Price of Desire (44 page)

“Yes, precious, have wonderful dreams and tomorrow we will make them all come true.”

Why did it feel so right to have Wulf’s voice echo her own
?
She had expected to resent his presence here and instead it warmed her deep within, in so many different ways
.
Her glance met his, full of question.

He reached out and took her hand in his, squeezing it softly
.
Whatever spell spun around them as the
y
stood there with their daughter, he felt it too.

Her hand still clasped in his, he pulled her to the door and down the stairs
.
He paused there and turned to her.

“You should have a footman stationed here.”

“I planned on it.”

“You should also have all the footmen questioned to be sure none went up
.
I trust Nanny to know, but you can never be too careful, not with a child.
”
His voice broke as he spoke and Rose knew he thought of that other child, the boy he’d never seen.

This time it was she who squeezed reassurance and care.

He turned and looked down the main stair, towards the guest
s
who must still dance below
.
He straightened his shoulders and withdrew his hand.

“I gather you still wish Anna’s true pater
nity to remain undiscovered.”

Each word chilled her like the heavy first droplets of an early summer rain
.
She knew that what she wanted was best for Anna, best for them all, but as she watched this proud wounded man withdraw from her she dreamed things could be different.

“It must.
”
She stared at his feet.

“Then let your wish be my command
.
I will leave you to your other guests
.
Tomorrow will be soon enough to discuss the full happenings of this night
.
It was probably only a guest who’d imbibed too much wandering without purpose, or a footman on some unknown errand.”

“A drunken guest in my daughter’s bedchamber, hardly reassuring, but a likely answer.”

“We will discuss it in the morning when I’ve had time to consider.
”
Had he used that tone with t
he soldiers under his command
?
I
f so
,
she understood his success.

“Yes, s
ir.
”
A full mocking undertone filled her voice letting him know she was not so easily ruled.

For a moment their
eyes caught and held, she thought he almost smiled with warmth, then like a cloud over the sun the chill grew again.

“I shou
ld tell you, my lady.” Damn
his snide use of the title
.
“That should the license come
,
the wedding will proceed
.
No drunken fool will keep me from my purpose.”

He turned and left
, leaving her alone to manage the
house full of curious guests
.
Chin in the ai
r
,
she trod
down the steps, with each stride planning the words she would say, listing the facts to cover.

Wulf rolled in the bed as the first hint of dawn crept through the window
.
The pressure in his head felt like he’d drained the brandy, when in fact he hadn’t touched a drop
.
He pulled a pillow over his face
,
pretending that morning was far off
.
He did not know if he could face this day.

For a man used to the stress of war, for never knowing if each day might be his last, this should have been easy
.
Why should the knowledge that a child he’d never met lay dying curl his insides tighter than a sailor’s knot
?
Why should knowing the daughter he’d loved so recently
had faced danger alone slice cleaner than the sharpest saber
?
And why should the knowledge of his impending matrimony, a marriage based on finance and need, fill his loins with lust while leaving his heart aching
?
He had achieved his goal
.
Rose had agreed to be his wife, what more could he want
?

He was a simple man and these were the questions of a sphinx
.
Even his past debate on whether to accept Holly House had not troubled him to this extent
.
Despairing that further rest would speed the answers
,
he forced himself
to get
up
.
He would face the challenges of this day as he’d faced every other battle, shoulders back, fear hidden only in the deepest corners of his soul.

Rose paced back and forth across the garden
.
A thorough examination of the servants had given no clue to the identity of the intruder
.
Wulf was probably right, it had been some misguided guest wandering lost in the dark
.
What other explanation could there be
?
It wasn’t as if a thief would seek valuables in the nursery.

Still, the whole affair troubled her
.
Maybe it was just easier to concentrate on it than on her coming marriage or Wulf’s son lying near death
.
She could work on solving who had ventured into the nursery and so distressed Anna.

At least her daughter had seemed herself this morning, her usual sunny, if willful, disposition was back in place
.
A night spent beside her mother and Wulf’s brief good morning hug had put her world at rights
.
Her only disappointment was having to wait until afternoon for her promised ride
.
The bridle paths were still drying and remained covered in puddles
.
A tramp down to the lake with Nanny to look for frogs had returned the smile to her face
.
Although, this activity, Rose had been informed, would have been much more fun with a puppy to help on the hunt
.
Nanny had not looked so sure.

