My Unfair Lady (16 page)

   
Is this love?
wondered Summer.
This joyful sensibility
whenever I'm around him, this physical draw to his body?
But she'd experienced that feeling with several men, just not as strong. Was she fickle, drawn to whatever man just happened along her path? Or just so patheti cally needy that she took whatever was offered her?

   She shook her head and dismissed all those confusing thoughts when they reached the palace stables. She decided to be content with the knowledge that she just didn't know what she wanted, that perhaps she never had.

AT DINNER THAT EVENING, SUMMER AGAIN SAT NEXT to the prince, and this time she had the added pleasure of the Duke of Monchester sitting directly across from her. She might've been able to relax if Prince Albert's calculating eyes hadn't been shifting back and forth between her and Byron. As it was, with His Highness's earlier words hinting that the duke may actually be interested in her outside of their business relationship, and her own conflicting emotions, she barely managed to eat anything at all.

   When a retainer came over and had a whispered conversation with Prince Albert, Summer took advan tage of his distraction to speak across the table to the duke, over a bowl of multicolored flowers and through a candelabra of shining silver, unaware that her posture made her bosom bulge even farther out of the low neckline of her gown.

   Byron, however, made notice and smiled in appreciation, hard-pressed at first to pay attention to her words.

   "Chi-chi has adopted the babies."

The duke blinked. "The what?"

   "The baby foxes. Chi-chi has adopted them. We're feeding them goat's milk."

   "Oh. Good for you, I mean, them. Worth is a genius, you know. That dress suits you."

   It was Summer's turn to blink. She looked down at herself, the layers upon layers of ruffles flowing across her shoulders and down the length of her skirt, the soft yellow of the fabric blending it all into a concoction of muted simplicity. Did he really care more about the dress than those precious foxes?

   Byron reluctantly dragged his eyes back to her face. "Have you thought about what you're going to do with them?"

   "With what?"

   "The vermin—I mean, the baby foxes you rescued. They will grow up to be adults, you know, and wreak havoc in your house."

   Summer grinned, her eyes sparkling. "Then they'll fit right in, don't you agree?"

   The Duke of Monchester threw back his head and laughed, Summer smiling innocently, while those within hearing distance stared.

   "What's so funny, Monchester?" inquired the prince, his attention fixing on the couple. "And what's this I hear from my huntsman about Miss Lee bringing vermin into my home?"

   Summer's eyes grew round. She'd been found out! She looked to Byron for help. What would the nobility say about her now? Although, if it came down to it, she'd take the babies and leave, rather than have them thrown to the dogs for supper.

   Byron tilted his chin and carefully set down his fork. "Miss Lee's sensibilities toward animals are rather… too sympathetic for her own good. She has an uncanny ability to pick up the oddest of orphans and welcome them into her home. Rather a charming habit, don't you think?"

   Prince Albert sat through this explanation with a look of stunned disbelief. At the last few words, he choked. "Do you mean to say you supported her in this endeavor?"

   The Duke of Monchester shrugged.

   Prince Albert began to chuckle. "The coldest man in court rescued baby foxes?"

   Byron's face froze. Is that what they considered him, the coldest of men? Had that been his intended goal, years ago, when he'd decided since the world had no warmth for him, he'd return the favor? And he realized that if he'd heard himself referred to in that way before he'd met Summer, he'd have been giddy with pride. Now, he could only wonder in dismay if she also thought that he had no heart.

   "I beg your pardon, Your Highness," said Summer, taking a deep breath. "But since I've come to England, I've been quite confused by everyone's opinion of His Grace's character."

   Albert leaned forward, grinning widely. "How so, my dear?"

   She swallowed as she noticed that every ear within range had tuned in to their words, and those not within hearing distance were elbowing their neighbors for a report as she spoke. Well, tarnation, Byron always supported her in ways beyond their business arrangement, and it was about time she set some people straight on his own character.

   "Why, they say he's a cold man. That he's to be feared for his cutting remarks and witty stories."

   Albert nodded encouragingly. Byron closed his eyes and groaned.

   Summer squirmed. "Well, I find his remarks to be truthful, although blunt sometimes. And excessively funny. And, and he's always been most thoughtful and patient."

   Albert started to chortle.

   "And he helped rescue India," she hurried on, "and it was his idea that allowed us to find the fox cubs, and he never scolds my animals… and he defended me against thieves! Would a cold, uncaring man do any of those things?" Summer started to get annoyed. The prince kept laughing harder at every word she said!

   The Duke of Monchester had become more rigid with every word out of Summer's mouth. He
would
be a laughingstock by the time she got done with him!

   And yet… he couldn't help feeling pleased. He couldn't remember the last time anyone had ever defended him. He stared into that pretty, elfin face and pondered. The only time he could ever recall was when he'd come home from private school during a break, with his eyes blackened again, and his father had beat him for letting others "unman" him. His father believed that his son would learn to defend himself in order to avoid his own beatings. But fortunately at the age of ten, a Chinese gardener had accidentally entered the room during one of his lessons in manhood and stood up to his own father, very calmly telling Byron to leave the room. He couldn't hear the entire conver sation, but from that day forward his father never beat him again. And the gardener had become his master and began to teach him the kung fu.

   Byron smoothed back his hair. Why did this Summer Wine Lee dredge up memories of his past that he'd managed to forget?

   The prince's laughter had faded to gentle hiccups, and he wiped at his eyes with an embroidered kerchief. "Forgive my laughter, Miss Lee. You speak so sincerely that I fear we shall all be compelled from this moment forward to reassess our opinions of His Grace's character as well." He turned and grinned at Monchester, who groaned again.

