Page 3 of Fortune Favors the Frivolous
But as Eugenia watched Venetia being led away like a lamb to slaughter, she knew this was no game. A young woman’s happiness—perhaps her very life—hung in the balance.
And Eugenia intended to make sure that fortune and success, in this instance, favored not the powerful and predatory, but the weak and deserving.
Chapter Two
For the firsttime all evening, Caroline’s smile slipped as she pretended to engage in idle conversion with her friend Venetia. The truth was, she was as concerned as Venetia was about Lord Windermere’s malevolent interest.
“Is he still looking at me?” Venetia asked, while Caroline stole glances over her friend’s shoulder, wishing Henry would return so he could help with some necessary bolstering of their mutual friend.
“He is.” Caroline nodded in response to Venetia’s worried question, noting how her friend’s complexion had paled. Poor Venetia. The young woman seemed to shrink into herself whenever Lord Windermere’s gaze fell upon her. And yet, Venetia hadn’t always been this way.
“I know Henry thinks I’m being overdramatic,” whispered Venetia, biting her lip, “but if he had only overheard what I heard my Aunt Pike say to Lord Windermere last night.”
“You cannot be forced to wed against your will, Venetia,” Caroline reassured her, though her stomach knotted with worry. She had known Mrs. Pike for years and recognized the woman’s determination to be free of her guardianship responsibilities. “I know your aunt has not been the most indulgent, but I do not believe she would insist you wed Lord Windermere if you did not wish it.”
Caroline reached for her friend’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. As the daughter of Sir Frederick Weston—their late father after whom her brother had been named—she had been afforded freedoms Venetia could only dream of. The contrast between their situations had never felt so stark, nor so unfair.
“She would if it got me off her hands,” Venetia said darkly. “You do not know how much my aunt has objected to being my custodian all these years, and if I had only managed to win even a half-suitable marriage offer these last two seasons, I would have gladly left her household. But the lack of a dowry means I am all but unmarriageable unless someone would take me out of charity—like Lord Windermere.”
Venetia shivered, and Caroline felt the tremor through their still-joined hands. “Quite frankly, he is the last man on earth I would wish to marry.”
“He’s notsobad, surely?” Caroline said, forcing herself, now, to play the role Mrs. Pike had assigned her. The words tasted sour in her mouth, but she had promised to make an attempt at changing Venetia’s mind. It was the only way Mrs. Pike would continue allowing their friendship, a connection Caroline cherished too much to risk. “I certainly would not recommend marriage if you do not like the gentleman; however, he is not unhandsome, and he does have a distinguished presence, and he is rich.”
As she spoke, Caroline saw Lord Windermere turn his head towards Venetia once more. The predatory glint in his eye made her own skin crawl.
“I care for none of those things. Not when he makes me shudder every time he is near me. Is that not enough? Are you like my Aunt Pike, who thinks I should be so grateful that a man is prepared to take me with nothing?”
The hurt in Venetia’s voice pierced Caroline’s heart. “Oh no, my dear Venetia, of course, that is not what I think,” she said.“To be quite honest, I was merely discharging the one thing your aunt asked of me, and that was to try to talk what she calls sense into you by making you see the advantages of being the wife of a baron with a grand estate.”
Caroline leaned closer, lowering her voice. “I, too, find him deeply objectionable, but I had to say what I said so that I could report to her that I had done my best. Now there is nothing more to be said on that subject. You will not marry Lord Windermere, and nor could you be forced to do so. So please rest assured that you have my full backing, and I’m sure everyone else’s, because we do not live in the dark ages, fortunately.”
The relief in Venetia’s eyes was worth any displeasure Mrs. Pike might direct at Caroline later. She would face far worse to protect her friend from an unwanted marriage.
“The dark ages, eh?” Henry’s voice cut through her thoughts, rich and warm with barely suppressed amusement. He had returned with a footman bearing drinks, and Caroline found herself studying his profile as he handed Venetia a glass of orgeat. When had her childhood friend grown so devastatingly handsome? The candlelight caught in his hair, illuminating hints of gold among the reddish brown that she had never properly noticed before. Or perhaps she had noticed but never allowed herself to trulysee.
This evening, she had—for the first time, it seemed. She couldn’t remember having had so much fun.
Her breath caught as their eyes met briefly over Venetia’s head, and something seemed to pass between them before he looked away with what seemed like deliberate effort.
“This is very serious talk for two such lovely ladies of this enlightened era,” he continued, his voice taking on that teasing tone she knew so well. “What has prompted your frowns?”
“Lord Windermere,” Caroline replied, rolling her eyes as she slanted a look across at the gentleman. She accepted a glass fromHenry, their fingers brushing momentarily. Such a simple touch shouldn’t have sent fire racing up her arm, yet it did. These new feelings for Henry were becoming increasingly difficult to ignore—and increasingly dangerous to her peace of mind.
She noticed Henry’s fingers linger just a moment longer than necessary before he withdrew his hand and wondered if he felt it, too—this strange new awareness that seemed to shimmer in the air between them.
“Well, Venetia, as Caroline says, we do not live in the dark ages, and I do not think you need to worry,” Henry said. “It’s not as if he is going to whisk you off from beneath the noses of us all with you kicking and screaming and expect that he can get away with it. He will try to charm you as any gentleman would, but that is the worst he can do.”
Caroline admired the easy way Henry reassured Venetia and felt a swell of affection so powerful it nearly stole her breath. How many times had he offered her the same steadfast support? He’d been there when she nearly made the catastrophic mistake of eloping with Mr. Greene, pulling her back from the brink of ruination with a mix of stern wisdom and gentle understanding that no one else could have managed. Why, he’d even disguised himself as a postilion in order to be on Mr. Greene’s coach in case matters got quite out of hand during Lady Pendleton’s infamous Ghostly Gathering two years earlier. Fortunately, Caroline had seen sense before then, but it just showed the extent of Henry’s devotion.
Devotion.The word hung in her mind, taking on new meaning. Had it always been more than friendship? Had she been blind to what was right before her eyes?
Venetia glowered, oblivious to the charged undercurrent between her companions. “I have no choice but to accept him when he asks me to dance. Of course, Aunt Pike makes sure ofthat, if it weren’t already the height of bad manners for a lady to refuse a gentleman’s offer to be led onto the dance floor.”
“Then cast your eye around this room and tell me which gentlemen you would consider marrying, and I shall do my best to facilitate it,” said Henry with a wink that made Caroline’s stomach flutter most inappropriately. “Put aside all your sensible considerations for once. After all, you heard Caroline say it: Fortune favors the frivolous.”
“Oh Henry, you are such a card! Mama was telling me the opposite this evening!” said Caroline with a laugh that came out slightly breathless. “She says that until I learn that life isnotall fun and frivolity, I will languish on the shelf, disregarded by all serious marital contenders. But Venetia, although Henry is only a bit more serious than me, he really is a hero. You’ll always be safe if Henry is around.”
The truth of her own words struck Caroline like a physical blow. Henryhadalways been her safe harbor, her constant companion. But now the thought of him playing that role for Venetia instead sent a sharp, unexpected pang through her chest that felt suspiciously like jealousy before good sense reasserted itself.
