Free Autumn Rain by Anita Mills Page A

Whether from custom or curiosity, every member of the neighboring gentry came, pressing into the grand reception room and spilling over into the glittering, chandelier-lit saloons. It was, she overheard one richly gowned woman declare, "as fine an affair as any I have attended in London. But for all that one can say of him, Kingsley does not spare expense, after all."
    "In this instance, I cannot say I blame him," another responded. "She is a pretty little thing, is she not?"
    "Stunning," the first woman agreed.
    "I own I had expected a mere child."
    "Well, she is not that."
    "My dear, our footman had it of one of his maids that she is but fifteen."
    "How obscene."
    "Well, I cannot pity her, of course, for she can say she has done exceedingly well for herself, given that I am told her father is quite run off his legs."
    Elinor's face flushed, and she turned away. Despite the glittering topazes that blazed warmly against her neck, despite the bronze taffeta's shimmering iridescence, she felt like an object, nothing more than a display of an old man's wealth. And already she hated what she would become.
    As she stood in the receiving line, trying to fix the names with the faces that passed her, Elinor was acutely conscious that her husband watched over her every word and gesture. Her face ached from the forced smiles until she longed for the evening to end. From time to time, Arthur Kingsley's hand rested proprietarily on her arm, directing her attention to one guest or another in particular. As the last of the latecomers passed by, she felt his fingers stiffen, and she looked up quickly. But his face remained blandly amiable.
    "Lucien de Clare, Earl of Longford," he murmured. To the other man, he added, "You surprise me, my lord— I did not expect you. Indeed, but I had heard you were leaving the country." He smiled thinly. "My wife—Lady Kingsley."
    "Let us just say I am rusticating until a few matters are attended," the earl answered smoothly. His black head bowed over Elinor's hand, and his fingers possessed hers. "My felicitations, my dear—Arthur is to be congratulated on his good fortune." When he looked up, his black eyes still seemed to mock her. "How is your fond parent, by the by? I had hopes of encountering him here."
    "He is well, my lord."
    "I'll wager he is—now."
    "Yes—well—" Coloring, she pulled her hand away. "He is about somewhere."
    "Then the luck is mine as well as his."
    "I did not know you had property here," Kingsley said, his voice suddenly curt.
    "Actually, I have acquired Langston Park recently, so I suppose we must be accounted neighbors. You recall George, do you not? Impeccable ton, I believe."
    "Leighton," Arthur Kingsley acknowledged. "My dear," he murmured, turning to Elinor, "may I present George Maxwell, Viscount Leighton?" As he spoke, his hand possessed her elbow again. "Leighton Hall lies but a few miles from here."
    Tall, slender, possessed of an open, friendly face, the viscount took her hand gracefully and lifted it to his lips, brushing it lightly. "Charming, my dear," he pronounced. "Utterly charming. You are all that Longford said."
    Her husband's grip tightened. "I was unaware either of you were acquainted with my wife."
    She felt her face grow hot. "Uh—not precisely."
    Longford came to her rescue. "Actually, we have never been presented. It was my good fortune to glimpse Lady Kingsley when her father brought her home from school."
    "Told me of it," Leighton corroborated quickly. "Said Ashton's chit was a beauty. And she is."
    "Beware the northern charmer, my dear," Longford warned her. "It's the ones who do not look dangerous that are."
    For a moment, Leighton looked pained. "It ain't me as—" He stopped, then addressed Elinor. "I collect he is disparaging my Scots ancestry again, Lady Kingsley. Got land up there, but it's too cold for my blood. Like Cornwall better. Reminds me of the lay of the land with the rocks and the coast, but the climate's more pleasant." He smiled