A Foolish Game: A Regency Romance (Regency Brides: A Promise of Love Book 5) Read online

“It has come to my attention that Lord Donald is going to ask my brother for my hand in marriage, and I want him to see me for who I truly am.”

  Leah had a puzzled look on her face. “Is your intention for him to think you are mad?”

  Isabella shook her head. “I want to know if he is able to look past my appearance and see if he is truly interested in me as a person.”

  “Your logic may be faulty, but I am beginning to understand your motivation behind it,” her lady’s maid said as she walked over to the door. “Allow me to retrieve the peacock dress. I will be back shortly.”

  A short time later, Isabella exited her bedchamber in a rich blue gown with hundreds of peacock feathers sewn into the skirt. She headed towards the drawing room but stopped just outside of the open door.

  From her position, she could see the dark-haired Lord Donald sipping his tea as he conversed politely with her mother on the settee. The fair-skinned Lord Westinghouse was standing at the window, his hands clasped behind his back, and he was looking out towards the gardens.

  Isabella placed her hand to her stomach as she took a deep breath, garnering strength. It was time for her to discover the truth about Lord Donald.

  “Good afternoon,” Isabella said as she walked into the room. “I apologize for the delay, but I wanted to change out of my riding habit and into something more appropriate.”

  Lord Donald placed his teacup onto the table as he simultaneously rose from the settee. “Not at all.” He froze, his eyes perusing the length of her. “You are looking… uh… particularly lovely today,” he stammered.

  “That is kind of you to say, Lord Donald,” she replied as she came to stand next to her mother, who was frowning at her. “This is one of my favorite gowns.”

  Unclasping his hands, Lord Westinghouse turned from the window to face her. “I take it that you are fond of peacocks.”

  “Very much so,” she replied enthusiastically. “I have a peacock morning gown, peacock nightshirt, peacock bonnet, peacock fan, and peacock shoes.”

  Lord Westinghouse lifted his brow. “I had not realized that so many articles of clothing could incorporate peacock feathers.”

  “Oh, yes,” she gushed before turning her attention towards Lord Donald. “Are you a fan of peacocks, as well?”

  Lord Donald smiled indulgently at her. “I am.”

  “How wonderful,” she replied. “I have been pleading with my mother to acquire a peacock for me as a pet.”

  “Why would you wish for a peacock as a pet?” Lord Westinghouse asked.

  “Because I believe peacocks are among the most fascinating and beautiful creatures on earth,” she stated. “Furthermore, we would have an enormous supply of feathers that would come in handy when I ask the dressmaker to create more peacock gowns for me.”

  “You require more gowns that include peacock feathers?” Lord Donald inquired with a knitted brow.

  “But, of course,” she replied. “May I ask what your favorite thing about peacocks is?”

  Lord Donald’s face went slack, clearly not anticipating the question. “I suppose I like their feathers.”

  She nodded encouragingly. “Did you know that peacocks are not born with their fancy tails?”

  “I had not realized that,” Lord Westinghouse said, his bored tone belying his feigned interest.

  “It is true,” she continued. “They look rather ordinary after they hatch, and it is only after six months that the males begin to distinguish themselves.”

  Lord Westinghouse muttered, “How interesting.”

  “Isn’t it though?” she responded. “I find it intriguing that only the males have bright, bold feathers.” She sat down on the settee. “I can share with you all kinds of facts about peacocks. I have loved them since I was a little girl.”

  Lord Donald’s eyes shifted towards the open door. “Is that so?”

  “It is,” she replied. “If you are interested, I have a few books in our library about peacocks that I could lend you.”

  “That is not necessary,” Lord Donald said.

  “Did you know that peacocks cannot fly long distances?” she asked. “Even though they can fly, they spend the majority of their time on the ground.”

  Lord Donald looked tense, like a trapped animal. “I… uh… did not know that.”

  “Then you must read the book,” she said, her hands waving excitedly in front of her. “I should warn you that it goes into great detail about their mating rituals.”

