Price of Desire (22 page)

Then he’d learned the truth.

No simple vicar’s daughter, but a lady like all the rest.

She connived, just like that other one, to get what she wanted, a night of betrayal and a child – his child.

He swung his feet down from the chair’s arm and stood
.
The time had come to reclaim what was his
.
He would not accept defeat
.
He strode to the door and out to the hall
.
He closed the door with barely a click behind him
.

Rose stared around the room at her guests
.
Dinner had been a success
–
the turtle soup, delicate; the salmon, succulent; and the saddle of mutton, tender
.
Even the sweet, a Floating Island, had been perfection
.
It seemed the more courses you put before people, the better they found the food
.
She sometimes thought that, as long as you kept the servants circulating, you could simply have them bring back the same plates they’d taken away moments before
.
You’d have to give the dishes different names, though – a
supreme de volaille aux truffes
becomes
capon aux champignon noire
, a
fricandeau a l’oseille
becomes citrus buttered spring veal with herbs.

No, she took the thought back
.
It was only the difference in food that helped separate the nights
.
She felt as if she were reenacting the previous night
.
The guests had split into the same groups and the discussion had followed the same path
.
Horses
.
The weather
.
Town gossip
.
Cards
.
Fashion
.
Horses
.
The weather.

She’d forgotten just how dull society could be, and this wasn’t even London.

Even her headache was the same
.
The cause was different – last night’s had only been about Major Huntington, and tonight’s had the added joy of worrying about Anna
.
What should she do
?
It had all seemed so simple forty-eight hours ago.

Now, she’d compromised herself with a man who detested her, not without reason
.
She’d found little to recommend in all but one of her suitors
.
Well, she also hadn’t yet spoken more than a few words to Mr. Giddens
.
Her daughter hated her and didn’t want a new father
.
Lady Clarington was spitting thorns at anybody who got within ten paces of her, and Clarington himself seemed to find the whole thing a joke.

She was of half a mind to announce that Anna had caught a severe fever, and watch them all scurry to make their excuses and leave
.
She closed her eyes and unwound her spine against the back of the chair.

The worst of it all was that she longed to spend another night with that dratted man
.
He’d lit a fire within her, and nothing she did seemed to vanquish it, not even the feeling that something that had been lacking, that degree of intimacy she remembered from before
.
Even as she’d sat there for an hour that afternoon holding Anna pressed to her chest, she remained uneasily aware of the bed, and all that had transpired in it the previous night.

“You seem rather distracted this evening, Lady Burberry
.
Not at all what one would expect from one’s hostess.
”
Lady Clarington had circled near, and the venom was loose
.

Rose sincerely hoped that Marguerite was enjoying the company of Lady Clarington’s son, Lord Simon
.
It would be dreadful to have exposed herself to this for no purpose
.
It was hard for her to remember why she had invited them, anyway.

“Just a bit of a headache.”

“I’d ask if you’d gotten too much sun this morning, but you weren’t out long enough
.
Were you?”

Rose shook herself
.
She wasn’t quite sure where this was heading.

“I am afraid I don’t know what you mean.”

“I think you know very well.
”
Lady Clarington leaned close and Rose was overcome by her heavy, sweet perfume.

“I did need to return to the house to attend to my daughter
.
But, I’ve already made my apologies for that
.
I would have thought you, as a mother, would understand the demands our children place on us.”

“Yes, I would admit that a child can be demanding, but that is hardly an excuse for abandoning one’s guests
.
When Simon was young, I certainly never used him as an excuse to avoid my own responsibilities
.
Unless, of course, you had another reason for leaving us all to make do.”

Rose bit down on her tongue
.
She might not measure up to Lady Clarington’s exacting standards, but she refused to drawn into reciprocating a rudeness by questioning where Lady Clarington had spent her afternoon, and with whom
.
Her stomach clamped closed as she chanced a glance at Wulf, who stood across the ro
om in discussion with Lord Jason
Knightly.

Something was eating at Wulf
.
He stood stiffly, his body ramrod straight, and without the practiced ease he normally portrayed
.
His knuckles were white and he seemed to be swallowing a great deal more than usual
.
What was bothering him?

“Attractive isn’t he, if one goes for that rough and rugged type
?
He’s a little large, but that has its own attractions, I daresay
.
I wonder if his
–
”

“What?
”
Rose drew her attention back to Lady Clarington
.
At least her comments clarified one point
.
Much as Rose hated to admit it, even to herself, she’d begun to wonder if Wulf’s discomfort arose from having sampled Lady Clarington’s charms as well as her own
.
What else was she supposed to think, when they had disappeared together on the far side of the lake for well past an hour?

