Page 61 of The Good Fortune of Miss Robbins

The servant announced a new caller. “Mr. Anthony Welton.”

I caught the scowl on Lord Brookhaven’s face just before he changed it to a look of indifference.

When Mr. Welton saw Lord Brookhaven, his smile faltered, but only for a moment. He addressed me with a slightly exaggerated bow. “Miss Robbins, you are looking particularly well on this fine morning.”

“Thank you, Mr. Welton.”

“I hope you don’t mind that I took the liberty of bringing you these flowers.” He held out a bouquet of red roses and lilies of the valley.

“These are lovely. Thank you.” I took them and held them up to my face. No one had ever given me flowers before. I drank intheir beauty and fragrance even as I imagined they came from Lord Brookhaven instead of Mr. Welton.

I handed the flowers off to a servant, who went to find a vase for them, and we all sat down again.

“Lord Brookhaven, fancy seeing you here,” Mr. Welton said with a cocky grin.

The Earl of Brookhaven simply stared back at him and said nothing.

Mr. Welton began talking of going for a drive in his father’s barouche. “It is a very fast carriage, lightweight but substantial enough to not overturn around corners and curves. I am sure you would enjoy a little speed and the wind in your hair, Miss Robbins.”

I smiled but said nothing. Perhaps it wasn’t strictly appropriate for him to ask me such a question, but he was a young, handsome gentleman teasing me in a flattering way. And Lord Markeley and Mr. Merritt had talked with me and teased me at Lord Brookhaven’s house party.

But then I’d discovered exactly what they thought of me—that I wasn’t good enough for Lord Brookhaven to think of marrying, and the implication, of course, was that I wasn’t good enough for them either.

“Lord Brookhaven,” Mrs. Drake said, turning the conversation away from Mr. Welton, “your estate is in Berkshire, is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“I hear it is a lovely prospect, with vast gardens and excellent paths for walking. I suppose you spend most of your time in the country?”

“Yes.”

Mr. Welton pretended to stifle a yawn. “Shall we go for a walk? Miss Robbins, I know you are a great walker, and it isn’t often we have such fine weather in this soggy old town.”

I shook my head at him. Saying such a thing about London seemed almost irreverent.

“It is rather late in the day for a walk, I should think,” Mrs. Drake said.

“A walk seems a fine idea to me,” I said, pretending not to have heard Mrs. Drake’s remark. “We can go to Hyde Park. Lord Brookhaven? Will you accompany us?”

Mr. Welton began to speak and drowned out whatever Lord Brookhaven was beginning to say. But Lord Brookhaven stood, and the men waited until Mrs. Drake, Millicent, and I had fetched our bonnets and parasols, and we were soon on our way.

Lord Brookhaven said not a word, but Mr. Welton talked so much that he could hardly have got a word in if he’d tried.

When we reached Lord Brookhaven’s townhouse, he stopped and said, “I shall part with you here. Good day, Miss Robbins.” He nodded to everyone, even Mr. Welton, and went inside.

“Hmm, the air seems less stodgy somehow.” Mr. Welton glanced around and grinned.

“You are incorrigible, Mr. Welton.”

“Well, I do hope I at least know how to have a good day and enjoy the company around me.” He looked pointedly at me. “Especially that of such lively company as I happily find myself in today.”

Was I lively? No one had ever called me that before. I suppose I was, compared to some ladies. I only hoped I hadn’t offended Lord Brookhaven. I tried to remember anything improper I might have said or done. Certainly, I hadn’t rejected Mr. Welton’s attentions after Lord Brookhaven warned me about him, saying that he was only after my fortune. Lord Brookhaven might be right. But how was I to know that if I didn’t spend time with him?

Mr. Welton was never serious the whole way to Hyde Park and back, making me laugh several times, and by the time we were home again and parted from him, I had a headache.

“You are in London, and you are an earl,” Lady Derringer was saying, “and therefore you should make an appearance at this evening assembly.”

William sighed. His aunt had returned from her brief trip to thecountry—her estate was nearby so she could come and go more easily than most—and now she was giving him advice on how to keep up his status as an eligible bachelor.