  Her mother’s head snapped up. “Isabella!” she warned. “That statement is too crass to cross a lady’s lips!”

  “My apologies,” she replied, glancing between the two gentlemen. “Would either of you like to hear the peacock’s crow? I have been perfecting the sound for years.”

  Lord Donald put his hand up. “No, thank you.” He again glanced towards the open door. “I regret to admit that I must cut this meeting short.”

  “Perhaps you will call on me again, and we can speak more of our love for peacocks,” she suggested hopefully.

  Tugging down on his ivory waistcoat, Lord Donald looked like he had just swallowed something very sour. “Yes, well, we shall see.”

  Lord Westinghouse spoke up. “Allow me to walk you out, Lord Donald,” he said, his voice clipped.

  As they exited the drawing room in only a few strides, Isabella rose and rushed over to the door. She saw both gentlemen hurrying towards the main door, not bothering to wait for the butler to open it for them.

  After the main door was closed, her mother spoke up from behind her. “Do you want to explain to me what you think you were doing?”

  Isabella turned around to face her mother. “I wanted to see Lord Donald’s true intentions towards me.”

  “By wearing a peacock dress?” Mary questioned, crossing her arms over her chest.

  She nodded. “If Lord Donald had any real affection for me, he would not have been scared off by a mere costume.”

  Her mother’s frown lessened. “You do have a point, but you could have gone about it differently.”

  “Howe informed me that Lord Donald asked to speak to Everett privately after he spoke to me,” she revealed. “I have no doubt that he was going to ask permission to court me.”

  “Would that have been so awful?”

  Isabella smoothed out the feathers on her gown. “Yes, it would have been dreadful. Lord Donald hardly knows me, and I would have rejected his offer of courtship.”

  “I daresay that you didn’t give him a chance,” Mary said. “He seemed like a nice enough man, and perhaps, in due time, you could have developed true affection towards him.”

  “I refuse to settle for anything less than love.”

  Mary’s tone softened as she approached her. “I wouldn’t expect you to, but I worry that your expectations might be a bit too high when it comes to suitors.”

  “I don’t believe that to be the case,” Isabella replied.

  A smile came to her mother’s lips. “Where did you get the ridiculous notion to wear a peacock dress to meet your suitors?”

  “From Penelope,” she admitted.

  “Penelope?”

  Smiling, Isabella shared, “When Penelope first met Nicholas, she wore a hideous orange gown and big, round spectacles and pretended she was partially blind.”

  Her mother shook her head. “Where did you learn all those facts about peacocks?”

  “From Charlotte,” Isabella revealed. “She would share the most random facts that her grandfather had taught her about birds over the years.”

  “I should have known,” her mother remarked. “Can you truly impersonate a peacock’s crow?”

  Isabella laughed. “No, but I was prepared to make one up if the situation warranted it.”

  “Dear heavens, child,” her mother responded, smiling, “whatever am I going to do with you?”

  “It might be best if I go and change out of this costume,” Isabella said, looking down at her dress. “It is rather uncomfortable to
wear.”

  “I can only imagine, my dear.”

  As Isabella exited the drawing room, she felt a twinge of sadness that she had been right about Lord Donald. He had only been interested in her appearance, and not her. Would she ever find someone who would love her for the peculiar person that she was?

  2

  Lord Ewin Colborne was bored. Completely, utterly, and irrefutably bored. He glanced down at the empty glass in his hand and grimaced. For the past three months, he had filled his time with gambling, drinking, dinner parties, balls, and every other tempting indulgence that London had to offer during the Season. But it hadn’t made him any happier. He still found himself miserable, and no matter how many soirées he attended, it wouldn’t change that fact.

  “Are you even listening to me, Ewin?” his friend, Oliver Braggs, asked.

  Without bothering to glance up, Ewin replied, “No.”

  “I assumed as much,” Oliver sighed. “All right. Out with it. What is wrong?”

  “I’m bored.”

  “Then let’s go gambling.”

