Magic In The Storm (27 page)

Tatiana could see right through him. He was
scared she was right. “Oh no? Do you think she’ll marry you
instead?” Tatiana gave a little laugh and congratulated herself on
finding his weak point.

Morgan remained silent.

“My dear boy, Miss Hayden is too intelligent
for that. She knows marrying Vallentyn is in her best interests.
She will do as she is told.”

“Only because you have put the suggestion
into her mind.”

“I? Oh no, I assure you, I have done no such
thing,” Tatiana said in all honesty.

Morgan could sense this, she could tell. He
frowned at her.

“No,” Tatiana continued, “Miss Hayden is
marrying Jonathan because she knows just what she will get from
marriage to him. Does she really know you, Morgan? Trust you? Does
she know what marriage with you will be like? Do
you
even
know what you’ll be doing for the rest of your life? How do you
expect Miss Hayden to give up a certainty like the Viscount
Vallentyn—a title, wealth and a position in society—to be with you,
Morgan?”

Worry lines creased her son’s forehead. His
shoulders slumped a little and his eyes dropped to the floor.

Tatiana kept the smile of triumph from her
face. There was always more than one way to win a war—and she
always won.

She walked to the door. “Enjoy your time here
in London, Morgan. I will see you back at Vallentyn.”

With her parting shot, Morgan’s eyes met hers
once more, and then she turned and walked out the door. She had
given him enough to think about, and she had no fear that her words
would come true, very soon.

<><><>

Adriana fiddled with the tassel of the pillow
next to her. It was a beautiful pillow, covered in dusty rose silk
perfectly matching the striped chair on which she sat and the
others surrounding the rose marble fireplace.

She hated what she was about to do, but it
simply had to be done. She had no choice.

Lord Vallentyn was seated across from her in
the lovely drawing room of Vallentyn House. His face was that of an
innocent man, and indeed, he was. It was Adriana who was
guilty.

She looked around her once again and wondered
if Lady Vallentyn had decorated the room herself. Somehow she just
couldn’t see that woman in a shop picking out such pretty
fabrics.

“I am so sorry, my lord.”

“Sorry about what, Miss Hayden?” Lord
Vallentyn gave her a little smile. She guessed it was supposed to
be reassuring, but it wasn’t. “If this is about your disappearance
the other night from Lady Collingswood’s soiree, I completely
understand. Your companion explained to me that you’ve been
excessively tired of late. All the planning and preparations for
our wedding, I suppose?”

“I have been doing quite a bit of planning
for our wedding, but I’m afraid it has been for nothing.” Adriana
took a deep breath and continued, “I’m afraid I cannot marry you
after all, my lord. I am terribly sorry.”

Lord Vallentyn lost his easy smile. Scowling
heavily, he looked, well, almost frightening. “That is impossible.
It is unacceptable. No. I am sorry, Miss Hayden. You promised to
marry me, and you will.”

“No. I cannot.” The tassel popped off the
pillow, its fragile string toyed with beyond endurance.

Lord Vallentyn sat forward in his chair, now
beginning to look a little scared himself. “You must. My mother is
expecting us to marry. She has planned out my future, and you are
the key to it. She will accept nothing less.”

Adriana shook her head. “I honestly do not
wish to make Lady Vallentyn any angrier with me than she is
already, but I simply cannot marry you. Not with what I have
learned about her and... and your family.”

Lord Vallentyn’s pale blue eyes widened.
“What have you learned?” he asked in a hollow voice.

Adriana took a few deep breaths and
remembered that Morgan had told her that his brother had very few
powers of his own. She lowered her voice just in case there were
any servants lingering in the hall. “I know you are Vallen, and
that your mother is too, and very powerful.”

“But you are...”

“No, my lord. I have seen her powers, I have
seen what she is capable of doing and I will not, I cannot, subject
myself to living under the same roof as her or putting myself under
her power. I will not do it.”

Lord Vallentyn sat back once again, his mouth
and eyes drooping with defeat. Slowly he nodded his head. “You are
very wise, Miss Hayden. Either that or very stupid. I’m not
entirely sure which one. It is wise of you to not want to put
yourself into this position—as you say, under my mother’s power. On
the other hand, I don’t want to see what she will do when she
learns that you are refusing to marry me.” He shook his head
slowly. “Oh, no. I don’t believe I even want to be in the city when
she finds this out.”

