Page 12 of Dared By a Lyon
Here she was, alone, in a lovely guest chamber of the earl’s elegant country manor—an earl who was clearly a man of consequence. On top of her anxiety over the accident, her worry for the boy who had driven her, and her unease at being an imposition upon such kindness, she had also been obliged to lie to the earl and his mother, pretending to be Elizabeth. All the while, her flighty cousin had been gallivanting off to Italy with the mad intention of eloping with an artist she had only just met. Ashlyn could scarcely have imagined herself in such a predicament, even had she been the authoress of a Gothic novel.
So far, the Season was nothing like she and Elizabeth had envisioned for their trip.
Truthfully, she missed Elizabeth, and the thought of her dear cousin made her heart twist with pain. “I hope things are working out for you, Lizzy,” she whispered, praying with all her heart that Elizabeth was safe.
Yet no matter how Ashlyn tried, she could not approve of her cousin’s reckless schemes. Elizabeth’s penchant for half-baked plans and scattered shenanigans had never ended in disaster—thank heaven—but they had unfailingly landed the two of them in trouble with their parents. At least this time, Ashlyn thought with relief, both sets of parents were yet to discover the truth.
This time she needed to worry about her own situation, she told herself, as her eyes grew heavy with the strain of the day. She would have to continue the deception of being Elizabeth. Truth be told, she no longer even wished to attend the house party, but she had no choice. She must see it through, all while pretending to be someone she was not. Lying came hard toAshlyn; deceit was not in her nature. Yet she would have to play the part until Elizabeth’s parents arrived in London.
As her fatigue deepened and her eyes fluttered closed, Ashlyn at last surrendered to sleep. And as she drifted off, her mind conjured the image of dark hair, a dimpled chin, and stormy-gray eyes…
Chapter Five
Gabriel stood atthe window of his study, gazing out at the waning storm as he drank his tea. Yes, tea—a strong cup in place of his customary brandy. He could not stop thinking about the lovely Miss Elizabeth Vickers. Just two days ago, when he was in London, he had first heard of the American heiress, who had arrived in England less than two weeks ago. The gossip he’d overheard at the Lyon’s Den had alluded to the incomparable beauty of Miss Vickers and of her equally charming cousin—so alike in appearance that the two might easily have been mistaken for sisters.
He had to admit to himself that he was intrigued by Miss Vickers, who had been bound for the house party at Lady Ashbourne’s, given on behalf of Mrs. Bessie Dove-Lyon. The same house party he and his mother had been invited to. Given Mrs. Dove-Lyon’s side enterprise as theton’s preeminent matchmaker, he could only assume that Miss Vickers’s attendance was for the purpose of making a match. The question was, would the American heiress decide to forgo attending in light of her recent accident?
Gabriel himself had not intended to go. For three years, he had avoided the gatherings of thetonas much as possible,knowing full well that every ambitious mama watched him with hawklike vigilance at each rout and ball. Yet in the present circumstances, it was unthinkable to allow Miss Vickers to travel unescorted. Newly arrived in England, the young woman had just suffered a carriage accident that might have caused her grievous bodily harm or emotional distress, particularly if her maid or the boy driving the carriage been injured more severely than he had. Gabriel could not, in good conscience, permit Miss Vickers to attend Mrs. Dove-Lyon’s house party unaccompanied.
He had already checked on the lad following Dr. Baker’s examination. The physician had assured him that the boy had suffered a mild concussion to the back of his head and a few cuts and bruises, and, given his youth and all-around good health, would recover in a few days.
Gabriel had smiled down at the lanky youth, who seemed younger than fourteen—he was all legs and arms. How in the world had he managed to control those horses as far as he had in that storm? “Billy, driving a carriage without permission was a foolish thing to do.”
“I’ve driven carriages before,” Billy insisted.
