Page 39 of A Baron's Disguised Lady
“What business do you have here?” he asked, and Lord Bath smiled at him again.
“I’m here to see Lavinia—Miss Stuart,” he said, and Archie shook his head.
“It’s not possible,” Archie said, and Lord Bath raised his eyebrows.
He was a formidable figure, tall and well-built. Archie could well imagine him imposing himself on Lavinia, or worse, taking advantage of her.
“And why not?” he asked.
“Because she doesn’t want to see you, that’s why,” Archie replied, knowing he was speaking the truth, even as Lord Bath shook his head.
“Nonsense. Why wouldn’t she want to see me?” he snarled.
“You’re not welcome here. You’re trespassing on my estate,” Archie replied, and Lord Bath’s eyes flashed with anger.
“I won’t be told who I can and can’t see. We’ll ask Lavinia, shall we?” he exclaimed, but Archie was adamant.
He was not about to allow Lord Bath to pass, and he was certainly not about to allow him to see Lavinia, either. He had seen the look of fear in her eyes, and of repulsion, too, at what Lord Bath had expected of her at the assembly rooms.
“I suggest you return to Salisbury. Men like you are all the same,” Archie said, and Lord Bath snarled at him.
“How dare you,” he said, but Archie shook his head.
He could well imagine the situation; the promise of a dowry, the outward appearance of a respectable marriage, a woman subjugated under her husband’s control. Lord Bath would be a cruel and forceful spouse, and Lavinia’s life would be made a misery from the moment her vows were spoken.
“A dowry, is it?” Archie asked, raising his eyebrows.
He was not afraid of Lord Bath, as he had known such men before, men for whom women were objects to control and possess. He feared Gwendolene had been made such an object by a man to whom she had become beholden, a man who had refused to take no for an answer. This dreadful thought spurned him on—he would protect Lavinia from Lord Bath at all costs, and now he pointed back along the drive.
“A dowry? What do you mean?” Lord Bath demanded, and Archie smiled.
“You want to know what she’s worth, don’t you? That’s all that matters. You’re just like all the rest,” he said, and Lord Bath’s face turned red with anger.
“If you weren’t standing on your own land, I’d…” he said, raising his fists to Archie, who stood more than ready to fight him.
In his younger days, Archie had indulged his pleasure for pugilism, and he knew it would be an easy thing to win against a man like Lord Bath, whose blustering show of strength was nothing but an illusion—one strike and he would be down.
“Hit me if you like,” Archie said, but Lord Bath merely cursed under his breath and backed down.
“Tell her I was here,” he said, turning and taking the reins of his horse.
Archie smiled.
“She’ll know, I’m sure,” he said, and he watched as Lord Bath rode away.
Turning back along the drive, Archie walked slowly on towards the house. Once again, he had surprised himself as to the strength of his feelings towards Lavinia.
He had wanted to defend her, and more so, he had felt overly protective of her, as though Lord Bath was trying to steal her away from him, even as she was not his to defend or be stolen from. It was a strange feeling, and most confusing, but not an unpleasant one, either. The thought pleased him, even, though he reminded himself it was merely idle fancy.
“I doubt she sees you in the same way,”he told himself, for he could only imagine Lavinia was waiting for the mysterious “T” to take her away.
Archie was curious as to who this man could be. Neither Lavinia, nor her mother, had made any mention of a man with whom she was romantically involved. But there was bound to be someone. She was so pretty, so vivacious, so intelligent—so possessed of allthe qualities a man should desire. And yet, there was something else, too—the thing he found most endearing about her.
She was not like any other woman he had ever met. Perhaps it was because she had not been raised in the mold of other women of his rank and class. She had known a different life, a different way of being. For Lavinia, everything was new, and there was no definitive way of doing anything, and no absolute way of behaving, either.
At first, he had found her disarming, unsettling, even. She had brought chaos to his well-ordered world. But gradually, Archie was growing used to her ways, and the more time he spent with her… the more he liked her.
“Your mother and Mrs. Stuart still haven’t returned from luncheon with Lady Bingham,” Hargreaves said, as he opened the door of Sarum Lacey House to Archie a short while later.
