Page 6 of A Suitable New Year’s Revenge (Ladies’ Wagering Whist Society #42)

Pine was off kilter. As he stared out at the falling snow, he realized he had no idea what was happening to him.

The conservatory was cold. Since his mother didn’t actually keep plants that needed to be kept warm, they didn’t bother lighting the fire. With the large glass windows, it was definitely the coldest room in the house. But it was also Pine’s favorite.

It was here that he’d always come to think. It was quiet here. And he rather liked the cold. It cleared his head—and goodness knew he most certainly needed a clear head now.

So much had happened in the last few days—he’d met Helena, come home, and spent time with his family, and he was well on his way to being despised by his father, either that or thought to be a complete fool.

He could hardly believe he’d only known Helena for such a short time. He felt as if they’d been together forever. He knew her, and he was pretty sure she knew him.

But there was more than that. He liked her. He respected her. He—

“Oh, here you are,” a woman’s voice came from the doorway—

Pine spun around and found Helena smiling at him as she came forward.

He returned her smile. “I was just thinking about you,” he admitted.

“Oh?” She cocked her head.

He gave a slightly embarrassed laugh and wondered if he was about to make a fool of himself. He pressed forward anyway—maybe he was a fool. “I was just thinking that we’ve only known each other less than a week, and yet I feel as if I’ve known you my entire life. Is that ridiculous?”

Her eyes softened as she gazed up at him. She shook her head. “It’s not ridiculous at all. I feel exactly the same way.”

He reached out and took her hand. “I feel...” He shook his head, certain he shouldn’t be saying this. “Ever since we left London, I’ve been happy. Yes...” He had up a hand to stop her from saying whatever it was she’d opened her mouth to say. “Yes, part of it is being with my family, who I’ve missed terribly. But just being with them has never made me feel this way. It’s you. You make me happy.”

Her eyes began to shine—either with unshed tears or her own emotions. He didn’t know which. “You make me feel the same way. My father is practically on his deathbed. I should be distraught—and I am extremely upset at my impending loss—but... you are an island of safety and joy in the stormy sea of my life. Thank you for that. For making me feel safe—even if it is only for a little while.”

Does it have to only be for a little while, a voice asked inside his head. He dared not say it out loud, though. No, all he wanted to do now was to hold this beautiful, strong, incredible woman in his arms and kiss her. And so he did.

He pulled her close and bent his head to press his lips against hers. But it wasn’t enough. He rained little kisses all across her lips before running his tongue along the seam, begging for entry. She parted her lips, hesitantly, and he deepened the kiss, tasting her sweetness. And sweet she was, even more so than he’d imagined she would be.

His arms pulled her closer, pressing her lovely softness against him. She felt so good, so right.

“What the—” Lord Hazelton’s voice came from the doorway.

Pine and Helena jumped apart.

“Unacceptable,” his father growled before turning and stomping away. They could hear him calling for Pine’s mother as he went.

“Oh, dear,” Helena whispered.

“Have no fear. He already thinks we’re engaged,” Pine said with a little laugh. Before his mother could show up to chaperon them, he quickly gave her another kiss.

He’d meant for it to be little more than a peck, but she’d opened her mouth to him again and he could not help but accept the invitation.

“Now, now,” Lady Hazelton interrupted them. “There will be plenty of time for that after the wedding.”

Helena’s hands flew to her face. Her cheeks had turned a vibrant pink.

“Come now, Miss Lawson, why don’t you and I go have a chat about the wedding breakfast,” his mother said, taking Helena’s hand and drawing her away. “We’ll leave Pine to enjoy the freezing cold of this room on his own,” she added with a laugh. “I’ve never understood how he could enjoy...” her voice drifted off as she led Helena down the hall and away from him.

Helena hadn’t been able to do anything but give him a wide-eyed look as she was pulled from the room. He thought there might have been a hint of a smile there too, if he wasn’t mistaken.

