Читать книгу The Naked Baron - Sally MacKenzie - Страница 9

“Are you certain you’re all right, Aunt Kate?”

“Ah. Oh. Er…” She certainly was not all right. Thank God the retiring room was empty. Her loss of composure was bad enough—at least she was not enacting a spectacle for an interested audience.

She had to get hold of her emotions before she went back out into the ballroom.

Kate clasped her hands and tried to stop gulping air. If only she could loosen her stays. She should never have had Marie, her maid, lace them so tightly, but she’d stupidly wanted to look young again, slim and virginal and seventeen. Impossible. Marie could tighten her stays until the strings broke, she’d still have lines at the corner of her eyes, threads of gray in her hair…

She wasn’t seventeen any longer. Alex must have been shocked—horrified—to see how she’d aged.

Oh, Alex…

Kate moaned slightly. Breathe in through her nose; out through her mouth. In. Out. Stop panicking.

“Here, try your vinaigrette.” Grace waved the small, aromatic box under Kate’s nose.

“No, I—ah!” Kate’s head snapped up as she inhaled the pungent scent.

“Do you feel better?”

“Ah.” No, she was just more aware of how miserable she felt. Could she spend the entire evening here in the retiring room?

Definitely not. She was Grace’s chaperone. She had to go out into the…

Breathe.

Grace was still waving the vinaigrette in her face. Kate snatched it from her and snapped it shut.

Most likely Alex—Mr. Wilton—hadn’t even noticed her entrance, didn’t remember her or the unfortunate incidents of her long-ago Season, had absolutely no recollection of that mortifying scene in this very garden…

“Ohh.” She covered her face with her hands.

“Aunt Kate, you sound like you’re in pain.”

“No, no, I’m fine.” She waved the hand with the vinaigrette in Grace’s direction.

Had Alex noticed her arrival? She’d been too shocked to see, let alone comprehend, his expression.

“What is the problem?” Grace said. “Is there something…odd about those two men?”

Two men? There were two men? Kate tried to clear some of her distress from her mind. Oh, yes—the other man—the younger one who looked so like Alex. He must be Alex’s nephew, the product of the first Wilton-Belmont scandal.

Why in God’s name was Alex here anyway? He should be safely in the country. What infernal coincidence had sent him to London precisely when she’d chosen to come?

His parents had died around the same time as Oxbury. Perhaps that was it. Death did have a way of making one reevaluate one’s life. Oxbury’s passing had certainly forced her to do some soul searching.

“Aunt Kate…”

Kate flushed. She had barely admitted it to herself, but she had thought…only in a general way, of course…that while Grace was looking for a husband, she might also take a glance around the London ballrooms. Oh, not for another husband—though Oxbury’s heir was certainly making living in the dower house miserable—but for…

Well, she was a widow, and widows were allowed—almost expected to take—certain…liberties. She’d considered…

But she had never expected to see Alex.

Twenty-three years ago, she’d been eager for excitement and surprises. She’d had her head full of silly dreams of handsome men and stolen kisses. Of love and marriage. Of happily ever after.

She was wiser now. She knew life might hold contentment, if one worked hard and had a modicum of luck, but happily ever after? That was only for fairy tales.

But Alex was here. Could it be…was it possible…?

“Aunt Kate, what is the matter with you? Are you ill? Do you need to leave?”

Yes, yes. She needed to leave—leave this ball, leave London. Go home where it was safe, where she could hide.

But she couldn’t hide. Oxbury, with its comforting, orderly house and neatly trimmed lawns, wasn’t her home any longer, and if she fled Town, Grace would have to go with her. She’d miss her Season and her chance to find a husband of her own choosing.

She would not let Grace be forced by circumstances—by Standen—to make the same mistake she’d made…not if she could help it.

“Aunt Kate!” Grace had resorted to shaking her shoulder.

“What?” Kate blinked and looked up. A very worried expression twisted Grace’s features.

“Should we send someone to fetch the carriage?”

“No. No, of course not.” Kate moistened her lips and smoothed her skirt with hands that didn’t shake very much at all. “I am perfectly fine.”

Grace opened her mouth, but Kate put up a hand to stop the words she knew were coming.

“No, truly. I am fine. I had a brief attack of nerves, that’s all.” She forced a smile. “It has been many years since I’ve stepped into a London ballroom. I was momentarily overcome, but I have recovered.” She stood and shook out her skirts. “Come, let’s go back to the ballroom.”

Grace crossed her arms. “Not until you explain what just happened.”

Kate wished Grace wouldn’t loom in such a disconcerting fashion. “I have just explained. I lost my composure briefly.”

