Page 6 of The Truth about the Lady (Whispers of the Ton #6)
CHAPTER FIVE
T here she is.
Try as he might, Samuel could not seem to forget Lady Hyacinth. No matter where he went, he was either thinking of her and the supercilious smile she had sent him when she had realized his lack of success with that riddle, or he was setting his eyes firmly upon her without having had any real intention of doing so. What made matters worse was that two new riddles had appeared in The London Chronicle only the day before and Samuel had not yet managed to decipher either of them! He had told himself that he did not care, that he ought not to give his time and attention to such foolishness but all the same, it gnawed away at his mind, just as Lady Hyacinth did.
It was all most frustrating.
“Whatever is wrong?”
Samuel glanced towards Lord Jedburgh. “Good afternoon, Lord Jedburgh.”
“You are frowning.” Gesturing to Hyde Park, the many people present and the beautiful sunshine, Lord Jedburgh turned his gaze back towards Samuel. “What is it that has made you so displeased? Could it be the sunshine? The fine summer’s day? Or is it the number of ladies present that has upset you? Mayhap you were expecting more?”
Samuel snorted, trying to hide his irritation and Lord Jedburgh’s gentle mocking. “I am not in the least bit upset.”
“Your expression says otherwise.”
Rolling his eyes, Samuel threw a glance towards Lord Jedburgh’s grinning face, only to shrug. “It is of no consequence. I was lost in thought for a moment, that is all.”
Lord Jedburgh chuckled. “Dare I ask what it was you were thinking of? Or is that to be quite private?”
It was not as though Samuel could say that he had been thinking of Lady Hyacinth and becoming frustrated with himself for his own inability to pull his thoughts away from her. Instead, he only shrugged and looked away from Lord Jedburgh, choosing not to give any answer whatsoever.
“You will not tell me?” Lord Jedburgh sounded disappointed which, surprisingly, confirmed to Samuel that he had been right not to say a word. Lord Jedburgh was one inclined towards gossip and the like and Samuel was not about to give him any fodder for such things.
“ I know what he was thinking.”
With a scowl launching itself onto his face, Samuel turned to Lord Elledge who had stepped out of the gathered crowd to join him. “Good afternoon, Lord Elledge. I believe that you are intruding on a conversation between myself and Lord Jedburgh.”
“Yes, indeed I am.” Lord Elledge chuckled, showing no regard for Samuel’s clear frustration. “As I was saying, Lord Jedburgh, I know the reason that Lord Thorne is so upset.”
“Is that so?” Lord Jedburgh, his eyes flickering with interest, turned towards Lord Elledge, coming to a complete stop rather than ambling through the park as they had done before – and Samuel too was forced to come to a stop. “Then pray inform me, for Lord Thorne will not and I confess, I am concerned for him.”
Samuel snorted at this. “I hardly think that is true.”
Lord Jedburgh feigned an injured look but said nothing, still gazing at Lord Elledge in clear expectation.
“It is because of these ‘blasted riddles’ as I have heard him say on more than one occasion,” Lord Elledge told them both, making Samuel’s eyebrows lift high. “He is frustrated by them, confounded and upset. Though he does attempt to hide them.”
Samuel drew himself up at once. “That is absolutely not the case.”
“Yes, it is.”
“The riddles?” Lord Jedburgh asked before Samuel could attempt to defend himself further. “You speak of the ones that have been in The London Chronicle, yes?”
Jutting his jaw forward, Samuel sliced the air with both hands, trying to bring an immediate end to the conversation. “Lord Elledge is mistaken. That is not at all what upset me.” That, at least, was quite true, for it was not the riddles that had been sitting in his thoughts as he had walked through the park. It had been Lady Hyacinth – but to admit to that was not something Samuel was prepared to do, not even if it would convince Lord Jedburgh and Lord Elledge that he was not caught up entirely with these riddles.
“You know the answer to them both, then? Or is the opposite true?” Lord Elledge’s eyebrow lifted. “My assumption is that, given your present frustrations, you have not had any success?”
Lifting his shoulders, Samuel let them drop. “I do not give much thought to these riddles,” he said, in what he hoped was a less than interested tone. “I am aware that everyone in the ton is speaking of them but I have very little desire to linger on them, study them, and answer them.”
Lord Jedburgh began to laugh, his eyes dancing. “Oh-ho! Then it is true, what Lord Elledge says, is it? You are not able to answer them!”
“Good afternoon, gentlemen.”
Before Samuel could say another word, the arrival of not one but three young ladies prevented him from saying so.
“You must forgive us for interrupting your conversation,” the first young lady said – a Miss Fortescue, if Samuel remembered correctly – as she bobbed a quick curtsy. “But we did overhear you speaking of the riddles and thought that we simply must come to find out what your answers are to them both!”
Lord Elledge grinned broadly, turning his attention squarely upon Samuel, so that all three ladies – one of which, Samuel noted, was none other than Lady Hyacinth – all looked to him also. His stomach dropped, a light sheen of sweat breaking out across his forehead as he shuffled his feet and tried to think of what to say.
