An Affair to Remember

  Rupert sighed. “You are making this very difficult for me, aren’t you?”

  “As much as possible.”

  A reluctant smile touched his lips. “Anna, I hope you don’t think I’m too forward, but I couldn’t help but notice that my cousin seems rather taken with you.”

  “Oh, he’s quite decided that I’m to be his mistress,” Anna said without thinking.

  Rupert barely managed to keep his mouth from dropping open. For some reason, such openness was disturbing in a woman. Of course, Anna Thraxton wasn’t an ordinary woman. In the past two weeks, Rupert had come to realize exactly what it was that had Anthony in an uproar.

  He felt a momentary twinge of guilt. It was quite unlike Greyley to pursue an honest woman, and Rupert had little doubt that Miss Thraxton was every bit as virtuous as she seemed. That left only one possibility—that there was a genuine attraction between the two.

  His mother had been right after all. “I hope my cousin hasn’t made things awkward for you.”

  “Heavens, no! Greyley is rude, perhaps, but never awkward. I’ve told him I’ll have none of him.”

  “He doesn’t seem to have heard you.”

  “Yes, well, he’s a wretched listener. Quite impossible.”

  Rupert had to smile. “I’ve never heard it said quite like that, but yes, he is a wretched listener.”

  Anna glanced at the children. “Yet he has done a great deal for your family.”

  Indeed he had. More than Anna could guess. Rupert’s twinge of guilt grew. “I don’t know if you are familiar with the particulars of the Elliot family, but suffice it to say that we are singularly lacking in decorum, grace, and quality.”

  “That’s rather harsh.”

  “But true. Before Anthony took the family in hand, we were on the brink of ruin, both financially and socially. My uncle owed money to almost every peer in the realm, even the prince. And as you know, that is not an enviable position for anyone.”

  “I should say not. But Greyley seems to have prospered despite it all.”

  Rupert leaned a shoulder against a wall. “I don’t know about that. He was only seventeen when he took the family reins. He’s more somber now. He doesn’t laugh as he used to.”

  A shadow darkened her eyes. “He takes on a lot, doesn’t he?” she said softly.

  “As he was taught. He was a St. John, you know.”

  “Where he learned his principles.”

  “And no one is quite so stubborn as a St. John.”

  “Except an Elliot?”

  “We aren’t nearly as stubborn as we are selfish, disloyal, and spendthrift.”

  “Lovely qualities for an entire family.”

  “You cannot change the way you were born,” Rupert said with a shrug.

  “Nonsense,” she said briskly. “You are what you decide to become, Rupert.”

  “So Anthony tells me. He’s becoming impossibly dictatorial.”

  Anna sighed. “I know. I’ve done what I can. But it’s going to be up to Charlotte—” She broke off.

  “Charlotte?” Rupert asked. “Ah, yes. Charlotte Melton. I’ve been escorting you to her house every morning.”

  “I was hoping you wouldn’t know her.”

  “I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting her, but I’d heard—” He shrugged. “I know far more than you realize.”

  “I didn’t realize you knew of the engagement. I would have introduced you, but—” She looked at him.

  Rupert gave a rueful grin. “I’m not a proper man for a Miss Melton, eh?”

  “She’s a very gentle creature, almost half his age, and painfully shy. Makes me positively ill to think of what living with a man like Greyley could do to a gently raised child like that.”

  “I see,” Rupert said. He watched Anna for a moment, noting the way the sunlight lit the deep auburn lights of her hair to the richest red. She was a beautiful woman, he realized with some surprise. Even with that bold nose. Strange he’d never noticed it before, but something about her manner made one shy away from really looking at her.

  But perhaps it was no wonder. Any normal man would cringe from the directness of her opinions, the forthright way she had of speaking, and the annoying way she had of looking at one as if she could see right through you. All told, she was a formidable package. To everyone but a man like Greyley.

  And perhaps to a man like Rupert. He leaned forward and smiled. “You have lovely hair.”

  She sent him a flat look. “Pray do not start that nonsense with me. I have a very low tolerance for drivel.”

