The Dangers of Doing Good (Arrangements, Book 4) Page 18

  Well, now that, of course, was destined to make her blush even more, and to her shame, she felt her cheeks flame. She dropped her eyes to the reins clenched in her gloved hands.

  “Please,” she whispered harshly.

  He chuckled in a low, warm tone that sent shivers up her spine.

  “I’m sorry, Annalise, but you really must learn to accept compliments.”

  That might be true, but not from him. She would never be able to freely accept compliments from him without coloring at them.

  “That’s exactly what Tibby says,” she finally managed to say in a somewhat calm tone.

  “Tibby says a great deal too much, in my opinion,” he muttered good-naturedly as he nudged his horse a bit closer. “Nothing is beyond her daring.”

  Annie smiled and looked over at him. “Yes, I know. I knew that from the first day I met her. She was quite outspoken then, and she didn’t even know me. I daresay, it’s gotten worse ever since.”

  Duncan groaned and set back a little more into his saddle. “What did she say to you? Tell me.”

  She tucked her smile back against her cheeks and shook her head. “No.”

  He looked at her in surprise and raised a brow in question. “No?”

  More forcefully, she shook her head. “No.”

  “Why ever not?” he asked, one side of his mouth curving up so deliciously that her stomach growled as if she hadn’t eaten in days.

  She gave him an impish look. “Because I know you, Duncan. You will take what I tell you and go back to Tibby, berate her for being impetuous, no doubt making her feel guilty that she will begin treating me with more kindness and gentility, and then she won’t know what she might say or do that will offend me. She will still say whatever she wants, but she will tease me about running to you whenever I am the least bit discomfited, and though it will be said with a laugh, there will be an undertone of bitter truth.” She smiled at Duncan’s stunned expression. “Tell me I am wrong.”

  Slowly, he shook his head, his smile growing. “No, you are quite right. You have got the measure of us, haven’t you?”

  She nodded proudly in acknowledgement. “Well, I have been making a study of you all.”

  “Have you now?” His eyes danced merrily, and she was astonished at how changed he became when he was happy or smiling. Duncan, as he was, could appear to some as fearsome, his features being so stark and bold, his stature so overwhelming, his persona so confident, his gaze cold and powerful. Yet when those eyes were tinged with warmth or laughter, when his mouth was graced with those rare smiles… There could not have been a man in the world more pleasant to look upon then.

  She ducked her chin a touch, but did not blush, thankfully. “Yes, I have.”

  “And what have you discovered?”

  His tone was genuinely curious and already amused. And she found herself wanting to share what her observations had been.

  She straightened up and inclined her head at some passing gentlemen, whose expressions were suddenly rampant with curiosity. She paid them no mind. “Tibby sees everything, even what you think you can hide. Her loudness and impertinence serves to distract from what she thinks should remain secret and highlights what she wishes to draw out. Most of the time, she is seeking reactions. She doesn’t care what others think of her, save for those closest to her. She will always do what she believes is right, whether in her best interest or not, and once she is settled on a course, there is no stopping her.”

  “Bravo,” Duncan said softly, his eyes fixed on her with such intensity that breathing became difficult. “And Marianne?”

  Annie swallowed and smiled at another gentleman on horseback, who grinned in response and touched his hat in a salute. “Marianne is surprisingly tenderhearted, but spends more time building up walls than anything else. She expects a great deal of herself, and a great deal in return for her efforts. She is easily amused, but hides it well. She is an accomplished actress, so much so that I think she deceives herself more often than not. If she felt she had truly injured someone she thought highly of, she would be mortified. She stays true to her principles and is surprisingly, and secretly, very loyal.”

  She saw Duncan’s throat work out of the corner of her eye, and she forced herself to keep her eyes forward. She could not bear to see a loss of composure on his part. Not now.

  They said nothing for a moment, and it was the most comfortable silence she had ever experienced. And she had experienced quite a few moments of silence in her life.

