The earl stepped aside with alacrity. "But of course. I will meet up with you later."
Arianna had no chance to see where he slipped off to, as she was immediately swallowed into a swirl of silken greetings. Names, faces, t.i.tles-she concentrated on keeping them all straight. Everyone, it seemed, was anxious to make her acquaintance.
"That seemed to go well," she murmured as Mellon finally was able to lead her on to the dance floor.
"Yes." The earl"s uncle kept a dutiful smile pasted on his face, but no warmth reached his eyes.
"I know how little you like this, sir," she said. "But I"m not your nephew"s enemy. I"m not going to stab him in the back."
"So you say." His jaw tightened. "Have you truly any idea of what a dirty, dangerous game you are playing?"
"I"m not afraid," answered Arianna.
"Well, you should be," whispered Mellon. "As should my nephew."
She wasn"t sure how to answer, so they danced the rest of the quadrille in silence, their feet moving mechanically in time with the music.
"Your uncle dislikes me," she said, as the earl claimed her hand.
"He tends to be protective," answered Saybrook.
"Your grandmother"s journal also expressed worry over you," she blurted out. "Why?"
"I was at war, Lady Wolcott. Naturally she was worried."
Despite the noise and the crowd, Arianna was suddenly aware of being very alone. No one gave a d.a.m.n whether she lived or died. Even when her father was alive, he had shown little paternal responsibility. Every man for himself was the unspoken credo. She had learned at an early age to fend for herself.
"Naturally," she replied coolly. "So who watched over you in the army? Do your fancy English regiments hire mother hens to keep watch over the precious chicks?"
The shadow of his lashes hid his eyes. "Have a care where you tread, Lady Wolcott," he said softly.
Arianna felt his shoe pinch against her toe.
"The dance," he chided. "Pay attention to the dance. If you wish people to believe you are who you say you are, you can"t afford the tiniest slip."
"Thank you for the warning," she muttered.
"Call it a caution." He spun through an intricate turn. "I see that Lord Concord is here. I a.s.sume you wish to strike up an acquaintance."
"Correct," she said through her teeth.
"I know one of his companions. I"ll introduce you when this sets ends."
"A Mr. Needham has claimed my hand for the next dance."
Saybrook"s mouth curled to a semblance of a smile. "Prerogative of rank. I shall inform him that I want you to meet some of my friends."
"And your wish is my command?"
"So it will seem to him."
An oblique answer. Which was just as well. Having to work with anyone chafed. She didn"t rub along well with figures of authority.
"My uncle and aunt will be leaving shortly-and by the by, we can trust that Eleanor has made certain that every gossip in Town is now aware that you are a very rich widow."
"Lucky me," she murmured.
"Yes, well, you"ll have every fortune hunter sniffing around your skirts. But I imagine you won"t have any trouble fending them off."
"Just get me close to Lord Concord, sir."
"As I said, that will be no problem." His face betrayed no hint of concern. Indeed, he looked almost anxious to feed her to the wolves. "Signal me when you are ready to leave. I will take you back to my uncle"s town house in my carriage."
It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him that wasn"t necessary. But it was. The rules of propriety must be maintained for now.
"Come," he said, as the trill of the violins died away. "Now that the erstwhile chef has spent a bagful of my blunt making herself look good enough to eat, let us see if Concord will bite."
"You are new to Town, Lady Wolcott?" asked Sir Philip Gavin as Saybrook excused himself from the group.
"Yes." Arianna flashed a smile at the three men, letting it linger just a little on Concord. "It"s been ages since I"ve visited. I am so looking forward to enjoying myself."
Gavin looked at her intently, and then his mouth twitched-a little hungrily, she thought.
Encouraged, she leaned in a little, allowing them all a better look at her decolletage. "Is it very naughty to admit that I take pleasure in a party? My late husband preferred a quiet life in the country. We would occasionally journey to Harrowgate to take the waters. But the society there was very . . . dull."
