Rules of a Ruse (Regency Christmas Brides #2)

Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Alden stared out the window of the coach as it rumbled towards Miss Cowen’s manor, his thoughts churning with a mixture of anticipation and doubt. He didn’t have high hopes when meeting this young woman, but he hoped he could at least convince Elinor that he was interested. Perhaps, if he made her jealous, she might come to her senses and marry him. He hoped so, considering he rather enjoyed spending time with Elinor and wouldn’t mind continuing to do so in the future.

Elinor’s voice broke through the silence. “We are almost there.”

Alden turned his gaze back to her, studying her calm demeanor. “Are you sure that I will like this Miss Cowen?”

She nodded. “Yes, Maisie is a dear friend. She wants nothing more than to be a wife and a mother.”

“Does she take issue that it will be a marriage of convenience?”

“She has no objections,” Elinor assured him.

Alden eyed Elinor curiously, his skepticism evident. “And you are quite certain that nothing is wrong with her? ”

Elinor looked amused. “I am, just as I have assured you before.”

“Does she have an impairment of some kind or hordes of children tucked away in the cupboards?” Alden pressed, a hint of humor in his voice.

With a laugh, Elinor responded, “She is nine and ten years old and has no children or impairments that I know of.”

“You mentioned she is well-read, but will she be sneaking into lectures on physics?” Alden inquired.

“I promise you that Maisie has no intentions of doing something so scandalous. She is a lady and prefers the comforts of home,” Elinor replied with a knowing smile.

The coach came to a stop in front of a modest-sized manor and Alden stepped out. Once he was on solid ground, he reached back to assist Elinor and her lady’s maid out. He tucked Elinor’s hand into the crook of his arm and led her towards the main door.

Alden knocked on the door and took a step back, his eyes scanning the well-maintained surroundings.

The door was promptly opened by a white-haired woman. “Good morning,” she greeted warmly. “Please come in.”

Alden stepped into the small entry hall with Elinor still on his arm. “Is Miss Cowen available for callers?” he asked.

The white-haired woman smiled broadly. “She is,” she confirmed. “Please, follow me.”

As they stepped into the drawing room, Alden’s eyes immediately fell on a young woman sprawled out on the settee, a pillow over her face. “Is that you, Mrs. Campbell?” she asked, her voice muffled.

“Yes, and guests have arrived,” Mrs. Campbell replied.

Miss Cowen moved the pillow off her face and quickly sat up. She was an attractive woman with an oval face, pale skin and blonde hair that was tied into a bun at the base of her neck. “Good morning,” she said in an overly cheerful voice. “What a lovely day we are having. Please come sit. ”

Elinor gestured towards Alden and provided the introductions. “Miss Maisie Cowen, please allow me to introduce you to Mr. Dandridge, the great-nephew of Lady Edith.”

Alden bowed. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Cowen.”

Miss Cowen offered him a coy smile. “It is not every day that I am able to entertain a son of an earl in my home.”

Elinor glanced at the door. “Will your mother be joining us?”

“No, she went to the apothecary to buy me some powder for this terrible headache I have,” Miss Cowen said.

“I’m sorry that ails you,” Alden remarked.

Miss Cowen brought a hand up to her forehead, her smile dimming. “I am afraid I suffer many inflictions, but I have had the strength to overcome each and every one of them. Some people consider me brave for all the trials that I must endure.”

Alden didn’t quite know what to say to that remark, so he remained quiet.

Fortunately, Elinor spoke up, drawing the attention away from him. “It is true,” she said. “Maisie has endured many illnesses and has shown remarkable resilience in overcoming them.”

Miss Cowen waved a dismissive hand in front of her. “Enough talk of me. I want to learn more about Mr. Dandridge.” She patted the seat next to her on the settee. “Come sit by me. We have much to discuss.”

With great reluctance, Alden approached the proffered chair and sat down. “What would you care to know?”

Leaning towards him, Miss Cowen said, “Your eyes are so blue. They remind me of the Loch Ness.”

“Thank you,” Alden responded, feeling uncomfortable by how close Miss Cowen was to him.

Elinor went to sit across from them. “I do not believe Mr. Dandridge has been to Loch Ness.”

“We must go!” Miss Cowen urged. “The Loch Ness is extraordinary. We could take a rowboat and spend hours on the lake.”

Alden exchanged a glance with Elinor before asking, “Isn’t it rather cold to go on the lake right now?”

