Time for Love (21 page)

His brother’s death had altered his world drastically. The rules of polite society reached out to muddle his thoughts and make his options less clear. He didn’t know what to do anymore or how to act. His impulse was to grab Alex and drag her home. It had taken all of his control not to engage in fisticuffs with the puppy when he arrived a half hour ago, and they had refused to admit Alex was there.

He was used to taking what he wanted and damn the consequences, but he had a position in society that demanded he conform to certain modes of conduct.

His mother had made this abundantly clear when he visited her yesterday. “You are a marquess now, not a ship’s captain. It is your responsibility to uphold the honor of our family name. I understand it will be difficult, but your sister and I will help you reestablish yourself into society. You will be welcome. Your title is impressive and your wealth substantial.”

She had given him a stern look. “However, the
ton
likes nothing more than a good scandal, and having been absent from society for so long, your return is already the latest
on dit
. Your sister will make her debut this year. It is long overdue, and we do not want a scandal to ruin her chances of a happy match.” She had looked at him fondly then and smiled. “The young debutants will flock to you, as will their mothers. I can foresee no difficulty in finding you a brilliant match before the season ends.” He hadn’t had the heart to tell her he wasn’t interested in looking for a wife, when he had his lovely mistress waiting for him on
The Reliant.
Or so he had thought at the time.

Instead, he had spent one of the longest and most miserable nights of his life, dealing with Alex’s abandonment and subsequent kidnapping by some rich nabob. Now the revelation she was not only safe, but possibly an earl’s daughter, was almost too much to comprehend. Abducting a young woman, an earl’s daughter no less, would cause a scandal even his mother couldn’t imagine, and he wouldn’t do that to her. Only now, his course of action remained unclear. The feeling was unfamiliar and most unwelcome.

He watched her fidget in her seat. God, she was beautiful. He had known she would look fantastic in proper clothing. He had, in fact, borrowed a dress from his sister, unbeknownst to his mother, and had been looking forward to taking Alex shopping for a new wardrobe. As much as he was furious at her desertion, it didn’t change the fact he wanted her in his life. One way or another, she would be his.

****

Tears trickled down Alex’s cheeks and fell unheeded as she reached out for Lord Downing. She wanted to ease this man’s grief but didn’t know how. “You can’t blame yourself for what some madman did.”

“Oh, but I can. I ignored the threat and continued to seek support for my position. I was arrogant and naïve. So sure in my belief I was right and no one would dare to hurt me or my family.” He squeezed her hand and then smiled brilliantly at her. “But now here you are! We thought you dead these many years. Where have you been?”

Alex squirmed and looked away, wiping the tears from her cheeks. Her glance fell to Nicholas, watching in silence. To avoid the current subject, she turned her attention to him. “So. Nicholas. As you can see, I’m in no danger, so feel free to leave whenever you’re ready,” she said, ruining the chilly tone she tried to adopt by sniffling in the middle.

“I’m not leaving.”

“What do you mean, you’re not leaving?” Alex asked, her voice squeaking embarrassingly. Trying not to sound too guilty or worse, regretful, she cleared her throat and continued in a slightly stronger voice. “Look, I’m sorry if you got the impression I was planning on staying with you. I tried to tell you it wasn’t possible, but you didn’t want to listen.”

“So you just left, without even a fare-thee-well. I would never have thought you to be a coward.”

Alex’s spine stiffened. “I’m not a coward,” she said. “I just chose to avoid a little unpleasantness.” Her excuse sounded lame even to her own ears.

Apparently he felt the same, for he snorted and repeated, “coward.”

Lord Downing cleared his throat, and Alex returned her attention to him. He didn’t look pleased at what he was hearing. “Alexandra, what exactly is the nature of your relationship with this man? How do you know him?”

“Alex was one of the sailors on my ship,
The Reliant
…” Nicholas stated calmly. An undercurrent of amusement tinged his voice, which faded and turned angry as he continued, “…and she did not have permission to disembark.”

“I beg your pardon? A sailor?”

“I felt it best to travel in disguise.” Alex blushed as both Lord Downing and Gregory gaped at her in astonishment. “I was traveling alone and thought to avoid certain situations…” She let her voice trail off, unsure how to continue in the face of their obvious dismay.

