Surrender of Trust (First Volume of the Surrender Series) (7 page)

Uncomfortable with the frank appraisal, Lucy
urged her mount forward and Chalifour followed. After a spell, Lucy
slowed her horse and came to a stop. Chalifour did likewise and
they walked the horses for a few moments before Lucy halted,
breathless.

Chalifour dismounted with ease. Turning to
Lucy, he reached up to help her off her horse. His hands encircled
her small waist and he pulled her effortlessly from her horse. A
bolt of energy surged through Lucy's body. In that instant, their
eyes locked and Lucy's breath hitched. Chalifour stood motionless,
holding her for a fraction longer than necessary, then released
her.

Completely out of sorts, Lucy found herself
babbling, "See how lovely this meadow is. We sometimes let the
horses breed here instead of in the breeding stall. Naturally they
seem to prefer it here. It’s lovely, isn't it?" Facing the field,
she felt, rather than heard, Chalifour move behind her.

"Yes, it's quite lovely."

Chalifour’s deep, low voice drawled
dangerously close to Lucy’s ear and caused her to shiver
involuntarily. Lucy’s heart fluttered. Her breath rasped. The heat
of Chalifour's body radiated through Lucy’s thin gown and seared
her back. Lucy was afraid to turn around. Chalifour was entirely
too close to her, certainly much closer than was proper. A warmth
spread through Lucy’s entire body and crept up her face.

Self preservation prompted Lucy to move away
from Chalifour. Without turning, she walked to the fence which
surrounded the meadow, her mind clearing once she was out of close
proximity to him. The canopy of a large oak tree shaded the spot
where she stood and Lucy leaned against its strong trunk.

With some space between them, she could
breathe again. Her heart rate slowed to a normal pace. She pivoted
toward Chalifour and found his piercing blue eyes boring into her.
Her breath hitched again.
What was wrong with her?

Chalifour’s eyes sapped her will and rendered
her immobile. He walked slowly toward her with all the sinuous
grace of a large feline. All of Lucy’s senses flared with danger
signals. She stood rooted, unable to move, or to think. Chalifour
reached her and stood silently, looking down at her with such
intensity Lucy could barely stand it.

Lucy started to turn away when Chalifour bent
his head over hers and captured her lips with his warm mouth. He
spread his arms around her neck and waist and pulled her hard
against his long, lean body in a strong embrace. Lucy gasped as
Chalifour’s probing lips demanded hers part.

Chalifour’s tongue began to caress her lips
lightly and he sucked gently on the bow of her upper lips before
returning to his demanding assault on her mouth. His hands kneaded
her lower back and neck and she found herself sliding her arms up
and around his neck.

Lucy had never experienced the sensations
that tore through her being. Her chest heaved and she found herself
pressing her body hard against his huge frame. Chalifour possessed
her mouth for what seemed to be infinity. He finally released her
and Lucy stumbled backwards. Chalifour caught her in his large
hands and prevented her from falling.

Chalifour's eyes smoldered with desire. Lucy
sensed danger and stepped away from his reach. Breathing deeply,
she turned away from him and tried to compose herself. Lucy ran her
fingers through the tangles of her hair, which now hung loose and
wild after their gallop.

After a moment, Lucy glanced over at
Chalifour. He was watching the horses lazing about the meadow, his
broad back turned to her, feet planted firmly in a wide stance with
his hands clasped behind him. He was such a fine figure of a
man.

Lucy was at a loss as to how she should
behave or react. Not knowing what else to do, she quietly said, "I
think we should return to the stables now."

Seemingly unaffected by what had just
happened, Chalifour said, "I agree. It's time we return. I will be
continuing on to my estate, unless, of course, your brother is
available?"

They returned the horses to the stables and
continued on to the house in almost total silence. Lucy's thoughts
were tumbling over each other. Catching sight of Monique reading in
the salon, a wave of relief washed over Lucy. She could not imagine
trying to make polite conversation with Chalifour right now.

"Lady Monique! What a pleasant surprise to
find you here. It's been some time since I saw you last, or your
brother for that matter. And how is your brother?"

