Lady Alex's Gamble (28 page)
Seeing the look on Alex's face at the butler's announcement, the major drew his own conclusions. Familiar with the entire background of her escapade, he had been able to deduce her feelings toward her creditor. It was enough to guess the extent of her dislike by the faint expression of disgust in her eyes and the tightening of her lips. Not entirely certain of the best way to help Alex, Christopher nevertheless resolved to be near at hand should she need him. With a meaningful glance at the butler, he inquired if perhaps some refreshment might be served to him before he changed out of his riding clothes. 263
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Catching the drift of the major's thoughts, Jamison responded gratefully, "Yes, sir, of course, sir. Perhaps his lordship would like to wait in the
morning room
and I shall have a tankard of ale brought to him directly, that is if ale is..."
"Ale would be most satisfactory, thank you," Wrotham replied, nodding appreciatively and following the butler, who led him to the morning room and indicated the chair most advantageously positioned for the overhearing of anything that might take place in the library.
Meanwhile Alex, acknowledging Sir Ralph's presence with the curtest of nods as she swept into the room, immediately strode over to the desk, where she had locked her winnings in anticipation of the moment. Extracting the key, kept carefully hidden in the book of sermons that lay under a pile of papers on the corner of the desk, she opened the drawer and pulled out a wad of notes, which she held out to her caller. "There, Sir Ralph, I believe that this will cover my brother's obligations to you. He would, of course, give them to you himself, but he is away at the moment and as he is most anxious to settle accounts with you, he instructed me to discharge his debts in his place."
Unable to come up with a reply suitable to this surprising turn of events, the baffled creditor extended his hand wordlessly. "You may count the notes if you wish, but it is all there," Alex continued haughtily.
The remark was a mistake. Sir Ralph Cranbourne had been looked down upon his entire life. That his lack of acceptance by his aristocratic neighbors had solely to do with his own low 264
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tastes, unsavory reputation, and ungentlemanly behavior was something that simply had never occurred to him. All he saw was Lady Alexandra de Montmorency, bearer of an illustrious name, sister to a drunken gamester who had been as spurned by society as Sir Ralph had been, looking down her nose at him as though he were the merest insect crawling across her carpet.
Sir Ralph felt the rage rise within him. He wanted to throttle her, to destroy that cool elegance, to humble that air of self-assurance. With a supreme effort he willed the fury down and smiling sardonically, rose to his feet to face her.
"Oh no, my
dear
Lady Alexandra. You fail to interpret the situation correctly. The debt was for one hundred thousand pounds
or
your hand in marriage. I have no need for the money; I am a wealthy man already. However, I
do
need a wife, and I find that you are precisely what I had in mind."
"You would not dare," Alex hissed, trying desperately to conceal her gasp of shock and horror. Her first instinct was to run, to escape from the odious presence of such a despicable man, but she knew instinctively that her detachment and poise were the most formidable weapons she had against such a miserable worm. "You have no power over me. I am of age. I am my own mistress. Now get out before I have you thrown out."
It was the last straw. Sir Ralph grabbed her and pulled her to him, thrusting himself against her rigid body, his fleshy lips pressing against hers.
No one had ever touched Alex so, and for a moment she was paralyzed with shock and distaste. A wave of nausea 265
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swept over her as she smelled the liquor on his hot breath. Closing her eyes, she fought for self-control, her thoughts racing frantically. To struggle would be to react. To react would be to acknowledge that he had power over her and besides, strong as she was, she felt quite unequal to overcoming or even breaking free of someone who outweighed her by several stone. She could not cry out as he had his lips clamped to hers, his hand at the back of her neck holding her head so that she could not even twist it. At last she marshaled her wits and, raising one foot, brought it down with all the force she could muster on the inside arch of his foot.
As a defense it was not particularly brilliant and Alex would have preferred something much more decisive, but it was enough to make him gasp and loosen his grip just as the major, his face dark with anger, came hurtling into the library. "Unhand the lady, you dog," he ordered through clenched teeth.
Already inflamed beyond all caution. Sir Ralph sprang at the intruder, his hands grabbing for the major's throat. Not even deigning to raise his fists, Christopher stepped coolly to one side, allowing his would-be attacker to crash headlong to the floor, where he lay for a moment gasping for breath. The major strolled over to the prone Sir Ralph. "I suggest you leave as quickly and quietly as you came or you will find yourself without your precious money and in the hands of the authorities."
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"This affair is none of yours," Sir Ralph snarled, rising unsteadily to his feet. "You have no right to interfere in an affair of honor. The lady is mine."
Christopher snorted.
"Dishonor,
more like. What right have I to interfere? I have the right of any gentleman to thwart a villain and protect a lady—a lady, I may say, who belongs to no one but herself. I am sure that her brother, who asked that I call on her, would agree with me. Now I suggest that you allow Jamison here"—he waved in the direction of the door, where the butler, with all the stateliness of a long line of privileged retainers to the de Montmorencys, stood holding the caller's hat and gloves—"to show you out." Not until the door had closed behind Sir Ralph did Christopher turn to Alex, who stood rooted to the spot, too outraged and disgusted to react. "Alex?" he whispered softly.
"Are you all right?"
She nodded dumbly.
"My poor girl. He is a nasty character, is he not? I should not even have let you be alone with him." The major moved closer to her, trying to read the thoughts behind the glazed look in her eyes. In many ways it resembled the expression he had seen in the faces of young soldiers after their first battle. He took one limp hand in a warm, reassuring grasp.
"It is over now, Alex. You have won. You are free from that scoundrel."
She gasped, shuddered, and raised her hands to her face. Silent tears trickled down through her fingers.
