A soft sniffle caught Mary’s attention. “Thank you,” Lord Arlington choked as he looked at her through misty eyes. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
“You are most welcome, my lord,” Mary said as she placed a reassuring hand upon his arm. “Of course, we will need to monitor your wife closely for the next few days, but I do believe that she will be all right. The internal suture was done using catgut, so it will dissolve on its own, but I shall have to take out the external stitches once the wound is fully healed. In the meantime, I will stay with you until she wakes up. Depending on how she is feeling, we will decide on a time for me to return and check up on her.”
CHAPTER FIVE
It was five thirty in the morning by the time Mary made her way to bed, so exhausted that she collapsed fully clothed on top of her covers, her feet dangling precariously over the edge. When she eventually woke up again, it was past noon, and by the time she made it downstairs, fully dressed and with her hair styled to perfection, it was almost one.
The minute she walked into the parlor, she froze. There were flowers not only on every surface but on the floor as well: roses in a wide array of colors, chrysanthemums, lilies, and carnations, all beautifully arranged in bouquets of varying sizes. Mary just stood there and stared. “Thornton?” The butler appeared at her side instantaneously. “What on earth is going on?”
“Well, I can take it to mean only one thing, my lady. You must have made quite an impression last night at Richmond House—these flowers have been arriving all morning. And now that it is past lunch time, you will probably be receiving your first caller at any—” The doorbell rang. “Moment,” he finished.
Mary stared at Thornton in horror. “You don’t mean to tell me that. . .but I just got out of bed. I cannot possibly receive anyone now.”
“I can fend them off for a while, my lady, but I cannot keep them at bay forever. There is a plate of food for you in the dining room, which will no doubt do you a world of good after all that gallivanting about last night.” He gave her a disapproving look. “In the meantime, I shall see who is at the door; after all, it is the polite thing to do.”
Mary paused only long enough to realize that once the front door was opened, whoever had decided to call upon her would be likely to spot her straight away, leaving her with little choice but to invite them in. With a soft rustle of her skirts, she immediately fled down the hallway and into the dining room, almost grateful to discover that no ostentatious bouquets of flowers had made it that far yet.
She’d just pulled out her chair when the sound of loud voices arguing caught her attention. It sounded as if Thornton was yelling at somebody. Good heavens. Ten seconds later, the door flew open, admitting none other than Mr. Summersby.
“I am terribly sorry, my lady,” Thornton apologized. “I tried to explain to him that you are not receiving visitors at the moment, but the gentleman just would not listen.”
Mary scowled at Mr. Summersby. “It is quite all right, Thornton. Would you please send in another cup in case he would care for some tea.”
“Very well, my lady,” Thornton replied, glaring at the unwelcome guest. “Should you otherwise need me, I shall not be far.”
“Thank you, Thornton, but I am sure that I shall be just fine. You may, however, ask Emma to join us.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Once Thornton was gone, Mary turned her full attention to the man before her. “Well, this is an unexpected surprise,” she remarked. “Although Thornton did say that I could expect callers at any moment.”
Mr. Summersby gave her a lopsided grin. “No true gentleman would dare to call upon a lady before three in the afternoon.”
“Then I take it that you are not a true gentleman. Or are you perhaps a bit thickheaded? I thought I was quite clear about not wanting to see you again.”
Mr. Summersby’s mouth made an awkward twist at that remark, as if he were doing his best to refrain from laughing. “You are mistaken, Lady Steepleton,” he told her. “I am the very epitome of a true gentleman. In fact, I am your knight in shining armor, come to rescue you from the horde of young pups that are sure to assault you with wagging tails and adoring eyes at any given moment. I shall vouch that they will slobber all over you.”
“And just how exactly are you hoping to accomplish such a heroic feat?” Mary asked, unable to help herself from being taken in by Mr. Summersby’s charms.
Will our conversations always border on the bizarre?
Thornton returned just then with another cup that he placed upon the table across form Mary’s place setting. He was accompanied by Emma, who quickly bobbed a curtsy in her mistress’s direction. Mary took her seat, gestured for her guest to do the same, and watched in silence as Thornton poured each of them a steaming hot cup of tea. Emma perched herself on a chair in the corner, her face turned slightly away as if to offer some measure of privacy. Mary couldn’t help but be impressed by her thoughtfulness and quickly told Thornton to offer her a cup of tea as well. She then turned an expectant gaze on Mr. Summersby. “Well?”
“Well, I was thinking that a ride in the park might be just the thing to make you want to keep my company.” Mary’s brows rose. The gentleman certainly didn’t waste his time. “I brought my carriage along, you see, and since the weather is as fine as it is today, we could perhaps even take a stroll along the Serpentine.”