"Quite well, thank you for asking. How is
your sister, Lady Elizabeth?"

"She's as troublesome as ever. That never
seems to change!"

"So, who won?" Monique asked.

At the blank looks on Lucy and Chalifour's
faces, Monique laughed, "Come! Come! Your hair is a mess, your
cheeks are flushed, you've obviously been out for a ride. Knowing
you both, I'm sure your ride turned into a race. So, who won?"

"It was a tie," Chalifour said. He looked at
Lucy. "She rides well. I'm not sure I've seen another woman sit
quite so well. It was rather enjoyable." He glanced at Lucy
again.

"I see. It's true, Lucy is a phenomenal
rider. The only person I know who can best her is her brother."

Chalifour looked directly at Lucy. "Yes, I'm
looking forward to riding with her again."

Flustered, Lucy tried to change the subject,
"I'm sure you would all enjoy some tea. Is anyone hungry?"

Chalifour continued to stare at Lucy with his
impenetrable gaze, "Yes, I find I'm extremely hungry for something.
However, I believe I'll have to wait, for now. Perhaps the next
time we meet?"

Chalifour’s silky voice was a caress. Lucy
dropped her eyes and her cheeks grew warm.

Monique's eyes traveled from one to the other
and narrowed speculatively.
Could Monique have guessed?
Lucy
hoped not. She wasn’t sure she could explain her own actions and
she was certain Monique would rightfully scold her.

"Now that Season has begun, I hope to have
the pleasure of seeing both you and your sister," Monique said.

"I'm sure my sister will be arriving at the
townhouse soon. She loves Season. For me, it's a simply a necessity
to make an appearance at the House of Lords. I'll make it a point
to mention to her that you were inquiring about her."

"Thank you. That would be most thoughtful of
you."

"I need to be on my way. I would like to see
if your brother is awake before I leave." Chalifour’s voice took on
a commanding tone.

Forced to continue the deception, Lucy smiled
and left the salon. She climbed the stair case toward Lucien's
room. Lucy was happy to carve out some time to visit with him and
to escape Chalifour. She had not been able to check on Lucien last
night.

Lucy entered Lucien's bedchamber. His soft
snores filled the room, together with those of Alistair. Alistair
was fast asleep in a chair pulled close to the bed. His grey hair
was mussed and a light growth of white beard stubbled his face. She
took great care not to wake either of them. Alistair would be
mortified if he was aware she had caught him sleeping in that
condition. Lucy stole across the room, perched on the edge of
Lucien's bed, and softly stroked his forehead.

"Come back to me, Lucien. I need you to get
better," she whispered. Lucy sat quietly a few minutes before she
slipped from the room and returned to the salon where Monique and
Chalifour were politely conversing.

Both Monique and Chalifour looked up
inquiringly when she entered. Lucy looked at Chalifour and shook
her head. "I'm truly sorry. I know you would like to speak with
him, but he's sleeping deeply."
Oh, how I wish you could speak
with him.

"Then, I guess it's time to take my leave of
you."Chalifour reached inside his coat and withdrew a document
which he handed to Lucy. "Here is the contract which I will leave.
I was also thinking I could use your expertise while your brother
is convalescing. You obviously have an eye for horses and I have
need of a practiced eye. I would like to have your opinion on some
of my mares. I would also like you to deliver this to me in person.
I believe that should be acceptable since I have been playing the
role of delivery boy for you up until now," Chalifour said.

"I will have the contract delivered by one of
my servants. I cannot possibly visit your home without a chaperone.
It would be entirely inappropriate."

"You have a chaperone. My sister is in
residence at the moment. On my honor as a gentleman and with Lady
Monique as my witness, I would not put you in a compromising
position. I will send my coach for you at the end of next week, say
Thursday. That should give you enough time to go into Town with
Lady Monique, meet with Lord Perdan as you promised him, and
return." It was a command, not a request. Without another word,
Chalifour turned on his heel and strode out.

Lucy slowly turned to look at Monique's
questioning face.

"I believe we better discuss a few things,"
Monique said.

"Such as?" Lucy asked.

