Page 5 of To Follow her Heart

“Yes, thank heavens,” Matilda said with a conspiratorial grin. “So, we need not sit in terror of the marquess’ disdain, with St Clair’s charm and address to diffuse the tension.”

“That is a comfort,” Kitty said with a sigh. “Though I suppose it will put Harriet in a pelter. Do you have any idea why she hates him so?”

“No, I don’t,” Matilda said, looking thoughtful now. “But I don’t believe the feeling is mutual.”

“Oh?” Kitty replied, delighted with this information. “Whatever do you mean?”

Matilda shrugged and gave her an enigmatic smile. “Just watch St Clair this evening, when Harriet is around. You’ll see.”

With this intriguing nugget of information, Kitty had to be satisfied, and she followed Matilda downstairs to await the carriage.

***

Jasper Cadogan, Earl of St Clair, cast a curious glance across the carriage towards the Marquess of Montagu. They were not exactly friends, barely acquaintances, yet when the marquess had invited him to attend as his guest this evening, Jasper had been too curious to refuse. The marquess was a mystery, a solitary man who guarded his privacy like a dog with a bone. Jasper suspected no one knew him at all, which naturally made everyone ravenously curious.

“I’m holding a party at Holbrooke House, from the twentieth of the month. Should you like to attend?”

The marquess looked around, his habitually bored gaze settling on St Clair.

“Kind of you,” Montagu replied, before returning his attention back to the window. “But I am obliged to return to Kent. I have neglected my affairs for too long and they won’t wait any longer.”

“Of course,” Jasper said with ease, before some urge to play devil’s advocate provoked him to speak when he’d do better to hold his tongue. “Mr Burton will be there.”

A glint of amusement flickered in Montagu’s cold silver eyes as he studied Jasper. “You mean to imply that I risk losing my quarry,” he said mildly.

Jasper stared at him, wondering if he was truly as bloodless as he appeared, before giving a nonchalant shrug. “I believe he intends to court Miss Hunt.”

The faintest glimmer of a smile played around Montagu’s hard mouth. He lifted his hand and snapped his fingers, the sound echoing in the dark of the carriage. “For Mr Burton,” he said, and returned his attention to the window.

By God, what an arrogant bastard, Jasper thought, wondering what life must be like when viewed with such absolute certainty. For his own part, Jasper liked Mr Burton and thought Miss Hunt a fool if she turned up her nose at him, though most of the other guests would likely regard him as a mushroom, one of the encroaching newly rich who tried to buy or marry their way into the ton. From what he’d seen, Mr Burton could hold his own, though, and he deserved a proper chance to secure Miss Hunt’s attentions without the marquess muddying the waters. Jasper could only wish him luck.

The carriage rocked to a stop outside of the smart house on South Audley Street and soon the ladies were ensconced within. Jasper smiled at them both, complimented their dresses and enquired as to their health, whilst the marquess continued to look out of the window. He was a strange fellow to be sure. It was a matter of minutes before they arrived at their destination.

The impressive facade of a fortress dominated their first glimpse of the park in the fading light. Though a temporary structure erected solely for the evening’s entertainment, the ramparts were one hundred feet square. A round tower in the centre rose a further fifty feet from the ramparts, and what looked increasingly to be thousands of people were gathering around it. All had come to view the evening’s spectacle, from London’s hoi polloi to the upper echelons of the ton. The masses stood, whilst seating had been arranged for the quality, but all looked on in amazement at the scale of the structure.

“We must hope it doesn’t burn down this time,” Montagu mused, smiling a little as Jasper laughed.

“This time?” Miss Connolly enquired, eyes wide.

“I believe Montagu refers to the last such event, some sixty years ago. As I understand it, the first fireworks caught the structure alight and all the remaining fireworks went off at once. Some tens of thousands of them,” he said as Miss Connolly looked somewhat alarmed.

“I’m sure it’s all under control this year,” he said, with a soothing smile which fell as the rest of the guests joined them… including his nemesis, Miss Harriet Stanhope.

“What ho, Jasper.”

Jasper nodded as his best friend and the nemesis’ brother, Henry Stanhope, hailed him with his usual jaunty grin.

“There’s a devilish lot of people here,” Henry said as he drew closer, before becoming all stiff and formal to greet Montagu.

The marquess had that effect on people.

Soon, everyone was gathered. Mr Burton had made a beeline for Miss Hunt, Jasper noted, an event which the marquess had not yet deigned to notice, though Jasper felt certain he was perfectly aware of it. Countess Culpepper looked bored and resigned to behaving herself, as her husband was accompanying her. Mrs Manning, a rather fine-looking widow who’d made unmistakable overtures to him at their last meeting had no such restraints on her, and cast him a flirtatious smile to which Jasper politely inclined his head.

“You lucky devil.”

Jasper looked around to discover his younger brother, Jerome, and sighed. “What are you doing here?”

“I was invited,” Jerome replied, grinning broadly as he knew this would irritate Jasper. Jerome’s life work was irritating Jasper. “Now, do me a favour and introduce me to Mrs Manning.”