behaviour anything other than an attempt to trip her up. He was only amusing himself.
As if to confirm her supposition, the journey was unremarkable and soon they were entering the hallowed precincts of the Assembly Rooms. The sparsely furnished halls were already well filled with the usual mix of debutantes and unmarried young ladies, carefully chaperoned by their mamas in the hope of finding a suitable connection among the unattached gentlemen strolling through the throng. It was a social club to which it was necessary to belong. And it was clear from their reception that, at least as far as the gentlemen were concerned, the Twinning sisters definitely belonged. To Max’s horror, they were almost mobbed.
He stood back and watched the sisters artfully manage their admirers. Arabella had the largest court with all the most rackety and dangerous blades. A more discerning crowd of eminently eligible gentlemen had formed around Sarah while the youthful Lizzie had gathered all the more earnest of the younger men to her. But the group around Caroline drew his deepest consideration. There were more than a few highly dangerous roués in the throng gathered about her but all were experienced and none was likely to attempt anything scandalous without encouragement As he watched, it became clear that all four girls had an innate ability to choose the more acceptable among their potential partners. They also had the happy knack of dismissing the less favoured with real charm, a not inconsiderable feat. The more he watched, the more intrigued Max became. He was about to seek clarification from his aunt, standing beside him, when that lady very kindly answered his unspoken query.
“You needn’t worry, y’know. Those girls have got heads firmly on their shoulders. Ever since they started going about, I’ve been bombarded with questions on who’s eligible and who’s not. Even Arabella, minx that she is, takes good care to know who she’s flirting with.”
Max looked his puzzlement.
“Well,” explained her ladyship, surprised by his obtuseness, “they’re all set on finding husbands, of course!” She glanced up at him, eyes suddenly sharp, and added, “I should think you’d be thrilled—it means they’ll be off your hands all the sooner.”
“Yes. Of course,” Max answered absently.
He stayed by his wards until they were claimed for the first dance. His sharp eyes had seen a number of less than desirable gentlemen approach the sisters, only to veer away as they saw him. If nothing else, his presence had achieved that much.
Searching through the crowd, he finally spotted Darcy Hamilton disappearing into one of the salons where refreshments were laid out.
“Going to give them the go-by for at least a week, huh?” he growled as he came up behind Lord Darcy.
Darcy choked on the lemonade he had just drunk.
Max gazed in horror at the glass in his Mend’s hand. “No! Bless me, Darcy! You turned temperate?”
Darcy grimaced. “Have to drink something and seemed like the best of a bad lot.” His wave indicated the unexciting range of beverages available. “Thirsty work, getting a dance with one of your wards.”
“Incidentally—” intoned Max in the manner of one about to pass judgement.
But Darcy held up his hand. “No. Don’t start. I don’t need any lectures from you on the subject. And you don’t need to bother, anyway. Sarah Twinning has her mind firmly set on marriage and there’s not a damned thing I can do about it.”
Despite himself, Max could not resist a grin. “No luck?”
“None!” replied Darcy, goaded. “I’m almost at the stage of considering offering for her but I can’t be sure she wouldn’t reject me, and that I couldn’t take.”
Max, picking up a glass of lemonade himself, became thoughtful.
Suddenly, Darcy roused himself. “Do you know what she told me yesterday? Said I spent too much time on horses and not enough on matters of importance. Can you believe it?”
He gestured wildly and Max nearly hooted with laughter. Lord Darcy’s stables were known the length and breadth of England as among the biggest and best producers of quality horseflesh.
“I very much doubt that she appreciates your interest in the field,” Max said placatingly.
“Humph,” was all his friend vouchsafed.
After a pause, Darcy laid aside his glass. “Going to find Maria Sefton and talk her into giving Sarah permission to waltz with me. One thing she won’t be able to refuse.” With a nod to Max, he returned to the main hall.
For some minutes, Max remained as he was, his abstracted gaze fixed on the far wall. Then, abruptly, he replaced his glass and followed his friend.
———
“You want me to give your ward permission to waltz with you?” Lady Jersey repeated Max’s request, clearly unable to decide whether it was as innocuous as he represented or whether it had an ulterior motive concealed within and if so, what.
“It’s really not such an odd request,” returned Max, unperturbed. “She’s somewhat older than the rest and, as I’m here, it seems appropriate.”
“Hmm.” Sally Jersey simply did not believe there was not more to it. She had been hard-pressed to swallow her astonishment when she had seen His Grace of Twyford enter the room. And she was even more amazed that he had not left as soon as he had seen his wards settled. But he was, after all, Twyford. And Delmere and Rotherbridge, what was more. So, if he wanted to dance with his ward… She shrugged. “Very well. Bring her to me. If you can separate her from her court, that is.”
Max smiled in a way that reminded Lady Jersey of the causes of his reputation. “I think I’ll manage,” he drawled, bowing over her hand.
———
Caroline was surprised that Max had remained at the Assembly Rooms for so long. She lost sight ofhim for a while, and worked hard at forcing herself to pay attention to her suitors, for it was only to be expected their guardian would seek less tame entertainment elsewhere. But then his tall figure reappeared at the side of the room. He seemed to be scanning the multitude, then, over a sea of heads, his eyes met hers. Caroline fervently hoped the peculiar shock which went through her was not reflected in her countenance. After a moment, unobtrusively, he made his way to her side.
Under cover of the light flirtation she was engaged in with an ageing baronet, Caroline was conscious of the sudden acceleration of her heartbeat and the constriction that seemed to be affecting her breathing. Horrendously aware of her guardian’s blue eyes, she felt her nervousness grow as he approached despite her efforts to remain calm.
But, when he gained her side and bowed over her hand in an almost bored way, uttering the most commonplace civilities and engaging her partner in a discussion of some sporting event, the anticlimax quickly righted her mind for her.
Quite how it was accomplished she could not have said, but Max succeeded in excusing them to her court, on the grounds that he had something to discuss with his ward. Finding herself on his arm, strolling apparently randomly down the room, she turned to him and asked, “What was it you wished to say to me?”
He glanced down at her and she caught her breath. That devilish look was back in his eyes as they rested on her, warming her through and through. What on earth was he playing at?
“Good heavens, my ward. And I thought you up to all the rigs. Don’t you know a ruse when you hear it?”
The tones of his voice washed languorously over Caroline, leaving a sense of relaxation in their wake.She made a grab for her fast-disappearing faculties. Interpreting his remark to mean that his previously bored attitude had also been false, Caroline was left wondering what the present reality meant. She made a desperate bid to get their interaction back on an acceptable footing. “Where are we going?”
Max smiled. “We’re on our way to see Lady Jersey.”
“Why?”
“Patience, sweet Caroline,” came the reply, all the more outrageous for its tone. “All will be revealed forthwith.”