.

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ

      ‘He is doing as well as can be expected, under the circumstances,’ she said quietly. Her hair was drawn softly off her face and caught up with a cluster of deep pink roses. Barrington thought she had never looked lovelier. ‘Are you acquainted with Baroness von Brohm?’ she asked, adroitly changing the subject.

      ‘I am not,’ Barrington said, turning towards the third lady, who was watching him with undisguised interest. ‘I was hoping I might prevail upon one of you to make the introduction?’

      ‘With pleasure. Baroness, may I present Sir Barrington Parker,’ Anna said smoothly. ‘Sir Barrington—Baroness Julia von Brohm.’

      The lady regally inclined her head. ‘Sir Barrington.’

      ‘Baroness.’ Barrington bowed over her hand. ‘I’m surprised it has taken this long for us to meet, given that word of your arrival has been swirling for weeks.’

      ‘There has been a great deal to do and I have kept much to myself,’ the baroness admitted. ‘But Lady Annabelle felt it was time to make my appearance in society and I am grateful to her and Lady Bessmel for their kindness in making it happen.’

      ‘We decided to take Julia under our wing,’ Anna explained. ‘I’m sure you won’t find that surprising, given what you know of me.’

      Barrington wasn’t sure if she was taking him to task, but when he saw the twinkle in her eye, he allowed himself to hope that the remark intended nothing of the sort. ‘Yet another convoluted life exercise?’ he ventured.

      He was relieved to see her smile, and for the first time since the arrival of her note, he felt himself breathe properly again.

      ‘Ah, Parker, good evening,’ Lord Cambermere said, joining them. ‘Might have known I’d find you hoarding the three most beautiful women in the room.’

      ‘On the contrary, having only just made the baroness’s acquaintance, I cannot be accused of hoarding. Especially since the other two ladies are as well known to you as they are to me.’

      ‘Julia, allow me to introduce my father, Lord Cambermere,’ Anna said with a smile. ‘Papa, Baroness von Brohm.’

      The earl’s gaze sharpened, a man appreciating the beauty of a woman. ‘I had heard of your arrival, Baroness, and am compelled to say that Vienna’s loss is our gain. I trust you are enjoying life in London?’

      ‘To be honest, I have experienced very little of it, Lord Cambermere,’ the baroness replied. ‘As I told your daughter, I have been busy setting up my household. There has not been much time for sightseeing or socialising.’

      ‘But now that Julia is finished with all that, I have assured her that we shall be seeing a great deal more of her in society,’ Anna said. ‘Tonight is her début, if you will.’

      ‘And a splendid début it is,’ the earl said quietly. ‘Would you allow me to introduce you to a few of my friends, Baroness? Having seen me in conversation with you, they will not forgive me if I neglect to do so.’

      Barrington saw the look of pleasure that warmed the baroness’s face, but also noticed the look of startled surprise on Anna’s. Obviously she wasn’t used to her widowed father paying court to a beautiful woman, especially one who was also so recently widowed. But, true to form, she recovered with swiftness and grace. ‘Yes, do go, Julia. Papa knows everyone and he is perfectly respectable. Just don’t start him talking about horses.’

      ‘Oh, but I love horses!’ the Baroness was quick to say. ‘My late husband’s stable was one of the finest in Vienna.’

      ‘Good Lord,’ the earl said, leaning forwards. ‘Never tell me that your late husband was Captain Baron Ulrich von Brohm?’

      A soft gasp escaped the baroness. ‘Yes. Did you know him?’

      ‘I most certainly knew of him. I read several of his papers on early equine development and thought his ideas were nothing short of brilliant.’ The earl offered the lady his arm. ‘I would be honoured to have a chance to speak to you about him.’

      As an opening gambit, it couldn’t have been better. Barrington watched the baroness place her gloved hand on Cambermere’s sleeve, aware that her eyes were bright with interest as they rested on his face. They were already talking about horses as he led her away, prompting Barrington to wonder how many of the earl’s friends were likely to be introduced to the beautiful baroness that evening.

      ‘I think you have a success on your hands, Anna,’ Lady Lydia whispered. ‘If everyone else is as taken with the baroness as your father, we will surely see her married before the end of the Season!’

      Barrington tended to echo Lady Lydia’s assessment, though he wondered how Anna felt at having her father’s affection for the woman so bluntly stated. It wasn’t always easy for daughters to accept a new woman into their father’s life, especially daughters who still lived at home. The arrival of a stepmother could make their lives hellish. Still, given the friendship that seemed to exist between Anna and the baroness, Barrington doubted that would be the case here.

      ‘Sir Barrington,’ she said suddenly, breaking into his thoughts, ‘I wonder if I might have a word with you? In private.’

      He turned to find her sapphire gaze fixed on him. ‘By all means.’

      ‘Then I shall go and speak to Lady Bessmel,’ Lady Lydia said promptly. ‘She mentioned having received news of her son in Scotland and I have been longing to hear how Thomas goes on. I shall catch up with you later, Anna. Good evening, Sir Barrington.’

      Barrington inclined his head, but he noticed that Anna waited until her friend was far enough away so as not to hear their conversation before turning to him and saying, ‘I hoped I would have a chance to speak to you this evening, Sir Barrington. I’m sure we both recognise that I owe you an apology with regard to Peregrine.’

      Barrington studied the face upturned to his, aware that it exposed far more than she realised. ‘You owe me nothing, Lady Annabelle. I took no pleasure in being the bearer of bad news.’

      ‘Nevertheless, I accused you of dealing in false information and that was a criticism of your professional conduct. For that, an apology must be offered.’

      ‘Must be?’ he repeated. ‘Am I to conclude that you do not wish to apologise?’

      Her gaze clouded over, a tiny frown appearing between her brows. ‘Please don’t misunderstand. If I appear reluctant to admit my error, it is only because it has caused me to question things about myself that I’ve not had reason to question before. I thought I knew Peregrine better than anyone. Certainly better than you. And I believed I was right in defending him when you first charged him with the affair. But, as it turns out, I really didn’t know him at all. I was convinced he would never do something so foolish as to engage in an affair, yet that’s exactly what he did.’

      ‘But you and I both know that Mr Rand is not the first man to catch Lady Yew’s eye, nor will he be the last,’ Barrington said. ‘She is the type of a woman who needs constant attention. Sadly, he is just the latest on a very long list of conquests.’

      ‘I know, but that doesn’t make it any better,’ Anna said ruefully. ‘And it certainly doesn’t excuse what he did.’

      ‘Love СКАЧАТЬ