Virginia Henley (49 page)

Her heart caught in her throat at the sight of Nick riding Satin. She stopped herself from rushing headlong down the stairs and took a few calming breaths as she wondered what she would say to Hopkins. Then she opened her bedchamber door and walked slowly down the stairs.

Hopkins was there before her, opening the front door. A broad smile wreathed his face when he saw who it was. “Lord Hatton, may I offer my hearty congratulations on your engagement? It is indeed an honor to welcome you to Berkeley Square. I am sure you will do everything in your power to make Mistress Alexandra happy.”

Alex rushed down the remaining steps. “Hopkins, he isn’t—” She glanced at Nick, who shook his head emphatically to stay her words.

His hand brushed back his hair, using the same gesture that was a habit with Kit. “Alexandra is trying to tell you that I am not supposed to be here in London with her before the wedding, but I think you can understand my impetuous behavior, Hopkins.”

“Your secret is safe with me, my lord. I’ll take your bag.”

“I think I can manage.” Nick winked and slipped Hopkins a five-pound note.

Her cheeks scarlet, Alex turned around and hurried back upstairs. When Nick followed her and closed the bedchamber door, she gasped, “Why the devil did you let him think you were Kit?”

“To save him embarrassment. To save you from explaining the scandalous thing I’ve done. To save your reputation, Alex.”

“My God! I have no reputation to save; I threw it into the wind. And good riddance to it. I shall never count the cost!”

Nicholas enfolded her in his arms and dropped a kiss on her bright curls.
If you marry me, there will be a cost, Alex. It will cost you your title, and Hatton Hall.
“Hopkins didn’t raise an eyebrow when he thought I was your husband-to-be. Let’s leave it that way.”

She raised her eyes to his, filled with joy and mischief. “You
are
my husband-to-be, so I shall be happy to leave it that way.”

Nick covered her mouth possessively.
For today I am, my love.
“Let’s go riding. I can’t wait to show you off in the park.”

 

By the time the lovers returned from their ride, the light had gone from the afternoon. She watched Nicholas unsaddle and tend their horses, then they lingered in the stable, murmuring words of love and kissing until it was dusk.

When they went inside, Hopkins announced that supper was being prepared for them, and the delicious smells drifting from the kitchen told them it was special. “Would it be too much trouble to serve it upstairs, Hopkins?” Nick asked with a straight face.

“No trouble at all, my lord. I shall serve it myself, then see that there are no unnecessary interruptions.”

Covered with blushes, Alex hurried upstairs.
It is amazing how accommodating men are toward each other when dalliance is involved!
She smiled a secret smile.
Perhaps I’ll wear my new gown for him
. She handed Nick his bag. “You may change across the hall. I wish to surprise you.”

“We’re
dressing
for dinner?” he asked with dismay. “I’d rather eat in bed. It whets the appetite,” he promised.

“Go!” she said, pushing him from the room. Alex stripped off her riding dress and poured water into the bowl to wash her hands and face. Suddenly, her chamber door flew open, and Nick grabbed her by the hand and dragged her into Dottie’s room.

“Who the devil painted this?” He pointed to the portrait above the fireplace.

Alexandra’s wicked juices began to bubble. “Don’t you think it a good likeness?”

“Hellion! I shall have to undress you before I can give you an honest opinion.” Before she could squirm from his grasp, he lifted her shift over her head, removed her busk, and pulled down her drawers. No longer angry, his voice turned husky. “I’d like to see you remove your stockings and garters the way you did onstage.”

“You strip first!” she bargained.

Nick wasted no time flinging off his clothes. When he was completely naked, she raised one long leg into the air, removed her garter, then slowly, inch by enticing inch, peeled off her black-and-white striped stocking.

Nicholas did not wait for her to repeat the performance with her other leg. Instead, he lifted her high, then let her slide down his body until she was seated on his cock.

“My God, Nick, that painting isn’t me; it’s Dottie. And I cannot do this with her eyes upon me!”

“Lucky for us your bed is in another chamber.” With his hands firmly cupping her bottom cheeks, he walked across the hall.

On Sunday evening, Christopher Hatton had a two-hour target practice with his duelling pistols. He did not stop until it was full dark, reasoning that the light would be limited in a dawn duel. As he approached Hatton Hall, he reloaded and hit one of the griffins that stood sentinel on the roof directly in the eye. Kit’s confidence soared; he felt ready to face the challenge that lay ahead.

