Wonderland By Night (Heroic Rogues Series) (7 page)

Lifting her skirts to her ankles, she sprinted across the yard toward the marble statue, grateful she didn’t wear all those slips underneath her gown to make noise. Gabe and Anna seemed to have eyes for only each other, so Emiline arrived at her hiding spot before the other two did.

Hopefully, her maid was not up to her usual tricks and disregarded the rules of propriety. If so, Anna would be in Gabe’s arms this very night. Emmie didn’t think she’d be able to hide her jealous anger and keep herself concealed if that happened. Emmie gulped. If Anna did not take care,
Emmie’s
reputation could be ruined.

* * * *

Gabe smiled politely at the lovely woman beside him. The longer he was in her presence, the more he became confused. Her charm was evident, and yet her shyness was a contradiction. She really didn’t talk much, and he couldn’t believe there was a woman out there who didn’t chatter like a crazed magpie. Now he found one he wished would talk a little more.

So far he had told her about himself—at least what he wanted her to know—and now he wanted to hear about her. If she would tell him, that is. Every time he asked her about herself, she changed the subject, bringing it back to him.

They stopped by the marble statue of a woman with a water pitcher in her hands. Still close enough to the house for propriety sake, and so not to anger her lady’s companion, Miss Emmie…yet far enough away so that they wouldn’t be bothered or overheard.

He glanced up at the half moon and the few clouds littering the darkened sky. Most of the light shone from the house. Although they were not in total darkness, many shadows crept around them, especially in the bushes not more than five feet away. Prickles of awareness danced over his skin, hinting there was another presence nearby. Over the last ten years, he’d learned to trust his feelings and instincts. Spies were all around, and he must be cautious. Until he could figure out who was watching them, he’d be careful.

“Tell me about yourself, Lady Sarah. I’m certain you grow weary of hearing about my dreary life.”

She smiled. “Oh, no. I could never get bored hearing about you. Besides—” She paused to look at her clasped hands, “—there really is not much to tell you about my life.”

“You must be mistaken. After all, you are a duke’s daughter and the niece of a prominent man in Boston. What could be more exciting than that? I’m quite certain you have many stories to tell.”

“I assure you, I do not lead the adventurous life you do. My life is quite boring. My father and uncle may be prominent figures in the community, but they keep me sheltered. I’m surprised my father allowed me to visit Mr. and Mrs. Hampton without him accompanying me. After all, this is my first visit to the colonies.”

“Indeed? How fascinating. I assume your father has been here before, though?”

“Yes. He met my mother in New York on one of his visits.”

Her tale grew more interesting by the second. “Tell me,” he said cocking his head, “why did your mother not come with you this time?”

“She died fifteen years ago.”

Sorrow filled him and he frowned. He understood the ache of losing a parent, because he had lost both of his. “Forgive me. I didn’t know.”

“There is nothing to forgive. How could you know when you do not know my family?”

“No truer words were spoken.” Gabe offered a slight smile as he traveled his gaze over her black hair wound artfully in a bun, then to her pretty round face. Big brown eyes stared back at him, long, thick lashes surrounding them. Her nose was small and somewhat pudgy, but not overly so. Her lips appeared thin, but they in no way tempted him to kiss them. Her skin looked smooth, but once again, he was not tempted to stroke her cheek just to feel if it was a soft as it looked.

Another face came to mind. Miss Emmie—the one with the smoldering big, brown eyes. Right away he questioned his train of thought. Why would he think of the lady’s companion at a time like this? Quickly, he shook her out of his mind.

“Well, Lady Sarah, I appreciate your kindness in telling me about your family. I do feel as if I’m getting to know you better.”

“As do I.”

From the corner of his eyes, the shadow in the bushes moved. Once again, awareness pricked his skin. They were definitely being watched. Without studying the shadow and drawing attention to himself, he tried to sneak peeks that way while conversing with the duke’s daughter.

“So, Lady Sarah, now that you have been here a few days, what do you think of New Hampshire?”

“It is certainly warmer than where I’m from, and the scenery is so much greener. My father…um,
we
live closer to London. Before my father became a duke, we had a small cottage out in the country, but I haven’t been there for many years.”

He nodded. “I wish I could say I have been to London, but that is a place I’ve yet to visit.”

Silence lagged between them, which gave Gabe a moment to take a peek at the bushes again. Slowly, the clouds moved away from the moon long enough for him to see the figure of a woman. Unless his eyes played tricks on him, the figure resembled Miss Emmie quite a bit. Without studying the shadows any deeper, he knew it was the lady’s companion. Although he didn’t know much about her, what he did know led him to believe she’d do something this daring. He held back a grin. That little minx!

He debated on whether to say something and bring her out of hiding. Then again, he couldn’t embarrass her. Instead, he would take advantage of the situation and play it up, just to see how Emmie would react.

Gabe stepped closer to Lady Sarah and took her hands. “My lady?” he asked softly. “Is there a man back home to whom you are promised?”

