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“With any other gentleman it would be unexceptional, but Tavener—! And he took you to view the Elgin marbles? Blast, the ton will think you a bluestocking, which is almost as bad as being a rogue’s flirt!”
“How dare you!” Allegra cried, anger evaporating her satisfaction at his concern. Not even from Rob—especially not from Rob—would she allow her character to be maligned. “I am not a ‘flirt,’ I am a lady!” she said hotly. “You, of all people, should know that.”
Rob made a restraining gesture. “Yes, yes I do, so don’t unleash your famous temper on me. That’s precisely my point. You and I know you’re a lady, but society must be persuaded of it. A campaign that cannot go well, my dear, if the world sees you always in Tavener’s company.”
Though Allegra had to allow the truth of that, as her anger dissipated, disappointment grew. Rob seemed more concerned about preserving appearances than jealous of her spending time with Tavener. “I must remain at home until some gentleman of whom you approve invites me to drive?” she asked.
“Of course not. You may pay calls and shop—”
“I own more gowns now than I could ever wear out and I’ve already paid calls on every society lady Mrs. Randall recommended,” she countered, not at all interested in continuing those tedious activities. “Am I to be restricted to no more lively entertainment than that?”
Suddenly realizing that this might be the perfect opening to advance her desires, she rushed on, “I haven’t a horse, so I can’t ride with you, but might we continue the fencing lessons you began before you left for the army? I should love to learn more!”
Rob laughed. “Heavens, no! ’Twould not be suitable. Besides, the last thing I want is to equip you with a sword so you might try to skewer me the next time I offend you by chastising your behavior!”
“Chess, then. You used to enjoy our games.”
“Playing chess with me would hardly meet the goal of exposing you to the wider world.”
A dismaying thought struck, almost too awful to voice. Forcing herself to articulate it, she said softly, “Do…do you not want to spend time with me? If ’tis that, you need only say so and I’ll not—”
“No, of course it isn’t that,” Rob interrupted, looking harried. “It’s just—you’re not a child anymore, Allegra! Despite our family connection, ’tis not seemly for us to spend time together alone. Besides, how can I make the ton aware of what a jewel has come into their midst if I bury you here at Lynton House?”
As a reaffirmation, it wasn’t all she might have wished. Still, he was acknowledging he knew she had grown up…and would not the fact that he considered it improper for them to spend time alone indicate that he did indeed find her an alluring temptation he needed to avoid?
Unlike a certain other gentleman, who seemed to delight in temptation.
Heartened by that conclusion, she replied, “Might you drive me in the park, then? Just once or twice, until other suitable gentlemen ask for that honor.” Riding in his curricle wouldn’t have quite the intimacy as a game of chess or a fencing match at Lynton House, but it would allow her to converse with him in relative privacy. If they just had enough time together, surely he’d realize how much he prized her company.
Rob frowned thoughtfully. “Yes, I suppose that would be possible. I’m not engaged for tomorrow afternoon, I believe. Should you like to drive in the park then?”
“Above all things!” She gave him a radiant smile.
“Very good. We shall start there. You mustn’t lose heart, Allegra. There are many upcoming events at which you will be able to meet eligible gentlemen. A little persistence—and prudence—in discouraging Tavener, and I’m sure you’ll find the right gentleman to wed.”
Recognizing dismissal when she heard it, Allegra rose. “I’ll leave you to your work, then.”
Rob sighed. “There’s a shortage of millet for the Weiss farm and an outbreak of sore-hoof among the sheep on the Cumbrian estate. And the seed grain to order—but I don’t mean to prose on about matters in which a lady could have little interest and even less understanding.”
“Ah, but you are wrong!” Allegra protested. “Though we moved about quite often, I’ve always been interested in farming. I’m sure I would understand, if you explain it.”
“But I don’t wish to explain!” he retorted impatiently. Sighing again, he patted her hand. “Let us not brangle! I don’t mean to chastise, but you shall have to curb that argumentative nature if you want to win a husband. A man doesn’t like a woman who tries to intrude in his business—or wishes to dispute with him constantly.”
