“I would wager my life upon it.” Portia’s deadly serious reply had everyone at the table staring at her.
Cornelia huffed. “No man is worth such a wager, you silly creature.” She leveled her hardest gaze at Portia. “Unless you’ve been up to things a young lady ought not to be.”
“Oh, come now, Cornelia,” Jackson said to his aunt. “My Portia is merely excited and in love, I daresay. She would not do anything to risk herself, would you, my child?” He looked to Portia, who shook her head, her eyes wide and guileless. Her expression was so innocent, she seemed a mere child rather than a young woman in that moment. Lydia rolled her eyes.
“There, you see?” Jackson folded his paper, and Lydia knew her father would turn a blind eye to this matter, despite her warning that Portia could not be trusted to behave. “Now, who is this fellow?”
“Mr. Brodie Kincade. He is staying with Mr. Rafe Lennox, only a few streets away. I have the address written down.”
“Is he, now? Well, I shall pay a call later this morning.”
“And how do you know where his lodging is?” Lydia asked quietly.
Cornelia pounced on the opening provided. “Yes, how do you know?”
“How do I know?” Portia still looked oh so innocent. “I overheard the two gentlemen conversing about it last evening.”
Lydia had no idea how her sister had actually discovered this information, but she was fairly certain Portia was lying.
Jackson turned his focus on Lydia. “And what about you? Have you decided whether you are to go to Brighton?”
“As much as I would like to, I believe it would be best to stay here. I am to meet a few friends today at the Pump Room after luncheon.”
“You’re quite sure? I’ve heard the bracing sea breezes of the Sussex coast can be a tonic for all ills.”
“Yes, Papa. I’m quite certain. Portia, would you like to go shopping on Milsom Street today after breakfast?”
“No. I’m afraid I have calls to make.”
Lydia let it go. The days of her younger sister wishing to spend time with her were at an end. There was no point forcing the issue. “If you change your mind, I’ll be leaving in an hour.”
Lydia finished her breakfast and left the table. She met her maid in the hall and informed her she was to leave for Milsom Street shortly. One of their young footmen, a man named Michael, met her as she put on her bonnet and collected her reticule.
“Ready to leave, Miss Hunt?” Michael asked.
“Yes, let’s be off.” She and the footman left the townhouse on Royal Crescent and headed toward the shops. Many women would have hired a sedan chair or hackney, but Lydia’s penchant for dancing left her well suited to long and vigorous walks.
When she reached Milsom Street, she visited a haberdashery, with Michael trailing dutifully at her heels. Once inside the shop, she was perusing a display of kid gloves in a dozen colors on a table near a window when two gentlemen paused outside the shop. At first, she only glanced up out of habit, but when she realized who they were, her heart jolted in her chest. She was staring at Rafe Lennox and Brodie Kincade, who were talking quietly just inches away from her, separated only by the glass panes of the window.
Acting foolishly and entirely on instinct, Lydia dropped out of sight. Her footman did the same, crouching defensively beside her.
“Miss? What are we doing?”
“Hush, Michael. We are hiding,” she whispered frantically, even though she knew the men outside could not hear her. She also knew that neither of them had seen her last night, which meant that hiding was absolutely pointless. But for some reason, she didn’t want him to see her—maybe because once he did, he wouldn’t even really notice her, and that would only hurt worse.
“Hiding? From whom, Miss?” Michael’s features hardened as he hovered close to her.
“Oh . . . It doesn’t matter. He’s likely to not even notice me.” She rose up from her hidden position and peeked out the window. The men were gone. She had acted like a ninny for no reason.
Then the haberdashery door opened, and in they walked. She was frozen for a moment before she hastily recovered herself. Turning away, she focused on a stand full of little ornaments and baubles as she tried to eavesdrop on the two men, who drifted nearer.
“What a night,” Rafe snickered. “You really are excellent at cards, Kincade. Remind me never to play opposite you when real money is on the line.”
“We certainly wore out our welcome last night. I dinna think they’ll let us come back.” Brodie grinned, and Lydia caught the full force of his smile in the reflection of the nearby mirror.
“They can’t afford to. You fairly cleaned out the pockets of every man in the room. What was your secret, by the way?” Rafe casually examined a collection of ladies’ gloves with mild interest.
“Every man has a tell,” Brodie explained. “The trick is to watch a man before he plays the game. You will notice what he does differently once the pressure of the game is upon him.”
“By Jove, you are a dangerous man, Kincade. I suppose that’s why I like you.” Rafe lifted up a pair of ivory silk gloves. “What do you think of these?”
“For you? A bit small.” Brodie delivered this with a straight face.
Rafe snorted. “For a mistress. I recently parted from mine, but I am certainly looking for a new one. It’s always nice to have a present on hand for when one finds a lady worth wooing.”
“They are pretty enough.” Brodie stared at the gloves. “Are all English ladies fixated on pretty bits of cloth? Or do they prefer jewels? I suppose I had better find out while I’m here.”
Lydia couldn’t help but wonder why that was. Was he also in the market for a mistress? Or did the charming Scot have marriage on his mind?
“Money, my dear fellow. That is what they like best. Lots of it.” The way Rafe said this, with an edge to his tone, made Lydia wonder what sort of women Rafe usually consorted with.
Trying not to be seen, Lydia carefully dodged the two men. But her footman, intending to follow her, knocked over a display of hats.
“Oh!” She rushed to help collect the scattered bonnets, blushing wildly as she dared not look in the direction of Mr. Lennox and Mr. Kincade.
Only when she had fixed the display did she glance at them. Both of them had amused looks on their faces, and they quickly went back to their whispered conversation, no longer paying her any heed.
Lydia fled the haberdashery, her footman racing behind her. Even after all the ruckus she had caused, neither man had spared her more than a glance. It was both a blessing and a curse to not be pretty enough to catch a man’s attention. Portia would have had them tripping over each other, trying to help.
Lydia shuddered at the thought that her father would likely be able to buy Mr. Kincade off as a husband for Portia, but he would no doubt acquire a mistress the moment he was in possession of Portia’s inheritance. As unpleasant as that thought was, it would serve Portia right for buying a man’s affections.
Perhaps it was time for Lydia to appeal to her great-aunt to help her search for a husband. There must be a few pleasant gentlemen in England who wouldn’t mind a plain woman for a wife. She was quite certain that if her sister married Mr. Kincade, she could not live under the same roof as him for holidays. Not when she felt a dreadful and irresistible attraction to him.