The Perfect Suitor (Bewildering Love Series) (25 page)

Veronica nodded. “You may do whatever you wish, dear. This is your home now.”

Lydia said, “I think the front yard will be perfect for the reception meal. What say you to this idea, Eve?”

“I agree. The lawns are quite beautiful.”

“If you’d like, we could add some potted flowers to splash more color into the atmosphere anywhere you’d like,” Lady Veronica added.

“That’s a wonderful idea,” Mother agreed.

After the women finished their discussion, Evelyn went to find Paxton. Lydia convinced Cassandra that every woman should know how to play cards and set off to teach her. Of course, the two mothers remained in the salon making lists of things that needed to be done.

***

Eve found Paxton in his study going over some ledgers. The door was ajar and she lightly knocked. “May I come in?”

“Of course.” Paxton put the ledgers aside. “So how did everything go?”

“Very well. We have planned everything down to the honey-covered almonds.” Eve circled around the desk, trailing her finger along the intricately carved wood. She laughed when she was suddenly grabbed and placed on his lap.

“Good. Now I have you all to myself.” He began to kiss the side of her neck.

Eve started giggling. Because of the lateness of the day, Paxton’s beard had begun to grow back and the little pricks of hair were tickling her neck and giving her goose bumps.

Paxton continued his assault, regardless of her small pleas that he stop. “I guess I need to shave.”

“No, I like it.” Eve laughed again and wiggled in his lap.

“Good, because I’m addicted to the sound of your laughter. I’m sorry we didn’t find time for our ride today. We’ll go first thing tomorrow.”

Their riding plans had been canceled when the mother’s insisted wedding plans were a priority. “I’ll hold you to that.”

“I hope my mother isn’t being difficult.”

Eve had heard how some future mothers-in-law, as well as mothers of the bride, liked to interfere and instill all their thoughts and ideas on the bride-to-be, but thankfully the women in question in her life only added insight that made this process easier. “Not at all. I like your mother. She’s efficient. Plus, it makes me feel good to know she wants our day to be special.” Eve couldn’t help herself and ran her fingers through his silky dark hair.

He shifted beneath her. “I think you better remove yourself from my lap before you find more than what you probably came in here for. As much as I want to christen every room in this monstrous house with our lovemaking, it’s growing late and I have a few more things I need to oversee before I retire for the night.”

Eve stood up, purposely leaning over to allow him a nice view of her bosom, and then kissed him. “Very well.” She started to leave, and then said, “By the by, I think we should hold off on anymore, umm…lovemaking activities until after we are wed.” She could feel color sweeping into her cheeks.

“Very well,” Paxton replied calmly. But before Eve closed the door behind her, he said, “Eve, if this is truly your wish, then I advise you to lock your bedroom door.”

Eve didn’t turn around, but she smiled. “Yes, my lord.” The door clicked closed behind her. She made her way through the picture gallery, stopping briefly to look at a portrait of Paxton and his sister when they were children. Then she went up the stairs, and into the long corridor that led to her room. She heard a door open behind her.

“Oh, Eve, there you are. I’ve been waiting for you to walk by.” Cassie tied the sash around her night wrap. “Could you come in here for a moment?”

“Of course.” Eve went into the room where her sister was staying. “Is everything all right?”

“Yes, everything is fine. I have a gift for you.” Eve sat on the bed. “I didn’t wrap it, so close your eyes,” Cassie instructed. “I just finished it. I hope you like it.”

“Can I open my eyes now?” Eve asked, impatient to see her gift.

Cassie laughed. “Yes, please do.” She held up the sheer white sleeping gown.

“Oh, it’s beautiful!” Eve exclaimed. “You made this, Cassie? It’s magnificent.” She ran the soft material through her hands. Then she ran her fingers along the lace neckline and the lace straps. “You have a talent with the needle, little sister.”

“It’s for your wedding night.”

Eve held the gown up and looked at her sister through the transparent material. “I love it, Cassie, as I’m sure Paxton will too. Thank you very much.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

“How could I not.”

Both girls grew quiet.