On Monday morning he packed a bag, mounted Renegade, and rode over to Harding House.

Rupert greeted Kit with a relieved look on his face. “I was afraid you wouldn’t remember that we planned to go to London this week. I am looking forward to being at my own town house without my in-laws.”

“And without your wife.” Kit grinned.

“Oh, Olivia and I rub along quite well together these days. It’s her father and Annabelle who are rather overbearing.”

“Never did understand why my father bedded her,” Kit remarked with a sneer.

“Perhaps she has an insatiable appetite,” Rupert reflected, thinking it probably ran in the family. “I’m all packed and ready. I thought you’d be driving your phaeton.”

“Nick drove it to London, so it’ll be there if I need it.”

As Rupert saddled his horse, he remarked, “You had a good run of luck at Epsom. Are you still feeling lucky?”

“I always
feel
lucky when I sit down to play cards. Fate, being the bitch she is, soon disabuses me, however.” Kit glanced at his friend and sowed the first seed of his plan. “That bastard Jeremy Eaton still holds one of my markers. I wish I could persuade Nick to get it back for me; Hazard Hatton never loses!”

“I think fate has been damn good to you, Kit. Your father left you everything, including his title, and now you are about to marry Alexandra. Surely you wouldn’t swap all that for Nick’s luck?”

“Of course not.”
Especially when his luck might run out.

They covered the six-mile ride to London in short order. Christopher left Rupert in Clarges Street then rode around the corner to Curzon Street. Kit stabled Renegade and bade the stableboy feed and water him. He glanced negligently at his pair of chestnuts.
I hope Nick has solved the problem of their gait. The bloody nags make me a laughingstock!

Christopher used his key to open the front door and came face-to-face with Fenton. “Is my brother here?”

“No, my lord.”

“Do you know where he is, or when he’ll be back?”

“I’m afraid not, my lord.” Since Fenton didn’t particularly like young Lord Hatton, he provided him with no information whatsoever. “Will you require lunch, my lord?”

“Of course I’ll require lunch. Have it ready in an hour,” Kit directed. “I shall not be dining at home this evening, however.”

“Very good, sir.”

Kit took his own bag upstairs and carefully removed his duelling pistols, then he went across the hall to his twin’s chamber. He immediately searched Nick’s desk, but found it empty.
Damn, he must have already taken the deed to the bank. That shows how much he trusts me!
Kit moved across to the wardrobe. There weren’t many of his brother’s clothes hanging in it. He looked at the faded uniform and imagined himself wearing it, then he closed the wardrobe doors and returned to his own chamber. His nerves were taut and Kit knew he must do something to relieve his inner tension. The need for a drink almost overwhelmed him as he hung up his clothes. Rather than give in to the craving, he opened a drawer in his own desk, took out a deck of cards, and began to shuffle them with infinite care.

That evening when Rupert arrived expecting to visit White’s, Kit talked him into going to Boodle’s instead. Kit wanted a practice run of some of his card ploys before Tuesday’s encounter with Jeremy Eaton.

It was clear from the outset that Kit’s luck had not changed. By eleven o’clock, he had lost most of the money he had won at Epsom races. When he began handing out markers, Rupert became concerned. “Let’s call it a night; I hate to see all your winnings run through your fingers!”

Though it was still early, Kit agreed to go home. “Damn and blast my luck! Fate truly is a bitch who frowns upon me while smiling upon my twin; Nick never loses, God rot him!”

When he arrived back in Curzon Street, he was happy to see that his brother had not returned. Before he retired, he stood before the mirror, marveling at his outward likeness to Nicholas. He looked into the gray eyes reflected in the glass and smiled at himself.
So far so good,
Kit thought with satisfaction.
Another seed successfully sown!

 

In Berkeley Square, Nicholas and Alexandra stood gazing into the mirror. Though Alex was tall for a female, she only reached Nick’s chin. She saw his powerful arms steal about her from behind to pull her against him. Alex closed her eyes and made a wish that they could always be as happy as they were at this moment.