“Well, you do seem rather fascinated by the man
.
A widow must get lonely,” said Lady Clarington.

“I wouldn’t know
.
I’ve my sister and daughter for company.”

“Ah, yes, your sister
.
She is a sweet, young thing
.
Reminds me rather of myself at that age, so trusting and innocent
.
She looks like she’d break in half if you looked at her crooked.”

“Yes, she is very sweet and kind.
”
Rose ignored the remainder of Lady Clarington’s comment
.
At least the subject had moved away from Wulf
.
Rose still didn’t like the way Lady Clarington kept glancing over at him, as if she wanted to eat him
.
And he’d be a very large meal
.
She resisted the urge to dwell on just how he had tasted – so crisp and manly, rather like biting into a green apple
.
She caught herself beginning to salivate and quickly sipped at her tea.

“I’ve warned my Simon
to always
watch out for the innocent looking ones
.
You never know what tricks they have up their sleeves or down their bodices
.
They’re never as delicate as they look.”

Rose choked on the remainder of her tea
.
Was the harpy actually implying that Marguerite had tricks up her sleeve
?
The idea would have been laughable, if it weren’t so insulting
.
Beside, it wasn’t as if Simon was such a great catch, after a few conversations Rose was not convince that he was any smarter than her favorite horse.

Stay calm
.
Stay polite.

“Does your Simon need to be taught to beware of tricks?
”
He certainly needed to be taught other things
.
“
I’d have thought he was a little old for that.”

“Well, he will be an earl someday, and you never know what a young miss, particularly one without noteworthy connections, will do to get a title.”

“Oh, and you would know?”

Rose wanted to bite the words back as soon as they were spoken
.
When you fought with a cat you were bound to get clawed, and she felt quite fragile enough without risking further scratches.

Luckily, whatever rejoinder Lady Clarington had prepared was cut off as Wulf approached them, his easy stride drawing attention to the magnificence of his large frame
.
Lady Clarington drew herself up, pushing her mounding melons forward
.

Oh, that was too bad a thought, but with her head still pounding and her stomach jumping with each step closer that Wulf took, Rose had to allow herself some pleasure
.
It felt as if his very presence sucked all the air from the room
.
It was always so difficult to breathe when he was near.

“Major Huntington, I am so glad you found your way out of the woods this afternoon
.
When I returned and didn’t find you with the party, I was most concerned
.
I was so worried you’d had the misfortune to be waylaid in some manner.
”
Lady Clarington shot an unmistakable look at Rose, ice pooling in her eyes.

“My dear Lady Clarington, I can assure you I am most expert at avoiding every manner of entrapment
.
I am never caught – unless I want to be.
”
He focused on Rose’s lower lip, and whatever breath had been caught in her lungs fled.

“Why, Mr. Huntington, you are so droll
.
We all know you’re a hero
.
Your contribution at Waterloo was famous
.
I am sure you are expert at most everything.
”

Rose could not mistake where Lady Clarington’s eyes were settled
.
She sipped her tea
.
She choked back what she was thinking about married ladies who couldn’t keep their eyes or, she feared, their hands, to themselves.

“The tales of my exploits are seriously exaggerated.”

“I doubt that
.
Besides I am much more interested in the exploits that aren’t told in tales.
”

Rose choked again, and almost spit the tea in Lady Clarington’s face or, given their relative position
–
Rose sitting, Lady Clarington standing at her side
–
over the melons.

Wulf did not answer, but angled his body more towards Rose
.
He spoke stiffly, his eyes focused over her shoulder
.
“Lady Burberry, I came over to inform you that there will be some delay in my departure
.
It is taking longer to organize the library than I had hoped
.
I hope this will not inconvenience you.”

Rose closed her eyes and attempted to draw that breath she’d been fighting with for so long
.
He couldn’t stay
.
His presence had already upset her plans
.

He couldn’t stay.

“Of course, Major Huntington, you must take the time to finish your task.”

What else could she say
?
She was trapped.

He smiled down at her, some secret message written in his eyes.

“Oh, what fun!  I am so pleased that something here has caused you to change your plans.
”
Lady Clarington cooed the words, her eyelids fluttering like a girl at her coming out.

“Lady Clarington, it is only duty that keeps me
.
I promised my stepfather I would complete the selection.”

“Oh, rubbish, I am sure a man like you doesn’t do anything he doesn’t care to do.”

“I would assure you, you are mistaken.”

Lady Clarington’s jaw snapped shut
.
She looked from Wulf to Rose and back again
.
“I am not wrong
.
You have made a very foolish choice, Major Huntington
.
I leave you to it
.
I have letters to write.
”