Jaded Moon (Ransomed Jewels Book 2) (11 page)

“I don’t intend to protect all of it. Just the parts that I can.”

“And who will protect you?”

“I can take care of myself. But the children have no one but me.”

With a heavy sigh, he reached out to smooth the collar of his jacket beneath her chin. “We continuously seem to be at loggerheads with one another. I want you to give over my son, Charlie, but you refuse. I want you to support my plan to make our estates profitable, but you refuse. I want you to rely on me to help the children at Sacred Heart, but you can’t. What will it take before you give in on just one point?”

“A miracle, Lord Rainforth. It will take a miracle.”

His expression froze, then a smile slowly lifted the corners of his mouth. As if he couldn’t help himself, his lips separated and he smiled fully at her.

“Do you know much about miracles?”

“Enough to know they rarely happen.”

“Ah, but they do happen. Especially during the full of the moon.”

Josie looked at him, not quite understanding what he meant.

“Miracles. A gypsy once told me that very special miracles happen during the full of the moon.”

“And you believed her?”

“I have no reason not to. Shall we test her theory?”

Josie stamped down the strange feeling that he was drawing her into a trap.

“See,” he said, pointing up into the sky. “The moon is full.”

“And what miracle do you expect to happen?”

“What miracle do you think?”

Josie relived the hours she’d spent with Lady Clythebrook earlier, not giving up until she was certain she’d convinced her not to do anything for at least one month. “Perhaps the moon is fresh out of miracles tonight, sir.”

A heavy sigh escaped his lips. “That’s a sadly jaded view, Miss Foley.” He shifted slightly away and squared his shoulders. “At any rate, we’ll soon see. The moon is full and Lady Clythebrook said she’d like to speak to us before she retires. I assume she’s ready to tell us what decision she has made.”

Josie knew he was probably right. “Then we’d best not keep her waiting. We’ll see if you can count on your gypsy’s full-moon magic or if we are left with only its jaded side.”

“The moon’s jaded side?”

“The side we see when there is no hope for a miracle.”

He hesitated as if thinking about her words, then bowed politely and offered her his arm. They were on the far side of the patio and the soft lights from the candles glowing through the long, multi-paned windows gave the outdoors an ethereal effect.

“I have a question I’d like to ask you before we find out Lady Clythebrook’s decision.”

Josie stopped but she didn’t look at him. She waited until he spoke.

“Would it be so difficult for you to trust me?”

His question wasn’t what she’d expected, yet it didn’t shock her. There’d been a connection between them she hadn’t understood from the night he’d stopped her in the woods. A connection that turned her hot and cold and left her stomach churning whenever he was near. It was a tumultuous emotion she refused to try to understand. Nothing good would come of it if she did.

She turned toward him and looked into his ruggedly handsome features. He was the epitome of strength and dominance and for a moment she thought how freeing it would be to share her worries and concerns with him. How much lighter the burden would be if he would shoulder some of her responsibilities. But each child’s wellbeing was at stake. And the man offering to help her was a peer of the realm. A man whose reputation was no better than the man who’d gotten her mother pregnant then abandoned her and the child he didn’t want. A man who could order his fancy clothing packed tonight and be on his way to London tomorrow without a thought as to whether the children went to bed hungry or full.

She looked up to find him waiting for her answer. “No, Lord Rainforth. It would not be so difficult for me to trust you.”

She lifted her chin a fraction more. “It would be impossible.”

Josie sat in one of the two chairs a footman had positioned facing Lady Clythebrook. The marquess sat in the other. The air in the room still held a great deal of the tension she’d created before she’d left him on the patio. Oh, how she wished she hadn’t meant those words, but she had.

She’d only briefly glanced at his face when she’d handed back his jacket. The slight lift of his lips told her he considered her words a challenge. The gleam in his eyes as he’d looked down his noble, aristocratic nose at her was clearly a vow that no matter how hard she fought him, he wouldn’t be bested by her.

But he had no idea how determined she was. To her mind, this venture was nothing more than a diversion for him as he whiled away the time until reaction to what his father had done died down. Then he’d pack his trunks and head back to the debauched lifestyle that had earned him his reputation in the first place. He’d forget all about the people he’d abandoned here.

She thought of little Charlie and Robbie and Glenda and all the others. Without the smuggling, there was no way to make certain the children had enough food to eat or warm enough clothes to wear. No matter what it took to keep the supplies coming in, she would do it. She didn’t intend to watch the children go without.

Josie focused her attention on Lady Clythebrook and saw the familiar overflowing of warmth and affection she’d known from the first day she’d come to live here. That look gave Josie reason to hope.

Lady Clythebrook smiled reassuringly, then spoke.

“I know you both think that when you leave here tonight one will have won and the other lost. I hasten to assure you that neither of you will come out the loser.” She looked from one of them to the other. “Or you both will.”