  Rupert’s pride was piqued. No wonder Greyley was so determined to have her. “Are you ready to go for a ride?”

  “Only if you will promise not to make a cake of yourself. I’m quite immune, you know. And I rather like you—I’d hate to have to avoid you for the rest of your stay.”

  “Oh, very well, wretch,” he said, feeling unaccountably cheered. He offered her his arm. “Shall we go?”

  “I need to change. Can you meet me in front of the house in ten minutes?”

  “No woman can change her clothes in ten minutes.”

  “I can,” she said. “Lily, will you and Mrs. Stibbons watch the children? I’m going for a ride.”

  Lily beamed her agreement and Rupert watched as Anna walked from the room. He made his farewells to the children and went downstairs to wait. A scant ten minutes passed before she sailed down the steps, her habit neatly buttoned as she pinned her hat to her curls.

  They were up on their horses and riding through the woods before Anna smiled at him. “I hope you don’t mind, but I promised Charlotte I’d stop by.” She shot him a hesitant glance. “I hope you won’t tell Greyley that I’ve become acquainted with his betrothed. I don’t think he’d like it.”

  Rupert flashed a boyish grin. “Oh, I’ll keep your secrets, if for no other reason than to discomfit Anthony.”

  “Excellent! I’ve been lending Charlotte some books.”

  “What books?”

  “Wollstonecraft, Byron, and some others.”

  “Good God,” Rupert said, awe dripping from his words. “Anna, what are you doing?”

  “Protecting an innocent girl from future unhappiness.”

  “And creating unhappiness for Greyley.”

  “Anthony needs a woman who understands her own value. With a few improvements, Charlotte will be perfect.”

  Rupert’s grin widened. “Greyley will be furious.”

  “Oh, he’s always upset about something.”

  “Good God, what I would give to see the first time she opens her mouth to refute him. He’ll be livid.”

  Anna sniffed. “No man knows what’s good for him. Look at Greyley—with all the capable, competent women out there, he chooses the most unsuitable child for his bride. Why, one week with your family and she would be torn to shreds and—” She glanced at him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to malign your relatives.”

  “If she’s an innocent, I daresay you’re right.” He glanced at her curiously. “Why do you care so much about Greyley’s intended?”

  “Because Charlotte has no one to help her.”

  “You are a kind person, did you know that?” His lips twisted into a self-derisive smile. “The opposite of me.”

  “You are what you want to be. And you want to be naughty.”

  He grinned but made no further comment, and they rode for a short time without talking.

  “Here we are,” Anna said as they pulled up to the garden gate at Melton House. She easily dropped to the ground without waiting for Rupert to dismount. “I’m a bit late. Charlotte will be worried something happened.”

  He lightly leaped down from the saddle and came to stand beside her. “Worried? About an Amazon like you?”

  “Charlotte doesn’t have my hearty constitution. I daresay a ride in the sun would quite exhaust her.”

  “She sounds like a paltry woman.”

  “Oh no. Just delicate.” A mischievous grin crossed
Anna’s face. “And very pretty.”

  Pretty? “Is she?” Rupert managed to say without too much inflection.

  “Just wait until you meet her.” Anna looped the reins over the fence and opened the narrow iron gate.

  Rupert followed, closing the gate and looking about him with interest. The garden was beautiful—lush and heavily grown, with splashes of color that almost hurt the eye. The lazy sun warmed everything and sent the heavy scent of flowers spilling into the air.

  Anna frowned. “Charlotte is usually waiting. Rupert, stay here. I’m going to see if she’s on the other path.” She disappeared down a narrow stone walk.

  It was quiet in the little clearing, the heavy drone of a bee the only sound. A faint breeze stirred his hair. The minutes stretched and he sighed, feeling a little sleepy in the heat. He wandered to the rose garden and plucked a large, pink blossom. A sound behind him made him turn.

  Expecting Anna, he was already smiling, a quip ready. But the words died on his lips. Before him stood a tiny, exquisite creature who looked like a nymph. Her skin was perfect cream, her cheek smooth and round. Her mouth, naturally red, parted as she gasped in surprise. She took an uncertain step back and the sunlight gilded her golden hair to silver.

