A Lesson in Friendship Read online

  Taking a deep breath, Conway knew he was out of his league. He could have deep, frank conversations with his friends, but with a young lady? He was beginning to think not.

  “I need to produce an heir to my title.”

  “You said you have a younger, married brother. Has he children?”

  “Yes, he has a boy and a girl.”

  “Then you have an heir, technically. There would be no reason to torture some girl with your infidelity, right?”

  Neither one had looked at the other in some time. Conway turned the curricle to the side of the road and applied the brake. He turned his body to look at his passenger with his full attention.

  “Perhaps you are correct, Lady Sarah. May I ask what these questions pertain to? I feel as though I am taking a test of some kind.”

  Ginny turned her attention to him as well. He was handsome, no doubt about it, but his looks alone were not enough to recommend him to her anymore. There had to be something else. Regardless, she cared little for romance right now, even if she was living a romance novel.

  “No, my lord, not at all. My point is that most men would have turned their vehicles around and returned me home immediately. You, however, answered my questions. I appreciate your honesty. I didn't mean to torture you. Are there any questions you'd like to ask me?”

  Mindful of not letting his jaw drop, Conway stared into the vixen's eyes. Her eyes were such a shade of blue as to appear almost violet. Part of him wanted to embarrass her back and part of him was a gentleman. Which would win?

  “I do have a question for you. Have you ever been kissed?”

  Ginny turned her gaze away and thought about his question. Obviously, Ginny'd been kissed way more than once. Sarah, on the other hand, had only childish stolen kisses from neighborhood boys.

  “Yes, but not passionately,” she answered. “Mostly just boys from near my home that stole a kiss here and there.” Scrunching her face slightly, she replied, “Nothing to write home about, really.”

  “Would you like to be kissed? I mean, passionately?” Where did that come from. If anything, Conway knew his ardor should have cooled considerably after her line of questioning. Instead, he felt his body thrum from her presence and his near desperate need to have her answer his question in the affirmative.

  “Were you offering?” she asked, seemingly innocent, and yet, definitely not.

  Smiling a half smile that Ginny always thought of as roguish, he responded, “I would be more than happy to provide you with your first experience.”

  Ginny looked around. Although there were not many people in the park, there were still enough that were he to kiss her at that moment, she would be thoroughly ruined. With a smile of her own, Ginny turned to her companion and stated, “Alright. Let's go.”

  Closing her eyes, she puckered her lips and leaned toward Conway. His reaction was instantaneous.

  “Are you mad, Lady Sarah? If I were to kiss you here, we would be forced to marry.”

  Opening one eye, then the other, she looked at his face. His expression was of horror, the mere thought of marriage making him sweat and turn pale. Ginny turned back in her seat and faced forward once again.

  “Chicken.”

  “I beg your pardon?”

  Turning to look at him, she said, “Chicken.” Then Ginny proceeded to make bawking sounds.

  “Do you mean to imply that I am somehow afraid to kiss you?”

  “No, not at all. I think you're afraid of getting stuck marrying me. Although I can't say I blame you there.” Ginny laughed and turned to look out the other side of the curricle, just as a couple strode forward.

  Conway had no idea where his plan had gone wrong, but it had and horribly to boot. The couple who had walked up to his curricle was none other than Lord Devon and one of the many débutantes of the season. Conway was so flustered, he couldn't recall her name.

  “Conway, I see you are taking advantage of the fine weather as well. Lady Sarah, tis a pleasure to see you again.” He raised an eyebrow to her and smiled. Ginny thought he was the type of guy she wouldn't mind hanging out with. He gave off the air of the smart ass.

  “It's a pleasure to see you again, as well, Lord Devon.” Ginny said, while glancing at his companion. Devon, ever good at reading body language, turned to the girl next to him and introduced her.

  “And this is Miss Frances Leavengood.”

  “Tis a pleasure to meet you, Lady Sarah.” Ginny considered herself a good judge of character, which was why she instantly disliked Miss Leavengood. From just the tone of her voice, she knew the girl considered her a rival and would do anything to get what she wanted. As far as Ginny was concerned, she could have either man, since she wasn't shopping for any at the moment.

  “The pleasure is mine, Miss Leavengood. Wonderful weather we're having.”

  “Indeed. Lord Conway, always a pleasure to see you again. How is your mother?”

  Conway scrunched his face slightly. He barely knew the chit, so how could she know about his mother. “She is well. Are you acquainted?”

  Giggling, Miss Leavengood used her most innocent voice. “Not personally, but my mother mentioned that she was unwell. Perhaps I misunderstood her.”

  “Indeed. My mother is quite well. She will be returning to London soon for the season.”

  “Well, I look forward to making her acquaintance.” Conway held back a cringe watching the girl bat her eyelashes at him. It was girls like this that made him realize why he was so fascinated with Lady Sarah.

  Miss Leavengood turned back to Ginny and said, “I heard that you have befriended Lady Penelope Hammersmith.”

