C*cky Marquess by Annabelle Anders

Chapter 4

Later, when Diana would reflect on the moment her impulsive gesture had sent both her and the marquess tumbling into the water, she would wonder why she hadn’t been terror-stricken. Because falling—actually plunging into the lake—was the worst-case scenario she’d imagined when she’d boarded. Furthermore, she had had no way of knowing the water was barely a foot deep in that spot or that her hands would land on the muddy bottom before she’d become completely submerged.

Eyes closed, she reached out and grabbed the only thing she could, which happened to be Lord Greystone. She moved her hands up his legs which felt as solid as tree trunks, past his hips and around his backside, her face pressing against his—

“Oomph.” She slipped and, the marquess reached beneath her arms and, in one swift motion, pulled her onto her knees, putting her eyes level with his chest.

“Are you alright?” His hair looked black as night, slicked back from his face, and the fine lace and velvet of his coat were wilted and soggy. He rubbed his hands up and down her arms as though assuring himself that she was still in one piece. He then tilted her head back, giving her no choice but to stare up at him.

“Diana?” His eyes flashed silver, reminding her of the darker spots she’d once discovered while staring up at a full moon. “Are you alright?”

Whereas her face hadn’t gone under, he hadn’t gotten off so lucky.

There wasn’t a spot on him that wasn’t soaked, and seeing him like this had Diana gaping. Water slicked his hair and streamed down his face.

Stunned, Diana found herself mesmerized by one particular droplet as it caught in his lashes and then rolled down his cheek. A second hovered precariously on the curve of his upper lip.

“Are you alright?” His mouth moved. He was staring at her… waiting.

“I’m fine. I’m fine” she finally managed, shocked by the cold but also his close proximity. Too self-conscious to meet his eyes, Diana glanced down at her dress. The saturated material clung to her like a second skin. “And you? Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine.” But he didn’t sound fine. He sounded as though he wanted to strangle her.

“I’ve lost a shoe.” Diana slid her foot along the slimy bottom but wasn’t willing to search with her hands. “A hat and a shoe. This lake has had no mercy for me today.”

“The water’s ultimate objective, of course, is to separate English ladies from their favorite accessories.” He was all but dragging her to shore now.

Was the Marquess of Greystone joking with her? Diana slid him a sideways glance, but he seemed as stoic as ever. If not for the slightest twitch at the corner of his mouth, she might even have believed she’d imagined it.

Once on dry ground, the marquess released her hand to accept the towels presented by two of the duchess’s servants who had rushed into action.

“I cannot believe you did that,” Collette exclaimed, arriving at her side. “What were you thinking standing up in the boat like that? You ninny! Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine.” But, in truth, Diana was feeling a little dazed. She wasn’t sure if that was from being dunked in the cold water or having quite literally pressed her face into the front of Lord Greystone’s trousers where she’d felt…

She’d felt something move.

A surreptitious glance assured her that no fish had fallen out of his pants, so whatever she’d felt must have been…

Him.

Did he realize she’d touched him there? General logic would conclude that if she had felt him, then he had felt her…

Diana ducked her head and submitted to Collette as she scrubbed her with the towel and then wiped at mud Diana hadn’t realized was clinging to her bodice. After assuring themselves Diana and the marquess were unhurt, the other couples drifted across the lawn in the direction of the tent where other guests were eating and drinking.

“Forgive her, my lord,” Collette addressed Lord Greystone. “My sister hasn’t yet come to terms with the nature of gravity.”

“I do comprehend how gravity works,” Diana grumbled, jerking her head up.

“A miscalculation is all—an accident.” His gaze met Diana’s, neither smiling nor scowling. For a gentleman who’d been doused in all his finery and then practically accosted by her, he appeared perfectly calm and unaffected.

Perhaps she had been mistaken.

“Your beautiful jacket is ruined!” Collette sent an apologetic wince in the marquess’s direction and, with one more swipe at Diana’s gown, announced, “I’m going to go find Bethany and Chase so that we can return to Byrd House right away. We need to get you out of these wet clothes before you catch your death.”

“I’m sorry about your jacket,” Diana mumbled after her sister excused herself.

He shrugged, as elegant as a shrug can be. “They are only clothes. We’re lucky it happened where the water was shallow. You really must learn to swim.” After showing a side of himself that Diana had not expected, the marquess was once again acting like a staid older brother.

“Perhaps.” She turned to stare across the lake and sighed when she saw Bethany’s hat floating near the center.

“Your sister-in-law is not going to become enraged over the loss of her hat when you could have drowned.”

“I was perfectly safe. You would not have allowed me to drown,” she declared automatically, pulling the material of her skirts away from her legs. “Besides, it’s not that I think she will be angry over the hat,” Diana explained. “It’s that she will be sad to have lost her favorite. Perhaps it holds some special memory for her. Perhaps it once belonged to her mother—or her father gave it to her as a gift before he died.” Why was it that men could be so wickedly smart about some things and so obtuse about others?

“Are any of those true?”

“Well, I don’t know,” Diana answered.

He pinned his silvery gaze on hers, and Diana hugged her elbows.

