The Beast and the Baron's Daughter Read online

  Lord Penhaligon looked over once or twice and was clearly relieved that somebody else was enjoying his wife’s company; someone other than him.

  “I am bound to say that men of good status were a little lacking this Season, they were spread rather thin,” Lady Penhaligon said, unashamedly admitting to her search for a man of title and wealth for the last of her offspring.

  “I am sure that there is plenty of time yet for your daughter, Lady Penhaligon,” Nathaniel said, realizing that he be at least a little at his ease to have been able to feel bored with her conversation.

  He had truly expected that the afternoon would be appalling. Whilst he had not particularly missed the company of anybody present, he did not find their presence as upending as he had assumed. All his previous forays into society over the last eight years had been fraught with awkwardness from one end to the other.

  Now, however, he realized that he was not entirely uncomfortable. He knew he was being stared at now and again, for he had learned how to recognize a surreptitious glance from a hundred paces. But perhaps he had come to realize that people could be given time. Their instant reaction to him, whether it was curiosity or fear, might well not perpetuate. That had certainly been the case with Jane, had it not?

  “Yes, I am sure I shall be able to find her a man of good standing if I put my mind to it.” He concentrated on Lady Penhaligon again and realized that she was now staring at him very closely indeed.

  She had even tilted her head a little and narrowed her gaze as she contemplated, without a hint of shame, the scarring on his face and neck. For his part, Nathaniel was surprised to find that he was rather more amused than he was embarrassed or angry.

  “Oh, Lady Penhaligon, there is Mrs. Daventry. I do believe she wanted to have a word with you about the charity ball at the assembly rooms next month,” Lady Ariadne said, linking her arm through Lady Penhaligon’s and whisking her away before she had the opportunity to say another word.

  Nathaniel smiled to himself, his aunt was doing her job and doing it well. She might well have kept out of the conversation, but she had not deserted him entirely. She had thrown him into the water, but she would not leave him to drown.

  “I have brought you some tea, Lord Sotheby.” Jane appeared in front of him like a wonderful vision brandishing a cup and saucer.

  “Thank you, Miss Briars,” he said and heard the relief in his own voice. “Perhaps you would care to sit with me for a moment? I do not wish to impose upon you, but I rather fear the return of Lady Penhaligon,” he said and took the cup and saucer from her, setting it down on the nearest unoccupied table.

  He pulled out a chair for her and she sat down on it.

  “Dear me, is she as bad as all that?” Jane said in a whisper.

  “Worse,” he said and laughed, pleased when Jane laughed also. “Well, I think she was trying to decide whether or not I would be a good match for her daughter. I have title and wealth enough to please her and I think she was wondering whether my face was something that her precious daughter could stomach for the rest of her life.”

  “Oh,” Jane said and looked a little dismayed.

  “I think so, at any rate, for she peered at me so closely that her nose was but an inch from mine at one point, I am sure of it.” He lightened his tone, keen not to make Jane awkward.

  She was an absolute picture of beauty in a dusky pink gown and neat white gloves. The color suited her rich brown curly hair and pale face very well and he noted the effort that she had put in.

  Her hair was neatly coiled on the back of her head, her natural curls loose here and there as they framed her face. She had inserted a little comb with dried flowers on, little pale pink flowers to match her gown. It was a tiny adornment, just enough to add a little interest without detracting from her natural beauty in any way.

  Her hazel eyes were large and round, giving her a look of innocence, and her lips were full and pale pink.

  “We all look a certain way, Lord Sotheby,” she said suddenly, taking him by surprise. “Each and every one of us. Those around us simply accept us sooner or later, usually sooner.”

  “Do you think Lady Penhaligon’s daughter would soon accept me? Perhaps I ought to marry her.”

  “Oh goodness, no,” Jane said, and it was clear that she forgot herself for a moment, enjoying herself as he thought she must surely have done time and time again in her old life. “Not if the daughter is as impertinent as the mother, no,” she laughed. “I cannot quite put into words what it is I was trying to say.”

  “I will not bite your head off for trying.”

  “You will forgive me for being cautious, My Lord, for my first impression of you was that you might easily bite off a head without any effort at all.”

  “You do not need to be forgiven for that, it is true. I have become a little gruff these last years, no doubt on account of spending too much time in my own company.”

  “Then your aunt has done well to arrange this afternoon, has she not?”

  “I suppose she is the only person left who knows me at all. And the truth is, I have not done well by my aunt these last years. I have kept her at arm’s length and I ought really to be grateful that she persists.”

  “I think she loves you dearly, Lord Sotheby.” Jane looked down, her cheeks reddening.

  “Yes, I believe she does,” he said, enjoying her sweet embarrassment.

  Nathaniel realized that he had liked her moment of determined intimacy. He realized also what it cost her, as she was rather a shy woman, not one given to familiarity of any kind.

  She was worth ten of any daughters that Lady Penhaligon could produce and that was a fact. But she was so young and beautiful that he could not begin to hope that a woman like her would agree to spend the rest of her life with a disfigured monster.

  “Your aunt is returning, My Lord,” Jane said and, seeing the look of dismay on his face, she laughed. “No, not with Lady Penhaligon,” she whispered confidentially. “With a Mr. Lawton, I think that was his name.”