“I’m really going to miss having you around. Who am I going to talk to?” Cassie asked.

“Mother always has an ear available, and if she won’t do, you can always come here or send for me. You must promise you’ll visit often.”

“I promise.” Cassie wiped away her tears. “Maybe I’ll find myself a husband who lives in Sussex too.”

“Yes, I think you should make that one of your criteria when you weed through your suitors.” Eve laughed at the thought of their mother’s reaction to such an idea. “I think Mother would love that suggestion.”

Both girls started laughing.

Cassie straightened her shoulders. “Mother, please make a list of all possible suitors in Sussex and the surrounding areas so I may choose my husband.” They laughed even harder.

When both ladies had exhausted themselves, they hugged. Eve thanked her sister again for the lovely gift and went to her room.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

When Evelyn came down the stairs the next morning everyone was in a flurry of movement. Guests were arriving and servants milled about carrying luggage and trays loaded with beverages and snacks. She looked around for Paxton but couldn’t find him among the swarms of people. She assumed he was probably working in the study. When she approached, she could hear voices coming from within the room and she knocked.

“Come in!” Paxton shouted in a surly tone.

“Good morning.” She entered and then stopped when she noticed Cole sitting in front of the fireplace. “I hope I’m not interrupting.”

“Never.” Paxton grinned at her as he came around from behind his desk to give Eve a proper greeting. Because Cole was eyeing them both with keen interest, he kissed the top of her head.

“Cole.” Eve went near the fire so she could speak to Paxton’s friend. “I’d like to apologize for yelling at you the last time I saw you. Paxton explained your good intentions, and I admit I had not thought the scenario scandalous in any way until he told me how other people might have perceived the situation. Since Paxton and I had recently announced our engagement, I was naïve enough to believe people would not jump to the wrong conclusion when I was with Lord Bakersfield.”

“An apology is not necessary, my lady.”

“Then allow me to thank you for your thoughtfulness.” She walked back to Paxton. “Are we still going for our ride, my lord?” She noticed he wasn’t wearing riding clothes.

“I would love to, but guests have been arriving since dawn and my mother insists I entertain them. I’m sorry, but our ride is going to have to be rescheduled for another time.”

“That’s all right. I’ll help you with the guests. What form of entertainment were you thinking?”

Paxton gave her a devilish grin and Cole started laughing when Eve blushed.

“If you two adolescents would be serious,” Eve admonished as she looked from Paxton to Cole and back at Paxton again.

“We were discussing the entertainments suitable for such a gathering before you came in, and let it suffice to say, we couldn’t come up with any.”

“He means any that would be suitable, of course.” Cole winked and Eve shook her head at him.

“Come now, surely you have been to other weddings. What did they do for entertainment at these functions?”

“I’m afraid I’m not one to arrive early,” Paxton exclaimed.

“Me either,” Cole added.

“Well, I’m sure you have heard what kinds of activities people participate in.” She spoke her next question to Cole. “My lord, you are known for your, um…let’s say, ability to make the ladies happy.”

“Well put.” Paxton laughed.

Eve ignored him. “Out of all the parties you attend, you must have been to at least one of those large country gatherings I’ve heard about. Surely those who put on such affairs entertain their guests.”

“As a matter of fact, I do know of some festivities. Many people have hunting expeditions,” Cole stated.

Eve wrinkled her nose. “I don’t like the sound of a poor animal being tracked down and killed by the guests. Can you think of something more humane?”

“How about an archery contest?” Cole grinned, seemingly glad he came up with a non-offensive alternative.

“Yes, a fine idea. I’ve heard of such contests.”

“I could also hire some entertainers to sing, recite poetry, and tell witticisms,” Paxton said.

“Brilliant, my lord!” Eve exclaimed. “How soon do you think we can acquire them?”

“I’ll arrange it now. It shouldn’t take too long. In the meantime, we’ll have the archery contest set up.” Paxton called for Barrows, the country estate butler, and told him to inform the other servants of their plans.

