The Care and Taming of a Rogue (24 page)

“Relax your fingers,” he instructed. “I’m holding her head, so she’s not going anywhere.”

“I made it to the park without killing anyone. Are you certain you wish to press your luck?” she asked, though her mouth quirked up at the corners.

The Bennett fresh out of Africa would have said that he lived by pressing his luck, but he’d more than likely pressed her limited thirst for adventure enough for one day. “Only if you want to. I’m actually somewhat surprised that Usiku hasn’t chewed her way out of the harness and escaped.”

“Very amusing.”

An odd chill ran down his spine. As he looked up again, Phillipa was gazing past him, her rosy cheeks paling. Abruptly she glanced down at him. “Langley,” she mouthed.

Bennett turned around. Langley, mounted on a swift-looking chestnut hunter, trotted directly for him. That in itself would have been a surprise, except that Lord Thrushell’s darling son wasn’t alone.

“Ah, Bennett,” he drawled, stopping out of reach despite the superior numbers he’d brought with him. He had always had a fairly strong sense of self-preservation. “Introduce me to your pretty friend, why don’t you?”

Or perhaps he didn’t wish to stay alive, after all
. “I will if you will.” Releasing Usiku, he strolled over to stand in front of the wheel, putting himself between Langley and Phillipa.

“That’s right; you haven’t spent much time in London.” Langley gestured at the broad-shouldered man mounted beside him. “Bradley, Lord Frizzel; Lord Louis Hedges; and Lord Warren Hastings.”

“Lady Phillipa Eddison,” Bennett said reluctantly, not moving.

So Langley had brought a pack of lords with him. David would be the highest ranking of them; he wouldn’t be wearing that air of cool superiority otherwise. Bennett understood pack dynamics and the rules of hierarchy. They held true everywhere, and for every species he’d ever encountered. As someone frequently ruled by his baser emotions, he also understood the look in Langley’s eyes. Whatever victory he’d won with the Africa Association yesterday hadn’t been enough for him.

“You were with him the night Wolfe and his beast attacked me.”

A proper, typical female would more than likely agree that they’d attended the same event, but not that she was “with” him or any other gentleman. Phillipa, however, wasn’t typical. Bennett held his breath, ready to react to whatever she might say.

“He promised to introduce me to you,” she said in a breathy, excited voice. “That wasn’t at all what I had in mind. Oh, and you have a black eye. Does it hurt?”

Langley puffed up like a damned peacock. “Not much. Will you be attending the assembly at Almack’s tonight, Lady Phillipa?”

Lord Frizzel whispered something at him, but Langley made a dismissive gesture. At the same time, Bennett was trying to keep his jaw from dropping.

Phillipa giggled, a rather engaging if unsettling sound. “I’ll be there if you will, Captain.”

“Then save me the first waltz.” With a nod and a half smile for Bennett that didn’t touch his eyes, Langley led his pack off in the direction they’d come.

As soon as they were out of sight, Bennett whipped around to glare up at her. “What the devil was that?” he demanded, climbing up onto the seat and taking the reins from her.

She fanned her face with both hands. “Do you think he believed me?” she asked, her voice still unsteady and sharp with excitement.

“Believed what? That you’re mad? A complete lunatic?” He clucked at Usiku, and they set off back toward Eddison House.

“But I was attempting to sound like Livi.”

When he glanced at her, her expression was affronted. “You didn’t sound like you. I’ll grant you that.”

“I wasn’t actually flirting with him, you know. It occurred to me that being friendly with him might gain us more information than you going about punching him in the head.”

Bennett pulled the reins so sharply that Usiku nearly skidded onto her haunches. “You are not going to seduce him to find out where my journals are.”

“I’m certainly going to attempt it,” she retorted. “I may have to ask Livi for some advice. I’m not very good at flirting.”

A stab of jealousy nearly gutted him. “I don’t want you going anywhere near him, Phillipa. And I like the way you flirt.”

“Thank you. But I think this is a good idea. Admittedly I had no time to plan it, because it only just came to me when he and his overbearing friends rode up.”