  Ginny, who let out a sigh of disgust, simply replied, “Yes.”

  “I would think twice before continuing that acquaintance. She is not very popular you know.”

  “And that should bother me why?” Ginny allowed the full force of her disinterest to enter her voice.

  Pulling back as if slapped, Frances stated, “You must be jesting, my lady. She will ruin your chances of a grand match. If you are not too careful, that is.”

  “I assure you, Miss Leavengood, that my association with Lady Penelope will be good for me. She is intelligent, well read and insightful. Unlike many girls I've already met.”

  Venom entered Frances's eyes. She obviously did not take to being discounted. “Well, you may do as you wish, of course. I only wished to warn you.”

  “Thank you for the warning, however I believe that most gentlemen would prefer a wife who could converse on many topics, and not just those concerning fashion and hairstyles. Would you not agree, gentlemen?” Ginny asked as she turned to look at both Conway and Devon. Both men, up until that moment, were listening with rapt attention to the civilized cat fight taking place in front of them.

  Both men began to stutter at that question, not sure which side to take and still appear neutral. It was Devon who finally spoke up.

  “I believe you are correct, Lady Sarah. As a matter of fact, Miss Leavengood and I were just discussing the construction of a railway line in Leeds.”

  Ginny knew without a doubt that they had never discussed something as important as the beginnings of railways being constructed in England. As a matter of fact, Ginny would have bet dollars to donuts that they hadn't discussed anything other than the fine weather and the next ball they'd both attend. Without fully knowing the particulars, but more than capable of bullshitting her way through anything, Ginny turned back to Miss Leavengood and asked, “Really, how interesting. Tell me, Miss Leavengood, do you think the cost of building such an endeavor will favor the economy of the area? Or do you think it bankrupt Leeds before any sort of profit is seen from it?”

  Miss Leavengood's mouth gaped open like a fish, while Lord Devon looked upon her as if she had mud on her face. Turning to look at Conway, Ginny saw that he, too, was left with nothing to say. Feeling as if she'd made her point, she said, “Well, it was very nice meeting you. Lord Devon, I'm sure we'll meet again soon. If you don't
mind Lord Conway, I would like to return home now.” Turning to stare straight ahead, Conway shook himself out of his stupor and made his goodbyes to his friend and companion.

  After they were on their way, he asked, “What do you know of the railway in Leeds?”

  “Nothing. But you have to admit, the look on her face was precious. What a total buffoon that girl is.”

  “That is very unkind, Lady Sarah. She was kind to you.”

  Turning sharply and gazing at Conway, Ginny asked, “You really believe that, don't you? You didn't think it was completely rude for her to say nasty things about Lady Penelope?”

  “What did she say that was untrue? Although very kind, Lady Penelope is not of a scale among the ton as you could be. She may very well keep you from making a better match than otherwise.”

  Ginny stared at Conway and all she could muster to feel was pity. How sad he was to hold himself in such a high regard that he would limit who his friends are. In that one depressing moment, Ginny was again made to feel like she didn't belong and didn't want to belong.

  “How sad you are, Lord Conway. I used to think like you did, but now I realize that when you limit yourself to who you can be friends with, you end up with very few true friends.”

  Conway heard sadness in her voice. Glancing over at her face, he saw that she truly did feel sorry for him. His life had been just fine up to that point. Did she truly have the nerve to think that his friends were anything but loyal to him? She had no idea what she was talking about.

  “You need not feel sad for me, Lady Sarah,” he said, sitting up straighter and sticking his nose higher into the air. “I assure you that my friends are as loyal to me as I am to them.”

  “Uh-huh,” she said, dismissing him again as she had the previous evening.

  Feeling the anger bubble up inside of him, Conway was certain that this would make it easier to avoid her in the future. Whatever attraction he'd been feeling must certainly be gone now. The silence between them felt uncomfortable, like something needed to be resolved, but he wasn't about to break it. When he looked over at her, he saw that she was completely unaffected by it. She continued to glance around, taking in the scenery as if nothing has transpired between the two of them. This only served to make him more angry. She had dismissed him already. He may not be a few heartbeats away from the throne, but his title was well respected. A Conway man had held the title since it's inception over a hundred years earlier.

  As he pulled up in front of her home, Conway noticed that his good intentions of getting to know Lady Sarah better had not turned out as he'd expected. His attraction to the young lady was so out of character for him, he wondered if he'd gone mad. She was beautiful, with her golden brown hair and vivid blue eyes, but she was so unconventional that he could never court her.

  Ginny sat in the curricle with her mind someplace else entirely. She didn't know she was insulting Conway. How could she know when the man would never tell her? Instead, after seeing a man on the street that resembled Dr. Fielding from her own time, she thought about the last time she saw him and how he was singing Kokomo by the Beach Boys. After singing the song in her head, she went on to sing American Pie by Don McLean. A feeling came over her that was part homesickness and part hopelessness. She knew she had to get over this despair and move on. There was nothing she could do to change her situation, so being depressed about it was neither helpful nor useful.

