Of Dukes and Deceptions (10 page)

“Well, I know my uncle’s not well fixed at present.”

“But the stud made a profit when your father was alive?”

“Yes, but my uncle has not encouraged my input, so I’m not sure how things now stand. I do know he currently has pockets to let.”

“In my experience, a man who’s trying to cover his own inadequacies will seldom seek a female’s advice.”

“Perhaps.” She inclined her head in acceptance of the compliment. She went on to explain her aunt’s extravagance, as well as that of her cousins. “And then, two years ago, we had a virus in the stud. My uncle was obliged to lay off some of the old hands.”

“Really.” He sat up a little straighter. Alicia got the impression that it was the first information she’d revealed that came as a surprise to him.

“We think it was brought in by one of the mares but it wasn’t in my uncle’s best interests to spread the news abroad. I recognised it at once and could have isolated the affected horses. Treated them with my medicines but—”

“But your uncle wouldn’t tolerate your interference.”

“No.” She shook her head, distressed by the memory. “We argued quite violently but he wouldn’t give way.” She sighed. “Anyway, the whole yard was afflicted and we lost income waiting for the stallions to recover.”

“But they did recover? Shalimar was able to stand at stud again?”

“Yes.”

Music was drifting from the ballroom, a melodic waltz. The duke rose fluidly to his feet and held out his arms. “May I have the pleasure of this dance, Miss Woodley?”

“Of course not. I don’t intend to dance tonight. But even if I was tempted, I could hardly dance with you here. Alone.”

“But you love to dance. No, don’t think to deny it—your eyes give you away.” He took her gloved hand in his and pulled her carefully to her feet. “Dance with me, Alicia,” he whispered. Her name slipped off his tongue as sweetly and naturally as the lilting melody which was swamping her senses. “Dance with me. Forget all about convention and give in to temptation, just this once.”

Alicia couldn’t have resisted if her life had depended upon it. In a daze she felt herself being pulled into a strong pair of arms and led into the first steps of a waltz. Her feet felt as though they were floating above the ground. They followed effortlessly where his led.

The arm supporting her waist was holding her like a band of steel. Too close, surely? She was aware of the solidity of his body, mere inches separating it from hers. Her nostrils were assailed by the scent of sandalwood soap, her mind drugged by the aura of power that clung to him. And something else. Danger, perhaps? Or was it temptation? It sent dizzying sensations sweeping through her, depriving her of the ability to think.

Irrationally she felt safe in the circle of his arms, even though the situation was fraught with danger. Her head reached his shoulder and she chanced a glance at his face. He was looking down at her. A curling smile, gentle and intimate, graced his lips. His arrogance was nowhere in sight as his eyes held hers, darkening with something she instinctively recognised as passion.

Recklessly she abandoned herself to the pleasure of the moment. Nothing like this had ever happened to her before, nor was it likely to again, unless… But no, she wouldn’t weaken to that extent. She’d be herself again when the music no longer addled her brain. But until then, just for once in her life, she’d forget who she was supposed to be and dare to dream.

The music came to an end but it was some time before their feet stopped moving to the melody echoing inside their heads. He lifted her hand and brushed his lips slowly across her knuckles in a formal yet strangely sensual gesture. His eyes locked firmly on hers, and Alicia stifled a gasp as a cataclysm of emotions assailed her. The arm still supporting her waist drew her inexorably closer, and she was temporarily powerless to object. Although she was normally realistic and level-headed, his close proximity deprived her of the ability to think for herself. Perhaps that was why she didn’t realise until it was almost too late that his lips were rapidly closing in on hers.

He was actually going to kiss her again.

She thought the incident in the barn had been an impulse but sensed that this time his actions were deliberately contrived. She also knew she wouldn’t try to prevent him. This glamorous duke, who could have any woman he wanted, actually desired her, and his allure was simply too strong to resist. She gave up the internal struggle she was waging with her conscience and lifted her face to receive his kiss.

Lunacy overcame reason. Barely conscious of what she was doing, Alicia moved closer to the duke, shortening the distance between them until their bodies were almost touching. She stumbled and his arms caught her in an embrace so tight that the breath left her lungs in an extravagant whoosh. She barely noticed, aware only of the sublime feel of his body pressed protectively against hers.

