Price of Desire (46 page)

Westlake
galloped up the drive and pulled up sharp
.
He slid from his mount
,
and glancing at the companions gathered on the stair
,
threw his reins to the stable lad and strode forward
.

“He won’t bite, if you don’t bite him first.
”
The words thrown over his shoulder did not reassure the lad who led the horse off on a long lead
.
“Just be sure he’s boxed by himself
.
He’s not much for company, like some men I know.”

He mounted the stairs and grasping Wulf in a most unducal embrace
.
“Were you even going to let me know you were in Cornwall
?
My wife was not happy to hear that you had not bothered to come pay us a visit
.
If you think she was bad the last time, you should see her now
.
She claims she is not ready to forgive you.”

Wulf glanced down at his boots
.
Rose would not have believed he could look so embarrassed
.
Was that really a blush that colored his cheeks
?
He was quiet a moment and then looked up to meet
Westlake
’s perusal
.
Westlake
had stepped back from the embrace and stood tall, every inch the duke.

“I wasn’t sure you’d want, that she’d want.”

The duke stiffened
.
He reached into his side pocket and drew forth a gold quizzing glass
.
He examined Wulf minutely starting with his toes and then carefully progressing inch by inch up his legs, over his chest and finally settling on his rough features
.
Rose thought
Westlake
even leaned forward a bit as he examined Wulf’s eyes
.
Wulf stood still throug
h it, proud and hard, his gaze
never leaving
Westlake
.

Having finished the examination
Westlake
turned up the stair to Wimberly, who s
till stood at the top
.
“Well,
Tris
, he looks like our old friend, sounds like him too
.
But
,
considering we always said he was the smartest of
us
,
there must be some mistake
.
Did he suffer a head wound at Waterloo
?
In your business
,
you’d know.
”
There was actually the hint of a smile playing at the corner of the duke’s mouth
.
This was not the removed neighbor she had met on occasion
.
He dropped
the quizzing glass back into his pocket
as
he extracted a folded piece of vellum
.
“That might explain this too
.
Not what I expected when I promised a favor.”

Wimberly stepped down and took the paper from him
.
He glanced at it and handed it to Wulf, who still stood frozen
.
It must be the license
.
“No, I think this is foolery of a different sort.
”
He glanced at Rose and smiled with surprising gentleness
.
“As for the head wound, I would have expected to hear, but maybe I am mistaken
.
He does seem to rather have forgotten the meaning of friendship
.
He never bothered to look me up in London, either
.
He stayed at his club, leaving me alone in that rambling monstrosity of a house my grandmother couldn’t resist
.
Now
,
is that friendship?”

Wulf finally found his tongue
.
“Damn you both
.
You know nothing was the same after Falmouth died
.
We were equals once, or at least nearly so, since then I’ve been nothing much beyond a half-pay soldier, not even that anymore,” he paled suddenly, “at least until . . .”

Westlake
thrust back his shoulder
s and looked down his long nose at Wulf
.
“As for that
,
I am afraid I must disappoint you and say you are destined to stay a mere
‘
mister
’
for at least a few more years.
”
His hauteur
broke into a wide smile
.
“Tris
’
riders stopped to change horses
.
I desired to bring the news myself
.
Apparently tales of young Falmouth’s illness were somewhat exaggerated – a mother’s panic
,
perhaps
.
In any case, from what I can understand
,
the boy is up an
d about
.
I believe from Tris’
earlier disposition that this is the best of news and not the worst.”

Peter was alive
.
His son was fine
.
If the heavens had broken open and streams of liquid gold had poured to earth Wulf’s heart could not have been happier
.
He stared at his friends and knew he shook with disbelief
.
His knees weakened and for a moment he thought he would fall.

The boy would live
.

Both Tris and Arthur looked ready to come to aid if he should actually falter, but it was the soft womanly hand slipping into his own that restored him
.
He felt her squeeze, so similar to his own the night before, and strength flowed back into him
.

He turned to her then, and setting his arms about her waist lifted her high in the air twirling her about
.
His laughter reverberated in the open air.

Peter was up and about.

He spun her again and again, letting all the imprisoned emotions of the last days tumble out in one great yelp of joy
.
Finally, feeling his head grow light with both dizziness and delight, he slid her down against him ‘til she stood trapped against his frame
.

