Wishes in the Wind (23 page)

Were she any other woman, Dustin’s answer would have been an unequivocal yes. The women he knew would have swooned with pleasure to be offered his heart—especially because it would be one step closer to his title and his money. But Nicole wasn’t other women. She wouldn’t welcome such a declaration unless she deemed it true. And he wasn’t at all confident she did—at least not yet. What he
was
confident of was the fact that she loved him in return, a certainty born of emotion, not arrogance. Yet, certain though he was of Nicole’s love, he was equally convinced that the enormity of what was happening between them was escalating too fast for her to handle. Especially in light of the fact that she was still grappling with her preconceived notions of who he was, how he lived, not to mention the aversion she had to his bloody title.

Didn’t she understand that he’d gladly relinquish it all for her?

The answer was, no, she didn’t. Not fully. Not yet.

Therefore, expressing his love might have bound her to him or it might just as easily have driven her away.

The latter prospect had effected his silence.

But not for long. Because, precisely as he’d sworn to Nicole last night, he intended to overcome every obstacle in their path and, come hell or high water, make her his.

Soon.

“Pardon me, sir.” Poole’s reappearance interrupted Dustin’s silent resolution.

“Yes, Poole?”

Poole stepped around the partially open door. “You asked me to advise you when Mr. Raggert arrived at Tyreham. Well, he’s been shown to his quarters and is unpacking.”

“Excellent.” Dustin rose. “Are you off to your nephew’s house?”

A nod. “But before I go, I have two unexpected visitors to announce.”

Dustin went taut. “Is it those hoodlums again?”

“Oh, nothing like that, sir. These are welcome guests, not destructive—”

Before he could finish his sentence, the door jerked forward another notch, clipping Poole on the shoulder and, having caught him off guard, sending him off balance.

Unceremoniously, and seemingly without regret, Alexander Kingsley crawled swiftly into the study, casting a curious glance at the astounded butler who was in the process of regaining his footing.

A crack of laughter erupted from Dustin’s chest. “Not destructive, you were saying?” Crossing the room, he scooped up his nephew at the same instant Ariana burst in. “Alexander? Where did you …?” She halted, sagging with relief when she saw her son in his uncle’s arms. “Thank goodness. I put him down only long enough to hand Poole my coat and admire that lovely new fern in your entranceway. When I turned, he was gone.”

“Thirty seconds. That’s all the time he needs.” Dustin gave his sister-in-law a warm hug. “What a splendid surprise! To what do I owe the honor of this visit?”

“To the fact that your nephew’s been demanding ‘Un’l’ since you left Spraystone. Evidently, he misses you.” She turned to Poole. “Forgive me, Poole. Are you all right?”

“Perfectly all right, Your Grace.” Poole had already straightened his uniform. “Would you or the young marquis care for some refreshment before I take my leave?”

“Nothing, thank you.”

“Then I’ll be going. I shan’t be long, my lord,” Poole added with a meaningful look at Dustin. “If you need anything, just ring for Quinn.”

“Quinn?” Ariana repeated in surprise. “Isn’t he Lord Tyreham’s driver?”

“He is, Your Grace. But prior to that, he was a footman. And, given the onslaught of guests we expect to arrive in conjunction with the races at Epsom, we’ll need additional assistance in the manor. Thus, Quinn has been reassigned and a temporary replacement driver engaged. I’m off to fetch him now.” Poole bowed. “Your Grace, Lord Tyreham, if you’ll excuse me?”

“Of course. Thank you, Poole.” Dustin bit back a smile. If Poole ever tired of his role as a butler, there was definitely a place for him in the theatre.

“Dustin?” Ariana glanced from the now empty doorway to her brother-in-law, looking totally perplexed. “Have we come at a bad time? I know that May is the heart of the spring meetings, but when Trenton returned yesterday, he announced that you wouldn’t be participating in any other races until that jockey you were seeking, Nick Aldridge, had recovered and was back in England.”

“Trent didn’t stay long enough for me to update him on the situation,” Dustin responded smoothly. “I’ve found another jockey, Nick Aldridge’s protégé, as luck would have it. He’s superb. Better than that. He’ll be riding my stallion Dagger in the Derby. Not only riding,” Dustin amended, “but winning.”

“That’s wonderful.” Ariana transferred a wriggling Alexander from Dustin’s arms to hers. “But, in that case, Alexander and I will be on our way.”