  “Oh, how glorious, Lawton is going to try to relieve me of some money for one of his financial schemes, I daresay.”

  “Then I shall leave you to it, sir.” The look she gave him was almost conspiratorial and he found he liked it; it spoke of a closeness.

  He knew, of course, that the closeness likely only existed in his imagination, but he would enjoy it, nonetheless. He realized that he had not felt such stirrings for years, certainly not since he had been a young and bright young man heading out to war. Even if it came to naught, which it undoubtedly would, would it really hurt to enjoy the idea for a while?

  “Well, I would beg you do not stray too far, Miss Briars, for fear of Lady Penhaligon returning to me.” He rose to his feet and bowed as Jane took her leave.

  9

  Wrapped in a shawl, Jane sat on the terrace just beyond the morning room to enjoy the colors of early autumn. She could hardly believe that she and Lady Ariadne had already been at Sotheby Hall for four weeks, time seemed to have flown.

  Bringing the Earl of Sotheby back into society, or rather bringing society to him, had proved to be much easier than she would ever have imagined in the beginning. Jane could hardly remember feeling awkward in Nathaniel’s company, for it had been so long since she had.

  As she stared out across the lawn to the woodland beyond and the wonderful russet color the leaves were turning, she thought back to that day in the Earl’s study. There was a moment in which she had realized that the Earl was simply a man. And, despite the injury he had suffered, he was still a handsome man. Just because a portion of his skin had been changed, why should his life have been so altered?

  From that moment, things had been so much easier between the two of them that she had allowed herself to start to forget her reduced status. They were each coming back into the world in their own ways and for different reasons and it seemed that they were meeting one another on untested ground, each one of them uncertain but glad of the other�
�s presence.

  Lady Ariadne had arranged a number of little events over the last weeks, all of them a little awkward to some degree. But as the society at Sotheby Hall became more familiar, so did the altered appearance of its master.

  Jane could see the acceptance in his guests, she could almost feel it, and it was the very thing she had tried to put into words so many weeks before. He was as he was; he was the Earl of Sotheby and his appearance did not change. He was a man, and one she realized she had grown to like more and more. In truth, she had realized she had fallen a little in love with him.

  “Am I interrupting?” Suddenly, he was there before her, peering down at her with his eyebrows raised.

  She smiled and blushed a little, as if he could read her thoughts.

  “No, not at all,” she said and eyed the chair opposite to silently indicate that he should sit with her. “It is a little cold, but it is such a fine morning that I wanted to be out in. Being a little lazy, I have chosen to sit rather than to walk.”

  “A fine choice,” he said and laughed.

  He looked very smart indeed wearing a tan colored tailcoat and waistcoat with light cream breeches and brown boots. With his dark hair, he seemed to suit almost any color and there was not a shade on earth that could detract from his wonderful, pale blue eyes.

  “Your aunt is having a little rest before bridge,” Jane said, feeling secretly glad that her mistress was absent for a while.

  It was a curious pleasure to have time alone with the Earl, something that she would never have enjoyed as Lord Briar’s daughter. A general lack of suspicion was one of the few benefits to her reduced status; who on earth would think that an earl would have any designs whatsoever on a paid companion?

  “It has been many years since I last played bridge and I am not entirely certain I am up to this particular one of my aunt’s tasks.” He leaned back in his chair, all ease and comfort, a far cry from the man she met just four weeks earlier.

  “I must admit that I am looking forward to it. I used to play bridge regularly when my father was still alive. He was so keen on it that we often had people around to play.”

  “Then you must partner me, for I will need all the help I can get.”

  “I most certainly will unless Lady Ariadne stops me,” Jane said in a whisper.

  “Do you know something I do not?” He leaned forward and whispered too, making her laugh.

  “I have been told off for trying to rescue too often. Your aunt thinks that I should let you get on with things a bit more, mingle a little I suppose.”

  “In these last few weeks I have mingled enough to last me a lifetime,” he said and laughed. “I was perfectly prepared to invite these people into my home, I had no idea I was supposed to like them as well.”

  “Oh, My Lord!” Jane said in a mock scandalized tone before laughing heartily. “You must not let Lady Ariadne overhear you.”

  “And you must not abandon me at bridge,” he said and chuckled. “You would not have me make a fool of myself now, would you?”

  “I do not know,” she said and narrowed her eyes, teasing him a little. “I think it does a person good to make a fool of themselves now and again. It is good for the soul to laugh at oneself from time to time, or at least that is what my father taught me.”

  “Do you think I would benefit from learning to laugh at myself?”

  “I would say yes as long as I could be assured that it would not offend you.”

  “A few weeks ago, it would have done, I shall admit that too freely. But it seems you have done something to soften my outlook upon the world.”

  “And I am glad to have done so, if indeed I have achieved such a thing.”

  “Miss Briars, I would just like to tell you that...” he began.

  “Oh, there you are.” Lady Ariadne’s booming tone made them both sit up straight as if they had been caught doing something inappropriate. “I think it is probably best I run over the rules of bridge with you, Nathaniel, in case you make a dreadful fool of yourself this afternoon.”

