Revenge In Regency Society. Gail Whitiker

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      ‘He will get over it,’ Barrington said with a smile. ‘He is a young man and all young men must fall in love with at least one unsuitable woman in their life. It is a rite of passage. Useful in teaching us what to watch out for when we do finally go looking for a wife.’

      Her smile was a reluctant twisting of her lips. ‘I wish I could be as convinced of that as you, but when I see him suffering …’

      ‘Women pine for love not found while men suffer from love already lost. It is our Achilles’ heel, if you will. And for what it’s worth, I suspect Rand was more in love with the idea of being in love than he was with the actual act of loving,’ Barrington said, hoping to ease her guilt. ‘By all accounts, he liked to read to her and she enjoyed listening to him.’

      He saw a tiny smile lift the corners of her mouth. ‘Peregrine has a lovely speaking voice. Not as mellifluous as yours, of course, but I expect he would have done well on the stage.’

      She liked his voice. There was really no reason the compliment should have meant anything to him, but it did. Strange the things a man clung to. ‘Regardless, I think it little more than a case of boyish infatuation. Lady Yew is a beautiful woman. She was probably flattered that a good-looking man so much younger than she would find her attractive and offered more encouragement than she should.’

      ‘For all the good it did either of them,’ Anna said with an edge to her voice. ‘But I am sorry, Sir Barrington. You told me that collecting information was what you did and you obviously do it very well. I will not be so foolish as to doubt you again.’

      Barrington inclined his head, wondering why he felt as though she was saying goodbye. ‘With luck, there will be no occasion for us to find ourselves in a situation like this again.’

      Then she smiled and, with her very next words, confirmed his suspicions. ‘I suppose not. In fact, given what we know of each other, I doubt our paths will have any reason to cross again.’

      As expected, the baroness’s introduction to London society was a complete success and doors that had been closed to her in the past were suddenly thrown open with abandon. Society embraced her with the fervour of a shepherd welcoming home a long-lost lamb and gentlemen flocked to her side, eager to secure favour.

      Because she was seen to be such good friends with Lady Bessmel and the daughters of the Earl of Cambermere and the Marquess of Bailley, her name constantly appeared high on the list of society events, both intimate and grand. Not surprisingly, Anna’s brother and father were frequent visitors to Julia’s afternoon salons, though the earl was very careful not to do anything that might result in scandal being attached to her name. He never stayed longer than was appropriate, or tried to take up too much of her time. But it was noted and remarked upon, after several society gatherings where both were in attendance, that the widowed Earl of Cambermere was evidencing a marked partiality for the company of the beautiful Baroness von Brohm.

      Naturally, Julia was delighted with all the attention, but Anna noticed that she, too, was careful not to indicate a preference for any one gentleman over another, perhaps because she was still clinging to the memory of her late husband. But she was a gracious and entertaining guest, and though her list of contacts grew by the day, she never forgot that it was Anna’s kindness that had originally launched her into society.

      As such, she decided to hold a dinner party in Anna’s honour, inviting, along with the rest of her family, twenty other guests including Lord and Lady Bessmel and Lady Lydia Winston. Knowing the company would be very smart, Anna decided to wear one of her newest gowns, an elegant creation in pale gold silk, a colour that was exceedingly flattering to her fair complexion. Her hair was arranged in a loose cluster of curls with a few wisps hanging free to frame her face. Elbow-length gloves, her mother’s pearls and a light sweep of colour across her cheeks were all that were required to complete the ensemble.

      Half an hour later, she stepped out of the carriage in front of Julia’s house, with her father and Edward close behind. Both looked very elegant in their black-and-white evening attire, her father especially so. Peregrine, who was still reluctant to show his face in society, had decided to remain at home.

      ‘Good thing, too,’ Edward said in the disparaging tone he always used when Peregrine’s name came up. ‘No point the boy thinking he’s entitled to move in good society when it’s obvious he belongs in the country.’ He plucked a strand of hair from the sleeve of his jacket. ‘Besides, he’d likely just embarrass us in front of the baroness. He does, after all, have an eye for older women.’

      ‘That was unkind,’ Anna said flatly. ‘You are as much to blame for Peregrine’s fall from grace as he is.’

      ‘I don’t see how. I wasn’t the one who jumped into bed with Lady Yew.’

      ‘Don’t be coarse, Edward, and please keep your voice down,’ Anna said in a fierce whisper. ‘You shouldn’t have told him about the state of their marriage.’

      ‘My dear Anna, there isn’t a soul in London who doesn’t know the state of the Yews’ marriage,’ Edward said blandly. ‘Why should I have left Rand in ignorance? He would have found out sooner or later. And just because I told him Lady Yew was open to lovers didn’t mean he had to go sniffing after her as though she were a bitch in season. And you needn’t look at me like that,’ he said when she turned a chilling glance on him. ‘You’re too old to pretend an ignorance of what goes on between a man and a woman. I know how besotted you were over Anthony Colder.’

      Anna winced, the mere sound of the man’s name causing her pain. ‘I would thank you not to mention him in my presence again.’

      ‘Why not? Surely you’re not still pining over the fellow. He wasn’t worth it, you know. The stories I could tell—’

      ‘This conversation is over,’ Anna said coldly. ‘Please keep your opinions to yourself and refrain from making damaging comments about Peregrine in public, lest you find yourself defending rumours about your own less than sterling behaviour.’

      ‘My behaviour?’ Her brother’s eyes widened in a credible imitation of innocence. ‘What possible concern could you have about that?’

      ‘I see no need to explain myself. We are both aware of your reputation with women.’

      He slowly began to smile, clearly enjoying himself. ‘And what have you heard about my reputation, pray tell?’

      ‘Amongst other things, that you are fickle and heartless,’ Anna said, boldly meeting his gaze. ‘We’ve gone through three maids in the last year and I suspect your unwelcome attentions towards them had much to do with the reasons they all left. If you must indulge yourself, kindly do so in a manner that does not disrupt the household or result in frightened young girls being sent back to the country in tears.’

      His eyes narrowed and for a long moment he stared at her in silence. ‘Well, well, so the pretty bird has sharp talons,’ he murmured finally. ‘Who would have guessed?’

      ‘Guessed what?’ their father asked, joining them.

      ‘Nothing.’ Anna turned her back on Edward, shutting out his obnoxious comments and his condescending gaze. She knew he enjoyed goading her and most of the time she was able to rise above his petty teasing, to treat his remarks with the chilly disdain they deserved. But tonight he’d touched a nerve and, despite her best intentions, she had lashed out at him, a reaction she would no doubt come to regret. ‘We should go in. I СКАЧАТЬ