“Nonsense. I’m not entered in the second set at Newmarket, nor any other race prior to Epsom. Further, I’m always delighted to see you—and my favorite little tyrant.” A speculative pause. “Although I am a bit curious as to the timing of your visit. After all, Trent was here only yesterday.”

“Alexander and I were en route to town,” Ariana explained, averting her gaze to kiss her son’s brow. “We stopped at Tyreham first.”

“Ah.” Dustin tapped his chin. “Interesting, the last I recall, Surrey wasn’t a convenient stop when traveling from Sussex to London. Have they rerouted a few roads since last I visited Broddington?”

Ariana relaxed into a sheepish grin. “Very well. I used Alexander’s adoration for you as a ruse. Trenton said you seemed a bit preoccupied. He mentioned something about a woman. He thought I might be able to help.”

Dustin’s lips curved. “I see. So you’re here as my advisor.”

“If you recall, you’ve acted as mine,” she reminded him softly. “At a time when I most desperately needed one.”

“I remember.” Dustin nodded, sobering. “Although I sometimes lose sight of the fact that your marriage to Trent wasn’t always as harmonious as it is now.”

“Harmonious?” Ariana shot him an incredulous look. “Quite the opposite. At the onset, it was grim and mercurial, at best. But whenever I reached my lowest point, when I hadn’t a shred of strength or objectivity left, you were there.” She squeezed his forearm. “Let me offer you the same. Please.”

Affection and relief converged inside Dustin’s chest. “Truthfully, I could use some advice,” he conceded. “Lord knows, I’m not doing too well on my own.”

“Say no more.” Ariana gestured toward the window overlooking the drive. “Mrs. Hopkins is waiting in the carriage. Suppose I have her take Alexander to that wonderful playroom you built for him. That will give us time to talk.”

Another grin. “While giving Alexander time to demolish the new toys I’ve added.” Dustin caught Alexander’s fist in his own. “What do you say to that? You and Mrs. Hopkins can play for a bit, and then we’ll all go to the stables. To see the horses,” he added pointedly.

That had the desired effect.

Squealing, Alexander began to pump his arms and legs so vigorously that Ariana had to dodge to avoid his blows.

“I thought so,” Dustin teased. “We now get to the real reason you want to see ‘Un’l’—my thoroughbreds. Very well, you may do both. First toys, then horses.”

Ten minutes later, Alexander and Mrs. Hopkins were settled in the playroom, and Ariana and Dustin were comfortably seated in Tyreham’s green salon.

“Tell me about her,” Ariana began without preliminaries.

Dustin rubbed his palms together, considering the question carefully. “Ariana, this is a very complex situation. There’s a great deal I can’t say, simply because I’ve given my word not to. So I’ll answer what I can and defer what I cannot.”

“All right.” A spark of curiosity lit her turquoise eyes, but she didn’t question his odd conditions.

“I’ve never met anyone like her,” Dustin began quietly. “She’s the utter antithesis of every women I’ve ever been involved with—warmhearted, unaffected, and selfless. Quite frankly, I’d all but abandoned hope that such fineness of character, such inner beauty truly existed—at least for me.” Images of Nicole—astride Dagger’s back, gazing at the stars—flashed through his mind. “We have the same passions, the same dreams. We’d scarcely met, spoken, when I knew she was the one.” Awed, he shook his head. “I never imagined feeling such intense emotion. I think of her constantly, spend most of my waking hours—which, over the past fortnight, have become numerous—devising schemes to make her mine.” His fists knotted in his lap, his voice dropping to a hoarse whisper. “And, while I’m determined to succeed, I’m also terrified that I’ll fail.”

Tears glistened on Ariana’s lashes. “If what you’ve described isn’t love, I don’t know what is.” She rose, came to sit beside him. “Can you tell me her name?”

“No.”

“Where you met? Or when?”

A nostalgic smile. “Several days after I left Spraystone. I was in London. That particular night, I’d accepted invitations to numerous parties. The prospect of attending even a single one of them left me cold. So I delayed the inevitable as long as possible, strolling aimlessly about town, wishing I could do so forever. I spotted her immediately. One doesn’t miss the kind of beauty she emanates. She was stargazing on a bench alongside the embankment road. I joined her there. We spent only a quarter hour together that evening, but I felt as if I’d known her all my life.”

“That evening? Then you’ve seen her since?”

A nod. “But not often enough.”

“Dustin, is it that she doesn’t return your feelings?”

“To the contrary, I think she feels precisely as I do. And she’s fighting it every step of the way.”

“Why?”

Dustin inhaled, weighing his explanation so as not to reveal too much. “We’re from very different worlds. My world intimidates her. So does my reputation.”

