“I fear that Mr. Lexington has not spent much time, if any, in Italy,” Emeline declared. “He gave a very poor description of Roman monuments and fountains. As it happens, my aunt and I had an opportunity to spend some time in that city recently, and I-”
“That no doubt accounts for your brilliant sense of fashion,” one gentleman declared fervently. “I vow, that gown you are wearing is a most exquisite shade of amber gold. The color of the sky at sunset. It is surpassed only by the brilliant glow of your eyes, Miss Emeline.”
There were several murmurs of agreement.
Emeline never faltered. “Thank you, sir. Now, as I was saying, my aunt and I were fortunate enough to be able to stay for some months in Rome, and I can assure you, Mr. Lexington did not do justice to his subject. He failed to convey the true elegance of the standing monuments. As it happens, while in Italy, I was able to make several sketches and some drawings-”
“I would very much enjoy viewing your sketches, Miss Emeline,” said a voice at the edge of the crowd.
“As would I, Miss Emeline.”
“No monument, no matter how spectacular, could compare to your own elegance, Miss Emeline,” someone else vouchsafed.
He’d had quite enough, Anthony thought. He made a show of removing his watch from his pocket. “I’m afraid I must interrupt, Miss Emeline. The hour grows late. I promised your aunt that you would be home by five o’clock. We will have to hurry.”
“Yes, of course.” Emeline bestowed a charming smile on the small group. “Mr. Sinclair is quite correct. We must be off. But I have very much enjoyed our conversation. It is quite amazing, really. I had no notion that so many of you were interested in Roman fountains and monuments.”
“Fascinated, Miss Emeline.” A gentleman dressed in a coat that was cut so snugly Anthony wondered how he could move his arms swept her a deep bow. “I assure you, I am absolutely entranced by the subject and by your remarks on it.”
“Transfixed,” another assured her.
That started a heated competition in which every man in the group sought to convince Emeline that his own intellectual interests were more elevated than those of anyone else in the crowd.
It was all Anthony could do to avoid baring his teeth. He tucked Emeline’s arm in his and drew her swiftly down the steps. A chorus of farewells drifted after them.
“I did not realize that we were so pressed for time,” Emeline murmured.
“Have no fear,” Anthony said. “We will be home before your aunt begins to fret.”
“What did you think of Mr. Lexington’s lecture?” she asked.
He hesitated and then shrugged. “To be perfectly blunt, I found it quite dull.”
She gave her warm laugh. “We are in agreement on that point. Nevertheless, I very much enjoyed the afternoon.”
“As did I.”
He would have enjoyed it far more, he thought, had he not been obliged to wade through the herd of dandies gathered inside the lecture hall. He was quite certain they had not been drawn there by an interest in Roman monuments and fountains. Emeline was the lure. She had come into a mild sort of fashion lately after a number of successful appearances in some of the most important ballrooms of the ton.
He was well aware that Emeline’s lack of an inheritance and family connections would not allow her to swim in exalted social circles for long, in spite of Lavinia’s machinations. Furthermore, prudent matchmaking mamas would work hard to ensure that their sons did not look too seriously in Emeline’s direction.
Unfortunately, that did not prevent many of the young bloods of Society from being intrigued by a lovely and unusual Original. Nor would it stop heartless rakes and debauchers from attempting to seduce her as a form of perverted sport.
He had appointed himself Emeline’s guardian, and he considered it his duty to protect her from unwanted attentions. But what worried him the most these days was that she might decide to sample some of those attentions.
It would all be so much simpler if he was in a position to declare his affections and make an offer for her hand. But the long and the short of it was that he could not afford to keep her in the style to which she deserved to become accustomed.
He had spent a great deal of time lately pondering his problems and concocting various possible solutions. It all came down to one key point: He had to find a way to make a decent living and he had to do so quickly, before one of the men hanging around Emeline defied his parents and convinced her to run off with him.
The walk home to the little house in Claremont Lane was a brisk one, due not only to the fact that the afternoon was coming to a close but because the threat of rain dampened the air.
“Is something wrong?” Emeline asked when they reached the little park and turned the corner. “Are you ill?”
That startled him out of his reverie. It annoyed him that she thought him sickly. “No, I am not ill. I am thinking.”
“Oh. I thought, perhaps, from your expression that the ice cream we had earlier did not sit well.”
“I assure you, I am in excellent health, Emeline.”
“I was merely concerned.”
“Emeline, your aunt has made it clear that she wishes you to enjoy another Season before you even think of accepting an offer of marriage.”
“What on earth does marriage have to do with this?”
He braced himself. “It is quite likely that at any moment one of those… those gentlemen who accosted you after the lecture today might decide to offer for your hand.”
“Oh, I doubt that. None of their mamas or papas would approve. They can all look a good deal higher for wives, and I’m sure they will do precisely that when the time comes.”
“It is not unheard of for a reckless man to… to elope with someone whom his parents might not deem suitable,” Anthony said darkly.
“As gentlemen are forever doing in those books of poetry that Aunt Lavinia loves to read?” Emeline chuckled. “How very romantic. But I very much doubt that I am the type to inspire a runaway marriage.”
“You are precisely the type.” Anthony came to a sudden halt and turned to face her. “You must be on your guard, Emeline. There is no telling when some rake may show up at your bedroom window in the middle of the night and beg you to join him in the carriage he has waiting in the street.” Just as he had envisioned himself doing in certain fevered fantasies, he thought.
“A Gretna Green marriage?” Emeline’s eyes widened. “Nonsense. I cannot imagine any of those gentlemen having the spirit to do anything so thrilling.”
Anthony felt his stomach clench. “You mean that you would consider it exciting to run off with one of those empty-headed dandies?”
“Yes, indeed.”
His blood ran cold.
And then she smiled. “Quite impossible, of course.”
“Impossible.” He seized on that. “Yes, of course. Absolutely impossible.”
“Indeed.”
But it was not impossible and well he knew it. It had happened on at least one occasion last Season that he was aware of, and it would no doubt happen again this Season. Sooner or later, a young couple who had been forbidden to wed would run off to Gretna Green in the middle of the night. If their frantic papas did not catch up with them before the deed was done, the pair would return as newlyweds. Their parents would be forced to accept the fait accompli. And Society would have yet another tidbit of gossip to savor over tea.
If he had an ounce of common sense he would keep silent, Anthony thought. Instead, he cleared his throat.
“Uh, why precisely do you say it would be impossible to make a runaway marriage with one of those gentlemen?” he asked carefully.
“Because I am not in love with any of them, of course.” She glanced at the tiny watch pinned to the front of her pelisse. “Come along, Anthony, we must hurry. We do not want to get caught in the rain. Aunt Lavinia will have an attack of the vapors if I ruin this new gown.”