The Wedding Game(33)

*

It was afternoon by the time Ben had arranged for a licence. Nearly four o’clock seemed far too late to propose marriage. There was evening, of course. But the Summoners likely had plans and he had anticipated a quiet evening at his club. It seemed a shame to disrupt everything for a formality that could be handled just as easily in the morning.

As he wrote the note of his intentions to call at ten the following day, he could not help imagining Templeton’s stern expression on learning of the engagement. Ben had never planned for a love match and nothing had changed his mind on the subject. But the total lack of interest he had in meeting the girl and going through the motions of the offer did not bode well for the future. It was probably Amy’s fault. Her continual harping on his unsuitability for her sister must have shaken his confidence.

Or perhaps she was to blame in another way. Last night, his dreams had been of brown eyes flecked with gold. She had claimed that the kiss in Vauxhall was nothing more than curiosity. For her, perhaps it was. From his side, it was nothing less than compulsion. He’d wanted to kiss her. He wanted to do it again. And despite the engagement, he wanted still more.

If his mind had not been clouded by thoughts of Amy as he’d spoken to Summoner, things might have turned out quite differently. He’d have offered for her. And, since it was clear that she did not care for him, she’d have crushed his heart without a second thought as she had all the other men who’d crossed her path. He must not forget the fact. Those few moments in the dark were not heaven. They were a mistake, just as she’d said.

*

It was with a pleasant smile and a stoic attitude that he arrived at the Summoner home the next morning to take Miss Arabella for a drive in Hyde Park. And, as had been the case every other time he’d tried to meet with her, he came face to face with Amy. Today, she was dressed for a ride, as if she intended to come along with them.

‘Miss Summoner,’ he said with a slight incline of his head. ‘Do not let me stop you, if you are going out.’

She smiled sweetly. ‘You are not likely to, since I will be accompanying you and my sister.’

‘I do not recall inviting you,’ he said.

‘Nor would a gentleman assume that Belle could go out without a chaperon,’ she countered.

‘In this case, it is entirely appropriate,’ he said. ‘There are things I wish to say to Miss Arabella that are not for another’s ears.’

‘If another man said it, I might demur,’ she whispered back at him. ‘But I know from experience how you behave when you are alone with a lady.’

‘Was that all some sort of a test, then?’ he whispered back. ‘If that is the case, then I was not in the presence of a lady at all.’

‘You insufferable cad. Are you always so quick to place the blame on another? If so, look no further when wondering why I do not trust you with my sister. Lord knows what will happen when the two of you are together. But I now know exactly what you will say if it is discovered.’

‘Amelia!’ Lord Summoner was standing in the doorway of his office. The tone of voice he used was harsh enough to quell even his older daughter.

‘Father,’ she answered meekly.

‘You are not making our guest feel welcome.’

‘We were just leaving, Father,’ she said.

‘On the contrary. They are leaving. You are not going anywhere. I wish to see you in my study immediately. Leave Mr Lovell to his business with your sister.’

‘But propriety,’ she argued.

‘Do not worry, Amy. I will take Mellie. He will protect me.’ His intended was standing at the top of the stairs. It took but one glance to remember why it was he’d wanted her in the first place. Her golden hair glowed in a beam of morning sunlight, but it was no match for the brilliance of her smile.

Ben gritted his teeth and smiled. ‘By all means, let us bring the dog. The fresh air will do him good.’ At least it was unlikely to do him harm. Mellie had one of his owner’s hair ribbons tied around his scrawny neck, but it did nothing to improve his looks. He ambled down the stairs at Belle’s side, tail wagging slowly, watching Ben’s pants leg as though he’d just recognised an old friend.

Ben dragged his eyes away from the animal and back to the beautiful woman in front of him. ‘Miss Arabella?’ He bowed low over her hand.

There was no immediate response to his greeting. Then he heard Amy’s hissed whisper. ‘Mr Lovell.’

‘Mr Lovell,’ Belle repeated, like an actor in need of prompting. When he rose from the bow, she made an answering curtsy and gave him a smile that more than compensated for a moment’s confusion over his name.

‘Might you do me the honour of taking a turn about the park with me in my carriage?’ From somewhere behind him, he could feel the eyes of the elder Summoner girl boring into his back. Let her stare. She had tried to prevent both the meeting and the engagement, and failed on both counts.

‘I like to take rides,’ Belle said, still smiling.

‘Then you will like my phaeton,’ he replied. ‘It is quite high, but you need not worry. I have a very steady hand and the team is well matched.’

‘Let us go, then.’

She let him guide her out of the house and to the carriage, as docile as a lamb. She was the very opposite of her sister. When he’d escorted Amy about Vauxhall, he’d had the sense that she’d much rather lead than follow. There was a fierce independence in her, yearning to break free.