Page 26 of The Dreaming Beauty
He turned to face her. “It’s a little tight. Are you comfortable?”
She couldn’t get her mouth to form words. Her quick nod should have appeased him, but his eyes raked over her face, followed by a grin. He knew she was affected by his nearness, and once he was away from her, she would remind herself to be irritated. When he turned his confident smile toward her aunts, she let out a ragged breath. This was not part of her plan. Not at all. The boundaries did not need to be between him and her family but between him and her. Even if he did not care about the differences in their social circles, she was not ready to let another man affect her.
Chapter 12
Marcus waved goodbye to hisnew friends, his eyes lingering on Tansy. He should think of her asMissTansy, at least, but since the moment he’d known her name, it had been difficult to think of her as anything else. And now it would be difficult to think of her as a means to an end. His desire to be friends with her entire family was sincere, but so was the strong desire to know her secrets and to understand his nightmares.
He reached over and squeezed the arm that had rested against hers. Now he had a new desire, one that had taken him by surprise. He wanted to court Tansy. Since he was a young boy, he had known that his marriage would have to wait for Simon’s. His mother reminded him regularly that Simon’s position meant their family would have to make certain sacrifices, and Marcus postponing courtship was one of them.
To anyone else it would make little sense, but they did not know Simon or his penchant for distraction. He was emotionally driven and lacked direction. Marcus was supposed to be focused on helping his brother first, not looking for a wife for himself. Their mother was convinced it would take the both of them to get Simon to the altar. She and Marcus hoped that Simon’s year abroad would rid some of this from his system so he would finally be ready to take on his rightful responsibilities as duke. Only when that happened and Simon finally married could it be Marcus’s turn. And marriage to just anyone would be out of the question. Marcus was expected to marry a woman who could provide him the means to become a landed gentleman. She would have to be wealthy and of some position in Society in order to meet his mother’s expectations.
The carriage rumbled down the road as he thought of how to suppress his growing feelings for Tansy. He hadn’t let himself become close to any woman before, but with Tansy he had to make an effort to keep his distance. Still, even after reminding himself of what was expected of him, he was not about to uninvite Tansy and her family to his house just because of a growing attachment. A gentleman was duty bound to be a good neighbor.
He propped his elbow against the wall of the carriage and leaned into his hand. Would it be so bad to let himself enjoy this new development? Simon was not due to return for another month. Surely by then Marcus would learn what he needed from Tansy and the flutter of excitement for her will have faded.
Hadn’t he done a masterful job at disciplining himself with work, research, and everything Simon? The answer was yes, but there was no denying this new chink in his armor. He liked how he felt when he was with Tansy, and selfishly, he wanted this for himself. He enjoyed his visits to Rose Cottage, and his time with her and her family was something he did not want to miss. He’d be careful and learn what he could. If he enjoyed himself in the process, he would be the last to complain.
* * *
When Mr. Taylor’s carriage arrived Tuesday night to take the family to Ashbury Court, Tansy was not ready to go. She was dressed in her second-best dress, a lavender gown with violet flowers embroidered on the sleeves and a matching ribbon under her bust. Her hair, however, was a frightful mess.
“We’re going to be late,” Iris muttered, pacing with a book in her hand. It was never a good sign if Iris was too agitated to read.
Tansy added another pin to her lopsided coiffure, refusing to leave until she straightened it. “You do not care one wit about being late,” she reminded Iris. “You never have.”
“My stomach cares.”
No matter how hard she had tried to talk her family out of the dinner, it was to no avail. Aster and Iris would go to Ashbury Court and that was that. Still, Tansy would use every last second to dissuade them. “I don’t know why you agreed to go in the first place. Just a few days ago, I was being lectured by you and Aster because we were beneath Mr. Taylor’s notice. How can we dine at his house? It’s too much.”
Iris shrugged. “I am not without my reservations, but a fancy meal is hard to pass up. Surely you agree with me there.”
Daisy came in and sprinkled rose water on her neck for the third time.
“That’s enough, Daisy.” Tansy took the small bottle of perfume away.
Daisy took a seat on the bed, and Tansy gave up arguing with Iris to finish pinning her stubborn hair into place. She had already styled everyone else’s hair, as hair was not Betsy’s forte, leaving her little time for her own. After Tansy secured another pin, Aster barged through the door. Her calm smile was in place, but the strain behind her eyes was obvious to anyone who knew her well.
“The carriage has been here for a full ten minutes. Tansy, it will have to be good enough. Let’s go, shall we?”
Tansy’s hair was still crooked. Her fingers shook as she wound a ribbon around her blonde curls in hopes of pulling them into the desired position. Why was she so nervous? It did not matter what Mr. Taylor thought about her. Perhaps that was the real reason she needed to attend the dinner. She needed to convince herself of his disinterest and further cement her desire to avoid any romantic attachments.
Dropping her pins, she nodded to Aster, and they all hurried to fetch their cloaks. Within minutes of taking their seats in the carriage, Tansy caught a glimpse of the manor through the corner of the carriage window. After coming to a stop, she and her aunts were helped down by a footman, and her breath nearly left her. In the evening dusk, Ashbury Court was grander than she had remembered. The lower position of the sun framed the upper rooms in a haze of orange against the bright-blue sky. For the first time in years, she had a desire to get out her brushes and paint again. Why on earth would Mr. Taylor want to spend his time at Rose Cottage when he could be here?
“We might not have another opportunity to dine at a house like this one,” Aster said almost reverently. “It’s best to enjoy it while we can. Come, ladies.”
Once at the door, the butler let them inside, and Mr. Taylor greeted them only a moment later. “Dinner is ready, so we may go right in.”
Just like at church, Tansy couldn’t help but notice how nice he looked in his dress coat. This one was ash-colored and fit perfectly across his shoulders. He had combed back his wavy hair, and his appearance fit well against the fine elegance of his home. She knew she had stared too long when her stomach fluttered. She immediately clenched her muscles to combat it and stepped in behind her aunts.
Mr. Taylor held the dining room door open for them even though a footman stood behind it, ready to perform the basic task. His unpretentious behavior was easy to admire, but Tansy’s body would not react to seeing Mr. Taylor again—not without her permission. It had been two days since the uncomfortable carriage ride during which his nearness had left her breathless. Two days! Hardly enough time to miss a man. She ducked her head, willing him not to look at her as she passed by him.
“You are the picture of beauty tonight, Miss Tansy.”
Her heart stilled.Blast!Now she would have to look at him. Her hand went subconsciously to her crooked hair, and she tried not to grimace. “I thank you.” She dared not return the compliment, though she believed him far more deserving of it. His coloring was just to her taste, and perhaps it was his manual labor that transformed his dress clothes and put the other gentlemen of her acquaintance to shame.
His gaze softened the longer she held his, and she blinked away her traitorous thoughts. Quickly pushing past him, she cursed her hair and her disobedient heart. Two candelabras lit the long table, but they were hardly to blame for the warmth she felt in her cheeks. She would have to eat as fast as she could, then leave before her musings became carried away again. This man was brother to a duke! And worse, he was a man who pressed her about her dreams. If Mr. Robinson had taught her anything, it was to be wary, and she would be just that.
Their small party crowded informally around the lower half of the table. Tansy found herself next to Daisy at the end and realized right away that her aunts were not planning to cooperate with her unspoken plans.