A chill ran up Adriana’s spine. She wasn’t
sure she wanted to be here either. Perhaps she could... but no,
there was nowhere for her to go.

“You aren’t actually leaving the city?” she
asked.

He gave a little laugh. “Actually, I will be
next week. I have plans to visit my estate in Wiltshire, why?”

“Oh, no reason,” Adriana said, thinking hard.
This was how she was going to be able to get Morgan to a society
function! If Lord Vallentyn would be away for Lady Cowper’s ball
next week, then perhaps Morgan could attend with her. She just
needed to write a note to Lady Cowper—and hope their friendship was
strong enough that she could impose on her in this way.

Lord Vallentyn broke Adriana out of her
thought when he stood up, “Well, Miss Hayden, I beg you to think
about our marriage some more. You must not make this decision in
haste.”

Adriana, too, stood and looked around one
more time. How nice it was to be surrounded by such elegant beauty.
She gave a sigh. “I assure you, my lord, I have thought about it. I
am terribly sorry, but my answer will not change.”

He took her hands, returning her sad smile.
“No, I have confidence in you. I know you will do the right
thing—the intelligent thing—and marry me.” Giving her hands one
last squeeze, he said, “We will be very happy together. And don’t
worry about Mother. As long as you do as she says, she can be very
pleasant, even kind.”

<><><>

Morgan clasped his hands together in a
desperate attempt to keep himself from fiddling with his neck
cloth. Nestor had tied it just so, and not five minutes later was
scolding Morgan for having touched it and ruined the effect he had
managed to attain with the starched cloth. Now all Morgan wanted to
do was run his finger around the inside of the tight linen binding
his throat, but he did not dare.

He envied the ladies with their low–cut,
flowing dresses. They did not have to squeeze themselves into tight
fitting coats and pantaloons, and then nearly choke themselves to
death with a piece of starched linen. He wished Nestor had not been
able to obtain for him such perfectly fitting clothes.

Adriana looked so relaxed, walking next to
him with her fingertips resting gently on his arm. She was looking
even more beautiful than she had when he had seen her at the
soiree, and he hadn’t thought that anyone could look prettier than
that. But somehow, she managed it. Perhaps it was the color of her
dress, which managed to bring out the red in her hair, the green of
her eyes, and set off the pink blush of her cheeks. Or perhaps it
was the gentle swells of flesh that her décolletage managed to just
not hide from view, and which Morgan yearned to reach out and
touch—with his lips and tongue.

They entered the main salon where most of the
guests wandered about chatting here and there, greeting people, and
sipping from glasses of wine and lemonade. Morgan nearly stopped in
mid–stride. “My God, there are so many people!”

Adriana gave a nervous little laugh. “Welcome
to the beau monde,” she said quietly, so that only he could hear. A
shiver went down his spine at the intimacy of her voice, but
instead of reveling in it, he had to steel himself for the
onslaught of humanity.

At least a hundred people crowded into the
large room, and there were probably many more in the other rooms
about the house. All of the ladies’ dresses were as low, or lower
cut, than Adriana’s, with glittering jewels gently resting on their
pale white skin and dangling from their ears. Many of the gentlemen
looked to be wearing clothes even tighter than Morgan’s. He
marveled at how they moved with ease, without the slightest hint
their clothes were in the least bit restricting.

Adriana pulled Morgan’s attention to the man
and woman who were standing just inside the door.

“Lady Cowper, how wonderful to see you
again,” Adriana said, curtseying. “My lord,” she added to the
gentleman.

The lovely raven–haired woman greeted Adriana
warmly, “Miss Hayden, how wonderful it is to see you getting out,
finally. I have been telling Lord Devaux for the past two years
that he must insist you attend
ton
functions.”

“Thank you, ma’am.” She indicated Morgan next
to her and said, “May I introduce Mr. Morgan Vallentyn, to whom you
were so kind as to extend an invitation?” Turning to him, she said,
“This is Lord and Lady Cowper, Mr. Vallentyn.”