She looked up at him with wide eyes then dropped her gaze. “No.”

“Indeed?” Strange, but he thought she’d be betrothed to someone by now. “I cannot believe such a lovely woman doesn’t have a beau.”

She giggled. “There are men who try to court me, but none have impressed me or my father.” She lifted her attention back at him. “My father promised I could choose my own husband. So far I have found none I could fall in love with.”

He caressed her cheek. “You are still very young, and you have awhile before you need to settle down.”

She nodded.

He moved closer and swept his fingers along her chin. “Do you think your father brought you to the colonies to find the right man?”

Her gaze softened, and he tried not to grin. He should be ashamed for leading the poor girl on, but it had been a while since he flirted this way. Thankfully, he still had that certain touch which made a woman’s knees weak.

“I don’t know,” she replied. “Perhaps.”

He scanned her face again and rested his attention on her lips, which were now parted. Although she was lovely, he didn’t feel any attraction for her. Besides, he only acted this way to make Miss Emmie upset.

“Lady Sarah, I cannot believe how lovely you are.” He came closer until her dress rubbed against his breeches and overcoat. “Will you consider letting me kiss you?”

She swallowed hard. She was nervous, he could tell, but he really wasn’t trying to seduce her. He waited for a reaction from the hidden peeping companion. From the bushes heavy breathing overrode Lady Sarah’s ragged breaths. Keeping a solemn expression, Gabe tried not to smile.

Lady Sarah cleared her throat. “Mr. Lawrence, I think it is improper to kiss you at this time. We have only just met.” Her voice squeaked.

Gabe hovered his lips above hers, hesitating, making the moment linger. The scent of wine was on her warm breath as it blew against his face. She licked her lips. Staring deeply into her eyes, he watched the fear laced with eagerness in her expression. Her breathing quickened, and he knew he’d better stop this before she passed out.

Slowly, he pulled away. He admired her courage, but more so of that of Miss Emmie. So far, the little minx hadn’t blown her cover.

“Very well, Lady Sarah. I shall have to bide my time until the moment is right, and until you approve. Please forgive me for my forwardness.”

She shied away again. “There is no need for apologies.”

“Come.” He held out his elbow. “Allow me to take you back to the party. My uncle is probably worried sick about the guest of honor right now, and I’m quite certain Miss Emmie is beside herself.”
Literally.

As he turned, he took a quick peek at the woman still hiding in the bushes. He grinned, continuing on his way. Miss Emmie surprised him at every turn. Remarkably, he wondered what she would do next...and realized he couldn’t wait to find out.

Chapter Four

Once Gabe and Anna had walked away, Emiline released the breath she was holding and it came out in a gush. Thankfully, neither of them had seen her. Relief also poured through her to know that Anna had not let Gabe kiss her. Her maid played a role, and Lady Sarah would have not allowed a man to take the liberties in stealing a kiss…no matter how handsome he was.

Then again, she had really never known any man as handsome as Gabe. And blast it all, it didn’t help that she kept seeing him in the water! Perhaps if she had been in Gabe’s arms, she would have been sorely tempted to let him place his lips on hers.

Breathing slower, she relaxed against a tree. Finally her heart beat a normal rhythm. Vicariously, she’d experienced Anna’s thrill of excitement and couldn’t help but wish she was the woman in Gabe’s arms instead of her friend.

Groaning, she rubbed the throb starting in her forehead. She wished she knew why she felt this way. It was so unlike her. Had living as a lady’s companion become so boring that she suddenly dreamed of improper things? What happened to the freedom she thought she’d had pretending to be a companion? For some reason, it wasn’t all she had wanted it to be.

She pulled away from the tree and took slow steps away from her hiding area, taking great care to see if anyone was watching her. Once again, she was grateful that nobody had cared about the lady’s companion. She hurried back into the house as fast as she could.

Just as she entered, the announcement came of the last dance for the evening. Disappointed, she watched as Gabe danced with Anna. His joyous smile while he stared into Anna’s eyes nearly broke
Emmie’s
heart.

After the dance ended, Anna left Gabe’s side and made her excuses to Mr. and Mrs. Hampton. Emmie followed Anna up the stairs toward their rooms. She really didn’t want to talk to her friend since jealousy continued to eat at her gut.

“Oh, Emmie.” Anna sighed dreamily. “Can you believe there’s a man like Mr. Lawrence? He’s so handsome...and he wanted to be with me. I cannot fathom why he was flirting with me this evening. I tried my best to act shy, but he still continued his pursuit.”

Emiline tried to be gentle as she helped Anna remove the gown to ready her for bed, but ended up yanking the material over her friend’s head, instead, pulling her hair in the process. Irritably, Emmie rolled her eyes and replied, ”Of course he flirted with you. He’s a man with no title, and you are supposed to be the duke’s daughter. Why wouldn’t he vie for your attention?”