Virginia Henley (39 page)

Alex saw him bow before a frozen-faced Olivia. He placed an affectionate hand on Rupert’s shoulder. “There is no need for me to tell you that you chose the most worthy man in England.” Alex saw Olivia begin to thaw. He gave a friendly nod to Harry, shook Lord Harding’s hand, and murmured confidentially, “You’ll find whiskey in the library, my lord.”

He took Lord Staines’s hand between both of his in a heartfelt gesture. “I am pleased to see you looking so robust, my lord.” Alex watched him listen attentively as Neville spoke of his recent illness and gave Dottie credit for his complete recovery.

When their host saw that everyone had been served champagne, he turned his full attention upon Alexandra. Without taking his eyes from her, he said, “I would like everyone to join me in a toast to Alexandra, my guest of honor. She and I have been devoted friends since we were children. I have watched her grow into the loveliest of ladies, and it is my dearest hope that our friendship will deepen and continue forever.” He raised his glass. “To Alexandra.” His words were so heartfelt that Alex thought it could have been Nick who was speaking. How could she have missed this very attractive side of Kit before?

The genuine affection he felt for her was perceptible to everyone in the room, especially Alex. His words were tangible; she felt them touch her, as warmly as his glance caressed her. Fleetingly, she wondered if her obsession with Nicholas had blinded her to Christopher’s innate charm.

Amazed, she watched his deft touch at play with his other guests. He held them in the palm of his hand with an easy camaraderie that made the atmosphere pleasant and encouraged them to converse with one another in a civilized manner. He then again turned his undivided attention upon her, making her feel special. Kit’s words and actions were so like Nick’s, she was spellbound.

When dinner was announced, he ushered them all into the dining room and seated Alexandra beside him at the head of the table. The name cards placed the other three couples opposite each other, with young Harry Harding at the foot of the table. Alex smiled inwardly at the clever arrangement. Neville Staines, who thought the world of her, sat on her left, while Dottie took it as a compliment to be seated on the host’s right.

The food was delicious; the chosen wines complemented each successive course, and Mr. Burke’s service was impeccable. The conversation was congenial, covering a score of topics which they all lively debated. Alexandra saw clearly that this was due to the adroit skills of her dinner partner. The guests were all enjoying their dessert when their host, as if by design, introduced a topic upon which none of them agreed: politics.

Alexandra saw her partner smile as he plucked a blush-pink rose from the table arrangement. He presented it to her, then stood and pulled back her chair. “I am sure you will all excuse us.” He slipped a powerful arm about her waist and swept her from the dining room. When they reached the door, his other arm slipped beneath her knees. He lifted her against his heart and carried her outside. “There’s something I want you to see, Alex.”

“We can’t just leave,” she protested breathlessly.

“Of course we can. They are talking politics, and soon their arguments will become so heated they won’t even notice that we have left. My obligation as host is to make certain my guests enjoy themselves. Now they are doing so, at the top of their lungs, and my duty has been fulfilled. My sole responsibility now is to focus on you.”

His hypnotic words enchanted her. Tonight he spoke and acted so much like Nick, she was enthralled. Alex could feel the hard muscles of his powerful arms through the thin material of her gown, and she experienced a tingle of excitement. She lifted the rose and breathed in its fragrance, then lifted her lashes and looked into his shadowed gray eyes. “What is it you want me to see?”

“I want you to watch the moon as it rises above the lake. Alex, if I had my way, I would carry you out to see the moon rise every night. It rises pale at first, then as it sails higher, the sky turns into dark velvet, and the moonlight touches Hatton with a silver-edged magic.”

His words were so romantic, her breath caught in her throat. She brushed the petals of the rose over the shadowed cleft in his chin, and he bent his head to brush his lips softly over hers. “As darkness falls, the lingering warmth from the departed sun fills the air with the fragrance of lilies, and roses, and night-scented stocks. Their loveliness always reminds me of you.” He set her feet to the lawn and clasped her hand, enfolding his fingers around hers. A haunting call of a night heron came from the lake. “Can you feel the mystic power of the water drawing us closer? Come with me, Alex.”

