The Princess & the Pea (28 page)

"Jared ..." She pushed him aside and rose to her feet with a fair amount of grace and dignity. Jared had to admit she could certainly be impressive, even regal, when she put her mind to it. "In the first place I simply haven't the vaguest idea what you're accusing me of."

Jared snorted skeptically.

She raised a brow and directed him the same quelling look he had often received as a child. Even as an adult it triggered a wave of discomfort. He was far too old for her tricks and his boyhood unease quickly turned to adult annoyance. He would not yield to her this time.

"In the second place," she said loftily. "I cannot fathom what the dire consequences would be if I were to simply ... er ... evaluate, as it were, Cecily's qualifications to share your life. It's in the best interest of all concerned to make certain she is worthy of your title."

"The consequences could be quite extensive, Mother." Jared smiled slowly. Olivia's expression remained adamant, but she paled visibly. "You see, I have already decided to marry Cece. Whether she meets your requirements no longer matters. She meets mine. If your meddling interferes at all with my courtship, I shall marry her at once."

"Well, I scarcely think—"

"That's not all, Mother." Jared said sharply. "Furthermore, I shall accompany Cece back to America and we will make our lives there. In addition, I will give up my title. This will be the end. After five hundred years I will be the last of the Earls of Graystone."

For a moment mother and son stared at each other. Silence, sharp as a razor, hung between them.

"Very well." Olivia's eyes flashed with irritation, but her voice was calm. "I shall certainly acquiesce to your request." She slanted him a pointed glance. "Not that I have done anything untoward up to this point, mind you."

"Of course not." Smug satisfaction surged through him at his success. Olivia could deny it all she wished but he had no doubts as to her activity.

"Now, I am quite fatigued. It has been an extremely long day." She speared him with a sharp glance. "And I have been ill, you know. Good evening." Olivia nodded briskly and swept from the room.

"Good night." Jared chuckled to himself Whatever else one could say about Lady Olivia Grayson, she might retreat but she never, ever surrendered. However, this was one time his dear mother would not win.

He stepped to a table that bore a decanter of brandy and two ready snifters and poured a healthy draught. A long swallow of the smooth, warming liquor increased his sense of triumph. He had a firm handle on the women in his life.

Jared swirled the brandy and idly watched the amber liquid coat the sides of the glass. Whether or not his mother was actually testing Cece, he was confident she would desist any such attempts in the future. Olivia would not risk his displeasure if it meant losing the title.

Would he—could he—give up all this?

A pang shot through him at the very thought. Oh, not the loss of the title. As a second son he had never expected it to be his in the first place. But this castle, this land had a grip on his heart he'd never suspected until it became his responsibility alone. In the year he'd been earl he'd discovered just how much his heritage meant to him, and how proud he was to be a part of it.

What kind of life could he build in America? In spite of a wealthy wife, he would be very much the penniless inventor Cece had first thought him. Could he follow in the footsteps of Vanderbilt and Rockefeller and Henry White himself and build a fortune out of nothing? Could he be the man Cece fell in love with? The irony twisted a smile on his lips. Without his title, and all that went with it, he would have no need for her fortune, no need to many for money. Abruptly, he realized he would have to refuse any funding from her, even a dowry. If he was to succeed in America, he and his automobile would have to do it on their own.

Resolve coursed through him. The future he envisioned in America would be difficult at best, disastrous at worse. Could he risk all for the woman he loved? God help him. He didn't even have to ask the question twice. The answer was obvious.

He only hoped this was a decision he wouldn't have to make. Surely his mother understood his was not an idle threat. It would not be easy to leave, but it would be unavoidable.

As for Cece ... Jared sank into the chair vacated by his mother and grinned. This morning's kiss was nothing short of spectacular. If the horn hadn't sounded ... he had few doubts as to the end result of their encounter. He pulled another deep draw of the liquor.