  Jane and Nathaniel both laughed, and Lady Ariadne scowled at them as she settled herself down heavily on one of the vacant chairs.

  As pleased as Jane was to see her mistress, she could not help but wonder what it was that Nathaniel had meant to say to her before he was interrupted. Perhaps she would never know now.

  10

  Just a week later saw Nathaniel hosting yet another afternoon of bridge. His aunt had declared the first to be such a success that she had immediately arranged invitations to be sent out for a game the following week.

  “I say, are you looking for a partner, Lord Sotheby? Nobody wants to play with me because I am rather dreadful, if I’m honest.” A young man looked up at him brightly and openly and he recognized him as James Winchester, the son of the Earl of Marton.

  The boy could be no more than fifteen years of age and there did not appear to be a hint of guile or animosity in the child.

  “I will gladly partner you, my dear fellow, although I must admit that I am likely to know better than you are. If you are pleased enough to be beaten thoroughly, then partner with me by all means,” Nathaniel said and smiled.

  “Oh, excellent!” the young man said and hurried his host to a table.

  James Winchester seemed very pleased to be in the company of his host and Nathaniel was made rather cheerful by it. There was something about the young man which reminded him of himself at that age; confident with a fully grown and experienced adult and perhaps a little cheeky.

  But instead of wondering where all his own brightness and confidence had disappeared to, as he ordinarily would have done, Nathaniel chose to simply enjoy the moment. Perhaps it was nice to be reminded of the man he had once been rather than be made sad by it. Perhaps it even gave him something to aspire to, if a person truly could aspire to become themselves once again.

  They sat down at a table opposite Lord Penhaligon and Mr. Charles Lawton. Nathaniel held back a laugh, knowing already that he and his new companion were already beaten for the two men at the table were such keen and serious players.

  As they began to play, Lord Penhaligon rolled his eyes a little as the young James talked incessantly and hardly paid attention to his cards at all. It served only to amuse Nathaniel more and he could not help himself but encourage James to continue in the same vein.

  He felt himself sliding backwards down the years, as if he was himself a young man again who delighted in irritating the more stoic older men.

  As the game continued, Lord Penhaligon and Mr. Lawton struck up a quiet and rather boring little conversation of their own and James and Nathaniel were left to their own devices, losing so badly that it was more amusing than shaming.

  “Well, we got a thorough trouncing there, did we not?” James Winchester said when the game was done, and the old men vacated the table to find a little more sensible conversation elsewhere.

  “I suppose we did, but it was a foregone conclusion,” Nathaniel laughed. “And look at them, how serious they are! Imagine their faces if they had lost. It hardly bears thinking about.”

  James was highly impressed with his new friend and Nathaniel basked in the glow of being looked up to by a younger man. It was something that he had never experienced in his life, having kept himself away from people for so long.

  “I say, Miss Briars is awfully pretty, isn’t she?” James said, peering across the room to where Jane stood behind his aunt, peering over her shoulder as she played what looked to be a life-and-death game of bridge.

  “Yes, she is awfully pretty,” Nathaniel said, thinking that Jane was more beautiful than pretty.

  “I’d say she’s very much prettier than Lord Penhaligon’s daughter.” James’ attention swung across the room to the shrew-eyed young woman for whom Lady Penhaligon had yet to find a suitable husband.

  “Yes, I agree,” Nathaniel said, lowering his voice and hoping that the young man would do the same.

  “Miss Briars has it
all though, does she not?” James turned his attention back to Jane. “If only I were twenty and not just fifteen, I would chase after her myself. I would do it now, but she would laugh.”

  “You will be twenty soon enough and you will find a Jane of your own.”

  “I hope so! I hope I have your luck.”

  “My luck?” Nathaniel said, looking at him quizzically.

  “Well, it is clear that she likes you. If you wanted to marry her, I think she would say yes in a heartbeat.” Nathaniel laughed; James’ bright optimism was strangely contagious.

  “You seem to be able to tell an awful lot from one afternoon of bridge,” Nathaniel said, teasing him a little.

  “Oh, it was easy.” James shrugged nonchalantly, and it was all Nathaniel could do to hold back the great swell of laughter. “Whenever you look away, she looks at you. And whenever she looks away, you look at her. It’s as plain as day.”

  “Well, I shall take you at your word, young man,” Nathaniel said and lightly clapped a hand on James’ shoulder.

  “Trust me, Lord Sotheby, and you will not go far wrong,” James said and smiled brightly at him, giving Nathaniel the benefit of experience, he clearly did not have.

  Nonetheless, Nathaniel began to wonder if it was worth taking seriously. Did Jane really look over at him from time to time? Could it be true that she might see beyond the scars to the man behind them?

  He knew that he had limited time now in which to find out; limited time in which to finally decide to take his courage in both hands.

  11

  Jane could hardly believe that the six weeks was almost at an end. She had tried to find her way into Nathaniel’s company more than once over the last few days, only to be thwarted by Lady Ariadne’s need for her assistance. Her final event, a rather grand ball, had taken a good deal of organizing and Jane had been at Lady Ariadne’s side throughout.