His voice, low in the dark, throbbed along her spine. His romantic words, reminding her so much of Nick, mesmerized her. As they strolled toward the lake, handclasped, Alex was surprised at the pleasure his touch brought her. His hand felt strong and protective, and his fingers curling about hers made her aware of their possessiveness. His presence silently overwhelmed her, as if he wove a spell about her that deliberately heightened her senses. She became acutely aware of the flutter of her gown against her legs, and against his legs too, as they moved together through the moonlight. She felt the soft night air upon her skin and breathed in the intoxicating perfume of the flowers. It seemed as if Christopher had created the romantic atmosphere for her alone, and Alex had never felt more feminine than she did tonight. She leaned her head into his shoulder, savoring the moment. “
You
have the mystic power to draw me closer.”

As Nick looked down at her, he saw how small she was beside him, and a wave of protectiveness washed over him. Her beauty was so delicate and luminous in the moonlight that it made his heart ache with tenderness. When they reached the edge of the lake, the familiar wooden punt beckoned to them. She made no protest when he picked her up and carried her into the small boat then set her down beside him.

Alex sighed as he rowed them out onto the lake and ripples moved out in widening circles. “Hatton must be the loveliest place in all England. To know that it has been here for almost two centuries must make you feel so proud.”

“I love it with all my heart and soul.”

His voice, low and passionate, sent a thrill shivering down her spine.
A woman would give much to be loved with such deep devotion.

“Alex, could you learn to love it?”

“I already love it, have always loved it.”

“I want to give you the moon and the stars!”

She pointed to their glittering reflection in the water. “Tonight, you have given them to me.”

“Look at me, Alex, while I tell you what is in my heart.” He brushed the back of his fingers over her cheek with reverence. “I desire no other lady but you to be Lady Hatton, the
châtelaine
of Hatton Hall. I want its beauty and permanence to wrap its strength about you and keep you secure. I want to see your children running and laughing across Hatton’s lawns. Then I want it passed down to your grandchildren, and I hope the future generations cherish it with the same deep and abiding passion that I feel.”

Alex knew that he was baring his heart to her. She realized too that he wasn’t just speaking of his feelings for Hatton. He was making it plain that he also cherished her with a deep and abiding passion. He was telling her that he loved her! The magic spell he wove around them was so perfect, she forgot altogether that she was with Kit.

He reached into his pocket and took out a small box. When he lifted the lid, the moonlight glinted off the diamonds and sapphires, reflecting the fire within the jewels. “Alexandra, this ring is precious to me, not because of its stones but because it belonged to my mother. If you would accept this ring, it would fill my heart with happiness.”

“Ohhh . . .” Her breath came out in a heartfelt sigh. “I will be honored to wear her ring. I will treasure it always.” Alex held out her hand, and he slipped it onto her finger. Deep within her heart she knew that Nicholas was her true love, and she believed it was Nick to whom she pledged herself.

“You accept the engagement?” Nick held his breath as he awaited her answer.

“Yes,” she said softly.

Nick cursed himself, knowing he had seduced her. He refused to press her about setting a date for the wedding; his twin would have to do that for himself. “Perhaps we should return to the house before our guests annihilate one another?”

Alex laughed. “My money is on Dottie.” She was relieved that he had not spoiled the moment by insisting they marry immediately. She sensed that he would be attuned to her wishes and desires, and her heart overflowed with gratitude that his goal seemed to be her happiness. She welcomed his arms as he lifted her and carried her from the boat, then he stood looking down at her for a long, drawn-out moment, as if he couldn’t bear to let her go. Finally, he set her feet to the grass, and his possessive arm drew her close against his side as they slowly made their way back to the hall.

 

Early the next morning, Nick walked over from the Grange. “Mr. Burke, when my brother comes down, would you tell him I’m in the library?” While he waited, Nick glanced idly at Kit’s gun collection and noticed a new set of duelling pistols with silver butt caps engraved with a double H, presumably for Harm Hatton. Nick was not amused at the way Kit indulged himself. He sat down at the mahogany desk and reflected on the words of the dinner guests when he and Alex had returned to the hall. Clearly, they were all anticipating the engagement, for the moment they reappeared he was heartily congratulated and Alex forced to show off the ring. He took the empty ring box from his pocket and set it on the desk.

