Price of Desire (40 page)

Where the hell was he
?
Rose had
finally resolved to come in and get this over with and where was the blasted man
?
If she was going to smile sweetly and let him announce her future captivity the least he could do was present himself.

Rose smiled sweetly at her guests as she fumed around the ballroom
.
She took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of the white roses the sta
ff had
used to decorate
.
She forced herself to concentrate on the details: the fresh flowers, crisp linens, shined mirrors, hundreds of candles
.
Her staff really had outdone themselves
.
It was amazing how much had been accomplished without her detailed involvement.

Everything
ran
just like clockwork – except that bloody, blasted man
.
How dare he force her to this position and then disappear.

“May I get you a glass of lemonade or perhaps some Orgeat
?
You look a trifle overheated.
”
Mr. William’s placid voice interrupted her thoughts.

She hoped she didn’t look as hot and bothered as she felt
.

She turned to Mr. Williams
.
“Lemonade would be fine, anything stronger and I fear my head would start spinning
.
I’d forgotten how much heat
so many
candles give off.”

“Should I bring it to you here or should we take a turn in the garden?”

Was every man here going to lure her outside or spring upon her there?

“I see my sister by the stair
.
I’ll join her and you can find me there
.
I really must mingle with my guests.”

“Of course
.
I’ll return in a moment.”

Rose nodded and said a few words as she made her way across the room to Marguerite
.
Her sister stood in animated conversation with the marquess
.
Rose’s brow
s
drew together
.
What did they have to talk about
?
She hoped Wimberly was not regaling her sister with the true state of affairs
.
Marguerite glanced up and met her eyes, a deep flush spread over her skin
.
Damn
.
Why would Marguerite blush if Wimberly wasn’t sharing secrets?

She picked up her pace as much as decorum would allow
.
Wouldn’t it be just like Wulf to have friends that would share unsavory details with an innocent girl?

As if sensing her thoughts, Wimberly kissed her sister’s
glove
and departed just before she could reach them.

“What was that about?
”
Rose hoped her question didn’t sound as short tempered as she felt.

“What about?
”
Marguerite turned her wide blue eyes on her sister.

“Wimberly
.
He made you blush.”

“Did he really
?
I think it must just be the heat of the room.”

Rose might have believed her sister if she had not colored deeper with every word
.
Marguerite never had been able to lie.

“Was he talking about me, my betrothal?”

“Oh no.
”
That at least sounded like the truth
.
“He did
express his joy at the situation
.
He seemed quite taken with the idea of Wulf forming an affection, almost as if he found it humorous, but not in an unpleasant way.”

“I am still not clear why he was talking to you about it.”

Again the deep blush.

“Why shouldn’t he
?
I am your sister.”

Why did Marguerite sound so defensive
?
Rose glanced back at the ball
room
.
Lord Simon Clarington stood against the far wall gazing at them with hooded eyes
.
Ahh, maybe Marguerite was just flustered by his presence
.
She had seemed awfully taken earlier by the idea of romance.

Rose smiled at her sister, indulgently.

“Of course
,
you are, dearest
.
Have you seen Wulf
?
I thought he’d be here.”

“That’s what has you on edge
.
You sounded a little sharp
.
He was speaking to Wimberl
e
y just before you arrived
.
I believe he went out into the garden looking for you
.
You’ve nothing to worry about.
”
Marguerite patted
her hand
.

The clicking of heels across the floor heralded Mr. Williams
’
approach and Rose turned eagerly to take the lemonade he offered
.
The last thing she wanted was to discuss her feelings towards Wulf in any detail.

“Thank you
so
much, Mr. Williams
.
I hope the wait was not too bad.”

“Not at all
.
Everything is beautifully organized
.
I daresay the London hostesses could learn a lesson from you
.
I always appreciate organization.”

Marguerite piped up
.
“Do forgive me, but I see somebody I must talk to.
”
She spun away from them and disappeared behind another group caught in heavy conversation
.
What was with the girl
?
She was heading in Lord Simon’s direction . . . she must be engaging in some harmless flirtation
.
It had better be harmless, Rose wasn’t sure she completely trusted Lord Simon with her sister
.

Rose craned her head
to
see where Marguerite had fled
.
Unfortunately
,
all she could make out across the room was Wimberly slipping out into the garden.