  Rupert stared, his breath suspended, his heart thudding loudly in his ears. He met her gaze, and his chest contracted. She had cornflower blue eyes, as innocent as a fawn’s, with long, thick lashes that made his heart swell. The sunlight seemed to shimmer and expand, filling his heart, his soul.

  Rupert took a step forward.

  She turned as if to fly.

  “Wait,” he said softly. “Don’t leave. Please.”

  She paused, though her body was still tense. “Who are you?”

  He managed a bow, smiling up at her as he did so. “Rupert Elliot. I’m here with Miss Thraxton and—”

  “Oh!” The nymph’s face glowed. “I knew she would come today.”

  Realization dawned. “You are Charlotte Melton,” he said in a strangely hollow voice.

  She nodded shyly, her blond ringlets framing her face. “I should go and find Miss Thraxton.”

  “No!” He glanced wildly around, desperate for some reason to keep her with him. “We should sit and wait for her together.”

  Charlotte glanced at him uneasily. “I shouldn’t stay in the garden alone with—”

  “But we are not alone,” he said promptly, moving to a nearby bench and dusting the seat. “Miss Thraxton is on her way here now.”

  “That’s true.”

  “Here, you can put your books between us, to make sure there is no impropriety.”

  She hesitated yet again, and some bit of mirth made him say, “Anna would not hesitate.”

  That did it. Charlotte’s chin lifted and she perched on the edge of the bench, setting the book between them.

  “Is that one of Miss Thraxton’s books?”

  “Yes. I was going to return it to her, though I hate to give it up.”

  “What is it?” he asked, entranced by the enthusiasm that shone from her face.

  “Childe Harold. It’s the most wonderful book I’ve ever read,” she said with so much sincerity that his heart caught again. She turned her wide gaze on him. “Have you read it?”

  “Yes,” he lied without the slightest remorse. “It is one of my favorites.” And from this day forward, it would be. “In fact, I’ve told Lord Byron several times how much I enjoyed it.”

  “You know Byron?” she said, obviously awed.

  He did, though Rupert had never met a more boorish individual in all his days.

  “I’ve heard that he is excessively romantic.” She gazed up at Rupert with an adorably shy smile. “Could you tell me about him?”

  Anna came around the corner just in time to see Rupert take his place on the bench beside Charlotte. The two made a charming pair—the one small and fair, the other tall and dark. And there was a certain something about them, the way the air was charged with tension. The way Charlotte’s head dropped as if she were fighting the desire to rest her head on Rupert’s shoulder. And Rupert—Anna almost cursed aloud. He was thoroughly smitten. It showed in the way he stared at Charlotte as if he thought she might disappear at any second.

  Though Anna hadn’t disguised her footsteps, the two seemed oblivious to her presence. She managed to listen to Rupert give a very inaccurate account of Lord Byron, describing that debauched lord as “fiery” and “bold,” and winning Charlotte’s excited responses in return.

  The conversation soon turned to other topics, and Anna learned that Charlotte had not been still in her pursuit of knowledge. She’d not only read Childe Harold, but had memorized entire passages and was perfectly able to discuss them with enthusiasm, if very little understanding.

  Not that it mattered—to judge by his rapt expression, Rupert thought Charlotte’s every utterance brilliant.

  Good God, what had she done? Best to halt this little flirtation before it progressed into something more serious. Anna cleared her throat, immediately gaining the attention of the two on the bench.

  They sprang apart, looking amazingly guilty. Anna frowned. She didn’t like this at all.

  Charlotte stood, nervously fidgeting with her book. “There you are, Anna!” she said in a breathless voice. “I was looking for you.”

  “Were you?” Anna said, pasting a smile on her face. “And now you’ve found me. Rupert, perhaps you should go and check on the horses. They might wander off.”

  He stood. “Of course. Miss Melton, it was a pleasure to meet you.” He took her hand and placed a kiss on the back of it.