Josie opened her mouth to speak but Lady Clythebrook held up her hand and stopped her words. Josie’s heart beat a little faster. There was no way they could both win. She knew that. The marquess knew it too. But from the corner of her eye, she saw him relax back into his chair as if he were enjoying the riddle Lady Clythebrook had given them.

“Lord Rainforth, you have presented an idea you believe will ease the economic problems that plague us. And Josephine, you are just as convinced Lord Rainforth’s venture will not provide all he has promised.”

Lady Clythebrook held her hand out toward Josie and Josie slid forward in her chair and took it.

“I have always valued your opinion and relied upon you to know what is best for us.” She squeezed Josie’s fingers with tenderness, then dropped her hand and sat back against the cushions. “I also know how difficult it is for you to take any chances with the children. But perhaps it’s time you changed.”

The blood rushed through Josie’s head, shutting out all sound. Lady Clythebrook was going to agree to Rainforth’s plan. But she’d said neither of them would come out the loser. Josie’s heart thundered in her chest and thrummed in her throat, nearly choking her.

“Lord Rainforth, I believe you may have the answer to our prayers. The two of you, however, are not the only ones involved in this. I, too, have something to gain. It is a promise I made Lord Clythebrook before he died but thought I would never be able to honor. Until now.”

Josie shook her head. She knew what that promise was and wanted no part of it. Lady Clythebrook however was addressing her conversation to Lord Rainforth.

“From the day Lord Clythebrook brought Josephine into our home, she was the child we never thought we’d have. It was always our intent to take her to London. Not to give her a Season, but simply to introduce her.

“No.”

Josie jumped to her feet and moved to the sofa next to Lady Clythebrook. “I don’t want to go to London. I never have. I’m perfectly content here.”

Lady Clythebrook smiled. “But I am not.”

She patted Josie’s hands, then turned her attention back to Rainforth. “For a long while after Walter died, I didn’t want to go to London either. I was perfectly willing to hide away here in the country with my grief and loss. Then, I woke up one day to find that several years had passed and Josephine and I were so entrenched here it was impossible for us to leave.

“As you’ve probably noticed, my health is not what it once was. But,” she said with a twinkle in her eyes, “I’m not so decrepit yet that I cannot survive at least a few months of balls and soirées and musicales. Josephine needs to experience London at least once in her life.”

“But I don’t want any of it.”

“I know you don’t, dear. But I’m giving you no choice. For the first time since I’ve handed over the responsibilities of running the estate as well as the orphanage, I intend to have my way.”

Rainforth shifted in his chair. “I’m not sure I understand where I come into this.”

“Josephine didn’t grow up learning the intricacies of London Society. She fits in perfectly here in the country, but I cannot take her to London without preparing her for what she will encounter. It would be like throwing a lamb to the wolves. And I have been absent for so long I would be of little help to her. I wouldn’t even know who to warn her away from, or instruct her on how to avoid the worst of the libertines in Society.”

“But, of course, I can.”

“Who better, Lord Rainforth, than one of Society’s most notorious rakes?”

Rainforth lowered his head, but not before Josie saw the sheepish grin that covered his face.

Lady Clythebrook smiled, then continued. “You have asked for access to the land bordering St. Stephen’s. It’s yours. With one condition.”

Josie sat rigidly still, barely hearing the rest of Lady Clythebrook’s words. She had chosen to let him use the land. She had chosen a stranger over the person she claimed to care for as deeply as her own daughter. Lord Rainforth had won and she and the children had lost. She tried to think of what her next move should be but the mention of her name jolted her back to the conversation.

“In return, you will prepare Josephine for what she will need to know when she goes to London.”

“No!”

Lady Clythebrook ignored her and continued. “You will instruct her in what liberties to allow men of good breeding and what tricks those same men will use to ruin her good name. You will teach her the latest ballroom steps so she won’t be found lacking, and provide her the opportunity to improve her conversational skills. I have no doubt more than a few there will take note of her, especially when they discover the estate that will someday be hers. I want her to be prepared so that no advantage will be taken of her. And Josephine…”

Josephine slowly lifted her shoulders and locked herself in a stance that stated plainly her refusal to go along with Lady Clythebrook’s scheme.

“You didn’t want me to agree with Lord Rainforth’s plan. In fact, you made me promise that I would give you thirty days no matter what decision I made. I therefore agree to your stipulation. If you allow Lord Rainforth to tutor you in the intricacies of London Society, you will have the thirty days you asked for.”

Josie wadded the fabric of her skirt in her fists. “And if I do not?”

“Lord Rainforth may bring his cattle in tonight if he so desires.”

Josie felt the room shift around her. This couldn’t be happening. “Please—”

Lady Clythebrook held up her hand to stop her. “This is my final word.”

Josie knew she’d been defeated. She stared first at the calm, compassionate expression on Lady Clythebrook’s face, then the unreadable mask of resolve on Lord Rainforth’s.

