The Temptation of a Gentleman (24 page)

Somehow he’d taken a few short steps toward her without even realizing it. But now she was inches from him, yet she still hadn’t lifted her eyes. With a trembling hand, he cupped her chin and raised her face toward his. She blinked back tears of humiliation and sadness, but held his gaze.

“Marion…”

He didn’t know what he wanted to say to her. Perhaps that what had happened wasn’t her fault. Or that he was sorry for letting her down. Or maybe that he cared for her. But before he could say any of those things, she turned her face away from his touch and put a few feet of distance between them.

Her voice wasn’t more than a whisper when she said, “I want to dress. After that, I know we must speak to each other about-about many things.”

He fought against conflicting urges. One was to take her in his arms and have it out with her right then and there. The other was to respect the space she requested and let her regain some level of dignity before he told her everything he needed to say. Finally, the latter won out.

“Yes. I’ll send someone up right away.” At the door, he turned back.

“I’ll join you when I’m finished,” she promised.

But he could see from the innocence in her eyes that she understood nothing of the shock he was about to give her. With a sigh, he turned away. If only he knew what her response would be.

Chapter Nineteen

When she came downstairs an hour later, Marion felt refreshed and ready to face whatever Noah would say to her. A pleasant maid had helped her bathe, then dressed her in one of Audrey Berenger’s gowns. She’d even fixed Marion’s dark hair until even she had to admit it looked lovely. The only thing the girl couldn’t hide were the ugly bruises that marred Marion’s face. And the sting in her heart related to more than just her father’s betrayal.

The light she’d always seen in Noah’s eyes when he looked at her had gone out. When he came into her room that afternoon to help her find the clothes she now wore, she’d seen his desire, but not his affection. It was almost as if he dreaded seeing her.

That
was what she’d done by lying to him. By barging into his life uninvited and ruining his case and his plans. Now all she could do was slip away. Allow him to return to his life without her interference.

He rose from the table when she entered the small dining hall. It was a place for family dinners with its cozy table and few chairs. A place where love and laughter were shared. Why had he brought her here?

“You look much better.” He held out a chair for her with a false smile. Her hand automatically went up to touch the bruises on her face. His smile fell. “The doctor said those would heal in a few days. There will be no permanent marks.”

She nodded. Suddenly her throat felt dry. Never had she felt so uncomfortable with the man across from her, but now she could think of nothing to say. Nothing could bring them back to the friendship they’d once shared and she valued so much.

“I-I didn’t have anywhere else to go.” She shut her eyes when the words spilled from her lips.

His face softened. “I know that.”

Before he could go further, the door opened and Mrs. York entered. The second Marion saw the woman, a rush of memories returned to her. This was the person who had tended to her, spoken to her in soft, warm tones. Her eyes filled with tears at the thought.

Mrs. York smiled at her as she set a plate of food before her. The smell of warm beef and hearty potatoes gave her stomach a twist of hunger.

She nodded and took a few bites. Within moments, her appetite roared to life and she finished the meal without speaking. Noah said nothing, only leaned back in his chair and watched her intently. Finally, when she’d wiped her mouth and taken a last bracing sip of wine, he spoke.

“Would you like to tell me what happened?”

She stiffened, not that Noah had expected anything less. The memories of her ordeal would be difficult for her, but he needed to hear the entire story to decide what punishment Hawthorne and Lucas would ultimately face.

She dipped her head with a sigh. “You’ve probably guessed most of it.”

“I don’t want to guess, I want to know.” With trembling hands, he leaned forward to brush her hair away from her face. “You can trust me.”

Marion winced. If she had trusted him at the beginning, none of this would have happened. Yet she’d withheld the truth at every opportunity, too filled with girlish embarrassment to protect herself. Even now, she found her trust a hard gift to give. And she knew he wouldn’t give her his in return. She’d done little to earn it.

“Please.”

His soft voice drew her gaze to him. His expression pleaded with her to share her trauma. She found herself doing so in quiet tones, strangely lacking any emotion about the entire situation. He, on the other hand, had enough emotion for them both, cursing at certain points and shutting his eyes at others.

Noah brought the decanter of scotch down on the table with a loud clatter. Her eyes flew to his face. He looked sick as he stood staring at her. Apology was in his eyes and his body language.

“What is it?” She rose to her feet with a gasp. “You aren’t returning me to my father, are you?”

He turned his face as if she’d slapped him, but not before she saw the hurt glitter in his eyes.

“No. Your father came here this morning, and I made it more than clear to him that he would never see you again. Don’t lump me into whatever category you’ve put him in. I’ve only let you down once.” His face clouded with emotion. “Last night.”

Her heart leapt into her throat and she took three long strides across the room toward him. “No!”

He ignored her outburst. “I should have trusted my instinct, not let my anger get the better of me. I let you down. That vile, disgusting Lucas could have raped you. You could have been killed during your escape attempt.” The heat left his voice as his clenched fists dropped to his sides in defeat. “I’m sorry.”

She shook her head though she didn’t speak. There was nothing she could say to assuage his guilt, that was clear. But she wanted to let him know that she didn’t blame him. Not for what had happened to her. If anything, he’d been her one light of hope since she’d arrived at Woodbury. He had given her companionship and laughter, something that had been lacking in her life for a long time.

When she reached his side, she lifted her hand to touch his cheek. He shut his eyes with a sigh at her gentle caress, though he seemed to be fighting internal demons. By the way he trembled under her touch, she knew he wanted her, but still he distanced himself.

Finally, with aching slowness, he looked down at her. Their eyes locked and Marion lost all thoughts.

