The Midnight Rake Part 8

"Why do you look like that? Are you unwell?'

Aubry's concerned questions dispersed her fanciful daydreams. "Not at all. I'm considering this evening and what may be in store." She squelched her misplaced smile. "Once I locate Simon, I can reclaim Mother's cameo and we can make the blackguard pay for what he has done." She finished her little speech in a vehement tone and reached for her beaded reticule with a flourish, causing a pair of ivory gloves to fall to the carpet. Aubry swooped to pick them up.

"These are beautiful. We didn't purchase them when we shopped with Lady Fenhurst. Where did you get them?" Aubry caressed each rose pearl b.u.t.ton before gently returning the gloves to the gla.s.s tabletop.

"Jenkins brought me a package earlier and the gloves were inside. They must have been terribly expensive, as I've never seen finer silk or more exquisite pearls." A sigh chased her words. "They are too lovely to use. I would be afraid all evening I might mar their perfection. You should have them, Aubry, and save them for your come out." Penelope hoped her sister perceived her decisive tone.

"But who sent them to you? What did the card say?" Aubry's voice rose with the question, ignoring her sister's suggestion.

"That's the one troubling bit. The package contained no card and Jenkins could tell me nothing aside from taking the delivery from an errand boy this morning." She glanced at the pair. They were incredibly beautiful, but a sister who invited thievery into their home and caused their father's demise did not deserve lovely silk gloves. A daughter like that deserved little.

Aubry appeared captivated by the mystery of it all.

"It seems a little strange to receive a gift while in London. No one knows you're here."

"True, and the unknowing does detract from the joy. Who would think to send me something so personal? I wish I could thank the generosity. Regardless, you should have the gloves since you admire them so." Penny rearranged a few wayward curls near her ear. She did want to look her best if the potential of the boon existed.

"No, they're for you. But I do wonder..." Aubry hesitated before continuing. "Do you think they're from Viscount Fenhurst?"

Aubry's persistence proved admirable, the incredulous tone of her voice erasing the same theory Penelope had entertained. "It would be highly improper for him to purchase me such an intimate item. I hardly know the man." She hoped her brisk dismissal sounded sincere.

"Oh posh, I think you should wear them this evening. What does it matter if you mar them, when you never owned them until a few hours ago? They won't bring you happiness left behind in your bedchamber. Maybe they will bring you good luck." Aubry glanced to the silk gloves before flicking her eyes to her sister.

"I highly doubt that." She refrained from voicing the conclusion she hadn't any luck. At least not until a short time ago.

"Well, whatever the outcome of this evening, enjoy yourself and dance a waltz for me. It feels as though I am gliding on air as I master the steps during my lessons." Aubry spun across the room with her arms extended in proper frame formation.

"Do not appear so wistful. You will have your turn. Lady Fenhurst has been more than generous. I would hate for her to think we don't appreciate every aspect of her thoughtfulness. I may be the one going off to a ball, but the only goal I have is to find Simon. We'll wring his neck, empty his pockets and make him sorry he ever thought to break our bank."

"Or your heart."

Aubry stated the latter comment with such forlorn empathy Penelope reached for her sister's hand. Comforting Aubry for the plight she'd brought on their family seemed more appropriate than worrying over her own embarra.s.sment and injured feelings.

"You know if you were to discover Mother's cameo in Simon's possession, we would have all the proof we need. Father said it belonged to a unique collection and held great value." Her sister made it sound so matter-of-fact. If only it remained so simple.

"I doubt Simon retained the cameo once he absconded with our savings." She tapped her finger against her lips. "Although if he attempted to sell it reputably, the piece would surely be questioned and he's too shrewd to fall into that trap. I suspect he used more circuitous means." Penelope's spirits plummeted with the realization. Aubry was too young to retain memories of time shared with their mother, but not she. The cameo was the only keepsake left from their mother and Penelope wanted desperately to recover it. Frustration, distress, and anger peppered her words. "He's a wretched lout."

