AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 14
Alice,dressed as Mr. Allen, strode into Greenbulls. Strange that she was so used to waltzing around a men’s club in breeches, but here she was. After a manservant took her hat and greatcoat, Alice moved toward what had quickly become her favorite chair—one near the center of the far wall where she could see nearly the entire room easily.
Without preamble, she collapsed into it with a grunt.
Gracious but she hated today. Yesterday had been filled with visits and Christmas boxes for her staff. Many of the men she’d danced with the night before had sent her flowers or even called on her. The evening had seen only her and Joseph, enjoying dinner in the nursery.
But this morning had dawned and with it, a new sense of urgency. If she was to find an honorable husband—one who wouldn’t commandeer all her wealth and shove her aside—before Twelfth Night, she had to get a move on. She’d spent too much time talking with Lord Brooks and watching men lose small fortunes while gambling. Today, she needed to stay focused. Surely there was at leastonegentleman in Carlaby who would fit her requirements. Her only hope lay in Lord Oakley.
Alice leaned forward, placing elbows on knees, and scanned the entire room. It was quite the fullest she’d ever seen Greenbulls. It seemed the men of town were tired of holiday celebrations at their various homes and wanted a temporary escape.
Most of the men here, however, she’d already learned enough about to discount. But she wasn’t going to go home today until she found a gentleman whose acquaintance she could further.
Lord Brooks wasn’t here. Without truly looking for him, she’d sought him out all the same. Her mind flitted back to their kiss. Heat stole up her cheeks as it always did whenever she remembered that moment—and she’d remembered it a lot.
Alice still hadn’t been able to truly make heads or tails of what had happened. She’d made it clear that she was quite all right with a small kiss. At least, she’d thought that much was clear. When they’d been caught underneath the mistletoe, Alice had first believed Lord Brooks would simply spin about on his heel and leave her there. Alice didn’t particularly care about what others said regarding her, but being jilted beneath the mistletoe wasn’t exactly appealing either. She’d only hoped to assure him he could kiss her without fear of her getting the wrong notion or of being shackled to his enemy’s daughter.
Would he do that? Would he, of all men, try to lure her in just so he might have her fortune? She wouldn’t have thought that of Lord Brooks.
Or perhaps that moment when he’d held her as they built the snowman had elicited emotions in him as well as it had her. Perhaps that kiss which had heated her—hadfilledher—had also done the same to him. Could he have felt what she had?
No—certainly not. Alice pushed against her knees, sitting back in the chair. Lord Brooks hated her almost as much has he hated her father. More still, most of their time together had been while she was acting as Mr. Allen. Lord Brooks didn’t know all those times they were agreeing on politics or discussing husbandry practices that it wasAlicehe had been talking to. Horse-back rides and time together at Greenbulls—those were all only meaningful to her.
So, no. Their shared kiss could not have been a moment of true connection for him. Either he’d been swept up in the moment, caught unawares by the Christmas spirit, or he was toying with the idea of marrying her for her wealth.
Alice covered her face with a hand. She felt sick.
No matter Lord Brooks’s true intentions, she knew he needed an infusion of wealth. With that knowledge in mind, how could she ever trust that he actually wantedher?
Slowly, she blew out a slow breath. This was why she’d solemnly vowed not to marry a man who needed money; no matter how much a man flattered her or bestowed attentions upon her, she would never truly know if it was herself or her money that interested him. She would never be able to trust even the most considerate acts. It was like Lord Robins had said the other week as they’d ridden to call on Mrs. and Miss Dowding. Lord Brooks needed a wife who brought wealth into the marriage, not love. If he now was showing any signs of softening toward Lady Nightingale—a woman he greatly disliked—the only logical reason she could find was that he was a fortune hunter at heart.
Alice sat up straight once more; it was time she shoved Lord Brooks from her mind and focused on the men currently at Greenbulls. Preferably the ones who already had enough in their own coffers that blunt would not be the only thing they saw when they looked at her.
Standing not too far off was Lord Oakley. Thank the heavens for that. Alice stood and moved his direction. He was the last of the three gentlemen she’d hoped to further acquaintances with this winter. He’d finally arrived just in time for the Christmas Day ball, and she’d even danced with him once. He’d been as considerate and polite as ever.
It was blessedly easy to meet a gentleman when everyone believed she was a gentleman as well. Introductions were far simpler this way. For just over a quarter of an hour, Alice stood beside Lord Oakley, and they watched a hazard game together. He was interested in games of chance, but never wagered more than a few pounds. He had enjoyed the ball the other night but spoke not a single crass or vulgar comment regarding any of the women he mentioned. Alice already knew his fortune to be secure and quite equal to her own.
Too bad the longer they spoke, the more her mind drifted to other things. As he spoke about his family—a mother, two brothers, and a very young sister by his mother’s second marriage—Alice caught herself more than once wondering how Joseph was doing and if he was listening to his nursemaid. As Lord Oakley spoke about his business which had kept him from coming to Carlaby sooner, Alice thought about Lord Brooks and the kiss they’d shared...and how confused it left her still.
Then, as though thoughts of him could conjure Lord Brooks out of thin air, Alice glanced up from the game and caught him staring at her.
It was as though a fire lit suddenly inside her chest, a burning spreading through her faster than she thought possible.
He was here.
And he clearly wished to speak with her.
Already, he was halfway across the room, heading directly for her.
Of the many gentlemen visitors she’d received yesterday, Lord Brooks had not been among them. If he was truly wishing to press her into a marriage so that he might secure his own future, wouldn’t he have come to visit her? She’d truly expected he would. And yet, he hadn’t come. It was yet another piece of the puzzle she couldn’t quite place.
Lord Brooks reached her. “Good day to you, Mr. Allen.”
Hearing the name stilled a bit of the agitation inside Alice. Of course when he looked at her now he didn’t see Lady Nightingale; he saw her cousin. Good heavens, she’d nearly forgotten. He didn’t want to seeAliceat all.
“Good day to you,” she said, struggling against her own voice.
Clearly she hadn’t hid much of her turmoil, for Lord Brooks’s expression dropped, and his lips tugged to one side.