Grace’s left eyebrow flew up so she looked just like her father at his most skeptical. Kate had always hated that expression on Standen. Since their parents had died when she was young, she’d seen that look growing up more times than she cared to consider. At least it was better than the cold, haughty expression he assumed when he was furious—as he had been the last time she’d been in London.

“I may be new to Town, Aunt Kate, but I am not a complete flat. You’ve been remarkably calm this whole trip. I cannot think even a ballroom full of the ton could set you to quaking—especially as your nervous attack did not commence until you saw the tall, older gentleman by the potted palms. Who is he?” Grace grinned. “And, more importantly, who is his companion?”

Oh, dear. Grace’s eyes were sparkling. This would never do. Of all the men in London—of all the men in the world—this was the one man Grace could never have.

“I’m not certain.” Kate tried to leave, but Grace caught her arm.

“Who do you think they are?”

Kate sighed. Grace obviously wasn’t going to let her leave without giving her an answer. “I haven’t seen the older man in years, and I’ve never met the younger, but, well, I believe…”

“Yes?” Grace’s nostrils flared and her jaw clenched. If she were her father, she’d start shouting now. “Who are they, Aunt Kate?”

“I believe the older gentleman is Mr. Alexander Wilton and the younger is Mr. Wilton’s nephew, Baron Dawson.”

“Oh.” Grace blinked.

Kate felt slightly relieved. At least Grace appeared to be aware of the problem. She should only require a small word of warning to avoid the men. “I assume your father has mentioned the family?”

“Occasionally.” Grace bit her lip. Yes, she’d heard Papa mention the baron—this baron’s grandfather. Usually it was “that bloody Dawson” followed by a detailed condemnation of the man and his family, past, present, and future. She’d made the mistake once of asking Papa why he disliked Lord Dawson so much. She’d never got a clear answer, only more curses and then tight-lipped silence.

The old baron died a year ago, shortly after Lord Oxbury. That was also when Papa decided she needed to marry John. She’d thought the impetus for his matrimonial mania had been Lord Oxbury’s demise, but now she wasn’t so sure.

“Why does Papa dislike the Wiltons so, Aunt Kate? It’s not as though they are our neighbors. As far as I know, Papa has never met the two gentlemen who are here tonight. Or is it only the old baron he detests? I’ve asked him, but he won’t say.”

Of course he wouldn’t say, Kate thought, and he especially wouldn’t tell his daughter. It was not Kate’s place to reveal Standen’s secrets—and she didn’t relish discussing her own past indiscretions, either. “It’s enough for you to know you must avoid these men.”

Grace’s brows snapped down. She looked extremely mulish—another expression she’d got from her father. “That’s ridiculous. If you can’t—or won’t—tell me what the problem is, then I’ll just have to ask Lord Dawson.” Grace lifted her left eyebrow again. “I assume he knows?”

“Ahh.” Grace wouldn’t have the temerity to ask the baron, would she? “I don’t know what Lord Dawson knows or doesn’t know. It makes no difference. It is not the sort of conversation you can have in a ballroom full of gossips.”

Grace shrugged. “Then I’ll find a more private location for my questions—the garden, perhaps.”

“No!” The last time a Wilton had escorted a Belmont into the Duke of Alvord’s garden…Kate pressed her hand to her bosom. Was her heart pounding with embarrassment or…?

Embarrassment, certainly. Definitely. Without a doubt. She had no desire to reenact that painful evening.

Though it hadn’t been painful until later, when Standen had called her into his study. Her time in the garden with Alex had been special—a cherished memory she would keep locked away in her heart forever.

But Grace must not be making any memories with the current baron. “You know you cannot go into the garden with a man.”

Grace shrugged again. Was that a spark of defiance in her eye? “Of course, I won’t do anything truly scandalous, Aunt Kate. And John won’t be swayed by silly London gossip.”

“Mr. Parker-Roth might not pay attention to London gossip, but the rest of the ton will. Do you wish to have your Season end before it begins?”

“I wish to find out what this secret is that you and Papa have been keeping from me.”

“Grace, I—”

Two women came into the retiring room.

“…and then did you see how Lady Charlotte glared at the Colonial?” the short, round one said. “I never—oh!” She stopped and stared at Kate. Her eyes widened. “Is that…can it be…Lady Kate Belmont? I mean, Lady Oxbury?”

“Y-yes, I’m Lady Oxbury. And you are…?”

