A Most Unconventional Courtship

‘And it will be a salutary lesson to them not to trust gentlemen to hold the line if opportunity presents. You are not to reproach yourself, I am sure you did nothing to encourage him.’

‘Thank you, ma’am. My aunt looks so displeased.’

‘I will have a word with her. Frances is very young; I expect it makes her mama more protective than necessary.’ She strolled round to join Lady Blackstone and Chance, freed her arm from Alessa’s and linked it with the other matron’s. ‘Such a rogue,’ she murmured with a smile. ‘Poor Alexandra is so flustered at his effrontery. I declare I will have to go and flirt with him myself—now that would teach him a lesson.’

How cleverly done, Alessa thought admiringly. She has made Aunt Honoria feel unsophisticated for wanting to scold me. Then she looked at Chance and saw he had absolutely no qualms about looking unsophisticated, nor about wanting to scold.

‘How could you be so imprudent?’ he demanded.

‘As to do what? To stand a little aside, in an open place surrounded by others—two of whom are chaperons—with a gentleman who is a guest of the Lord High Commissioner? In what way, exactly, is that imprudent?’

‘To trust a rogue like Zagrede, of course! Do you tell me you are so innocent you did not expect such a thing?’

‘Of course I am not. I know exactly how gentlemen may be relied upon to seize any opportunity to flirt, or much worse. But, as our conversation was not in the slightest way flirtatious, I must confess to being taken aback that he chose such a moment. But then, he is naturally a very flamboyant character, is he not?’

‘He is a damned mountebank,’ Chance said furiously. ‘I have a mind to call him out.’

‘For kissing my hand in a public place? Now if he had taken advantage of me, assaulted me while I was on a lonely beach, say, or dragged me into a deserted room—why, then, I agree, there could be grounds for outrage.’

‘You were hardly reluctant,’ Chance retorted furiously.

‘And I am not exactly averse to the Count’s caresses, within reason and in a place where he cannot overstep the mark.’ Alessa smiled sweetly and swept off to where the three girls were perched under the shade of the Chaste Tree that Zagrede had been lying beneath earlier, trying to look as if they were not speculating wildly on what was afoot.

‘Wretched man,’ Alessa said composedly as she joined them. ‘He will be up to his tricks with each of us, make no doubt, just to see if he can make each of us jealous.’

Helena gave a stifled sob and her sister hissed, ‘I told you Alexandra would not try to fix her interest with him, knowing how you feel. But I was right, you see—he is an arrant flirt.’

‘I am afraid so,’ Alessa said sadly. ‘And I was talking to him about a most serious matter, one that caused me a little emotional distress, and he presumed upon that to…to take my hand and force a kiss upon it.’

‘Wretch,’ Frances said stoutly. ‘Will Lady Trevick ask him to leave, do you think?’

‘She does not take it seriously,’ Alessa confided. ‘I fear we are all a little sheltered, and doubtless such things are commonplace in high society during the Season. No doubt she considers it a useful lesson to us to be on our guard.’

‘Are all men such flirts?’ Frances demanded. ‘I am sure Lord Blakeney would not be.’

Alessa did not feel that she could go so far as to acquit Chance of dangerously predatory tendencies. As it was, she had massaged the truth to try and press home the warning to the other girls that the Count was not to be trusted.

‘No, not all men are like that,’ Maria said softly, her eyes cast down to her folded hands. ‘There are some true gentlemen.’

A glance at the other two girls confirmed Alessa’s opinion that neither had any idea that Maria was in love with Mr Harrison. Of course, they simply thought him too old to possibly be a candidate for such affection. She controlled her smile, happy, despite her own muddled misery, that someone had found true love.

The walk downhill towards the villa was very different than the ascent that morning. Lady Trevick led the way, leaning on the Count’s arm, engaging him in conversation in a way that was a positive education in sophisticated flirtation. Lady Blackstone followed, accepting Chance’s arm over the rough parts of the track, not revealing in any way what she thought of her hostess’s tactics. The younger women followed behind, each of them subdued by her own particular preoccupation, with Mr Harrison silently ready to offer his assistance, should it be required.

When they finally reached the villa Lady Trevick shepherded her own daughters and Frances off to their rooms to rest before dinner. The men vanished, whether to make up their differences in the billiard room, or to their own chambers to wash and rest, Alessa had no idea. Calling up her resolution, she followed her aunt into the sitting room the ladies had claimed as their own retreat.

‘Aunt Honoria.’

‘Yes?’ Lady Blackstone regarded her with her usual cool reserve.

‘Tomorrow I have asked Mrs Street to bring the children down to see me. I would like you to meet them.’

‘If you feel that is best, Alexandra.’

‘I do. If we are all to be travelling together, and perhaps living together while I find my bearings in England, I think it important that they meet you and Cousin Frances as soon as possible. This will be a big change for them.’

‘Indeed, it would be.’ Surely that should be will be?

‘Aunt, I understand that Lord Blackstone is in Venice on a mission.’