In truth, he had gone upstairs in the hopes of “bumping into” Phoebe so that he could apologize for his previous mishaps and for not asking permission before dancing with Joanna. Hehadwanted to make peace, but then she had knocked into him, he had once again transformed into a clumsy oaf, the embarrassment had flipped into obstinacy, and he had said countless things that he had never intended to say to her. Even now, his head swirled, the memory of what had just happened hazy in his mind, as if it had happened to someone else.
I definitely should not have tried to dab away the stain.
He cringed at the recollection, wondering why on earth he became a buffoon in that woman’s company.
“Well, at least you did not trouble dear Phoebe again,” Olivia said. “I heard from the others that there was a… quarrel between the two of you.”
Daniel waved away the remark. “A simple misunderstanding. I was being chivalrous, she thought I was being strategic.”
“I know it is not my place,” Olivia continued haltingly, “but I do not think it would be wise for you to be seen near Joanna again. Phoebe is extraordinarily protective of her sisters, and though I, of course, think you are a good man, I would still urge you to heed my advice.”
Daniel put on his best smile, some peculiar part of himself becoming more determined with each instruction—thinly veiled or outright—to not stay away from Joanna. He was not someone who turned away from a challenge, but he also understood the benefit of selecting the simplest choice, and Joanna really did seem to be the simplest choice, negating any need for the rigmarole of approaching other ladies, conversing with those ladies, making arrangements to see if they were compatible, and deciphering their intentions. Joanna just wanted to have fun, and, best of all, she already knew most of his family: Caroline, Olivia, and Evan.
“I would never put you in an awkward position, dear Olivia,” he said, “but I have yet to decide how to proceed with Miss Joanna Wilson. If you have no true complaint, I rather think that is an encouragement.”
Olivia paled. “That is not what I was—”
“Ah, I think I see an old friend from Eton,” Daniel interrupted, offering a rushed farewell before joining a group of gentlemen that he did not know at all.
But as he was welcomed into the conversation, invited to give his opinions on the spice trade, he felt a slight prickle up the back of his neck, as if someone was staring at him. He discreetly turned his head, sneaking a look over his shoulder, and found Evan watching him, with the most unsettling smile on his face—the sort of smile that said,“You can fool them, Daniel, but you cannot fool me.”
Daniel returned to the conversation, wondering what that look was supposed to mean. What did Evan think he knew?
* * *
Later that night, huffing and puffing her way through a feigned stomachache that meant she simplycould notbe anywhere but at her own home, Phoebe watched her father closely in the back of the carriage, waiting until she was absolutely certain he was asleep before turning to address Joanna in a hushed voice.
“I wanted to speak with you about the Earl of Westyork,” she said, her stomach jittering with nerves.
Joanna groaned. “I am too tired to discuss anything. I have been dancing all night, and your stomach has pulled us away from the guest chambers with the most comfortable beds. I can do nothing but contort myself and sleep.”
“It cannot be so bad that we could not have stayed,” Ellen agreed, pouting as she pulled a blanket over herself. “I wassolooking forward to breakfast and wandering in the gardens. The Duke promised us that his brother would show us all the beautiful flowers.”
Phoebe bristled. “Which Duke?”
“Auntie Leah’s husband,” Ellen replied, her mouth stretching in a yawn.
The members of the Spinsters’ Club were not, of course, related to Phoebe or her sisters, but her sisters had always called each of them “Auntie,” as if those four women truly were family.
“Now, there is a thought.” Phoebe tapped her chin. “Is dear, sweet Colin not a better prospect than some rude, unfeeling earl?”
Colin was Nathaniel’s brother, and the very epitome of a well-behaved, well-mannered, delightful young man.Hehad never once spilled anything on one of Phoebe’s gowns or stepped on her skirts, though there was that bird he carried around on his shoulder to consider. Nevertheless, a mild eccentric was infinitely preferable to Daniel, in Phoebe’s opinion.
Joanna pulled a disgusted face. “He is a child, Phoebe.”
“He is almost eight-and-ten.”
“And Iam almost twenty. If I am to be married, I shall have a man, not a boy,” Joanna insisted. “Besides, he is like a little brother. And I believe he prefers his plants and flowers and animals to any lady. I would not want to compete with those, or his pet bird, for his affections.”
Phoebe sighed, unable to disagree with her sister’s perspective. “Well, either way, I think you ought to forget your dance with the Earl of Westyork. Indeed, you ought to forget that you ever met him.” She paused. “I know what Society is like. It is easy to listen to the chatter of your peers and make a decision based on their opinion, but the Earl is not what he presents himself to be.”
Before she had conjured her stomachache, Phoebe had eavesdropped on several conversations between Joanna and Ellen, and other ladies of their age who had flocked to Joanna, cooing over how jealous they were that Daniel had chosen to dance with her, asking her if he had tried to bite her neck, giggling as they made the inappropriate jests. Indeed, the memory of it was beginning to give Phoebe a very real stomachache… though it also brought to mind the whisper of his breath against her skin, when he had informed her that he would not obey her wishes. It tickled, even now.
“He is a perfect gentleman,” Joanna said dreamily. “My hero, rescuing me from the clutches of Lord Blackstone.”
Phoebe narrowed her eyes. “I am being serious, Joanna. He is a scoundrel. He has had his name in the scandal sheets several times for being an outrageous flirt. There is no… substance in anything he says. Nothing that can be trusted, at least.” Her neck tingled as if he was whispering to her again, warming her cheeks with a sudden rush of embarrassed heat. “You would just be another amusement to him. That is why he is at the top of my Wastrel List, and why youmustheed me. Why, even Olivia has alluded to the fact that he was not merely tending to business endeavors when he was visiting foreign lands.”
“She hasnot,” Ellen cut in, on her sister’s behalf. “Auntie Olivia always speaks very highly of him, and you really must stop calling that silly list by that name. It is mortifying.”