"It"s only natural for a lovely lady to prefer a more stimulating environment than the wilds of Yorkshire," replied Concord with a hint of a grin. "I a.s.sure you London is far more fun."
"Oh, I am delighted to hear you say so." Tapping her fan to his shoulder, Arianna asked, "Would you be so kind as to ask the waiter for a gla.s.s of champagne, sir?" She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "I much prefer bubbly to ratafia punch."
"Vile stuff, ratafia," agreed Gavin. Neither he nor the honorable Mr. John Tipton had been present on the night of the Prince"s poisoning. However, Lady Spencer had frequently mentioned them as being part of Prinny"s inner circle of friends, whom the newspapers had dubbed the Carleton House carousers.
"Have you ever tried brandy?" asked Tipton, after exchanging a look with Concord.
She giggled. "Yes, but on the sly. It was strictly forbidden by my late husband."
"I bet that made it taste even sweeter, eh?" said Concord slowly.
"Yes." This time her laugh was a little throatier. "But I daresay I shouldn"t admit it."
"Oh, we understand what you mean, Lady Wolcott," a.s.sured Gavin.
Arianna took a swallow of her champagne, wondering if she was appearing too eager. She didn"t think so. According to Lady Spencer, young widows-preferably rich ones-were just the sort of females favored by men like Concord and his cronies. They had the relative freedom and independence to do as they pleased, provided they were discreet about it.
Besides, she had no choice but to flagrantly flaunt her availability. Time, as delineated by Saybrook, did not allow for a more subtle approach.
Drianing her gla.s.s she held it out for a refill. "Oh, how lovely to discover myself among such amiable gentlemen."
Their smiles put her in mind of a pack of feral dogs eyeing a fresh bone.
"You know, we are holding a party the day after the morrow. It promises to be quite amusing. The thing is . . ." Concord fingered his watch fob. "Some of the guests do not move in quite the exalted circle of Society as your relatives. Would that be a problem?"
"My distant relatives," stressed Arianna. "La, I am not a green girl, and they are not my guardians. They were kind enough to invite me to stay with them while they introduce me into the ton. But I intend to lease my own residence as soon as my man of affairs locates a suitable property." Her fan swooshed back and forth, stirring a tickle of cool air. "To be honest, they are nice, but . . ." She mouthed the word "dull."
"Ah. Dull is decidedly boring." A speculative gleam lit in Concord"s eye. "But what of the earl? He appears to be your escort here tonight."
Concord was, of course, aware that Saybrook was investigating the Prince"s poisoning, so she quickly moved to distance herself from him. Any hint of an alliance and all her plans would be for naught.
"I did not wish to offend my cousin Mellon. But the truth is, I find Lord Saybrook worse than dull-I find him forbidding." She slanted a look across the ballroom to where he was standing in the shadows of the colonnading and feigned a shudder. "Look how he stands so solemn and silent. He reminds me of a monk from the Spanish Inquisition."
"Lud, you are right." Tipton made a face. "Dark, disapproving-he should have stayed in the G.o.d-benighted Peninsula, where he belonged."
"I know him from my club, but I cannot say we are friends," mused Gavin. "Indeed, I was greatly surprised that he chose to introduce you to us."
Arianna was ready with an answer. "I asked him to." She looked around quickly then lowered her voice a notch. "You three are the only interesting men in the room."
"Clearly you have a very discerning eye," joked Gavin.
Concord, she noted, had fixed her with an appraising stare. Taking care to appear unaware of his scrutiny, she playfully touched the cl.u.s.ter of fancy fobs dangling from Tipton"s watch chain. "What pretty baubles. Have you others dangling somewhere else on your person?"
Tipton swallowed a snort while Gavin leered.
As for Concord, he hesitated, and then the corners of his mouth turned ever so slightly upward.
Arianna slowly released her pent-up breath.
"As I mentioned, we will all be going on to a more intimate party after the Bushnell soiree on Thursday," he said softly. "If you are free, perhaps you would like to join us?"