“No. No, no, no.”

She brushed his thigh with her fingertips. “I may not be certain where I…see myself with you, but you need those journals. And I have a better chance at figuring out their location than you do.”

Bennett opened his mouth to repeat his protest, then closed it again. As Phillipa had said on several occasions, she loved to set things right. And skittish as she’d been today about discussing adventures past and future, it was entirely possible that this little escapade was more for her sake than for his.

“It would be more satisfying for Langley,” he said slowly, pushing aside the strong feeling that he was going to regret this, “if we made it clear that he was stealing you from me.” He took her chin in his fingers, making certain she looked him in the eye. “Which he is not.”

Pretty brown eyes gazed deep into his. “Which he is not,” she repeated.

“And he’s dangerous.”

“He’s dangerous in the wild, perhaps, but what would he possibly do here? He’s already dented your reputation and gotten away with it. Winning me should be exactly what he wants and expects to do next.”

“You’ve done some studying of behavior in the natural world, yourself,” he acknowledged grudgingly.

“I’ve read your books.”

They drove in silence for a moment. Bennett didn’t like it. He didn’t like it with every fiber of his being that both wanted her and wanted to protect her. And if it was gentlemanly to step back and let the woman he adored do something that could be harmful to her reputation if not to her safety, then he would rather be a rogue and a beast.

“What are you going to do if he wants to kiss you?” he finally asked, the question coming out in a growl.

“A proper female wouldn’t allow a gentleman to kiss her until after they became betrothed.”

“Oh, really?”

“Absolutely. Isn’t that so, Mary?”

The maid behind them nodded so vigorously that Bennett could see her out of the corner of his eye. “Yes, Lady Flip. Nor any touching. Barely any holding hands except for assistance climbing in and out of carriages.”

Belatedly Phillipa returned her fingers from the edge of his coat to her lap.
Damned chaperones
. “What if I simply tell you that I appreciate what you’re willing to do, and then you don’t do it?” he suggested.

She shook her head. “No. I need to attempt this. If he…if we don’t match well tonight, then of course we’ll have to think of something else, but I—”

“Promise me one thing,” he said. “If you feel uncomfortable, or if he says something that makes you suspect he’s realized you’re up to something, you will give me a signal.”

“A signal? Should I shoot a pistol into the air?”

“Don’t jest. Brush your hair behind your left ear. Like this.” He gently tucked a strand of her chestnut hair behind her ear, ignoring the disapproving cluck of the maid. “Will you?”

“How will you see that?”

As if he would be more than ten feet away from her all evening. “I’ll see it. Will you?”

“Yes. If I feel that something is wrong, I will tuck my hair behind my left ear.”

One thing was for certain. After he left Phillipa and sat for her father to remind him what a damned beast he was, he was going to the Adventurers’ Club. Because he was not going to survive the night at Almack’s without a drink and an hour or two to cool down and find some patience. Or rather, David Langley wouldn’t survive the night if he didn’t do those things.

Chapter Nineteen

David Langley sank back against the far wall of Almack’s assembly room to examine his fingernails. “She has one suitor, Bradley.” He gave a slow smile. “Well, actually, at this moment she has two.”

Another group of chits approached to chat with him, the third since he’d arrived. They all held on to one another in their excitement at meeting such a famous fellow. He’d lately been encouraging Bradley and his other friends to refer to him as the Conqueror of the Congo, but it didn’t seem to be catching on yet.

He wrote his name on the dance cards of the pret tiest ones, telling the others that his own card was filled. As he was assessing whether the stunning redhead in the lead admired him enough to take off her clothes, Lord Frizzel nudged him.

Lord and Lady Leeds and their daughters entered the main room. His eye went immediately to the honey-haired older sister. She had just come out into Society when he left for Africa, and he had danced with her a handful of times. How the lovely chit had thus far avoided marriage, he had no idea, but he did know which of the Eddison sisters he would be after if he had a choice.

