The Untamed Earl(24)
“Excellent. Pay a call on her tomorrow afternoon at two o’clock.”
Alexandra frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“I’ll be there. Bring your maid with you. It will all seem perfectly suitable.”
“But won’t your sister find it odd that—?”
“If you’d known some of the antics my sister and her friends got up to before she married Julian—er, the Earl of Swifdon—you wouldn’t ask that question.” Lord Owen grinned at Alexandra again, and she couldn’t look away from that fetching dimple. “Suffice it to say that Cass will understand.”
Alexandra nodded. It was a risk and her stomach was tied in knots just contemplating it, but she was the one who had started this game and she would see it through. Besides, what better opportunity would there be for the two of them to spend time together? Owen needed the chance to learn that she was, in fact, the most compatible match for him, and she needed the opportunity to confirm that he was indeed the man she wanted to marry. Not to mention this was all very dashing and adventurous of her. Thomas would be proud. She couldn’t resist Lord Owen’s offer. She smiled up at him hesitantly. “Very well. I’ll meet you tomorrow afternoon.”
“Perfect.” His white teeth flashed in his grin.
“I shall tell you everything you need to know about Lavinia, and you will … teach me how to dance.”
His grin was wicked again. “Among other things.”
CHAPTER NINE
Owen couldn’t sleep. He rolled onto his back in his oversized bed. The dark blue satin sheets slid beneath him and he punched at the down pillow under his head. Perhaps his difficulty in finding rest was because he was in his own bed for the first time in half a dozen nights. His bachelor’s quarters in St. James’s were adequate, but he much preferred to be in the company of the lady of his choice. Spending his time at a debut ball this evening had severely limited his options, and by the time his discussion with Alexandra Hobbs had ended, he’d decided that he no longer had a desire to go to one of the gaming hells. Odd but true.
The night’s events played through his mind. Cass needed spectacles. She had told him Lavinia was the one in the peach gown. She was clearly wrong, and as a result, he’d completely bungled his first attempt at wooing Lady Lavinia. Given her demeanor, it didn’t appear that it would be particularly easy to win back her good graces. The lady seemed like a shrew, honestly. Everyone said she was difficult. They’d obviously been underestimating the woman. Owen disliked shrews. He much preferred a lady who was open, happy, smiling, dancing, flirting. One like … Lady Alexandra. Minus the flirting, of course. She was a strawberry-scented breath of fresh air, compared to her sister. Not only that, but he also found himself more attracted to her physically than he was to her sister. Not that it mattered, but Lady Alexandra had the lush look that had always appealed to him. It had been only good fortune that she’d seemed so ready to help him. In exchange for his help, of course, but that only interested him more. Lady Alexandra was obviously someone who’d learned early in life that negotiation was a necessary skill that one must use to one’s full advantage. Astute of her.
He had no compunction about making a deal with Lavinia’s sister. They’d both be getting something they wanted out of it. He would receive the necessary information he needed to properly court Lavinia and hopefully bypass additional encounters with her prickly personality. Lady Alexandra would be gaining instant social standing due to his interest in her. A few dances at a few balls, and the collective tongue of the ton would be wagging.
He had only one concern: What if the plan backfired and Lavinia didn’t appreciate him paying court to her sister, however innocently? Ladies tended to be quite sensitive to such things. Especially given the story Upton had told about the dinner party and the tapestry ripping. But if Lady Alexandra thought she could explain it adequately enough, he would have to trust her. Not that trust came easily to him. It did not. But frankly, he had little choice in the matter. His first attempt at wooing Lady Lavinia had been a dismal failure. Owen was not used to dismal failures. Not where women were concerned. Besides, he could tell Lady Lavinia himself that he was paying attention to her sister in order to get closer to her. That should feed her obviously large opinion of herself.
He groaned and rolled back to his stomach. This “finding a wife” business was already turning out to be more trouble than he’d bargained for. If only his father had chosen Lady Alexandra. She, at least, seemed reasonable. Though she apparently was enamored of some other chap. Owen yawned. No matter. He’d taken Lady Alexandra up on her proposal. By the end of the month, he had no doubts that he’d be successfully, if not happily, betrothed to Lady Lavinia Hobbs.