Then, an idea came to him. It was not without risk, certainly, and could put him in a great deal of difficulty but it was the only way that he could escape these questions… and escape the knowing look on Lady Hyacinth’s face.
“Well, Lord Thorne?” The third young lady, Lady Eve, if Samuel remembered correctly, put both hands to her hips in a less than proper manner, her eyes flashing with something that was either humor or mockery. Samuel could not tell. “What have you to say?”
It was on the tip of his tongue to start speaking the lies that were in his mind but a warning held him back. Taking in a deep breath, he spread out both hands. “I have not seen these two new riddles, I confess. That is to say, I have read them, of course, but – ”
“Oh, but Lady Eve has committed them both to memory!”
Much to Samuel’s surprise, Lady Hyacinth spoke up in such a clear and determined manner, that it stole away his breath for a moment. Yes, they had been in conversation before and yes, she had not held back from the conversation then but there was something new in her voice now. It was as though she wanted to catch him out, wanted to see him acknowledge his defeat and failure.
Samuel’s heart lurched, nausea climbing up his throat. No. I cannot permit that.
“Oh, yes, I have!” Lady Eve exclaimed, throwing a smile towards her friend which, Samuel saw, Lady Hyacinth returned with a wink. “Let me tell you them now.”
That wink made Samuel’s whole body flush with heat. He knew, right then and there, that Lady Hyacinth and Lady Eve had the answers to both riddles already… and that yet again, he did not.
“Here is the first: I have no mouth and yet I can speak. I have no ears but still, I can hear. I have no body nor soul, but for a moment, in the wind and the air, I come alive.” Lady Eve smiled around the group, and Lord Jedburgh quickly nodded.
“Yes, I have that one. Remind me of the second?”
“But of course.” Lady Eve glanced towards Samuel, then tore her gaze away again, the edges of her mouth quirking. “The second is as follows: there is a family who live in an estate just outside of London. A girl in that family has as many brothers as sisters, but every brother has only half as many brothers as sisters.”
Lord Jedburgh screwed up his eyes tightly. “I do not think I can even understand that one!”
Miss Fortescue laughed and set a hand to his arm for a moment. “Wait, Lord Jedburgh! It is not finished yet.”
Lady Eve spread out her hands wide. “The question is, how many brothers and sisters are there in the family?”
Samuel blinked, fighting the urge to drop his head into his hands. That riddle was one that completely and utterly befuddled him, and yet even though Lord Jedburgh was able to admit it, he simply could not. It would break apart his pride, would shatter the very heart of him if he were to state that no, he had no answer for either riddle. The one thing he adored about society was being admired and there certainly would come no admiration should he admit to that!
“It took me some time, but I did work out the answer to that one,” Lord Elledge said, as Lord Jedburgh let out a low groan. “I did see that The London Chronicle printed the answer to the previous riddle in this edition. I must hope they will do the same for these two so that I can be quite sure I am correct!”
Miss Fortescue giggled. “I spent an hour with my tea and cake making sure that I had the right answer for that last one! Mayhap, Lord Elledge, you might tell us of your answer so that I can know if I am incorrect or not! I confess I am too ashamed to tell you my thoughts for fear that I will be ashamed.”
“Is that so?” Lord Elledge shot a look towards Samuel, one that was filled with meaning but Samuel ignored it as best he could, feeling heat begin to crawl up his neck. “You say you have no interest in these riddles, Thorne? Though you have read them?”
Wishing that his friend would not attempt to tease him so mercilessly in front of young ladies, Samuel scowled at him but Lord Elledge only grinned. With frustration still building, Samuel dropped his head, squeezed his eyes closed and took in a breath.
And then, he spoke.
“There is a specific reason that I take such little interest in the riddles,” he said, speaking in a low, soft tone that made all three ladies move a little closer. “You all believe that I do not know the answers but it is, in fact, precisely the opposite.”
Lord Jedburgh frowned. “You mean to say that you do know the answer to these two riddles but have chosen not to tell us of that?”
Samuel nodded. “Precisely.”
“And why is that?” Lord Elledge sounded amused, as if he could tell that Samuel was clutching at excuses. “Why would you give the impression that you do not know the answers? Why are you so vague? Why state that you have no interest in them if you do, in fact, have the answer to both?”
The lie forced itself to the front of Samuel’s mind and he spoke it without hesitation, praying that what he asked, they would do.
“I shall tell you but you must all swear yourself to secrecy,” he murmured, making every other person lean towards him, interest on every face. “You must not tell another person within the ton for I do desire this to be a secret.”
“A secret?” Miss Fortescue’s eyes widened. “Goodness, Lord Thorne, what is it?”
Samuel smiled, though it felt as though something was crawling in his stomach, an inner warning telling him he ought to pull back from this – but it was much too late.
“Because, Miss Fortescue, I have done my best to protect myself. I do not want anyone in society to know that I am the one who writes the riddles.”