“I’m sure Cassie and Lydia will want to help. I’ll find them.” Eve stopped in the doorway. She walked back to Paxton, pulled his head down, and kissed him firmly on the lips. “We work so well together,” she said cheerfully.

“Hey, what about me?” Cole asked as Eve made her way out of the room again. “I was the one who came up with the archery contest.”

“I’ll be sure to send Barrows back in so he can kiss you for your brilliance,” she teased, closing the door behind her.

***

“So have you heard anything from Lady Beverly?” Cole asked when he and Paxton were alone.

“No, but I haven’t received my London correspondences. Why do you ask?”

Cole shrugged. “She was quite upset at your engagement party. Knowing her to be the kind of woman who does not give up easily, I thought I’d ask.”

“I’m sure she has already found some other unfortunate soul to sink her talons into,” Paxton said without concern.

Cole went to the sidebar and poured himself a drink. “I finally got around to seeing that boxer everyone is talking about.”

“Is the gossip all nonsense, or is he as good as they claim?”

“He’s definitely good. The best I’ve ever seen, actually. I saw him take out three opponents without breaking a sweat.”

“I guess he lives up to his reputation, a hard thing to do in London.” Paxton looked out the window at more arriving carriages.

“So it seems.”

“When I have some time, I’ll go see for myself.” Paxton went to sit in an armchair next to Cole.

The men continued to discuss current events until Eve returned with Cassie and Lydia.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

“I can’t believe I am riding in this carriage with the two of you!” Lady Beverly held a perfumed handkerchief to her nose.

“Ye the one not wantin’ to spend the extra groats on a separate buggy. So ye can’t be complainin’ now that ye don’t want to be ’ere.” The skinny vagrant covered with freckles smiled at Beverly, showing her a mouth full of rotted teeth.

“Ye could always let us out and do the deed on yer own.” The other dirty man spit a stream of chewing tobacco out the carriage window through the large space where one of his front teeth should have been.

Beverly closed her eyes in disgust. How she wished her original plan had worked. She had sent Lady Evelyn many gifts, including her own brooch, along with numerous loving notes in the hopes of making Paxton so green with jealousy that he would dump his adoring fiancée for her obvious perfidy. She still couldn’t understand why her plan hadn’t worked, and now she was here, sitting across from these two vagrants.

She looked back over at the revolting thugs she had hired, an ugly pair of dock urchins willing to do anything for a few shillings. She glared at the filthy redhead as he wiped spit laced with tobacco off his chin. “Don’t talk to me with such insolence, little man, or you’ll find yourself back on that dock scratching at your lice. If you don’t want my money, say so. I’ll find someone who does.”

“Red, do ye really ’ave lice?” the nearly toothless man asked.

The redhead slapped his friend on the back of his head.

“Ouch! She be the one who said it. Ye knows we really could use the shillings, Red.” He removed his dirty cap from his matted blond hair. “Red ’ere is sorry fer is rudeness. He never been around a real lady before. Right, Red?”

“No I ’aven’t, Jack, and now that I ’aves, I don’t be thinkin’ I likes ’em.”

“Well I don’t care for you either,” Beverly said haughtily, suddenly wishing she was doing the job herself.

“So where we be takin’ this ’orrible lady to kill her?” Red appeared anxious to finish the job and return to the docks, which suited Beverly perfectly. Time was of the essence in this matter.

“I’ll let you know all the details when we arrive.” Beverly had never been to Devonhurst or the Sussex area, but she knew they still had a ways to go. She leaned back against the cushions and closed her eyes still holding the perfumed handkerchief beneath her nose to ward off the stench. If she wasn’t in financial hardship, she would have hired them a separate conveyance.

Beverly began to daydream of her life with Paxton. As soon as Lady Evelyn was out of the way, the grieving earl would give his heart back to her. She truly believed this. After all, they both would have suffered the loss of someone they held dear. What better reason to spend so much time together. Not that she was upset by her current widowed status. Her husband’s demise could not have been more perfectly timed. But she and Paxton would share a special connection. Grief would help bind them.