Marguerite walked up from the far garden and hurried over to Rose. “Oh here you are
.
You must be so disappointed.”

“Disappointed?”

“Yes, I know you were so excited to announce your betrothal and then you got called away – all for such a trivial matter.”

Rose knew she’d presented it as such to the party, but still her mother’s heart could not relax
.
“Even if it should only be a nightmare, my daughter’s concerns are never trivial to me.”

“Oh, Rose, sometimes you are just too
frustrating
.
Why can’t you just say that you were upset
at not having time to enjoy
the announcement
?
I know I would be
.
I’d probably go into a decline or faint dead away
.
It would have been such a perfect circumstance and now it’s ruined.”

“Oh Marguerite, sometimes you are just too much.
”
Rose deliberately echoed her sister’s words
.
“Th
ere
’ll be another chance, or if there’s not
,
it will be because we’re wed first.”

“How could you be married first
?
The first ban
n
s haven’t even been read.”

“Wulf has arranged
for a special license
.
He wants to be married as soon as possible.”

“I didn’t realize he was such a romantic
.
I wouldn’t have thought it of him.
”
Marguerite studied her fingers as she contemplated this
.
Even without seeing her eyes
,
Rose watched her brow furrow and release as each thought crossed her mind
.

Wulf
,
a romantic
?
She’d never had the thought before, but there was a core of truth to it
.
Her hand slipped into her inner pocket rubbing the frayed ribbon
.
Some might laugh at the thought that a giant of man could be described as a romantic, but Rose had the feeling that was why he’d been so easily wounded.

Before she could find the right
words to answer Marguerite
,
an all-too-
familiar voice hooted from the doorway.

“Lady Burberry
,
ar
en’t you coming to say farewell?
”
Lady Smythe-Burke stood with her usual perfection of posture.

“Are you leaving
?
Surely, the roads . . .”

“Oh, I must agree with you
.
I’d never travel when there was still mud about
.
Why risk a stuc
k carriage
?
But
Lady Clarington and Sommerton evidently disagree
.
Clarington, himself, isn’t expressing much of an opinion
.
He’s following Minerva, as usual, though.”

Rose glanced at the sun
.
It must be about 11:00
.
“Are they leaving now
?
I am surprised Lady Clarington is even up.”

“After last night she se
ems eager to be gone
.
Daresay the announcement r
uined her hunting, didn’t it
?
And Sommerton, evidently he’s brains enough to know he missed his chance, not very happy about it
,
though
.
Still, not quite sure why you decided as you did
.
Sommerton seemed to be everything you said you wanted, unlike M
ajor Huntington
.
But, then I never did understand the young
.
In my day it was so much simpler
.
Maybe it was the fans – let people say what they wanted without having to speak
.
When people use words they never do say what they mean
.
Sh
ould have parties where nobody’s
allowed to talk
.
Great idea
,
that.”

“Are the Clarington’s and Sommerton leaving now?”

“Well, they’re worki
ng on it
.
Evidently, Sommerton
never leaves until he’s seen that all his bags are packed
.
Very uncharacteristic of the man
.
Doesn’t seem to understand that you have the luggage sent separately so you don’t have to wait
.
They’re standing in the front hall ready to go, but their trunks are still being readied.”

“Oh dear.
”
It sounded like a horrid situation
.
Did her hostess’s duties demand that she stand there with them
?
She’d hardly shared a friendly word with Lady Clarington since her arrival, and Sommerton . . . her flesh still crawled at the thought of that fish kiss
.
She should be glad he’d realize there was no understanding
.
He must have more brains than she’d given him credit for.

“If it were my house I’d go and say how sorry I was they were departing and then offer to check on the packing
.
It can take a good three-quarters of an hour to check with all the servants
.
Also gives you the chance to see what’s going in those trunks – I was once walking by the guest rooms on the last day of a house party and saw a maid packing up the washstand
.
I think she dumped the water first
.
Too bad they
can’t make trunks out of glass –
although then we’d all know each other’s secrets
.
Can’t think the gentlemen want us to see their corsets.”

“You’re right, I should go check on my guests.
”
She gave a quick nod to Marguerite who stood almost swallowed in the garden greenery
.
Mar
guerite looked from her to Lady
Smythe-Burke and back
.
Rose just raised an eyebrow and headed in
.
It was time Marguerite learned
how to
handle some dragons by herself.