Page 3 of Lady Louisa and the Carriage Clock (The Rogue’s Alliance #3)
C ecil wasn’t quite sure how he ended up at a ball. He must surely be going mad as his friends were now married, and he suddenly felt alone. It hadn’t mattered before if he saw Ashford or Nathaniel often. They were always there when Cecil needed them.
Everything had changed. Ashford married first, and then Nathaniel had followed him into the parson’s snare. He’d looked in at Nathaniel’s mansion in Grosvenor Square and came away with the intelligence that his friend and spouse were at Lady Cairs’ ball. So off he went to Cavendish Square even though he had no intention of dancing.
“Lord Wycliffe!” Lady Cairs blinked at him several times and put one hand against her ample bosom. “Do my eyes deceive me?”
He answered blandly, “No, my lady. I am here in search of a friend.”
“You don’t say. I did see Lord Harbury a moment ago.” The matron looked about the room. The ball was a crush, a triumph for any hostess.
He spied Nathaniel dancing with Lady Louisa rather than his wife. The young lady, although prickly, was a graceful dancer and the best-dressed female in the room. Not that he would ever tell her that, of course. Louisa was too self-assured as it was for a debutante.
“Cecil!” Edith stood nearby and, having spotted him, waved a hand in greeting.
He excused himself from Lady Cairs.
“Good evening, Lady Harbury,” he said with a shallow bow when he reached her side.
“What a surprise to see you here.” The lady lowered her voice to ask, “In search of more members of the RA?”
He shook his head. “I’m not sure why I’m here. I was restless.”
“London does seem quieter without Ashford and Charlotte.” Her voice was sympathetic.
Cecil elaborated no further. It was hard to explain his feelings at present. His friends now had other responsibilities and couldn’t assist him at the drop of a hat with his war against the Rogue’s Alliance.
“Perhaps you could come for dinner one evening, Cecil. I know my husband would enjoy spending time with you, and I haven’t had a conversation with you since my wedding.”
“A dinner party sounds like an excellent idea,” he replied politely. It was logical that if he wanted to spend time with his friends, he would now have to spend some time with their spouses.
Nathaniel escorted Lady Louisa to stand beside Edith. The lady’s eyes widened upon seeing him; he’d never noticed how green her eyes were. Perhaps it was merely a result of the candlelight that surrounded them.
“Hello, Cecil. Has something happened?” Nathaniel asked with a frown.
“I was at loose ends,” he replied quickly, nodding to Lady Louisa. “Good evening, my lady.”
“Good evening, Lord Wycliffe.” The lady’s smile did not reach her eyes. He and Louisa had never rubbed along well, he surmised, due to their both being very competitive individuals.
Edith put her arm through her friend’s. “Louisa, I have yet to say hello to your mother. I shall return momentarily, husband.”
The look his friend and his lady exchanged was sickeningly sweet.
“What?” Nathaniel asked when the ladies had departed.
“You look like a lovelorn puppy.”
Nathaniel shrugged. “I am a lovelorn puppy.”
“And that pudgy baron is still after the graceful Lady Louisa?” he asked, curious despite having no interest in the girl himself.
Nathaniel nodded. “Several men are interested in the lady, but I believe the task of getting past her four older brothers appears too daunting for most of them.”
“Her brothers are an intimidating quartet. Do they not all attend Angelo’s?”
Nathaniel shook his head. “Leopold does. There is no better fencer in London. And he is nearly as good a shot as you are.”
“Really?” He doubted that.
Nathaniel looked at him closely. “Why are you here tonight? Edith gave us the opportunity to speak alone, so speak.”
“Tomorrow, I will attend an auction, and if I acquire what I seek, I may discover the architects behind the RA.” He glanced about to ensure no one was listening to their conversation.
“Are you referring to the sale of items from Lord Campbell’s estate?”
He frowned. “You’re aware of the auction? I wouldn’t have thought it was well regarded, with books being the predominant items for sale.”
“Edith and Louisa are attending the same auction. Louisa is keen to acquire something.” He wrinkled his nose a moment. “A rare carriage clock. One of a mythical pair.”
Cecil couldn’t believe it. The one item he wanted from the auction, and the chit was going to bid on it as well. No matter. He would win the clock. He had to.
“Don’t mention my interest in it,” he replied in a low voice. “Lady Louisa has no chance of winning it. I believe it is the clock my brother spoke of right before he died.”
“The gold clock!” Nathaniel whistled. “You finally found it!”
He replied grimly, “Yes, and nobody is going to keep it from me. After I take my leave of the ladies, I must go. Edith mentioned having me to dinner. I will see you soon, my friend.”
Once Louisa and Edith returned, Cecil bade them farewell, collected his outerwear, and exited the house. He waved his coachman off, desiring the long walk home. He needed time to think. Lady Louisa wanted the clock, but how much pocket money could she have to bid on the clock?
He chuckled to himself. He’d bested Louisa at cards, and she hadn’t liked it one bit. How would she feel once he possessed the clock she coveted? Fine eyes or not, he couldn’t let the lady win that timepiece.
* * * * *
T he next day, Louisa was up early, eager to attend her first auction. She joined her family for breakfast, stunning her father and brothers.
“To what do we owe this pleasure?” Leopold asked once she’d selected rolls and fruit from the sideboard and taken a seat beside him.
She shrugged. “Perhaps I merely wanted to have breakfast downstairs.”
“You normally avoid us as much as you can,” Leopold replied with a roll of his eyes.
“You’re excited about attending the auction today,” her youngest brother said with a wink.
