An Unlikely Debutante

‘New experiences,’ Lina murmured to herself as she stopped beside a pair of huge wrought-iron gates, pushed open to reveal a sweeping drive. Fingering the metal for a moment, she peered inside, trying to catch a view of the house.

The drive curved away to the left through immaculately kept lawns and disappeared over a dip with no house in sight. Swallowing her nerves, Lina pushed herself to enter the grounds of Whitemore House, aware of the pounding of her heart in her chest.

When the house did come into view, set back at the crest of a small hill with the drive sweeping dramatically in front of it, Lina had to stop and pause for a second. Then she laughed out loud. It was easily the biggest building she had ever laid eyes on and Raul had taken her into London twice and York once over the course of their travels. It was perfectly proportioned, one central structure with two symmetrical wings flanking it, all in a beautiful sandy-coloured stone.

After more than ten minutes of walking, Lina finally reached the front door and was self-consciously adjusting her dress as it opened before her.

A middle-aged man greeted her with a tight smile.

‘Miss Lock, I presume?’

Lina nodded, her mouth too dry to speak.

‘Follow me, please.’ His words were delivered with a disdain that shook the nervousness from Lina. This was the reason she disliked the aristocracy. They were obsessed with the idea of respect and good manners, but treated anyone inferior as if they were at best a nuisance and at worst an inanimate object, to be used and discarded. Even their servants were rude.

‘So are you a member of the family, then?’ Lina asked, making sure she added a coarse quality to her voice as she spoke. She stepped over the threshold, trying to take in the vast entrance hall, the marble flooring and the perfectly sculpted statues that sat in recesses dotted along the walls.

‘Most certainly not. I am Lord Whitemore’s butler.’

‘So a servant. Strange, that.’

The butler looked down at her from his superior height.

‘What is strange?’ he asked eventually with a long-suffering sigh.

‘Well, I always thought servants were meant to be polite. To be a shining example to make their masters proud. But you, you’re ruder than a cow that hasn’t been milked for a week.’

‘I beg your pardon,’ the butler stammered. Lina half expected his face to turn bright red, but instead his cheeks seemed to lose colour and his lips were pressed thin. ‘That sort of language won’t be tolerated, Miss Lock.’

‘Ah, but it will. See, I’m an invited guest and you are a member of staff.’

‘The Marquess will hear about this.’

‘Williams, what is all the noise about?’ a soft, feminine voice called and was shortly followed by the emergence of Lord Whitemore’s sister from one of the many doorways that led into the grand entrance hall.

‘Please forgive me...’ The butler was silenced by a friendly wave of the hand and Lina felt herself being swept into the embrace of the slightly older woman.

‘Come, come, you must be tired from your journey. I have tea set out on the terrace. In the shade, of course, the sun does dastardly things to my complexion,’ Lord Whitemore’s sister gushed. The journey had taken less than three hours and Lina had experienced many more arduous days, but she allowed herself to be swept along by the other woman’s enthusiasm.

‘Thank you...Lady Whitemore?’ Lina ventured.

‘Dear me, we haven’t even been properly introduced. I am Lady Georgina Pentworthy, Alex’s long-suffering and completely devoted sister.’

‘A pleasure to meet you, Lady Pentworthy.’

Georgina shook her head very slightly and laughed. ‘Why don’t you call me Georgina, my dear? Much simpler than trying to untangle which part of my name to use when.’

They walked through a room filled wall to wall with books. Lina had never seen anything like it and paused for just a second to take in the dozens of bookshelves that lined the walls, full of heavy, leather-bound books. It made her much-treasured and battered three-book collection seem rather insignificant.

‘I am so pleased you agreed to come and stay,’ Georgina said, squeezing Lina’s arm lightly. ‘These next few weeks are going to be so much fun.’

‘Would it not have been better for you if I refused?’ Lina asked. ‘Then you would have won your wager straight out.’

‘Don’t tell my darling brother, but I don’t really mind if I win this wager or not. It’s the journey that is going to be the important part.’

‘The journey?’

Georgina motioned to a seat on the terrace, behind a table that looked out over the formal gardens directly behind the house. An assortment of mouth-watering pastries and a delicate china tea set were laid out and Lina wondered if Whitemore’s sister had been waiting on her arrival.