  Realizing that they had stopped, Ginny glanced at her companion. She blinked several times, but he still appeared peeved. Turning her head slightly, she wondered what had gotten his goat and was about to ask him, when the door opened and her butler came out to greet them. Looking over Sarah, Conway spotted the butler and allowed the groom control of his vehicle as he jumped down and made his way around to assist Sarah.

  Taking his hand, Ginny stepped lightly to the ground. Turning to look up into his eyes, still seeing his anger, that he tried to mask as indifference, she said, “Good day, my lord. It was a very pleasant ride.” With that, she curtsied and entered the house.

  Conway had the urge to follow her in and give her a piece of his mind, but squashed it. It would do no good anyway. He thought he would have a devil of a time winning any argument with the chit and didn't feel like putting himself through the torture.

  Instead, Conway took his seat once again and headed to his club. Maybe Sarah was right about one thing. Maybe he should invest in another mistress. Sex on a regular basis had to be better for him than not.

  Chapter 4

  Standing next to her mother and sister, Ginny felt on display. It was a pleasantly cool evening, but she was stuck inside a crowded ballroom, with a hundred members of the beau monde, waiting for another snaggle-toothed popinjay to ask her to dance. Her dress was enormous and made her look like she had a ridiculously small waist and huge hips. Why this style ever seemed attractive, Ginny couldn't figure out.

  The corset she wore made her boobs nearly float out of her dress. She had to admit that the cleavage was outstanding and the most likely reason so many men had approached her for a dance. Glancing at her dance card, she saw that she was scheduled for a waltz with Lord Doncaster. Her mother had somehow arranged the dance, so it never occurred to Ginny that the gentleman in question was the friend of Lord Conway.

  As she waited for her next dance partner, Ginny thought back to the afternoon of shopping with Lady Penelope and her sister. Although Charlotte put up a struggle over taking her money, Ginny finally convinced her that it would be rude to disregard her gift. Charlotte was properly chastised after that and used the money to buy herself a few much needed items. The rest, she declared, would be saved for another occasion when she ran out of proper stockings or chemises.

  Lady Penelope, who was in no way short of funds, had to be coaxed to buy even the most mundane items. Her father was tremendously generous with his only child, but Penelope refused to buy anything. Her mother all but forced her into the modiste's shop to have some new dresses designed for her. Ginny and Lady Hammersmith made all the decisions, not that Ginny had much expertise in fashion. She was forced to since Penelope wasn't helping them out much.

  A few minutes before the dance began and while Ginny's eyes were glazed over with her internal thoughts, Lord Conway walked up and greeted Lady Weston. Bowing to the group of ladies, Conway turned to Sarah and asked, “You are well this evening I trust, Lady Sarah?”

  “Very well, thank you.”

  “I am sorry to inform you that Lord Doncaster was called away just a moment ago. He asked me if I would dance with you instead. He would never want to leave you standing alone.” Truth was, when Conway found out that Doncaster had snagged a dance with Lady Sarah, he vehemently insisted that his long time friend allow him to take his place. Doncaster, who could have cared less, smiled and allowed Conway to have his way.

  “I hope nothing is wrong, my lord.” Ginny had to push out every word, simply because she didn't care. Dance with Conway, dance with Doncaster... it was all the same to her.

  “Nothing to be concerned with, I assure you.” As if Ginny were the least bit concerned.

  “Very well, shall we?” she asked, getting a look from her mother for being so forward. Ginny rolled her eyes, right in front of Conway, causing him to cover his smile.

  The two made their way to the dance floor and turned to face one another. Ginny did enjoy the waltz, as long as her partner had good breath and light feet. So far, of the two waltzes she'd danced, neither partner had measured up. Conway, however, being of a mega-hunk stature, smelled impeccable and would most definitely know how to dance.

  Taking her right hand in his, placing his right hand on her waist, Conway led the steps into the thrall of other dancers. He had always been a capable dancer, but twirling around the floor with Lady Sarah was captivating. The candlelight glistened off her hair and her eyes sparkled. Despite his reasoning that she was completely wrong for him, he couldn't help but think about what he would do to her if ever given the c
hance to take her to his bed. Considering her father, the only way he would ever be able to do that, would be to marry her. The thought both excited and despaired him.

  Lady Sarah stared back into his eyes like a lover. He wondered if she were feeling the same way about him, but used her forwardness as a shield against him. Maybe she wanted not to marry as much as he thought she did.

  Ginny kept eye contact with the baron, trying to summon some kind of feeling for him one way or the other. He was handsome, to be sure. He could dance well and smelled good and had ridiculously straight, white teeth, but when she tried to picture herself kissing him, she would flash to Colby's face, looking disappointed and hurt. Before the depression could set in again, she straightened her shoulders and smiled faintly. There was nothing she could do to bring back Colby. She could only go forward and see where this adventure would lead. Maybe she could have some fun with it.