When Kit came into the library, he looked repentant. He sank down in a chair and ran his hand through his hair in a boyish gesture. “Burke told me that you took my place and hosted the dinner last night. Nick, I’m so sorry about what happened; it was unforgivable. Going to the cellar is what did me in. When I saw the door to the underground passage, I relived the horror of being trapped in the dark as a child. I needed a brandy to settle my nerves and give me courage to ask Alex to marry me.”

Nick pushed the small velvet box toward him. “You are officially engaged. The rest is up to you,” he said curtly.

“Nick, how can I ever thank you—”

“Don’t thank me,” Nick growled. “I didn’t do it for you, damn it! I did it for Alexandra! When a lady becomes engaged, it should be one of the happiest nights of her life. If I hadn’t stepped in, it would have been a disaster. But let me make it plain, Kit: This is the last time, the
absolute
last time, that I pull your bloody coals from the fire!” Nick slammed his fist down on the desk.

Kit looked at his twin’s clenched fist and saw that it rested on two envelopes. Seized by panic, he jumped from the chair and lunged for the letters. “What the hellfire are you doing, reading my personal mail? You are forever sticking your nose in where it isn’t wanted. It seems you need a reminder that
I
am Lord Hatton, and you are here on my sufferance!” he shouted desperately, as he tried to snatch the letters from beneath his twin’s clenched fist.

In a flash, Nick picked up the letter opener and jabbed at his brother’s hand. Kit drew back his fingers immediately, and Nick proceeded to take the first letter from its envelope and read it. It was a letter from Barclays Bank informing Lord Hatton that once again his account was overdrawn.

Nick looked at his twin blankly. “Kit, what does this mean?”

“What the hell do you think it means? It means the money is gone . . . spent . . . every goddamn shilling!”

Nick’s words were low, deliberate, soft. “You mean that you have spent all the money you inherited in the year I’ve been gone?”

“It wasn’t my fault, Nick!” his twin cried. “That bastard Eaton forced me to sign an authorization giving him the power to make all my financial decisions!”

“Forced you?” Nick’s voice was quiet, deadly.

“I was in over my head, Nick! He loaned me money for lucrative investments, then lost it all and told me Father’s stocks were worthless. He defrauded me, when my back was against the wall! You were right, I never should have trusted him!”

Nick put up his hand in a commanding gesture to stop Kit’s words. “Let me understand this correctly. Not only did you go through the money in the bank, you lost all the investments too?”

Nick took the second letter from its envelope. It was from John Eaton informing Hatton that his loans were due.
As you know, I hold the title deed on Hatton Hall, and unless the loans totaling more than fifty thousand pounds are repaid in full by the end of this month, the

property is legally forfeit to me.
Nick raised his eyes from the letter. They were no longer gray. They were obsidian black. He stood up from the desk and advanced slowly toward his twin. “You gave him the deed to Hatton Hall.” It was not a question.

Kit took a step toward him in supplication. “I’ll be able to pay off the loan with Alexandra’s money!”

The first blow smashed into Kit’s cheekbone, lifting his feet off the carpet; the second thudded into his gut, doubling him over. As he rolled on the rug in a fetal position, the dregs of the brandy he had imbibed the night before came spewing forth in a torrent.

Nick looked down at his twin with contempt. “You are pathetic.” He strode to the window and flung it open, staring with unseeing eyes at the garden beyond. He saw the young men who had served under him, honorable men, courageous men, fighting for their country, dying for their country, while a profligate young buck like his twin had debauched away a fortune.

Mr. Burke came to the library door. He was horrified at the scene that met his eyes. “I’ll fetch a bucket and mop, sir.”

“You may bring water, Mr. Burke,” Nick said implacably, “but from now on Christopher Hatton will mop up his own spew.”