A Christmas Match: A Regency Romance (Landon House Book 4) Read online

  “And so you are to spend Christmas here, Lady Charity?”

  Lady Charity nodded, looking up from her soup.

  “I am, Lady Ramsbury,” she answered, quietly. “It will be a little unusual for me to spend it away from my father and my other sisters but I am certain I shall enjoy it.”

  “And you, Lady Hayward?” Lord Ramsbury asked. “What of your own children?”

  Lady Hayward smiled brightly.

  “They are all to come to London for Christmas Day,” she said, and Lady Charity seemed to brighten just a little. “We shall be a very jolly party indeed.”

  “Then I must insist that you all join us here for dinner,” Lady Ramsbury said warmly, making Lady Charity catch her breath as she turned from Lady Ramsbury to look at Lady Hayward.

  Benedict allowed himself a small, wry smile. Talk of Christmas brought him no joy, no eager expectation as there now appeared to be in both Lady Hayward’s eyes and Lady Charity’s expression. No, he would spend the day entirely alone, looking forward to when it came to a close and, mayhap, drinking a little too much liquor in the hope of forgetting.

  “That is very kind of you indeed, Lady Ramsbury,” Lady Hayward replied, sounding very pleased indeed. “I thank you.”

  “And what are your plans, Lord Hosmer?”

  It took a moment for Benedict to realize that Lady Charity was addressing him. Setting his spoon down carefully, he glanced at her and saw the interest flickering in her hazel eyes.

  “What do you mean, Lady Charity?” he asked, seeing the frown that immediately jumped into her features.

  “I simply meant to ask what your intentions are for Christmas Day,” came the reply, as a flush of heat crept into her cheeks and she glanced away from him, clearly a little embarrassed. “That is all that I meant.”

  “Oh, do not concern yourself with Lord Hosmer!” Lady Ramsbury exclaimed, before Benedict could reply. “My dear Lady Charity, one thing you must learn about Lord Hosmer is that this time of year is something that he deeply dislikes.” One eyebrow arched as she looked hard at him, making Benedict flush as he realized that he had inadvertently embarrassed Lady Charity. He had known that she was asking him about Christmas but, given that he wanted to avoid the subject entirely, he had made a remark which was meant to brush her off and push her away from the subject. Now, it seemed, Lady Ramsbury chose to step in and, rather than preventing the subject from being discussed, was now about to explain all to the lady! “You will not find him at any gatherings or such things,” Lady Ramsbury continued, with a wave of her hand. “There is nothing about this particular time that brings Lord Hosmer any joy. Therefore, Lady Charity, I would advise you to never discuss such a thing with him, but rather save your happiness and delight with all that you find in London to share with someone who will appreciate such things.” Her eyes narrowed just a little as she held Benedict’s gaze for a long moment. “Is that not so, Lord Hosmer?”

  Benedict spread his hands.

  “It is as you say, Lady Ramsbury,” he admitted, without feeling any cause to pretend otherwise. Daring a look at Lady Charity, he saw her glancing up at him before turning her head away again.

  “I see,” Lady Charity murmured, her cheeks still flushed but, much to his surprise, seeming to decide not to ask any further questions. “Forgive me, Lord Hosmer. I was unaware of your feelings on the matter.”

  As he cleared his throat a little gruffly, Benedict saw Lady Ramsbury shake her head and sigh, clearly frustrated with him, but choosing, wisely enough, not to say anything. The conversation continued on from there, with the Dowager beginning to mention the many things she loved about the Christmas season, which made Benedict grow a little irritated – although a good deal of that sensation was, he realized, directed towards himself. He had not spoken well, had not made a particularly good impression on Lady Charity and had embarrassed her somewhat by his response.