“What auction?” Both Leopold and her father asked.
“Edith and I are attending a Leigh and Sotheby auction,” she replied lightly before taking a sip of the tea a footman had poured.
Her father and Leopold looked at each other, and her heart sank.
“I planned to attend the auction myself.” Her eldest brother stood up from the table. “I will be more than happy to escort you and Lady Harbury to the exchange.”
Louisa told herself it did not matter that Leopold accompanied her; at least she hadn’t been forbidden from attending the auction. She smiled tightly before replying sweetly, “That sounds lovely. I’ll send a note to let Edith know we will have company on our outing.”
Leopold left the room without another word. Louisa had not argued his accompanying her to the auction as she wished no further discussion of the subject. She’d been pleasantly surprised her mother had agreed to the outing after a brief lecture about discussing money in public and how attending an auction was a mere step away from such a deplorable event.
“Your mother knows you are attending the sale?” her father asked idly, never looking up from his newspaper.
“She does, Father.”
Louisa knew her mother’s approval was enough for him as he believed his wife to be the arbiter of what was and wasn’t appropriate for a young debutante of the ton .
She was sure having Edith accompany her to the auction had been a deciding factor for her mother. The young women had already started sowing the seeds that should convince Lady Chartham that Edith was the perfect chaperone for her daughter.
“I’ve heard that there will be a collection of rare books at the auction,” her brother James commented. “Perhaps we should all accompany you to the sale . ”
Louisa knew her sibling hoped to get a rise out of her, so she replied cheerfully, “The more the merrier!”
“She called your bluff,” Francis said with a chuckle as he rose from the table. “Be assured that I will not tag along. I have no desire to haggle over household goods, dearest sister.”
James sighed. “I will admit I’d rather listen to Mother detailing the attributes of this year’s crop of debutantes than attend an auction for anything other than bloodstock.”
After her siblings departed, Louisa’s father lowered his newspaper.
“Was there something in particular you wished to acquire at the auction?” he asked.
“A mantel clock, Father. It is said to be one of a pair and very rare. The other clock has disappeared. The clockmaker is Gaston Jolly.”
“A well-respected craftsman, albeit French,” her father replied with a nod. “And you think your pin money will buy this clock?”
“I’m not sure.” She smiled winningly, hoping he would assist her in acquiring the clock.
Her father winked at her. “I will advise Leopold that if the bids aren’t astronomically high, he may help you win your clock.”
She jumped to her feet and rushed to his end of the table to hug him. “Oh, Papa! Thank you!”
“Go on with you now,” he said in a low voice after she released him. “You must look your best. As the most fashionable debutante in London, perhaps your appearance will dazzle the other bidders and help you secure the clock.”
“Perhaps!” She curtsied prettily and exited the breakfast room.
Her father had always been the same: detached when surrounded by her siblings, but when alone with his only daughter, he indulged her every whim.
She returned to her bedchamber to write a missive to Edith, informing her they would have a chaperone on their afternoon excursion. After her maid took the note downstairs to be delivered by a footman, Louisa wandered down the corridor to her mother’s set of rooms.
She knocked on a bedchamber door.
“Come!”
“Good morning, Mother.” Louisa walked to the side of the four-poster bed to lean in and kiss her mother’s cheek.
Her mother had a breakfast tray on her lap and took a sip of tea before saying, “I’ve been thinking about what a great help Lady Harbury can be with your search for a husband, my dear.”
Louisa took a seat on a stuffed chair. “Oh yes?”
“Why she married the richest man in London! And Charlotte is also well matched.” The woman smiled gently. “Your turn is next, my dear. None of you girls were the diamond of your season, but your friends married well. Very well, indeed.”
Louisa’s mother had been labeled an ‘incomparable’ in her first season. Despite receiving a proposal from a duke, her mother had married a marquess.
“I loved your father at first sight,” she’d told her only daughter, “we rubbed along the first year well enough until he fell in love with me. The finer feelings can develop between a couple.”
Louisa wasn’t so sure. Her mother had used the argument to entice her daughter to accept one of the three marriage proposals she’d received last season: Charlotte’s brother, the squat baron, and a man older than her father.
Oh, how she missed her childhood friend Charlotte! They’d grown up on neighboring estates in Kent. Charlotte’s mother had embraced Louisa as her own daughter, whereas Louisa’s mother seemed not to know what to do with a girl in the house after giving birth to four wild boys.
“Edith has expressed an interest in being my chaperone this season,” she said calmly, hoping her mother did not see how excited she was at the prospect of not being escorted to evening entertainments by Leopold. “With your blessing, of course.”
Her mother smiled before replying, “That is a splendid idea! I heartily approve.”
“Leopold will accompany me and Edith to the auction,” she said conversationally, confident her mother would decide her brother’s escort wasn’t necessary.
Her mother nodded. “Excellent. Potential marriage prospects would see that our family is concerned with respectability in matters of commerce.”
Louisa merely nodded. She wanted to attend the auction and would not jeopardize the opportunity by arguing against Leopold's escort.
“Are you all right, my dear? You seem oddly compliant today.” The older woman raised an eyebrow.
“I’m thinking about what I shall wear this afternoon.” It was the partial truth.
The older woman laughed softly. “That sounds more like my daughter. Your eye for fashion does help your appearance, my dear.”
It was a backhanded compliment, but she knew her mother didn’t mean any harm. Louisa knew she was pretty enough, just not the beautiful creature her mother was.
“I must go change.” She rose to her feet.
“Good luck with your bidding.” Her mother waved a hand. “Do be genteel about it, though.”