How to Seduce a Scoundrel (27 page)

“You were right about Lady Boswood,” she said. “I knew she meant to manipulate me. I will send my regrets first thing tomorrow.”

A Scoundrel’s Code of Conduct: Be prepared to eat humble pie.

T
he next afternoon, Julianne’s nerves grew taught as she sat with Hester in the drawing room. Hester’s drawn expression troubled her. She was tempted to reveal that Hawk had no intention of recalling his mother to Richmond, but she held her tongue. It was Hawk’s place to tell her.

He had better apologize profusely.

The butler entered and said he’d turned away the five gentlemen who usually called on Julianne. After he left, Julianne turned to Hester with a questioning look.

Hester’s lips thinned. “Under the circumstances, I thought it best.”

Julianne nodded. “Shall I ring for a tea tray?”

“No, thank you,” Hester said. “I imagine this interview will be brief.”

The dogs sat at Hester’s feet and whined. She patted the sofa. When they jumped onto her lap, she ruffled their fur and murmured to them.

Julianne regarded her clasped hands. Although Hester had a large circle of friends, she lived alone and probably suffered from loneliness on occasion. Of course, she had Mr. Peckham, but Hester was very circumspect about their relationship. In public, she treated Mr. Peckham as a friend, probably because she knew others, especially family members, would disapprove of such an unequal match. Undoubtedly, they would think her too old for love.

Julianne’s heart squeezed. It was so unfair, but she would not voice the words. Hester meant to keep the truth of her relationship with Mr. Peckham a secret, with good reason. Julianne recalled the barely concealed horror of Hawk’s mother and his sisters when Hester had volunteered to sponsor her. They did not know what a treasure they had in Hester.

But she knew. She’d even begun to think of Hester as her own aunt.

The mantel clock chimed the hour. It was four o’clock.

Julianne twisted her hands. How could Hawk keep his aunt waiting when he knew she was overset? Thoughtless, horrid man to treat Hester so cruelly.

She could not bear the silence any longer. “Hester, I believe we could use some diversion. Shall I read to you?”

Hester petted the dogs. “Yes, thank you.”

Julianne padded over to the bookcase and drew out
Pride and Prejudice.
When she returned to the sofa, she started at the beginning. “ ‘It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.’ ”

She’d reached the part where Mrs. Bennet scolded Kitty for coughing when the butler entered and announced Hawk. Julianne set the book aside and rose.

He held his hands behind his back and approached his aunt with a solemn expression. Then he offered her a single, long-stemmed red rose. He looked a bit abashed as Hester accepted it. “I told the woman not to cut the stem,” he said gruffly. “The thorn represents the prick to my conscience.”

A sheen of moisture filled Hester’s lined eyes. Julianne’s throat constricted.

His dark brows drew together. “I have been remiss. It is long overdue, but I am grateful to you for taking care of Julianne. Will you… continue?”

“Of course,” Hester said.

He hesitated. “Forgive me?”

“Rogue.” Her voice cracked a bit.

Their awkwardness made Julianne uncomfortable. Her mother had always said a cup of tea could soothe even the most difficult of moments. She crossed the room to the bell. “I will ring for a tea tray.”

He sat in the chair he favored. The dogs abandoned Hester and sat at his feet. “You’ll have to wait for sweets,” he said.

When they pawed at his boots, he leaned forward to ruffle their fur. Then he glanced at Julianne. “You sent the message to Lady Boswood?”

“Yes,” Julianne said. “And I wrote Georgette a short missive, informing her as well.”

He nodded. “Very good.”

The tea tray arrived. Hester asked the maid to put the rose in a vase and place it in her bedchamber. Julianne
poured. He took a dish of tea to his aunt. Her heart turned over as she busied herself placing biscuits on the plates.

Afterward, she sat beside Hester and drank her tea. Hawk finished his biscuits and set the plate on the floor. While the dogs lapped the crumbs, he regarded Julianne with an enigmatic expression. “I expected to find the cubs here.”

“I will receive them another day,” she said.

He set his cup aside. “What are the plans tonight?”

“
Hamlet
is playing at Drury Lane,” Hester said. “Lady Durmont sent an invitation to a dinner party, but I sent our regrets.”

Julianne had breathed a sigh of relief when Hester had informed her earlier. The last person she wanted to spend an evening with was that nasty Elizabeth.

“The theater it is,” Hawk said.

A footman entered. “A package arrived for you, my lady.”

“You may leave it on the sideboard,” Hester said.

Hawk stood. “I should take my leave now. I will bring my carriage round this evening to escort you both.”

“Your escort is very welcome,” Hester said.

Julianne stood. “I will walk with you to the landing.”

He offered his arm. The moment she took it, her breath caught at the solid muscle beneath his sleeve. Her knees grew weak at the scent of sandalwood and some other essence, something primitive and male. Something completely and utterly him.

He slanted a sideways glance at her as they stepped outside the drawing room. “You wish to tell me something?”

She looked over her shoulder, and then she met his gaze. “Well done,” she whispered.

He frowned. “I deserve no praise.”

“You made a mistake and begged her forgiveness. Hester was touched by the rose and the thorn.”

He looked away. She suspected she’d embarrassed him. “You made her happy.”
And me as well
.

When he returned his gaze to her, a lopsided grin lit his face. “If only I’d known a barbed rose would win you over, I might have brought you one every day.”

His joke disappointed her a little, because he’d caused his aunt anguish. But the jest was probably a defense against tender emotions. Men didn’t like to show their feelings. And really, there was nothing wrong with using a bit of humor to ease the moment. “You may bring me a rose, but have a care. My thorn might draw blood.”