“I’d best go say hello,” he muttered, pushing away from the wall. He paused, and a second later Frizzel joined him. Generally he enjoyed hangers-on, but in this instance cronies were vital. Wolfe could make an appearance anywhere, and he refused to be attacked again by the heathen.

As he approached Lady Phillipa, he wondered why Wolfe seemed to have focused his attention on her. Yes, she was pretty enough, he supposed, but she might as well have been a tree stump with her sister present. She wasn’t as willowy as he liked, though her curves were certainly generous. No suitors, Frizzel had said. Did she lack refinement? Grace? Conversation?

It was a curiosity, though it didn’t much signify. Bennett Wolfe kept company with her, and that was all that mattered. Because he’d spent three years in Wolfe’s company, and if he’d learned one thing it was that the man didn’t give up. Whether he could steal the chit away or not wasn’t as important as whether he could coax, charm, or trick her into revealing everything she knew of Wolfe’s plans and intentions.

More than anything he wanted to burn the damned journals and sketches, but he wasn’t ready yet to give up the only leverage he had. Little liking as he had for the man, he’d be foolish to ignore the fact that Bennett Wolfe was a formidable opponent. And he was not a fool.

“Good evening, Lady Phillipa,” he said with a smile as he reached the family.

“Captain Langley. Oh, you’ve come after all. I thought you might have been teasing.” She patted him playfully on the arm. “You’ve met my family, haven’t you? Lord and Lady Leeds, and this is my sister, Olivia. Everyone, Captain David Langley.” She gave an excited giggle. “The Conqueror of the Congo.”

Ah, so the moniker
had
begun to spread. Excellent. He took her hand and bowed over it. “I’m only hoping that Captain Wolfe hasn’t stolen your heart completely, and that there’s a bit of room still for me there.”

“Keep saying such nice things, and I shall forget him completely.”

Not completely
, he hoped, deepening his smile.

Bennett hadn’t yet arrived—which was unsurprising considering that she’d asked him not to make an appearance until half nine. He would distract Langley when she needed to charm the captain, and he would distract her. Having him walk in just before the first waltz would serve them best—however much she might prefer to be conversing with him and gazing at him rather than at Langley.

“May I escort you to the refreshment table?” the captain asked, everything about him impeccable, from his manners to his dark blue trousers, light blue waistcoat, and gray jacket. Everything except for a fading bruise beneath one eye and the bandage still covering the tip of one ear.

For a moment she wondered whether Bennett would bring Kero with him. She almost hoped so, however counterproductive it would be to her—their—plan. “That would be delightful,” she exclaimed.

For a second she worried that Livi would insist on joining them, but then Sonja and Lucy appeared to drag her away. She took Langley’s arm, very aware that she was on her own in this, except that she wasn’t. In fact, she wouldn’t be at all surprised if Bennett was spying on her through one of the tall windows that lined the near wall. She risked a glance in that direction, but the room was too well lit for her to be able to see anything on the far side of the glass.

Generally when she wanted to know something, she asked a question. That was one of the things that many of her peers didn’t much appreciate, and while Bennett did, she couldn’t risk being so obvious with Langley. “I read your book,” she said instead, fluttering her eyelashes at him. She nearly stumbled, and had to catch herself.

“Did you now? You did say this morning that you were looking forward to meeting me.”

“Oh, yes. When I met Sir Bennett I asked whether he would be able to make an introduction. He assured me that he could, but then he made several cutting remarks about you.” She leaned closer. “I think your assessment of him in
Across the Continent
is rather accurate. He does seem a bit…unsophisticated.”

“Unsophisticated?”

Oh, dear. Had she already made a misstep? She needed to find words with fewer syllables. “I think that’s the right word. At least, he walked straight up to me without an introduction, and I never know when he’s going to appear, or whether he’ll have that monkey on his shoulder or not.” Inwardly she hesitated. “Shouldn’t Kero be yours, anyway?” she ventured, unable to resist a little jab. “Your book tells how fond she was of you. What happened?”

