Page 11 of The Moonstone Hero
She hurried upstairs, waving to Fort Arundel’s commanding officer as she rushed by. “No time to chat, Fionn! See you tonight.”
She was slightly out of breath when she walked back into Caden’s room. Between one thing and another, it had taken her longer than expected to return. The curtains had been drawn, leaving him in the dark. “Has someone been in here?”
He nodded. “Some woman who introduced herself as Lady Dowling. She said she was here to take over for you, but I knew you had not asked her. First of all, she would have returned with the cider. Second of all, you would have come up here to tell me yourself instead of simply running off. There’s something about her I did not like, so I told her I was tired and just wanted to sleep. Open the curtains and allow in the light, Ella. I’d like you to read to me.”
“I am not too fond of her myself,” she admitted, crossing the room and drawing aside the curtains to allow in the sunshine and a pleasant breeze off the sea. “She amuses herself by causing mischief between sweethearts.”
He grinned. “Are we sweethearts, Ella?”
She rolled her eyes. “Oh, do be serious. No, we are not. But Lady Dowling must have heard we knew each other, and thought there might be something between us. This is what she does, insinuates herself between a courting couple. Sometimes husbands and wives. I really don’t understand her. She can be nice when she wants to be, but I would never confide in her or trust her with anything important for fear she would find a way to use it for her own purposes at a later time. I suppose she heard you were heir to a duke and wanted to get a good look at you.”
She returned to his side, poured some of the cider from the jug into his cup, and then set the jug on the small table beside his bed.
He took a few sips, then stared into the swirling amber liquid. “Who are the gentlemen currently courting you, Ella? Anyone I know?”
“I expect you know them all. I’ll be returning to London at the end of the summer, and I am fairly certain they will come around to see me once I am back home. I am not serious about any of them yet.”
“Are you saying this in the hope I will court you?”
She looked up in surprise, her gaze caught in the grip of his dark eyes. “No. I’ve told you, it is exhausting to be around you. You are constantly pressing and pushing, never content to simply enjoy an affair or dance a dance. You are unable to play cards and think only of the game. Your mind goes to a thousand places, and none of them content you. I feel like a limp rag after spending time with you.”
“I’m sorry I make you feel that way,” he said with unexpected sincerity.
She cut him a slice of lemon cake and exchanged the mug in his hand for the plate before continuing. “Sometimes you go easy with me, such as now. You are quite pleasant in those moments. I like that Caden very much. But usually you are irritating and give me a headache. How do you like the cake?”
He took a healthy bite and swallowed before replying, “Delicious. I’ll have some more.”
She smiled as she cut him another slice, watching as he devoured the first with a hearty enthusiasm that meant he was regaining his strength.
“Ella, are you sure you will not join me?”
“Tomorrow, I promise. I’ll bring up lemonade, too. Do you like lemonade, or do you prefer cider? I would offer ale, but I am not certain it is permitted for you. You are wobbly enough on your feet without imbibing spirits.”
“Ale is hardly that, but I shall survive without it. The cider or lemonade will do just fine. Whichever you prefer.” He polished off two more slices of lemon cake in short order and took another sip of his drink. “Read me some of the gossip rags. Let’s see if they reveal who else is courting the Season’s most dazzling diamond, Lady Ella Stockwell.”
“It is no secret. Viscount Tremell, for one.”
“Oh, not that fool,” he said with an aching groan. “He’s an utter arse. Ella, you can do much better than him.”
“Did I ask for your opinion?” Was he going to disparage all her suitors? Well, she was curious to learn what he thought of them. Men knew each other’s strengths and weaknesses better than she ever would. The entire point of courtship was to show one’s best side and hide one’s faults. But Caden had gone to school with these men, or knew of them from theirclubs or mutual friends. They drank together, rode together, and sometimes hunted together.
Ladies only got to see the polite side of these gentlemen, the façade they wished to show while on their best behavior at the various balls, assemblies, and musicales hosted throughout the Season.
He polished off his cider and poured himself another. “No, you did not ask for my opinion. But I shall give it anyway. Who else?”
“The Marquess of Brodick.”
Caden merely grunted.
She arched an eyebrow. “Nothing to say about him?”
“No. He’s a decent fellow.”
“Thank you. That is good to know. How about Lord Harvey and Lord Eckleston?”
He grunted again.
“What? No disparaging comments?” She laughed. “They did seem to be decent fellows. I shall discourage Viscount Tremell’s pursuit of me. Thank you for the warning. He did strike me as oily. But I will agree to see the others. Well, my return to London is several months away, and much can change in that time.”
