More Than Willing (6 page)

Maggie stared at his outstretched arm and felt a tremor of apprehension shift her insides. The thought of allowing Lyman Bradford to kiss her was revolting in the extreme. Yet, walking into Grayson’s arms didn’t seem much safer. While his presence portrayed a powerful refuge, Maggie realized relying on him
might be more dangerous. But she was willing to take the chance.

Without dropping her gaze from Delaney’s imploring gesture, she stepped past Lyman and rushed to his side.

The minute she was within reach, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her toward him. The relief she felt was enormous; vast enough to overshadow another little warning her emotions issued.

“Are you all right?” he whispered as he moved her to his side.

“Yes, fine.”

“You’d better be,” he said so softly she wasn’t sure she’d heard him right.

“Who are you?” Lyman repeated much louder than before.

“Obviously a much more preferable companion to the lady than you.”

Maggie looked to where Lyman stood, his stance rigidly still, his hands fisted at his sides, and his eyes narrowed in an angry glare. “How dare you barge in on your betters.”

“How dare you attack a lady.”

“Attack? I didn’t attack Miss Bradford.”

“Then why did it seem she had no part in encouraging your advances?”

Gray Delaney kept his hold on her and when he spoke his voice held a threatening tone she’d never heard before.

“Perhaps it would be wise if you left,” he ordered.

Bradford’s jaw dropped. “How dare you.”

“I dare because if you don’t remove yourself from the lady’s presence, I’ll remove you myself.”

When Lyman didn’t respond immediately, Gray took a step forward. “Do you need someone to show you to the door?” He emphasized his words with a nod toward the exit.

Her
cousin’s glare turned murderous.

“You have sunk to levels of which even your mother would have disapproved,” he said, focusing his
glower on her.

Maggie’s temper flared. “Leave. Now.”

“It will be my pleasure.”

Lyman walked past them but stopped when he reached the door and turned back. “Your father cannot return soon enough. Even his presence cannot undo the damage you’ve done to your reputation.”

Maggie watched her cousin storm from the room and heard the front door close behind him. When she was certain he was gone, she stepped out of Grayson Delaney’s arms.

She’d seen a side to her cousin that frightened her, but some of what he’d said was the truth. The feel of Gray Delaney’s arm around her had sent a fiery heat raging through her and she knew part of her
remained in danger – her heart.

“Your cousin bears watching.”

Maggie clasped her hands around her upper arms and hugged herself. She was on fire, every inch where he’d held her hot as if
flames burned beneath her skin. And she couldn’t stop trembling. The nervousness wasn’t from the distasteful near miss of Lyman Bradford’s kiss, but because of the overwhelming sensation Grayson Delaney’s touch caused when he pulled her against him and held her. She cleared her throat and tried to compose herself. “He’s angry because he thinks you interfered with his offer to marry me for the brewery. He’s harmless, really.”

“No one is harmless. Especially someone who has as much to gain from marrying you as your cousin has.”

“I can take care of myself.” Maggie’s show of bravado fell short of eliminating the doubts racing through her mind.

“That’s not what it looked like when I walked in.”

“My cousin would have given up once he realized I didn’t share his passion.”

“Would he have?”

Delaney’s dark brows shot upward as if questioning the validity of her statement. The slight lift to his mouth confirmed his disbelief.

Maggie turned away from him and stepped across the room. The familiar crackling of the fire in the grate steeled her with a little more courage than she’d had when she
stood close to him. She clasped her hands in front of her and faced him.

“My cousin is a gentleman, Mr. Delaney. Unlike some who have less stringent lines of constraint, he would have stopped when he realized I wasn’t willing.”

He laughed. “Ah. Unlike the notorious rakes we all know exist in Society preying on young, innocent females.”

“I’m sure you know several of whom I speak.”

“I think I know exactly of whom you speak, Miss Bradford.” He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned one hip against the corner of the floral sofa in the middle of the room. “Do you doubt that I would have stopped had I had you in such a tentative position?”

Maggie lifted her chin in a defiant pose. “You tell me, sir. Do you usually stop your pursuit of a female when you realize the woman upon whom you are showering your attentions isn’t a willing partner?”

“I can’t honestly say. I’ve never
met
a woman who wasn’t a willing partner. Either before…or after I kissed her.”

