Page 4 of A Duke in Autumn

Lady Bellinghaugh snorted in amusement, and waved a hand at him.

“Of course you do – you got that from your dear mother. Still – what will you do to amuse yourself while you’re here? You’ve been to the Pump Rooms, tasted the waters and declared them abhorrent, looked at every shop in the town and barely bought a thing, and spent more time than I’d any right to hope for talking to me. What is left for you to amuse yourself with?”

Morris smiled at her description of his week – which was, overall, rather accurate – and considered what he would say. He might as well tell her whatever was already arranged, for she would soon know it all anyway. Her sources were excellent.

“I’ve been invited to a picnic tomorrow, up on the Downs, and I’m told that there will be a Ball or two at the Assembly Rooms over the next few weeks. Other than that, I thought I might do almost nothing – take the chance to sit and read, and be disgustingly idle, before I have to go back to Oakthorpe and all of my responsibilities.”

He lifted his tea and sipped, enjoying the moment. Lady Bellinghaugh looked at him and nodded.

“Sensible. Mind you, you have to expect to have young women fluttering around you, at picnics and at Balls – there aren’t too many unmarried Dukes about for them to hope to catch the attention of, after all.”

“They can flutter all they like, and I’ll ignore them, like I always do. I positively hate being artfully flirted at. Speaking of young ladies, by the way, what do you know of Lady Eugenia? I ask, because I think she’s the first woman I have met in a year or more, who hasn’t tried to artfully flirt with me.”

Lady Bellinghaugh’s eyes narrowed for a moment, and she tilted her head slightly, watching him. He waited, wondering what thoughts were going through her head. She took a bite of cake from her plate and swallowed it before responding.

“You know that young Juliana, my great great-niece on the other side of my family, married Kilmerstan? Well Lady Eugenia is the younger of his two sisters. And from all I’ve seen, and what I’ve heard from Juliana, she’s the good girl of the family. Always perfectly polite and immaculately presented. Her sister is the hoyden – but she’s married now too. Lady Eugenia’s never done a thing out of place, that I know of. She’s probably far too polite to put herself forward to you.”

Morris shook his head a little.

“I find it hard to believe that any young woman is that perfect in behaviour – oh, on the surface, certainly – but underneath that façade – aren’t they all conniving, plotting how to trap a suitable man into marriage, at the earliest opportunity? Isn’t that how their mothers train them to be?”

“How cynical of you… but in most cases, you’re probably right. With this one – perhaps she really is as she seems. A little dull, as a result, but then again, I know nothing of what interests her, or what skills she may have. Even the plainest surface can hide interesting things if you dig below it enough.”

“True. I am not sure that I can be bothered to dig – but it is pleasant to speak to a woman without feeling as if I’m being sized up like a prime stallion at Tattersall’s.”

“Then perhaps you should spend some time talking to her, if only to make it harder for the overt husband hunters to trap you into conversation.”

Lady Bellinghaugh sipped her tea again, watching Morris closely. Perhaps it was time to invite Lady Eugenia and her mother to tea.

~~~~~

For the first time in her life, Eugenia found herself unable to concentrate on her embroidery. Normally, she enjoyed the process, enjoyed seeing a detailed picture emerge from something so simple as stitches on a piece of cloth. But today, all she could think of was her conversation with Lady Annet.

That, and the irritating way that her mind had attached the concept of doing something improper, for enjoyment, to a certain man. A man whose sinfully handsome features kept rising in her mind.

A man she wanted to know more about, even if only so that she could irritate him in return. It seemed fitting that, if she was to respond to his challenge to do something outside perfect behaviour, that she do so by being intentionally an irritant to him.

Chapter Three

The day of the picnic dawned bright and sunny, warmer than might be expected for the time of year. The light through the red and gold leaves on the trees was beautiful, and Eugenia watched as the carriage took them along a tree lined road, up towards the Downs, wishing that she had more talent. She could draw well enough – she drew sketches of designs for gowns that would never be made, all the time – but painting eluded her, as a skill – and the scene deserved to be painted.

Still, she could admire the view before her, and enjoy the day regardless. Beside her, Lady Annet was chattering away about the new gown she was having made for the Ball to be held at the Assembly Rooms in a few weeks’ time. Eugenia tried to imagine the design from her description, and failed. She wanted, in that moment, a pencil and paper, that she might attempt to sketch it, and get Annet to confirm if she had it right. But of course, one did not bring pencil and paper to a picnic.

So she smiled, and nodded at the right points, whilst really just watching the world go by outside the window.

They emerged from the trees onto a section of road which ran along the crest of the Downs, where copses of trees could be seen scattered across the rolling hills, and a river ran in the distance. The view was, indeed, spectacular. They continued for some time more, until they reached a more wooded area, where trees provided some shelter from sun and wind, running from the hilltop down to the river below. The view was still magnificent, but the shade from the trees would be welcome.

They stepped down from the carriage, and two footmen rushed to unload blankets, baskets of food and more, even as other carriages began to draw up beside theirs. Curious, Eugenia watched passengers appear from those carriages, wondering who might be attending. Already, it seemed that the party would be far larger than she had expected.

Lady Easterwood appeared, and rushed over to the Dowager Duchess and the Countess of Stenholt, Lady Annet’s mother. Between them, they appeared to be the hosts of the picnic, and were soon greeting arrivals and directing footmen. Eugenia and Annet exchanged glances, and took the opportunity to slip away, settling on the blanket furthest from the carriages, and most set back amongst the trees. From there, they could watch, but not risk being summarily pulled forward by their mothers, to be introduced to eligible men. They both far preferred to assess a gentleman from a distance, before being forced into conversation with him.

A footman came and placed some plates of food and a basket with bottles and glasses on the blanket near them, then hurried off to continue setting things up for others. Yet more carriages arrived, setting down mainly ladies. Perhaps she was lucky – perhaps very few gentlemen had been invited.

As Eugenia thought that, the latest carriage door was opened, and three gentlemen descended. Lord Harper, Lord James Milton, and Lord William Carlson. All rather dandified and self-important. Eugenia shuddered slightly, despite her intention not to.

“I agree – they are quite horrid. Shall we go for a walk down towards the stream, before they notice us? Oh, and look, Lady Penelope Boulderwood is here too – I abhor her conversation, which is always about how important she is.”

Lady Annet waited for Eugenia’s answer. Her suggestion was most tempting, for Eugenia did not want to converse with the gentlemen at all. But to go off alone….