  Glancing at the young lady in question, he took in her rosy cheeks and the way she steadfastly kept her head turned away from him, and felt a prickle of shame creep down his spine. In addition, there was also a small degree of admiration for Lady Charity, given that she had not asked him anything further about his dislike of Christmas nor shown any indication that she had any interest in discovering it either. That was not at all what he had expected. There had been a few occasions last Christmas time when he had been introduced to various new acquaintances and, without fail, having discovered Benedict’s sharp dislike of all that the winter brought, they had questioned him excessively about why it was so. Benedict had not told them, of course - there had been no reason to do so, for it was not something he shared publicly with anyone. Only Lord Ramsbury knew the truth and Benedict did not think that his friend had even shared the full detail of that information with his wife either. That was why he appreciated Ramsbury’s friendship, for the gentleman was both discreet and entirely trustworthy. Not many men could say such things about their friends.

  “Truly, Lord Hosmer, I did not mean to embarrass you.”

  Realizing that the quiet voice he heard speaking his name was none other than Lady Charity’s, Benedict looked towards her and tried to smile, but it felt forced and awkward.

  “You did not embarrass me in any way, Lady Charity,” he replied, truthfully. “It was my own foolishness which made it so. I spoke a little out of turn and must now beg your forgiveness.”

  Lady Charity’s eyes searched his for a moment, and Benedict quickly began to wonder whether or not he had made a mistake in believing that she was not interested in his reasons for disliking the Christmas season.

  But then she gave him a quick smile, murmured that there was nothing he needed to ask forgiveness for, and turned back to her meal, making sure to re-join the conversation with the others, and leaving Benedict to his own thoughts. For the second time, Benedict felt his consideration of Lady Charity’s character begin to improve, for it seemed that he had been right in his judgement of her. She was not about to ask him questions, about to demand to know the truth as to why he did not want to join in with all the delights that Christmas could bring. Instead, it seemed that she was to remain entirely silent. Was she disinterested? Or merely eager to make the very best impression she could upon them all by showing no interest in the matter?

  Why should you give such a thing any consideration?

  Giving himself a slight shake, Benedict picked up his spoon and finished his soup without another word. There was nothing more he needed to consider about Lady Charity, for he had no intention of allowing himself to improve his acquaintance with her. Yes, he had made something of a foolish mistake, but there was no need for him to consider it over and over. Most likely, Lady Charity would soon be throwing herself into society, enjoying all that it had to offer, and would not even recall this evening, nor the discussion which had taken place. He would fade into the background and would not be remembered by her at all – and that was precisely what he wanted.

  Wasn’t it?

  Chapter Three

  The conversation with Lord Hosmer, the discussion about Christmas and his clear lack of interest in it, was not something that left Charity’s thoughts for some time. Even though she had found herself enjoying all that society had to offer – even though it was still rather cold – Charity could not help but continue to wonder about him. She had to admit that there had been a good deal of embarrassment brought about on her part, since Lord Hosmer had been so blunt in his reply when she had asked him about his intentions for Christmas Day, but she had certainly appreciated his apology when he had given it.

  There had been something in his expression, however, which told her that he fully expected her to demand to know why he disliked Christmas so, a wariness which perhaps suggested that he had been spoken to about such things before. She had, of course, wanted to ask him about why he had such an apparent and strong dislike of the festivities and excitement which came with Christmas, but had chosen to remain quite silent. It had not been only because she
had known it was not her place to ask about such things, but also because she had not wanted to do so when he had been so clearly unwilling to discuss it further. Thus, she had kept her questions to herself – although they had not stopped spinning around her head since then.

  “You look quite lovely, Lady Charity!”

  Charity smiled back at Lady Hayward, turning to glance at herself in the full-length mirror for one last time. It had been something of a surprise to see herself so changed the first time she had worn a winter ballgown, had her hair dressed by the lady’s maid and had been permitted many additional embellishments which she had never really worn before. She appeared to herself to be a good deal older, even though she had not aged significantly. There was something of a maturity about her now, she supposed, which Charity had to admit she liked to see in herself. This evening, she felt much the same way, although going to what was only her second ball did bring with it a quite a lot of anxiety.