“What about your abigail? Did she not travel with you?” Lord Downing asked. “She seems quite devoted. I assumed she had been with you for some time.”

“Actually, I met Evelyn on board. I helped her out of a small situation so she’s just…” Alex shrugged. “…grateful.”

Lord Downing turned to Nicholas. “Were you aware of her true nature?”

“Not at first, no. I thought she was younger than she claimed. It didn’t occur to me that a woman would be capable of such a ruse.”

“Most of the men didn’t look twice at me, convinced as they are of their own superiority. The disguise worked very well, for a while.”

“I expect you did not have the wherewithal to purchase passage, hence your sojourn as a sailor?” Lord Downing asked.

“
The Reliant
was the first ship leaving for London and wasn’t willing to take me as a passenger. I didn’t have time to wait for one that did.”

“You say the disguise worked well
for a while
. How and when did your masquerade unravel?”

Alex winced at the suspicion evident in Gregory’s tone. She had been hoping no one would notice that small slip of the tongue.

“As I said, I helped Evelyn out of a little trouble, and in the anxiety of the moment, she let my secret slip.” Alex kept her words vague and hoped they wouldn’t pry deeper, not wanting to go into details. She hadn’t counted on Nicholas’s perverse sense of humor.

“Yes, it was quite something. There I was watching Alex beating Mr. Duff senseless, and enjoying myself immensely as Mr. Duff richly deserved a beating, when the little minx Alex had been hiding in the hold comes running up to me, demanding that I not let Mr. Duff hurt
her
. Imagine my surprise.” He chuckled, clearly enjoying the effect his story caused.

Alex wanted to slap the evil grin from his smug, handsome face, but thought Lord Downing and Gregory had probably suffered enough shock. “I’ll explain the whole story later. It’s, uh, not as bad as it sounds.” She satisfied herself with casting Nicholas a killer glare, which didn’t faze him in the least. “Suffice it to say, Nicholas and the first mate discovered my disguise and that was that.” Would they leave well enough alone?

“What
exactly
did you do with this information, Oakleigh?” Lord Downing asked, the ice in his voice freezing Alex in her chair.

“I merely changed her
duties
to accommodate her new found status.” The inflection of his tone led no doubt about the nature of those duties.

Alex stared at Nicholas, her fingers itching to wrap around his throat.
What was he trying to prove?

The smug look on his face didn’t fade a bit, even when Gregory leaped up from his chair, fists clenched at his sides. “You—You—Scoundrel!”

Furious that Nicholas seemed set on embarrassing her, she ground out, “He means that he took me off some of the more dangerous jobs—like taking a turn in the rigging.”

With a quick glance at her and a wicked grin, “I meant,” Nicholas said, “I assigned her tasks that kept her—shall we say—close?”

This was apparently too much for Gregory. He launched himself at Nicholas and let fly with his fist. But Nicholas was too fast. He ducked and landed his own fist in Gregory’s stomach, doubling him over. Lord Downing stepped between the two.

“Gregory, have a seat. I shall handle this.” As Gregory slouched into a chair, still clutching his stomach and gasping for air, Lord Downing considered Nicholas. “I find it curious that you would make such crude suggestions, when your purpose for being here was to wrest Alexandra from our
nefarious
clutches.” He walked calmly to sit behind his desk. “So, shall I assume you are prepared to obtain the special license?”

“I should have it in a week.”

“Ah, I thought so.”

Alex looked from one to the other in confusion. “What are they talking about?” she whispered to Gregory, who ignored her as he watched the bi-play between his father and Nicholas. “Would someone please tell me what’s going on?” Alex hated the whiny note that came into her voice, but it was too late to fix that now.

Lord Downing looked at her and asked quietly, “I dislike embarrassing you this way, but I must know the truth. Lord Nicholas has implied that the two of you have been—intimate. Is this true?”

Alex gasped. “That is really none of your business!” Heat consumed her cheeks when she darted a glance at Nicholas, afraid the truth was written on her face.

Apparently, her fear was well founded. Lord Downing sighed and said, “I’ll have the papers drawn up immediately.”

“What papers?”

