Page 132 of Rakes & Reticules
Grateful that she hadn’t marched off, Samuel looked up at the night sky to search for the seven stars he knew would bring a smile to her lips. Finally, all the evenings spent studying the twinkling lights in the London night sky would prove useful. With his white gloved forefinger outstretched, he outlined Hazel’s favorite constellation.
Face tilted up to the sky, eyes trained to the spot he’d pointed to, Hazel smiled. “How did you identify the plough so quickly?”
“Seeing as I’ve searched for the blasted thing every night since your departure, I’ve become an expert of sorts.”
Hands planted on her hips, she turned and asked, “Why would you do such a thing?”
“To be close to you.” Hazel’s jaw fell and he couldn’t stop himself from reaching out and cupping her adorable face and adding, “I missed you. I missed my best friend.”
Hazel took a quick step back out of his reach. “If you care for me as a friend, you will maintain your distance from me this Season. Don’t ruin my chances for happiness like you did before.” She held his gaze and then added, “Promise. Promise you will stay away.”
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
It was a valid question, a question he had no sensible answer to. He fully understood she wished to marry, and if he were in a position to marry, if he were good enough for her to marry, he would take her hand and propose.
But he wasn’t.
Head bowed, Samuel relented, “I promise…I promise not to interfere with your search for a husband this Season.”
The swoosh of silk followed by a rapid click-clack of her heels on the stone path was the only response he received. Hazel had left him and he crumpled to one knee. Samuel had failed to convince Hazel’s brother last Season that he was indeed a reformed rake and gain Richard’s favor. He’d worked long and hard over the summer to learn all the nuances of the issues that were to be presented in the House of Lords that Hazel’s brother claimed he took lightly. With his estate affairs all settled, he was prepared to win Richard’s favor and obtain the blessing he had mistakenly believed would be gladly given to him last Season. Failure wasn’t an option. He was going to make Hazel his wife come the end of Season no matter what.
CHAPTERTHREE
With her silk skirts balled tightly in her fists, Hazel ran to the Fairmont conservatory. She wasn’t ready to face the daunting task of feigning interest and making frivolous conversation with this Season’s eligible bachelors. Peering into the glass enclosure to ensure her privacy before entering, Hazel jumped at the touch upon her shoulder.
“It must be you desire to end my existence early,” Richard teased, the worry lines upon his forehead deepened. “Why are your cheeks flushed?”
She covered her face with her gloved hands. “I’m sorry to have worried you, brother.”
“I’m actually surprised to find you alone.” Richard held the door open for her and waited for her to enter. He followed her into the aroma-filled enclosure and stopped in front of one of the Duchess of Fairmont’s famous orange trees. “When I noted Thornsbee’s absence I was certain I’d find the pair of you together.”
“I’m surprised you would presume such a thing, especially since I gave you my word not to remain in the man’s company this Season.”
“I don’t doubt your intentions; it is his that I worry about.”
“You have nothing to fear, he once again made it quite clear we are to remain merely friends.”
“Is that so?”
Her brother’s smug smile piqued her curiosity. “Why do you find that amusing?”
“Men, rakes in particular, are incapable of maintaining a platonic relationship with the opposite sex. And for my highly intelligent sister to believe such nonsense is…well, it is simply comical.”
She sank down and seated herself upon the stone bench. If her brother’s theory was true, and Richard was rarely wrong, then Samuel had lied to her—but why?
Hazel turned to face her brother as he occupied the space next to her. “Please share why it is that you don’t care for Lord Thornsbee.”
Arms and legs crossed, Richard let out a deep sigh and answered, “He’s nothing like his cousin, Patrick, who worked tiresomely to restore the good standing of the Thornsbee title within the House and to replenish the family coffers.”
Her heart ached at the sight of her brother still mourning the death of one of his closest friends, but Richard was unjustly comparing the two men. Hands tightly clasped in her lap she replied, “The Thornsbee line has been riddled with rakes over the years; however, you must admit Samuel has done nothing but honor Patrick’s wishes and hard work.”
Eyes focused upon her hands that she refused to twist in anticipation, Hazel waited for her brother to respond. The dense silence was broken by the sound of booted footsteps.
Richard clasped her elbow and stood. With no choice but to mirror his movements, she let her brother escort her through the greenery and to the door that would thrust them back into the Fairmont affair. Unlike last Season when she was unprepared for all the gossip and ill will directed her way behind fluttering fans, Hazel stiffened her spine and prepared herself for the onslaught of criticism that would reach her sensitive ears as she walked through the crowded ballroom.
The quick pace Richard set meant she caught only snippets of the harsh whispers. No different from last Season, the claims she was overconfident of her looks, too proud, lacking in charm, and a bluestocking at heart whirled about her. While she was unashamed of her intellectual pursuits, her counterparts had on more than one occasion shared with her that being a bluestocking harmed her chances at being wooed.