‘My brother is a very accomplished man, very talented,’ Georgina said slowly whilst pouring out a fragrant cup of amber-coloured tea. ‘But he has buried himself in his work for the last few years and I’m hoping you will be able to coax him out.’

Lina took a sip and eyed up the pastries, relieved when the other woman slipped two on to her own plate and motioned for Lina to take her pick.

‘How am I supposed to do that?’ This wager was becoming more complicated by the minute, what with Uncle Tom’s expectations of her and now Georgina’s hidden motives.

‘He will have to take a break, look up from his work and focus on something entirely different. To get you ready to attend a London ball you will have to go shopping, go for day trips, socialise at some local functions...’

‘Does Lord Whitemore not do all that already?’

Georgina grimaced. ‘He does,’ she said slowly. ‘But suffice it to say even if his body is in attendance, his head and his heart are not.’

Taking a bite of a crisp, fresh pastry Lina closed her eyes and savoured the mouthful. She wondered if she had ever tasted anything so delicious in her entire life.

‘How am I meant to influence that?’ Lina asked, putting down the pastry before she spoke so she would not shower her companion in crumbs.

‘Just by being here.’

It seemed like a lot of responsibility and as Lina gulped down the hot tea, she felt a stirring of unease. She liked Georgina, she seemed warm and genuine and hadn’t condescended to Lina once during their conversation. Despite their obvious differences in status and wealth Georgina was talking to her as if she was a treasured friend, not a gypsy girl whose main talents were a little fancy footwork and telling lies to impressionable young girls.

‘Please don’t fret,’ Georgina said reassuringly. ‘I’ll be here to guide you these first two weeks and after that I’m sure you’ll run rings around my brother.’

Lina wasn’t so sure. She knew she had a lightning-quick tongue, but sometimes she was too hot-headed, too fast to jump into a dangerous situation. From what she had seen so far Lord Whitemore had that easy manner of many men of his class, but also a cool, self-possessed quality and the self-assurance to go along with it. Lina wasn’t sure how well her usual tricks would stand up when pitted against Lord Whitemore’s imperturbable logic.

Two children came dashing across the lawn and Georgina stood to gather them in her arms. First to arrive was a boy of about five, followed by a smaller girl, who tottered to keep up, but still managed to outrun the exhausted-looking nursemaid who trailed behind.

‘My darlings, how I have missed you,’ Georgina gushed, peppering the two small children with kisses until both were rolling around, giggling and squirming out of her reach. ‘Now, William, Flora, we have a guest. This is Miss Lina Lock. She will be staying with your uncle for the next few weeks.’

‘Pleased to meet you, Miss Lock,’ William said, his words accompanied by a formal little bow. His expression was serious, as was his tone, and for a second it was as though he were transformed into a miniature adult.

Flora giggled, managed to dip into the sweetest curtsy Lina had ever seen, then promptly turned bright red and hid behind her mother’s skirts.

‘My children,’ Georgina explained rather unnecessarily. ‘William is five, and Flora is three.’ She turned to her son. ‘Now, William, where do you think your uncle might be?’

William’s eyes lit up and he was halfway across the lawn before Flora provided the answer.

‘Horses. Horses. He’s with horses,’ she chanted, flinging herself after her brother much to the nursemaid’s despair.

‘Shall we go and find him?’ Georgina suggested.

Lina nodded her agreement, feeling the excitement swell inside her. She’d known there would be horses on the estate—all the nobility seemed to have them to pull their carriages and to hunt with—but the idea that she might get to ride some of the magnificent animals had never even crossed her mind. She loved horses, loved feeling the wind in her hair as she galloped through the countryside, that sensation of freedom, but the horses her extended family owned were mainly slow, plodding beasts more accustomed to pulling heavy carts than being ridden for pleasure.

‘Lord Whitemore likes to ride?’ Lina asked casually as Georgina linked arms with her and together they followed the two children across the lawn and to the side of the house.

Georgina gave her a slightly curious sidelong look. ‘Yes, my brother likes to ride,’ she confirmed eventually.

They passed through a lovingly tended rose garden before entering a tree-lined walk that filtered some of the sunlight, giving the path a wonderfully dappled effect.