“And you might be a good driver under fair weather, but anything can happen on the road. And the fact remains that you’re a lad—and your inexperience led to an accident. It could have been bad for you if Miss Vickers or her maid, or even the horses, had been hurt. It could have been worse if you’d taken a bad fall.” Gabriel had already checked with Grimes, his stable master, and was relieved that the horses were none the worse for wear. Grimes had seen to their care, watered and fed them, and given them a good brush-down. The horses had had one or two minor abrasions that Grimes had taken care of with a special salve.
At the youth’s wide, worried eyes and sharp intake of breath, Gabriel had softened his tone. “Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt. Carriages can be mended, but sometimes people cannot.” His chest tightened at the memory of the accident that had wiped away half his family and his future wife.
“I will, Your Lordship,” the boy had said stoically, blinking back tears. “I-I didn’t know we’d have a storm like this. And Mama needed the money bad for our family. That’s why I pretended to be Da.”
“Taking care of your family is very admirable,” Gabriel had said, feeling the weight of his own failure to his own family.
Billy had nodded and, with a sudden grin, said, “She’s a right angel, that Miss Vickers is. And a real looker, too! She got herself and Alice out of that carriage and used a parasol to keep the door open. Can you reckon that? Alice told me so when she brung me dinner before you came. Miss Vickers saved m’life, she did, and she promised she wouldn’t tell my da…”
“You’re a lucky lad, Billy,” Gabriel had said, ruffling the boy’s hair. “But next time your father is indisposed, you would do well to seek his master’s leave before taking the reins. In the meantime, I shall ask our driver, Donald, to give you some proper instructions on how to handle the reins of a carriage in various situations. But only when you’re feeling better.”
“You would do that for me, my lord? After what I done?”
“Of course I would. You stepped in when your father could not. That is the mark of a good man in the making.”
The boy had nodded gravely. “I promised my ma I’d never touch the drink. Sometimes when Da is in his cups, he… Well, he isn’t hisself.”
“I understand, Billy,” Gabriel had said softly, guilt pricking as he thought of his own self-indulgence.
Gabriel had no children of his own, but he was Caroline’s guardian, and no matter his own pain and guilt, it was his duty to see that the child grew up safe, loved, and well protected.
His mother had been right. It was past time he ceased wallowing. Even if only for a few weeks each year, he had shamed himself with drink and gaming. That must end, he resolved, as he downed the rest of his tea and set the empty cup down on his desk.
Knowing his mother, she’d find out all there was to know about the American heiress. She’d invited Miss Vickers for breakfast with her in the morning. Gabriel would not be there, as he would be setting out at dawn with his men to oversee the recovery and return of the carriage and Miss Vickers’s trunks. They’d decided it was too late and too dark to do it tonight. Not to mention the roads were still in rough condition as the storm abated to light rain.
He felt compelled to see the site of the accident and the state of the carriage as a result. He knew why he was driven to do this…because he had not been there when his sister’s carriage careened off the bridge three years ago.
His mother would likely find out if Miss Vickers had decided to go ahead and attend the house party or return to London once the roads became passable in a few days.
Gabriel thought back to Billy’s outrageous statement, referring to Miss Vickers as a “looker.” The boy had had stars in his eyes as he told Gabriel everything. Miss Vickers had gotten them out of the carriage and helped Billy. Damn, but Gabriel had had the same reaction himself. Not only was Miss Vickers beautiful, but she was also resourceful and courageous.
He folded his arms over his chest and continued to gaze out the window at the clearing sky and the moonlit night. He had cared about Juliet. She had always been there, as Olivia’s best friend, and he had only begun to get to know her for herself inthe year before the accident. She was beautiful but completely opposite to Miss Vickers. Juliet had been petite, with honey-blonde hair and velvety-brown eyes that made him think of a doe. She had been similar to his sister in temperament and nature, which was why they had been best friends. He regretted so much…including the fact that he hadn’t even had a chance to get to know Juliet all that well after he proposed.