“We could always remain close to one another to stay warm,” Miss Cowen said, inching even closer to him.

He abruptly rose and walked to the mantel that hung over the hearth. “I’m afraid I do not have any intention of remaining in Scotland for too long.”

Miss Cowen pouted. “That is a shame.”

“Mr. Dandridge is only here long enough to find a wife before he returns to England,” Elinor explained.

The pout on Miss Cowen’s face disappeared. “I would make an excellent wife,” she declared. “I have been preparing my whole life to be one.”

Alden cleared his throat. “Wonderful,” he muttered. What did one say to such a ridiculous remark?

Miss Cowen rose gracefully and began to dance around the room. “I am an excellent dancer. My dancing master told me that I glide across the floor quite nicely.” She came to a stop in front of Alden. “And I can sing.”

As she opened her mouth, presumably to sing a song, Alden quickly interjected. “That won’t be necessary. I believe you.”

Miss Cowen smoothed down her simple blue gown. “My mother encouraged my education so I wouldn’t be a bore in the drawing room… or any other place, for that matter.” She batted her eyelashes at him, her gaze unwavering.

Dear heavens, he needed a drink. His eyes darted around the room, searching desperately for a drink cart, but there was none in sight.

Elinor gave her friend a disapproving shake of her head. “Maisie… you know your mother would not approve of you saying such a thing.”

“It is true,” Miss Cowen said, her eyes still fixed on Alden. “ My mother is quite the prude, but I have read many books on the subject.”

Alden turned his attention to Elinor, silently pleading for her help. He had no desire to marry someone that was so bold in their intentions.

Elinor must have understood what he was trying to convey because she rose. “I forgot that I promised Mr. Dandridge that we would go over the ledgers today.”

“Ledgers?” Miss Cowen repeated, her expression turning to one of disappointment. “But that is so boring. Why not stay here and we can play a game of chess? I am quite good at it. Everyone has told me so.”

“As tempting as that sounds…” Elinor started.

Miss Cowen spoke over her. “We could always go on a walk or have a cup of tea?” she asked eagerly. Too eagerly.

Alden decided it was best to intercede. “I do thank you for your hospitality, but we really do need to go.”

“Fine,” Miss Cowen responded, tossing her hands up in the air. “I have a headache anyways and I need to rest.”

“I do hope you don’t take offense—” Alden began.

Miss Cowen dropped down onto the settee. “I will be all right. You may go now.” She laid back and placed a pillow over her face.

Alden went to say something, but Elinor put her hand up to stop him. “I shall call upon you again, Maisie.”

“Don’t bother. I shall probably be dead the next time you see me,” Miss Cowen declared from beneath the pillow.

“You are not going to die,” Elinor reassured her gently.

Miss Cowen removed the pillow from her face and looked up at Elinor. “How would you know? You are not a doctor.”

Elinor smiled. “I am not, but I wish you well.”

“Thank you for stopping by,” Miss Cowen said, returning the pillow to her face with a sigh.

As Alden led Elinor from the manor, he asked, “Is Miss Cowen always like this? ”

“She is not at her finest, I’m afraid,” Elinor replied. “But that is one of the many reasons why I just adore her. She is rather entertaining.”

“That could be a word for it,” Alden muttered.

Once Elinor and her lady’s maid were situated in the coach, Alden positioned himself across from them. “I find that women in Scotland are much more brazen than their English counterparts.”

“You seem to forget that it is not common for the son of an English earl to be looking for a Scottish wife in this small village,” Elinor pointed out. “But now that you have met all three ladies, is there one that strikes your fancy the most?”

This was it. Alden knew he had to lie in an attempt to make Elinor jealous. Would this ruse even work? “I suppose if I had to pick, I would pick Miss Cowen.”

Elinor furrowed her brows. “Miss Cowen?” she repeated. “As in the young woman we just visited?”

“Yes, I do think she was quite lovely,” he lied.

“Miss Cowen?” she echoed, her tone incredulous.

“Yes, Miss Cowen.”

She stared at him in disbelief. “You would marry Miss Cowen?”

Alden reached up and rubbed his chin, pretending to consider his words carefully. “She is quite beautiful, and I do believe the doctors in England could help with her headaches,” he said. “She is precisely what I am looking for in a young woman. She can dance, sing and I find many things intriguing about her”

Elinor pursed her lips. “Like what?”

