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Lord Tullett chuckled quietly, his eyes a little brighter than before. “Then you will find precisely that here,” he said, as the door opened to reveal Lord Lincolnshire. “This evening we are to discuss the latest happenings as regards the Prince Regent and whether or not something ought to be done.”
Phillip’s ears pricked up at once. “Ought to be done?” he repeated, as Lord Lincolnshire poured himself a drink. “What do you mean?”
Lord Lincolnshire laughed loudly, sending a flurry of unease into Phillip’s heart. “Nothing of any particular seriousness,” he said, as though he knew precisely what Phillip was thinking. “There are those amongst us who are close to the Prince and who might, therefore, be able to introduce others to him.”
“So that he has the very best of gentlemen to guide him,” Lord Dayton finished, as Phillip sat back in his chair, allowing himself to appear a little more relaxed. “That is all that we mean.”
“I quite understand,” Phillip answered, seeing how Lord Dayton shared a look with Lord Lincolnshire. “And I admire your devotion and your dedication to our monarchy. I feel honored to be able to join you.”
Lord Tullett rose to his feet to pour yet another brandy for himself – having two empty glasses sitting to the left of his chair already. “We have not deemed you worthy as yet, Lord Monteforte,” he said, a hint of warning in his voice. “This is only the beginning.”
Chapter Five
Olivia did not know what it was, but something was bothering her about Lord Monteforte. She could not put her finger on it, but there was something about him, something in his manner that told her there was a lack of truth about him. She could not quite explain what it was, but only how it made her feel, aware that there was something about him that intrigued her. Intrigued her, yes, but also pushed her away from him at the same time.
Last evening at the soiree, she had seen him watching her from across the room and, whilst she had held his gaze, she had not made any attempt to walk across the room to speak to him. He had made a poor impression upon her, and she was not about to pretend that such a thing had changed simply because he had called on her cousins and had managed to speak to her cordially for a few minutes. And then she had seen Margaret and Louisa watching him, had seen them moving towards them with a small, shared smile between them and had felt her heart sink.
Lord Monteforte had not made any attempt to further his acquaintance with either Margaret or Louisa, and yet they seemed quite determined to do precisely that. Whether or not Lord Dayton had said something in order to encourage such a match she did not know, but something within her wanted to prevent her cousins from achieving their aims. A small amount of guilt had hit her as she wondered whether or not such a desire came from spite over what Margaret had tried to do, but even such an awareness had not prevented her from moving closer to them.
What she had overheard had only conf
irmed what she had suspected. There was a suggestion made that Margaret would take Lord Monteforte to the library – which would mean walking through the hallways alone – and Louisa, when pressed, had made a very thin excuse as to why she could not possibly do so. Given that she feared her uncle might force her to wed Lord Monteforte, Olivia ought to have said nothing and therefore remained utterly silent so that her cousin could press her advantage with him, but her conscience could not permit her to do so. As much as she disliked Lord Monteforte, and as much as she thought him to be rude and thoughtless, she did not want him to be forced into a marriage that she was sure would bring a good deal of heartache to both himself and, in the end, to Margaret. Therefore, the words that had left Olivia’s lips had surprised her almost as much as it had Lord Monteforte and her cousins, who had all turned to look at her with astonishment, having been entirely unaware of her presence.
Olivia had not backed down. She had stated that she would walk with Lord Monteforte and Margaret and had done precisely that.
What had intrigued her, however, was not only that Lady Margaret had led Lord Monteforte into the library, but that there were other gentlemen sitting there waiting for him – including her uncle. She had only caught a glimpse of each of them and had not recognized them all either, but she did wonder why they had all come to sit in Lord Lincolnshire’s library when the gentleman had organized a soiree. She had not even known her uncle had been in attendance, for he had left the house in his own carriage whilst she, her cousins, and her aunt had all gone to Lord Lincolnshire’s townhouse in their own carriage. And then, when it had come time to return, she had mentioned to her aunt that Lord Dayton was not yet with them and her aunt had merely shrugged, stating that her uncle would do as he pleased and return home whenever he chose.
It was all a little mysterious.
Of course, it could very well be that her uncle had business to attend to, although Olivia was suspicious that, when it came to Lord Monteforte, Lord Dayton had very specific intentions – business or otherwise. There was no reason for her to know what precisely her uncle and Lord Monteforte had been discussing last evening, but there was something about it that caught her interest.
“You have been summoned to the drawing room, Lady Olivia.”
Olivia looked up, having been sitting in a small chair by the quietly crackling fire. It was a rather cold summer’s day and, as such, she had requested a fire to warm her room. She was loathe to leave it, loathe to step away and retreat from her room, but the look on Betty’s face told her she could not refuse.
“Who wants to speak to me?” she asked, as Betty shot her a warning look, practically forcing her to her feet. “My uncle?”
“Your uncle and your aunt,” Betty answered, quietly. “And they have their daughters with them.”
Butterflies began to flutter furiously in her belly as she saw Betty frown. “My cousins are there also?”
“They are all waiting for you,” Betty said, warningly. “I, of course, have no thought as to what they might say, but I would think it will be serious.”
“You are probably correct,” Olivia murmured, pressing one hand lightly against her stomach. “I cannot imagine what it is they wish to say to me, but I cannot help but feel some anxiety.” Her mind began to fill with all manner of ideas, wondering if they were to speak of last evening, of Lord Monteforte, of another gentleman that she might expect to be considered as her suitor. Mayhap she was to be sent back home early over some sort of misdemeanor that she was entirely unaware of.
“Do not fret so,” Betty said, moving quickly to usher Olivia from the room. “But do not keep them waiting either. Hurry, Lady Olivia, before they find something else to complain about!”
By the time Olivia set foot in the drawing room, her stomach was twisting with anxiety and her heart thundering much too quickly for her liking. She tried as best she could to put an expression of calmness on her face as she saw her uncle, aunt, and cousins all turn to look at her at once, forcing herself not to show any sign of tension.
“Olivia,” Lord Dayton murmured, as she sat down in the chair indicated by her aunt. “Thank you for coming so quickly.”
Olivia’s brow flickered with a frown. She could not tell from her uncle’s tone whether he was displeased with her or not. Daring a glance at her two cousins, she saw that Margaret was white faced whilst Louisa’s eyes appeared to be red-rimmed from crying.
Her heart sank.
“Something has come to light that I would like to speak to you about, Olivia,” Lord Dayton said, never lifting his firm gaze from her face. “I would like you to be entirely honest with me, if you will.”
“Of course, Uncle,” Olivia promised, fastening her fingers together in her lap and feeling almost too afraid to blink such was the intensity of his gaze. “I will speak truthfully.”