“Your sister-in-law will forgive you regardless.” He glanced down and twisted the ends of his jacket, sending water streaming onto the ground.

Was he reconsidering his promise to pretend to court her?

“Shall I tell Bethany about our ruse?” For their scheme to be truly convincing, her brother would likely need to give the marquess permission to court her—pretend or otherwise. “Shall I tell Chase?”

“I’ll handle Chaswick.”

Relief swept in, knowing their dip in the lake hadn’t caused him to change his mind. Furthermore, he sounded confident in her brother’s approval, which, Diana mused, gave her one less thing to worry about.

What mattered most right now was that Captain Edgeworth had finally noticed her!

“What should I do next? If the captain pays me a call, should I go driving with him? Should I pretend not to like him? What if he sends me flowers?” It felt good not to be alone in making these decisions. And whereas her brother and sister-in-law only ever expressed their optimism, she could trust Lord Greystone’s candor.

“When he requests you to go driving with him, tell him another gentleman has already claimed the privilege. Do not express that you like him and do not, I repeat, do not stare into his eyes with that look of longing you were practicing earlier.”

“What look of longing?” Diana turned to stare up at him, trying to remember what she’d been doing—what she’d been thinking—before the marquess had approached her.

“The one where you look like the runt of a litter gazing after the last of her superior siblings.”

“Are you comparing me to a dog?”

“A puppy,” he clarified.

“Like this?” Diana screwed up her face trying to recreate the expression he had just described. She leaned forward so that he could judge her efforts.

He scowled, but she thought his upper lip might have twitched again. Likely, he’d used up his annual allotment of laughter on the boat. “Exactly like that,” he answered.

“Or like this?” She pursed her lips into as pitiful of a pout possible.

This time, he merely shook his head, which was just as well, as Bethany and Chase approached with Collette in tow.

Diana raised a self-conscious hand to her head and then rushed to her sister-in-law. “I lost your hat. I’m so terribly, terribly sorry. The pins must have come out, and when a gust of wind caught it, it went flying across the lake. I’ll understand if you never forgive me.” And then she had an idea. “If you’d like, I could walk around to the other side and see if it’s ended up there—”

“No! That won’t be necessary.” Bethany grasped the material of Diana’s gown and pulled it away as it was clinging again. Her sister-in-law’s words sounded like a reprimand, but laughter lurked behind her eyes. “And you’ve lost a shoe, I see.” She was shaking her head, and Chase was scrubbing a hand down his face.

He seemed to be doing a lot of that lately.

“Miss Diana is quite troubled by the loss of your favorite hat, my lady,” the marquess explained, which didn’t even come close to expressing Diana’s remorse. “And we would not have tipped over if I had conveyed to her the importance of remaining seated.” At this, he sent her a condescending glance—because he had instructed her to stay seated.

More than once, in fact.

“I could hardly believe it when the hat flew off my head.” She recalled the moment it had lifted into the air. “Did you know that ducks fly?” Diana asked.

“But of course, they do,” Collette answered.

“Miss Diana was, indeed, most distraught,” Greystone added.

Bethany shook her head again. “It’s only a hat, Diana, but we really must get you home so you can change. Will you send for the carriage, darling?” Bethany sent a besotted glance in Chaswick’s direction.

Would Captain Edgeworth ever look at her the way Chase looked at Bethany? Diana stared across the lawn, searching for him. Instead of imagining a soldier’s midnight blue eyes, however, she found herself thinking of two silvery orbs gazing into hers—and remembering the flash of light she’d seen in them when he’d laughed.

Because he’d not been laughing at her, he’d been laughing with her. There was more, perhaps, to the Marquess of Greystone than she’d imagined.

Still, he was going to have to put more effort into feigning romantic affection if he was going to convince anyone that he was courting her. Because in that moment, he was practically glaring at her with admonishment… but also what might have been curiosity.

It was an expression she was growing accustomed to, seeing as most of the Ton was quick to judge her. She was a curiosity for which they disapproved.

But that may no longer matter. Not if this ruse worked, that was. She fluttered her lashes and forced the brightest of her smiles.

“I am quite looking forward to our drive tomorrow, my lord,” she reminded him and then widened her eyes. She’d forgotten that he would need to speak with her brother first.

She glanced back to where Chase was handing Bethany her reticule—touching his wife, of course—something he did at every opportunity.

“How nice for you, Diana.” Rather than seem surprised or suspicious of her announcement, Bethany sounded pleased. “Being seen driving through Hyde Park with the marquess will be good for you.”

Perhaps they assumed he would bring Posy along with them. Diana raised her brows. Perhaps he would in fact bring Lady Posy along.

Which would have had Diana anticipating the outing rather than dreading it, but wouldn’t be nearly as effective as driving with the marquess alone.

But was she dreading it? He hadn’t been as horrible and stuffy on the boat as she’d imagined he would be. And being rowed by him had finally garnered Captain Edgeworth’s attention.

Diana sighed and imagined her military hero atop a magnificent beast of a horse galloping toward her as she sat beside the marquess in his elegant barouche. Those who hadn’t noticed her in the boat with Lord Greystone today, would undoubtedly take notice of her being driven through Hyde Park at the fashionable hour—by a marquess, no less.