Janet noisily cleared her throat as she entered the room. When she looked meaningfully over her shoulder it became apparent that she hadn’t come to berate Nick for his forward behaviour with her mistress but to warn him that they were no longer alone. His interlude with Alicia had come to a premature end. Damn it, he still hadn’t finished discussing her accident with her. What did it take to get a little privacy in this establishment? A possible means of ensuring they were not interrupted again occurred to him. He whispered a suggestion in Alicia’s ear as he stepped away from her, leaving a respectable amount of space separating them.

He faced the intruders with an attitude of unruffled calm. But underneath his urbane exterior he was cursing his own stupidity for allowing himself to become distracted by that damned waltz. His objective was to keep her alive, nothing more. He should have ensured she fully understood the dangers she faced before lowering his guard. Well, he’d just learned a timely lesson. When he saw her again he’d remain focused and keep his baser instincts in better check.

He turned to examine the shrubbery, taking a moment to bring his breathing under control. Mindless of the fact that his host and several other people were streaming into the room behind Janet, Nick was in an inexplicably capricious mood. He plucked a white rosebud from a nearby plant and, with a flourishing bow, presented it to Alicia. She seemed surprised by the gesture but hesitated for only a second before reaching to take the flower from him. A soft smile danced about her lips, and her eyes sparkled with mischief as she thanked him for it.

“Something on your mind, Woodley?” Nick addressed his host in a deliberately insouciant tone.

“Oh, er, nothing at all, Your Grace. I beg your pardon, we didn’t realise you were in this room. It’s just that we heard voices and…”

Nick looked down his nose at Woodley in a manner that never failed to intimidate. “And it required a deputation to investigate, I collect.”

“We thought there might be some awkwardness.” Frederick, not constrained by his father’s need for Nick’s patronage, glared at him with open hostility. When he moved to stand beside Alicia, his meaning couldn’t have been clearer.

“And why exactly,” he drawled, “should you imagine something of that nature?”

“Well, Alicia’s not well. I wondered what had become of her. Thought she might have overtaxed her strength.”

Nick turned to look at Alicia’s glowing features and exchanged a smile with her. “She doesn’t look to me as though she is about to swoon.”

“Well, no, but—”

“Your concerns are without foundation. I can assure you that your cousin’s perfectly safe in my care.”

“Perhaps, but one of the servants reported that dancing was taking place in the conservatory. We didn’t know quite what to make of it.”

“You’re terribly provincial here, Woodley.” Nick addressed Frederick in a mildly hectoring tone. “Dancing in conservatories is nothing out of the ordinary in my circles.”

Frederick flushed a deep shade of red. He blinked repeatedly, clenched his fists and looked toward his father for support. When it became apparent that none would be forthcoming, he seemed incapable of formulating an appropriate retort and had the good sense to remain silent.

Nick felt little sympathy for him. He’d treated the boy leniently, given his intention had clearly been to make trouble. It must have been he who’d alerted his father to the dancing. Out of jealousy rather than any misguided sense of duty when he realised it was Alicia and not his sister who’d engaged Nick’s attention. Certainly no servant could have been aware of their activities. Janet would have given him warning if one had come too close.

Nick’s eyes moved beyond Woodley’s shoulder and came to rest on the figure of Maria standing in the open doorway. Outraged indignation twisted her lovely features into a noxious expression.

It was then that he realised his mistake.

“Ah,” he said under his breath, “I see it all now.”

“Alicia.” Frederick offered her his arm. “May I escort you to the drawing room?”

“No, thank you.”

“I understood that you didn’t intend to dance tonight,” he said. “But if you’ve undergone a change of heart I’d be honoured to partner you.”

“Thank you, Frederick, but I’m fatigued and shall retire now. No, don’t trouble yourself,” she added when it seemed her cousin was intent upon escorting. “I’m quite familiar with the route.” She looked over her shoulder directly at Nick, twisting the stem of the rosebud between her fingers. An alluring smile lit her features. “Good night, Your Grace, and thank you for your advice. You’ve given me much to think about.”

“The pleasure is all mine, Miss Woodley.”

“I say, Alicia, what advice?”