After the wedding, his mother had said. But there wouldn’t actually be a wedding, unless.... Pine wondered if he might be able to convince Helena to make the engagement real. He wondered if she felt as strongly for him as he was beginning to feel for her. Was it love, though?

Yes. Yes, he was beginning to think that it was. He’d certainly never had such an immediate connection with anyone before. She teased his mind with her intelligence and teased him in other ways with her beauty. He knew for certain that, if he could convince her to marry him, they would never run out of things to talk about. She would be a friend as well as his wife. Truly, who could ask for more? And the love… well, that was quickly becoming a reality as well. He could only hope she felt the same.

Two days later, Helena was thinking of how relieved she’d been the previous evening when Lord Hazelton had taken his dinner in his study. She was so embarrassed at being caught kissing Pine—not once, but twice!

She sat down at her dressing table and unwound her night braid before brushing out her hair.

One might have thought that after Lord Hazelton had caught them, they would have been intelligent enough to not simply go back to what they’d been doing, knowing full well that his mother was on her way.

Helena could feel her face heat even now as she simply thought about it.

But it had been nice. No, it had been bone-meltingly wonderful, if she were completely honest. It had warmed her to know that Pine felt the same way she did with regard to how well they knew each other.

She would have scoffed and rolled her eyes two weeks ago if anyone had told her such a thing was possible. But now… now Helena knew she was getting herself into serious trouble because it was one thing to claim knowledge of another and something else completely to love them.

Oh, my God. Did she just think the word love? She lowered her hairbrush.

How ridiculous. She couldn’t love Pine. But... doubts inched into that lost thought. Could she love him? Was it possible to fall in love with someone that quickly?

She put down her brush and began to gather her hair into a simple bun on the top of her head.

Helena had no idea. She was certain, though, that love had not been on Pine’s mind. Oh, certainly he’d kissed her, but that was because he liked her, perhaps even found her attractive. It most certainly had nothing to do—

A knock sounded on Helena’s door. She quickly slipped her last hairpin into place, then got up to answer it.

A maid stood there. She gave a little curtsy. “Good morning, Miss Lawson. His lordship has requested that you join him in his study.”

Helena just stared at the girl for a moment, her mind caught between wanting to go blank and not understand the girl’s words and screaming silently. She stood back and shook out her hands at her side. It relieved the tension within her some; not nearly enough.

“Now?” she heard herself ask in the most ordinary voice.

“Yes, Miss.” The girl bobbed another curtsy.

Helena took in a shuddering breath. Well, this was why she was here. This was what she and Pine had hoped would happen.

Yes, absolutely. They had planned on this. She knew what she had to do. She gave a resolute nod, but paused to debate whether she should take a moment to plan out what she was going to say or whether she should just go and see what happened.

Despite being the sort who always planned ahead, Helena rather felt that if she didn’t go to see Lord Hazelton right away, she might lose the nerve to do so entirely.

“Very well.”

The maid looked relieved, turned, and led the way down to his lordship’s study. Helena had been about to go for breakfast, but now she was grateful he’d called her before she’d had a chance to eat. She might have lost whatever she’d eaten otherwise. With an empty stomach, she had no fear of embarrassing herself in that way.

Helena stood outside Lord Hazelton’s door for a moment and shook out her hands. With a deep breath, she knocked. He bade her enter, and Helena went into his lordship’s very masculine and business-like study.

“Ah, Miss Lawson. I am glad to see that you are prompt,” he said from where he stood by the fireplace.

She gave him a little curtsy but didn’t say anything.

“Please, have a seat.” He indicated the sofa nearby.

Helena sat, crossed her feet at the ankle, and clasped her hands in her lap.

His lordship turned back to the fire and said nothing. He seemed to be gathering his thoughts, so Helena waited.

After about a minute, he turned back to her and rested his elbow on the mantle.