The grin on his face deepened the two crevices on either side of his mouth and his midnight blue eyes brimmed with devilment. Maggie felt a red hot heat rush to her cheeks. “Either you have
an exaggerated opinion of your effect on women, or the world is filled with more female fools than I imagined.” She struggled to keep a look of disgust on her face.

“Ah, I hear some doubt in your voice. Is that a challenge, Miss Bradford?”

His smile broadened and a jolt knocked against Maggie’s ribs. “I’m not at all interested in being another of your conquests.”

Somehow she’d put herself on the defensive and felt the need to turn the conversation onto firmer ground. She couldn’t allow Grayson Delaney an advantage, no matter how slight. She lifted her chin in the most authoritative pose she could manage and faced him squarely.
“Why did you come here?”

He shrugged.
“The fire in the stable interrupted our conversation the other day. Our topic was much too important to leave unfinished.” His voice almost contained a hint of hesitation. Almost.

Delaney was more determined than she’d imagined he’d be. This was totally out of character for someone as irresponsible as the Earl of Camden’s younger son was reported to be. “Are you afraid I still intend to fire you?”

“That was the impression you gave.”

She should. This was the perfect opportunity to rid herself of his overpowering presence, the perfect chance to protect her emotions from the chaos he caused. And yet…

“No, I’m not going to dismiss you.”

His relief was almost visible. Maggie thought she heard a soft sigh escape his mouth.

“Good, then perhaps I can ask for a minute of your time.”

“Why?”

“There’s something I’d like to discuss with you. Please, sit down.”

Delaney indicated a place on the end of the
sofa. Maggie’s first instinct was to sit in the single padded chair beside the fireplace where she’d be a safer distance from him.

“I won’t bite,” he said, his wide-open grin as dangerously enticing as a wolf licking his chops.

Maggie looked at the chair with a longing sense of self-preservation, then realized avoiding him would be a show of cowardice she couldn’t afford. She swished her skirts to the side and walked toward him.

He stepped back to allow her to pass then instead of sitting beside her like she was afraid he intended, he pulled up one of the heavy sitting c
hairs as if it weighed little or nothing and sat in front of her.

Maggie took a deep breath and tightened her fingers in her lap. Having him sit across from her
was even more disconcerting than if he’d sat next to her. At least then she could have stared straight ahead to avoid looking into his mesmerizing blue eyes. Now she’d have to lower her gaze to avoid being caught in his gaze.

“What is it you needed to
speak with me about?” She straightened her spine until she was afraid her back would break and lifted her chin with as much regal fortitude as she could muster.

He relaxed against his chair and placed the ankle of his right foot atop his left knee. She felt oddly uncomfortable while he looked infuriatingly at ease.

“How financially stable do you consider Bradford Brewery?”

His question caught her totally off guard. “I’m not sure that’s any of your business.”

“It’s not. Just mark my curiosity up as another of my unforgivable sins.” He dropped his booted foot to the floor and leaned forward in his chair. “How financially successful were the profits from last year’s brewing season?”

Maggie sucked in a deep breath. “It’s no secret that last year’s profits fell short of the previous year. There are always one or two unforeseen expenses that take
one by surprise, and the brewing industry is very competitive.”

“How many tied properties does Bradford own?”

His question surprised her. Not many outside the brewery industry realized the importance of buying as many local inns as they could to guarantee places to deliver their product. But how many outlets a brewery owned was something that no one ever talked about. Grayson Delaney especially should know how inappropriate his question was. “That’s hardly any of your—”

“There’s a chance the
King’s Crown can be purchased for the right price.”

Maggie’s jaw dropped. “How do you know that?”

Delaney leaned back in his chair and smiled his wolfish grin. “One of the tavern maids with whom I was…visiting, spilled her sad tale.”

Maggie felt her cheeks blaze
. Instead of Grayson Delaney showing some contrition, he smiled even broader, as if he were pleased with the reaction he extracted from her.

He cleared his throat and reassumed his natural pose. “To make a long story short, the lass was understandably upset after she overheard Mr. and Mrs. Briars discuss their desire to move from Harleymoor. It seems their only daughter married a man of means and wants her mama and papa to live close by. She’s even found a home for them near her.”

“I can’t believe it. Mother offered to buy the inn several times but Briars repeatedly refused.”

“Your mother?”

“Well, Father went to talk to him, but it was Mother’s idea.”

Grayson Delaney’s mind
seemed to evaluate the information she’d just let slip. “Maybe the time wasn’t right then. It may be now.”

