"Nonsense.
It will do me no harm. Society gossips about us far too much already. One ride
in an open carriage, in the presence of your groom will make no difference. If
you do not come for me, I will immediately seek out Lady Bingham and ask her
what she knows," she added, to clinch her argument.
Alaric
shrugged. It seemed it was impossible to avoid taking Rowena with him on his
visit, and he was beginning to wonder if he actually wished to do so. It would
be pleasant to spend an afternoon with her, rather than skulking about in the
dark.
"Very
well. I will come for you two days from now at two-o-clock. But Rowena, I must
insist that you stay away from Lady Bingham. She is potentially dangerous."
"Why
would she wish to harm me?" asked Rowena.
"Because
it would upset me." Alaric frowned. "Lady Bingham is not always
particular about the means of revenge she chooses."
"Oh."
Rowena looked concerned. "She might try to harm me because she thinks you
are interested in me? Perhaps I could assure her that there is nothing between
us except our investigation. That would surely solve the problem."
Alaric
smothered a laugh. "Lady Bingham is not so easily handled, Rowena. I fear
you are no match for her."
Rowena
stiffened. "I do not think that is fair. I am certainly more intelligent
than she is, and I believe I can defend myself."
"But,
my dear, you are far less duplicitous." Alaric drew near Rowena again,
unable to help himself. "Promise me you will be careful."
"Very
well. But I think it is a great nuisance that people should talk of us so. It
would be so much more comfortable if they would realize we are merely good
friends."
"I
think we are more than that, are we not?" asked Alaric, his voice deep
with frustration.
Rowena
gave him an inquiring glance. "Of course, we are co-conspirators," she
agreed. "I am grateful for your help, my lord."
Alaric
stepped forward, placing his hands firmly on Rowena's waist. He realized that they
almost closed around it, and he felt a sudden urge to keep her with him always,
to protect her from the world's evil of which she was so charmingly unaware. With
a muttered oath he drew her to him and placed his lips on hers, kissing her
with the pent-up desire and desperation that had been building in him since the
evening before. Rowena's mouth trembled for a moment under his and then he felt
her lean against him, giving herself up to the fire that was building between
them.
Alaric deepened the
kiss, making it deliberately bold and overpowering, anxious to imprint himself
on her. A flare of excitement shot through him when he realized her desire was
rising to match his own.
Rowena gave herself
up to the sensations Alaric was rousing in her, some tiny corner of her brain
knowing she should not, but her mind and body demanding more of his remarkable
lovemaking. She shyly placed her hands on his shoulders, urging him closer,
responding to his kiss with eagerness.
Alaric
groaned and slid his hands down over her hips, easing her lower body up against
his. Rowena's eyes flew open.
"Good
heavens," she breathed. "Whatever are you doing, my lord?"
"Alaric,"
he ground out. "Call me Alaric." Fighting to control himself, he
rained kisses down her neck, one hand rising to gently cup one breast.
Rowena started
and pulled back from his grasp, giving him a wary look as reality crowded back
in on her, and with it, anxiety about her situation.
Alaric
swore to himself. He should have had more control than to do this here, outside
in her aunt's garden. But he had been unable to help himself, and he could not
bring himself to actually regret it when he remembered Rowena's sweet kisses.
"Rowena!"
They both jumped at the sound of a voice coming from the house. "Rowena,
are you out there?"
Alaric
blanched as he recognized Lady Belmont's voice. Discovery meant certain
scandal, and, considering Rowena's disheveled state, probably a special
license. He glanced down quickly at Rowena, who looked equally alarmed.
"My
aunt," she whispered. "Let go of me."
He
watched as she moved quickly away from him, hastily adjusting her bodice and
smoothing her skirts, snatching up the white shawl from where it had fallen.
"Thank
heavens I have cropped hair," she said softly, stroking it back into place
with nervous fingers. She turned towards Alaric. "How do I look?"
"Beautiful,"
he answered, taking in her flushed cheeks and bright eyes. He had made her look
like this, he thought with a sense of pleasure.
Rowena
stamped her foot. "I am not looking for compliments. Do I look as
though...as though..."
"As
though you had been recently behaving in a scandalous manner?" asked
Alaric. He leaned forward and gently smoothed one stray curl into place.
"Yes,
that." Rowena struggled to maintain her composure. Their shared passion
had been wonderful beyond description, but she had no intention of letting
Alaric know that. He had most likely done this dozens of times, and she would
not allow her pride to be trampled by admitting to him how she felt.
"You
look very respectable," he assured her. "And it is dark. She will not
notice."
"Rowena!"