Tonight she wore the new pale green gown, and they had eaten dinner actually sitting on chairs with a small table between them, rather than dining in bed as they had the previous evening. Before they had finished their dessert, however, Nick needed to touch her. “Have you any idea how beautiful you are tonight? Let me show you.” He scooped her up and deposited her before the oval cheval glass.

She could see his eyes had gone dark gray, smoky with desire. She watched as he undressed her, and when she was naked he began to make love to her with his eyes. His smoldering glance lingered on every intimate part of her, until she felt more feminine than she had ever felt in her life. Her pulses began to race, and her heartbeats became fluttery with awakening desire.

He covered her breasts with his powerful hands. “I love you so much, sweetheart. I’ll never have enough of you.” He bent his dark head and whispered in her ear. “I want you to watch me make love to you. I want you to see how beautiful you are.”

She watched, mesmerized, as he went down on his knees before her. Then she felt his powerful hands cup her bottom cheeks so that her red-gold curls were on a level with his mouth. He caressed her bum and eased her forward into his kisses. She felt his tongue search out the bud at the tip of her cleft, and she buried her fingers in his crisp, black hair, to keep her from screaming with excitement. As his tongue thrust deeper, invading and plundering her, she saw her nails dig into his wide shoulders. Then she saw her own face and realized that what he had told her was true. In that moment she was wildly beautiful, her Titian curls dishevelled from tossing her head in abandon, her green eyes glittering with new-found passion, her mouth full, soft, and sensual. She watched his name form on her lips. “Nicholas!”

He picked her up and carried her to the bed. He never took his eyes from her as he undressed. Then he turned her onto her side and lay down behind her with his long hard body curved around hers. Holding her breasts, he entered her from behind then eased her over until he was on his knees. He waited a full minute so that she could get used to the feel of his cock stretching her sheath from this new position. Then with slow, firm thrusts he began to bring them both to rapture as Alexandra clutched the sheet with her fists and cried out her passion.

Before she slept, Nicholas lifted her glorious hair and kissed the nape of her neck. “We
do
fit together like Welsh love spoons.” As he held her against his heart, Nick knew that in spite of all his noble intentions, wanting Alexandra to have the title of Lady and be the mistress of Hatton Hall, there was no way on earth he could give up this woman to his twin brother. She was his heart and his soul.

 

When Alexandra awoke her heart began to sing the moment she realized Nicholas was beside her in the bed. It was the most luxurious feeling in the world. But, as she turned into his arms, Alex suddenly realized that her conscience was pricking her. She allowed him one lingering kiss, then pulled away while she could still speak coherently. “Nick, we spoke of you being my future husband, but I have a secret I must reveal before we marry.”

He didn’t even raise an eyebrow. “Nothing you tell me could possibly lessen the love I feel for you, sweetheart.”

“I . . . I’m not an heiress, as you’ve been led to believe. My grandmother’s fortune is all gone. She borrowed from the bank and put up Longford Manor as collateral. That was the
real
reason I was earning money at Champagne Charlie’s.”

He stared down at her in shocked amazement. “If that’s true, Dottie is a superb actress.”

“She’s a superb grandmother! You mustn’t tell anyone, Nick; it’s Dottie’s secret more than mine. Even the town house belongs to Neville Staines. I do have a dowry of a thousand pounds, but it isn’t a lot when compared to a fortune.”

Suddenly, Nicholas began to laugh until the tears threatened to run down his face. He wiped his eyes.
How bloody ironic!

“I fail to see anything amusing,” Alex said quietly.

Her confession swept away all the guilt Nick felt over snatching her from his twin’s arms; Kit wouldn’t want her without her money.

He could never tell her, of course; he would never hurt her. “I’m buying Hatton Grange from my brother. I think I can manage to keep the wolf from our door. If I can’t, there’s always Hounslow Heath!” He went off into another bout of deep laughter.

Though Alexandra’s heart overflowed with love that it made no difference to him, she felt far from laughter. Their dalliance must end. “I have to tell Dottie of my plans, and even more to the point, I have to inform Christopher that I cannot marry him.” She slipped from the bed and went to the wardrobe to select a riding dress. As he watched, Alex donned a fresh shift then poured water from the jug into the bowl. Her glance fell on her beautiful betrothal ring. “I shouldn’t be wearing this; I have no right.”