His Lady Peregrine (4 page)

When he reached Georgiana,
it was obvious she was upset. Flushed cheeks, narrowed eyes. Toe of
her boot tapping on the grass. What in the world had happened?
She’d only been there for a few minutes. He couldn’t come right out
and ask, though. Not in front of everyone else.

A loud squawk came from
his left. A common cuckoo sat perched on the bench where Conrad’s
family had previously been. Seemed to be a perfect opportunity to
draw Georgiana away from Conrad’s grumping mother. He took
Georgiana’s arm. “Have a look over there. At the bench. Do you see
it?”

All eyes followed to where
he pointed. Amelia clapped. Conrad paled, Cecilia nodded, and the
dowager scowled.

But his lovely Lady
Peregrine’s expression said it all. Eyes wide in wonder. Smile
broad and open, her white teeth just peeking through her lips.
Hands clasped in delight. “Oh,” she whispered, “might we get
closer?”

“
Of
course.” Not only would it serve the purpose of separating her from
the dowager, it would also give her
pleasure
. And from the moment he’d
met her, doing that had dominated his thoughts.

With hastened steps they
hurried toward the bench, slowing a few feet away from the bird.
Without comment or a glance to each other, they slowed at exactly
the same time, not wanting to frighten the bird.
How extraordinary.

Georgiana reached up and
placed her hand on Percy’s arm. Hers trembled. Not in fear, he
knew, because his did the same. No, in excitement,
wonder.

Percy’s heart pounded hard
against his ribs. He’d never experienced this before. Never had the
joy of having another person take such delight in seeing a bird.
How was it possible he’d gone his entire life without
it?

No matter. It’s here now. And I intend to
enjoy it and Georgiana to the fullest.

With their steps in
unison, they tiptoed until they were a scant few feet from the
bird. The cuckoo didn’t fly away but sat on the bench, its little
head tilted to one side, its dark eyes staring at them. Was
it
as interested
in
them?

From behind them, Percy heard laughter and
then his name. The others, of course, gained amusement from his
love of birds. It used to bother him a bit. But being here with
Georgiana, sharing this experience, knowing she felt as strongly as
he did, made all the years of good-natured ridicule seem worth
it.

The cuckoo hopped closer
to the edge of the bench but still didn’t fly away. Somehow, it
almost seemed that it knew Percy and Georgiana meant it no harm. It
lifted one wing, preened a bit, and fluffed its magnificent
feathers, which brought a lovely sheen to its overall
appearance.

Georgiana whispered,
“Isn’t it extraordinary?”

Percy kept his voice low
too. “Indeed.”

Without warning, the bird’s eyes widened and
it flapped its wings.

What on earth?

From behind them, stomping
footsteps approached. “Go away! You disgusting creature!” It was
the dowager.

Percy turned, his mouth dropping open, as he
watched the woman storm toward the bench, waving her arms.

Percy glanced back at the
bird. Did the dowager have any idea that right at that moment she
mirrored the bird as it flapped its wings?

With an indignant squawk, the bird flew away
and up, circling around and landing on a branch a few feet above
them.

Georgiana, with storm
clouds brewing behind her eyes, frowned at the dowager. “Why did
you do that?”

The dowager didn’t bother
addressing Georgiana, but instead pointed at the bird. “Those
things are repulsive. I don’t want it anywhere in my
vicinity.”

“
I’m
quite certain it wanted nothing to do with
you
, either!” Georgiana
leaned forward as if ready for battle.

Oh dear.

Percy grabbed her arm and
propelled her back toward the others. Instead of embarrassment at
the scene between the two women, he felt pride. Yes, his Lady
Peregrine, defending the bird, had warmed his heart as nothing else
could have possibly done.

Ah, Georgiana, where have
you been all of my life?

Miriam Croome,
dowager
of the Lofton estate, nearly
salivated at the sight of the elder Mr. Radcliff. She’d seen him in
the past but hadn’t exchanged more than a few words. Why hadn’t she
noticed his appeal before? The man had an almost feral quality
about him, as if he were one with nature.

Heat crept up her
face.
What are you thinking? One with
nature? You despise
nature.
Hadn’t she always tried to keep her son Conrad
from any outdoor activities? Demanded that he stay clean and tidy,
having nothing to do with dirt and animals? Not that it mattered
now, as his wife, Amelia, had put a stop to that.

Still, she was
inexplicably drawn to Mr. Radcliff. How extraordinary. She hadn’t
wanted to be with a man since the one who had actually fathered
Conrad a few months before she married Lord Lofton. And that had
been…

Well never mind how long
ago. Parts of her person that she’d thought dead and buried were
suddenly springing to life. But
that
woman, the one who had
accompanied him. She was quite attached to the man. Literally. She
seemed to not want to stand apart from him.

Can I blame her?
Surely she senses the masculine sexual attraction
rolling off of Mr. Radcliff?

Blast it all. Why did that
Lady Ollerton have to be here anyway? Miriam, aghast at the way her
body was reacting to the man yet loath to part with the sensation,
was sure she could come up with some way to get to know him better.
They’d been previously introduced, so that wasn’t an issue. But
simply talking to the man wasn’t really what she had in mind
anyway.

Miriam! What has come over you?

She tamped down her
conscience, something she’d never let interfere in what she wanted
to do in the past. Now was not the time to start listening to it
whine and wheedle. No, there had to be a way, some way, that she
could get Mr. Radcliff to notice her. But what?