Seduction was obviously the way to proceed. Why, the woman was putty in his hands. He suppressed the merest twinge of guilt, a twinge that had struck him more and more lately. She would indeed be his wife, sooner or later. Seduction was simply the best way to achieve that goal quickly and efficiently and keep her from his automobile at the same time. He could scarce be blamed if it was also the most delightful.

Jared leaned his head against the back of the chair and smiled smugly. Without a doubt he was in command of his women and in control of his life. At this moment, here in his family's ancestral home. Jared felt every inch the lord of the manor. Tonight, he was indeed the virtual king of his castle. He sipped more of the brandy and tried without success to ignore the lone thought nagging deep in the recesses of his brain.

Jared sighed with deep resignation. He should enjoy these few moments of peace and harmony. No doubt between his future wife and his mother, this sense of calm and tranquility would be extremely short-lived

Olivia marched up the stairs to her apartments in the east wing with an indignant step designed to assure any casual observer of her acute displeasure. She thrust her chin forward firmly, held her back ramrod straight and hoped, in the dim light, no one would notice the twinkle in her eye.

Olivia stepped into her chambers, pulled the door firmly behind her, leaned against it and laughed aloud. She couldn't believe how much entertainment this little game had provided. Not that the lively amusement had persuaded her to relinquish her original purpose. On the contrary, Cecily's continued successes simply spurred Olivia to greater levels of difficulty, challenges that were nearly as demanding to create as to meet. She hadn't had so much fun in years.

When had she lost that sense of gaiety?

The question popped into her mind without warning. Whatever had happened to that girl who cared only for soirees and promenades in the park and stolen looks across a crowded room? When had she become so concerned with what was acceptable and proper? At what point had her wish to merely influence those around her turned to a desire for control?

She moved to her dressing table and sank onto the matching bench. The woman who returned her gaze in the mirror looked almost like a stranger tonight. Odd; she certainly didn't feel any different now than she had when she was a girl. Oh, naturally she'd had to adapt to the strict social parameters of a countess. And she'd had to adjust her sense of fun and frolic to conform to proper behavior. There was nothing wrong with that. Was there?

Her reflection stared, her expression thoughtful and more than a little puzzled. Whatever had put her in such a strange mood? Perhaps ... it had just been far too long since she thoroughly enjoyed herself.

The woman in the mirror grinned. And wasn't Jared amusing tonight? She did so love it when the dear boy put his foot down like that. Charles used to have exactly the same expression on his face, the same tone in his voice, the same furious gleam in his eye. Male indignation was obviously something passed on from father to son.

She pulled the pins from her hair and shook the tresses free. At least she hadn't admitted anything to him. There was even the slim possibility he believed her protestations. Not that it mattered. How could she possibly promise not to continue to do something she hadn't confessed to doing in the first place?

Olrvia selected a silver-backed brush and ran it through her hair with an absent stroke. She hadn't counted on Jared actually caring for the girl. That would make matters far easier should the child pass her tests. But if she failed, it would complicate an already awkward situation.

So far, Cecily had performed impressively. Tonight's success was quite extraordinary, almost enough to declare her a winner. With this last achievement, the American had met every challenge Olrvia had set before her. Still, she wanted to be certain this girl would be the kind of wife, countess and. ultimately, mother, her son and his heritage required. The survival of her family and its legacy depended on it.

Olivia's hand stilled and the woman in the mirror narrowed her eyes pensively. There was perhaps one more test. A final test of loyalty and courage. If Cecily passed, Olivia would welcome her to the family with outstretched arms. If not...

Abruptly the lighthearted mood that had filled her evaporated. The blithe-spirited stranger in the mirror vanished, replaced by her own familiar image. If Cecily could not overcome this last challenge, Olivia would be forced to oppose their union with every weapon at her disposal.

Olivia stared at her reflection. Determination washed through her, restoring her confidence and her resolve. She was only trying to do what was best for Jared, his future and the future of his family. No price was too high to pay for that.

Even her son's broken heart.

"What did she say?" Cece stepped into the library and closed the doors behind her.