He must be looking for Wulf
.
Maybe, they could get this blasted announcement over with.

“. . . awfully hot in here . . . take some air.”

Rose turned back to Mr. Willi
a
ms, flustered
.
She’d been so busy watching for Marguerite that she’d missed what he was saying.

“Oh dear, I am so sorry
.
My head is still spinning from all the planning putting this evening together
.
I am afraid I didn’t hear what you were saying.”

“Oh
.
” Mr. Williams looked taken aback
.
“I was just suggesting, again, that we take a turn in the garden to escape the heat.”

That would give her the chance to find Wulf and Wimberl
e
y and get this whole thing finished.

“That would be lovely
.
Even this early in the year a
packed room can be a trif
l
e uncomfortable.
”
She placed her hand on his arm and let him lead her to the terrace doors
.
Just befor
e they exited, she stopped
in her tracks
.
“You’re not going to ask me to marry you
,
are you?”

Mr. Williams looked as nonplus
s
ed by her
words as she was
.
Where had that
come from?

He shuffled from foot to foot
,
trying to find words
.
“Well
,
no, Lady Burberry, I hadn’t planned on it, at least not tonight
.
Thought I’d wait a little and then see . . . must admit I’d had the thought
.
Seemed to make sense, but I like to approach these things with planning and care.”

Having said his piece, he again proceeded on into the cool night air
.
Rose trailed along, breathing a deep sigh of relief
.
Her words had been foolish in the extreme, if somewhat provoked by the events of the evening
.
She was glad the darkness of the terrace hid her face.

“You must forgive me, Mr. Williams
.
My question was quite rude.”

“Don’t worry
.
I like straight speaking
.
It’s attracted me to you from the first
.
Where else am I to find a woman who can discuss slugs without a grimace
?
I bet you can even wax on over the horrors of blight and the best methods of drainage.”

She smiled up at him
.
He truly was a most kindly gentleman
.
If circumst
ances had been different . . . b
ut, they weren’t
.
She cast her gaze around the garden looking for Wulf or Wimberly
.
A flicker of gold caught her ey
e
.
She raised on tiptoe
to peer down towards the rose trellis
.
It looked like Marguerite, but surely her sister wouldn’t be daring enough to com
e outside unaccompanied
.
Maybe
she was showing the gardens to one of the vicar’s daughters.

“. . . he came at her with a might
y
thrust, his lance ripping through her skirts, forcing her to her knees.”

What?

She turned back to Mr. Williams
.
He eyed her with a twinkle.

“I was just describing the play joust my young cousins put on this weekend
.
The nine-year-old ended up housebound for a week when he tore his youngest sister’s best dress.”

“Oh, I thought . . .”

“What did you think
?
You’re going to make me think I am the dullest of companions if I can’t even hold your attention with knights and jousting
.
I would have thought slugs and blight would have held you rapt.”

Rose smiled
at
him, gifting him with her full attention
.
“You really are too kind
,
Mr. Williams
.
I have been a scandalously lax hostess this evening
.
I n
ot only disappear from the ball
room on numerous occasions
,
I actually ignore my own guest
s
when speaking to them
.
I don’t know what has come over me.”

“Don’t worry
.
I am used to not being the center of attention
.
I happy for any crumbs you might care to throw.”

She looked at him sharply.

“You’re sure you’re not about to ask for my hand?”

“Do you want me to
?
I’ve never known a woman to bring it up, not once but twice.”

Rose sank onto one of the benches that lined the garden rail
.
“Yes, I am sure, just continually ill mannered.
”
She really nee
ded to get her head together – n
ow.

“Because if you were interested in a proposal, well then
–
.
”

All too familiar
honeyed
tones
cut him off
.
“Lady Burberry, a
re you going to spend any p
art of this evening in the ballroom
?
I know you’ve been in the country for years, but even a lowly soldier such as I . . .”

Damn, blasted man
.
She looked for him all evening and now, when her foot had been firmly planted in her mouth, he appeared
.
She hadn’t even felt the heat of his presence as warning.

“Were you looking for me, M
ajor
Huntington?”

“We were scheduled for . . . discussion this evening.”

“I am much aware of that fact
.
I actually came out looking for you.”