But Alicia didn’t choose to enlighten Frederick and glided gracefully away. He was left looking rather ridiculous, hovering in the centre of the small salon that adjoined the conservatory. Nick strode past him as though he wasn’t there, and the others stumbled over their feet to clear a path for him. He returned to the drawing room in a reflective frame of mind.

In spite of the machinations of several young ladies, principally Maria, he didn’t dance at all. After an hour he felt he’d more than done his duty and slipped away.

“How did yer conversation with Miss Woodley go?” Gibson asked as soon as Nick returned to his chamber.

“Well enough, until we were interrupted by a deputation from the drawing room. We were unable to complete it.”

“You mean I used me charm on her witch of a maid in order to get her to help, and you didn’t make the most of the opportunity.” Gibson appeared highly affronted.

“I didn’t say that.”

“How did you come to be interrupted then?”

“Woodley was tipped off by his daughter.”

Gibson let out an exasperated sigh. “And how did she know?”

“Because my vigilance was at fault.”

Gibson chuckled. “Wonder wot distracted you?”

“Whilst I was conversing with Alicia, I was aware of some rustling in the plants, close to the external door. They have a veritable jungle in that conservatory, which would easily conceal someone of slight build.”

“You think the Woodley girl followed you there.”

“Yes, I do. She’d been besieging me all evening, trying to get me to dance. But I was mindful of your warning and didn’t oblige her.” He slapped his palm against a tabletop. “Damn it, Gibson, I’ve known some determined wenches in my time, but this one’s in a class of her own.”

“She’s been encouraged by her parents to think she’s something special and don’t understand how anyone could resist her. I’ve told you before, when you speak to a woman you have a habit of giving her yer entire attention and appearing fascinated by whatever she’s saying. I know you’re only being well-mannered and not listening to one word in ten. But a self-obsessed chit like Maria Woodley is bound to misinterpret and think you’re soft on her.” Gibson rolled his eyes. “Saints preserve us, if you take that one back to Dorset as your duchess, I’d be back off to the peninsula in the blink of an eye.”

“Gibson, if I was obliged to marry that creature, I’d accompany you.”

Gibson chuckled. “Glad to hear it.”

“I think,” Nick said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, “that when she failed to entice me onto the dance floor, she followed me when I left the drawing room. She was hoping to get me alone.”

“Very likely. But if she’s so set upon snaring you, why draw the attention of her father to the fact that you were alone in the conservatory with her cousin? Surely if she hoped to gull you into marriage by that means, then the same must apply in her cousin’s case?”

“I suspect she acted out of jealousy and spite, without thinking it through.”

“She’s either very desperate or very sure of herself, and that makes her dangerous.”

“Quite.” Nick sat on the edge of the bed and removed his coat. “If her father had found me alone with Maria, which was undoubtedly her plan, he would have demanded that I do the right thing by his treasure. But there was no question of that when he discovered it was Alicia I was with. She displayed no signs of distress at having supposedly been compromised. Anyway, he still seems set on his son marrying her.”

Gibson screwed up his eyes shrewdly. “You look disappointed.”

“It was Maria Woodley in the conservatory, all right.” Nick ignored Gibson’s barbed speculation. “I remember now, I saw those plants sway and there was definitely a flash of blue silk. It happened whilst I was dancing with Alicia—”

“You danced with her?” Gibson stared at his master, a knowing grin spreading slowly across his face.

Nick sighed. “You’re reading too much into a whim, Gibson.”

“I must say I’ve never known a chit make you work so hard to have yer way with her before.” Gibson appeared highly diverted. “But this one’s got the measure of you and no mistake. How does it feel to be played at yer own game for once?”

“And guess who was wearing blue silk this evening?” Nick turned his back on Gibson’s mocking face.

“Aye, well, you’re lucky Maria Woodley didn’t manage to get you alone before her cousin arrived, is all I can say. You’ve had a close escape.”

“There was nothing improper about my liaison with Alicia, if that’s what you’re implying, Gibson. Her maid was outside the whole time, just as we planned.”

“Here, hang on.” Gibson scratched his head. “I thought you just wanted her there until Alicia arrived. I’d no idea you expected her to stay. Blimey, how did you imagine you’d get anywhere with the chit with her standing guard?”