He resisted the urge to chuckle, especially since he now had to come up with one thing he found intriguing about Miss Cowen. Was there anything? “She is clearly well-read, and I would like to get her opinion on a myriad of things. Furthermore, she is very entertaining, and I appreciate her straightforward manner, especially her promise of not being a bore. ”

“But it is Maisie,” Elinor said. “She is…” Her words trailed off.

“She is what?” he prodded.

Elinor brought a smile to her lips. “She is… wonderful,” she said through clenched teeth. “I hope you two are truly happy with one another.”

“We will be,” Alden responded.

“Good,” Elinor muttered before she turned her attention to the window, retreating to her own thoughts.

Alden had no desire to ever marry Miss Cowen, but he wasn’t about to tell Elinor that. If he didn’t know any better, it almost seemed that Elinor was indeed jealous of Miss Cowen. He could only hope that might change her mind about marrying him.

Elinor stormed into her bedchamber and slammed her door shut. She started pacing back and forth, her mind a whirlwind of frustration and disbelief. What in the blazes was Alden thinking? He couldn’t possibly be serious about marrying Maisie. She was awful. Just awful. She was always complaining of ailments yet appeared perfectly healthy. Maisie would make Alden miserable. She was sure of that.

Drats. Why had she introduced him to Maisie? She should have just stopped with Gwendolyn and Isobel. Was Alden that desperate that he would truly consider Maisie?

A knock came at the door, and her aunt stepped in, concern etched on her face. “Is everything all right?”

“No!” Elinor shouted, tossing her hands up in exasperation. “Alden is going to marry Maisie.”

“Maisie?”

“Yes, Maisie Cowen,” Elinor confirmed.

Her aunt furrowed her brow. “Has he met Maisie? ”

“Yes, we just went to call upon her, and Alden left being intrigued by her,” Elinor shared. “Can you imagine that?”

Coming to sit on the settee, her aunt said, “I will admit that I did not see this coming, considering Maisie is rather difficult to please.”

Elinor stopped pacing and turned to face her aunt. “Alden can’t marry Maisie. She would make him miserable.”

“Alden?”

Elinor pressed her lips together. “Yes, he gave me leave to call him by his given name.”

“And you did the same?”

“I did,” Elinor confirmed. “We are friends.”

Her aunt looked at her curiously. “When did you become friends with Mr. Dandridge?” she asked.

“It is all about the ruse,” Elinor said.

“Is it now?” her aunt asked, not quite looking convinced.

Elinor resumed her pacing. “I had to convince him that we are friends so he would trust me.”

“There are rules to the ruse?”

“Of course,” Elinor replied. “But if he marries Maisie, I have lost. He will sell the horse farm and we will have nowhere to go.”

Her aunt rose and approached her. “First things first, you have not lost. And now is not the time to give up.”

Elinor faced her aunt. “What am I to do?”

“You are asking me?” her aunt asked. “You must be desperate.”

“I can’t lose this horse farm.”

Her aunt tapped her lips thoughtfully. “I wonder if there is something you could do to convince him not to sell the horse farm.”

Elinor’s shoulders slumped. “I have tried, but he is adamant that he wants to sell it to buy land in England.”

“What if you married him?” her aunt asked .

She reared back. “Have you lost your senses? He wants a marriage of convenience and I want?—”

Her aunt spoke over her. “Love,” she said. “I know, but I do think it is possible for you two to get what you both want.”

“And how do we go about doing that?”

With a slight shrug, her aunt said, “You two just need to fall madly in love with one another.”

Elinor huffed. “I do believe playing the bagpipes has caused you to spout nonsense.”

“Hear me out,” her aunt said. “You like him, he likes you…”

“No,” Elinor said with a shake of her head. “I don’t like him. I can barely tolerate him, and he is going to marry Maisie. It is over.”

“All right,” her aunt conceded, taking a step back.

Elinor lifted her brow. “That is all you have to say?”

“What else can I say?” her aunt asked. “If you aren’t interested in Mr. Dandridge, there is no point in pursuing him.”

“I’m not,” Elinor lied.

“Very well,” her aunt said, walking over to the door. “Not that you are interested, but I do believe Mr. Dandridge is still in the library.”

“Well, I do not care where Mr. Dandridge spends his time,” Elinor said.

Her aunt smiled, as if she had found her words to be amusing. “Then I shall see you for supper.”

Once her aunt had left, it only took Elinor a moment before she knew her aunt was right. She was interested in Mr. Dandridge, which only seemed to irk her more. And she wanted to see him.