A sharp knock at the door mingled with the vehement announcement. Taking a breath, she rushed to open the panel. Phineas stood on the other side, his amber eyes glittering in the candlelit hallway, the complete ant.i.thesis of the man she'd just described.

"Wretched lout. I pray you do not greet every gentleman at the door in the same manner." Phin's expression turned quizzical. "On the other hand I should reconsider, as long as it is not I you're greeting."

Penelope's heart turned over and all earlier disparaging emotions evaporated. She offered him a bright smile and opened the door wider so he could acknowledge Aubry and remain in the hallway as was proper.

"h.e.l.lo there, Miss Aubry."

Her sister giggled with the kind welcome.

"I regret we will not share your company and remain in house with you tonight. Maman tells me you're to study history. Such a fascinating subject. You'll be amongst captivating people with legendary stories to tell, unlike Penelope and I, malingering at the brink of boredom during a tedious engagement."

Penelope could not pull her eyes away. How inordinately kind of him to make the social event sound like work and Aubry's lessons seem as play.

"Thank you, my lord. I should be downstairs in the library readying for my lessons. Please excuse me." Like a starling Aubry flew from the room, through the adjoining hall and out of sight.

Penelope's eyes remained fixed on Phineas, perfectly framed in the doorway. He was dressed in very fine eveningwear, a coffee-colored waistcoat and tails made of kerseymere with a sleek elegant finish, a laced white cravat folded against a cream linen s.h.i.+rt, and high-waist velvet breeches. The brushed gold b.u.t.tons of his coat glinted in the candlelight mirroring the twinkle in his eyes, while the s.h.i.+ny brown leather of his Hessians marked him as refined and far from a dandy. He looked in companion dress to her ensemble and she noticed how well they went together, not only in eveningwear or in coloring, but in matched partners.h.i.+p as man and woman. When he moved forward an inch, she caught the lightest scent of his intriguing cologne and then he spoke and her heart stopped beating altogether.

"You are breathtaking. I will have to protect you fiercely this evening or every gentleman will be fighting for the opportunity to dance with you and offer refreshments."

The blithe comment teased, but something in his expression made the words more meaningful; as if he merely spoke of dances and champagne, but staked a claim on something else entirely.

"Thank you, my lord. It is kind of you to notice." Did her voice sound breathy? The room did feel overly warm.

"Phineas." His insistent objection brought her eyes to his. "You promised to use my Christian name."

He paused, for a reason she could not explain.

"I like the way it sounds when you say it." His voice dropped low, seductive.

"Yes, thank you, Phineas." Saying his name intimated a closeness, so much more than an innocuous friends.h.i.+p. An unidentifiable emotion s.h.i.+mmered over her skin and she became all at once self-conscious. Was he about to claim their kiss? Here? In her bedchamber? The intriguing possibility caused her heartbeat to awaken in every part of her body, the desire to know twisting her inside out.

"Yes, well then, would you allow me the honor of a dance? I am certain your card will fill rapidly. My mother does have a way with the modiste and you promised me a boon." He smiled at her again, a dazzling flash of white.

A dance? Wouldn't he prefer a kiss? The drumming of her heartbeat repeated the litany of her wish...yes, yes, yes.

When the right corner of his mouth turned up in a questioning half smile, her heart melted. Swift reprimands went ignored. She'd never acted like a simpering schoolgirl with Simon. This weakness to succ.u.mb to emotion whenever Phineas glanced in her direction would lead to the core of all her problems. Before she could think to engage her affections, she needed to solve the problem at hand. She changed the subject briskly.

"I am confident tonight I will find the gentleman I seek."

His expression faltered before he buoyed it in place, the warmth gone from his eyes. Confused by his silence, she took Phin's arm to move downstairs and meet the carriage.

d.a.m.nation, the man she sought was never far from her thoughts. There he stood, offering her compliments and requesting a dance, and Penny remained fixated on the d.a.m.nable man who didn't have the decency to know where he'd left his sweetheart. It all sounded one-sided. What fool would not welcome her affection? He needed to solve the puzzle before he punched a hole through the wall.