Lady Belmont's voice rang out again. They heard her turn from the window. "Jonathan,
go out and see if she is there. She is not in her bedroom. Oh, if only she were
not so unpredictable."
Rowena
stepped hastily out of the shadows. "I am here, Aunt Louisa," she
called, her voice shaking only a little. "I am sorry to have alarmed you."
Lady
Belmont appeared in a window. "Darling, whatever are you doing out there? I
went to speak to you, and you had not been to bed. I almost had a spasm."
"I
merely wished to enjoy the night air and look at the stars before I went to
bed, Aunt Louisa. There is no reason to be alarmed."
"Come
in immediately. You'll catch your death out there." Lady Belmont's voice
was peevish.
"Yes,
Aunt Louisa."
Rowena
watched as Lady Belmont closed the window and moved back into the room. She
spun immediately on Alaric, who still lingered in the shadows.
"I
suppose you find this very amusing," she said acidly, watching the smile
on his face.
"I
was simply admiring your finesse, my dear. If I didn't know better, I might
suppose you had done this before."
Rowena
frowned. "I am absolutely sure that you have, my lord."
He
grinned. "I told you to call me Alaric."
"My
lord, you must not interpret my actions this evening to mean that we are to
become more intimate acquaintances. I was...I was simply overwhelmed, no doubt
by the beauty of the evening." Rowena closed her eyes briefly. "I
must go inside. I will see you two days hence at two-o-clock. And I will expect
to you to conduct yourself properly."
She
turned abruptly and marched away, yanking the kitchen door shut behind her with
a decided snap. Alaric ran a hand through his hair and let out a sigh. Whatever
had gotten into him? He should have been able to resist the demons that had led
him to nearly seduce a respectable young woman in her aunt's garden. This was
not the way he usually behaved. Virginal girls had never held any appeal for
him, and he knew better than to place himself in any situation that might be
remotely compromising. This madness that had descended on him this evening
would have been inconceivable to him an hour earlier. He would have to think
about this again tomorrow, when he had had some sleep.
At the
same time, he felt a sense of surprise that Rowena apparently had no intention
of trapping him into marriage. Her aunt had provided the perfect opportunity
for her to force him to the altar, but she had seemed as horrified as he was. She
obviously did not plan on becoming Lady Brayleigh any time soon. Perversely,
rather than relieving his anxiety, the thought annoyed Alaric. Why should
Rowena be resisting him? She obviously responded to him, but she just as
obviously was determined not to let it happen again. Why should she be any
different from the countless young women who had attempted to marry him over
the past years?
He shook
his head, attempting to dispel the clouds that hung about his brain. The only
thing he could think of clearly right now was Rowena's sweet response to his
kisses, the warmth he had felt when he held her in his arms, and how reluctant
he would be to forgo more such experiences.
"Well, I must
say that was very discouraging. We have made no progress at all," said
Rowena, a look of disappointment on her face.
Alaric glanced at her
from the corner of his eye. She was seated next to him in his curricle, close
enough for him to smell her delicate scent. He wondered yet again if he was
going mad. He had spent two days intermittently and seemingly interminably
pondering the wisdom of continuing to pursue her, but at two-o-clock he had
found himself at Lady Belmont's door in his curricle, impatiently awaiting
Rowena's appearance. She had emerged promptly, looking charming in an ochre
yellow driving dress, trimmed with moss green ribbons, and a matching straw
bonnet with a deep poke. But, despite his attempts to engage her in more
intimate conversation, Rowena had given him neither a look nor a word during
the drive to Merton that indicated she had thought even once about what had
transpired between them in her aunt's moonlit garden just two nights earlier.
"I told you that
there was little point in your coming with me," said Alaric. "But I
regret that we discovered nothing new."
Alaric watched Rowena's
reaction carefully. He had not expected any new details to emerge from the
elderly laborer they had interviewed, and thus had not been surprised when none
was forthcoming. The man had run to the orchard after hearing a gunshot; he had
seen Ingram dead and Malcolm Arlingby standing over him. He had not seen the
shot fired. It was the same story he had told twelve years before.
"It is a shame,"
agreed Rowena. "But I am not discouraged. We must simply continue our
investigation. Surely there is someone out there who knows what happened that
day."
"No doubt. But
that does not mean he or she is willing to share the information."
"You are very
pessimistic, my lord. Perhaps I should press forward without you." Rowena's
voice held a hint of challenge.
Alaric's hands
tightened on the reins. "I do not recommend it, Rowena. It would cause a
great deal of comment."
"No more than my
association with you has," Rowena pointed out. "And you are the one
who has pursued this friendship."