“Don’t you know me, Kate?” The woman laughed. “I realize I’ve gained a few pounds with all my babies, but I had hoped I was still recognizable. We made our come-out together, remember? Hid by the ficus trees at the Wainwright ball, too shy to speak to anyone. I was miserable when you left Town so abruptly.”

Kate blinked. “Prudence? Prudence Cartland?”

“The same, except now I’m Lady Delton. And this is my friend, Mrs. Neddingham.”

“Delighted to make your acquaintance, Mrs. Neddingham. Please let me introduce my niece, Lady Grace.” Kate could not stop smiling as she chatted with the women. She’d never expected—though now that she thought of it, she should have—that she’d know anyone in London. She did remember shy little Prudence—and now that she knew who it was, she could see the young girl she’d shared her come-out with in the broader, older lines of this matron. What other old acquaintances would she find in the ballroom—besides Alex, that is?

Alex. Oh, dear. And Alex’s nephew. She must be certain Grace kept clear of him. The girl had looked far too interested in Dawson. If she were truly attracted to the baron—no, Fate could not be so cruel.

“It was lovely to see you again, Prudence, and to meet you, Mrs. Neddingham, but Grace and I must—” Kate looked to her right. Grace had been there just a moment ago, hadn’t she? She wasn’t there now nor was she anywhere she could see in this small room.

“Looking for your niece, Kate?” Prudence laughed. “I’m afraid she got bored listening to us old women reminisce. She left a good ten minutes ago.”

Lady Luck in the guise of Mrs. Neddingham and Lady Delton had certainly smiled upon her, Grace thought as she slipped out of the ladies’ retiring room. Now she could find Lord Dawson without first having to brangle with Aunt Kate. She was determined to discover why Papa held the baron’s family in such aversion—and why Aunt Kate had fled when she’d seen Mr. Wilton.

If there were skeletons in her family closet, she wished to meet them, especially as they seemed to be pushing her down the church aisle toward Mr. Parker-Roth.

The ballroom was even more crowded than when she’d arrived. Couples filled the center of the room, making their way through the figures of the dance while knots of turbaned chaperones gossiped and giggling debutantes darted glances at the young bucks lining the walls. The din of all the voices almost drowned out the orchestra, and the competing smells of perfume, pomade, and, well, bodies were truly suffocating now that she was down in the midst of them.

Where was Lord Dawson? He should not be hard to locate—he was one of the tallest men in the room. There was his uncle, still by the potted palms. And the baron? Ah! He was standing by a ficus tree near the doors to the garden.

She felt the same jolt seeing him now as she had when she’d been standing on the ballroom landing, and this time he wasn’t even looking at her. What was it about him that started this convocation of butterflies in her stomach? Not that the sensation was confined to her middle. Oh, no. She felt a fluttering in her chest as well as—she blushed—other, unmentionable places.

Were all the women in the room similarly affected? How could they not be—though no one else appeared to be staring at him as she was.

They should be staring. If this room were a painting, Lord Dawson would be the subject. Everyone else, all the other men, women, everything surrounding him was incidental, background and setting for him.

He stood quiet and alert, alone. Would he look her way? She felt breathless with anticipation—

Silly. She was not going to stand here waiting for him to notice her. She needed to speak to him; she could not leave that conversation to chance. She started to make her way around the room’s perimeter, but she couldn’t move quickly enough. She watched him slip outside.

No matter; she would follow him. She would not be deterred by something so minor as a few plants and the evening sky, no matter what Aunt Kate said. Aunt Kate was a chaperone—it was her duty to worry. She was old enough to make her own decisions.

She sidestepped an elderly woman with a cane and an excess of plumes, avoided the eye of a portly gentleman, and reached the door.

Had Lady Oxbury and her niece left the ball? He’d looked for them the last ten minutes and had seen no sign of either of them.

David resisted the urge to take out his timepiece once more. He’d been getting far too many interested looks from Alvord’s guests—particularly those of the feminine persuasion; he didn’t wish to cause everyone to speculate why he kept pulling his watch out of his pocket. Best to try for patience. If they hadn’t left—and God, he hoped they hadn’t—they would have to appear in the ballroom eventually.

He stepped to the other side of a ficus tree to avoid a very intent-looking mama and her debutante daughter.

He should not be avoiding them—he should be speaking to them and to all the other ladies in the room. He should not be concentrating on Standen’s daughter. Alex was right—life would be much simpler if he could find a pleasant woman without a history linked to his blasted father.

Yes, he liked Lady Oxbury’s niece’s appearance—Zounds, how he liked her appearance! He was growing shockingly enthusiastic just thinking of her appearance…but he hadn’t met her. She might smell of garlic or have a voice as shrill as a fishmonger’s wife.

