In the Arms of an Earl (The Duke's Daughters Book 4)(7)
And, so, without another word to him, the sisters continued their slow progress towards the park gate, leaving a rather frustrated and angry cousin Luke in their wake.
Chapter Four
Phillip, the Earl of Newford, groaned as the theatre curtain came down.
“Whatever is the matter with you, Phillip?”
Turning to his friend Lord Benjamin Marshall, Phillip shook his head. “It is quite all right for you, Marshall. You are married and settled and quite happy out to do as you please and go wherever you please without fear of any ladies coming to accost you.”
“Accost you?” Lord Marshall repeated, with a look of astonishment. “And here I was thinking that you quite enjoyed the company of young ladies, Newford.”
Phillip shook his head, rolling his eyes. “Of course, it is rather flattering, Marshall, but I find that none of them particularly interested in me.”
“But they are,” Lord Marshall argued, his astonishment turning to confusion. “They are so interested in you that they practically haunt your every step!”
“That is exactly my point!” Phillip exclaimed, wishing he was able to explain himself a little better. “They are not interested in me but in my title and fortune, that is all. The only reason I am seen as a good match is precisely because of how much I can give them in terms of wealth and status. Hardly an alluring prospect.”
Lord Marshall considered this for a moment, his jaw set. “I suppose you have a point,” he muttered, with a slight shrug. “Luckily for me, I cannot say that of Lady Marshall.”
“No, of course not,” Phillip replied, hastily. “You are one of the lucky ones there, Marshall. She is a wonderful lady and I could not be happier for you.”
Lord Marshall smiled as he turned to look at his wife who was deep in conversation with her younger sister. “You know, she does have a sister, Newford,” he commented, dryly. “She is a little young for you, but –”
“Do not so much as think it,” Phillip grated, with a rueful smile. “I would not be set up by anyone, not even you. But now, as I have promised to go and fetch refreshments for the ladies, I suppose I must do just that.”
“Ah,” Lord Marshall said, his eyes alight with understanding. “Now I understand your groaning – the ladies of the ton will waylay you the moment you set foot out of our box, is that it?”
“That is it precisely,” Phillip replied, with a roll of his eyes. “The grasping mamas, the milk water misses, the eager widows….” He drew in a long breath and let it out slowly. “The truth is, I do not know why I ever came to London.”
“You came to see me,” Lord Marshall reminded him, with a shake of his head. “And you have only been here a fortnight. Give it a month and I am sure things will improve. You might even find a lady who is not as grasping as the rest of them.”
“I highly doubt it,” Phillip muttered, only to be caught by the memory of Lady Harmonia. She had appeared rather sweet and very quiet, as though not quite sure whether the London society was truly for her. When they had met in the park only a few days earlier, he had been surprised at how quickly his heart had jumped in his chest when she’d taken his hand, even more astonished to discover the quickening of his blood when he’d put his arm around her waist in order to steady her. It had been a little inappropriate but absolutely required, given that she had hurt her ankle – and it would be an untruth to say he had not enjoyed holding her so closely. It was the very briefest of acquaintances thus far, and yet Phillip had found himself thinking of her now and again. He had even sent some flowers and a note to her home, having found the address from one of his many acquaintances, to ensure that her ankle was better. Of course, he had toyed with the idea of calling on her but had chosen not to, thinking it best to wait until he was a little better acquainted with her before considering doing such a thing.
“Have you thought of someone?”
Lord Marshall’s playful tone brought him back to himself and, with a hasty shrug, Phillip excused himself and went in search of refreshments.
“Oh, Lord Newford, how good to see you!”
It was just as he had expected. The moment he left the box, at least five different ladies came towards him, some batting their eyelashes, some thrusting out their bosoms so that he might be drawn to them. Some wanted his hand in marriage, some wanted his protection only – but Phillip was not interested in acquiring a mistress.
He managed to speak to each of them in turn, conversing briefly about inane topics such as the weather and who else he had spotted from his box but, eventually, he managed to excuse himself and go in search of his required refreshments.
Having found them, he ordered four glasses of champagne to be taken to his box and, dreading the return back through the crowd of theatre-goers, chose to remain in the shadowy corner for a few minutes. Backing away from the crowd, he bumped into something rather soft, instead of the solid wall he had been expecting.
“Oh, do excuse me,” he muttered, as a small cry of pain came from behind him. “I did not see you there.” Turning, Phillip was astonished to see none other than Lady Harmonia standing there, a somewhat pained expression on her face. Embarrassment shot through him as he realized he had trodden on her foot, his eyes growing wide with apology.