  Duncan shifted suddenly, his soberness gone, his eyes twinkling mischievously. “And what about me, Miss Ramsey? What have you observed of me?”

  She’d suspected this would come, but she would not do it. She looked away airily. “I couldn’t possibly share my insights on you, Mr. Bray. Not in your presence.”

  “Of course you could,” he assured her, laughter dancing in his voice. “I promise not to tell a soul.”

  She laughed and looked over at him. She suddenly saw the eager, fun-loving little boy he must have been, the one who had given Tibby a reason to act and had endured so much trouble for his family’s sake. She heaved a heavy, dramatic sigh that she had learned from Tibby, which earned her a bark of a laugh from him. “Very well,” she groaned, “but you must keep it a secret.”

  “On my honor,” he said with a bow of his head and raised hand.

  She gave him a look that clearly said she did not believe him. This was a bad idea. But…

  She took a deep breath and looked away from him, her eyes carefully forward. “You are the protector of your friends and your family. Everything you do is for their benefit and well-being. You are determined to be a credit to the memory of your father, and to erase the horrible rumors and opinions of both your parents. You do not feel you deserve the fortune you have acquired, so you use it for others more often than not. You speak of not fitting in, but you view that as a failure, instead of your greatest strength. You may not fit in, but that is because you stand out as a gentleman of honor, respectability, and kindness. And that is something to be proud of, I think.”

  She had said too much. She knew it from the way his breath had audibly caught and the way her cheeks were flushing. Their pace had altered and the horses were growing restless from the tension in their riders. She swallowed several times, waiting for his response.

  “Incredible,” Duncan murmured from beside her.

  “What is?” she breathed, not wanting to look, but feeling drawn towards him.

  His eyes were dark as they met hers. Dark and inviting and powerful beyond comprehension. “You,” he said simply.

  She could not breathe, couldn’t manage a single hint of air. She wrenched her eyes away and inhaled unsteadily. “Not at all,” she managed. “You asked.”

  “That I did,” he replied carefully. “That I did. Very astute of you.”

  “I see more than people think.” She hadn’t meant to sound so defensive, but in her distress, it couldn’t be helped.

  Duncan opened his mouth to reply when a shout of greeting was heard up ahead of them.

  They turned to look and saw Colin and a gentleman who had to be his brother, they looked so astonishingly alike. The same chestnut-colored hair and light eyes, though his features were more angular and he seemed less prone to smile than his brother. His eyes seemed to catch every motion, though his focus remained steady and forward. She had the very strong impression that he, too, observed quite a bit more than people might have thought.

  There were more people around than there had been previously, and Annie began to realize that now was the time to be the creature she had been practicing. The one who belonged. Who knew all the rules. Who was used to all of this. She ought to get into the habit of being such a woman. Otherwise the entire scheme would have to be given up, thanks to her nerves and stupidity.

  She tilted her chin up and put a polite smile on her face as the brothers approached. Her heart beat anxiously in her chest. Would she ever lose the fear of me
eting new people?

  “Steady,” Duncan murmured from beside her. “You’re all right.”

  She spared a brief glance in his direction, hoping her eyes conveyed her gratitude.

  He gave her an imperceptible nod and half a wink.

  As if that would steady her nerves.

  “Good morning, Mr. Bray!” Colin called out cheekily. “Fancy meeting you out and about so early.”

  “Indeed, Mr. Gerrard,” Duncan replied smoothly. “Tell me, are you on your way to bed or were you blackmailed into such an early rising?”

  Colin’s brother quirked the briefest smile Annie had ever seen, while Colin grinned broadly. “Shame on you, Duncan, mentioning bed in front of a lady.” His bright eyes moved to Annie and he inclined his head and touched his hat. “Good morning.”

  She responded with a polite nod. “Good morning, Mr. Gerrard. A pleasure to see you again.” Her voice was clear and nearly free of her accent, and she was proud of the diction she had managed, exactly as her friends had taught her.