Allegra swallowed her first, biting response. “Yes, Rob,” she said after a moment, struggling to quell her irritation. “Shall we see you at dinner tonight?”
“No, I’ll be at my club.” He grimaced. “Meaning no disparagement of present company, I prefer not to dine with my stepmother. I swear, if she reaches for my hand again, I may forget the duty I owe to my father’s widow and pack her off to the family estate in Cumbria.”
That’s a resolution she could wholeheartedly approve, Allegra thought, wishing she had a club to escape to. “I understand. Until tomorrow afternoon, then?”
He gave her a salute. “Until tomorrow.”
Allegra’s smile faded as she left the library. She’d been right; Rob truly disliked the notion of her spending time with Tavener. However, trying to master a sense of disappointment, she wished he had a less restricted view of a woman’s role—and seemed to view their upcoming outing more as a pleasure and less as a military strategy.
But that was only evidence of his good character, was it not? she reassured herself. Honorable as he was handsome, having recommended she have a Season, Rob would think it unsporting to trade upon their former closeness to forward a match between them before she’d had time to meet other eligible gentlemen. And though he might be a bit…high-handed at times, doubtless due to habits of command ingrained by the army, she still had no doubt which man she’d prefer.
She would have Rob to herself for several hours tomorrow. She’d just have to make the most of it.
GARBED IN THE PALE YELLOW carriage dress she felt showed her at her best, Allegra eagerly accepted the groom’s hand up into Rob’s curricle. Nervously she adjusted her skirts as he set the horses in motion. With her opportunities to engage his heart and mind so limited, she wished to take full advantage of this rare chance.
“You’re looking especially lovely,” Rob said, making her glad she’d considered her choice of gown so carefully. “Let’s go see how many hearts you can ensnare.”
Resisting the strong temptation to confess ’twas only one heart she wanted, she replied, “And you, sir, are just as handsome in that bottle-green jacket as you are in regimentals. Have you sold out, then?”
“Yes, I completed the business yesterday. I shall miss the Regiment…though not the battles. Despite all the talk about courage and valor, war’s an ugly business.”
“What of the peace, then? With Boney exiled for good, I’ve heard many English aristocrats are flocking to visit the continent. Is Paris as beautiful as they say?”
Eyes on his horses, Rob shrugged. “Napoleon pulled down parts of the old city to create wide boulevards and erected stolen Egyptian monuments in some squares to celebrate his glory, which makes it overall a vast, drafty place. I much prefer London.”
She could hardly fault that response by a good Englishman, Allegra told herself, damping down a niggle of disappointment. Another idea occurred, much more to her purpose. “And the ladies? I’ve always heard how beautiful and elegant they are.”
Rob shook his head. “Beautiful perhaps, but as shockingly frank and forward as their gowns were low-cut. Faithless flirts, the lot of them! Give me a quiet, modest, pretty-behaved English lass any day.”
Allegra fell silent, mulling this bit of information. Quiet. Modest. Pretty-behaved. Not argumentative, as he’d thought her yesterday. She truly had learned to curb her temper—usually. But how did she go about proving she possessed the qualities he admired to the man who still saw her as his hot-tempered hoyden of a cousin?
Unfortunately, it appeared she shouldn’t try teasing or flirting or trying to play on the sensual attraction he felt for her. Unsure how to proceed, she picked up the conversational thread she’d begun. “How did you find Spain and Portugal, then? I’ve always envied your chance to travel abroad.” How she would love someday to visit her father’s Italy…especially with Rob as her companion.
Rob laughed. “Would that our positions had been reversed, not that I would wish the conditions I experienced during my ‘travels’ on any gently bred female! The sea off the Iberian coast looks beautiful, I’ll allow, but the country inland is rocky, dry and mostly barren. How I pined for the green forests of home! Now that duty no longer calls me away, I shall be happy never to leave England again.”
“I can see that making long marches in every sort of weather and spending the night who knows where might have given you a distaste for exploring,” she allowed.