"I should like that, sir." She lowered her lashes. "Very much."
"You won"t bring the Holy Terror along, will you?" said Tipton.
"Good G.o.d, no."
Tipton winked at his friends. "Excellent. We don"t want to be punished for any sins we might commit, heh, heh, heh."
Arianna gave them a coy look. "Are we going to sin?"
"Oh, maybe just a little," replied Tipton. "So yes, it"s best you don"t bring Saybrook."
"Then again, maybe the earl is not incorruptible." Concord"s gaze turned lidded. "I have heard that he is addicted to opium."
"Is he?" she responded, widening her eyes.
Concord gave a slight shrug. "It"s said he nearly lost a leg to a French saber while fighting Soult"s cavalry on the Peninsula."
Interesting. But any musing on the earl"s history would have to wait until later.
"Perhaps that explains his strange mood swings," she said, making a moue of distaste. "One moment he is pleasant. The next he is, well . . . I fear that he is a little unstable." A tremulous sigh. "I do hope I am in no danger riding home in his carriage tonight."
"I"m sure you are quite safe, Lady Wolcott," a.s.sured Gavin. "The earl is odd, but I don"t think he poses any threat."
Unlike me, she thought with an inward smile.
"Thank you, that is rea.s.suring." Satisfied that she had t.i.tillated Concord"s interest enough for the evening, Arianna decided it was time to withdraw. Casting another glance at the far end of the room, she sighed. "I had better return to him now, before he grows too restless."
The three of them responded with the requisite bows and polite murmurs.
Concord"s voice was the last to fade away. "Until later, Lady Wolcott."
Yes, until later.
"I must warn you-your character has been savaged," said Arianna over the clatter of the carriage wheels. "Perhaps beyond repair."
"I daresay that I shall survive." Saybrook flicked a mote of dust from his sleeve. "Did you have any luck with Concord?"
"Yes."
He waited for her to go on. When she didn"t, he prompted, "And?"
"And you need not concern yourself, milord. I have the matter well in hand."
The soft leather of the seat suddenly shivered against her spine as he turned and braced a palm against the squabs. "You have laid down a numbers of rules, madam. Now it is my turn," said Saybrook. "You are free to hurl epithets and insults-it matters naught what you think of me personally. But make no mistake, when it comes to this investigation, I am in command."
"I"m not used to taking orders."
"Nonetheless, you"re going to do as I say," he replied softly.
Lifting her chin in deliberate defiance, she replied, "And if I don"t?"
A plume of smoke from the oil lamp swirled in the low light, and for a moment it hung between them, obscuring his face. Then it curled upward, revealing a scimitar smile.
He was amused? Arianna wasn"t sure how to react. She still found the earl a conundrum, a puzzle whose parts didn"t quite fit together.
"Use your very vivid imagination," he drawled.
The remark should have sparked her to even greater anger, but for some reason she found herself smiling, too. "You are flirting with danger in making such a suggestion, Lord Saybrook. As you know, I can be very inventive."
"As can I, Lady Wolcott-Smith-Alphonse-Chocolat." He shifted and suddenly his silhouette seemed to loom larger in the flickering lamplight. "Don"t cross swords with me on this. You won"t win, but we would both be compelled to expend effort that would best be directed at defeating the enemy."
Put that way, her defiance did sound willfully childish.
"What do you want?" she asked warily.
"A daily report, with detailed information about your activities and what you have discovered. That means an accurate account of who you meet with and what is said."
"Including a menu of what I have for breakfast?"
"I will a.s.sume you fill your stomach, seeing as you claim to think better that way. And believe me, Madam whoever-you-are, you will need all your wits about you from now on." He leaned in a little closer, forcing her to meet his eyes. "Look, I am conducting my own investigations, and it could prove dangerous if we were to trip over each other"s feet. Furthermore, I may see some clue that you don"t."