Page 12 of A Hint of Scandal

Her thoughts strayed from the track they’d been following. The person lurking here so secretively was now no longer a villain of the lower classes, but some dastardly cad, some rake, as up to no good as a burglar would have been. And she still needed to get away from him.

The worst thing was, he must have seen her enter through the door and take a seat. He must know her for a woman. Perhaps that was what he’d been waiting for—some unwary woman to find her way to this summerhouse in the dark. To be ravished.

What on earth was she thinking? Anyone would conclude that she read the same lurid novels as Letty did, where young heroines were always getting themselves into danger and screaming and fainting. But she was not the stuff those hapless young heroines were made of. She was more than that. She was Serafina Gilbert, a young woman who’d had to fend for herself since she was six years old, and she refused to be afraid of whoever was sharing this summerhouse with her.

She drew in a silent but deep breath, albeit a little shakily. “Whoever you are, sir, would you please make yourself known to me?” Her voice, a trifle high-pitched, sounded far too loud in the screaming silence.

A sound of shuffling feet. “Good evening.” The voice was deep and a little irritated, and even a little familiar. Where had she heard that voice before?

As he was being polite and sounded as though he was indeed a gentleman and not the vagabond she’d at first suspected, she’d best be polite in return. “Good evening.” She paused, gathering her thoughts. “I had supposed to have this summerhouse to myself as the night is so cold.”

“As had I.”

Why hadn’t the owner of this voice gone into supper like everyone else? The itch to ask him blossomed, but if she did, he might ask of her the same question, and she didn’t want to answer that. Somehow it seemed important above everything that he shouldn’t pity her. “I am sorry if I disturbed you.”

Light glimmered over a profile as he leaned forwards out of the darkness, but he retreated almost as swiftly so she saw nothing of his face save a long and slightly aquiline nose and a determined chin. He cleared his throat. “I suppose I too should apologize for disturbing you.”

“You were here first. I should leave you to your reflections.” She rose to her feet, unsure where she would go if she had to leave, but determined to do so.

“Please don’t leave on my account.”

She hesitated. Did he mean that or was he just being polite? Deciding to take his words at face value, and not wanting to return to either the cold terrace or the ballroom, she sat again and resmoothed her skirts. “Very well. But I should prefer it if I could see the face of the gentleman I’m addressing.”

He was silent for so long she thought she might have offended him. But at last he cleared his throat again, and there came the sound of him standing. “Do not be anxious. I will sit as far away from you as possible.”

A tall and shadowy figure emerged from the darkness and took a seat in the gloom. A figure which unmistakably carried its right arm in a sling.

“Good heavens. Captain Aubrey. I had no idea it was you.”

Captain Aubrey was staring at her as though as surprised as she was, although it was hard to make out his exact expression in the dark. “Miss Gilbert. I also had no idea it was you. All I saw of your arrival was a silhouette against the lights of the terrace.”

She managed a little laugh. “I certainly wasn’t expecting to meet anyone at all down here.”

Captain Aubrey laughed in return, but his wasn’t a pleasant laugh, being mirthless and bitter. “We, the outcasts of society, have found our niche in life it seems.”

He’d divined why she was out here alone all too easily. Thank goodness for the sheltering gloom that would hide her embarrassment. And yet, he’d included himself in this sweeping statement. Why was he, the brother of an earl, an outcast of society? His mother was a dowager countess, so he must be from a far more exalted family than her own and surely a richer one. Definitely not a poor relation. Although, as she well knew, money did not necessarily make one happy. She herself had managed to find small things that made her happy throughout her life, without having a penny to her name, despite her situation and her withheld inheritance. She was surely a happier person than Araminta, despite all of her and Ogden’s money.

Still, she wasn’t prepared to admit to being an outcast. “You mistake me, Captain. I came out here solely for some fresh air.”

He smiled, a fraction too knowingly. “As did I. Of course.”

Why did she get the feeling he knew exactly why she’d ventured out in the cold dark, all alone? Most irritating of him, and bad mannered to imply so.

Silence fell between them. He broke it. “You are here with your brother and his family?”

And how did he know this? She frowned. “I am.”

“Your niece has been quite the success.”

She nodded, realization dawning. Ah, that was it. He was interested in Letty and wanted to use her to get an introduction. Oh well. “She is a very pretty girl, so that is no surprise.”

“And I would say that hopefully she is possessed of a lot more pleasant a disposition than her sour-faced mama.”

Serafina’s eyes widened at the same time as her heart plummeted into her boots. She was unused to hearing anyone, especially not someone she’d taken more than a passing fancy to, speak their mind so boldly. What was she supposed to say to that? She scrabbled about in her head. “She is indeed a pleasant-natured girl.” If he had intentions towards Letty, then she’d better sing her praises and not mention Letty’s selfish side. Finding her a suitable husband, after all, was what they were in London for. From what she’d seen of Captain Aubrey so far, he might suit Letty well enough.

“And I am sure her head is as empty of wit as the fish in that pond out there.”

Serafina gaped at him. “That is a most unkind thing to say.” But it was true. Apart from reading her rather lurid romance novels, Letty had never shown any inclination toward things intellectual. Serafina had overheard Araminta assuring Ogden that no man wanted a girl who might know more than he did. She’d been referring to Serafina herself, of course, whom she classed as bookish, but had held up Letty as an example of the sort of girl a man would prefer to marry. A girl who could paint a neat watercolor and play a pretty tune on a piano, but not one who could discuss Egyptian antiquities with a man. “Letty is a lovely girl and will make an exceptional bride.”

He chuckled. “Lovely girls don’t interest me.”

Serafina’s heart started to creep up out of her boots. “They don’t?”

He shook his head and let out a rather heartfelt sigh. “I’m only here in Town to act as escort to my sister-in-law and her daughter. To accompany them to dances and such like. My brother is not a well man, and my mother and sister-in-law have prevailed upon me to perform the duties he would normally have undertaken. I can assure you, Miss Gilbert, that a girl like your niece would not be to my liking.”

Should she be angry at his turning up of his nose at Letty? Or should she be glad? The suspicion that he was hiding something from her arose.

Two could play at that game. “I too am here in the position of escort. For my brother’s wife says I am too old and plain for the marriage mart, and even if I were not, I don’t think I would like to find myself married to a man who didn’t want an intelligent wife with a mind of her own.”

He snorted with laughter, which annoyed her some more. “Well said, Miss Gilbert. A woman after my own heart. Then perhaps, as neither of us are at this moment required for our squiring duties while our charges are at supper, you might sit here a while with me and talk of what it is that does interest you and what it is you wish for in life. I’m all agog to hear.”

Was he teasing her? No. Perhaps not. Perhaps he did want to hear about her interests. It would be refreshing to talk to someone else about them, as all she had at home was Miss Wychwood, her nieces’ and nephews’ governess, whose knowledge of Egypt was minimal. She settled herself more comfortably on her cushioned seat. Somehow, the darkness surrounding them made baring her thoughts and wishes all the easier. “What I would really like, is to go to Egypt and see the pyramids and the Valley of the Kings for myself.”