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“Jane, no one shares your strange interest in sea creatures,” said Lady Lucy, looking decidedly put out.
“I do,” said Percy. “I love the sea and discovering the creatures within it. And I must say, I am growing keener by the minute to find a house here, if there are pods of dolphins about in the area.”
Lady Jane turned to him, looking at him carefully. “There are dolphins. And sometimes whales. I have spotted an assortment of jellyfish as well.”
“Jane sketches the sea and her creatures,” said Marianne, looking at her sister fondly. “She is very talented. Her eye for detail is superb.”
Lady Jane looked a bit embarrassed by her sister’s praise. “It is just a hobby. I am not so talented, Marianne.”
Percy gazed with interest at the blushing lady. Intelligent, talented,andmodest. She was also beautiful, in an understated way, just like her sister. There was no showiness to her looks—she was simply, even plainly dressed. Not like her cousin, whose gown was overladen with embroidery and bows, and whose bonnet was strewn with a veritable cornucopia of silk flowers.
Lady Lucy, clearly bored by the direction the conversation had veered in, turned to him. “My lord, are you attending Lord Kensington’s ball tomorrow night? For I would encourage you to do so. It is always a splendid event. One of the highlights of the calendar in Seaborne.”
Percy smiled slightly. Freddie, the friend he was staying with at the bed and breakfast, had mentioned the ball. He was an old friend of Kensington.
“Yes, I was thinking about it,” he said. “It is about time I became social here.”
Lady Lucy looked very pleased. She actually clapped her hands together in delight. “Oh, that is wonderful news, my lord!” She smiled archly. “Will you promise me at least one dance?”
Percy laughed to hide his embarrassment. The lady was bold and very flirtatious. He had met her type before. Too many times. But it would be rude to refuse her when she had asked him point-blank like this, with others witnessing it.
“I would be honoured, my lady,” he said, bowing slightly.
Lady Lucy looked triumphant. Lady Jane sighed in an irritated way. Marianne took her sister’s arm, turning to him.
“We should not take up any more of your time, Percy,” she said. “Please enjoy your walk, and we shall see you at the ball tomorrow evening.”
The ladies curtseyed and continued on. He gazed after them thoughtfully.
The petite, blue-eyed one glanced back at him, giving him a jaunty wave. He waved back. Marianne and her sister didn’t turn around. He kept watching them until they were out of sight, before turning back to gaze out at the sea.
He knew he should be considering the beautiful Lady Lucy. She was clearly interested in him. Ambitious. She wanted to make a good matrimonial match, and he was an earl, after all. It probably wouldn’t be hard to convince her to marry him, and that was the other reason he was here, after all. To find a wife.
But he had met so many ladies who were just like Lucy. Beautiful, but with not much going on behind their blue eyes and pretty smiles. They bored him to tears if he was being honest with himself. And their naked ambition was a little off-putting, as well. Still, Lady Lucy would probably make a good wife and a fine countess. She would be decorative, run a household well, and know all the duties required for the role.
But the other one, Marianne’s sister, intrigued him more. She definitely wasn’t flirtatious. And he didn’t think she was ambitious, either. She hadn’t seemed interested in him at all; in fact, she hadn’t wanted to even speak to him. She was quiet and liked to fade into the background, but he had seen her intelligence.
Lady Jane might be a better candidate. He could imagine it would be a much simpler life living alongside a woman like that. She would do her own thing, and he could do his. Whereas the Lady Lucy’s of this world always demanded attention and often acted like spoilt toddlers if they did not get it. It would be a headache living with a lady like that.
Percy took one last look at the sea, before walking away, heading back to Mrs Holloway’s lodgings, just off the main street. He whistled to himself. He was looking forward to this ball tomorrow evening now. He was sure that Lady Jane would be there as well. He would ask her to dance and start the process towards matrimony.
He knew what Freddie would say if he told him he had set his sights upon the lady. His friend would laugh and gently remind him that there were many ladies to choose from, and he really shouldn’t limit himself to the first one he stumbled across along the beach.
But Percy couldn’t be bothered with all that. He just wanted to find a wife as quickly and as painlessly as possible, and Lady Jane fitted his bill.
What was wrong with that?
Chapter 3
The next evening, Percy hovered on the edge of the grand ballroom, sipping a glass of champagne as he watched the local assembly. Freddie was by his side, looking well satisfied that they were here. His friend had grown bored with long seaside walks already and was eager to delve into the society of Seaborne.
He turned, watching his friend. He had known Frederick Morland since they had attended Eton together and they had remained firm friends, even when their lives had veered in different directions. Freddie was from an esteemed military family and had served abroad, fighting in the last Napoleonic War, for many years. Since coming home, he had been restless, trying to find his place again.
Percy noted that many of the local young ladies were gazing with as much interest at Freddie as they were at him. But then, Freddie was hard not to notice. His friend was tall and angular, with a shock of red hair and bright, teasing hazel eyes. He, too, sipped his champagne and surveyed the crowd with an interested eye.
Percy spotted Marianne leaning against a wall. She looked elegant and refined as always, in a beautifully cut cream silk gown, with a diamante headband woven through her dark hair. He was just about to suggest they head over to her when he saw that Lady Lucy was standing next to her.
The lady was dressed in an opulent bright green gown, with many bows along the bodice, her red golden curls piled high upon her head. She was a bit overdone, in his opinion.
