Page 50 of Lady Charlotte and the Lending Library
Lady Edith was standing near the Japanned table with William. She looked at Charlotte and winced. “Thank goodness you will have Louisa at your table during the next game. She and Lord Wycliffe have almost come to blows.”
She shook her head. And replied softly, “You shouldn’t be too relieved, my friend; you will have Lady Julia at your table.”
Charlotte accepted a glass of sherry from Lord Meers, turned, and came face to face with Lord Ashford.
“How was your game?” Meers asked the marquess. His bored tone of voice managed to convey little interest in any response to his query.
Ashford responded lazily with a shrug, “Miss Tilford and I were dreadfully outmatched.”
Lord Meers replied shortly, “Best of luck with the next game. Lady Charlotte and I will be remaining at our table.”
“I should like to speak to my friend Lady Louisa,” she said in a low voice.
“Of course,” Lord Meers replied.
Charlotte walked to where Louisa was talking to Nathaniel about a sopha, of all things, nonplussed to realize Lord Meers had followed her.
“Louisa! Are you behaving yourself?” she asked with a frown. The tense exchange between Ashford and Lord Meers had put her teeth on edge.
“You know how I am at cards.” Louisa grinned. “I must win at all costs.”
“I shudder to think of you and Lady Julia at the same table,” Nathaniel replied.
Sipping her sherry, Charlotte remained silent. Lord Meers let out a low laugh.
“You don’t mean...” The baron shook his head and sighed. “Lady Louisa, you must promise me to help keep the peace.”
“I promise, Lord Harbury,” Louisa replied all too sweetly.
Charlotte knew her friend well. The next game would be a trying one for the players at that table.
* * * * *
Ashford had known Charlotte would be at the card party, but he hadn’t been prepared for his body’s response to seeing her again. His ears strained to hear her voice, her laugh. It had been a long time since he’d felt so aware of a woman.
He needed to speak with Charlotte to explain the difficulties with his sister, but the lady was nearly snubbing him. Was it deliberate, or did she simply find the company of Lord Meers diverting?
He wondered why Lord Meers had been invited to the card party. The man was an impoverished viscount. His father had squandered his fortune by gambling it away, and every creditor in London was after him.
Ashford shook himself. It was none of his concern who Lady Alicia invited to her home or whether the viscount was hunting a wealthy wife. The bounder had attempted to woo Diana after her intended was killed in action. According to several accounts, his sister had publicly snubbed the man whenever he approached her. Although he couldn’t fault her actions completely, he wished Diana would have found a less overt way to rebuff the viscount.
“Ready for another game?” Cecil asked from beside him.
The two men stood near a pair of French doors left slightly ajar, the doors opening to a large terrace at the back of the house. The cool breeze from outside was refreshing.
He replied gruffly, “Thank goodness Lady Louisa has moved to the other table. You both are far too competitive.”
Cecil responded with a sniff, “But I did prevail. The chit will know to play more conservatively against me next time.”
For the next game of Whist, Cecil became Lady Julia’s partner leaving Ashford to pair up with Lady Edith. He understood Lady Julia to be as competitive as Lady Louisa had proven to be, and Cecil and Julia took most of the tricks. The sweet-tempered Lady Edith was a witty conversationalist, and his mood soon lifted. Neither he nor his partner was too concerned about losing the game.
“I’m just enjoying meeting new people,” the lady said happily as the game ended.
William and Alicia looked to be getting on quite well, as William appeared to hang onto the girl’s every word. He caught Nathaniel’s eye and realized his friend was also aware of how things were progressing between the pair.
In the next game, Cecil was paired with William while he paired with Alicia, thereby separating the two young people for a short while. Although he now had a better opinion of William, he wasn’t sure the boy was a suitable match for Alicia. Nathaniel knew about William’s behaviour at Eton, and he was sure his friend would not endorse the boy as his future brother-in-law.
He heard a soft laugh from the other table, and he recognized it as coming from Lady Charlotte. He glanced over to see the lady smiling at Lord Meers. He noticed Cecil watching him and bowed his head, returning his attention to his cards.