Jared glanced up from his intense study of the liquor in his glass and smiled a warm greeting. His gaze met hers and his eyes lit with a fire that brought a flutter to her insides. This morning's kiss still lingered in her mind and on her lips.

"It's very late." His voice was low and heated her blood with an odd craving. "I thought you had retired with the others."

His appreciative gaze skimmed over her. She still wore the yellow Worth gown and was both grateful she had not yet changed into her nightwear and vaguely disappointed.

Firmly pushing aside all thoughts of desire and passion and the realization that they were very likely alone in this part of the castle. Cece settled into a soft leather sofa and surveyed him in a businesslike manner.

"I saw your mother leave. She seemed somewhat irate."

"Irate?" Jared chuckled wryly. "She's denied everything completely. She's very good; my mother has turned innocence into a fine art. Short of employing the rack and the iron maiden, I shall get nothing out of her."

"I see." Cece said slowly. "Do you honestly think she's been testing me?"

Jared shrugged. "I can't see that it matters now. I have told her of my feelings for you and forbidden her to present you with any further problems. If indeed my suspicions are correct, I am confident her interference is now at an end."

"Of course," she murmured. There was no doubt at all in her mind about either the guilt of Lady Olivia or the very distinct possibility that her activities would continue.

Jared had no way of knowing about the incidents with Sir Humphrey and the events of last night. While there was nothing that could be done to prove Lady Olivia's fine hand in all this. Cece would have wagered her father's last dollar on the lady's involvement. And in spite of Jared's sweet words and the gleam in his eye, the question of what he would do should she fail a test loitered tenaciously in a corner of her mind.

"Jared." she blurted in a surge of determination to know the answer.

"Hmm?" His eyes smoldered and he idly swirled the brandy in his glass. His strong, tanned hand cupped the snifter. Her knees weakened, her breath caught and images of this morning fired the heat in her face. She could almost feel the touch of his hands on her feverish flesh.

"Should I meet you at the same time tomorrow for our driving lesson?" Damnation! That wasn't the question uppermost in her mind. It was only when he gazed at her with eyes so deeply sapphire she could lose herself in a single glance that she could think of nothing except the demanding pressure of his lips on hers, the charged touch of his hand on her surprisingly receptive body and her own wonderfully desperate responses.

His gaze locked with hers and she could read a hunger both terrifying and tempting. She wondered if their next session would follow the path of the last. Her heart throbbed at the thought.

"There will be no lesson tomorrow, at least not in the morning." His eyes, glorious, dangerous, hypnotic, seemed to draw her closer, even though she never actually moved an inch and his words barely registered on a mind too intoxicated with thoughts of sensual kisses and erotic caresses. "I have business to attend to in London, but I shall return by afternoon."

"We're leaving for London in the afternoon. Mother wants to get ready for Em's party." Cece noted vaguely that her voice was calm and her speech coherent, but she paid scant attention to what she in fact said. "It's only a week away."

The words emerged from her as if of their own accord. She could do little more than stare at the intriguing way his mouth moved when he spoke, when he sipped his brandy, when the liquor glistened on his lips in an unspoken imitation. Instinctively, she ran her tongue over her own lips.

"Capitol. Then I shall stay in London." Even his voice, the superior British accent that had once annoyed her. now triggered ripples of anticipation. She could lose her soul to that voice. She could listen to him forever. "The race is next week as well. The day after Emily's coming out."

His words finally penetrated the heady haze of arousal that fogged her senses and she jerked her gaze to his. He smiled as if he read her thoughts and warmth flashed up her face. Goodness! When had she become so wanton?

"The race, I had nearly forgotten." She drew a deep breath for composure and pulled her brows together in a considering frown. "I don't imagine you've changed your mind and will be driving after all?"

He shook his head in a resolute manner. "No, Quentin will handle that chore. For all intents and purposes. I shall be there only as his friend. To provide moral support, as it were."

She sighed with exasperation. "I still think that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Why, in my country—"