  “And you will do very well,” Lady Hayward continued, as though she had known precisely what Charity was thinking. “I am sure that you will find many gentlemen wishing to dance with you this evening again.” One eyebrow lifted. “Lord Amundsen was very taken with you, if I recall. He danced with you twice, did he not?”

  Charity nodded, aware of the flush of heat that crept into her cheeks.

  “He did, yes,” she stated, as Lady Hayward smiled. “And he has called upon me once already.”

  “Then I am sure that you will have at least one gentleman to dance with this evening, although I am quite certain you will find your dance card filled. There is nothing to worry about, my dear.”

  Charity let out her breath slowly, settling one hand against her stomach for a few moments so as to push aside the tension that had begun to swirl all through her.

  “I must hope I do not make any mistakes!” she replied, as Lady Hayward waved a hand as though to dismiss the idea. “I was very afraid that I should do so at the last ball.”

  “But you did not,” Lady Hayward replied, slipping her hand through Charity’s arm. “Come now, let us make our way to the carriage and, within the hour, you will find yourself quite contented, I am sure.”

  Lady Hayward was quite correct, Charity realized. It had been a little over an hour and she was already feeling a good deal better than before. There was no real nervousness present any longer and, given that she had found her dance card practically filled already, there was nothing for her to do but enjoy the evening.

  “And I hear that you are acquainted with Lord and Lady Ramsbury, Lady Charity,” said one of her new acquaintances. “They are both delightful company, are they not?”

  “They are indeed,” Charity replied, as Miss Netherton smiled back at her. “Are you acquainted with them?”

  Miss Netherton nodded.

  “I am,” she said, eagerly. “I was very dear friends with Lady Ramsbury’s sister, who is now also wed.” She glanced up towards her mother, who was still in conversation with Lady Hayward. “I am sure that both Lady Ramsbury and Lord Ramsbury were eagerly hoping that I might make a match with one Lord Hosmer, who is a friend of Lord Ramsbury, but I was quite determined that such a thing should not be!”

  “I am acquainted with Lord Hosmer,” Charity replied, instantly a little intrigued as to what Miss Netherton might know of him. “I met him recently and he also joined the party at Lord and Lady Ramsbury’s dinner.”

  She saw something shift in Miss Netherton’s expression but silenced the urge to question her about what she knew of Lord Hosmer’s dislike of Christmas Day.

  Miss Netherton laughed softly.

  “Then I will not pretend that the thought of wedding Lord Hosmer was one that sent a swirl of delight through me, Lady Charity! He appeared to be most disagreeable and certainly showed no interest in my conversation.”

  “I confess that I felt much the same in his company, Miss Netherton,” Charity replied, truthfully. “I am only relieved that there appears to be no interest from Lady Hayward to encourage me towards him!”

  Miss Netherton giggled and Charity could not help but join in, hiding her mouth with her hand for a moment.

  “I confess, I do not know why he comes to London when he appears to have so little interest in all that goes on,” Miss Netherton said, after a few minutes. “He comes to balls and the like, but seeks only to play cards or to remain in conversation with his acquaintances! He never dances, never seeks out new introductions and shows no eagerness to become acquainted with any particular young lady, even though he is very eligible indeed!”

  Charity lifted one shoulder in a half shrug.

  “I should not care to be in his company, even if he wished it,” she answered, honestly. “I found him rather disagreeable and his lack of enthusiasm for anything at all seemed to bring a weight to the conversation and the company.”

  “Indeed, it is well known that he dislikes the winter Season, although why he continues to attend instead of remaining at his estate, I cannot know,” Miss Netherton said, with a shake of her head. “I cannot imagine being so miserable when there is so much excitement to be experienced here!”

  Charity smiled back at the lady and spread her hands.

