An Unlikely Debutante

She moved quickly, darting away through the crowds without looking back until she was sure she must have lost him. The fair was getting busier as the morning turned into afternoon and it was easy to hide herself amongst the large groups of visitors.

‘You’re quick on your feet,’ a low voice came from close to her ear.

Lina tried to hide how she jumped as Lord Whitemore’s words tickled her neck.

‘All the better to get away from lecherous men,’ Lina said, turning to face the young gentleman.

‘I understand your reluctance to consider my proposal, but I’m in a bit of a sticky situation. I cannot lose this wager. My sister would see me settled with some sweet, banal wife before the year was out and my life would be miserable. And I do hate to be miserable.’

Despite her instinct to run as far away from this man as fast as possible, Lina felt a little intrigued. When she’d told his fortune, he’d been dismissive and bored, but even then she’d sensed an energy, a simmering vitality hidden underneath. A few minutes earlier she’d found herself watching him from a distance as he’d laughed and joked with his brother-in-law, wishing she knew exactly what it was that made his eyes sparkle and caused him to fling his head back and let out a raucous laugh. Now he was right here, in front of her, and she knew the safest thing would be to leave and not look back.

‘What was the wager?’

‘Come share a drink with me and I’ll explain everything.’

‘What was the wager?’ she repeated without moving.

Lina watched as Lord Whitemore appraised her before answering. She got the sense he wasn’t a man who people said no to, but she stood her ground, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

‘I made a comment about the conversational ability of today’s debutantes,’ Lord Whitemore said eventually. ‘And I said I could turn any young woman into an acceptable debutante within six weeks, no matter her background.’

‘And your brother-in-law challenged you to do just that?’

‘Exactly.’

‘With me?’

Lord Whitemore grimaced. ‘It wasn’t you specifically. It was the next woman of marriageable age to walk past.’

‘And I’m the lucky girl? What happens if I refuse you straight away?’

‘I lose the wager.’

‘Why should that matter to me?’

Lina watched as Lord Whitemore’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly and she saw the flicker of a smile on his lips.

‘Right now of course it doesn’t, but come and have a drink with me and we can work the details out.’

Glancing over her shoulder as a ruse to buy a few seconds to make a decision, Lina deliberated. Although she knew she should be working, trying to earn the money she owed Uncle Tom, Lina had been performing at village fairs since she could walk and she was bored. She wanted more in her life than travelling with the same people, working the same jobs. She wanted excitement and adventure, and maybe this was her chance.

Lord Whitemore was already walking away towards one of the tents serving the local cider by the time she turned to face him again.

Muttering a string of expletives under her breath, Lina watched him go, wondering when he would realise she wasn’t following him. As much as she complained about her gypsy family and way of life, she couldn’t stand the arrogance of the upper classes. No one in her family would act so imperiously, especially if they wanted a favour. This Lord Whitemore needed her—he’d admitted as much not two minutes earlier—and now he was expecting her to scamper after him like some obedient puppy.

With one hand lifting her skirts, Lina hopped over a muddy puddle and wove through the crowds back towards the lively country music. She allowed herself a satisfied smile at the thought of Lord Whitemore arriving at the cider tent on his own, joining the small group of young women hovering by the musicians.

Raul was plucking away at his strings, tapping his foot to keep time for the little group. When he caught sight of Lina he nodded towards the empty space that had been cordoned off for dancing. It was the same at every fair—people would wander about for the first hour or two, enjoying the cider, looking at the different goods to buy and inspecting the livestock, but before long they would gravitate towards the music. Huddles of young women would look longingly at the fresh-faced young men across the open-air dance floor, hoping someone would ask them to dance. Of course no one wanted to be the first to sashay out into the open with everyone watching, and that was where Lina came in.

‘Ready?’ she asked a young man whom she was probably distantly related to. John was only a few years older than her, with a mass of dark hair and deep brown eyes. He was popular with the village girls wherever they went. He and Lina always took to the dance floor together, performing for the onlookers before splitting up to entice others to dance. It was a well-practised routine and as Raul saw them come together he motioned to the other musicians to up the tempo.