‘If you ever find yourself searching for my brother, this is where he will be,’ Georgina declared as they emerged into a large, dusty courtyard. Lord Whitemore was nowhere to be seen. ‘Well, not here exactly, but somewhere with his beloved horses.’

Daintily Georgina hopped over a pile of manure and led Lina past an assortment of stables and outbuildings to where the fields stretched out before them. In the foreground was a large fenced-off area.

As they drew closer, Lina couldn’t take her eyes off the magnificent, rearing beast that was snorting and stomping in the riding yard. Its coat was a beautiful chestnut brown that glistened in the sunlight and it was by far the biggest horse Lina had ever seen. Currently it didn’t appear too happy, tossing its head and taking hurried little steps sideways, letting out snorts of frustration.

Lina’s gaze was torn from the horse as a figure sauntered across her eyeline. He was tall and particularly muscular, something she could attest to due to the fact he wasn’t wearing a shirt. Sweat dripped over his torso and as he moved Lina thought he looked rather like one of the illustrations in her most treasured book, Greek Gods, Heroes and Myths.

Lord Whitemore approached the horse again, murmuring softly to it words that Lina could not hear, but could see the calming effect they had on the animal. He paused when he was about two feet away, the horse still stomping nervously. Lina was mesmerised; this was the ultimate battle for power and trust, one that she could see Lord Whitemore was well practised at negotiating.

Confidently but slowly he took another step forward, laying a hand on the animal’s neck and stroking softly, still murmuring his soothing words. The horse calmed, became still, and Lina saw the exact moment it capitulated and allowed Lord Whitemore to stroke it gently without any consequence.

Man and beast stood together for a few seconds before Lord Whitemore produced a simple halter.

‘Enough for today,’ Lina heard him whisper, and was amazed as the only recently calmed horse allowed him to slip on the halter and lead it to the edge of the pen. A stable boy quickly opened the gate, but stood back and let Lord Whitemore past rather than taking the animal back to the stables himself.

Lina watched enviously as the animal disappeared from view. She had ridden her fair share of wild horses in her time. She knew how to approach them, how to calm them and how to mount them, but she’d always chosen animals of moderate size, ones that would not cause her too much injury when they inevitably threw her. Every bone of her body wanted to be able to do what Lord Whitemore had just done and more.

‘Ah, Miss Lock. I’d completely forgotten you were arriving today,’ Lord Whitemore said as he emerged from the stables a couple of minutes later.

‘See? There in body, but not in mind,’ Georgina muttered.

Lina bobbed a clumsy curtsy, not knowing where to look as she rose. Lord Whitemore was still topless, but as she watched he grabbed a simple white shirt that was draped over the fence and pulled it over his head. His tanned and muscular torso was still partially visible through the thin white material, especially as it clung to the sweat on his body. Lina swallowed and tried to compose herself. She didn’t know why she was quite so affected by Lord Whitemore’s unexpected half nakedness. In the hot summer months most of the gypsy men she travelled with would set up for the fairs clothed in just their trousers. Lina was no stranger to bare chests and relaxed attitudes to clothing, but something about seeing Lord Whitemore like it had set her heart hammering.

‘What sort of horse was that?’ Lina asked, recovering enough to focus on what was important.

Lord Whitemore and Georgina exchanged glances.

‘You’re interested in horses?’ Lord Whitemore asked.

‘I love horses. He looked like an Arabian.’

‘What have I done?’ Georgina murmured as Lord Whitemore grinned. ‘Another horse lover.’

‘Well, these six weeks have just become a lot more tolerable,’ Lord Whitemore said.

Lina bristled, but forgot her indignation as Lord Whitemore offered her his arm and started explaining the origin and breed of his latest horse.

Chapter Five

What had he got himself into? Alex let his head sink into his hands for a fraction of a second, before straightening up. This would not defeat him. He was a man who had broken in the most difficult of horses—he would not be beaten by a girl’s incessant questioning and arguing.

‘It’s stupid,’ Lina repeated. ‘What does it matter if I call your sister Lady Georgina or Lady Pentworthy? Both are respectful, both give you an idea who she is.’

