Perfectly Mismatched Page 3

  “Does my Lady know how to ride?” Robert asked as they crossed the paddock toward the stables. It was a beautiful night. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the moon seemed to shine off Lady Scarlett’s dress, making her sparkle in the night.

  “Why? Does my Lord wish to teach me?” she quipped back.

  “That sounds like a grand idea to me.” Robert should have felt guilty at the way he was playing the young lady. He had no intention of seeing her again after tonight. The only way he was able to resolve himself of guilt was by reminding himself that she ought to know what kind of reputation he had. Really, she was as much to blame as he.

  “My father always said that one shouldn’t ride at night. The daytime then?” She sounded hopeful, as if she really thought this wouldn’t be the end of their association.

  “Anything,” he said as they reached the stable.

  Robert had no intention of actually taking her inside the stables. Stables were by their very nature dreadful places to be. They smelled of horse manure, hay and piss. He couldn’t think of a less romantic location. No, he simply wanted to get Lady Scarlett out of the house and away from prying eyes.

  As they reached the stable door, Robert came to a halt, keeping a firm grip on Scarlett’s hand and pulling her into his embrace. Again, she didn’t hesitate, allowing herself to be guided toward his body.

  “So, my Lady. Is this how you saw the night going?” Their bodies were pressed against each other. He could feel the warmth of her breath kissing at his lips and skin. It was intoxicating.

  “Mostly, with a few slight differences.” She smiled coyly but was so confident and sure of herself. It caught Robert a little off guard, he’d never met another woman who spoke so plainly and with open humor. He liked it.

  “Oh?” he asked, allowing himself to play into her hands.

  “Well truth be told I had my eye on Lord Kensington. Give me an older man any day.”

  Robert erupted into laughter. He couldn’t help himself. Again, her carefree attitude had caught him completely by surprise. She was so refreshing and unlike any other woman of her station he had met. Perhaps that was why Robert always strayed back to the bordello? At least the women there were genuine.

  It seemed that by some pure miracle, Robert had found himself an authentic woman in Lady Scarlett. Or at least as real a one as could be found in this place. Without waiting another second, he leaned in and kissed her on the lips.

  As with their dance earlier, the kiss was as magical and perfect as it could have been. They were perfectly matched. The kiss started off gently, his lips pressing onto hers. As heat built between them, he parted her lips slightly, slipping his tongue into her mouth. Many a lady would pull back at such a gesture, but not Scarlett. She allowed him in with an honest desire that startled Robert in that there was some trepidation there. A willingness mixed with innocence that he hungered for.

  As they kissed, Robert was only faintly aware of the music still playing in the background. He wasn’t conscious of the laughter and loud conversation coming from the house, of the moon shining overhead, or even of the horses neighing in the stables. He was lost in the moment.

  When, after some time, they parted, Robert leaned back, reached his hand up and tore down the mask that had been covering Lady Scarlett’s face all night. He had just kissed her, now he wanted to see her. To really see her.

  But as the mask came away from her face, revealing her in full for the first time, Robert couldn’t stop himself from gasping in shock. The woman he had just kissed wasn’t Lady Scarlett. It was... well he wasn’t sure who it was.

  “Who are you?” he asked a little more rudely than he had intended.

  “Lady Sophia of Trenworth. Who are you?”

  “I’m —”

  “I’m kidding. I know who you are.” She didn’t seem maddened by his question, but more curious. She eyed Robert up and down, as if trying to decide if he was joking or not.

  He wished that he was joking, but he had truly spent the night thinking he was with another woman. Now that he knew it to be Lady Sophia he... he didn’t know how he felt. Of course, he had heard the rumors, and now that he was looking at her closely, he recognized her a little more, thinking he might have seen her at Hugh’s at some point, but still...

  The silence grew between them. Robert could feel the tension mounting as the reality of his question began to take hold of Sophia. Before he got a chance to say another word, or even register how he truly felt about the situation, a voice called out from behind them.

  “Sophia!” It was Lady Juliette of all people. That bitter old tart that Robert had met once and made sure never to meet again. Her voice cut through the air like a knife, as though she was intent on stabbing the couple where they stood. Never had Robert seen her look so horrified as she hurried across the paddock in their direction. “I knew it! I knew it!”

  Beside him, Robert could feel Lady Sophia begin to tremble, and out of the corner of his eye saw her begin to fidget with her dress and gloves, smoothing imaginary wrinkles and clasping and unclasping her hands. He felt a sudden desire to shield her from Lady Juliette.

  “Ah, Lady Juliette,” Robert said, turning his full attention to the older woman and offering her as much charm as he dared, despite knowing that it would have little to no effect on her. “How nice to see you. I must say you look as enchanting as —”

  “Save it,” she spat venom as she reached them. She quickly turned on Sophia, looking her up and down with disgust. “I told Lady Emma it was a mistake inviting you. A leopard has the same spots it’s whole life.”