"Such as your relationship with Chalifour and
your unescorted romp with him. We'll get to that after we look at
the contract."

Lucy unfolded the document and began to read.
She felt the blood drain from her face. Paralysis seeped into her
body and she let her hands fall to her side clutching the
papers.

"What's wrong?" Monique asked anxiously.

"Well, this is a good contract for us, but
there's no money to exchange hands now. This is more of a
partnership. It's an agreement to essentially combine our
respective horse stocks for breeding. It's an exclusive arrangement
for our cattle to be bred with no outside horses since we
collectively own the dams and sires from the three thoroughbred
lines. It's brilliant! But there's no money to be transferred! What
am I going to do?" She looked at Monique.

A tap on the salon door caused both Lucy and
Monique to jump.

"Miss Goodwin?" Cedric’s voice rang out.

Vexed at the interruption, Lucy asked, "Yes?
What is it?"

Cedric entered the room. "Dr. Willets has
arrived."

Lucy lunged from her seat and greeted the
doctor in the hall. Exchanging meaningless pleasantries, she
accompanied the physician to Lucien's room. She was relieved to see
Alistair was not present and had presumably awakened and retired to
freshen himself. Anxious for good news, Lucy watched Dr. Willets
examine Lucien again.

"He has not improved as much as I had hoped
he might, though he does not seem to be suffering any
deterioration. Continue to watch him. I would like you give him
less laudanum and wine from here on. I will be back on Monday, or
Tuesday at the latest, to check on his progress."

"I must go into Town and may not be here at
that time. I will leave word with the servants to admit you if I'm
unable to be here. If I can't be here, I will want a detailed
account. Doctor, can you tell me anything at all?"

"No, I can't just yet. I'm sorry."

Dr. Willets departed the room. Lucy followed
a few minutes later. Her steps faltering, Lucy descended the
staircase and returned to the salon, shoulders slumped. She was so
dreadfully tired.

Monique looked up from her book and watched
her enter. "What did Dr. Willets say?"

"There's not much difference in his condition
and Lucien has not progressed as much as the doctor would like. He
wants us to start lessening the amount of laudanum we give him, and
wait, wait, wait."

"I'm so sorry, Lucy. Other than nursing his
body, which you're already doing, the only other thing you can do
for him now is to keep his world from coming apart. We've got to
figure out a way for you to do that."

"I know," she sighed. "I need access to
funds. I was counting on receiving money from that contract. Over
the course of time, the merging of our cattle will be a fine
business arrangement. In the short-term, however, I'm not sure how
we will survive. We’ll be scandalized, or worse."

"Do you have enough money in the accounts to
make a payment to Lord Perdan?"

"Yes, but there will be little left to pay
for all of our expenses until early next year when we can sell the
foals being sired now. We also won't have any of the stud fees we
usually take in this time of year because the contact stipulates
that our colts and stallions mate only with Lord Chalifour's mares
and fillies. So if I give Lord Perdan a large payment from our
existing funds, if he demands more money before the beginning of
the year, we could find ourselves in a dire situation. If I don’t
honor the obligation, we’ll be disgraced, which would be even
worse."

"I don't see that you have much choice but to
take that risk."

"Neither do I. The problem remains in how to
access our funds since I have no legal authority to do so."

"You've decided to proceed with forging the
contract, is that correct?"

"Yes, if I don't, it will make Lord Chalifour
suspicious, not to mention it's something Lucien already set in
motion. Why do you ask?"

"I truly hesitate to bring this up. But if
you're forging one document, then one more probably shouldn't make
much of a difference as far as the threat of prison is
concerned."

"I'm not sure I understand you."

"I'm sure Lucien probably has some cheque
paper here, doesn't he?"

"Yes, I hadn't thought of it. I believe he
has cheque paper in his desk. Of course! I just haven't been
thinking very clearly. I’m so glad you’re here. I'm not sure what I
would do without you right now."

"Don't thank me for suggesting something that
could place you in greater jeopardy. Before you do this, I want to
make sure you are clear about the possible ramifications. Forgery
is a crime that could put you into prison if it were discovered.
You understand that?"