“Settlement papers. For your marriage.”

Chapter Seventeen

May 1 (28 Days Remaining)

Alex stormed back to her room, startling Evelyn when she slammed the door.

“Whatever is the matter?” Evelyn’s voice carried a note of concern.

“Are all men in this day and age arrogant, domineering jackasses?” she demanded. “I’d like to know, because I’ve yet to meet one who isn’t. Why does every man believe they have the right to tell
me
what to do? I’m not an idiot; I can make my own decisions.” She paced around the room. “If one more person tells me they know what’s best for me—I think I’ll scream!”

“My lady, what has happened to put you in such a foul disposition?”

“They’ve decided I
need
to marry Nicholas.” Alex sat abruptly on the bed and whispered, “You should have seen the look on Lord Downing’s face when he realized I had been with Nicholas.” She sniffed and tried to hold back the tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. “He was so disappointed…”

Evelyn sat and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling Alex’s head onto her shoulder. “It will be all right, my lady. He is probably most upset to think of losing you to a husband after having only just found you again.”

“I doubt it. He just thinks I’m a slut.”

Evelyn giggled. “Oh my, I don’t believe I shall ever get used to your cussing. My mother would box my ears if she heard me speak such words.”

Alex grimaced. “I’ve been trying to cut back, but I keep forgetting.” She wiped a stray tear from her cheek.

“Well, no matter what Lord Downing thinks of your behavior prior to now, so long as you marry the captain, all will be forgiven.” Evelyn comforted her with a pat on the shoulder.

Alex sat up and looked at Evelyn. “I don’t need to be forgiven. I haven’t done anything wrong, and I’m not marrying Nicholas.”

Evelyn gasped. “Of course you must marry him. Setting aside the scandal of not marrying a man with whom you have been intimate, it would be a brilliant match. He’s a marquess!” she exclaimed, as if this was reason enough to marry anyone. “Why would you not marry him?”

“Because I’m going back home as soon as I find my sister. And I’m not tying myself down to someone who doesn’t…” The tears returned full force, and the last few words came out in a whisper. “…love me.”

Evelyn pulled her back to her side. “Are you so sure he doesn’t?”

****

Several hours later, Alex sat quietly in the back parlor, an area she had been told the family used as a gathering place whenever they spent time amongst themselves.

The room was cozy, with a roaring fire, slightly threadbare furnishings and a hint of lavender in the air. Sheets of music lay propped open on the piano, books lay open on a table next to the built-in bookcase, and knitting overflowed a basket by a fireside chair. She could picture the family going about their individual pursuits while enjoying each other’s company. She imagined they were a close-knit group.

Lord Downing had asked her to wait in this room while he gathered his family to break the news of her miraculous
return
. Nothing Alex said could convince him she wasn’t his daughter.

She felt desperately sorry for the man. He wanted her to be his daughter so badly he refused to believe anything else. She could hardly blame him.

She stared into the fire, lost in her thoughts. She was tempted to believe it herself, but she clung to the thought of her father who had sacrificed himself to save her all those years ago. He had saved her and died trying to save her mother and sister from the fire that had burned their house to the ground. She couldn’t forsake him, no matter how much she wished for a living, breathing family of her own.

“You look lovely tonight, Alex,” Nicholas said.

She bolted from her chair. “I didn’t hear you come in! What are you doing here?” Her heart skipped a beat then ran wildly as she watched him saunter into the room.

“Your father thought you might appreciate a familiar face tonight.” His gaze raked her from head to toe. “You are beautiful in those clothes, but I must say, I prefer the way your arse looked in breeches.”

“Nice. And Evelyn blushes at the things I say.” Incredibly her heart raced even faster at the look in his eyes, and she turned toward the fire to calm her nerves. “It was nice of you to come, but unnecessary. You don’t need to stay if you don’t want.”
Please stay
.

She started as his arms wrapped round her waist but quickly melted back into his solid form.

“I’ll stay,” he whispered. His mouth brushed against her ear and sent shivers down her spine.

“Thank you,” she said and her tension began to ease. Something about him inspired confidence. Now that he was here, she could handle whatever was about to happen this night.
It’s so strange, this effect he has on me.