Hawk laughed and tweaked her curl. “That’s my girl.”

Her smile froze on her face. He’d uttered those same words the night he’d escorted her to the Beresford’s ball. The words that had twined round her heart and given her hope only a few short weeks ago. That night, she’d not known the casual endearment meant nothing to him.

She swallowed hard as he took the stairs two at a time. When he reached the marble floor, he turned to wink at her. Then he sauntered off as if he’d not a care in the world.

He was a charmer, through and through, the sort of man who effortlessly enchanted with a wink and a smile and never once realized he’d left behind a broken heart.

Ironically, she’d done the same to a dozen men.

“Julianne?” Hester called.

With a deep breath, she planted a smile on her face. She was learning to mask her feelings, not only for her sake but for others’ as well.

When Julianne entered the drawing room, Hester rose, clutching the package she’d received earlier. “Shut the door,” she said, excitement in her voice.

Julianne closed it. “Hester, what is it?”

“I’m unsure. Come sit with me, and open the package.”

Julianne’s fingers trembled as she untied the string. When she opened it, she found a small bound pamphlet. “Oh, my stars!” she cried. Tears welled in her eyes.

“Let us admire your printed words together,” Hester said.

When Julianne turned the page, she ran her fingers over it. “I do wish my name could be on it.”

“It is unfortunate, but necessary,” Hester said. “But let us not dwell on that. Will you read it aloud?” Hester said.

While Julianne read, she marveled that she’d actually written the words. She’d worked so hard, but now it almost didn’t seem real, even though she held the pamphlet in her hands.

When Julianne finished reading, Hester proposed a private celebration with Amy and Georgette. “We had better not include Miss Sally Shepherd,” Hester said. “I’m sure she’s a sweet young lady, but the fewer people who know the better.”

“I agree,” Julianne said.

“It is important that we remind your friends to remain silent about the pamphlet,” she said.

“Yes, we must tell them to pretend ignorance of its existence,” Julianne said. “I shall tell them not to give any opinions about it whatsoever.”

Hester nodded. “The less they say, the less likely they are to accidentally reveal something that might give away your secret. It is only a cautionary measure. As I said
before, if the worst happens, I will take responsibility for writing it.”

Not long ago, Julianne had accepted that reassurance, but now she knew she could never let Hester take the blame. All of Hawk’s family thought Hester too brazen. If they suspected Hester had authored the pamphlet, they would denounce her.

Julianne shook off her concerns. Only three people knew she was the author, and none of them would ever betray her.

Hundreds of voices created a veritable din at Drury Lane Theater.

Julianne sat beside Hawk and straightened the sedate bodice of her gown. She had almost worn a scandalously low-cut gown that Hester had encouraged her to have made up. But at the last moment, she’d changed her mind. The fabric had barely covered her nipples, and she knew she’d worry the entire time.

Not long after they were seated, Hester spotted some of her friends and ambled off to greet them.

“My aunt must know everyone in the blasted ton,” Hawk said. “She is always wandering off.”

Julianne bit back a smile. She suspected Hester had made arrangements to meet Mr. Peckham.

She glanced at Hawk from the corner of her eye. “You look perfectly satanic all in black.”

“I thought it was red devils with horns and twitching tails that intrigued you.”

“No ordinary demon would suit me,” she said. “I prefer Hades, king of the underworld.”

He scoffed. “Hades abducted Persephone.”

“But he made her a queen, and she chose to stay by eating the pomegranate seeds.”

His golden brown eyes darkened, and he looked at her from beneath his lashes. As he drew her in with his intent gaze, she wondered why the mention of the pomegranate seeds had led him to look at her in such a wicked manner. His lips parted, and as his breathing grew heavy, she found herself unable to tear her gaze away from his mouth.

Thunderous applause erupted. Hawk sat back, interrupting the spell. She released her pent-up breath and reminded herself to act like a proper lady.

When the curtains opened, the applause dwindled. An actor wearing a white robe walked out onto the stage, his face painted an unearthly pale shade. As he paced about, the watchmen cringed in obvious terror. The younger actor playing Hamlet entered the stage. At first, she thought the ghost silly, but when the apparition spoke to Hamlet about murder and revenge, Julianne shivered.

“Scared?” Hawk murmured.

A shaky laugh escaped her. “A little. I know it’s silly. I’ve seen the play before.”

He made a low, scary noise in his throat.

“Stop that,” she said.

He leaned toward her. “You’re not afraid of the real devils, but you’re afraid of ghosts.”

“How do you know they’re not real?”

“I believe what my eyes and ears tell me.”

“You once told me there was one in our attic.”

He chuckled. “I had to clamp my hand over your mouth to stifle your scream.”

She returned her gaze to the stage. “You were always incorrigible.”

“But you liked it when I encouraged you in mischief.”

“You were very bad to do so,” she said. “I was only an impressionable little girl.”

“My three elder sisters boxed my ears when I tried to taunt them. You, however, were ripe for teasing and adventure.”

“Well, then, you can blame yourself for all of my transgressions this season.”

“Ah, so I’m to reap what I’ve sowed.”

“I’m afraid so,” she said.

“I admit I was a bad boy,” he said, his voice rumbling.

“You still are.”

He grinned at her. “I’ve not done a single bad thing since becoming your guardian.”

“You have a faulty memory,” she said.

“I do not.”

“I can prove you wrong,” she said, repeating the words he’d said the day he’d kissed her.

He was silent a moment. “Are you referring to our kiss?”

She was skating on thin ice now, but she meant to keep their banter light. “Thank you for supplying the evidence. I’d forgotten.”