  “Not interested,” Ewin said. “Besides, a gambling hall is the last place I should be right now. My funds are dwindling as we speak.”

  Leaning back in his chair, Oliver placed his arm onto the table and suggested, “We could go riding in Hyde Park.”

  Ewin glanced over at the window, noticing for the first time that the weather had changed. “No, it is raining. That would be a rather foolhardy thing to do.”

  “We have done it before.”

  He looked at his glass on the table and pushed it away. “That didn’t make it right. And, if I recall correctly, we were rather drunk that day.”

  “That we were.” Oliver chuckled. “Do you want to go place a bet in the betting book?”

  Ewin shook his head. “We have already placed a ridiculous number of bets in that book, including who could drink the other one under the table.”

  “Which you’ve won on multiple occasions, I might add,” Oliver pointed out. “You need to cheer up, mate. We are at White’s, and we are going to have a jolly good time. Should I order you something else to drink?”

  “No,” he replied. “I’m tired of being drunk most of the evenings and sleeping off the effects the next morning.”

  “Then what would you care to do?” Oliver asked.

  His eyes scanned the sparsely populated card room, knowing it was only a matter of time before White’s would be completely full, and gentlemen would be turned away at the door.

  “I don’t know,” Ewin replied. “I might just retire for the evening.”

  Oliver’s brow lifted. “But it is still early.”

  “I care not.”

  “Are you feeling all right?”

  He let out a deep sigh. “I’m tired.”

  “Perhaps I should fetch a doctor for you,” Oliver responded, shifting in his seat.

  “I have no use for a doctor,” Ewin replied with a shake of his head. “I’m just tired of my life.”

  “Meaning?”

  Ewin huffed. “I woke up this morning on the sofa in my drawing room because I was so drunk last night that I didn’t have the energy to walk up the stairs to my bedchamber. Every morning, I have a pounding headache until I drink at least three cups of coffee, and only then, can I start piecing together what we did the night before.”

  “I must admit that I am not a fan of coffee,” Oliver remarked.

  “Neither am I, but it is the only thing strong enough to ease my headache,” Ewin admitted. “After my headache has abated, I take a hackney over to White’s to meet you, and we start the same blasted cycle over again.”

  “Then let’s change up our routine,” Oliver said. “We could always start drinking later in the evening.”

  “That is just it,” Ewin expressed. “I’m tired of drinking. These past few months have been a haze, and I have become the type of person that I have always loathed.”

  “What type of person is that?”

  “Slothful. A drunkard,” Ewin answered. “I’m wasting my life, Oliver.”

  Oliver’s smile vanished. “What is it that you want to do with your life?”

  “I don’t know,” he replied honestly, “but I can’t keep going on the way that I have been.”

  Leaning forward in his chair, his friend lowered his voice. “If you recall, you started drinking because you wanted to have a good time, and to prove to your father that you didn’t need or want him in your life.”

  “That is all true, but there must be another way.”

  “I’m listening.”

  Ewin smoothed out his long sideburns. “My father still has not relented his position on Lady Rebecca and has cut me off. But I would rather chew glass than move back into Stanwich House and be under my father’s oppressive rule again.”

  “Why not just marry the chit?” Oliver asked.

  Ewin shuddered. “I would rather die.”

  “Surely Lady Rebecca isn’t that bad?”

  “She is a shrewish young woman who is only interested in marrying me because I’m a duke’s son,” Ewin explained.

  Oliver lowered his voice as he leaned over the table. “You could always marry Lady Rebecca and take a mistress. It is more than perfectly acceptable to have that arrangement amongst the members of Society—”

  “Absolutely not!” Ewin declared, cutting him off. “When, and if, I do marry, I will take the vows of matrimony seriously.”

  Oliver put his hands up in front of him. “I was merely making a suggestion.”

  “I know, and I am sorry for lashing out at you,” Ewin responded. “I just need to find a purpose for my life; a reason to move forward.”

  “Your grandmother did leave you an inheritance.”