Stealing a glance to where she waited with Maman, he noted how breathtakingly beautiful Penelope appeared. Elegant and regal, as rare and exquisite as a treasured jewel. His mother certainly knew her way around a modiste shop if she'd selected and fitted Penelope's gown with perfection in only a few days. Thank G.o.d for Maman.

Inside the coach, he recited a prayer of a different kind. Seated across from Penelope, with his mother to the left, his knees grazed Penny's with every turn of the carriage wheels. The toe of his boot touched the edge of her slipper. He repositioned as his body reacted to the silken brush of her gown against his trousers. Several layers of cloth separated their skin yet whenever it happened, he grew harder. By d.a.m.n, he needed to get it under control before they danced.

The ballroom proved as crowded as his mother had predicted. The crush usually worked in his favor as he blended into the ma.s.ses and made his escape before midnight. Tonight would be no different. He could spare a little extra time, but he intended to visit White's in hopes of discovering any sc.r.a.p of talk concerning Daniel Winton and then move on to a more enjoyable errand afterward. Information had reached his ears that Winton had entered a wager in the books last week for several hundred pounds. If he could ascertain the location of the event, Phineas would confront the missing lord at the time noted.

He watched Penelope take a sip of champagne, her lips glistening from the sweet liquid. She would taste as exquisitely as he imagined. Champagne kisses straight down her neck to the flat of her belly, then further below. If he did not kiss her soon he would go mad from the wanting. The temptation to taste the flavor of her mouth, most especially her scrumptious lower lip, grew stronger. He downed the last swallow of liquor in his gla.s.s and schooled his emotions.

Resurrecting his misplaced sense of decency, he considered his inner struggle as it warred with the impatient desire to touch her, hold her, kiss her. Penelope deserved better than a quick tumble to satiate his misplaced l.u.s.t. He clenched his fists to expunge the erotic image that sprung to mind. There would be no dancing in his future if he could not will his body to behave. He should initiate a conversation with Maman. That would obliterate any amorous ideas. Where the h.e.l.l was she?

"I'll return in a moment, Phineas. I need a quick visit to the retiring room."

Penelope's sweet words met his ear as she leaned in to speak over the crowd, her luscious lips closer than ever, her vanilla scent an enticement. Muttering a colorful string of oaths, he watched Penelope depart, the smooth silk of her skirts caressing her perfectly formed bottom and encouraging his growing problem. Wrestling with the desire to pounce with the finesse of a rakeh.e.l.l, he made a mental note to double his boxing sessions. If he did not diffuse the energy igniting his body whenever she stood near, he would never be able to contain himself at home or in the middle of the d.a.m.nable dance floor.

Making her way across the ballroom proved an arduous process. At the mercy of the crowd, like a leaf caught in the current, Penelope fought the crush to reach the retiring area, the room as crowded as the hall. No sooner did she step into the salon then a squeal of excitement rang out.

"Penelope! Is that you?"

Elizabeth Bretton rushed forward with such exuberance Penelope stepped back to steady herself.

"Cousin, why didn't you write you would be visiting? Mother will be over the moon to see you. Has Aubry traveled with you? Where are you staying? However did you convince your father to bring you to London during the busy season?"

Penelope laughed with the overflowing inquiries. "One question at a time, Lizzie. It is good to see you." They held hands and stared at each other as if the crowded retiring room was not noisy and overbearing.

"You look lovely. Now tell me everything. Why are you in London when I had no idea I would be seeing you?" Elizabeth squeezed Penny's hands and led her towards the far wall.

"In truth, I had no idea I would be here." They moved to a newly vacated settee and made quick work of becoming reacquainted.

"I'm sorry to hear of your father's pa.s.sing. My family will be saddened as well, but I'm sure my brother will be happy to learn you're in London."