   "And you, my friend, may wish to consider who might want to do you harm," continued Prince Albert, suddenly becoming serious. "I have made a thorough investigation of the saddle incident and discovered that a new man hired in the stables recently has disappeared from the premises."

   Byron sighed with relief at the change of subject. "I have considered it, Your Highness. And I've severely annoyed many people, but I can think of no one who would wish me serious harm."

   Summer glanced at him in surprise. So, he had thought about what she'd said after all! He hadn't treated her concerns as if they were some wild flight of fancy.

   "Not even a certain John Strolm?" inquired Albert. "Ah, don't look at me with such surprise; I have other advisors than yourself."

   "I considered him," replied Byron. "But he doesn't have the courage."

   "He could hire someone," suggested Summer. "Those thieves were certainly hired men."

   Albert nodded. "I like the way you think, my dear. Yet I find this all most upsetting. Too many royalty have been assassinated for my peace of mind." He gave a great sigh. "Well, we shall get to the bottom of this. I have a vested interest in the security of my home, as well."

   And Summer caught a glimpse of the man behind the facade of good humor, parties, and mistresses. A look at the man who would one day be king and carry the full weight of England on his shoulders. He was suddenly everything that she'd imagined him to be, but with the added charm of only being human, after all.

   When Byron escorted her to her room after dinner, he declined her offer to peek in on the health of the foxes, and Summer wondered if he was very mad at her for discussing his character so openly. She stayed to watch him cross the hall into his own room, without a backward glance, or even a "good night," and sighed with dismay. It seemed she couldn't do anything right.

   Summer opened the door to her room to find Maria bouncing on her four-poster bed, those pale green eyes twinkling with excitement.

   "It's about time ya' got here," she said, her unbound black hair looking like wings from her motions. "Yore not gonna believe the news I have for ya'."

   Summer sighed. "Well, I can't speak to you with my head bobbing up and down. Do stop bouncing, Maria."

   The girl stilled, much to the dismay of India, who'd been enjoying the ride. The monkey squeaked and began to climb the velvet draperies, using them like vines to swing around the canopy of the bed.

   "What's the matter, Summer?"

   She shrugged and began to unpin her golden brown hair. "Just tired, I guess. And confused about everything. But forget about me, I want to hear your news."

   Maria studied her for a minute, frowned, then bright ened. "Ya'll have to figure out yore own heart, I figure. But I never thought I might have to worry about mine."

   "India, stop that, you're making me dizzy. Maria, whatever do you mean?"

   "Summer," sighed her friend as she leaned forward. "I have my very own golden opportunity."

   "You?" A bolt of fear swept through her body. Now why on earth would Maria's announcement have that affect on her? "Tarnation, I can barely breathe in this corset. Can you help me out?"

   Maria shrugged and started on the tiny buttons down the back of Summer's dress. "Sure, but yore gonna have to hire yoreself a real maid for a change. At least for the next few weeks."

   "Whatever do you mean?"

   "This corset
must
be laced tight," replied Maria. "Yore voice is all breathless and quivery. Means I'll be going for my own visit to a country house. Hugh, I mean, Lord Balkett, has invited me to stay a few weeks with him… and before ya' go getting all lady-fied, his sister will be our chaperone."

   Summer stepped out of her dress and grunted while Maria yanked out her corset lacings. "But—oof—why? You can't possibly—oof—be considering a serious— ugh—relationship with that old man… Aah…" The corset fell away, and Summer inhaled deeply.

   "And why not?" asked Maria, sounding a bit hurt.

   "Because you know I'll provide you a sufficient enough dowry that you could marry any man you want."

   Maria sniffed and tossed the corset on the bed. "Hugh don't care about money; he's made enough in investments that he can marry for love alone. And he loves me."

   Summer couldn't breathe again, even though she'd shed that corset. How had this happened? Those two had only met each other a few times, and although she could understand how Lord Balkett would fall for Maria, she couldn't understand her friend falling for him. "What about the footman?"

   "Charles? Ya' know he was just for fun."

   "But, Maria, what am I going to do without you? If you marry this man, you'll be staying in England, and I'll be going back to New York. We may never see each other again!"

   "Ah, now we get to the real reason. Summer, dear friend, do ya' think I'd leave ya' if it weren't a true golden opportunity?"

   Summer floundered for something to say. Anything that would stop her from losing another of her family. "But he's so old," she finally managed.

   Maria tossed her black hair. "That's what makes him perfect. He don't want any children."

   "And what's wrong with children?"

   "I can't have any."

   Summer pulled the knife from its sheath and began to rub the handle. Maria gathered India into her arms and began to croon to the monkey. India's eyes glazed over, and a grin of bliss spread across his hairy face.

   "How do you know such a thing is true? Have you seen a doctor?"

   Maria shrugged. "Don't need to. And I don't want to talk about it. Just know that it's the truth. And that Hugh don't care, which makes him mighty appealing to me. And I didn't say I was in love with him, anyways… I'm just considering his proposal, that's all."

   
He proposed already?
wondered Summer in panic.
Blast his hide! She
stared at Maria as she flipped her knife from one hand to the other. So, her friend did have some dark secret, something that she'd always suspected but only seen a few times, an occasional clouding over of her friend's normally life-filled green eyes. But they were shining now, and although she wanted to demand that her friend
not
take this first step that might result in their separation forever, well, even though Maria might listen to her, what right had she to make that light fade from her friend's eyes?