Gail Whitiker - Revenge In Regency Society

‘Forgive me, dear friends, but a minor crisis upstairs delayed my arrival,’ she announced to her assembled guests. ‘I trust you have been attended to in my absence.’

‘We have been very well treated,’ Lord Bessmel said as the baroness joined them. ‘The important thing is that you are here now and looking quite spectacular, if you don’t mind my saying so.’

‘I don’t mind you saying so at all, Lord Bessmel,’ Julia said with a soft gurgle of laughter. ‘In fact, I am convinced it is the one thing a lady never tires of hearing. Anna, my dear,’ she said, pressing her cheek to Anna’s. ‘How beautiful you look tonight. You will most certainly rob the gentlemen of their senses. And, Lady Lydia, how delightful to see you again. I trust your mother is feeling better?’

‘She is, Julia, thank you; she is so sorry she couldn’t be here this evening. Unfortunately, noise tends to aggravate her condition.’

‘I understand,’ Julia said with a sympathetic nod. ‘Megrims are such tiresome things. You are lucky not to be afflicted.’

‘Good evening, Baroness.’

Julia turned and her smile brightened. ‘Lord Cambermere, Lord Hayle, I am so pleased you were both able to attend.’

‘An opportunity to spend time in the company of a beautiful woman should never be missed,’ Cambermere said as he brushed his lips over her hand in a courtly, old-world gesture. ‘And may I say you look magnificent this evening.’

A becoming flush rose in her cheeks. ‘You are very kind to say so.’

‘Kindness has nothing to do with it,’ the earl assured her. ‘I’m sure there isn’t a gentleman in the room who doesn’t agree with me.’

‘Fortunately, most of them come with wives,’ Edward cut in smoothly. ‘Those of us who are single definitely have the advantage this evening.’

His smile was charismatic and his words flattering. Anna saw her father’s expression falter as Edward neatly inserted himself between them, but Julia’s attention was already diverted, her head turned towards the door. ‘And here is yet another handsome gentleman come to join our group. Good evening, Sir Barrington.’

Anna hadn’t needed to hear Barrington’s name to know that he was in the room. She’d felt the atmosphere change, a subtle quickening of interest as he crossed the floor like a sleek black panther moving through the forest. She saw heads turn, watched eyes widen and flirtatious smiles disappear behind discreetly raised fans. Obviously she wasn’t the only one impressed by the width of his shoulders and the unfathomable depths of those cool grey eyes—

‘Anna!’

Hearing Lydia’s voice, Anna turned, but it wasn’t until she saw the slight widening of her friend’s eyes that she realised she had been staring. Botheration! The last thing she needed was Sir Barrington Parker mistakenly thinking she was interested in him. Or worse, infatuated by him.

Fortunately, the gentleman seemed completely unaware of her preoccupation, his attention now focused solely on his hostess. ‘Good evening, Baroness,’ he greeted her in that distinctively low, seductive voice. ‘Forgive my late arrival. I was unavoidably detained.’

‘You owe us no apologies, Sir Barrington,’ Julia said easily. ‘You are here now and that is all that matters. I believe you know everyone?’

Sir Barrington nodded, his gaze touching briefly on each of them as he paid his respects. Finally, he turned to Anna, his mouth curving in that maddeningly provocative smile. ‘Lady Annabelle.’

‘Sir Barrington,’ she said, wishing she possessed even a fraction of his composure. ‘We have not seen much of you this past while.’

‘I was out of London for a few days on business, but made sure to return in time for this evening’s gathering.’

‘And for the fencing demonstration,’ Lord Bessmel said with a wink.

Sir Barrington turned to stare at him. ‘I beg your pardon?’

‘The fencing demonstration. The one Lord Yew asked you to put on.’

‘Forgive me, Lord Bessmel, but I am not aware I was giving a fencing demonstration. Where did you hear news of it?’

‘From Lord Hadley,’ the older man replied. ‘He said he’d heard you speaking to Lord Yew, and that you had agreed to a series of open engagements at Angelo’s.’

‘Open engagements?’ Anna repeated. ‘What does that mean?’

‘It means that every red-blooded male capable of lifting a sword will be there looking to take Parker on,’ Bessmel explained with a smile. ‘Should make for a damn good show!’

Anna glanced at Sir Barrington in bewilderment. Surely Lord Bessmel was mistaken. Sir Barrington Parker didn’t give demonstrations. Everyone knew that. And if he did choose to spar, it would be with someone of his own choosing.

Could this be the Marquess of Yew’s doing? she wondered. Had he demanded this of Sir Barrington as well as everything he had already asked of Peregrine? ‘Is this true, Sir Barrington?’ she asked in a low voice. ‘Is this what you agreed to do?’

‘Not exactly,’ he murmured. ‘What I agreed to was a private lesson with Yew’s son, pointing out areas where he might improve. I certainly said nothing about a series of engagements with anyone who felt up to sparring with me.’

‘But I fear that is what everyone is expecting,’ Bessmel said, adding hesitantly, ‘are you going to back out?’

‘Surely it cannot be called backing out when one never agreed to it in the first place,’ Lydia objected.

‘I wouldn’t have thought so,’ Sir Barrington agreed, ‘but I shall speak to Lord Yew about it when next I see him.’ Then, seemingly unconcerned, he turned his attention to their hostess again. ‘Baroness, that is an exceptionally beautiful necklace.’

‘Why, thank you, Sir Barrington.’ Julia caressed the deep blue stones with loving fingers. ‘My late husband bought it for me. He knew my partiality for sapphires.’

‘It is a remarkable piece of workmanship,’ Cambermere agreed. ‘I hope you keep it safely locked away.’

‘I haven’t thus far.’ Julia’s eyes widened. ‘Is London such a dangerous place that one need fear being robbed in one’s own home?’

‘Not as a rule, but I regret to say there have been a series of jewel thefts in London of late,’ Sir Barrington informed her. ‘I understand Lord Houghton’s home was broken into two nights ago and a number of valuable items taken.’

‘You should be on guard yourself, Cambermere,’ Bessmel said. ‘I dare say your daughter’s pearls are worth a pretty penny.’

‘They are, but I suspect to Anna, like myself, their value is far more sentimental.’ The earl turned to smile at her. ‘My wife loved pearls. She always said they drew their warmth from the one who wore them. I gave her that necklace on our wedding day.’

‘Was your wife born in June, my lord?’ Julia enquired.

Cambermere looked surprised by the question. ‘She was.’

‘Then she was fortunate to be able to wear them without tears. It is considered bad luck to give a bride pearls unless they are her birthstone.’

‘Then you must also have been born in June, Lady Annabelle,’ Sir Barrington said quietly, ‘for the pearls to glow so richly against your skin.’

Anna felt her cheeks grow warm at the subtle caress in his voice. ‘On the contrary, my birthday is in September.’

‘Then, like the baroness, you should be wearing sapphires.’

‘I say, Cambermere, these women could bankrupt us if they were of a mind to!’ Lord Bessmel said with a hearty laugh. ‘Now you will have to go out and buy your daughter a string of sapphires, just to appease the superstitious amongst us.’

‘I think not,’ Anna said quickly. ‘Sapphires are beautiful stones, but, like Mama, I prefer the warmth of pearls.’