The carriage finally stopped at a small town near the Devonhurst estate. “Here.” Beverly handed Jack some money. “Why don’t the two of you find something to eat in that pub.” She pointed at a sign swinging in the breeze across the way.

“The Sword and Stone.” Jack likely read the symbols on the sign and not the words, Beverley knew, for the chances these two were literate were slim. “Good idea, me lady.” He unfolded his cap and settled it back on his head.

Red grabbed the money out of Jack’s hand. “I’ll be takin’ care of the riches or ye be spendin’ it all.”

“’e’s better with monies than me is,” Jack said to her, though she truly could not have cared less.

“Where ye be ’eadin’, lady?” Red asked.

“To procure us some rooms at the inn.”

“What that mean, ‘procure’?” Jack said the word slowly as if the speed in which he said it might tell him its definition.

“Who cares what it means, jackass. She’s gettin’ us a place to sleep!” Red hollered. “That what ye be doin’, right, lady?”

Beverly rolled her eyes and walked away. She could hear Jack ask. “How ye know she be findin’ us a place to sleep?” She didn’t hear Red’s reply, nor did she want to. The sooner she rid herself of these two men, the better.

Beverly obtained herself a small but clean room at the Night Lantern Inn, the last room they had available for a lady of her station. She paid for an attic room to house Jack and Red.

She informed the inn’s manager of her arriving servants and instructed him to show them to their room. When she gave the manager their descriptions, the man looked at her as if she were crazy. Of course, no sane woman would travel with two such mongrels.

Reaching her room, she called for a bath to be drawn and some food brought up. Being around those two ruffians made her feel dirty. Her appetite had only now returned to her when their stench didn’t follow her.

At the knock on her door an hour later, she thought her food had finally arrived. “Yes, what is it?” she called out.

“It be Jack, me lady.”

Beverly opened the door, anger apparent on her flawless face. “What do you want?” she said with obvious hostility as she tightened the belt on her dressing gown in frustration.

“Red sent me ’ere to see where’s I be sleepin’.”

“You are to share a room with Red,” Beverly said, quickly losing what little patience she had. These two shared the same crate, she reasoned. They could certainly share a servant’s room.

Red came barreling around the corner, obviously eavesdropping on their conversation. “’e not be sleepin’ with me!”

Against her wishes, Beverly pulled them both into her room and slammed the door. “Now listen here! I have had enough of this impertinent behavior! I hired you to do a job, and at no point did I tell you that I’d feed you and give you a roof over your head! I think I’m being more than generous. Now, if you don’t wish to share that room, then perhaps you should walk your dirty asses back to London where you can curl up on that dock and keep warm with fresh horse manure!” Beverly held up her hand to silence Red’s protest.

“I will hear no more! Take yourselves out of my room before I accuse you both of breaking in here!” She marched over and held open the door. “If you’re here in the morning, I’ll assume you still want the job. If not, good riddance.”

Red straightened his spine and walked out first. Jack hesitated when he reached the door.

“Have a pleasant sleep, me lady.” He tried to bow like a gentleman and left.

Beverly immediately went to her valise for her cologne. She sprayed it around the room to rid it of the odor they left behind.

***

The next morning, Beverly enveloped herself with a dark blue hooded cloak to avoid being recognized. With all the people coming to the Devonhurst wedding celebration, she had to be cautious. She stood outside the back of the inn, surveying Red and Jack’s servant attire and going over the plan one more time.

“They more than likely have hired dozens of additional servants to help with the wedding. Remember not to bring attention to yourselves. All you have to do is find the easiest way inside the house. I have the note right here. You have to make sure the note is left in Lady Evelyn’s room.” She handed the note to Red. Even though she liked him the least, he seemed the smarter of the two, which truly wasn’t saying much.

“This note will bring her running to you. I have instructed her to go to the stables. When she arrives, quickly strike her on the head. After you are sure she is dead. Return here and I will pay you what you’re owed.”

“All right, off you go.” She shooed them toward the carriage and returned to wait in her room. She knew it would take a while for them to complete the job.

She decided to give Paxton a week to grieve without her. Then she’d swoop in to help him cope with his loss.