Slightly Tempted (25 page)

The earl bowed again, and Freyja inclined her head with stiff hauteur.

"I did not know you were in town," Morgan said.

"Ah, but I am," he said. "I came up from Windrush the day before yesterday."

The day of the memorial service. That explained why he had not attended it, then-and why he had not called upon her during the past two weeks. But hehad been here since the day before yesterday. She felt sorry then that she had smiled at him with such enthusiasm a few moments ago.

"I trust all is well at your home and with your family," she said with a more becoming dignity.

"Indeed it is." His eyes smiled at her as if they shared a private joke, and she was reminded of their first meeting, when she had concluded that he could be nothing more than a rake and a rogue.

By that time the rest of her group had come up with them and Morgan made the introductions. The men all pokered up, of course, as she would have expected-this,after all was the man who had caused all the infamous gossip in which she was involved. Eve was warm and gracious-also as expected. Judith and Chastity were polite. Lord Rosthorn was charming.

His companions were by now well on their way along the Row, and Morgan's own group had nowhere to go but back the way they had come. The earl fell into place beside Morgan as they moved off, her family forming a powerful ring of chaperonage around them. It was only then that Morgan became aware that this encounter was arousing considerable interest among the other riders, who would doubtless bask in the glory of being able to report on it throughout London drawing rooms for the rest of the day.

There was a chance for some almost-private conversation.

"Chérie," the earl said, his voice low, "have you missed me?"

"Missedyou?" More than she had admitted even to herself. Seeing him again was almost overwhelming her with awareness, withknowledge . He looked handsome and attractive and virile. He looked like a dearly familiar friend. And hefelt like a long-lost lover. The air between them seemed fairly to bristle with her awareness. "I have been too busy with other concerns to have spared you more than a passing thought, Lord Rosthorn."

"Ah." He set one hand briefly over his heart. "You wound me.I have missedyou ."

She darted him a haughty, suspicious glance. He was flirting with her again, teasing her, just as if everything that had happened since that infamous picnic in the Forest of Soignés had never been.

"Have you?" she asked him, her voice cool, even bored. "You came to London the day before yesterday, Lord Rosthorn? I daresay I was out when you called at Bedwyn House yesterday, then."

"I suppose you were,chérie, " he said. "Certainly I did not see you there even though I waited in the hall for all of five minutes before your brother admitted me to the library."

She forgot about her hauteur and gazed at him in open amazement.

"You called onWulfric yesterday?" Just as he had said in Brussels that he would? Tooffer for her?

"I did," he told her. "But, alas, he had that solemn butler of his toss me out on my ear-or he would have done if I had not scurried off in fright before the man had the chance to roll up his sleeves. Bewcastle would not even permit me to address myself to you,chérie ."

"Would he not?" Her nostrils flared. She completely forgot that she did notwant him to address himself to her. "And did he explain why? It is because he blames you for all this stupid gossip about us, I suppose?"

"Perhaps." He smiled at her. "And perhaps it is that my reputation was somewhat unsavory even before I embroiled you in scandal."

"What nonsense this all is," she said, looking about her and realizing again that they were in a very public place-and that they had ridden almost the whole length of Rotten Row. "All of it."

"Your loss of reputation is of concern to me,chérie, " he said. "I would restore it if I could."

"It is nonsense," she said again. "None of these people know how very much you were my friend in Brussels."

"And more than that too,ma petite, " he said, lowering his voice.

"It would be best," she said, "if we forgot about that, Lord Rosthorn."

"Ah," he said. "You ask the impossible, then, do you?"

It was a relief to see that they had reached the end of the Row. Their few minutes of relative privacy were over. Rannulf was looking pointedly at the earl and Aidan had moved closer to Morgan's other side. Lord Rosthorn's companions were waiting a short distance away.

He addressed himself to Freyja.

"Lady Hallmere," he said, "perhaps you would agree with my mother that often the best defense against scandal and gossip is offense. She would be delighted to entertain you to tea tomorrow afternoon with Lady Morgan and Lady Chastity-and perhaps with Lady Aidan and Lady Rannulf as well? I believe you have an acquaintance with my mother, ma'am?"

Freyja looked appraisingly at him. "I have," she said. "And much as I scorn gossip, I would have to agree with her on this occasion. Morgan is only eighteen years old and has only recently been presented, as I am sure you are well aware, Lord Rosthorn. We will come to Pickford House to tea tomorrow."

"And I will come too," Eve said. "Please thank the Countess of Rosthorn for her kind invitation, my lord."

"Rannulf and I are returning to Leicestershire tomorrow," Judith said. "Please convey my regrets to your mama, Lord Rosthorn."

Morgan held her peace.

"I will bid you all a good morning and be on my way, then," Lord Rosthorn said, nodding genially to the whole group. "Lady Morgan?" He touched his whip to the brim of his hat and rejoined his friends without a backward glance.

Why had Wulfric rejected his suit out of hand? Morgan wondered. He was, after all, the Earl of Rosthorn. He was not a nobody. And therewas this silly scandal surrounding the two of them.

"Are we to prance about here on the spot gazing after the Earl of Rosthorn for the rest of the morning?" Freyja asked.

"He called on Wulfric yesterday," Morgan said, still gazing after him. "He offered for me, but Wulf refused him."

The Bedwyns all had something to say aboutthat, of course.

"He has just gone up in my estimation, then," Rannulf said.

"Rosthorn or Wulfric?" Joshua asked.

"And Wulf did not eventell you, Morg? How very like him," Freyja said scornfully.

Eve smiled. "He is very charming."

"I adore his French accent," Chastity added.

"He is," Judith said, darting a mischievous smile at Rannulf, "really rather gorgeous, is he not?"

"He is too old for Morgan," Rannulf said firmly. "You do not fancy him, do you, Morg?"