  Colin looked rather impressed and winked at her. “It is always a pleasure to see me, I can assure you, Miss…?”

  “Remington,” she informed him, as if he really had forgotten. “Miss Anne Remington, Mr. Gerrard. Shame on your memory.”

  Colin clamped his lips together to avoid laughing, then he said, “I do apologize, Miss Remington. I tend to forget names of beautiful people as I spend so much time trying to remember every facet of their features.”

  Oh, he was good. She could well see that he would be a very popular fellow in Society.

  Well, it was time to practice accepting compliments.

  She thanked him with an acknowledging dip of her chin.

  “Really, Colin, you grow tiresome in your flattery. I doubt Miss Remington wishes to hear your ramblings anymore,” his brother said from beside him, with a smile that told Annie there was real fondness between the brothers.

  Colin rolled his eyes and smiled. “I do apologize, Miss Remington. Introductions. This is my elder brother, Mr. Christopher Gerrard, and he believes that being a full forty minutes older gives him license enough to lord over me.”

  “Well, somebody has to,” his brother muttered. “You cannot run roughhouse over everyone.” He gave Annie a polite smile and bowed in his saddle. “A pleasure, Miss Remington.”

  “The pleasure is all mine,” she murmured, returning his smile.

  “You are recently come to London, are you not, Miss Remington?” Mr. Gerrard asked politely, his entire attention focused on her. The light that was so frequently dancing in Colin’s eyes seemed rather absent from his brother’s, but the intensity was there in more abundance. This was a man one did not trifle with.

  She smiled the soft smile that felt most natural to her. “Very recently, sir. Only three weeks.”

  “Is that all?” he asked, looking surprised. “I daresay you’ve not seen much of it, the weather being so cold of late.”

  “Yes, it has been rather cold. But I am from the north, Mr. Gerrard, so a bit of cold air will not frighten me away.”

  His mouth quirked into a smile and he saluted her.

  “Miss Remington is visiting my family for the Season,” Duncan explained politely, his voice carrying naturally to those who were passing and no doubt wondering at the introductions. “She is a niece of my aunt’s late husband from his previous marriage.”

  “Ah,” Mr. Gerrard said as he looked back at Annie. “Most fortunate to be under Lady Raeburn’s patronage.”

  “And I am well aware of my good fortune, sir,” Annie replied. “She has been most kind.”

  Colin grinned and shared a look with Duncan that she could not translate. Then he inclined his head at her once more. “Well, we shall look forward to seeing you in Society soon, Miss Remington. Do save one of your first dances for me. I insist.”

  She blushed just a bit and smiled shyly. “I would be delighted.”

  “And I shall claim one as well,” Mr. Gerrard said, a hint of a smile in his features. “If you shall not feel yourself overrun by Gerrards.”

  She giggled and nodded. “No, indeed, it would be my pleasure.”

  Both Gerrards touched their hats and rode off at fast clips.

  “Well done,” Duncan said softly as Annie released a heavy breath. “That was perfect.”

  She laughed again in relief. “I don’t know about that. I stumbled a bit with the accent.”

  “It was charming,” he said, reaching out to touch her, and then thinking better of it as more people began filling the park. “You should keep part of it. Besides, it was only Colin and Kit, you don’t need to stand on ceremony there. And you need to stop smiling at all of the gentlemen in the park.”

  “Why?” she asked in surprise.

  He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Because you will bewitch every one of them and we will not be able to ride without a trail of them following us home.”

  “Duncan…”

  He shrugged. “I only speak the truth. Someday, perhaps, you will see yourself as you really are.” He gave her a very serious look and then urged his horse a bit faster.

  Annie caught her breath for a moment and then rode up to match him.

  She had very little time until her introduction into his world.

  She prayed it would be worth it.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “One-two-three, one-two-three, turn and curtsey, turn and curtsey… Good!”