“Normally I would write to your father to arrange such matters, but I understand he is not in good health. I suppose I shall have to assume that you are capable of reasonable thought? I can only request that you attempt to set aside your feminine emotions for the moment.”

Helena bristled but held her tongue.

He narrowed his eyes at her. “I want you to break off this engagement with my son.”

Pine had been right! Helena knew she shouldn’t be surprised. She hadn’t actually doubted him, and yet there had been a small piece of her that had thought—well, the point was moot now. Now, she had no choice but to carry out the plan.

With a lift of her chin—and a sharp, painful constricting of her heart—she said, “Allow me to live either in my father’s London house or at Cumnor after he dies, and I shall do so.”

The man slapped his hand down on the mantle. “I knew it! This has all been a ruse, a trick to get me to allow you to continue to live in my house.”

“ My house at the moment,” she countered. “And no, it has not been a ruse. I love Pine,” she started, but then had to wait a moment for the lump in her throat to subside. “If I married him, I would not have to worry about being homeless after my father is no longer with us. If I do as you ask and set aside the man I would like to spend the rest of my life with, then the very least you could do is give me some place to live until I can find a position or someplace else to live.”

Helena was shocked at the truth of her words. A week ago, she had done this as a ruse. This whole charade had been solely so she would not be thrown out of her home. But now... now that she knew Pine... now that she had kissed him... she wanted nothing more than for him to make their engagement real.

She was probably a fool, and if Lord Hazelton called her bluff, she would probably be in a great deal of trouble because she knew Pine had entered into this merely to get his revenge for his father’s cruelty. He didn’t love her. She supposed he liked her well-enough but doubted very much that his feelings extended as far as matrimony. He didn’t love her, and he certainly didn’t want to marry her.

Lord Hazelton stared at her for a moment. Finally, he said, “You are an excellent actress, Miss Lawson. I almost believed you for a moment. But that, and most likely everything else you had told me, is a lie. Ancient Greek studies indeed,” he added under his breath. “Ridiculous!”

Helena lowered her gaze to hide the tears that were now threatening.

“You shall break off this sham of an engagement and you shall receive nothing from me. Not a thing. There is no marriage contract and I owe you nothing.” He strode over to his desk and seated himself. “I expect you out of my London house the day after you bury your father. You may go now.”

“I swear by Athena he should throw himself to the crows,” she muttered under her breath as she neared the door.

“What was that?” he snapped.

“Nothing, you wouldn’t understand the reference. It is from Aristophanes.”

He sighed. “Really, Miss Lawson, why must you persist—”

“I said you should throw yourself to the crows,” she repeated.

“To the… crows? And what is that supposed to mean?” He was looking satisfyingly confused.

“In ancient Greece, burial was sacred and extremely important. By saying you should throw yourself to the crows implies that your dead body would get no burial but would be left as food for the birds. That is all that you deserve!” She fled out of the room before her anger turned to tears.

Helena paused just outside of Lord Hazelton’s study. Allowing the wall to support her, she took several deep breaths to calm herself. She probably shouldn’t have cursed at him. Oh, but it had felt good to have to explain it.

That thought eased the tightness in her chest and nearly put a smile to her lips. It disappeared quickly enough as the full impact of what had just occurred dropped on her like a block of marble. Lord Hazelton had, in fact, called her bluff. He hadn’t fallen for their ruse, not for one minute.

She was going to be out on the street with very little to her name after her father died. She had nothing and no one.

“Miss?” a footman interrupted her thoughts. She looked toward him.

“Are you all right, Miss? Might...” He seemed to recall himself, straightened, and said, “Mr. Teviot is up in the drawing room with her ladyship.”

Pine. Yes. She had to tell Pine. He would probably be devastated. He might actually have to marry her now. No. She couldn’t force him into something that would destroy all of his dreams. He wanted to marry for love. She couldn’t take that away from him. He would hate her their entire life together.

