The Untamed Earl(64)
Cass pressed her hand against her reddening throat. “Let me see if I have the right of it. First my brother followed you to the rookeries and then he made his way into your father’s gardens and kissed you? I had no idea Owen was such a sneak.”
“He didn’t sneak into the gardens. He was invited. To dinner, at least. But he must have gone out for air the same time I did, and I saw him there, quite by accident, and—”
“Then he kissed you!” Lucy pointed a triumphant finger in the air.
“Yes.” Alex nodded.
“Then it’s perfectly fine,” Lucy replied, fluttering her hand in the air.
Alex puffed air into her cheeks. “Perfectly fine? How is that perfectly fine?”
“Yes, how is that perfectly fine?” Cass echoed.
“Don’t you see? He kissed her after he declared his intentions for Lavinia,” Lucy explained with a sage nod.
“That appears to make him a complete rogue,” Cass replied, her brow still furrowed.
“Not at all,” Lucy continued. “He’d be a complete rogue if he kissed her and then declared his intentions for Lavinia.”
Alex pressed her gloved hand against her cheek. “I’m afraid I have absolutely no idea what you mean.”
Lucy sighed. “I mean that he made his declaration, which is all fine and well, but then he was unable to keep his hands off you, despite his best intentions. It’s good. It’s quite, quite good.”
Cass tapped a finger against her cheek. “Ah, I see what you mean. You may have a point.”
Alex turned to Cass. “She does? She has a point?”
“Yes,” Cass replied. “He wants to keep his promise to Father, but he’s clearly head over heels for you.”
Alex downed the last of her champagne. Perhaps if she drank enough, these two would begin making sense. “It certainly doesn’t feel that way to me. He hasn’t sought me out once tonight, and the last time I looked, he was deeply engaged in conversation with Mrs. Clare.”
“Mrs. Clare?” Cass scowled. “The widow?”
“Yes?” Alex replied. “Why?”
Cass rolled her eyes. “She’s been chasing after him for years. Makes no attempts to hide it. She’s a determined little baggage. I wouldn’t have invited her, only my mother-in-law seems to enjoy her company. If I’d had any idea she’d throw herself at Owen tonight, I would have conveniently lost her invitation.”
Lucy had been busily searching the crowd. “Seems she does have every intention of throwing herself at Owen tonight.” Lucy pointed to the far corner of the room. Alex rose up on tiptoes and strained her neck to see Owen and Mrs. Clare laughing and talking. Mrs. Clare had her hand on Owen’s sleeve and was standing far too close with far too much décolletage exposed.
Cass gasped. “Oh, Alex, dear. I’m so sorry. I’ll go run her off.”
“No!” Alex said before straightening her shoulders and speaking in a more modulated tone of voice. “No. Don’t. Please. If Owen wants to spend his time with Mrs. Clare, I’m not about to stop him.”
“I don’t think he knows what he wants.” Cass was shaking her head sadly. “Or at least he’s not ready to admit it to himself. The idiot.”
“I’ll go get Berkeley,” Lucy said to Alex. “You should dance.”
“No, really,” Alex said quietly. “I’m tired. Exceedingly so. I think I’ll go off into the library with Jane and sit and rest for a bit.”
Cass and Lucy both had sorrowful looks on their faces. Cass patted Alex’s shoulder. “Are you certain?”
“Quite certain. In fact, it’s the only thing I’m certain of at the moment.” She turned away from her new friends and headed toward the library.
* * *
The good thing about devoted readers like Jane Upton was, they knew how to be quiet. Alex spent the better part of the next hour silently sitting in the library with Jane, who was happily engaged reading a book. And that was just the way Alex preferred it. Chaperoned quiet was the perfect balm at the moment for her bruised soul. Finally, the clock on the mantelpiece chimed midnight and Alex sighed, stood up, and yawned.
“I should go back to the party now, Jane,” she said. “No doubt Mother will be looking for me. She rarely likes to stay at any gathering past midnight unless Lavinia is particularly enjoying herself, and Lavinia is never particularly enjoying herself.”
“I understand entirely,” Jane said, glancing up from her book. “If you see my husband—Oh, never mind. I was going to say if you see Garrett, tell him he can fetch me in the library, but it just occurred to me that he already knows.” Jane smiled, adjusted her spectacles, and returned her attention to her book.