Maggie’s mind
whirled with plans. “How much do you think Briars will want for the King’s Crown?”

“I have no way of knowing until I talk to the man.”

“You! What makes you think I’d allow you to talk to Mr. Briars?”

“Who else is there? Charlie Murdock?”

She bit her lip.

“Henry Tibbles?”

Maggie avoided looking at him by moving her gaze to the opposite side of the room.

“Maybe you’d consider Fletcher. He’s an expert with the horses but I’m not sure how good he’d be at convincing Briars to sell the
King’s Crown.”

Her
fingers ached and she eased her clenched fists. She’d found so little tolerance for a woman in the business world.

“This is an opportunity that has to be seized now or you will lose the chance to buy a valuable outlet for the ale you produce.”

Maggie wanted to shout that she knew she had to act quickly. But what could she do? She doubted Briars would take any offer from a woman seriously. Not many men would.

“Do you expect your father to return shortly?”

His question startled her and the knot in the pit of her stomach dropped. “No, I don’t expect him any time soon.”

“Then let me help you.”

“No!”

“Why not?”

“Because…” Maggie couldn’t continue. How could she explain that she couldn’t allow him into her world? Something about him presented too great a danger to her.

Maggie rose from the sofa and stepped over to the window. She pulled back one side of the heavy velvet drapes and watched the big flakes of snow that fell.

She needed time to come up with an alternate plan and she didn’t have it. The moment rumors circulated that Briars was interested in selling, there would be a half dozen breweries offering to buy the King’s Crown.

“You need me.”

His voice was soft and warm and wrapped around her like a heavy woolen shawl. “I don’t want to,” she answered, and meant it.

“I know.”

For a long time neither of them spoke. He seemed to sense how much she hated the only choice open to her and chose to give her the time she needed to come to terms with what she had to do.

Maggie searched frantically for another alternative but there wasn’t one. The chance to buy the
King’s Crown was an opportunity she couldn’t let slip away. Even if it meant risking her sisters’ futures.

“I have a certain amount set back that I was going to use for Felicity and Charlotte’s Season.”

“Your sisters are both quite young. Perhaps they can wait to have their Season until next—”

“No!” She spun to face him and found him standing before the chair where he’d been sitting. Deep
furrows ridged his brow and she softened her harsh tone with gentler words in hopes that she could ease the questioning confusion she saw written on his face. “Felicity and Charlotte must have their Season this year. If you knew them, you’d realize that they’re of an age when they are ready to fall in love. They need to meet men who can give them what they need. Neither of them would be happy spending their lives in the country.”

“But you would?”

She met his arched brows with a determined look. “I wouldn’t be happy anywhere but here.”

Grayson Delaney walked to the fireplace and squatted down to place another log on the dying fire. “You don’t have a choice, you know.”

He took the poker from the rack beside the fireplace and moved the logs. Within seconds they burned hotter but he didn’t confront her. Nor did he stand in order to use his height to intimidate her. He simply stared into the dancing flames as if he wanted his lowered position to be interpreted as a submissive gesture.

“I know,” she finally
replied, and that realization terrified her.

For the first time in her life she felt her hold on Bradford Brewery slip. And she’d lost her grip to a man exactly like her father. Yet what choice did she have?

He was beside her now, close enough that she sensed his nearness like a familiar scent, yet not so close that he threatened her.

“If Briars refuses to sell, you’ll still have the money you put back for your sisters’ Season,” he said in a voice she knew was meant to comfort her. “If I can convince him to sell, the profits you’ll make from the increase in this year’s sale should more than replenish the amount it took to buy the
King’s Crown, plus provide nice dowries for both your sisters.”

Maggie nodded. He was right. But this was Felicity and Charlotte’s future she
risked. Everything depended on this year. By next year it would be too late. The world would discover the secret she’d been keeping and Felicity and Charlotte would pay the price.

“How much do you think it will take?”

“I don’t know. It all depends how eager Briars is to sell and whether or not another brewery has made him an offer.”

“The
Jolly Seaman sold for five thousand pounds two years ago,” Maggie said, knowing it would probably take more to purchase the King’s Crown.”

“Could you come up with that much if we need it?”

Maggie closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath, then nodded. She could, but barely. “How soon will you talk to Mr. Briars?”

“I think I’ll stop by the
King’s Crown tonight for a pint and see what I can find out.”