After having words with the simpering Lady
Ollerton, Amelia had hurriedly called for food to be brought out.
Had she been hoping to diffuse the tension between the two women?
Everyone had gathered around the tables, waiting for their
meal.

Impatient at having to
wait to eat, Miriam wandered away from the group and returned to
the bench to sit and gaze at her new obsession. She eyed the seat
carefully first, making sure not to sit on anything unmentionable
or disgusting that might have been left by that bird. Why did these
people always long to spend time out-of-doors, anyway?

Sitting in the shadows as
she was, Miriam was somewhat hidden from view of anyone coming from
the house. Two maids walked past, each carrying a tray of food.
Miriam, seeing servants as lazy and mostly worthless, did however
perk up her ears when she heard her own name.

“
Why is that awful dowager
Croome even here?” asked one. “She is so unpleasant.”

“
I agree,” said the other.
“A maid in her employ told me how disagreeable she is to work
for.”

The two young women reached the table and
set down their trays.

Miriam’s blood boiled. One
of
her own
servants badmouthed her to another maid? The gall! Too bad
Miriam didn’t know which servant, then she could merrily torment
the girl and make her life miserable for spouting off.

Mr. Radcliff laughed from
across the yard, drawing Miriam’s attention from the stupid maids.
She gritted her teeth together when Percy took hold of Lady
Ollerton’s hand and placed it on his arm.

Why can’t that be
me?
Though if she was close enough to him
to do that, she’d want to do more. So much more. Her fingers ran a
circle around her knee, imagining it was his knee
instead.

The maids, now
empty-handed after delivering the trays, passed by Miriam’s hiding
place once more. Though Miriam didn’t believe they were right, that
she was so disagreeable, was that what Mr. Radcliff would think? If
a maid in his household had heard the lies, it was entirely
possible that he’d heard something of the like too.

That wouldn’t do. Not at all.

How could she convince him otherwise?

She still couldn’t believe
she was actually considering all of this. What was it about the man
that beckoned to her? Caused her to think thoughts she’d not had
since she was a girl of seventeen?

She hadn’t a clue. All
Miriam knew was she didn’t want to let it, let
him
slip away. The rush of physical
sensations was too wonderful to let go.

Glaring through narrowed
eyes at Lady Ollerton, Miriam almost wished some harm would come to
the woman. Then there wouldn’t be an obstacle to the dashing Mr.
Radcliff. As she watched, Lady Ollerton stumbled. Mr. Radcliff
quickly came to her aid, wrapping a strong arm around her
shoulders. And pulling her much too close.

That’s it!

Miriam could stage some
sort of accident while in Mr. Radcliff’s presence. Of course, she’d
have to tag along with her son and daughter-in-law once more, but
it would be worth it. Mr. Radcliff seemed the sort to come to
someone’s rescue. She’d just have to convince him that she wasn’t
as bad as others made her out to be. A bump on the head from a
faked fall and temporary amnesia just might do the trick. After
that, she’d make sure to get him in her clutches.

And never let go.

Percy gave a
pat to Georgiana’s hand that rested on his arm.
“I thought perhaps we could do some bird-watching here at Hyde
Park.”

“
Wouldn’t a better place have been the
Bird
Sanctuary?”
She arched one eyebrow.

“
My dear
Lady Peregrine, that’s where
everyone
goes to see birds. This is
more original.”

“
I must
agree about the original part. That is,
you
are certainly an
original.”

He puffed out his chest.
“Why, thank you.”

Georgiana laughed and
lightly smacked his shoulder. “Are you certain that was a
compliment?”

He frowned. “How could it
have been otherwise intended?”

“
I must
say, I’ve never met
anyone
quite like you.” She tilted her head and studied
him closely, her gaze roving over his face and
shoulders.

“
Why thank—” Percy snapped
his mouth closed. Another questionable compliment? A man could get
a complex after too many of those.

Georgiana squeezed his
arm, seeming not to notice his mental discomfort. “Hopefully we’ll
see some birds while we’re here.”

“
That is the general
idea.” He stopped so abruptly they both nearly stumbled. “Do you
like secrets?”

She raised one eyebrow and
smiled, looking every bit like a little girl who’d hidden something
special and wouldn’t share the details of where she’d put it.
“I
live
for
them.”

He angled his head until
he was close to her ear. A few wisps of her hair tickled his lips.
“Another reason for not going to the Sanctuary was so a certain
attractive woman wouldn’t fall out of any trees.”

She straightened. “But it
wasn’t so bad. If you hadn’t seen me in a lump beneath that tree,
we wouldn’t have met.”

He nodded and drew his arm
across her shoulders, glancing around to make sure no one else was
nearby. “That would have been a terrible shame indeed.”

“
Besides, there are trees
here.” She waved her hand vaguely to the side.

Oh no
… “But, Georgiana, you wouldn’t. Surely.”

“
And why
not?
Who’s
to prevent me?” A light shushing sound came from below them
as she tapped her boot in the grass.

Percy leaned down until
his forehead nearly brushed hers. “I believe
I’m
the man for that
position.”

“
Do
you?” She poked his chest. “
That
confident of your
qualifications, are you?”

“
If I
must say so, yes.” If there was one attribute of which he could be
sure when it came to ladies, it was confidence. He pushed away the
dawning realization that with
this
woman it might be
different.

She ran one finger coyly
down his chest. “I
do
like a confident man.”

Percy stood up to his full
height and took a deep breath.

“
Though…
over
confidence isn’t very becoming.”

“
I see.” Deflating indeed.
His shoulders slumped.