Alex counted to five before answering. ‘But neither is correct. One more time. Lady Pentworthy would be the wife of Lord Pentworthy. Lady Georgina would be the daughter of a titled gentleman, in this case a marquess.’

‘Which she is,’ Lina said through gritted teeth. ‘So why is it incorrect to address her as Lady Georgina?’

‘She is now married to Mr Pentworthy, so she becomes Lady Georgina Pentworthy. A quirk of marrying a husband of lower rank.’

‘A ridiculous quirk,’ Lina muttered under her breath. ‘It would be much simpler to dispense with all these stupid rules and titles and just call everyone by their actual names.’

‘I will forward your suggestion to the Prince Regent,’ Alex said drily.

He watched as Lina flopped dramatically back in the brown leather armchair situated by the veranda doors in the library. It was only their first day and to ease her into her lessons to become the perfect debutante Alex had suggested they start by getting to grips with how to address people. How he regretted that now.

‘Maybe it would help if you spent a couple of hours familiarising yourself with the contents of Debrett’s,’ he suggested, standing and perusing the shelves until he found the heavy book he was looking for.

Lina sighed, levered herself out of her chair and followed him over to the small table.

‘And what on earth is Debrett’s?’

‘It is a peerage reference book.’

Lina glared at it suspiciously.

‘You do know how to read?’ Alex regretted the words as soon as they came out of his mouth.

‘Just because I’m not titled Lady Lina or Lady Lock or even Lady Lina Lock doesn’t mean I can’t read,’ Lina said huffily, pulling the dusty old tome out of his hands. ‘I would just prefer to read something actually interesting instead of this list of names.’

‘I apologise,’ Alex said, touching Lina lightly on the back of the hand. He felt her stiffen under his touch and quickly withdrew his fingers. It was inappropriate and Alex wasn’t sure what had made him reach out and stroke her hand, but he regretted it immediately.

Ever since Lina had arrived at Whitemore House twenty-four hours ago the time had whizzed past in a whirlwind of activity. It was rather refreshing to have Lina question why they did certain things, to see her amusement at their customs and her awe at the splendour of her surroundings. She was loud, opinionated, sarcastic and not afraid to say exactly what she was feeling, but Alex could see there was more to the spirited gypsy girl than first appearances would suggest. The way he’d caught her running her fingers lovingly along the books on the bookshelves as he’d entered the library, how her eyes had lit up as she watched him with the Arabian horse the day before and how already she and his sister seemed the closest of confidants.

She was pretty, too. Petite and slender, her skin coloured with a hint of warm caramel and dark hair and eyes that told of a heritage somewhere in her ancestors’ past. Once or twice Alex had found himself watching her lips as she smiled and her hips as she moved around the room with a lightness of foot that identified her as a dancer.

This attraction he felt was surprising. Long ago he had been a man who thoroughly enjoyed the company of women. He had kept mistresses, discreetly, of course, and dallied with a selection of both suitable and unsuitable companions. Then Victoria had come along, the woman he thought he would spend the rest of his life with. He’d gently cut off his association with his mistresses, determined to start his married life as he meant to go on: faithful to his wife. Unfortunately Victoria hadn’t shared his values.

Since then Alex hadn’t had the same appreciation for a beautiful woman. He hadn’t reconnected with any of his old mistresses, hadn’t felt that spark of attraction with anyone really. Until now.

It was completely inappropriate and unhelpful. Lina was from a different world and she was here to help him win a wager, not to become his new mistress.

‘Just have a flick through,’ Alex suggested, motioning to the book. ‘I’ll ring for some tea.’ Or something stronger.

Dutifully Lina leafed through the pages of the book, stopping every so often to read an entry. It was quite satisfying to watch her expression turn from one of mild boredom to avid interest.

‘Did you know the Duke of Hampshire has been married six times?’ Lina asked.

‘Unfortunately, yes. He’s rather a lecherous old man, but women can’t help throwing themselves at his title and money, it would seem.’

‘Does he kill them off?’

Alex nearly choked on the mouthful of tea he had just imbibed.

‘Well, to lose one or two is unfortunate... Six is just suspicious,’ Lina said with a grin.

‘I’ll ask him next time I see him.’

‘You know him?’

‘Went to school with one of his sons. From his second marriage, I think.’

‘I’d love to meet him.’

