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He had arranged to meet Freddie at the tearooms in town to celebrate the occasion. He whistled to himself as he walked towards it, well pleased with how the day had turned out. The only fly in the ointment had been the haste with which Lady Jane had left Cliff Lodge after their illicit walk through the house. He just couldn’t tell whether he had redeemed himself in her eyes or not.
His mind drifted back to the odd encounter. He still couldn’t believe that she had suggested climbing through that window and viewing the house with him. It was a side of her personality he had never suspected. She was so quiet, thoughtful, and wanting to fade into the background. But it seemed that once that tranquil surface was scratched, there was another whole side to the demure lady.
Still waters run deep, he thought, smiling to himself.Very deep indeed.
He should feel happier about the foolish proposal now. She had seemed to accept his apology and promised to put it behind her. Might he still have a chance with her? Because every single time he saw her and talked with her he was convinced about how superior she was amongst women, and he knew she wasn’t playing a different kind of game to ensnare him. Lady Jane truly wasn’t trying to entice or catch him in any way. She wasn’t a game player at all.
And that only made him want her for a wife all the more.
He thought he had broken the ice, just a little bit. Perhaps it might be enough to call upon her again. He wouldn’t be so foolish as to renew his proposal. He was willing to get to know her slowly if that was what she wanted. He wasn’t willing to give up on her just yet.
There had also been a satisfactory amount of erotic tension simmering between them. He had felt it, and he knew she had too, although as a proper young lady, she probably couldn’t put a name to what it was. As far as he was concerned, it was the icing on the cake.
How much more pleasant it would be to have a wife who might welcome him to her bed before they went their separate ways. If he could manage to persuade her to marry him, it could be an arrangement like he had with those other ladies, although within the proper boundary of matrimony, of course.
The shop bell tinkled as he walked into the tearooms. Freddie was waiting for him at a back table. His friend had already ordered a pot of tea, a plate of cucumber sandwiches and another filled with tiny cakes, iced to perfection.
Percy sat down. “It looks like you have ordered the entire shop, Morland.”
“Well?” Freddie stared at him. “Is it done?”
Percy grinned. “It is my friend. Done and dusted! You are looking at the new owner of Cliff Lodge. The contract of sale is being drawn up as we speak.”
“Congratulations, old chap,” beamed Freddie. “It is a bit ramshackle, to be sure, but you have enough funds to make it look spanking new.”
“I have big plans for the house,” said Percy, picking up a sandwich and biting into it. “I want to completely renovate the interior. A fresh lick of paint to the exterior. Cliff Lodge is going to be totally transformed once I am done with it.”
“It certainly is located in a dramatic spot,” said Freddie, munching on a cake. “A house with a view. I shall look forward to many sojourns there.”
Percy nodded with satisfaction. He had secured one of his aims for this trip—he had found a house. And what a house it was. Now, he could concentrate on the other goal for this trip, which of course, was finding a wife.
“I did not tell you, “said Percy, grinning widely. “Lady Jane Metcalfe accompanied me on an impromptu tour of the house this morning.”
Freddie raised his eyebrows. “I beg your pardon? I did not think that lady would ever talk to you again after that botched proposal. How on earth did you manage to get back into her good books?”
Percy raised his eyebrows. “She caught me breaking into the house. And then, after admonishing me, proceeded to ask if she could accompany me in there.”
Freddie burst into laughter. “Are you joking? I would never have thought she would be so playful. She seems so…sedate.”
“That is both of us, my friend,” said Percy, chuckling at the memory. “There is another whole side to Lady Jane, it seems.” He paused. “I suspect she might be a sensuous woman, too.” Another pause. “I want to call upon her again. I want to try again.”
“You think she would be receptive?” Freddie looked doubtful. “From what you told me, she seemed quite adamant that she didn’t want to marry you. Did you not say she said she didn’t want to marry at all?”
“She did,” said Percy in a thoughtful voice. “I assumed at the time that she was just making it up, perhaps to lighten the refusal, but now…I am not so sure. It certainly is a very odd thing for a lady to assert. They are usually bending over backwards wanting to marry.”
Freddie finished his cake, washing it down with tea. “Perhaps she has been unlucky in love. Maybe she was deserted by a former suitor or fiancé and has sworn never to marry because of it.”
Percy hadn’t thought of that. “Perhaps.”
Freddie hesitated. “If you are truly serious about her, my friend, and want her to give you another chance, then you must take things slowly,” he said. “Really get to know her and put her mind at rest that you are trustworthy and shall treat her well. You already know she cares nothing for your title or wealth, or else she would have accepted you with alacrity. I suspect something else motivates our Lady Jane. And it might just be romance or love.”
Percy swore underneath his breath. “You mean I must put on some sickly show, reading her poems or some such thing?”
“Exactly.” Freddie nodded. “Take it slowly. Get to know her—her fears, her hopes, her dreams. Do little romantic things like giving her gifts, but nothing too extravagant. Recite poetry. Take her for moonlit walks. That sort of thing.”
Percy swore again. He didn’t have a romantic bone in his body. He despised romance, believing it was a fantasy, something concocted by poets and painters and philosophers. He believed in straightforward carnal attraction, but that was it. The rest was just fluff and nonsense.
He gritted his teeth. But if that was what it took to win her trust and convince her to marry him, then he would do it. It couldn’t be that hard, could it? A few gifts here and there. He would have to find a book or two of love poetry. He had made a very big mistake in rushing her, and he had learnt his lesson.