  Annie fought the urge to wipe her brow and looked at Marianne, who smiled in encouragement from the corner of the room. She hadn’t expected her to attend her lessons today, but her reasoning had been that any woman could dance, not just high society ones, and she would love to have someone she could practice dancing with at home. Annie didn’t mind, she was nervous enough about the ball coming in two days that would be her grand introduction. They had been dancing all morning and through luncheon, and she was exhausted. She wasn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but was honest enough to admit that she was getting better.

  Kate clapped her hands from the pianoforte. “Excellent, Annalise!” she called. “You move with such grace, I am quite envious!”

  “It’s only because I am small,” she replied, giving her beautiful friend a smile. “And I used to dance around as a little girl.”

  “Oh, I can imagine you were a precious sight!” Moira said with a hint of a tear in her voice.

  Mary sighed heavily and shook her head. “Moira, you really need to retain control of your emotions.” She leaned closer to Annie and whispered loudly, “Yesterday she had a potato that was boiled too soft and was so upset she burst into tears.”

  Annie looked at Moira in surprise, who laughed in delight.

  “I did not, you lying wench. Now return to your proper position as the man. We are going to try the new one.”

  “Are you sure, Moira?” Kate asked from her position, eying Annie cautiously. “There are a few others…”

  “No, no, I think she is ready,” Moira assured her. “She’s improving so fast, it will be easy for her.”

  Annie blanched and cast a panicked look at Marianne. She had just taught her the steps after breakfast and they were complicated. She had mastered them before, when she and Marianne could mirror each other, but when she had a partner…

  “It’s all right, Annie,” Marianne said with another smile. “Just like we practiced.”

  “Her name is Annalise,” Tibby muttered darkly, folding her arms over her bombazine gown.

  Marianne glared at her aunt, then looked back to Annie. “You can do it. Go on.”

  Annie swallowed, then looked at Mary, who winked and nodded in encouragement.

  Kate began to play and Annie tried as best as she could to remember the steps, but she stumbled in exactly the same spot every time. After the fourth attempt, she let out a screech of dismay and shoved her fists into her eyes.

  “It’s all right,” Moira soothed, coming to her side. “You will get
it, it just takes time.”

  “We don’t have time!” Annie cried as she whirled around, feeling panic rise within her. “We have two days. Two days for me to be perfect in everything. Two days until everything you’ve taught me will be put to the test and I will have to pretend to be something I’m not. I have to do this! I have to!”

  “No, you don’t,” came a low, rumbling voice from the doorway.

  Every head turned to see Duncan standing there, his chest heaving a bit as if he had run. His coat and waistcoat were gone, and he was only in his fine linen shirt, as he had been the other day after he had returned from fencing. From the looks of things, he had been fencing again today. Faintly, the thought burst into Annie’s mind to imagine what he would have looked like when he fenced. Graceful, powerful, every muscle taut and lean in his movements.

  He came to her, his eyes fixed on her face earnestly. He took her arms in his strong hands and held her tightly. “You don’t have to do anything, Annalise. If this is all too much, you can stop. You don’t have to do this.”

  “Oh, but…” Tibby tried, but one look from Duncan silenced her.

  “I think we need to give Annie a bit of room,” Marianne murmured to the others, rising and gesturing out. “Lady Whitlock, I have a piece of music I think you would play masterfully, it is far too complicated for me. It is in my room, will you come and see?”

  “Of course, Miss Bray, of course,” Kate agreed, following quickly. She grabbed Moira’s hand and yanked her along, and Mary followed. Tibby was the last to leave, looking at Duncan with earnest eyes.

  Duncan waited until the door clicked shut, then looked back at Annie. “All right. They’ve gone.”

  “Tibby is listening at the door,” she whispered, shutting her eyes and turning towards the window.

  “Tibby!” Duncan called. “Away!”

  They heard the unmistakable sound of stomping down the hall and then it was silent.

  “Now,” Duncan said, turning back to her, “tell me what this is all about.”

  She felt tears well up in her eyes and a tired sob escaped. “I can’t do this, Duncan.”