Page 6 of Entertaining the Earl (Vows in Vauxhall Gardens #2)

V isiting Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens was one of Susannah’s more preferred activities during the Season.

Although there was still the expectation to dance and socialize with other young people, here were also entertainments she found far more enjoyable than the tittle-tattle: the fireworks, the cascade, the glass lanterns…

All of it had an air of magic and set her imagination racing.

When they had been before—though they did not go regularly, for while the gardens were popular, there was still a slight hint of scandal surrounding them—Susannah had always returned home full of ideas, ideas she desperately scribbled down.

Perhaps one day those ideas would become a novel—if she was brave enough.

She doubted she would ever let anyone see her writing, and she wasn’t sure if she had the confidence to write more than a scene here and there.

For what if she found she was no good at it?

She had loved books and reading for as long as she could remember, and it would break her heart to discover she did not have the skill with words that those she admired so greatly possessed.

“I think you will enjoy the Pleasure Gardens,” her father said as their carriage made slow progress toward the dock where they would take a boat to the gardens. “Many improvements have been made since you last visited. They are quite spectacular.”

“I have heard tales of the entertainments on offer,” the earl said. “I look forward to seeing them. I must admit, my memory of the place is very sparse. I think I only visited once, many years ago. Do you like the gardens, Miss Lyttleton?”

Susannah had noticed that he often tried to draw her into conversation when she was sitting silently. She did not know if this stemmed from genuine interest in her opinions or perhaps some desire to prove that he could make her talk. Perhaps he was just one of those people who did not like silence.

“Susannah has only been twice,” her mother said, jumping in before Susannah could answer. “While they are wonderful, that is rather enough excitement for a young girl, I feel.”

Susannah stopped herself just in time from rolling her eyes.

She had actually been on four separate occasions, although perhaps her mother wasn’t aware of that, since two of those visits had been while she was out of town.

She wasn’t such a young lady anymore—she doubted very much that she would be corrupted by the excitement of an evening at Vauxhall.

But it would not do to disagree with her mother publicly, and so she simply said, “Yes. When I have visited, I have been quite intrigued by what they offer. And I rather wish to know how they can make the cascade look like water when it is made of metal. Quite ingenious.”

Her mother sighed, as though young women should not be thinking about the mechanics behind an artistic display, but Susannah caught sight of the earl smiling and couldn’t resist smiling back.

It almost felt criminal how much he put one at ease. Surely it would mean scores of girls with no hope of attracting him would fall in love with him this Season. And that hardly seemed fair. Yet he did not appear to be purposefully charming everyone; it was just his natural way.

She was sure that evening he would be as inundated with female attention as he had been at the Denman Ball earlier in the week. He was the shiny new penny—and how shiny he was.

Whereas she would stand on the fringes of society and watch as matches were made and people fell in love.

She would watch him dance with all the women who were far more suitable than she.

Because, whether or not he smiled and showed an interest, he was never going to look at her.

Not seriously. She would never expect such a thing.

But she would not become one of the many who fell for him and then mourned their loss at the end of the Season when he would surely announce a betrothal to a pretty young lady with a title and perfect breeding.

*

There was a hum of excitement in the air as they disembarked from the little boats that had brought them to the gardens.

Colin was keen to see them, though not so keen to submit himself to the same attentions he had endured at the Denman Ball.

Yet hiding away from society was not an option.

After all, the reason he had returned was to take his place, to ensure his estates were run properly, and to avoid any distasteful gossip about him or his title.

Hopefully, once it was clear he had no plans to take a wife in the near future, some of the attention would fade. When he was ready to find a wife, perhaps having all these options before him would be helpful—although, even then, he rather thought he would still feel overwhelmed by the attention.

But he had no need or wish to find a wife at present, and the sooner these women realized it, the better for everyone.

“They’ll be lighting the lamps soon,” Mr. Lyttleton said, hurrying them along. “It really is a sight to behold, especially when you haven’t been in the city for so long.”

Colin had seen some of the greatest sights in the world and felt privileged to have done so. But still, he appreciated this little corner of England and the spectacle prepared for the lords and ladies who attended.

*

A bell tolled, and Colin turned to Miss Lyttleton. “Would you accompany me to the Cascade, Miss Lyttleton?” Colin asked, needing a break from the marriageable young ladies in the garden. The Cascade’s nightly display had come at the perfect time.

Whilst they would certainly still hover, they were not generally rude enough to approach him if he was already speaking with another young lady.

In fact, that was what had given him the idea for the plan he was about to propose. He did not wish to be rude to anyone, he just wanted to be left alone—and he rather thought Miss Lyttleton felt the same.

“Of course, my lord,” she said, with a glance to her parents to make sure that it was acceptable. Unsurprisingly, they looked thrilled by the prospect, and so they walked together towards the Cascade, where a crowd was already forming.

The spectacle was indeed impressive, and for a few moments they watched as the mechanical waterfall moved, accompanied by a surprisingly loud sound made to mimic running water.

“It’s like magic, isn’t it?” Miss Lyttleton said, raising her voice to be heard over the din.

“Yes,” Colin agreed, finding himself mesmerized. He had seen many wonders on his travels, but this was certainly worth visiting.

“My parents don’t understand my fascination with it,” Miss Lyttleton said with a sigh. “But every time I have visited, I have to see it. I begged Papa once to stay later than he intended, because they hadn’t yet unveiled it that evening.”

Colin found himself feeling rather sorry for Miss Lyttleton.

She seemed to be overlooked by everyone, her parents included.

They did not seem to appreciate her interests at all.

He would have assumed that it was far more interesting to converse with a daughter about novels and the workings of the Cascade, than it would have been to have a daughter who was only interested in fashion and gossip… but clearly they saw it as problematic.

“It is an experience indeed,” he agreed. Beside him, a group of giggling young ladies seemed to be edging closer, and so he took Miss Lyttleton’s arm and maneuvered them both a little further away.

She gasped as he touched her elbow, and he realized he should have said something before doing so, but he really just wanted to get away from the women waiting for him to ask them to dance.

“I have a favor to ask you,” he said, quietly enough that those around should not be able to hear him, but he hoped loudly enough that she could.

She looked up at him, her brown eyes catching the light of the lamps and looking more the color of honey. They were wide, and for a moment he found himself staring into them, forgetting what it was he meant to say.