One of Lina’s greatest pleasures in life was dancing. As the music washed over her, she didn’t even have to think about the steps, just allowed her body to take over and move instinctively to the music. At these times she forgot about the audience gathered watching her and instead danced this first dance as if she was the only person in the entire world.

Round and round they spun, their feet barely touching the ground, and only as the music slowed temporarily did Lina catch sight of Lord Whitemore making his way to the front of the crowd.

‘My dance, I think,’ Lord Whitemore said as he reached them, catching Lina by the hand. At the same time John winked at a young country girl, beckoning her out to join him, so now there were four on the dance floor.

‘Lord Whitemore, I applaud your persistence, but I am working,’ Lina said, pulling away.

‘Enticing people to dance?’

‘Exactly.’

‘Then let me help.’

Before Lina could even open her mouth to protest Lord Whitemore had gripped her firmly around the waist, pulled her in closer so her body was pressed tightly against his and whisked her off across the grassy dance floor.

‘I don’t need your help.’

‘It is nice to help out your fellow human being. Rewarding.’ He spun her unexpectedly and flashed a flawless pearly white grin.

Out of the corner of her eye Lina could see her brother looking in their direction. She gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head. The last thing she wanted was for Raul to come hurtling at an influential landowner. One well-placed punch and they would be moved on before the fair was even fully underway.

‘Fifteen pounds,’ Lina said, as she was twirled backwards and forward. Lord Whitemore was a good dancer and it was taking all her considerable skill to keep up as he guided her this way and that.

‘Fifteen pounds?’

‘That’s my price.’

‘That might be a slight problem.’

Lina bristled. ‘You don’t think I’m worth fifteen pounds?’

‘Not at all, my dear, I’m sure you’re worth ten times that figure. But one of the conditions of the wager is that I am not allowed to pay you.’

‘Then why would I do it?’

‘From the goodness of your heart?’

Lina laughed. ‘My heart isn’t that good. Six weeks is a long time. If I’m with you, becoming the perfect debutante, I’m not working. I’ll lose money.’

As the last note of the dance sounded, Lina felt Lord Whitemore release his grip just a little. He still wasn’t letting her go, but seemed content to hold her at arm’s length and regard her for a moment.

‘I would not be able to pay you,’ he said slowly. ‘But there was no rule against the giving of gifts.’

Lina tried to hide the flare of hope in her eyes. Maybe this was the solution she’d been hoping for. Uncle Tom might moan, but he would accept payment of her debt in jewellery or other goods, as long as he was paid.

‘What would I be expected to do exactly?’

‘You would come and live with me for six weeks.’ Lord Whitemore held up a hand just as Lina opened her mouth to protest. ‘I will, of course, ensure you are properly chaperoned during that time. Your reputation will be safeguarded.’

‘My brother will still protest. He is rather protective.’

‘As all good brothers should be. I will talk to him, man to man, and give him my assurances that nothing untoward will happen.’

Lina shrugged. If Lord Whitemore could persuade Raul to let her stay with him for six weeks, then she would be mightily impressed. Many people thought gypsies to have loose morals and easy virtues, but in Lina’s experience the same standards were expected of the young gypsy women as every other young woman. They might not live the same conventional lives as everyone else, but if they wanted to find a decent partner to settle down with, they were expected to be untouched and unblemished on their wedding night.

‘And whilst I am staying with you for six weeks...?’ Lina asked.

‘I will teach you to dance, to converse, how to address people at social functions.’

‘Really complicated skills, then.’

‘I admit you can dance, but can you dance a waltz? You can converse, but can you impress a group of society matrons with your demure manner and correct forms of address?’

Lina shrugged. This was why she had always steered clear of the county dances in the towns and villages they visited. There were so many rules, so many opportunities for other people to look down on her, it hardly seemed worth the effort.

‘These things matter. Don’t ask me why, I happen to agree with you. Life would be much more fun if some of the formalities were dispensed with.’

‘So I’d live with you, have lessons in dancing and how to conduct a banal conversation. Anything else?’

‘At the end of the six weeks we would attend a ball together. That is the test. If you get a full dance card, behave appropriately and are successful at blending in with the other debutantes, then I will win the wager.’

