Home > 'Twas the Night Before Scandal(9)

'Twas the Night Before Scandal(9)
Author: Merry Farmer

“If Hope Orphanage needs its sugar replaced,” Phoebe started, “indeed, if they need more, if they need sweets or treats of any sort, I know that Danny and I would be more than willing to donate to the cause.”

“I’m certain the children and the proprietors of Hope Orphanage would be more than happy for your offer,” Bianca said. She frowned and reached for a sheet of colorful paper and one of the toys in need of wrapping. “Two pranks at two orphanages in two days,” she said as she set to work. “I know that it’s Christmastime and everyone is in high spirits, but it seems a bit cruel to play jokes when so much else is going on.”

“It sounds like precisely the sort of thing that men who don’t care what others think would do,” Diana said, narrowing her eyes with the look she only wore when speaking or thinking about John.

“It sounds like the sort of thing children would do,” Bea attempted to correct where she was certain Diana’s thoughts were heading.

Diana didn’t answer her, either to refute or agree with Bea’s assessment. That left an opening for Bianca to turn to Bea and ask, “And how did your evening go, Lady Beatrice?”

The heat of embarrassment flooded Bea’s face all over again. “It didn’t go,” she confessed in a quiet voice. “At least, not the way you would have wanted it to.”

“No seduction, then?” Bianca asked in a carelessly loud voice. “No proposal?”

Bea wanted to shush her. She glanced around desperately, praying that no one was listening in. “No,” she whispered. “But there was a kiss.”

“Oh?” Bianca burst into a saucy smile. “A good one, I hope.”

“Very good.” The memory of it swirled through Bea, tickling her heart. “But Papa interrupted it.”

“I thought your father was supposed to be out for the evening,” Bianca said.

“He was, but he and my sister returned home early.”

“How early? I thought Harrison was supposed to be at your house shortly after they departed,” Bianca pushed the matter.

“Harrison was delayed,” Bea said. She glanced to Diana, dreading what she was about to say because she knew exactly what her friend would do with the information. “He and John were on some sort of mission to search for something at Hope Orphanage.”

Sure enough, Diana gasped and dropped the gift she was wrapping. “He was at Hope Orphanage?” she asked, predictably. There was no possible way to think that by “he” Diana meant Harrison.

“Yes,” Bea said, raising a hand to caution her friend, “But I doubt there’s any correlation.”

“I knew it,” Diana said all the same. “That’s just the sort of nefarious deed John would get up to. Only a man of his low character would play pranks on orphanages at Christmas.”

“You think John and Harrison are responsible?” Bianca asked, amusement sharp in her eyes.

“I know it,” Diana said. “Just wait. I bet they’ll tip their hands and expose themselves before the day is done.”

“I think you must be mistaken,” Bea said, then quickly rushed on with, “I’m just going to take these wrapped gifts over to the tree so Mrs. Coldwell can arrange them.”

Anything to get away from Diana and her mad vendetta against John. Although Bea did find the ferocity of Diana’s feelings toward John to be good fun. At least, she did when she wasn’t too busy mired in her own problems. She heaved a wistful sigh as she carried a basket of wrapped dolls, toy soldiers, wooden vehicles, and soft animals across the room to one of the row of Christmas trees that had been erected on either side of the room’s largest fireplace. She heartily approved of the relatively new tradition of bringing pine trees indoors and decorating them. She handed the basket of toys off to the no-nonsense Mrs. Coldwell, who was organizing the middle-class women who had come to help, then took a step back to admire the trees.

Her backward step sent her crashing right into a solid body. She yelped and whipped around in surprise, only to find herself face-to-face with Harrison. He still wore his wool coat and hat, and his face was pink, as though he’d walked through the bitter cold of the London streets to reach the hall.

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry,” Bea said, her gaze fluttering down even as heat rose within her. She couldn’t quite bring herself to look into Harrison’s eyes. Not after the way things had gone between the two of them the night before, not with his kiss still tingling on her lips.

“It was my fault, I’m sure,” Harrison said, his eyes bright with a smile as he stared at her. “I should have watched where I was going.” His gaze settled on her lips, and his smile grew.

“I’ve been such a ninny today,” Bea prattled on. “So distracted and….” She realized too late that she’d raised a hand to touch her lips as Harrison stared at them.

“Yes, I know,” he said with a far-off softness in his voice. A moment later, he sucked in a breath and shook himself. “I mean…that is to say…the fault is all mine, I’m sure.”

For a moment, they just stood there, staring at each other. Part of Bea was perfectly content just to be in Harrison’s presence. The rest of her felt beyond awkward, as if she’d created the awkward situation but didn’t have the first clue what to do about it.

 

Harrison’s mind had gone completely blank except for the single thought, “Do something, you twat.”

All he could think about as he gazed at Bea’s beautiful, innocent face was that he had better find his great-grandmother’s ring before the moment when he had to face Bea’s father so that he could prove to the man that marriage had been his intention all along. It had been mortifying to be caught compromising Bea. He would rather have died than do anything to her that might damage her reputation. In a way, it was a blessing that his momentary lapse of reason had come in the privacy of Bea’s own home—although he’d been fairly certain the servants had been spying on them—so that she was spared public humiliation. But in another way, it was so much worse that they had been caught by her father.

Those thoughts were eclipsed by the realization that he was standing in the middle of a public hall filled with people, staring dumbly at the woman he loved but couldn’t seem to do right by.

“I came looking for John,” he blurted at last. “Have you seen him?”

Bea blinked and shook herself, peeking around at the room filled mostly with women. “No, not yet.” She paused and the most charming grin passed over her lips as she went on with, “I’m sure Diana would have alerted me to his presence if he were here.”

Harrison caught her grin and returned it. “They are ridiculous, aren’t they?”

“Very.” Bea giggled, clapping a hand over her mouth.

For one, wild moment, Harrison wished he were that hand. It would have been heaven to touch her lips again, to kiss her with all the passion that had been interrupted the night before. With any luck, as soon as he found the ring and proposed in a way that Bea deserved, they would have their rest of their lives to kiss each other.

Another moment passed, and Bea lowered her hand, smiling at something past Harrison’s shoulder. “There he is now,” she said, nodding in the direction of the door.

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