“Ah, yes. Kero. Wolfe’s the one who rescued her, but he hadn’t a clue how to keep her fed and healthy. That fell to me. She had disappeared at the time I left, and I can only suppose that he taught her to fear everyone but himself.”

“How terrible.” An even worse lie, but this was all about charming him. The truth could come later, after she’d discovered the location of the journals. “I thought it must be something like that.”

“You’re not interested in being pursued by Wolfe, then?”

This was where she had to be careful. Bennett had said Langley would enjoy the idea of stealing her away, so she couldn’t make it too easy. “Well, he is quite handsome,” she said slowly, as though genuinely considering. “And I like adventurers. And he does have five thousand a year.”

“So you’re waiting to receive a better offer.”

She giggled. Heavens, what an awful, shallow person this Flip was. “I have to look out for myself, don’t I?”

“Indeed you do.” He handed her a chocolate-dipped strawberry. “And I hope you’ve saved that waltz for me.”

“You’re the first gentleman I saw when I came in.” Pulling the card from her reticule with her free hand, she gave it and a pencil to him. As he wrote in his name, she took a bite of the sweet strawberry, attempting to form her lips into a kiss the way Livi did. And she dearly hoped she wasn’t drooling.

He looked up from the card. “I wish I could have a dozen dances with you,” he said, his gaze on her mouth.

Hm. The lip trick actually worked. “That would be terribly improper, I’m afraid.”

“Flip?”

She’d been concentrating so hard that her sister’s voice startled her. “What is it?”

Livi stood behind her, Lord John accompanying her. Clearly they both thought she’d gone mad. “Mama wants a word with you.”

Langley gave a slight bow. “I’ll see you for our waltz.”

Phillipa led the way to her parents, setting a course that would take them by a less crowded side of the room. No one could be allowed to overhear whatever it was Livi wanted to say to her.

“What in the world has gotten into you?” Livi demanded, just as she’d expected.

Squaring her shoulders, Phillipa turned around. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Captain Langley? Bennett—” Livi lowered her voice and stepped closer. “Bennett Wolfe has practically proposed to you. They are enemies.”

“So you support Bennett’s suit now? That’s good to know.”

“He is not a man to play about with, Flip,” John put in, his expression more serious than she was accustomed to seeing him wear.

She sighed. Clearly they were alarmed and intended to save her from herself. She would have to tell them something. In a moment. First she wanted to enjoy her unexpected fame for the tiniest second. “Are you certain you’re not jealous because I’m being pursued by two of the most famous adventurers in England?” she asked aloud.

“All I know is that someone is going to get killed, and that it’s more than likely to be me.” John put a hand on her shoulder. “Do you have any…
any
idea how much Bennett cares for you?”

Abruptly this wasn’t amusing any longer. “Before I answer that or say another word, you have to promise me something. Both of you.”

“What are we promising?” Livi demanded, glancing around them.

“Promise that you’ll help me, and not hinder me.”

“In breaking Bennett’s heart? In collaborating with the man who ruined his future? I think not.”

“Hush, John. This is
for
Bennett.”

Silence. “Now I’m even more confused,” John whispered.

“I’m looking for clues about where Captain Langley is hiding Bennett’s journals. To get any clues, I have to speak with him. I therefore have to be nice. And charming.” She frowned. “And I have to let him think that he’s stealing me away from Bennett.”

“You cannot do this,” Livi hissed.

“I
am
doing this. So kindly don’t ruin it.”

“Flip, you could get hurt.”

She swallowed. “I know.”

Yes, she could get hurt, but not in the way Livi was imagining. Because if she succeeded, she would have to choose. She would have to decide whether she had any real courage. Compared to that, fooling David Langley for a few days seemed…easy.

“I think you need to explain this a bit further,” John said, offering an arm to each of them.

“Promise me first.”

“As long as Bennett isn’t going to kill me, then I promise.”

Livi looked as though she’d swallowed a bug. “I will promise unless it looks as though you will be hurt. Then I do not promise.”

“You’d best take me over to Mama, then, or Langley will become suspicious. But walk slowly. And stop scowling, Livi. For heaven’s sake.”