“Thank you,” she said to the footman. She had to go up and tell him what happened, and she needed to reassure him that she wouldn’t hold him to this sham engagement. One of them deserved to be happy.

Slowly, she climbed the stair. After a brief knock on the door, she let herself into the drawing room. Pine was sitting on the settee with his mother. They looked so comfortable together.

As she walked in, Pine stood. He looked at her with concern. “I heard my father called you into his study. Is everything all right? What did he say?”

Helena sat on the chair facing him and Lady Hazelton. She shook her head. “It was precisely how you thought it would be,” she told him as he lowered himself back down. “He asked what I wanted in exchange for calling off the engagement.”

Lady Hazelton gasped, but otherwise said nothing.

“And you told him you wanted to stay in your house at least through next season?” Pine asked.

Helena nodded. “I don’t know that I specified how long, but I told him I wanted to stay at least until I found a position.”

Pine nodded.

“And he slammed his hand down and said he knew it. He knew our engagement was just a trick. He told me that he would give me nothing and I would need to be out of the house the day after my father’s funeral.” A tear fell onto hands clasped in her lap. “I tried to argue with him, to tell him...” She couldn’t say it. It was too embarrassing. She couldn’t admit to Pine that she’d fallen in love with him. He might feel beholden to her or guilty. He might want to do the “right” thing and then forever hate her afterward.

“He didn’t believe me. He accused me of lying to him about you, about my studies, everything,” she told him.

“Helena, I am so very sorry,” Pine said, leaning forward. There was such a look of sadness in his deep green eyes.

She shook her head and quickly wiped away the tears. Of course he was upset. He was probably thinking that he might very well be stuck with her now. She wouldn’t do that to him. She loved him too much.

She pulled herself together. “I, I will manage.” Before she could say anything more, he gave a little huff.

“He thought you were lying about your studies. I said you could tell him anything about ancient Greece and he wouldn’t know if you were making it up or not. I was right.”

Helena frowned. “What does that mean? Do you not believe I study ancient Greek theatre? My God, you’re just like him!” Helena’s anger started boiling inside of her. “You are just like your father. Just like so many horrid men who don’t think a woman has a mind capable of... of anything! Well, that’s just fine, Mr. Teviot. This was a sham engagement, and now that your father has seen through it, I will not hold you to it. This empty-headed woman doesn’t need you. I don’t need any man. I shall manage well enough on my own.”

“You don’t... You won’t hold me...” He didn’t seem capable of putting his words together he was so shocked. He slowly rose to his feet.

“No. I would never enter into a distasteful marriage. You are free to seek out your ideal wife,” she said.

“Fine!” he snapped and strode from the room.

“Oh, dear,” Lady Hazelton said quietly after a moment of silence.

Helena stared at the door for a few breaths while her anger cooled. She couldn’t believe that man. She’d thought he was different. He’d said he was different.

“Miss Lawson, Helena, if I may?” Lady Hazelton said. “You do know what you just did, do you not?”

“Do you know—” No. Helena would not be rude to this woman who had only been kind to her. “He said I was lying! Just like his father.”

“No, my dear, he did not. He said that was what his father would say. You misconstrued his words.”

Helena frowned. Had she?

“But, my dear, come here and sit by me.” Lady Hazelton patted the setée where Pine had just been sitting.

Helena got up and moved next to the lady. Pine’s mother reached out and took Helene’s hands in her own. “Now, tell me everything.”

Helena did. She told Lady Hazelton every that had happened since Lord Colburne told her that her father was going to die through to her arrival at Hazelton Hall. She told her about Lord Hazelton’s denial of her request, of her circumstances, and Pine’s idea to get revenge on his father.

The lady looked visibly shaken after Helena finished and then did the oddest thing—she pulled Helena into a hug. Helena had to blink rapidly for a minute as she rested her chin on Lady Hazelton’s shoulder. Her own mother—even though Helena knew she was loved—had not been a demonstrative woman. But this, this hug from Lady Hazelton... it did something. It touched something deep inside Helena.

