me that women have been inventing ways
to feign virginity for as long as men have
been so arrogant as to insist upon it. Even
if one is certain one's wife is a virgin at
marriage, that still does not ensure her
children are not the footman's by-blows,
does it?"
Victoria
."
No, it would seem to me, my lord,
that the only way a man can be relatively
certain his children are his own is if
he truly trusts his wife and knows he
can believe her when she tells him they
are his."
I trust you, Victoria," Lucas said softly.
Well, as you said,
tis all irrelevant as
far as we are concerned, is it not?"
Not entirely," he muttered.
Victoria,
could we please get on with the legend?"
She blinked and occupied herself with
the teapot.
Yes, of course. Kindly continue
with the story, my lord."
Lucas took a swallow of tea, wondering
how in hell he had allowed the conversation
to get so wildly off track.
The earl had
his suspicions, but no proof, and since he
was very much in love with his new wife,
he decided to believe what he wanted to
believe. That worked until the babe was
born dead. His lady was so grief-stricken
that she lost her wits. She confessed all,
blamed her unhappiness on her husband
for having made it impossible to marry
her true love, and claimed she was now
so miserable she wanted to die. Then she
promptly did precisely that."
Victoria's eyes flew to his, deep suspicion
in her amber gaze.
How?"
Tray do not look at me like that. He
didn't kill her, you know. She simply never
recovered from childbirth. misses Sneath
says the legend has it that she willed
herself to die and the fever obligingly
took her."
What a tragic story. What did the earl
do?"
He grew bitter and cynical toward all
women, There was pressure from the
family to produce an heir, so he eventually
21C
remarried. But this time not for love. It
was strictly a business decision on his part
and he and his second wife hardly formed
what could be called a happily married
couple. In fact, after the required heir was
born, the earl and his wife spent very little
time together and none at all at stone vale,
apparently."
Was that when the lands began to go
into a decline?"
Lucas nodded.
Yes, according to the
tale and to the old ledgers and records.
I went through several of them today
just out of curiosity and I must admit
one can trace the gradual decline of the
estate to that disastrous marriage three
generations ago."
Truly?"
Yes, truly. The next earl, my uncle's
father, was not only a cold and bitter
man, he was also a rake and a poor
game ster. He started the tradition of the
Earls of stone vale spending more time
at the gaming tables and less on their
lands. He, too, eventually married, but
not for love. Once my uncle was born,
his father and mother went their separate
ways," Lucas said.
And the lands continued to decline.
Hardly surprising, given the lack of interest
on the part of the masters. What about
your uncle?"
Maitland Colebrook never even bothered
to marry for the sake of the title
or anything else, let alone love. He
concentrated instead on going through
what was left of the family fortune. He
bled the estate dry and then retired to the
country to rail against his ill fate."
So that is how the villagers explain their
present impoverished situation." Victoria
stared thoughtfully into the fire again.
Interesting."
Lucas studied her averted profile, won
dering what she would do if he pulled her
into his lap and kissed her. Would she
melt for him the way she always had in
the past or would she use her nails on
his eyes and cut him to shreds with her
tongue? One thing was for certain, when
he eventually got around to taking her into
his arms, it would be a real adventure for
all concerned.
The most interesting part is that
business of the Hawkins child in the
village calling you the Amber Lady," Lucas
said quietly.
Why is that? She had obviously been
told the tale, and when she saw me
dressed in that particular shade of yellow,
she jumped to a child's conclusion."
Lucas watched the firelight bring out
the amber and gold in Victoria's tawny
brown hair.
I am not so certain she
jumped to the wrong conclusion. There
is something rather amberish about you,
you know. Your eyes, your hair, the colors
you choose to wear."
She glared at him.
For heaven's sake,
Lucas, do not talk such nonsense."
He held out his cup for more tea.
It is
little wonder the child would like to believe
you are the Amber Lady. I have not yet
told you the last bit of the legend."
She glanced at him warily as she poured
tea into his cup.
How does the tale
conclude?"
Tis said that one day the Amber
Knight and his lady will return to the
great house and the lands of stone vale will
once more prosper along with their love."
What a tidy ending," Victoria said
scornfully.
But if the luck of the region
depends upon the lord and lady marrying
for love, then it is obvious everyone around
here will have to wait for another chance at
bettering their fortunes. The newest Earl of
stone vale married for money, not love."
Damn it, Vicky
."
She was already on her feet.
If you will
excuse me, my lord, I will bid you good
night. I grow weary."
Lucas swore again as he got to his feet.
He waited until the door had closed behind
her before he put down his teacup and,
with cold deliberation, went across the
room to pick up the brandy decanter.
Idly he massaged his aching leg. It was
going to be a long night.
Three hours later as Lucas lay awake
in bed listening to the soft sounds in
the room next door, he wondered if he
was being a fool to continue to restrain
himself. Maybe this waiting game was not
such wise strategy after all.
He heard another whisper of movement
from the next chamber. It sounded as if
Victoria had gotten out of bed. It was
obvious she was not yet asleep. Perhaps
she was afraid to go to sleep too early for
fear of inducing another nightmare.
There was nothing like the sort of
passion they could experience together to
ward off bad dreams, Lucas told himself.
As a concerned husband he owed her
what comfort and reassurance he could
give her, even if he had to force it
on her.
Resolutely he pushed back the covers and
reached for his dressing gown. This had
gone far enough. One way or the other they
had to form a normal marital relationship
and it was rapidly becoming clear that his
self-imposed restraint was having no effect
whatsoever on her recalcitrance.
In other words, he thought ruefully, she
was hardly begging for his lovemaking.
He heard the outer door to her
bedchamber open and close just as he
lifted his hand to knock on the connecting
door. Quietly he twisted the knob and
stepped into his wife's empty room.
Fury and panic seized him. Surely she
was not idiotic enough to run off in the
middle of the night. Then he recalled
that Victoria was very much accustomed
to running about in the dead of night. He
had even taught her something about how
it was done.
Lucas put down his candle and hastily
pulled on breeches, boots, and a shirt. A
few minutes later he was moving swiftly
down the hall. His instincts told him she
would leave via the kitchen door. It was
the way he would have gone if he had
been trying to sneak out of the house. He
hurried after her.
A few minutes later he emerged from the
house. He saw Victoria almost at once. She
was standing quietly in the dilapidated,
sadly overgrown kitchen garden. She was
wearing her long, hooded, amber-colored
cloak to ward off the chill and she was
bathed in moonlight. Memories of all those
other nights when he had rendezvoused
with her in her aunt's garden swept over
him, leaving him filled with a hunger that
was sharpened to the point of pain.
This was his wife and he wanted her.
Lucas stepped slowly out into the
shadows, making no sound. But she
sensed his presence and turned toward
him. He sucked in his breath.
I have missed our midnight meetings in
the garden," he said softly.
You wooed me most cleverly when you
promised me adventure in the middle of
the night, did you not? I succumbed to
that lure as I would have succumbed to
no other."
His stomach clenched at the soft
bitterness in her voice.
Were you going
to seek an adventure on your own tonight,
Vicky? I doubt there are any gaming
hells or brothels or inns filled with
young lordlings and their opera dancers
in the village." He walked toward her
until he was standing only a short
distance away.
I merely wanted to walk," she said
quietly.
Will you allow me to accompany you?"
Have I any choice in the matter?"
No." As if he would allow her to
wander around out here alone at night,