Alaric laughed. "As
I recall, it was you who insisted we conduct this investigation. I was prepared
to simply dance with you at balls and bring you lemonade at Almack's."
Rowena looked
annoyed. "But it was you who approached me first."
"I was drawn by
your beauty, then captivated by your personality," he answered gallantly.
Rowena bit her lip. Her
heart had given an uncomfortable lurch at his words, but her reason told her
they were simply the reassurances of a practiced flatterer.
"What a charming
speech. It is a pity that I cannot believe it," she said.
Alaric raised an
eyebrow. "You wound me. What makes you think I would lie to you?"
"Oh, I do not
think you are lying, precisely," Rowena assured him. "It is just that
you speak in this way to so many women. I doubt you even think about your
words."
Alaric frowned. It
annoyed him that Rowena should presume him to be so cavalier. Had she not
shivered with pleasure in his arms only days before?
"I never say
things I don't mean," he said firmly.
"Never?"
"Never."
Rowena absorbed this
information in silence. Her mind kept wandering back to that evening and the
startling sensations Alaric had evoked in her. She had thought of little else
for the past two days; her thoughts had been haunted by Alaric's green eyes and
part of her longed for more of the pleasure they promised.
For some days now she
had been quite certain that she felt a great deal more for the Earl than he did
for her, and she was determined that he never know it. She could not bear to
see the corners of his green eyes crinkle with amusement if he realized that
she had fallen in love with him. No matter what his intentions were in
involving himself with her, she was quite certain that he did not return her
affections. But, perhaps, he did feel some sort of regard for her. She could
only hope that he spoke the truth when he said he was not using her to gain
further revenge on Malcolm.
"In any case,"
she said quietly, "I thank you for your help, my lord. I hope that our
lack of success today has not put you off completely."
"Certainly not. We
shall proceed. I will speak to my lawyer again today and see what other
information he may be able to unearth. There were many other servants present,
of course, and perhaps one of them is keeping a secret from us. Or I could hire
a Bow Street Runner." Alaric smiled at her reassuringly.
"I think it
would be best to speak to some other people as well," said Rowena. "After
all, whoever committed this crime was probably not a servant. There must be
people in London today who know more about what really happened."
Alaric stiffened. "Rowena,
I suggest that you do nothing of the sort. If the murderer is truly in London
and he hears you are searching for him, the situation could become dangerous."
"I'm not
frightened," said Rowena blithely.
"That is because
you do not know what you are dealing with." Alaric's tone was severe.
"Then you will
have to tell me, won't you? But I can see no danger in speaking to Lady
Bingham, and perhaps some of Malcolm's old friends. They surely would remember
details of the events leading up to the murder."
Alaric sighed in frustration.
"You would hear rumors and lies, Rowena, and nothing more. And they would
laugh at you."
"As though I
cared what Society thinks. If I did, I would not be seen with you, would I?"
"In this matter
I am trustworthy," said Alaric. "But many others are not. They would
seek to harm you, or at the very least mislead you."
"Are you
suggesting that they would indicate you are guilty of the murder?" asked
Rowena teasingly.
"There is that
possibility," admitted Alaric. "But there is also the chance that they
would toy with you and cause you embarrassment."
"I am not easily
embarrassed."
Alaric grimaced. If
she were to begin asking questions among members of the
ton
, the gossips
and his enemies would be only too happy to fill her ears with tales of his own supposed
guilt, not to mention numerous other unsavory stories that had arisen over the
years. Rowena already knew far too much about his past, and he preferred she
didn't learn more.
"I must insist
that you let me lead in this pursuit. Your stubbornness and unwillingness to be
guided by one more knowledgeable that you is becoming tiresome." His voice
was unusually grim.
"You have no
right to give me orders, and I refuse to be told than an effort to right a
terrible wrong done to my own brother is 'tiresome'," mimicked Rowena, a
bit heatedly. "I appreciate your help in my investigation, of course, but
I must do what I think best."
"You will be
happier if you allow me to guide you," answered Alaric, a bit desperately.
He couldn't have Rowena wandering about London asking indiscriminately about
Malcolm.
Rowena turned towards
him. "I am sorry, my lord, but I won't take orders from you. You have no
control over my actions, as you are well aware."
"I'll be damned
if I don't," snapped Alaric. "You will do as I say."
"What right do
you have to order me about?" demanded Rowena.
"I mean to marry
you," Alaric amazed himself by shouting. "That gives me the right."
There was a sudden
stunned silence as Rowena absorbed his words and Alaric stared straight ahead
between his horse's ears, wondering what had come over him to make such an
amazing statement.
"You mean to
marry me?" repeated Rowena, her voice distant.
