Lord Cleverley’s eyes flew wide, only for him to then chuckle and nod in her direction, though her face was a little flushed now.
“You may be quite correct there, Miss Madeley.” He gave a slight lift of his shoulders. “And while I will not deny taking tea with numerous other young ladies, I have not asked any of them to join me for a walk in the park, save for you.”
Her stomach twisted again as Deborah struggled to know how to respond. She did not want to give Lord. Cleverley an impression of happiness over this remark, but nor did she want him to think that she disliked his company. However, she was certainly not ready for him to evencontemplatecourtship with her as yet, particularly when her thoughts were weighted towards an entirely different gentleman altogether!
And when I feel more for him than I do for Lord Cleverley.
This strange consideration sent tremors through her, and she shivered lightly, only for Lord Cleverley to exclaim that she must be cold, thinking that the sun was little too low in the sky for the ladies of theton. Deborah, however, only laughed.
“Good gracious, Lord Cleverley. I am not as delicate as all that.” With a smile, she tilted her head. “It is not cold, not by any means. However, I do appreciate your consideration and concern for me.”
Thankfully, at this juncture, Lord Cleverley seemed quite contented to leave her be and excused himself, stating that he had seen an acquaintance he wished very much to speak to. With a slow breath of relief escaping her, Deborah watched him depart, only to turn her head and gaze into the sharp eyes of her mother.
“You did not give Lord Cleverley a particularly eager response.” Her head tilted. “Is there a reason for that?”
Deborah, seeing the flash in her mother’s eyes, winced.
“Would you be greatly displeased with me if I were not to give him a great deal of encouragement?”
She waited for her mother’s response, relieved when Lady Prescott shrugged.
“I would not be overly upset, nor would your father be,” came the reply. “However, there must be some reason for it. Why is it that you are drawn away from Lord Cleverley? Do you not think him a kind gentleman?”
“Yes, he is very kind.” Deborah glanced over to Lord Cleverley who was now talking with another gentleman. “I am all too aware that he is more than suitable for me as regards a good match but….” Sighing, she spread her hands. “I cannot truly explain it other than to say that there is no intensity of feeling, as I had hoped and expected.”
Lady Prescott nodded.
“I see.”
“You are not angry with me, I hope?”
“Oh, my dear, of course I am not!” She smiled quickly. “I quite understand that you wish to seek out a gentleman who cares for you, and to whom your heart is also inclined. That is almost admirable, but you may find yourself struggling there. It takes a particular sort of gentleman to fall in love with and who, also, is open to the idea of love.”
Instantly, Lord Brookmire flew into her mind and Deborah closed her eyes, as if, in doing so, she could chase away the vision of him. She had no desire to think of him in any such affectionate terms, so why then had he flung himself into her thoughts when her mother had spoken of love?
“Are you quite well, my dear?”
“Yes, Mama.” Frustrated, she opened her eyes and looked away from Lady Prescott, silently thinking to herself that it would probably be for the best to inform her mother of Lord Brookmire’s presence with Lady Yardley of late. Firstly, she did not want to keep secrets from her mother and secondly, she had no intention of telling her the entirety of the truth. “There is, in fact, something I need to speak with you about.” Pausing, she glanced at her mother. Lady Prescott was waiting patiently for her daughter to speak, but by the slight glint in her eyes, Deborah knew that she was already a little concerned.
“It is about Lord Brookmire.” Trying to speak as factually as possible, Deborah spread her hands. “He came to call on Lady Yardley while I was visiting her. He did offer to come back at another time, but I did not want him to do so.”
Lady Prescott’s eyebrows lifted high.
“Lady Yardley spoke with Lord Brookmire?”
Deborah nodded.
“I understand that this may come as a surprise, Mama, for it was to me, but it appears that Lord Brookmire is eager to reform himself. He no longer wishes to be a scoundrel or to hold the reputation of a rogue. Lady Yardley knows a great deal about him and has warned society of his return using ‘The London Ledger’ but now accepts his willingness to change.”
She said no more than this, giving no real reason nor explanation for Lord Brookmire’s sudden change of heart. It was with obvious surprise that Lady Prescott’s eyes widened.
“You mean to say that Lady Yardley believes him, then?”
Again, Deborah nodded but caught the edge of her lip in her teeth, wondering what her mother would make of all of this.
“It is most extraordinary.” Lady Prescott shook her head in disbelief, looking away from Deborah for a moment. “I suppose, with it being Lady Yardley, I would trust her judgment. That being said, however…” Her gaze swooped towards Deborah again. “This does not mean that I want to see you in prolonged conversation with him. It is just as it has been before.”
Deborah made to nod, only to hesitate.