Ariana’s brows rose. “She knows of your reputation and she hasn’t bolted? She must care for you a great deal.”

“Very amusing.”

“I wasn’t trying to be amusing.” A thoughtful pause. “Dustin, if I combine what little you’ve said with the fact that none of us, including yourself, has ever had occasion to meet this girl before now, I have to assume she’s not of noble birth.”

“Your assumption is correct. She lives a much simpler or, to use her words, more provincial life than we do.”

“In which case, how can you blame her for being intimidated? Were I she, I’d be quaking in my shoes. Lord alone knows what she’s heard about you. Most of which, I might add, is true—or have you forgotten?”

“I haven’t forgotten. But how can I convince her that all that’s behind me now? That she’s different, special? That I’m so bloody in love with her I can’t think straight?”

“That depends. Have you seduced her?”

Dustin started. “What kind of question is that?”

“A pertinent one. I infer from your description that the young lady in question is not experienced when it comes to men.”

“As naive as you were.”

Ariana grinned. “I’m not certain if that’s a compliment or a condemnation, but it is an answer. Is she young?”

“Your age.”

“But she’s been protected by her family, I’m guessing.”

“You can certainly say that, yes.”

“Then I repeat, have you seduced her?”

“You, of course, assume that I have.”

“Quite the opposite,” Ariana demurred in her customarily serene fashion. “I suspect you’re so eager to dispel her apprehensions that you’ve been unthinkably self-controlled—at least for you.”

Dustin shot her a look. “I sense a barb beneath that supposed commendation, but I’ll answer nonetheless. You’re right. I’m doing my best to convey my feelings without compromising her or her values.”

“I see.” A tiny pucker formed between Ariana’s brows. “Have you told her how you feel?”

“I’ve done all but utter the words. I’d gladly give her those, too, if I weren’t so afraid she’d bolt.” He raked a hand through his hair. “I don’t know what more to do.”

“Have you considered giving her time?”

Silence.

Ariana sighed. “Honestly, you Kingsley men are so …”

“I know—intense, impatient, and perpetually in search of a challenge,” Dustin finished for her.

“Exactly. Well, Dustin, you’ve found the ultimate challenge, one that will change your whole life. But you can’t approach it with mule-headed intensity, nor with single-minded haste. Some treasures, like flowers, need time to unfurl. You plant them, water them, and wait. Otherwise you destroy a miracle too beautiful to recreate, too delicate to recapture.”

“A miracle.” Dustin’s features softened. “That’s what she believes in. And that’s what she is.” He gave a deep, resigned sigh. “Do you really think time will help?”

“I do. And not very much time either. It sounds to me as if you’ve already made amazing headway. Just give her love a chance to overcome her misgivings. After which—” A twinkle. “I have a suspicion Tyreham will be hosting a wedding reception far more joyous than all your victory celebrations combined, including your anticipated taking of the Derby.”

Your anticipated taking of the Derby.
Ariana’s particular choice of words struck home, although she could have no way of knowing why, and a warm glow pervaded Dustin’s heart. Some Derbys could be taken, others had to be won not by siege but by trust. And since bone-deep trust took time to build, and time required patience … then patience he would find.

“Very well.” With a decisive nod, he conceded to Ariana’s suggestion. “I shall try to employ some of that nonexistent Kingsley patience you’ve described.”

“You won’t regret it,” Ariana assured him.

Gratefully, Dustin brought Ariana’s fingers to his lips. “Thank you. You’re one hell of an advisor. Not to mention you didn’t once grill me about how such overwhelming feelings could develop so quickly.”

“I?” Ariana smoothed her skirts and rose. “I who fell instantly and totally in love with a man who did everything in his power to make me despise him?” A distant smile touched her lips. “Given my history with Trenton, I think it would be a bit unfair of me to denounce your feelings. After all, love is love, and strikes when and whom it chooses.” She squeezed Dustin’s forearm. “I’m so happy it’s chosen to strike you at last. No one deserves it more.” With keen insight, she studied his expression. “Your happiness shows, you know. You look—content. Tired and frustrated, to be sure,” she added teasingly, “but content.” A solemn note crept into her voice. “That restlessness that plagued you at Spraystone has vanished. Forever, I suspect. Yes.” She nodded. “I believe, Lord Tyreham, your wandering days are over.” With that, she glanced out the window. “Now, given what a lovely day it is, shall we collect Alexander and Mrs. Hopkins? The stables await and—” Breaking off, she frowned.