‘And I return to my family.’

‘Exactly, and although I cannot pay you, you will be able to take all the new clothes and gifts with you when you leave.’

It probably wouldn’t be enough to pay off her entire debt, Lina thought, but at least it would be a start. Something to keep Uncle Tom at bay for another few weeks.

‘I will do it,’ Lina said.

She gasped with shock as Lord Whitemore picked her up and spun her round. He looked boyish and carefree for a moment, the frown she had picked up on during his fortune telling wiped from his face.

‘If you can persuade Raul,’ she added.

‘That, my dear, will not be a problem.’

Chapter Three

‘You want to do what with my sister?’ Raul asked, his fists clenching although his hands remained by his sides for now.

Alex smiled. It was a well-practised smile that normally portrayed confidence and instilled a sense of trust in the recipient. It was a smile that had served him well over the years, but today it was falling rather flat.

‘I want to turn her into a lady—the perfect debutante to be precise,’ Alex said bluntly, realising a direct approach would be better with the suspicious man standing in front of him.

‘You want to marry her?’

‘Good God, no.’ Alex held up a mitigating hand. ‘I am sure your sister would make any man a wonderful wife, but that is not what I am proposing.’

Quickly he outlined the details of the wager he had accepted and the role Lina would play in the matter.

‘Is this what your lot think of as fun?’ Raul asked, shaking his head. ‘Do you not have better things to do with your time?’

Alex stiffened at the insult.

‘As a matter of fact I do. I run an estate of nearly a thousand acres, with a dozen farms and nearly five times as many residential properties. I employ over two hundred people in various roles and in addition to all that I devote a large amount of time and effort to buying and training racehorses.’ Alex softened his expression and his tone as he saw the respect blooming on the other man’s face. ‘But I also have a sister. A particularly meddlesome sister. And I consider it well worth taking six weeks away from my other responsibilities to ensure I never have to endure her romantic meddling again.’

‘What about Lina’s reputation?’ Raul asked.

Smiling, Alex gave the other man a reassuring pat on the upper arm. He knew he had won this argument already. Lina’s brother would not bother asking about the fine details if he wasn’t going to accept the proposal in principle.

‘Your sister’s reputation is of the utmost importance to me.’ It was the truth. Alex didn’t go around ruining young women’s reputations, whatever walks of life they were from. He doubted this Lina was as pure and innocent as her brother liked to believe, but he would treat her like the most precious virgin for the duration of her stay. ‘My sister is staying with me for the next two weeks. As she is a married woman of good reputation, I trust she will be an adequate chaperone. After that I will arrange for my widowed aunt to visit.’

‘What does Lina get out of this arrangement?’

‘Unfortunately the terms of the wager forbid me to pay your sister for her help over the coming six weeks, but they do not forbid me giving her gifts to reimburse her for her time and efforts.’

‘Lina? Get over here, girl,’ Raul called to where his sister was laughing with some villagers at a nearby table.

‘So, what do you think?’

‘You really want to do this?’ Raul asked his sister.

She shrugged. ‘It’ll make a nice change from dancing and telling fortunes. And I’ll be back with you in no time at all.’

‘Fantastic,’ Alex said enthusiastically, holding out his hand for the other man to shake.

Raul looked at the hand, then slapped Alex on the shoulder in a brotherly way.

‘We don’t shake hands on a deal like this,’ he said, smiling and showing a set of surprisingly white teeth. ‘We fight.’

‘Raul, no,’ Lina protested.

‘Only way to know a man’s character.’

‘You’ll get us thrown out of Pottersdown.’ Brother and sister had huddled together conspiratorially and Alex had to strain to hear Lina’s words.

‘I’m not letting you go without this, Lina,’ Raul said after a hushed but heated discussion.

Lina turned to face him and shrugged. ‘He wants to fight. It’s up to you.’

Alex only deliberated for a second, realising Raul was trying to figure out what sort of man he was entrusting his sister to.

‘Let’s fight,’ Alex heard himself say.

‘Good man. Ten minutes, behind the cider tent.’ Raul left, whistling happily to himself.