Elinor approached the mirror and smoothed back her dark hair before she headed out the door. With quick steps, she approached the library.

This was madness .

She should turn around and go back to her bedchamber. But she couldn’t convince herself to do so.

Stepping into the library, she saw Alden was sitting down, a book in his hand. He glanced up and promptly rose when he saw her. “Elinor,” he greeted. “I thought you were going to rest.”

“I was,” Elinor said as she walked closer to him. “But I… uh… wanted a book to read. I had no idea that you would be in here.”

Alden smiled and she felt the familiar fluttering in her stomach. “Perhaps I can help you select a book.”

Elinor pointed towards the book in his hand. “May I ask what you are reading?”

Holding the book up, he replied, “It is a book of sonnets by William Shakespeare.”

“How intriguing.”

“Truly?” Alden asked.

She shook her head. “No, I prefer Shakespeare’s plays to his sonnets,” she responded. “I am surprised you didn’t select a book that was written in Latin.”

Alden put the book down onto the table and looked at Elinor with a solemn look. “Can I tell you a secret?”

“Always,” Elinor replied, her curiosity piqued.

“I studied Latin at university because I wanted to eventually become a barrister,” Alden shared.

Elinor cocked her head. “And now?”

Alden grinned. “As you can see, I am not a barrister,” he replied. “I applied to Lincoln’s Inn and got accepted.”

“Then what happened?”

“I studied with barristers and shared many meals with them,” Alden said. “But I wasn’t passionate about it. It didn’t make me happy.”

Elinor took a step closer to him. “What does make you happy? ”

Alden winced, looking away briefly before meeting her gaze again. “I want to be a landowner in England.”

“Why does it have to be in England?” Elinor asked. “Why can’t you be happy with owning land in Scotland?”

“Scotland is not my home,” Alden said.

Elinor met his gaze. “It could be,” she argued. “You could get married and start off with a successful horse farm.”

Alden looked at her like she was mad. “I know nothing about horses.”

“But I do,” Elinor asserted. “I could continue to run it and you could?—”

“Do what? Sit around and twiddle my thumbs?” Alden asked, a hint of frustration in his voice.

Elinor forced a smile to her lips. “I can teach you everything I know and then you could eventually run it.”

Alden moved to stand in front of her, his proximity making her heart race. “What will you do then?”

“I am rather resourceful,” Elinor responded. “I could find something else to do. You wouldn’t need to worry about me.”

“But I do worry about you, Elinor,” Alden said softly.

Elinor bit her lower lip, her emotions a tangled mess. “You shouldn’t since you are going to marry Maisie,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Alden brought his hand up and gently tucked a piece of errant hair behind her ear. “Is there a reason why you don’t think I should marry Miss Cowen?”

Yes.

She had many reasons, but she couldn’t seem to find the strength to say one. Not when he was standing this close to her.

He leaned closer. “Do you want to know what I think?”

She nodded, her eyes dropping to his lips.

“I think you might be jealous that I am showing interest in Miss Cowen,” Alden whispered.

Elinor’s eyes snapped up. “Jealous?” she repeated, her voice incredulous. “Why would I be jealous? I am the farthest thing from being jealous.”

Alden looked amused. “Your actions tell me otherwise.”

“No. If anything, I am happy for you,” Elinor said with a defiant tilt of her chin. “I hope you and Miss Cowen have a horde of children.”

“Is that so?” Alden asked.

Elinor bobbed her head. “Yes, and for you to suggest otherwise is ludicrous. I think you and Miss Cowen are perfect for one another.”

Alden brought his hand up and ran his finger down the length of her cheek, sending shivers down her spine. “Yet you have made no effort to distance yourself from me.”

“Need I remind you that you approached me, not the other way around?” Elinor asked, struggling to keep her voice steady.

His lips quirked into a half-smile. “Why won’t you admit that you have some feelings for me?”

“When pigs fly,” Elinor retorted.

Alden leaned forward until their lips were just inches apart and asked, “Do you want to kiss me, Elinor?”

Yes.

It would be so easy to go up on her tiptoes and press her lips against his. But what would that accomplish?

As her heart pounded in her chest, the sound of the main door being slammed echoed throughout the manor, followed by a booming voice calling, “Elinor!”

Elinor stepped out of Alden’s comforting arms, and she felt dread washing over her. How she wished she never had to hear that voice again.

“What is wrong?” Alden asked.

She glanced over her shoulder at the doorway, her face paling. “It is my uncle,” she said. “He has come to take me home.”