Lady Clythebrook intended to take her to London to mingle with the cream of Society as if she belonged in their midst. This good woman expected her to parade through the glittering ballrooms in hopes that a desperate second or third son might overlook the fact that she’s an illegitimate orphan trying to pass herself off as one of the elite members of Society and condescend to offer for her. And if she refused…

Josie thought of the children. Thirty days. She only needed thirty days and the final shipment of goods would be here. Thirty days and
if
they were very frugal, and
if
Lord Rainforth’s scheme actually worked, and
if
the Marquess of Rainforth didn’t tire of country life and desert them, then maybe the children would have enough to make it through the rest of the year. Or at least get by until she came up with another way to provide for them.

She turned on the sofa and lifted her chin until she looked directly into Lady Clythebrook’s caring face. “Thirty days, my lady. I will allow the Marquess of Rainforth to tutor me against the dangerous pitfalls of London life for the next thirty days. But not one day more. And I will set down the guidelines for our meetings.”

She turned her attention to where the marquess sat. “We will always meet here. I will not have the children involved in this.”

He nodded. “As you wish.”

“We will only meet twice each week. And for no more than an hour each time.”

The marquess’s eyebrows shot upward. Josie thought she saw a glimmer of a smile but if there was one, it was gone the second she glared at him.

“I’m sure twice a week is sufficient. One hour, however, is not enough time. It will take far longer than that to share my vast knowledge as a renowned rake and scoundrel. I reserve the right to extend our sessions to two hours, should I require more time.”

There was an obvious glint of humor written on his face and she felt an intense desire to scratch out his eyes. “I find nothing humorous in this.”

“I’m sure you don’t, but that doesn’t alter the fact that I will require two hours on occasion. Since you are stating stipulations, I am simply countering with demands of my own.”

Josie gave him an even harsher look but he didn’t back down from his demand.

“Two hours, Miss Foley.”

“Very well. Two hours, should the need arise. And we will meet only on Wednesday and Sunday afternoons. Those are the only days I can spare.”

He started shaking his head before she even finished. “I’m afraid that is unacceptable. I will agree to your request of Sunday afternoons. That is an ideal time to meet as it will give us an opportunity to take an afternoon drive, as I’m sure you will do when you go to London. Hyde Park is ideally suited for such outdoor excursions. Isn’t that correct, Lady Clythebrook?”

Lady Clythebrook nodded, the faraway look in her eyes telling of remembered carriage rides through the Park on long-ago afternoons.

“But I cannot agree to the time you’ve set up to meet on Wednesday,” Rainforth continued. “Afternoons do not provide the correct atmosphere one finds at balls, musicales and dinners. These will nearly all take place in the evening and there is a certain… ambiance, if you will, that one only feels when the stars are twinkling overhead and the moon is shining brightly. Didn’t you find that to be so, Lady Clythebrook?”

“Oh, yes.”

“For accuracy’s sake, I must therefore insist that one of our weekly tutoring sessions be held in the evening. Perhaps I might come for dinner and stay for a game of whist or a musical selection.”

“No.”

“That would be delightful,” Lady Clythebrook said, the expression on her face not hiding the fact that this evening was turning out better than she had hoped it would. “Do you play, Lord Rainforth?”

“Alas, not well enough to risk damaging either your or Miss Foley’s sensitive ears. But I am a good listener.”

Josie refused to let him get away with his machinations. “I’m not a fool, Lord Rainforth. Even though you are without question the rake everyone thinks you are, I am not so naïve not to realize what you’re doing.”

“And what would that be, Miss Foley?”

“Using us, my lord. Using Lady Clythebrook and abusing her trust to gain acceptance from the people who live in Clytheborough. Using every device at your disposal to fool us into thinking that you want Carrie Gardner’s child because you intend to do what’s best for him. But I know differently. I may have lived my entire life in the country, but I’m not such an innocent that I’ll be taken in by your handsome face and your smooth tongue. You are a dangerous threat and I’ll never forget it.”

“I can assure you I am only complying with Lady Clythebrook’s demands. I have no intention of threatening you or the child, or putting either of you in any danger.”

“You’ve been a threat to everything I hold dear from the moment you stepped through the doors of Sacred Heart. Don’t tell me what your intention is. I know only too well. Lady Clythebrook may be blind to your faults, but you will find I’m not so easily intimidated.”

Josie glared at him again but he wisely held his tongue. The carefree humor was gone from his face and the expression that remained deepened the steel-gray of his eyes until they were nearly black.

“Do your worst, my lord. I’m prepared to battle you.”

“You think this is a battle?”

“You don’t?”

He shook his head. “Hardly. More a game with friendship as the prize.”

“Then, let the game begin. I look forward to our first session. It should prove very interesting. If you will excuse me, Lord Rainforth. Lady Clythebrook. It has been a long day and I’d like to retire.”

Lord Rainforth stood. “Allow me to see you to the stairs.”

“No. I’m perfectly capable of seeing to myself. In fact, you’ll soon discover I’ll need your help for very little.”