  “Now, really” Robert sighed, surprised at the sudden rise of anger in him. This reaction was exactly why he avoided these types of gatherings. “I think that you’re —”

  “I’ll get to you in a minute, scoundrel!” Lady Juliette paused just long enough to direct a pointed glare at Robert before turning back to Sophia. “I know your father quite well. Wait until —”

  She never got a chance to finish her thought. Mortified at being discovered, Sophia quickly turned tail and fled back across the paddock in the direction of the house. Lady Juliette, offering Robert one final look of disdain, was quick to follow, muttering to herself the whole way.

  Robert was left alone, standing by the stable. No doubt this little activity would be the talk of the party from here on out. With that in mind, he turned about and made his way toward his carriage and back home. He was done for the night.

  Oddly, as he strolled through the moonlight, chuckling to himself for how much of a fool he was, he couldn’t erase Lady Sophia from his mind. It should have been easy. She was just a kiss and nothing more. Still, the way she had acted, what she had said and that kiss they had shared. Maybe there was more to her than he had thought? Certainly, more than society would have him believe.

  How odd, he thought to himself.

  He climbed into his carriage, instructed his driver to take him home, and all thoughts of stolen kisses, stables and masquerades were stricken from his mind for good.

  Chapter 5

  Robert rarely bothered going into his place of work anymore, and even if he did, it was almost never for an entire day. Once or twice a week he liked to stop in to see how things were doing of course, but that was about the extent of his physical involvement in the business. He had worked hard as a young man, building the company up to a point where he didn’t need to go in every day; the company basically ran itself. It was therefore with great annoyance that Robert found himself in his office on a Monday morning, resigned to being there for the entire day.

  The reason he was at work was a simple one. He was hiding. Ever since that masquerade ball where he had accidentally kissed Lady Sophia, he’d had to keep his head low and out of the way. By now, everyone and sundry knew about the stolen kiss, including Sophia’s father.

  Robert knew Sophia’s father reasonably well. Robert’s shipping business specialized in exports. Where there were hundreds of wealthy merchants
living in England, few actually owned the means to export their wares. That was where Robert came in. He didn’t export any product personally, he merely owned the vessels that did. The money was enormous and the risk minimal. It was a wealth-making machine that saw Robert in the pocket of nearly every top merchant in England. One of these merchants just so happened to be Sophia’s father.

  Although the two men rarely worked together directly, Robert was more than aware of the man. He was a big player in the scheme of things and his business helped bolster Robert’s bottom line and then some. Robert had never liked the man, in fact a part of him had always hated him. Furthermore, he was sure that the Lord of Trenworth wasn’t his biggest fan either... especially after what had happened.

  “He’ll probably challenge you to a duel. Old style, with muskets,” Hugh had joked when Robert first informed his best friend that the older gentlemen was after him. “I’ve heard he’s a crack shot.”

  Although Robert doubted that a duel was what the Trenworth had in mind, he really couldn’t come up with a plausible explanation as to why Trenworth was after him. He knew that it was in relation to Sophia and what Robert had done, but to what end? The most obvious reason was that it had something to do with the business. Perhaps Trenworth was going to demand a favor from Robert? Maybe he was going to cancel their business contract altogether?

  These were all musings with no concrete answer. So here he was, hiding in the only place no one would think to look... his office.

  Although it was true that Robert rarely went in to work anymore, that didn’t mean he was lazy. At least that’s not how he would characterize it. To him, his lack of workmanship was purely an indication of how successful he was; the fact that his business could run on its own without his constant interference was a sure sign that he had built a profitable little company.

  From where he sat in his office, he had a superb view. The entire right wall of his office was lined with windows looking out over the entirety of the dock where his ships were stationed. He owned over a dozen shipping vessels, with five currently being loaded. He watched as the head foreman on his favorite ship, The Tamway, loaded and stocked it full. It was a comfortable feeling knowing that everything was running and could run smoothly without him.

  But there was still that nagging feeling in the back of his mind that something bad was about to happen. Something that involved Trenworth. No doubt the eminent Lord had wares of some kind on one of his vessels. As such, Robert had a sudden urge to hurry down to the docks and double check the stock to ensure that everything was running smoothly... just in case.

  Robert never made it so much as a foot across the office. No sooner was he up and tucking his chair in behind his desk than he looked up to see none other than Lord Aldway of Trenworth standing in his doorway.

  Trenworth had always terrified Robert. Having not grown up as a part of the aristocracy, he had never grown used to the stern and unflinching breed of man that this level of society so often produced. There was a no-nonsense business about him. Trenworth was the type of man that never seemed to smile, or so much as change the calm tenor of his voice. His eyes were hard, his posture stiff. He always got what he wanted and acted accordingly.

  “Robert,” Trenworth greeted him, his voice as hard as iron. “I was hoping to catch you in today.”

  Robert bristled at Trenworth’s obvious omission of his title, especially considering that they were in his place of business. But he didn’t let it show, choosing to smile broadly at the man instead. “Lord Trenworth, what a surprise. Please, take a seat.”

  Trenworth walked into the office, but ignored the gesture, instead choosing to stand stiffly in front of the desk and stare Robert into submission. “Surprise? Doubtful. In fact, I was sure that you had come in today hoping I would stop by.”

