Page 29 of A Baron's Disguised Lady
“They do if they’re spread, yes,” Archie replied, his meaning clear.
He did not believe what Wilhelmina was saying, not for a moment. Granted, Lavinia was not like other women. She was unorthodox, and behaved with less decorum than might be expected. But Archie could not believe—would not believe—she had fallen into a scandal such as this. It was one thing to use a fish knife to eat a piece of beef, but quite another to take a lover and fall into scandal with him.
“It’s true. You should be careful, Archie. You don’t want her to drag you down with her, do you?” Wilhelmina persisted.
Her tone was that of a concerned friend, but Archie knew she was neither concerned nor friendly. She was the sort of person who delighted in gossip, and he felt certain she would soon be disseminating the fact of his having danced with Lavinia far and wide…
“I don’t care what you say, Wilhelmina. I know my own mind on the matter. I’ll be the judge of Lavinia’s character. I don’t need whispers and rumors to inform me of such,” Archie said, and Wilhelmina shrugged.
“As you wish,” she said, and Archie nodded.
“If you’ll excuse me,” he said, turning in the hope of finding Lavinia nearby.
He would dance with her again, and he did not care what others thought of him doing so. She had every right to be at the ball, and every right to be accepted by the ton, whether Wilhelmina and her gossiping entourage liked it or not.
***
After her encounter with Wilhelmina, Lavinia had not felt much like socializing any further. Her mother and Horatia were reminiscing about the old days… about grand balls and sumptuous dinners. Lavinia was bored. She helped herself to refreshments, including dainty cakes and a glass of punch, then retreated to a table next to a tall window looking out over the square below.
From there, she could see the splendor of the cathedral, with its gothic spires and grand entrance.
“Lavinia, how nice to see you,” a voice behind her said.
Lavinia froze. She knew that voice, but it could not be…
“Lord Bath,” she said, turning in astonishment to find the last man she had expected—or wanted—to meet again, standing over her, a smirk covering his face.
“You weren’t expecting me to be here, were you?” he said, his eyes narrowing as he looked down at her.
“Well… no, I wasn’t… but why are you here?” she asked, her heart skipping a beat as he pulled up a chair next to her.
“Well… Salisbury isn’t that far from Dorset. I knew you and your mother had come to Sarum Lacy House, and I thought… you might be here tonight. How glad I am to see you,” he said, and Lavinia shuddered as he put his hand on hers.
She tried to pull away, but his grip tightened, and he leaned forward, his expression turning to one of menace.
“What do you want?” she asked, and he laughed.
“For you not to run away from me again, Lavinia. That’s what I want,” he said, and Lavinia shook her head.
“I wasn’t running away from you. My mother wanted to come and stay with her friend, the dowager baroness. We’ll return to Dorset in a few weeks,” she said, but Lord Bath’s grip on her hand tightened further.
“I don’t think you understand, Lavinia. You and I share a special bond, don’t we? A promise…” he said.
But Lavinia had promised him nothing. She knew what sort of man he was. The sort who played games, and who ruined women. It was he who had spread the rumors about her, trying to control her… trying to make her his own.
“I made no promise to you,” she stammered, and a look of anger flashed across his face.
“No? But I think your grandfather did, didn’t he? Ah, yes, he and I have had any number of conversations these past few weeks. You should be grateful, Lavinia. These rumors about you, they—” Before he could finish, another voice interrupted.
“Miss Stuart, I’m sorry to interrupt you, but I wondered… might I have this dance?” Archie asked.
He was standing over them, his hand outstretched, and Lord Bath had no choice but to relinquish his grip as Lavinia turned to him with a look of relief on her face.
“Oh, yes, I’d be delighted,” she said, rising to her feet before Lord Bath could counter the baron’s offer.
“Excellent. It’s going to be another waltz,” Archie said, leading her away.
“Thank you,” Lavinia whispered, glancing back at Lord Bath who was glaring at her angrily, his fists clenched.