  Anna watched as Charlotte’s face pinkened with pleasure. “Rupert,” Anna said ominously, “you had better hurry. I think I heard a dog barking and you know how skittish Majesty can be.”

  Rupert nodded, though he didn’t take his eyes off Charlotte, his hand still holding hers. “Of course.”

  They remained where they were, hands clasped, staring into each other’s eyes until Anna was certain she’d explode. “Oh for heaven’s sake,” she finally exclaimed, tromping forward and taking Charlotte’s hand out of Rupert’s grasp. “Go and tend the horses.”

  He reddened and with one last lingering glance at Charlotte, he turned and hurried up the path.

  Anna stayed only another half hour, and all in all, it was a wasted trip. Charlotte was distracted, her gaze straying far too often in the direction Rupert had disappeared. Frustrated, Anna had abruptly said her good-byes and left. But the worst was yet to come, for on the way home, she had to listen to Rupert’s gushing admiration for the “nymph,” as he called Charlotte. By the time Anna reached Greyley House, she was so disgusted with the whole thing that she dismounted her horse and marched up the stairs without saying a single word to Rupert or anyone else.

  She reached her room only to flounce upon her bed and lie staring up at the ceiling. Anna was certain Rupert’s interest in Charlotte was only a passing attraction, something that would burn out as quickly as it began. Or so Anna hoped. She could just imagine Anthony’s fury on discovering that his intended had fallen in love with Rupert—and she knew full well whom Anthony would blame.

  Chapter 24

  I can’t help but think Anna harbors a secret resentment for Miss Melton. Every time she wrote the girl’s name, her pen struck through the “t” with such force that it ripped the paper.

  The Countess of Bridgeton to the Earl of Bridgeton, while sitting at breakfast at Hibberton Hall

  Rupert stared at the list on the desk before him. A man of twenty and four years should possess far more than six horses, a curricle, a high perch phaeton, a wardrobe of fashionable clothing, and a run-down cottage set on some lonely acreage in Derbyshire. Disgusted, he threw down the pen, ink splattering across the paper.

  There had to be more, or Charlotte was lost to him forever. The last two weeks had been an awakening. For the first time in his frivolous life, he cared about someone else more than himself. Cared with a purity
of passion that both frightened and exhilarated him.

  Each day brought him closer to Charlotte and they’d taken to meeting secretly, talking for hours on end, finding each other as delightful as their first meeting had promised. Rupert closed his eyes, imagining the warmth of Charlotte’s arms about his neck, the feel of her cool lips beneath his. He would never presume to so much as kiss her hand without having some understanding, and her relationship with Anthony held them apart.

  But soon…if he could find a way to prove to her parents that he could support and cherish her, perhaps then he would have her.

  He raked an impatient hand through his hair. No. He had to have her. He loved her far too much to let her go. If her parents would not countenance the union, then he’d sweep her off to Gretna Green and—The fantasy abruptly faded. Charlotte was too delicate, too pure to be married over an anvil in the still of night. He had to convince her parents to countenance the match. It was the only way. Rupert dropped his head into his hands and stared down at the dismal list.

  If he sold the carriages and four of the horses, he could possibly pay off his debts and still have a little to live on. He straightened slowly, smoothing the paper as he considered what else he should do. They would have to practice economy, of course. But it could be done. Restless, he returned the pen to the holder, picked up the paper, and stood. Perhaps Anna could help him. She knew about practicing economy and what it would take to run a household.

  He had just reached the door of the library when Anthony entered. Rupert forced himself to meet Anthony’s quizzical gaze. “There you are,” Rupert said, wishing he didn’t feel so guilty.

  Anthony’s dark gaze rested on the paper in Rupert’s hand before he said, “I’m surprised to find you here and not in the nursery or riding with Miss Thraxton.”

  “I’m on my way to see Anna now.”

  Anthony’s jaw tensed at the way Rupert so casually used Anna’s name. “You sound as if you have become very familiar with my governess.” He didn’t mean to put emphasis on the word “my,” but somehow it came out that way.