  “A small inheritance,” Ewin corrected.

  “Regardless, you could take that money and purchase a modest estate in the country.”

  “I have thought of that, but that would require me to leave London.”

  “May I ask what is keeping you here?” Oliver hesitated before adding, “Aside from spending time with your favorite mate.”

  Ewin chuckled. “You make a good point. I believe I will contact my solicitor about purchasing an estate.”

  Oliver bobbed his head approvingly. “Excellent,” he said. “I believe my work here is done.” He rose and tugged down on his ivory-colored waistcoat. “I am off to the gambling halls. Unlike you, I do not have the same aversion to spending money right now.”

  Ewin gave him a mock salute. “I wish you luck this evening, and I do appreciate your advice.”

  “Next time, it will cost you,” Oliver joked, smirking. “I didn’t study philosophy at Cambridge for nothing.”

  As his friend walked away from the table, Ewin’s gaze returned to his empty glass. He needed to do something with his life, or his father would be right about him.

  Ewin refused to accept that he was a failure. He would do whatever it took to prove his father was wrong about him. But where should he even begin? Even if he did manage to secure a modest estate, he knew nothing about the intricacies of running one.

  He was so lost in his thoughts that his mind barely registered the voice of another friend.

  “I didn’t expect to see you here,” Everett commented.

  Ewin glanced up and saw the familiar faces of Everett and Nicholas, the Duke of Blackbourne, standing next to the table.

  “It is good to see you both.” Rising, Ewin pointed towards the empty chairs. “Please join me.”

  As Nicholas sat, he asked, “Why are you hiding in the corner of the card room?”

  “I wasn’t hiding,” Ewin replied. “In fact, you just missed Oliver. He was on his way to a gambling hall.”

  “Why didn’t you join him?” Nicholas inquired.

  Ewin shrugged. “Not interested. Frankly, I am tired of losing money at those gambling halls. I’m terrible at cards.”

  Everett spoke up. “Gambling has never appealed to me.”

/>   “Likewise,” the duke said. “My wife does a good enough job of spending my money.”

  Chuckling, Ewin remarked, “I promise I won’t tell Penelope you said that.”

  “Please don’t,” Nicholas responded, smiling. “I’m afraid I would never hear the end of it.”

  “How is Penelope feeling?” he asked.

  “She is home resting.”

  “And your son?”

  Nicholas puffed out his chest in pride. “He is well,” he replied. “Jacob is a little over a week old now.”

  “This is the first time that Nicholas has ventured out of his townhouse,” Everett shared. “I was regaling him with stories about Isabella.”

  “What did Isabella do now?” Ewin asked curiously.

  Everett smirked. “She changed into a peacock gown to greet Lord Donald and Lord Westinghouse. My mother informed me that Isabella kept rambling off facts about peacocks and even asked Lord Donald what his favorite fact about them was.”

  “I’m afraid to ask why she did this,” Ewin said, chuckling.

  “Isabella wanted to dissuade Lord Donald from offering for her,” Everett explained.

  “I take it that it worked.”

  “Splendidly,” Everett replied with a nod. “Lord Donald and Lord Westinghouse couldn’t seem to leave the townhouse fast enough.”

  “May I ask where she got a peacock gown from?”

  “It was a part of a costume that she wore to Lady Buxton’s masquerade ball,” Everett shared.

  Amused, Ewin said, “Your sister’s antics never cease to amaze me.”

  “Her aversion to matrimony is rather irksome,” Everett confessed. “She refuses to even give her suitors a chance to get to know her.”

  “She is still young,” Ewin defended.

  Everett humphed. “All she cares about is riding horses and driving me mad.”

  “Isabella has always preferred spending time with her horse than with other people,” Ewin commented. “She has been that way since we were young.”

  “True, but I thought she would have grown out of it by now,” Everett said. “I worry that she will fall out of favor with the ton.”

  “Impossible,” Ewin declared. “She is a beautiful young woman, and I have seen how the gentlemen swarm around her at every ball.”