Would it work?

Lord Greystone crossed to face her. “I anticipate it with bated breath.” And then, while lifting her hand to his lips, he swept into an elegant bow and made her wonder, not for the first time, how a man could appear so incredibly masculine while performing such an extravagant gesture. “Until we meet again.”

“Until…” she trailed off, feeling silly. His lordship certainly was laying it on thick.

Staring at him as he took his leave, Diana jumped when Bethany touched her elbow. “I don’t understand it myself, but he’s always been like that.” How did her sister-in-law manage to read her mind? “Wait until you get a look at him at my dinner party this evening. His finery will make even the ladies feel underdressed.”

“But he is not a dandy.” Diana mused. She’d always considered those fellows to be shallow and vain.

“Not at all,” Bethany agreed. “He’s quite powerful.”

Diana tapped her fingertips against her lips, reminded again why a pretend courtship ought to work. “Chase doesn’t mind if he takes me driving?” she asked.

“Why would he? It was kind of Greys to ask you.” And then Bethany took Diana’s arm and guided them around to the front of the duchess’s manor where Chaswick’s carriage would collect them. “Tabetha and Mr. Spencer are returned from their wedding journey and will be joining us at Byrd House for Dinner as well. I can’t wait for you to meet her!”

“Tonight?”

“I am so excited!” Bethany all but squealed.

Diana felt a bittersweet longing for her own younger sister, Sarah. And Collette was eventually going to abandon her as well. Diana would be all alone.

Not alone exactly, but no one in the world could replace the relationships she had with her sisters.

“You’ve missed her,” Diana stated the obvious.

“More than I ever thought I would, considering I’ve often considered her to be something of a pest.” Bethany laughed. “But she is a lovable pest. And now that she’s married...” Bethany sighed and then sent Diana a sad smile. “Even happy changes are difficult.”

Bethany had experienced many of those this year, not only with her and Tabetha’s marriages, but their older brother, Lord Westerley’s marriage as well.

“I thought I wouldn’t like it when Chase married you, but having you for a sister-in-law has only improved our lives,” Diana admitted. But Bethany was right. Even changes for the better were difficult.

Diana halted her steps suddenly.

“But wait. You are hosting a dinner party?” And Bethany had invited Lord Greystone?

“Yes. But it’s to be a somewhat intimate party--for Tabetha and Mr. Spencer, my mother and Viscount Manheim—who she has been keeping company.” Bethany raised her brows meaningfully before continuing. “Westerley and Charley, Greystone and his relations, of course, and Lord and Lady Huntly and their daughter. I invited a few bachelors to even out my numbers but none accepted.”

Bethany frowned, and Diana’s heart sank because those bachelors must have realized they had been invited as potential suitors for one of Chaswick’s illegitimate sisters.

Bethany squeezed Diana’s hand. “Is there anyone in particular that you would like me to invite the next time I host a party?”

“Only Captain Edgeworth.” It would have been spectacular if the gentleman could have been in attendance that evening.

“Oh, look. I do believe we might just be in luck!” Diana followed Bethany’s gaze to where her brother was enjoying having a good-humored conversation with the same three gentlemen who’d ignored Diana earlier. Bethany winked as she dragged Diana toward her husband and then whispered. “Regimentals are always happy for an evening of fine company and a good meal.”

Diana touched her fingers to her hair, as quite a lot had escaped her chignon, and then dropped her hands to smooth her gown. As she neared the three handsome gentlemen, her heart raced a little faster.

“Captains, Major. I swear, my husband never fails to strike up conversations the very moment I tell him I’m ready to take our leave.” Bethany then turned to Chase. “But, darling, three of the gentlemen I invited for dinner this evening canceled, and now my numbers will be uneven.” Diana watched in awe as Bethany pouted rather prettily.

“But…” Chase began, looking confused until he met his wife’s meaningful gaze. Brows raised in understanding, he turned again to address the three magnificent-looking military men. “Say, would you fellows be interested in joining us at Byrd House this evening? It seems my wife is in something of a pickle. Bethany, Diana, you know Lord Major Lucas Cockfield, Blackheart’s younger brother, and Captains Gilcrest and Edgeworth?”

Before Diana could think of a single word to add to the conversation, it was settled that the three of them would be honored guests that evening, all of them smiling and quite pleased at the unexpected plans.

When Chase had first presented himself at their modest house on Farm Street, shortly after their father’s death eight years before, Diana had been utterly charmed by him. Having come to know him now, she realized that he had that effect on nearly every person he came in contact with.

“Until this evening, then, Gentlemen.” Bethany had taken hold of Chase’s arm to drag him now as well.

“Our thanks, my lady,” Lord Major Cockfield said, and all three of them bowed.

Diana barely remembered to curtsey, and as she rose, looked everywhere but at Captain Edgeworth.

He was simply too imposing in his uniform—too glorious—too perfect. He presented quite the contrast to Lord Greystone’s lordly magnificence.

She felt hot all over when for some reason, she recalled the moment she’d pressed her cheek, accidentally of course, against the front of the Marquess’s trousers.

It had moved. Diana was not mistaken.

What else could it do?