“You poor child. How absolutely horrid.” The lady pulled back and handed Helena her handkerchief which had magically appeared from somewhere. “I wish I knew what has been going through his lordship’s mind, why he denied your request. He... well, he tends to not think so much of others, I’m afraid. If I had known… well, to be honest, I don’t know if I could have persuaded him to act differently, but I could have tried. Sometimes... sometimes I can get through to him and convince him to do the right thing.”

Helena finished wiping her nose and lowered her eyes. “Thank you.”

“But there is one thing which you haven’t told me.”

Helena looked up again.

“You have said nothing of how you feel. Would marrying Pine truly be so distasteful to you?”

Helena jerked backward. “What? No! It is not II/I who would think so, but Pine. I, I know he wants to marry for love—he told me so. I believe if he were forced into marriage with me he would resent it for the rest of our lives. I don’t want that. I want him to be happy.”

“And what makes you believe he wouldn’t be happy?” She cocked her head while waiting for Helena’s answer.

“He doesn’t love me!”

Lady Hazelton lifted her eyebrows but didn’t say anything. Finally, she asked, “And you? How do you feel?”

Helena swallowed hard against the tightness in her chest. She so wanted to shake her hands out but knew it would look odd. “About Pine?”

The lady nodded, looking very serious, but also curious.

Helena had to blink a few times. “I love him,” she admitted on a whisper.

“I had a suspicion that was the case.”

“Do you... do you know—”

“I believe you need to ask him. It is not my place to say anything. And just so you know, should he ask me about your feelings for him, I shall tell him the exact same thing—that he needs to speak with you.”

Helena managed to give her a tremulous smile. “Thank you, my lady.”

“Ladies,” Lady Blakemore said upon entering the Ladies’ Wagering Whist Society room at the Ryder Street Club, “I have just received a missive from Lady Hazelton.” She stopped and looked around the room. Nearly everyone was there. Only Lady Colburne was missing, but then, she was always late.

“Oh, does she send word of Miss Lawson and Mr. Teviot?” the duchess asked.

“Yes. As to be expected, they have fallen deeply in love with one another and then made a mess of the whole thing,” Lady Blakemore said. She took a seat at one of the card tables where the other ladies were seated, ready to begin their weekly game of whist.

“Oh, dear,” Lady Welles sighed.

“What has happened?” Lady Gorling asked.

“It seems that a wrong word from Mr. Teviot led to a misunderstanding on Miss Lawson’s part—she thinks he doesn’t believe her to be the scholar she is. And then she surmised that marriage to her would be unwanted by Mr. Teviot, only she told him this in such a way that he believes she does not want to marry him.” Lady Blakemore folded the letter after one last glance at it to ensure she didn’t miss anything else of significance.

A number of women shook their heads sadly.

“Miss Lawson should be back in a day or two,” Lady Colburne told them. “Her father has taken a turn for the worse. Colburne sent a messenger up to inform her to return with haste.”

“I am so sorry!” Lady Sorrell said.

Lady Colburne just nodded.

“But maybe that’s a good thing,” Lady Ayres said. “It will give them both a little cooling off time and, hopefully, make them realize how much they do love each other.”

“It is true, but then we’ll need to get the two of them back together again,” the duchess pointed out.

“Lady Wickford, would you mind very much inviting the Hazelton’s to your ball? Perhaps they can come down bringing Mr. Teviot with them,” Lady Blakemore suggested.

“Of course!” Lady Wickford said. “I’ll send a groom with an invitation right away. It will take him a little while to get there, and time is of the essence.” She stood and pulled the bell cord in the corner.

“Well done, my lady,” Lady Welles said. “That is neat and easy. Now we just have to get the two of them into a room together to discover their mistakes and declare themselves.”

“That may be easier said than done, but I’m sure we’ll think of something,” Lady Gorling said.