Holding out an arm to escort Lina through the fair, Alex felt a rush of anticipation. As much as he knew he should count his blessings, these last few months he’d felt as though he’d been going through the motions and not really living, not really experiencing anything. Only the rush of excitement as he broke in a new horse or watched it cross the finish line with a new personal best speed got his heart pounding and his muscles tensing at the suspense.

This boredom he’d been feeling was entirely self-induced. Alex was well aware that his broken heart after Victoria had left had caused him to push away anything that might hurt him. And it had worked: three years on and his heart was mended, but he’d rather lost sight of the thrills in life that made it worth living.

‘What should I call you, then?’ Lina asked as they walked.

‘You know my name. Lord Whitemore.’

She rolled her eyes, the first of many gestures he would have to persuade her to drop if she was going to fit in with the finest debutantes of the Season.

‘Your real name. I’m not going to go around calling you Lord Whitemore, am I?’

‘I certainly hope you are. That is the correct form of address between us.’ Alex, who had always prided himself on being relaxed and informal, felt decidedly conventional and old-fashioned around Lina.

‘What do people actually call you, though?’ she persisted.

‘Do you promise not to use it?’

‘Cross my heart.’

‘Alex. Well, Alexander, but I prefer Alex.’

‘I suppose I’m meant to curtsy when I greet you, as well?’ Lina murmured quietly.

‘We can work on greetings later. I’m sure I can fill a whole morning with the proper way to greet a gentleman.’

‘I’m quivering with anticipation.’

They reached the cider tent and Lina led him around the side to an open area that was partially shielded from view. Alex quickly rolled his shoulders, loosening his joints, before reaching up to undo his cravat and slip off his jacket. He caught Lina’s eyes lingering on him as he rolled up his sleeves to reveal tanned forearms before a group of men sauntered around the tent.

‘Ready for a beating?’ one of the older men sneered.

‘Pay him no mind,’ Lina called. ‘Raul fights fair, not like this devious coward.’

‘Watch your tongue, Lina, or I’ll watch it for you.’

Alex stepped forward, placing himself in between the older man and Lina. He had no desire to be her protector, but she was under his care for the next six weeks and he would not hear her spoken to in that way.

‘Can I not leave you five minutes without you picking a fight, Tom?’ Raul called as he rounded the back of the tent. The older man shot Alex a dirty look, but sauntered away, taking up his place at the back of the rapidly assembling crowd.

‘Are you ready?’ Raul asked.

‘Whenever you are.’

‘We fight until first blood.’

Alex nodded. It was all the same to him. The muscular gypsy squaring up opposite him was obviously no stranger to a fight; indeed, it seemed his preferred way to seal a deal or settle differences. Alex himself had learned to box at school and had thrown and taken a few punches in more recent years. Added to that his work with his horses kept him physically fit and quick on his feet. Although he didn’t expect to win this fight he was confident he would at least be able to leave with at least his pride intact. It wasn’t really about winning or losing anyway. Alex knew it was his character that was being tested, not his skill—whether he was the sort of man to stand and fight or run and cower.

Slowly the two men circled each other, both light on their feet and constantly moving. For Alex all sounds of the surrounding crowd faded to a distant hum as he concentrated fully on his opponent. Suddenly Raul jabbed, a blow that was made to test Alex’s reactions more than anything, and Alex easily blocked it before returning a couple of lightning-quick body blows that elicited quiet grunts from Raul.

Backing off slightly, they circled again. This time Alex struck first, a powerful blow to Raul’s face that the gypsy wove away from at the last moment. Alex’s fist connected, but the impact was glancing and put him slightly off balance. Raul took full advantage of the situation and began hammering down blows, forcing Alex to go on the defensive. He retreated, using his arms to protect his face, and felt the swell of the crowd behind him.

Sensing Raul’s confidence at victory, Alex allowed him one more punch before feigning to the left and darting right. Before Raul could recover, he delivered a hard blow to the other man’s cheek, followed by a left hook to the jaw. At exactly the same moment, Alex felt Raul’s fist connect with his temple and a tearing pain in his eyebrow followed by the warm trickle of blood over his face.