It did sound very tempting, yet Mary hadn’t forgotten why she’d dismissed the handsome man in the first place. Well, of course there was the problem of all the lies she’d probably end up weaving, but mostly it had something to do with the way he had looked at her when she’d told him that she was a marchioness. She knew she wasn’t exactly the prettiest of God’s creations, but that he’d been so shocked had actually hurt her quite a bit—quite possibly more than she cared to admit.
Now, as far as her profession was concerned, perhaps she was underestimating Mr. Summersby. Was she really all that certain that he wouldn’t be supportive of her? She ignored the answer that came to mind, for it wasn’t at all the one she was hoping for. She contemplated the issue for a moment, knowing full well that she was probably about to make a very big mistake. But somehow, in that instant, and with him focusing his deep blue eyes on her so expectantly, she simply forgot to care. She wanted to go for that ride and to walk along the Serpentine with him. She wanted a friend, someone to talk to. “I shall join you on one condition,” she told him. “Tell me, as honestly as you can, why you did not believe me when I told you that I am the Marchioness of Steepleton.”
“As far as I can recall, I never said that I did not believe you,” he said, his grin dimpling his cheeks.
“You implied it by staring at me like a gawking imbecile,” she retorted, her eyes widening slightly as if she couldn’t quite believe she’d just said that out loud.
“And you, my lady, are sure to offend somebody one day with that tongue of yours.” He took a sip of tea as he looked at her from over the brim of his cup. He could practically see the steam coming out of her ears. “But, in answer to your question, you just looked too ordinary to fit the part. Your dress, for instance, as pretty as it was, lacked any form of luxury. You wore no expensive baubles, and you just did not have that air of wealth about you. You were not at all like any of the other ladies present; in fact, I quite thought that you might have been someone’s distant relation, visiting from the country. I am sorry if that offends you, but that is the truth of it.”
Lady Steepleton stared back at him from across the table. “There is no need for you to apologize, Mr. Summersby,” she finally said in a delicate voice. “Having seen what all of those other women are like—how snooty and aggressive they can be—I do believe that you have just now given me a compliment.”
“They are not all like that,” Ryan assured her. “My sister, Alexandra, for instance, is very different.”
“Then I shall very much like to meet her,” the marchioness told him with a bright smile that instantly forced him to catch his breath. No, Lady Steepleton wasn’t at all what he had expected. If anything, she was like a breath of fresh air in a baking summer heat. Now, if he could only figure out why someone might wish to harm her.
They drove Ryan’s landau along a number of different paths in the park before making a turn onto Rotten Row. Given the time of day and the splendid weather, the road was packed with people in a variety of carriages or merely on horseback. “Is it always this busy?” Lady Steepleton asked as she adjusted the green ribbon on her bonnet.
“On a day like today? Yes, especially since the weather has been terribly dismal of late,” Ryan told her with a smile. He’d taken the seat across from her, while her maid, who’d been brought along for the sake of propriety, sat quietly at her mistress’s side, her face averted as if she were taking a remarkable interest in the scenery. Ryan had to give the woman credit for her discretion. “You see, most members of the ton enjoy being seen wearing a newly acquired hat or in the company of a particular gentleman or lady. In fact, it is often the way in which a courtship is made public.”
Lady Steepleton’s lips parted slightly in surprise. Ryan met her gaze and knew what she must be thinking. A smile tugged at his lips as he watched her turn her head away and apply a great deal of interest to the trees that they were just now passing. However, he couldn’t help but notice how red she’d suddenly gotten.
“I see,” she whispered. “A bit conceited. . .would you not agree?”
Ryan shrugged as he leaned back against his seat, pretending not to have noticed her discomfiture. “Perhaps, my lady, but such is the life of the rich; it often lacks substance.”
Lady Steepleton’s head snapped around in astonishment. “Do you really mean that?”
“Oh, absolutely. It is one of the foremost reasons why my family withdrew to the country. In fact, we have only recently begun returning to London during the season.” He tipped his hat as they passed another carriage.
“Why the sudden change?” she asked, sending a smile toward the couple whom Ryan had just greeted. “If you were happier in the country, then why come to London now?”
Ryan let out a lengthy sigh. “Well, it appears as though my father has determined that it is time for my brother and me to start scouring the marriage mart a bit more thoroughly. Until now, we’ve been present for only part of the season, attending the occasional ball; and while it is true that my brother is the one facing the greatest amount of pressure due to his being elder, he is, unfortunately, out of town at the moment, leaving me as the sole target of my father’s attempts at matchmaking.”
Lady Steepleton grinned. “What about your sister?”
Ryan rolled his eyes. “She married the Earl of Trenton last year. Not only was she determined never to get hitched, but considering the type of woman she is, it just seemed very unlikely that she ever would. Now that she is settled with a husband and a child, my father is even more confident that my brother and I will both succeed in finding wives.”