“Nothing that happened to me was your fault.” She wasn’t sure how she got the words past her tight throat. “I told you to go. I thought I would be safe with my father, of all people.”

His eyes darkened. “But I knew you wouldn’t be. And I still left because I was angry.”

She dropped her hand, the spell between them broken. “I’m free of him now. I can go on with my plans.” Her eyes met his again. “And that’s thanks to you.”

Once again pain twisted his face. With a short step he was inches from her. His hand came up to touch her unbruised cheek with a tenderness that was as sweet as any kiss. “I’m sorry, Marion. Your plans must change now.”

Her eyes grew wide, though she didn’t back away from him. It seemed she couldn’t. “Why?”

Behind them, the door opened. Both turned, and when they saw Lady Woodbury staring at them with concerned eyes, Marion blushed like a schoolgirl who’d been caught.

“Because you’ve been terribly compromised by coming here and staying in Noah’s home with no escort.” Lady Woodbury said the words slowly as Noah backed a step away from Marion. “And now we must find a way to redress the situation.”

Noah winced when Marion’s cheeks colored dark red at his mother’s intrusion and her plain words. How he hated that she was embarrassed, but it would only get worse. When she heard their plans for her, her world would come down around her.

“Lady Woodbury?” Marion glanced from Noah back to his mother.

His mother’s face softened at her distress. Noah had to smile. He hadn’t been so lucky as to receive her kindness when his mother heard his tale. But she wouldn’t be as harsh with Marion.

“My dear, I doubt I know the entire story.” Her eyes darted to Noah. He felt a flush darken his skin. No, his mother didn’t know the entire tale. She didn’t know he’d nearly made love to Marion, only that her father had caught them in a compromising position. “But I’ve heard enough to know you’ve been ruined.”

Marion’s eyes widened, and she stumbled toward Tabitha. “No. Only in my father’s eyes.” Her gaze slipped to Noah. “That was our bargain. Only in my father’s eyes.”

His mother grimaced. “I don’t think I want to know what you’re talking about. In any case, this situation has moved far beyond your father’s eyes now. When you fled here in your distress, the entire situation changed.”

“I’m sorry.” Marion moved closer to the woman as if her proximity would somehow convince Tabitha to agree with her stance. “I never meant to intrude in your home. If I’d had any other choice…”

His mother held up a hand to silence her, then the hand came down on Marion’s uninjured arm for a gentle squeeze.

“My dear, I wouldn’t consider your coming here an intrusion. From what I’ve seen of you this morning…” Her eyes drifted to Marion’s bruises with a shiver. “And what I’ve heard of your untenable situation at Josiah Lucas’s, you should have come much earlier. If I had but known what your troubles were, I would have happily welcomed you here with open arms.”

Marion’s face softened with a smile at Tabitha’s kindness. Noah was stricken by how glad he was that they were friends. That Marion wanted his mother to like her, and that Tabitha did, despite her disapproval over the arrangement Marion and Noah had made.

Marion’s eyes flitted to him and some of the hope faded from them. “The doctor. I’d forgotten there was a doctor. If only I hadn’t fallen from that bloody tree.” She covered her mouth with a gasp. “I’m sorry, my lady. I should mind my tongue.”

Tabitha smiled. “Under the circumstances, I would have used a much stronger word.” Her smile faded. “Dr. Fielding is an excellent physician, but he isn’t known for his discretion. He discovered I wasn’t at home and that Noah had arrived while you were still alone. More to the point, he saw Noah go to your room when there was no one to make sure nothing happened between you.”

“I was nearly unconscious!”

“That won’t make a difference.” Tabitha shook her head. “The rumor will grow. The tale of how you crept out your window and came to my son in the middle of the night will spread like wildfire. And not just here. It will go to London and anywhere else you live. A rumor like this one will fester and grow, not die out.”

Marion spun to face Noah with wide eyes. “I’m sorry. I never meant to damage your reputation.”

Tabitha let out a little burst of laughter. “
His
reputation? My dear, though my son doesn’t think I know it, his reputation will only be further solidified by this little story. It’s
your
reputation I worry about. When word of this scandal leaks out, you shall be damaged beyond repair. Your ability to marry well will vanish.”

Desperation shot through Marion. “But I don’t care about that!” she insisted with a shake of her head. “I never planned to marry, I planned…”

“You may say that now, but Noah and I can’t stand by in good stead while a young woman gives up her future because of a mistake she had no choice but to make.” Tabitha shook her head and in her eyes Marion saw a flicker of understanding for her plight. “We
must
fix this.”

Marion stepped back and came in contact with the dining table. She was trapped in more ways than one. “How?”

The room was deathly silent for a time and the air was thick with anticipation and even dread. Finally, Noah stepped forward. His eyes held hers, merciless and unwavering, telling her she wouldn’t refuse what he was about to say no matter how she felt about it.

“You will marry me,” he said softly.

Marion’s world shattered around her as Noah’s words echoed in her head. Marry Noah? It was like a dream and nightmare all at once. Long ago she’d realized how much she loved him. But she had also accepted that he was promised to another. A woman who would give him the home he expected and the respectability he’d earned. He would never love Marion in return, and she guessed even his lust for her would fade in time.

“No.” The whisper was her own but she barely recognized her rough voice. She sounded very far away. “I’ll go to my aunts. That was our plan. That was our bargain, Noah.”

He winced at her betrayed expression. Here she had tacked all her hopes on leaving Woodbury and going to live with the family she’d never known. And he was ripping those hopes out from under her.