Alaric turned and
looked at her. Her head was turned away from him, her eyes looking down
nervously at her hands, which were twisted together in her lap. He had a sudden
urge to stop the horses and pull her into his lap, to bring forth the
passionate response of which she knew he was capable. Why shouldn't he marry
her, he wondered. As Mackley had said just days before, it was his duty to
marry in order to provide an heir to the estate, and Rowena was both beautiful
and eligible, and she definitely was not boring. The more he considered it, the
more he felt he'd made a wise, if somewhat unexpected, decision.
"Certainly. That
should have been plain to you after out last encounter," said Alaric
smugly.
"You didn't
mention a word about marriage," protested Rowena.
"Your aunt
interrupted me," Alaric pointed out. "You are surely aware that any
gentleman who puts a lady in such a situation must of course be planning to
offer marriage."
Rowena made a choking
sound. "You are offering me marriage because you have compromised me?"
"You have the
right to expect it of me."
Rowena glared at his
profile. She had felt a great surge of joy at his mention of marriage, but his
reasons for it angered her. Did he think she was some foolish miss attempting
to entrap him? She would rather die than have him marry her for such a reason.
"I thank you for
your kind offer," she said with awful sarcasm. "But as no one is
aware of what transpired besides the two of us, it is entirely unnecessary."
"On the
contrary, my honor demands it, and I find the idea appealing," continued
Alaric stiffly. "You will make me a suitable wife; your birth is good and
I find you very attractive," he continued.
"What a pretty
speech. Next you will tell me that you hold me in high esteem." Rowena
began to feel slightly sick. She had dreamed about what a proposal from Alaric
might be like, but this was hardly the romantic scene of her fantasies.
"Certainly I do.
Mutual esteem is important in a marriage. And we know we are well matched
in--other ways."
"Unfortunately,
that is not enough for me." Rowena looked straight ahead. "I will not
marry where there is no love."
Alaric laughed
softly. "So that is the problem? Don't be nonsensical, Rowena. We shall do
much better without love. It is an uncomfortable emotion that causes only
difficulties."
"Nonetheless, I
will not do without it. And now, my lord, I beg that you drop this subject. I
find it painful."
"We share many
things that are more important than love," persisted Alaric, unwilling to
let the topic alone. He had never offered marriage to any woman before, and it
had not for a moment occurred to him that he might be rejected. "We are
united in our scorn for most of polite Society, we are both intelligent, and we
share a mutual passion that would make our lives interesting."
"There are also
many difficulties," countered Rowena. "My family would be appalled,
and the gossip generated by our union would be almost unbearable. All that
before one even considers that fact that the true murderer of Alfred Ingram
remains unknown. None of this would matter, of course, if we were in love. However,
that is not the case."
Alaric listened to
her with a growing sense of outrage. "Would you marry me if I lavished
tender words of love upon you?"
Rowena winced at his
bitter tone. "Certainly not, because how could I believe them? You have
made it sufficiently plain that you feel obliged to marry me because of your
conduct towards me two nights past, and you are not entirely averse to the idea
because you find that I have sufficient birth and beauty. Furthermore, my
handsome fortune no doubt adds to my other attractions. You will forgive me if
I am not overwhelmed by emotion at your proposal."
"Do I understand
then that you refuse my offer?" asked Alaric coldly.
Rowena suppressed a
tiny sob. She continued to gaze down at her lap, determined that he not see the
tears forming in her eyes. "It is very generous of you, my lord, but I
believe that it is unnecessary. No one is aware of what transpired between us,
and therefore I was not compromised. You are absolved of all responsibility."
Alaric felt like
swearing. The conversation was not going at all as he had expected. Although
his initial, precipitous, proposal had been unintentional, the longer he
thought about it, the more sensible it seemed. His instincts were sound; Rowena
would make him an exceptional wife. He glanced at her silent profile and felt
his blood quicken at the thought of her in his bed every night. She was
altogether unreasonable. It would be necessary for him to persuade her of the
wisdom of marrying him.
He pulled his
curricle up outside Lady Belmont's house. The horses fidgeted nervously as he
turned to look at Rowena.
"Does this mean
that our investigation is over?" she asked in a small voice. She wished
she had the strength to tell him she would not see him again, but the thought
of not being near him made her desperately unhappy.
Alaric snorted. Evidently
her concern for Malcolm far outweighed any concerns she might have about his
potentially bruised feelings. He wondered if she thought of him only as a
useful tool for clearing her brother's name. But she had responded to him so
passionately, she couldn't possibly have been pretending. He looked into her
hopeful violet eyes and smiled.