"You do not understand," she said. "No oneunderstands. He was-heis my friend." Yet she could not stop remembering the fierce, impassioned way she had reached for comfort in his rooms that one night and the equally fierce way in which he had offered it. It had not been romance or tenderness or love-or even friendship. But it had beensomething, and she could not simply shrug it off. It was only when her courses had begun a week ago that she had suddenly realized that she might have conceived a child during that encounter.Then her life would have been forever changed.

She felt absurdly close to tears.

"Come and ride back down the Row with me, Morgan," Aidan suggested, "and tell me more about your time in Brussels. Tell me why Rosthorn is your friend."

"Will youlisten ?" she asked him sharply. Nobody ever listened, especially when one was only eighteen.

But she had done Aidan an injustice. He had always been stern, even dour, in manner. He rarely smiled even now that he had found Eve and was happily married to her. Morgan had not seen a great deal of him while she was growing up because he had always been off somewhere with his regiment fighting the French. But she had always adored him perhaps most of all her brothers. Whenever hehad been at home, he had always made a point of spending time with her, doing with her things that she enjoyed doing, like painting outdoors without the intrusive presence of her governess hovering over her every brushstroke. And he had always listened to her as if she were a real person rather than just a nuisance of a younger sister.

"I will listen," he said gravely now. "Come. Let's ride."

GERVASE RETURNED HOME FOR BREAKFASTinstead of going to White's Club as he had originally planned. His mother and Henrietta were already at the table. He kissed his mother's cheek and squeezed his cousin's shoulder before taking his place and allowing the butler to fill a plate for him.

"You will be entertaining a few ladies to tea tomorrow,Maman, " he said after a few pleasantries had been exchanged.

"Will I,mon fils ?" she asked him. "And am I to know in advance who they are?"

"The Marchioness of Hallmere," he told her, "with her sister, Lady Morgan Bedwyn, her sister-in-law, Lady Aidan Bedwyn, and Hallmere's cousin, Lady Chastity Moore."

"Ah," she said, "a formidable group of ladies, Gervase. And one of them the lady with whom your name is being coupled in a less than flattering way, I believe?"

"You have heard the gossip, then, have you?" he asked her, cutting into his sausage. "It is unfortunate. I had the honor of offering the lady some protection when she remained in Brussels after the return home of her chaperon. She stayed to nurse the wounded and to seek word of her brother after he rode to the front during the Battle of Waterloo to deliver an urgent letter to the Duke of Wellington but did not return. I had the honor of escorting her and her maid back to England after she received word that Lord Alleyne Bedwyn was certainly dead."

"And yet," she said, "the gossip is vicious. No one would tellme that, of course, but Henrietta was entertained to a full recounting of the sordid details at Mrs. Ertman's concert last evening, were you not,ma chère ?"

"I would not believe that you acted dishonorably, Gervase," his cousin said. "I defended you as well as I could without knowing the facts."

"Thank you." He smiled at her. "It is my idea to squash the gossip by showing that you are on friendly terms with Lady Morgan Bedwyn and her family,Maman . Perhaps you could invite a few other ladies to tea too."

"Like all the patronesses of Almack's?" she suggested dryly. "Gervase, why have you not made an offer for the girl? It would seem the honorable thing to do since you have damaged her name, however inadvertently."

"Ihave offered," he told her. "Bewcastle rejected my suit and would not even permit me to address Lady Morgan."

"Would he not?" She gazed long and hard at him, the toast on her plate forgotten. "And did it give you pleasure, Gervase, so to confront him? Did it give him pleasure to refuse you? Has nothing changed, nothing been solved?"

He had been trying to untangle his own motives since yesterday. He had not expected to meet Lady Morgan again so soon, but hehad meant to see her. And having done so, he had thought of a way of perhaps dampening the force of the scandal. Itwas wise for his mother to be seen to receive her and her sister. But at the same time it would incense Bewcastle, who would be faced with the dilemma of either allowing the visit or openly snubbing a lady of his mother's standing in society.

He had felt a rush of tenderness for Lady Morgan in the park. He had also felt a distinct physical awareness of her that went beyond mere attraction. He had possessed that body. He had been inside her. Heknew her. All the feelings had been unwelcome. He would like to have used her mindlessly to get back at Bewcastle. But she was aperson, and apart from any other feelings he might have for her, he liked her. He even admired her.

"I offered," he said, "because I had compromised the lady. Bewcastle refused for reasons he did not share with me."

His mother continued to look steadily at him.

"And do you care for this lady, Gervase?" she asked him. "Do your feelings for her go beyond simple honor? Have you conceived an affection for her?"

"An affection, yes," he admitted. "But you must not make a grand romance out of it,Maman . She is very young and I am very jaded. We shared a friendship in Brussels, forced upon us by circumstances. It is not something that can be transplanted to England now that she is back with her family and I am with mine. My only wish is to restore her reputation."

But his mother had clasped her hands to her bosom and was beaming at him.

"You do not know what you say, Gervase," she said. "How foolish men are! You care for Lady Morgan Bedwyn, whom I have never seen in my life. But I will. Tomorrow I will entertain her here and give my opinion on whether she is worthy of my son. I would have chosen anyone but a Bedwyn for you if given the choice, but love cannot always be chosen rationally. My prayers are going to be answered, and I am going to see the last of my children and the eldest happily married."

Gervase looked with mute appeal at his cousin. She was smiling at him.

"I will not embarrass you with gushing enthusiasm, Gervase," she said, "but I would have you know that nothing would make me happier than to seeyou happy at last."

CHASTITY ANDLORDMEECHAM RODE OFF TO HAVEbreakfast with his sister. Freyja and Joshua rode back to Bedwyn House with the others. Wulfric joined them at the breakfast table before they started eating.