03 - The Wicked Lady (9 page)

Trevor tried to guide her past the two ladies whom Kristen had seen leaving the dress shop earlier today.  The older woman had a different idea and stepped in their path.

"Your Grace, it's nice to see you here," Mrs. Clanton said. "My Elizabeth has yearned to dance with you. I told her tonight she'd get her chance."

"Mama!"

Elizabeth blushed, and Kristen felt sorry for the girl's embarrassing situation.

"I will be honored, Elizabeth." Trevor turned toward Kristen. "That is if my fiancée will not be overly jealous." He pulled Kristen close to him, placing his arm around her waist. "Ladies, I would like for you to meet my future bride."

Kristen knew her soon-to-be husband was baiting her. "Of course, I dinna mind if ye dance with Elizabeth. Tae be sure I'll dance with others also." Kristen smiled sweetly at Trevor, then turned her attention back to the young girl. "It's nice tae meet ye." She smiled at Elizabeth, feeling very sorry for the girl who seemed to have an overbearing mother.

"Yes," Mrs. Clayton commented, then added in a haughty tone, "Isn't this a bit sudden?" Her expression held a touch of mockery.

Trevor raised a brow. "You know what they say about true love." He pressed gently on Kristen's waist, and they moved away from the nosey old woman and on to another group.

Kristen smiled and listened, all the while thinking how shallow and boring these people were . . . and most were snobs.

How could Trevor like any of them?  They were such phonies and much too busy trying to impress everyone.  That left very few who were truly themselves.

Kristen gazed out across the ballroom and marveled at the beautiful dresses in every color imaginable. For just a moment, she could see another ballroom with a lady who looked just like herself dancing with a very distinguished gentleman. They were a fine looking couple, gazing lovingly into each others' eyes. Then a child of no more than three or four ran up to them and the couple swung her up into their arms.

She shivered and blinked several times. Why did she keep slipping back into this imaginary world she had created for herself--and at the most unexpected times? She had done it since she was a child. She could understand creating an escape world when she was on the streets.  But now things were different, and the vision was happening more often. Perhaps she was a little touched in the head.

"Are you all right?"  Trevor's expression showed his concern.

"Aye," she murmured and followed him to a secluded nook of the ballroom.

Finally, when they were alone, Kristen whispered to Trevor. "Do you really like these people?"

He shrugged. "Perhaps a few. Why do you ask?"

"They are so bumptious." She knew her face must be very pink because she could feel the heat in her cheeks, but that didn't stop her from continuing. "If this is all ye have tae call friends, no wonder ye came looking for me."

Trevor chuckled. "I
dinna
come looking for you." He mocked her accent, and Kristen frowned at him. "If you recall, you found me."

"
'Tis true."  She smiled. "Must have been fate. But yer the one who decided tae keep me."

He looked deep into her eyes. All the humor had left his expression. "It's a decision that I haven't yet regretted." He lowered his head as if he was going to kiss her.

"We'll have none of that," Rodney said, walking up behind them. "It's bad enough you've shown up at the Cranford ball when you've not attended another function in the last six months. That, in itself, is enough to set the tongues wagging, but then you make an appearance with your future wife, which--" Rodney chuckled, then continued, "--has sent many a young woman crying to her mother. And now you have the audacity to show everyone that you might care for this woman by kissing her in public and crushing what little hope the mothers had that Kristen was merely a passing fling." Rodney took a deep breath. "Just where is your decency?" 

"Rodney, did anyone ever tell you that you talk far too much?" Trevor asked.

"Yes."  Rodney grinned, adding, "On occasion."

"Good, because I didn't want to be the first." Trevor grinned. "Who are you here with?"

"No one," Rodney replied offhandedly, then reached over and grabbed Kristen's hand. "This way, I can be the first to dance with your lovely lady."

Kristen tried to suppress a giggle as Rodney led her onto the dance floor.  She hadn't uttered a sound, but once they were in the middle of the crowd she found her voice.  "I canna dance."

Rodney peered at her for a long minute. "You're serious, aren't you?"

"Very."  She nodded her head.

"Then, I shall teach you," he simply said. "Here. Put your hand on my shoulder and the other goes here." He took her hand in his. "Now don't be so stiff and watch me. Move when I move, and don't look down." He cautioned. "There is nothing to it."

Kristen concentrated hard. She even insisted they should stop several times, but Rodney wouldn't hear of it.

After stepping on Rodney's feet a couple of times and apologizing profusely, she seemed to finally catch on. Once she did, she liked the fluid movement.

"What is this dance called?"

"A waltz. Do you like it?"

"
'Tis fun once ye master the steps."

"You are a very good pupil. Watch this," He pulled her a little closer.

"What?" Kristen looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"Look over there at Trevor."

She turned her head. "He's frowning. So?" She looked at Rodney again. "Trevor frowns a lot. I dinna ken why."

"Because he's jealous of me holding you much too close.  He hasn't taken his eyes off you since we started dancing."

"He canna be jealous." Kristen actually laughed. "He doesn't love me."

"But he's marrying you."

"'Tis true, but it isn't love. 'Tis merely an agreement."

"Listen, sweetheart, I don't know what you mean by agreement, but Trevor would not be marrying you if he didn't feel something. No matter what he has told you. He seldom does things without a good reason."

"Ye sure about this?"

"Most definitely." he said with a significant lifting of his brow. "He never does anything he doesn't want to do."

"I'm not tae sure." Awkwardly, she cleared her throat as the music faded away. "Thank ye for teaching me tae dance."

"You're very welcome, Kristen. I hope you will think of me as a friend, too." He leaned down and whispered as he took her back to Trevor.