He forced himself to look around the ballroom. There were plenty of matrimonial candidates present. They all had two eyes, a nose, a mouth, a quantity of hair arranged in ringlets and curls. Not one made his…ahem…heart leap.

He was as bad as a hound that had caught the scent of a fox. Lady Oxbury’s niece was all he could think about.

If only she weren’t the Earl of Standen’s daughter. Or if only her father were a reasonable man. Did Standen actually blame him for Lady Harriet’s death? Impossible. Many women died in childbirth. Hadn’t Standen’s wife died trying to birth the man’s stillborn heir?

And surely Standen didn’t hold him accountable for his father’s actions? People might think he looked like Luke Wilton, but no one had ever blamed him for causing his parents’ elopement.

He snorted. He could have caused it, he supposed, but he’d always been given to understand he’d yet to be conceived when the young couple had made their dash for the border—though they’d certainly not wasted any time in seeing to his creation.

Or did Standen simply consider him bad seed from bad seed?

Anger coursed through his gut. The bloody fool. If anyone had a right to bear a grudge, it was him—but he didn’t blame Standen for his father’s death. He didn’t blame anyone, though if there were guilt to be apportioned, he’d lay some on the doorstep of Lord Wordham, his mother’s father. If the man hadn’t tried to force his daughter to wed Standen, the whole sorry train of events would not have been put in motion.

He relaxed his jaw, unclenching his teeth. Lord Wordham was dead; it was useless to expend any more anger on him.

He would just have to persuade Standen he was the perfect husband for his daughter. He should be able to do it—he’d lived his entire life proving to the world he was nothing like Luke Wilton.

He allowed himself another glance at his watch. Where could the ladies have gone? There was still no sign of them. He might have to concede defeat for tonight. But he would search for them again at the next gathering. He looked forward to it—and that in itself was something to celebrate. He hadn’t looked forward to anything since his grandparents’ damn carriage accident.

He closed his eyes briefly. He was definitely doing better. He’d finally accepted the fact Grandda and Grandmamma were gone. He’d accepted that he was now baron and needed to attend to those duties—all those duties.

He smiled. And tonight he’d made the next step. He no longer just accepted the need for a wife and heir, he looked forward to winning the wife and getting the heir.

Another debutante and marriage-minded mama were heading his way. He should talk to them; dance with the girl…

He couldn’t. He stepped out the door to the garden.

Where was Grace? Kate scanned the ballroom. Music spilled over her and, despite her need to find her niece, Kate’s heart lifted. She used to love to dance. She watched the couples gliding around the room, waltzing. It was scandalous, men and women touching each other like that. Completely scandalous.

What if the waltz had been danced when she’d had her come-out? What would it have been like to have waltzed with Alex all those years ago?

Regret darkened her heart like the sooty London air. She saw him still standing by the palms. He was looking at her…

She looked away. She had to find Grace. She couldn’t think about Alex and the past.

She couldn’t think about anything else.

She was still beautiful.

Alex took another gulp of champagne. He much appreciated Alvord’s verdant decorating scheme. This vase of flowers, for example, was very strategically placed among the potted palms. His skin-tight breeches left nothing to the imagination, making painfully clear to any casual observer exactly where his imagination had strayed.

Painfully clear, yes—with the emphasis on pain. He had to think of something other than Kate. There was little hope he could ease this ache tonight.

But if he could—

It was very, very fortunate the floral arrangement before him was a splendidly bushy collection of vegetation.

He squeezed his eyes shut briefly, but that didn’t stop the memories. Twenty-three years ago, at a ball given by the previous Duke of Alvord, he’d asked Kate to marry him. He’d known who she was, yet he’d still let himself fall in love with her. He grimaced. Could he have been any more mutton-headed?

No. It was not possible—unless he surpassed himself tonight.

He looked at Kate again. She was standing alone by the windows to the terrace now, fanning herself. Standen’s daughter had vanished.

Tsk, tsk, Kate. You need to be more vigilant. You know what can happen in the duke’s garden.

Madness. He’d taken Kate into Alvord’s garden all those years ago and had asked her to marry him. It had been the only spontaneous, daring thing he’d ever done in his life. She’d said yes, even though, as he learned later, she was already engaged to Oxbury.

And then he had kissed her. It had been a rather chaste kiss. She’d been a virgin, after all, and he, not much more than one.