Penelope averted her eyes, feeling remiss in her explanations. While she did manipulate the facts, her version of the past allowed her conscience not to suffer too dreadfully. She offered a more gilded recounting omitting her state of distress and dest.i.tution, as well as the humiliation of being left at the altar. Otherwise she would never have hope of finding Simon without unwelcomed intrusion and distasteful scandal.

"Please promise not to tell your family I am here searching for someone. You do recall your brother's suit, don't you? The last thing I need is Carrick prodding me to accept his proposal. Your parents will see it as a way to secure my future, but you know it's not what I want. Until I find Simon, my plan must remain in confidence."

She clasped her cousin's hands, needing to hear Lizzie vow loyalty even though Penny reserved worry over the decision. They shared a close relations.h.i.+p and she relied on the bond to ensure her cousin's co-operation.

"If it's what you wish then I agree, but I will have to tell Mother eventually. I know she didn't keep in touch with your father, but she'll be livid when she learns of his pa.s.sing. Are you sure you don't want me to ask Carrick for help?"

"No." The emphatic syllable could not be misconstrued amidst the din of the retiring room.

Lizzie let out a short laugh. "It's inevitable your secret won't remain unspoken long. My mother discovers everything, but I'll check the social register and ask my acquaintances if anyone knows Simon Maddock. I've never heard the name mentioned. Are you sure it isn't fict.i.tious?"

Out of depth when it came to duplicitous behavior, Penelope grimaced. "Honestly, I never considered the thought. It does add another shade of color to this already complex problem." She paused, attempting to gauge whether or not her cousin would support her word. "Please keep my confidence. It's dreadfully important." The forlorn note in her voice could not be mistaken.

"Agreed."

The two cousins hugged to seal the promise, but Penelope fell silent wondering how soon she would find herself in the middle of another complicated explanation.

"Enough of this dreadful talk. You wrote you were the veritable toast of the town. I daresay you look wonderful. Has society embraced you?" Briskly changing the mood with her words, Penelope folded her hands in a demure pose, happy she had made the last-minute decision to wear her new gloves.

"La, did I say those things? I enjoy being out in society, but it's troubling all the same. The gentleman who has caught my eye is the only one yet to ask me to dance even while I cross his path whenever possible. I always reserve a waltz." Elizabeth raised her wrist and for emphasis wiggled the card hanging there. "But it's never his name filling a slot."

Penelope pitied any lady who set her eye on the same gentleman as Lizzie. Her cousin did not like to be thwarted. Elegant, reserved and beautiful, Elizabeth Bretton won everything she wanted.

"Mother says if I don't dance with him soon and make a lasting impression, she'll take matters into her own hands. I understand his mother is equally anxious to see him settled." Lizzie rose to her feet and signaled for Penny to follow. "If we hurry, I may be able to locate him in this ridiculous crush. When I point him out, you'll see why I'm determined to have him. No gentleman is as handsome and beautifully formed." A spark of determination gleamed bright in Lizzie's eyes. "Sometimes I spend all night looking for him only to discover he's left early, but I will not give up."

Penelope trailed after her cousin who experienced no trouble maneuvering through the crowd in her role of reconnoiter. Like a whirlwind, Lizzie managed to extemporize her level of words although confined on all sides by guests. Bewildered, Penelope gasped in relief when they finally stopped.

"Over there." With her gloved pointer finger, her cousin indicated a cl.u.s.ter of gentlemen near the terrace doors. "Do you see him?" She rose on tippy-toe and peered across the room.

Penelope followed suit. She recognized Harold at the far end of the room, the object of Lizzie's indication. True to form, a small group of optimistic females stood twittering nearby.

"Yes, Lord Chadling?" Penny dropped from her perch, but between the chattering guests and the intensity of her cousin's gaze she wondered if her words registered.

"Not Lord Chadling. Good heavens, he's a dandy. That's not who I mean." Lizzie's voice expressed impatience. "Look beyond him. Yes, now you'll have a clear view."