  “You thought I... my lord, if this is to do with one of your shipments, I can assure you that —”

  “I’m here on account of my daughter,” he snapped. Robert shut his mouth instantly. “And please don’t do me the discourtesy of pretending that you don’t know what I am referring to.”

  “Ahhh,” Robert mumbled, finding it very difficult to form words. “My lord, I just want you to know that what happened was... I had no intention of doing anything to bring shame to you or your house.”

  “And yet you did just that. Saying you had no intention is admirable enough, but ultimately pointless. In fact, considering the reputation you have managed to procure for yourself I would say it’s par for the course by now. Wouldn’t you?”

  “I don’t know what....”

  “I don’t like you, Robert. Nay, I dare say there isn’t a man I respect who does. But as stated, I’m not here for me but for my daughter, Lady Sophia. A name that should go down in the annals of history as one of the most respectable of England. And yet it won’t.”

  “My Lord, although I regret what happened, if you’re suggesting my actions were the cause of... your daughter was... I just don’t see how I....” Robert balked, his mouth suddenly becoming very parched. Lady Sophia had a reputation that was well known and had been for many years. He found it quite galling that Trenworth was suggesting it was entirely Robert’s fault, when every mother and her daughter knew that not to be the case. If it wasn’t for how much the man intimidated Robert, he would tell him so. Unfortunately, he was struggling to find the right words.

  “Trust me young man, you don’t want to finish that sentence.” His stare was like ice. Robert could feel it run up his body and chill his blood. “What happened in the past is just that, in the past. What I am concerned for now is the future. To be more specific, that of my daughter.”

  “I’m sorry, but I don’t understand.”

  “That’s because I haven’t told you yet.” He raised a contemptuous eyebrow at Robert, ensuring that Robert felt as small as possible before he continued. “You, Viscount Robert of Tamway, are to marry my daughter. Without delay.”

  “Excuse me?” Robert gasped, forgetting any courtesy he might have been showing the esteemed Lord. “You must be —”

  “She needs a husband. A man of station. Unfortunately, no self-respecting man will have her, and believe me I have tried to find one. I have thus decided that my only other option is to find one with less self-respect than her. And here I stand.”

  Robert gripped the top of his chair, his fingers digging into the wood, his knuckles turning white. His entire arm was shaking from anger. Never had a man slighted him in such a way... or at least done so without suffering some sort of consequence. But Trenworth simply looked at the shaking arm and gritted teeth and smiled, knowing that Robert would do nothing.

  “I will give you a day to think on it. Just know that I am more than aware of how much your quarterlies rely on my product. What would happen if I was to move my business elsewhere? Which I won’t hesitate to do, mind you.”

  And that was that. Trenworth bowed his head the smallest possible amount, smirked knowingly at Robert one more time, then turned and left the office.

  Robert stood frozen to the spot, unable to comprehend what had just happened or even begin to think about what he was going to do about it.

  Chapter 6

  He has you over a barrel!” Hugh roared with laughter as Robert told him about his encounter with Lord Trenworth.

  “I liked our friendship much more when it was me insulting you,” Robert snapped as he glared daggers at his best friend.

  They were seated at a table on a small patio at Robert’s home, where Robert was trying to enjoy his tea in the afternoon sun. Hugh was making it very difficult to do so. The moment Trenworth had left the office, Robert had called for Hugh and demanded they meet. He needed advice, and Hugh was the only person he could ask for it.

  Unfortunately, Hugh wasn’t being very helpful. When he arrived at Robert’s manor he wore a cocky grin that suggested he already knew what was at play. As Robert relayed the story, he became sure that his friend knew exactly what had happened. It turned
out that Robert was the last person to find out about the arrangement, a fact that galled him even more.

  “So, when’s the wedding?” Hugh chuckled.

  “There isn’t going to be one.”

  “Oh?”

  “Of course not. I’m not some shrill that can be blackballed by the likes of Trenworth. In fact, if he hadn’t caught me so off guard I would have...”

  “You would have what? Asked him to buy you dinner first?” The smirk on Hugh’s face was driving Robert mad with anger. But his friend was right to be amused. There was nothing that Robert could have or would have done differently. Maybe a little less groveling?

  “I would have told him I wasn’t interested. Simple as that.”

  Robert hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Sophia since her father had stopped by earlier. In truth, she had haunted his thoughts ever since that masquerade. At first it was just a series of fleeting images and memories. He would chuckle at a joke she had made and then move on, erasing her from his mind as quickly as she had appeared. But now...

  If Robert were to get married, he could do a lot worse than Sophia of Trenworth. The scandal surrounding her past didn’t concern him one iota. His objection to the idea of marriage was a product of his general apathy toward the concept.

  What was far more interesting was the word he had been throwing around in his head to describe Sophia of late, especially the last few hours. Interesting. Without a doubt she was just that. Maybe she wasn’t as naturally beautiful as Scarlet of Devonshire, and she was not in the same league as Hugh’s wife when it came to what an aristocratic wife should be. But she was funny, and witty and a unique soul. She was interesting.

  At the end of the day, though, marriage was marriage. Robert was the staunchest of bachelors and just couldn’t get behind it.