He smiled slightly. God, how that kiss had haunted him. It had been awkward and short, barely more than a brushing of lips, but full of longing and possibilities. A promise of future passion—a promise sadly unfulfilled. The next morning when he’d called to ask for Kate’s hand, Standen had let him know in no uncertain terms that hell would freeze over before a Wilton would marry a Belmont. Kate had already been packed off to the country.

He hadn’t seen her since—until tonight.

She was a widow now. Perhaps she missed male companionship…

He took another swallow of champagne. He could use some liquid courage.

He’d swear she hadn’t changed at all. She still looked as fragile, as sylphlike, as she had that first Season.

Would she go with him into the garden? Would she let him kiss her again? But this time the kiss he gave her wouldn’t be in the least bit chaste—it would be wet and hot and carnal.

He downed the rest of his champagne, hid the glass in the greenery, and stepped out of the palm fronds. It was time to put his hopes to the test.

Kate looked at the window. The candlelight and dancing couples were reflected splendidly, but as for the terrace outside…She couldn’t see a thing unless she stuck her nose to the glass and cupped her hands around her eyes to block the light from the ballroom.

She should go find Grace. The girl must be out on the terrace—she was nowhere to be found in the ballroom.

How could Grace ignore Kate’s pointed warnings? Didn’t she understand the danger? Yes, she was significantly older than most debutantes, but this was her first London Season. It would not be hard for her to put a foot wrong, especially as she seemed to think her age and size exempted her from society’s rules.

Kate knew all too well what could happen in the Duke of Alvord’s garden.

Dear heaven. Just the thought of the garden brought so many memories flooding back. Memories and…sensations.

She plied her fan vigorously. She should stop trying to delude herself. She hadn’t gone out looking for Grace because she hoped by staying in the ballroom Alex might approach her. She was being terribly irresponsible. And pitiful.

Her stays were much too tight. She would listen to Marie from now on and forget her silly notions of appearing youthful. She tried to draw a deeper breath.

She’d like to escape the crush herself—and the decidedly stuffy air, she thought, wrinkling her nose. She’d like to go into the garden with Alex—

No! Not with—most certainly not.

Dear God, would this evening never end? She was so hot and uncomfortable—and everyone was talking about her. Oh, Prudence had been very friendly, but there had been a touch of pity in her old friend’s eyes. And why not? Prudence had a house full of children and Kate had…nothing.

She glanced around the room—and saw Alex.

She whipped her eyes away and pretended to look out the window again. Would he ask her to dance or, worse, stroll in the garden?

She moved her fan faster.

He must have had innumerable conquests these twenty-three years while she’d been busy being a good wife—well, a wife—to her husband—her much older husband.

Oh God, he was coming her way.

She should join the other chaperones. There was safety in numbers. She glanced at the knot of older women. They were darting looks at her and Alex and whispering behind their fans.

No, she wouldn’t join the chaperones.

She watched Alex’s reflection. He was coming closer…

She moistened her lips. Her stomach shivered. Her heart, even her—She blushed and fanned more vigorously still. Tendrils of hair flew about her face.

Even the secret place between her legs, the place Oxbury had entered frequently in the early days of their marriage when there was still hope she could bear him an heir and not so frequently later—not at all in the last months when he’d been so sick—even that place shivered.

It was as if she’d been asleep all these years and now she was waking.

“Lady Oxbury?”

He was standing right behind her. She turned slowly to face him. She stared at his white waistcoat. Her mouth was as dry as dust. She couldn’t speak.

“Lady Oxbury, are you all right?”

She tried to breathe, but the damn stays were too confining. “I…” She managed to raise her eyes from his chest to his lips.

His mouth was firm, serious, his lips narrow…

Did she remember how they felt? She would swear that she did. Their light, brief touch, brushing over her mouth, had ignited a fire that had smoldered for twenty-three years.

She met his eyes—

Ahh. Heat flared in those blue depths. His gaze was so intent.

She moistened her lips again.

The embers of that old fire were bursting back into life. The conflagration would incinerate her if she were not careful.

Did she want to be careful?

Was she a moth, flying to her death, or a phoenix, reborn by flame?

“Come with me into the garden, Kate.” His voice, low, full of promise, melted any whisper of resistance her conscience might muster.

That wasn’t all it melted. Her lips, her breasts, ached for his touch; the secret place throbbed, wept for him.

Heat swept up her cheeks. She had been faithful to Oxbury all the years they were wed and the long year since his death. Was she a light skirt, then, to so easily consider going into the garden with this man?

No. This was not any man—this was Alex.

Moth or phoenix, suicide or rebirth, it didn’t much matter. She was going out into the garden with Alex, even if she had to drag him into the bushes herself.