Penelope rose on her toes following Lizzie's instruction, an inkling of trepidation accompanying her intention as she glanced across the room.

"Do you see him? Isn't he wonderful?" Elizabeth nudged her with force.

Oh, she saw him alright, as handsome and beautifully formed as described. And while she gazed across the room, he also looked up, matching her eyes and causing her heart to squeeze in a tight panicked rhythm. Whatsoever would she do now? Her cousin had set her eye on Phineas. With all the eligible men in the world, how could that even be possible? And why did her life insist upon becoming ever more complicated?

Chapter Twelve.

"Phineas?" The single word exploded from Penelope's lips before she could prevent it.

They remained in the same dense crush, but Lizzie's head whipped to attention, causing her long blonde curls to bounce with the motion.

"Do tell me you're acquainted with Viscount Fenhurst. You call him by his given name?" Lizzie viewed her with wide inquiring eyes, lips poised as if awaiting the impartation of a deep dark secret.

"Yes." Penny squeaked past the nervous lump in her throat. "Aubry and I are residing with his family while in London. We are guests of the Countess of Fenhurst."

"How absolutely perfect!" Her cousin clasped her gloved hands together. "Now I will definitely have him."

Penelope took a deliberate breath to maintain her equilibrium. The room spun faster with each syllable of her cousin's exuberant babbling.

"You must introduce me. It can only be destiny that would bring you here and have you befriend the viscount. He is exceedingly handsome, isn't he? Have you noticed his eyes?"

Struggling to process information, Penelope considered which question to address first while Elizabeth drilled her with a stare intent on gaining her word she would instigate an introduction. At a complete loss, Penny wondered if she would experience her first swoon.

Of course she'd noticed his eyes. Their amber gaze caused b.u.t.terflies to take flight within her whenever she caught his attention. Very little went unnoticed concerning Phineas. Her perspicacity responsible for the awful feeling at present in realizing her cousin wished to claim him. She allowed a slight pause, hoping to quell her emotions.

"Yes, his eyes. His eyes are quite...quite. Just quite." She failed to expound on the subject and it didn't seem to matter as Lizzie prompted her with another request.

"Promise me you will a.s.sist me. It will be so easy now."

Lizzie's expectant plea caused her to nod with wooden a.s.sent as the words to affirm she would help her cousin catch Phineas' attention refused to form. Of course, Phineas would prefer Elizabeth. What gentleman wouldn't admire her refined beauty and ample dowry, qualities Penelope sorely lacked?

There would be no escaping the inevitable. Phineas stepped forward not a moment later, his speculative smile focused on her alone. All aforementioned b.u.t.terflies awoke in a fluttering panic and Penelope admired her new gloves and s.h.i.+fted anxiously in her slippers. Eyes, yes, breathtaking eyes, but had her cousin ever noticed the charming cleft in his chin? She itched to run her finger over it, or better, taste the indentation with her tongue.

"Miss Rosebery."

His voice, a silky promise, stirred the air as if they alone existed in an empty ballroom. She met his gaze, a quizzical cast in his eyes. Still she could not float willingly into his arms for a waltz when her cousin stood aside her digging an elbow into her ribs. The silent communication screamed volumes.

"Lord Fenhurst, may I present my cousin, Lady Elizabeth Bretton." To her ears, the introduction lacked enthusiasm. She wondered if Phin noticed.

"I am pleased to meet you, Lady Bretton." He brushed a brief kiss to Elizabeth's gloved hand. "If I am correct, your mother recently contacted mine in regard to a tea party? Or a poetry reading? I'm not sure which."

Turning to Penelope, he inclined his head and smiled. That Phineas smile. The one that made her feel like pudding.

"You owe me a waltz, Miss Rosebery." He offered his arm and Penny slid a sideways glance in her cousin's direction, curious as to what she would garner from the interaction. To her confusion, Lizzie seemed joyfully absorbed in the situation, leaning toward her ear right before Phineas led her away, the vehement whisper echoing straight to her toes.