Morgan quickly placed a grateful smile on his
face. “It is an honor, ma’am, sir. And thank you so very much for
the invitation.”

“Not at all. When Adriana told me you were in
town, I was very happy to send an invitation. I know so many
members of your family, you are most welcome, Mr. Vallentyn.”

“Thank you,” Morgan bowed again before
leading Adriana off, and allowing the couple behind them a chance
to speak with their hosts.

“That was well done,” Adriana said
quietly.

Morgan gave a little shrug. He noticed quite
a few people were looking their way. He supposed it was Adriana
they were looking at—she looked so lovely tonight.

“Do you see anyone who might... you know,”
Adriana whispered, leaning closer on his arm.

Morgan looked around, and then shook his
head. “I don’t know how I’m ever going to find someone among all of
these people.”

“How will you know if they are the right
person?”

“My friend, Mr. Nestor told me of a stout
gentleman with a rolling voice who led a coven meeting he attended
not too long ago. Nestor was certain that the man was both a member
of the aristocracy and a powerful Vallen. He thought the gentleman
was very knowledgeable and would, most probably, be able to help
me.”

Adriana looked up at him with a gleam of hope
in her eyes. “But that is wonderful. What is his name?”

“He didn’t know.”

“Oh.” Her face fell and she knitted her brows
in thought. “Stout with a rolling voice. My goodness, that could be
anyone of—oh, of a hundred men.”

“Yes. Well, at least it is something to start
with,” Morgan said, trying to look on the bright side of things,
even as he looked around the room once again. He had noticed on his
first glance around that there were, indeed, quite a few stout
gentlemen who could fit the description Nestor had given him.

Adriana took a deep breath. “Well, I suppose
you will just have to meet every gentlemen of that
description.”

“Me?” Morgan said, his voice suddenly a bit
hoarse. He cleared his throat and tried again. “You mean us, don’t
you?”

Adriana shook her head. “No, I’m afraid I
mean you. I cannot simply walk up to a strange gentleman and
introduce myself. It’s not done. However, you can because you are a
man.”

Morgan thought about this for a moment.
“Society’s rules are very restricting for women.”

“Yes, they are. And I would be more than
happy to be able to turn my back on it all and disappear into some
village to spend the rest of my life painting. Unfortunately, I
can’t do that,” she said with a heavy sigh.

“Why not?”

Adriana smiled up at him a little sadly.
“Well, first of all, I am not a woman of independent means—I don’t
have the money.”

Morgan did not get a chance to respond, for a
handsome blond gentleman strolled up to them just at that
moment.

“Good evening, Miss Hayden,” he said, bowing
to Adriana.

“Oh, good evening, my lord. How nice to see
you this evening. May I present Mr. Morgan Vallentyn? Mr.
Vallentyn, this is Lord Freeston who has worked with Lord Devaux in
Parliament for many years.”

Morgan bowed. This must be one of the men
Adriana had told him about when they had been together in the
forest. Morgan worked hard to keep his smile small and innocent—was
this one of the pompous men who thought the country would fall to
ruin without them, or one of those who belittled her with his
comments, he wondered.

Lord Freeston then said, “I am surprised to
see you here, Miss Hayden. It is so rare we are graced with your
presence at a
ton
party. Is Lord Devaux here this
evening?”

Adriana gave a little laugh. “You mean you
never
see me at
ton
parties. No, Lord Devaux could
not make it this evening. You know how little he likes these sorts
of things.”

“I have heard the same of you, and yet here
you are,” Lord Freeston said, with a small smile playing on his
lips.

“Indeed.” She gave a little shrug of her
shoulders as if to say she couldn’t help but be there.

The gentleman laughed, but before he could
say anything more Adriana asked, “Perhaps you can help us, my
lord?”

“Of course, Miss Hayden. For you, I would do
nearly anything,” he said, giving her a warm smile.

Morgan bristled, but held his tongue firmly
between his teeth.

“Mr. Vallentyn was particularly desirous of
meeting a gentleman who made a very favorable impression on him the
other day when he was out riding. I promised I would help him find
the gentleman in question, but now I find I may not be able to live
up to my word.”