Then, unmindful of his audience, he tilted up her chin with one finger and settled upon her lips a kiss filled with every drop of bliss and ecstasy his soul contained.

It was not gentle
.
It was not brutal
.
It was simply everything
.
In one kiss he gave her his whole world
.
His lips moved over hers with ever increasing pressure and she opened beneath him, gifting him with a sweetness and understanding he had thought long gone
.
The honey scent of her hair rose about him, drawing him ever further
.

He felt her body soften against his own hard one, knew ever
y
breath she drew, every whimper she made, and still he wanted more
.

He started to press forward with growing desire
.
She pushed him back
.
Hard.

“This is not the time or the place, no matter the news.
”
There was a flustered tone to her voice.

A masculine cough drew his attention
.
“Well, Tris, I guess you were right that the license was its own foolishness
.
Never thought I
would
see Wulf forget where he was
.
I remember even when we caught him with his hand up the skirt of the master’s daughter he . . .
”
Arthur’s voice echoed with the shadow of the schoolboys they’d been together
.

“I hardly think that’s the story to tell in front of man’
s bride to be, although she didn’t look much like she was
listening, either.”

Wulf lifted his head and did his best to shoot fire from his eyes at his two ex-friends
.
They hadn’t even had the grace to look away
.

That must be why she’d pulled away.

The license he’d stuck there crinkled.

The license
.
He was not going to be an earl
.
The power and estates would not be his
.
His heart caught and refused to beat
.
A moment ago the thought had brought nothing but joy, but now
–
Rose had agreed to marry him because of all that was coming
.
How would she respond once she understood that he had nothing to offer her
?
Was that why she had stopped the kiss
?
He still had the one estate his uncle had gifted him with, but compared to all she had reckoned on a few minutes ago it was nothing
.
He closed his eyes and let the thoughts settle about him
.

He
stepped further back from
h
er
, ignoring the cold that settled along him where a moment before her warmth had reassured.

“Arthur, I thank you for bringing the news with all possible speed
.
I trust you will both forgive me if I take my leave for a while
.
I need some time alone to adjust to the news – I am afraid it has most unsettled me.
”

He walked down the stairs and around the house
.
He would not stay and see the comprehension of changed circumstance
continue to
play out across her face.

Blasted, bloody man
.
How many times could she think that about him
?
He set her spinning faster than a child’s top and then danced out of the way as she careened about the room
.
She watched him stride off towards the stables and tried to pretend it didn’t hurt
.
How could he kiss her like that and then leave
?
If it hadn’t been for the company she’d never have stopped him.

“Well, gentlemen, if you’d care to follow me I’ll see about some refreshments
.
I am sure, your grace, you must be hungry after your ride and Wimberl
e
y I’ve never seen you refuse a bite.”

“No, my lady,”
Wimberley’s
voice offered warmth and companionship
.
“I am never that foolish,
unlike some people.
”
He
watched Wulf, who walked away without looking back.

“Are you sure you
didn’t hear about a head wound
?
I’ve
never known Wulf to be a lout
.
U
nreasonable, yes, but never quite so . . . rude.”

“I believe that must be my special gift
.
I do seem to bring out the best in the man.
”
Rose attempted to joke, though her belly still clenched and she fought back tears
.

“Actually, my lady, I do believe you do
.
He just has not realized it yet.
”
Wimberl
e
y spoke with great seriousness, not continuing her fake joviality.

“And, Lady Burberry, you must allow me to make recompense for my lack of proper greeting
.
My wife would never forgive me if she heard how I ignored you in favor of that brute
.
She is most anxious to renew her acquaintance with you
.
She said to tell you she would have called sooner, but she understood you wished privacy during you
r
mourning
.
She wanted to hasten to reassure you that nothing would have kept her from joining you for the festivities last night except, well
,
she is not in the best of health.”

Rose relaxed under the normalcy of
Westlake
’s conversation
.
She would never have expected the haughty duke to put her at ease, but his conversation provided welcome distraction
.
“Yes, I did hear that congratulations were in order.”

“Thank you
.
We were both delighted with the news, but
,
unfortunately
,
she is having a difficult time, if I may be so frank.”