Page 47 of A Perfect Engagement
“You are too kind,” Charlotte replied.
“And it’s nice to see such a nice girl make a good match. A marquess! We are so pleased for you and your parents.”
“Thank you.” Charlotte glanced over Mrs. Kenwoody’s shoulder. Daniel turned quite abruptly and left through one of the French doors to the outside. “Will you excuse me?” she asked. She walked over to Susanna and tapped her on the shoulder.
Her friend jumped. “Charlotte, I didn’t see you. You scared me!”
“What happened to Lord Weston? He left rather quickly.”
“Oh, nothing, he stepped outside for some fresh air. He seemed a bit grumpy to me.” Susanna waved her hand around airily.
“Miss Grisham!” The perky Miss Nellie Fenway came up next to them.
Miss Fenway’s two equally silly friends trailed behind her. All three were daughters of men whom her father considered socially important. Charlotte knew them tangentially from parties in town. During the season, she and Susanna dubbed them the Far Too Cheerful Twits.
“We haven’t yet had the chance to tell you how handsome your groom is. Have you been avoiding us all week?” Miss Fenway laughed too loudly. Her two friends twittered along.
Susanna gave Charlotte a long sideways glance of amusement. “Thank you, Miss Fenway.” She gave the lady a smile, choosing to ignore the woman’s last comment.
One of the friends piped in, “We admire you so much, Miss Grisham. You have it all.”
They admired her? These tiny, pretty little things? Charlotte stared at them, incapable of a response.
Susanna jumped in to save her. “Charlotte, weren’t you just about to go track down Lord Hawksridge’s brother? To make sure he has been introduced to everyone. I believe he is taking some fresh air on the veranda.”
Charlotte tilted her head in question before understanding this was her exit from the conversation. “Oh, yes, precisely. Please excuse me.” She turned to head outside.
From behind her, Miss Fenway trilled. “Oh, do make sure to bring Lord Weston around and introduce us. He is a handsome one too!”
Charlotte rolled her eyes as she stepped out onto the veranda. She had no intention of talking to Daniel this evening. Let alone bringing him around to meet those three. She had decided the only sensible course of action was to ignore him as best she could for the next three days.
The night air cooled her overheated brow. In the twilight, she spotted the lit end of a cheroot. Her heart raced. Daniel? No, the familiar shape did not have the height or breadth of Daniel’s frame. She followed the smell of tobacco to her brother’s side. Lucius leaned forward, his elbows resting on the railing as he took another drag.
“Smoking is meant to be done in Father’s study or farther away from the house. You know Mother hates the smell,” she admonished gently. She leaned forward onto the railing next to him.
“If it isn’t Miss Perfect. Enjoying your party?” Lucius blew out a stream of smoke.
Charlotte straightened and glared at her brother. Really! What was his issue tonight?
Lucius’s gaze slid to hers and he sighed. “Sorry, pet, I didn’t mean that. Spending the week with Mother and Father is turning me into a surly bas—well you know what I mean.” He straightened and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
“I’m not perfect.” She crossed her arms in front of her chest.
“Sure you are, darling. You are well-behaved and reliable. You are just what a good daughter should be. Now you are marrying a good guy with a good pedigree. Your life will be perfect.” He turned back to blow out smoke over the railing.
The comments made all throughout this evening echoed in her head.This week has been perfect. It’s nice to see such a nice girl make a good match. We admire you…you have it all.Why did all the praise she used to crave so desperately now feel so hollow? She wasn’t perfect, her actions this week proved that. Perfect girls didn’t kiss men who are not their betrothed. They didn’t dream about things they can’t have. If she wasn’t the perfect girl everyone thought, then who was she?
She sighed. Charlotte leaned against her brother, resting her head on his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her, and together, they gazed out into the darkness.
Chapter Twenty
Up early, asusual, Daniel left the house by way of the kitchens. Mrs. Brewster had been kind enough to press a hot cup of coffee into his hands before letting him out the back door. He walked along a pebbled path down past the veranda and into the gardens. The fresh air buoyed his soul. He needed to be outdoors. Last night he had considered leaving to go home, but how would he explain such behavior to his brother? Instead, he went to bed early, and he dreamt of Charlotte. She lay in his bed, and her long dark locks spread out over his pillows. In his dream, he kissed every inch of her alabaster skin and watched it flush with desire. He’d woken with his hand on his cock, randy as a schoolboy.
Daniel took a bracing gulp of hot coffee. He must speak with her today and explain about Phoebe and Josie. It mattered she thought the worst of him. Daniel continued to walk, the path meandering to the left, and he smelled the lilac bushes before he saw their pretty purple blooms. The bushes were maybe five feet tall, heavy with blooms, and smelled like heaven.
A few stems had withered; these would drive Charlotte batty. He reached in and snapped the brittle twigs off, then continued to pick spent bloom stems. His hand paused. Perhaps she would be out this way to do some pruning? She used the garden to clear her head, just as he did. He glanced around, searching for the perfect spot. Aha, there. He walked over to the scroll iron bench and sat down to wait.
His coffee had long been drunk, and his bum was starting to fall asleep from sitting when the rustle of skirts interrupted his thoughts. Daniel eagerly turned to stare down the path. Disappointment sliced at him as Miss Spencer walked toward him. He stood to greet her, glancing over her shoulder to see if Charlotte had accompanied her.