Both men backed off, lifting their hands to their faces. Both sets of fingers came away wet with blood.

‘First blood.’ Raul grinned, wincing as the movement pained his split lip. ‘For a toff, you don’t fight badly. Now, let’s drink.’

Allowing himself to be led to where the cider was flowing, amid handshakes and claps on the back from the dozens of spectators, Alex realised Lina was nowhere to be seen. She had a habit of disappearing—she was quick and nimble and seemed to weave with ease through the crowds. He supposed it was from a lifetime of working at packed fairs, but right now it was a damned nuisance; he wanted to finalise their arrangement and maybe just see that sparkle of admiration in her eyes.

‘You will look after her?’ Raul asked as the two men knocked back their cups of cider.

‘I will care for her as though she’s my own sister,’ Alex promised.

‘Then I have no more objections. No idea how you got Lina to agree, though.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘She hates your lot. Toffs. Always has...’ Raul paused, tapped his cup against Alex’s and grinned. ‘I don’t think you’re so bad myself.’

* * *

‘What a cosy little arrangement you’ve landed yourself in,’ Tom crowed, making Lina shudder as she caught a whiff of his horrific breath. ‘Whoring yourself out to a gentleman.’

‘I’m not—’ Lina caught herself and took a step back. It never paid to get into an argument with Uncle Tom.

‘Shall I expect payment today?’

‘He’s not paying me,’ Lina said.

‘Giving yourself away for free? Your dear mother would be turning in her grave.’

‘He has promised me gifts, certainly enough to cover the debt I owe you.’

‘I want the money.’

Lina shrugged. ‘I will just sell the gifts and then you can have the money.’

‘The deadline is still the end of the week, Lina.’

‘I won’t have the gifts for six weeks.’

‘Not good enough. I need the money now.’ There was a hint of panic in Tom’s voice that made Lina pause for a second.

She closed her eyes, steeling herself for the suggestion she was about to make, and then ploughed ahead. ‘If you give me the six weeks to raise the debt, I will pay you twelve pounds instead of ten.’

Uncle Tom regarded her thoughtfully. ‘Four weeks and I want fifteen pounds.’

Lina swallowed nervously, but still nodded. She didn’t exactly have a choice. She just hoped Lord Whitemore was generous in his gift giving.

‘And I want information.’

‘What information?’

‘Raul tells me you will be staying with this toff. You’ll be privy to his security arrangements, the layout of his house.’

A faint sensation of nausea started to build deep in Lina’s gut.

‘I’m not stealing anything for you.’

‘I’m not asking you to steal. Just to pass on a little information. What’s information amongst family?’

Lina shook her head.

‘That’s the deal, Lina. Either fifteen pounds and a little information in four weeks, or you pay the ten by the end of the week.’

Squeezing her eyes tight, Lina tried to suppress the image of her mother’s disappointed face as she nodded.

‘Good girl. I’ll be seeing you in a few days.’

Chapter Four

The grass was wet beneath her feet as Lina crossed the field, hopping over a shallow ditch and scrambling up a bank before joining the road again. She had caught a ride on a farmer’s cart from Pottersdown to the village of Hilstone and from there a friendly shopkeeper had assured her it was no more than twenty minutes’ walk across the fields to Whitemore House. Lina had dallied, stopping to pluck some wildflowers to weave into her hair, resting on a tree stump and turning her face up to the sun and even pulling off her boots to dip her toes in the cool waters of a gurgling stream. The twenty-minute walk had turned into an expedition that lasted more than an hour, but now Lina knew she could delay no longer.

She wasn’t sure why she was quite so nervous. This was what she had been waiting for: an opportunity to change her life, to do something different, be somewhere different, at least for a short time. For every one of her twenty years she had lived and worked amongst her gypsy family, travelling through England, performing at fairs in the summer and doing whatever work she could find in the long winter months. For a while she had been restless, unsure what was bothering her, torn between a desire to actually belong somewhere and a carefree and adventurous spirit that wanted to experience everything the world had to offer. She couldn’t decide what she truly wanted from her life, so everything had just stayed the same.