‘Certainly not.’ Alex realised he sounded like a pompous old man. ‘Unless you’re hoping to become wife number seven,’ he added.

Lina fell quiet for a while, turning the pages and occasionally smiling to herself. After a few minutes, she sat back and turned to Alex. Inwardly he groaned. Normally he would praise a woman for having an enquiring mind, but there was a certain way Lina asked her questions—a tenacious stubbornness not to let any matter rest if she wasn’t quite satisfied—that was exhausting. Alex didn’t normally mind admitting he didn’t know something; it happened rarely enough and often the subject matter was something obscure seeing that he was well educated and had an enquiring mind, but he had lost count of the number of times he’d had to concede he wasn’t entirely sure of an answer since Lina’s arrival.

‘What would happen if I addressed someone incorrectly?’ Lina asked.

Alex frowned. ‘What do you mean?’

‘Well, imagine we are at this ball of yours in six weeks’ time.’

He had to suppress a shudder at the thought. Right now Lina was so far from being ready she’d fuel the gossips for a decade if he took her to a London ball.

‘I’m imagining it...’ he murmured.

‘And you introduce me to some duke or duchess.’

Heaven forbid. At the moment he was wondering if he could get away with only letting Lina talk to strategically placed friends around this proposed ballroom.

‘I curtsy.’

Alex had seen her curtsies; they would certainly need at least half a day’s work.

‘And then I address him as Duke Dorrington. What would happen?’

‘I still don’t understand the question.’ Alex could understand the words, but wasn’t entirely sure exactly what Lina wanted to know.

‘Would I be hauled in front of a magistrate? Exiled to Australia? Would the ceiling of the ballroom crumble on top of me? Would the Duke expire from shock? What. Would. Happen?’

Alex had forgotten to include prone to exaggerate in his mental list of Lina’s qualities.

‘You would probably get some very hard looks and the whispering would start as soon as you were out of earshot.’

‘Oh, Lord—not the whispering,’ Lina murmured.

‘A woman’s reputation can be ruined by just one poorly timed remark or faux pas in form of address.’

‘That’s ridiculous. Everyone makes mistakes.’

Alex agreed. The etiquette and rules of polite society did seem over the top sometimes.

‘To you it may not be of great concern to have some gossipy matrons judging you, but imagine if you were a debutante eagerly searching for a husband. These women would be part of your social circle for the rest of your life and who knows whom they may have influence over? In a matter of minutes you could go from the most eligible young woman in the ballroom to someone to be avoided because of their vulgarity and lack of manners.’

‘And if it were a man that made the mistake?’ Lina asked shrewdly. ‘If it were you that addressed someone wrongly?’

‘I agree it is unfair, but the standards are different for men and women. I could probably call someone Lord Coward, Duke of Half-Wit, and it would be laughed off within seconds.’

Lina nodded thoughtfully, pursing her lips. ‘My mother used to say that women have to hold themselves to higher standards than men. We have to have double the respect, double the strength, double the commitment.’

‘She sounds like a very sensible woman.’

‘She was.’

Alex heard the catch in Lina’s voice as she spoke and was just rising out of his chair to offer comfort when Lina turned to him with a breezy smile.

‘Enough of this,’ she declared. ‘Wouldn’t it be much more fun if we went to see your horses?’

‘And how exactly will that help me win this wager?’

‘I’ll practise addressing the horses as if they were lords and ladies.’

What would the stable boys think? Yet Alex felt the irresistible pull of the stables. All morning he had been eager to dash out to the yard and throw himself back into his work. Spending the time teaching Lina how to address the different ranks of nobility hadn’t been as bad as he had first feared—Lina was quick and clever and had a sly humour that made the time pass much quicker. Nothing, however, could keep his mind from wandering to his new Arabian and how he would approach the next stage of its training.

‘Half an hour,’ Alex agreed sternly. ‘Then it’s back to your studies.’

Lina was up and out through the door before Alex was even on his feet and as he quickened his pace to keep up his mind was calculating training timetables and regimes.

‘What is it that you do with the horses?’ Lina asked as they approached the stables.

‘I raise them, train them and then race them. Well, I get them ready to be raced,’ he corrected himself. ‘Someone else does the actual riding during the race.’