  “Nor can I,” she replied, “so let us, therefore, think no more of him and instead turn our attention to others who are a good deal happier than he!”

  Miss Netherton nodded, tilting her head and looking at Charity with a sharp eye.

  “I did hear that Lord Amundsen sought you out the moment you stepped into the ballroom, Lady Charity,” she remarked, with a twinkle in her eye. “He is an excellent gentleman, I am sure.”

  Charity laughed and shook her head, refusing to admit that she felt any sort of interest in the gentleman. Lord Amundsen was handsome, amiable, and certainly had been eager to show her a good deal of attention during their very short acquaintance, but Charity was not about to permit herself to consider him with any serious intent.

  “I do not know him particularly well, but have found him attentive thus far, yes,” she admitted, as Miss Netherton smiled. “But I am not at all eager to rush into furthering my acquaintance with him. I am here to enjoy the Season and that is what I fully intend to do – and so long as there is better company than Lord Hosmer available, then I am certain to be able to do so!”

  Miss Netherton opened her mouth to answer, only for her eyes to widen and her mouth to go a little slack. Recovering herself quickly, she glanced back at Charity, before her gaze returned to over Charity’s shoulder.

  “The very gentleman you spoke of is approaching you, Lady Charity,” she murmured, as Charity felt tension begin to coil tightly within her. “Goodness, I did not know Lord Hosmer was even present this evening!”

  “Nor did I,” Charity murmured, not wanting to turn about and look over her shoulder for fear of garnering his attention. “I am sure that he will not be coming to speak to me directly, given what we know of him!”

  Miss Netherton did not answer her and Charity felt her stomach tighten all the more, realizing that what she had just stated was, it seemed, the exact opposite of what was to occur.

  “Good evening, Lady Hayward.” Lord Hosmer’s voice reached Charity but she did not turn to look towards him, feeling a small spiraling anxiety settle over her heart. “And good evening to you also, Lady Hamilton.”

  “Good evening, Lord Hosmer,” came the quick reply as, reluctantly, Charity forced herself to turn towards the gentleman, who was still looking towards Lady Hayward. “How pleasant to see you again.”

  Lord Hosmer did not respond to this but, glancing towards Charity and Miss Netherton, quickly greeted them also. Charity dropped into a curtsey and murmured a welcome, but did not seek to enter into further conversation, although she had to confess that she found it most interesting that he had come to speak to them at all.

  “Lady Hayward, I wondered if I might beg a quiet word with you for a moment,” Lord Hosmer asked, surprising Charity all the more as she looked into Lord Hosm
er’s face and saw what appeared to be a rather grave expression there, which she could not account for.

  “Yes, of course, Lord Hosmer,” Lady Hayward replied, quickly glancing towards Charity and gesturing for her to remain where she was. “Might you stay with Miss Netherton and Lady Hamilton, Charity? I will only be a few moments.”

  Charity nodded, not looking towards Lord Hosmer at all.

  “But of course,” she replied, as Miss Netherton looked back at her with wide eyes, whilst Lady Hamilton nodded her agreement. “I will be quite contented here.”

  Quite what Lord Hosmer wished to say to Lady Hayward, Charity could not imagine, but rather than attempting to guess, she simply continued her conversation with Miss Netherton as best she could. Miss Netherton, to her credit, did as best she could to discuss the weather they had endured of late and whether or not Charity hoped to attend the ball at the assembly rooms in a few days’ time, but Charity knew all too well that they were both considering Lord Hosmer and Lady Hayward’s discussion more than anything else.

  “I believe it is time for our dance, Lady Charity.”

  Lord Amundsen came towards her, stepping between her and Miss Netherton in a rather forward manner. Indeed, he did not so much as greet Lady Hamilton nor her daughter but fixed his gaze to Charity’s, a broad smile settling across his face.

  “Is it our dance already?” Charity replied, a little surprised that it had come upon her so soon. “Gracious, this evening is simply flying past me.”