Nick grinned. “You told me her maid was a fierce protector so I figured to get her on my side. She highly approves of me.”

“You crafty—”

“Besides, I wanted to warn Alicia that her life might be in danger, not ravage her when she was a mere stone’s throw away from her uncle’s crowded drawing room.”

“You don’t usually let that sort of thing stop you,” Gibson said reflectively. “I ain’t never seen you so smitten before. Nor can I remember you putting yerself to so much trouble for the sake of a bit of skirt. That Alicia Woodley has really got to you.”

“She’s an amusing diversion from Woodley and his wretched daughter, that’s all.”

“Oh, of course.” Gibson’s irrepressible grin was wide and infectious. “Anyway, wot did she say when you told her about the nonaccident?”

“Well, she was reluctant to believe anyone in her family intended her harm.”

“That’s hardly to be wondered at.”

“No, it’s how I expected her to react.”

Nick paused, his mind reluctant to relinquish its hold on memories of the dance he’d shared with Alicia. He relived the feel of her curvaceous body beneath his hands, experiencing a well of tender affection for her spirited defiance of convention.

Touching a woman’s body was nothing out of the ordinary for him so he was at a loss to understand why he’d been so strongly affected by the feel of this particular one. He could only surmise that Gibson was right and the chit had turned his boredom to her advantage, using it to engage his attention. But still, the precise nature of his feelings baffled him.

“However,” he said with a heavy sigh, returning to his conversation with Gibson, “she has a deal of common sense. When she’s had an opportunity to reflect. I believe she’ll accept that I’m in the right of it.”

“Even if she does, where will that leave her? She can hardly remain in a house where someone wants to top her.”

“Indeed, we didn’t get the chance to discuss that difficulty.” Nick untied his neckcloth and threw it on the bed. “You may leave me now, Gibson.”

“Aye, but wot about—”

“Not now, I need to think. Good night.”

Gibson’s astonishment at his abrupt dismissal was obvious. He stared closely at his master for a protracted period before slowly leaving the room.

When he’d gone, Nick lay flat on the bed and stared at the ceiling. At last he was at leisure to think without distraction about what lay ahead. He had time to spare, since he must wait for the household to settle down before keeping his assignation with Alicia. Nick had few secrets from Gibson but, on this occasion, for reasons he had yet to fathom, he’d chosen not to take him into his confidence.

Alicia walked back to her room, outwardly calm. But her head felt as though it was about to explode. She wasn’t sure what had made her agree to meet with the duke at a later hour. Alone in her bedchamber too! She blushed at her brazenness. Not that she’d been given the opportunity to do anything other than nod briefly in agreement to his whispered suggestion. He’d made it sound vital, but she could see now that there was nothing more for them to discuss. The attack on her couldn’t have been deliberate. No one had anything to gain from her demise, so she was in no danger from anyone in this house.

Except him.

But the only way to send a message cancelling the assignation would be through Janet. That would mean confessing that she’d agreed to it in the first place. Shocking Janet in such a fashion was out of the question so she’d just have to go through with it.

His Grace wished to exploit her for his own amusement, he’d made that perfectly plain. Indeed, it was insulting that he’d not made a better effort to disguise his intentions. She ought to be furious with him for holding her in such scant respect simply because she wasn’t as highly born.

Her face hadn’t recovered from its blush of a few moments previously before it was again invaded with heat. But this time her discomfort was caused by recollections of his questing fingers, separated from her body by a mere layer of silk and a flimsy corset. To her shame she’d not wanted the dance to end. Her entire body had come alive, consumed by such sublime sensations that she’d been lost to all reason.

Which was why she really shouldn’t entertain him in her bedchamber. He might stick to his word and not lay a finger on her unless she begged. But, in her current highly emotional state, Alicia couldn’t be sure that she wouldn’t be reduced to begging. It was all his fault, of course. She’d not been able to rid her mind of his expression as he smiled down at her during their dance. It had been devoid of all arrogance, and there was something reflected in his eyes that made her feel as though
she
had somehow captivated
him.
It was a ridiculous notion, of course. She shook her head to get rid of it, laughing at her own foolishness, but it stubbornly refused to budge.