David choked on the port he’d just ingested. “What?” he managed to say. “You knew?”
Bell sighed and shrugged. “They do this every year, right as the Season begins.”
David blinked at him, his eyes still watering from the choking. “You allow it?”
“Allow it? I’d bet on it myself if they’d let me. But they say I have an unfair advantage in knowing when to place my bet.” Bell winked at him. “They may have a point.”
David narrowed his eyes on the marquess. “It doesn’t make you angry?”
“You’ll learn everything is a bet here, Elmwood,” Bell replied with a wry grin. “And as for Annabelle, well, you’ll see for yourself soon. She and Mother just returned from the countryside yesterday afternoon. In fact,” he pulled his timepiece from inside his coat pocket and glanced at it, “we’re meeting them at my town house at four o’clock. Mother and Annabelle are both greatly looking forward to your earl lessons, Elmwood. I cannot wait for you to meet them.”
Chapter Four
Annabelle sailed across her bedchamber in her brother’s town house with a wide smile on her face. Today was a good day. Not only was she back from the confoundingly dull countryside, she would finally see Beau again. There were few people in the world whose company she enjoyed more than her brother’s. Not only was he a hero as far as she was concerned, he was gone far too often on business for the Crown. She didn’t get to see him nearly as often as she’d like.
Besides, Beau had written her to ask if she would do him a favor, and she would do anything for her wise, brave, older brother. His favor had nothing to do with her own courting or trying to find a husband. To be precise, the favor was more for her soon-to-be sister-in-law, Marianne. Marianne had met Beau at a house party last summer. There were quite a lot of secrets involved in precisely how they’d met, but the outcome had been that not only had Beau asked Marianne to marry him, but he’d volunteered both Annabelle and their mother to help Marianne acclimate to Society. Marianne and her brother had recently discovered that they were the grandchildren of the former Earl of Elmwood. The earl had died, and their father was dead as well, leaving Annabelle’s older brother, David, to take up the title.
Apparently, David had been a captain in the army, and had been taken prisoner in France. Annabelle shuddered. The man must be quite brave to have survived such an ordeal. But according to Beau, David had no clue how to behave in Society, which could prove to be quite awkward if something wasn’t done about it. Beau and Marianne had agreed that Annabelle and her mother would be the perfect pair to go about teaching Lord Elmwood how to be a proper earl. She had so little occasion to do anything worthwhile such as teaching a former army hero how to navigate the waters of London Society. She was greatly looking forward to it.
She glanced at the clock on the mantel across the room. Nearly four. Beau and Lord Elmwood would be here any moment. Marianne would be arriving, too. Annabelle quickly surveyed herself in the looking glass. Perfectly presentable. Of course, it didn’t matter much. Spending the afternoon teaching the son of a woodworker from Brighton how to be an earl didn’t require her to look her best, but Annabelle was committed to doing what she could for the poor man to ease his transition into Society. According to Marianne, Lord Elmwood was in dire need of help with everything from his comportment, to his speech, to his manners. It sounded like quite a challenge. Annabelle wasn’t a magician, but she would do what she could to help keep the newly minted earl from bringing shame on her brother and new sister-in-law.
Besides, Annabelle could think of no better use of the ridiculous knowledge of all things to do with Society that was floating around in her head than to help poor Marianne and her clueless brother to fit into the Beau Monde.
After all, Annabelle detested the endless round of social outings and silly parties like the one last night at the Harrisons’. At least today she’d be doing something worthwhile, helping two people who needed her.
Waving off her maid’s help in assisting her with freshening her hair, Annabelle marched down the stairs to the foyer, eager to see Marianne again and meet her new charge.
Annabelle had barely got to the first floor when the door knocker sounded. She hurried into the white salon near the front of the house to await her visitors. A few moments later, Stockton, the butler, escorted Marianne and her chaperone, Lady Courtney, into the room.
“There you are, Annabelle,” Marianne said. “Stockton tells me that my brother and Beau have not yet arrived.”
Annabelle stood and greeted both women with warm hugs and kisses to their cheeks. “I expect them any moment,” she informed her future sister-in-law.
The two took their seats near Annabelle.
“Beau told me he was taking David to White’s,” Marianne said, a look of apprehension on her face.
Annabelle frowned. “Does that concern you?”
Marianne winced and nodded. “I’m afraid it does. Even though the Season has already begun, I’ve asked Beau not to take David out in Society much. Not until he’s had a chance to…benefit…from your tutelage.”
Annabelle laughed. She reached over and pressed her warm hand atop Marianne’s cold one. “I’m certain your brother is at least capable enough to handle a few men in their cups at the gentlemen’s club.”
Marianne bit her lip. “I don’t know.” She shared an uneasy look with Lady Courtney. “David is not quite used to going about in such circles. Neither am I, of course, but at least I’ve had Julianna’s and Frances’s help, in addition to Lady Courtney here.”
“Lady Julianna Montgomery and Lady Frances Wharton?” Annabelle clarified. The two ladies were the betrothed of Beau’s closest friends. Julianna was betrothed to Rhys Sheffield, the Duke of Worthington, and Frances was betrothed to Lucas Drake, the Earl of Kendall.
Marianne nodded.
It stood to reason that Julianna and Frances would take Marianne under their wings. Frances’s father had been arrested last autumn in a large scandal, but Lord Kendall had stood by her, and along with their other friends, they’d managed to keep Frances’s reputation intact. In fact, the three couples were all getting married together in only a few weeks’ time at the Duke of Worthington’s large country estate.
“I’ve told you countless times, Marianne, dear. I wouldn’t worry about your brother,” Lady Courtney interjected. “He’s a capable man, and I daresay once the ladies of the ton get a look at him, they’ll hardly be concerned about his manners.”
Annabelle arched a brow. What exactly did that mean? She wasn’t entirely certain, but it sounded intriguing. Was Lord Elmwood particularly handsome? His sister was certainly lovely, with long red hair and bright blue eyes. Annabelle had never been particularly attracted to men with red hair, but no doubt some of the ladies of the ton would be. Besides, with an earldom to offer, his looks would hardly matter to several of them. They were hunters, and a man with an eligible title and a large fortune were their prey. According to Beau, Lord Elmwood had both.
“Yes,” Marianne replied, nodding toward Lady Courtney “I know, but David and I… Well, you know how we were raised, Lady Courtney. Mama did her best to ensure we weren’t completely unaware of certain things, but we were hardly part of Society.”