"Come, my girl." Ever-so gently he pulled her to him until her head was resting on his shoulder.
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"It was ... it was dreadful," Alex sobbed. "I could not get away, he was so odious, so ... oh how could he!"
"Hush, hush." The major stroked the auburn curls. "You
did
get away. You had already freed yourself when I arrived." She pulled away, gazing up at him with eyes swimming in tears. "I have never ... it was so awful," she began. Christopher's heart turned over at the misery in her voice. More than anything he wanted to sweep her off her feet and into his arms, promising that nothing would ever happen to upset her so again, that he would always protect her and take care of her. It broke his heart to see her look as lost and bewildered as she did at this moment, but he knew that what she really needed was not a champion and protector as much as her own self-confidence restored. Perhaps for the first time in her adult life she had been powerless, and the most help he could offer her now would be to give her back that belief in herself, no matter how much he might long to comfort her and have her cling to him for support.
It was such a magical sensation to hold her, to be so close to her, to feel the silkiness of her hair brushing against his cheek, her heart pounding against his chest, that he dared not move for risk of breaking the spell. Enfolding her in his arms felt so perfect—as though he had been hungering for something all his life and just now been satisfied, as if he had only been a part of something that was now complete. He could have stood there forever reveling in the scent of rose water in her hair and me warmth of her under his hands, but she needed something else from him now. As he had done with so many battle-weary young soldiers, he strove to 268
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think of something that would help rebuild the world that had just come crashing down around her. "You
did
say the man was odious. I have seen some scoundrelly fellows in my time—the raff and scaff of Europe in fact—but I have yet to clap eyes on such a one as he. No wonder you were so eager to discharge Alexander's debt, though Sir Ralph was certainly dismayed by your coming up with the ready so promptly. Undoubtedly, he was looking forward to months of pleasure threatening you all with dire consequences if you did not pay. I'd have given a monkey to see his face when you offered up the blunt."
Alex raised her head from me reassuringly broad shoulder, a thoughtful frown wrinkling her brow. "Yes, he was rather put out about it, and I must say, I enjoyed stealing a march on him. I suppose I should have left the room then, but he was so disgusting, had so obviously come to gloat, that I told him to count it if he wished. I rather think that was the wrong thing to say."
Christopher clapped a hand to his forehead. "Wrong thing to say? It was madness! I only wonder that you are alive." He looked down at her. "You are a fire-eater, you know. I thank God I do not have you in my regiment, as I would constantly be having to keep you from flinging yourself in the cannon's mouth."
The green eyes regarded him gravely. "I suppose I
was
taking a risk."
"I should say so! I, for one, would never be alone in a room with a rogue like that. He is a very nasty piece of work 269
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and as dangerous and unpredictable as a snake or a wounded boar."
"I daresay, I mean, well ... I am very lucky that you were around." The words came out haltingly and the major could see how much it cost her to get them out, but how very much he wished to hear them. Funny thing that—for years he had done his level best to stop women from counting on him, from making demands of him, and now he wished more than anything in the world that this one would. However, other things were at stake here beside his own hopes and wishes. The major shrugged as casually as if they were discussing a hand of piquet as he replied, "Far from it. You had already gotten the best of him. I merely came in as a rear-guard to stop him from even thinking about falling back and regrouping."
Christopher could see that she did not entirely believe this, but she was grateful to him for seeing things that way. "I do hope he is convinced"—Alex grimaced—"for I have the strongest disinclination for ever crossing paths with him again. Would you really have sent for the authorities?" The major grinned. "The only
authorities
I was referring to were these." He held up his fists. "I know little enough of the law or of this county to know if he even could have been detained, much less punished, but it sounded good at the time."
"
I
certainly believed you." An answering smile flickered across Alex's lips, and then she was serious again. "But indeed, I do thank you for looking out after me. I do not know..."
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The major reached for one slim white hand and raised it to his lips. "Believe me. Lady Alexandra, I am honored to be of service to a lady as redoubtable as you. I only wish I could do more."
It was a courtly, old-fashioned gesture, but one that was highly appropriate. After all, he had come rushing in like a
preux chevalier,
Alex thought, and oddly enough, she had liked it. How wonderful it was to have someone else shoulder her problems for a change, and how strong, safe, secure, and even loving his arms had felt around her. She could have stayed within them forever, savoring the delicious sense of peace and security he gave her.
But she must not think such a thing. The man loathed females, and with justification, from what she had seen of his mother. Besides, he was a soldier, ready to depart the very next day for a conflict that was bound to test every soldier engaged in it to the very limits of his endurance and abilities. Now it was Alex, uncomfortably aware of the two dark blue eyes fixed on her with an intensity she could not quite fathom, who strove to bring lightness back into the conversation. "You are most kind. The least I can do to repay all your kindness is to see to your comforts. I shall instruct Jamison to see to it that you are provided with a bath and whatever else you need before dinner." She smiled and hurried from the library, her thoughts and emotions in complete and utter turmoil.
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It was a turmoil that continued through dinner and a desultory game of piquet in the drawing room while Althea amused them all by playing the harp. Try though she would, Alexandra could not keep her mind or her eyes on the cards. They kept straying to Wrotham's beautifully shaped hands, bringing disturbing memories of their warmth and strength as they had held her. Occasionally she would glance up to find him watching her intently, as though he were trying to read her mind or commit her face to memory. At last, hoping to dispel these disquieting thoughts by removing herself from the source of them, Alex excused herself relatively early and headed for the less disturbing isolation of her bedchamber. This ploy, though it took her away from Wrotham's unsettling presence, did nothing to expunge him from her imagination. In fact, once in bed, she was at liberty to relive the entire day without interruption.