Trevor stood staring at them with his arms folded across his chest. And he wasn't smiling. "It's about time you returned her." He couldn't believe this sudden irritation he felt. After all, someday, he would give Kristen her freedom and then he'd have his. That's why he'd made the bargain in the first place--no demands would be made. But damn it, when he was around, he expected her undivided attention. They would have to have a long talk about what he expected of her once they were married.

"I thought perhaps you might like to dance, so I've graciously brought Kristen back to you."

A satanic smile touched Trevor's lips. "Thank you for your permission."

The violins shifted to a new tune. Trevor swept Kristen up into his arms, and they began to move around and around until she felt she was floating on a cloud. He was a much better dancer than Rodney, and Trevor held her much closer. She could feel the heat seeping through the material of her dress, and she realized she felt much too content with his arms around her.

His hands splayed across her lower back, and she couldn't catch her breath for a few minutes. She probably should be saying something, but all she could do was stare at his dark blue eyes. It was amazing how they could change from dark to light. What was he thinking? More importantly, how did he feel? He held her as if she was a most treasured prize, yet he never said a word. But then, what was she to expect?  Theirs was a business arrangement.

Suddenly Trevor smiled at her. His smiles had the strangest effect on her, and Kristen wondered if she was so starved for attention that she jumped at the least little display.

"What are you thinking, my love?"

"That I like looking at ye." She blushed.

"Then that makes two of us. You know I like the way your cheeks turn soft pink when you are embarrassed."

"And what makes ye think I'm embarrassed?
Perhaps, I'm just a wee bit hot."

"And all the time I thought I was the reason."
Trevor laughed and then pulled her to him for a brief kiss.

"Ye canna be doing such in the middle of the dance floor.  I'm sure 'tisn't proper."

"Merely kissing my future bride," he said as his lips brushed her forehead. He then led her over to another group of ladies. "I'll go and get us something to drink. Excuse me."

Kristen didn't try to fit into the conversation. Instead she politely listened to the bo
ring ladies as best she could. She couldn't help noticing the beautiful, priceless jewelry each lady wore, and she was sure they wouldn't miss a few baubles.  Thank goodness, she'd convinced the seamstress to make a slit in her skirt for a hidden pocket.

Carefully moving around the ladies, as if to change to a different view of the room, she successfully retrieved a bracelet, two brooches and a ring.  Good, she hadn't lost her touch.

"
Kristen girl, ye should be ashamed.
" Her conscience decided to rear its ugly head, and that was the one thing she really didn't need. She had to survive. That was something the streets had taught her, so over the years her conscience had learned to be quiet. But now the voice was back louder than ever.

She pushed the thought to the back of her mind but blushed nonetheless. Now was no time to develop a conscience. After all, she didn't really think of her skill as bad. She merely robbed from the rich to give to the poor--mainly herself. These few items she'd keep as a nest egg, just in case.

When Kristen looked up, she noticed a new woman had joined the group. She was introduced as Ella. Ella had beautiful blond hair, but what Kristen noticed first was the exquisite necklace that Trevor had described to her earlier. The necklace was simple, yet elegant. A huge emerald about the size of a walnut hung at the end of a gold rope and rested just above the woman's breast.

This would be a challenge, Kristen thought as she made her way carefully around the group so she could stand beside her victim. At least the lady had her hair pulled up so the clasp could come easily undone.

While Kristen waited for the precise moment, she halfway joined in the conversation. "Excuse me, but it looks like you have torn your gown." She pointed to the bottom of Ella's gown.

Ella took the bait and murmured, "Oh, heavens."

They both bent over, and Kristen accidently bumped Ella. The rest was a piece of cake. The poor woman never knew what hit her, nor did she notice that her necklace had suddenly disappeared.

Kristen was just getting ready to leave the li
ttle group when Ella shrieked. "My necklace! Don't anyone move."

Kristen froze.
Oh, no
. She'd been caught.

"I probably dropped it on the floor when I bent over
," Ella gasped as she felt across the top of her grown. "Help me look."

Kristen immediately let her breath out and stooped down and started searching the floor.
"This is just terrible. Your clasp must have been very loose."

"It was. I have had trouble before."

Thank goodness
, Kristen smiled to herself, then said, "Perhaps you lost it elsewhere. I don't remember seeing it on you when you came in here." Kristen immediately looked toward heaven.
Forgive me, Father
.

"Do the rest of you remember seeing it on me?" Ella asked the group who looked at each other, puzzled.

"Now that you mention it, no.  Maybe Kristen is correct and you lost it in another part of the house. Here, let me help you retrace your steps," one of the older women offered.

"Thank you."

Trevor decided to join the group just then. "What's the trouble, ladies?"

"It seems Ella has dropped her necklace. We are helping her look for it," a couple of ladies told him.

"Oh, really." Trevor immediately looked at Kristen.

"
'Tis truly a shame," Kristen said, then added, "Wouldn't you agree?'

"Yes, I would." Trevor took Kristen's elbow without waiting for her to ar
gue. "If you'll excuse us, we need to be going."

Once they were in the carriage, he looked at her but didn't say anything.

Kristen shifted in her seat, but remained silent as she straightened out her skirts, so she wouldn't sit on the loot.

"I thought we had an agreement."

"Aye."

"Well?"

"Ye needed yer grandmere's necklace back. I simply found it." She opened her hand and produced the huge emerald.

Trevor didn't seem to notice. "I thought we agreed you wouldn't take it. You'd just let me know who was wearing the jewel, then I could buy it back." He waited for her to answer.