To Refuse a Rake (2 page)

“I’ve seen first hand what marriage can be, Sadie,” Emma murmured hesitantly.

“But not every marriage was like mine, Emma. Some are lovely, beautiful, and full of affection.”

“Some are. You’re right. But I’ll not take the risk.” Emma offered Sadie a bright smile and tugged on her arm. “Let us be off. We’ll be far later if we spend time talking than if I were to have a full wardrobe change.”

“Oh no… No more wardrobe changes! Remember what happened last time?” Sadie groaned as she followed Emma down the hall.

“Precisely, that’s why we’re leaving now.” Emma glanced back over her shoulder to give her sister a saucy grin.

The carriage ride was short as Lord and Lady Belmontes’ residence was quite close to the Kingsly London home on Mayfair. The street lamps burned bright in the waning twilight. Emma hoped she hadn’t upset her sister, but at the same time was tired of everyone asking her when she was getting married, or even if she were interested in a gentleman. Why would she spend her time, effort, and attention on someone if in the end, she could wind up with a shattered heart?

****

Hudson entered the opulent ballroom and blinked against the bright light. Crystal vases held large bouquets of flowers that immediately began to make his nose itch. He glanced about the room for a space that didn’t have the offending ornamentations and headed towards the refreshments. As a footman handed him a glass of champagne, he heard a familiar voice call to him.

“Hudson? Actually, I believe it’s Daventry now, isn’t it? I can’t believe it’s you!”

Hudson turned around, quirking an eyebrow at the familiar voice.
Could it be?
“Hewett! Wonderful to see you! I say! How are you?” Hudson shook his old friend’s hand.

“Splendid! Married you know!” His friend puffed out his chest and grinned wildly.

“Oh, really? Who is the lucky countess?” Hudson took a sip of champagne and waited as his friend scanned the teeming masses for his wife.

“There! Come with me, I’ll give you a proper introduction.” Hewett nodded and turned around, striding purposefully towards a well-rounded brunette. Hudson couldn’t see her face, but her shoulders shook slightly as if she were laughing. Hewett had always been the sort to love humor of all types. If is wife shared that character trait, they would be a good match indeed.

“Lenore?” Hewett bowed to the other ladies in the group and turned adoring eyes to his wife.

Hudson took another sip of champagne and glanced about the room. Waiting.

“There’s an old friend whom I’d like to introduce.”

Lenore nodded, excused herself from the group and turned. The first thing Hudson noticed was her smile. It was genuine and mirrored the adoring expression that Hewett was still wearing. Had Hewett been lucky enough to find his own love match? It certainly seemed so.

“This is my old friend, Hudson Cade, the new Earl of Daventry.”

Lenore curtsied prettily and Hudson extended his hand to kiss the air above hers, as was proper.

“A pleasure, my lord. Please accept our condolences for your loss.” Lenore’s expression was full of sympathy as she placed her hand on her husband’s arm tenderly.

“Thank you. He is missed greatly,” Hudson responded, sure he would repeat the same words a few hundred times over the course of the evening. It wasn’t that he was callused, but one did grow tired of being reminded of his father’s death.

“Indeed.” Hewett nodded.

Hudson couldn’t think of a better time to change the subject. “So, how long have you two been married?”

“A year this September.” Hewett cast another adoring look at his wife.

“Congratulations.”

Hudson glanced beyond Lenore and saw a most striking woman enter the room. Her golden hair was piled delicately on her head with some sort of bead woven through. Her blue gown accentuated her curves in all the right places and Hudson’s own body began to respond to the sight.
Bloody Hell.
Aphrodite herself couldn’t have been formed more perfectly! She held her chin high, as if evaluating the room before it received her blessing. His gaze took in the men around her, all watching her movements but none making an effort to draw her attention. Her demeanor screamed, ‘look but don’t touch.’ It was an alluring challenge that called to Hudson’s competitive nature.

“Daventry?” Hewett’s voice penetrated his thoughts and he turned his attention back to his friend.

Hewett glanced behind himself and then back at Hudson. “I’m sorry to tell you this, but your time and energy will be wasted on that one.” Hewett leaned forward as if divulging some huge secret.

“Stop! Don’t say that! Miss Kingsly is one of my dearest friends! She’s simply… shy,” Lenore interjected, but her statement lacked conviction at the end.

“Shy? No. Miss Kingly is not shy. She’s simply unavailable,” Hewett corrected and gave his wife a conspiratorial grin.

Bloody Hell.
Hudson blinked a few times, resisting the urge to shake his head. Yet there it was, the slow dawning of realization as he recognized the color of hair, the proud tilt of her chin. Miss Emma Kingsly had indeed grown into a beauty, a diamond of the first water. Even now, years later, his body still reacted to her in the same way. Desire — hot and unforgiving. He forced his gaze back to Lenore, trying to focus on their conversation. Anything to alleviate the haze pulsing through him.

“Well, if I had to find my sister in such a state…” Lenore’s voice trailed off, her face turning white. “Never mind. Her family is brilliantly wealthy. There’s no need for her to marry.”

“Miss Kingsly is against marriage?” Hudson asked as his gaze found her delectable form once more, this time his eyes strayed to her hips as they swayed. He could hardly tear his gaze from her!

“She’s not against marriage. She simply is not interested in it for herself,” Lenore assured.

“I see.” Hudson spoke distractedly.

“There are few men in this room who don’t devour her with their eyes, just like you’re doing presently… but I’m warning you. You’d best look elsewhere if you’re seeking matrimony,” Hewett advised.

“Who said I was seeking matrimony?” Hudson offered his friend a cocky grin and excused himself. Lenore’s voice followed him.

“This will be worth watching…”

Hudson chuckled.
Fine, let them be his witnesses.
Perhaps Emma Kingsly — Miss Kingsly now — could be enticed… not by marriage, but by a man.

****

Emma felt the stares of the men heat her back. She’d be lying if she said that she didn’t feel a certain satisfaction in wearing her beauty, but it was simply for the day, the moment. In the end it didn’t last. Years later, it wouldn’t be enough to keep any man’s devotion. So she enjoyed it while it lasted. Someday she’d be a spinster without the attention and she’d be content to know she had already had her moment in the light.

She turned to the left, avoiding a large cloying bouquet. Already her nose was twitching! Why was everyone in the ton obsessed with flowers this season? Why couldn’t they simply let them live in the garden, away from her cursed nose? At least outside, the air dispelled the scent enough to relieve her from the constant twitching of her nose, but inside. Oh dear. She hoped she wouldn’t sneeze.

A glass of champagne was offered to her and she took it readily, inhaling deeply as she took a small sip. The new scent alleviated the tickling in her nose and she expelled a sigh of relief. Her gaze drifted about the room as she waited for something interesting to snag her attention. A tall and broad-shouldered gentleman winked at her from across the dance floor. Her brow furrowed and she glanced away. After a moment she glanced back at the man. His wicked grin seemed to widen, revealing white teeth against darkly tanned skin. She offered a tight smile in return, then spun on her heel and walked away.

Who was that man? She knew most of the men who routinely attended these gatherings. Since everything that had happened to her sister, she had made it quite understood that she wasn’t on the marriage mart. Rather, she was here for personal reasons. The suitors had come to a halt and she was thankful. No one flirted with her in earnest. Yet that man seemed quite determined in his gaze, in his attention. Perhaps he was visiting family.

“Emma?” Lenore’s voice called to her and she turned to find her friend approaching.

“Lenore! There you are!” Emma smiled in return and welcomed her dear friend. If there was any couple that almost restored hope to the idea of marriage, it was the Earl and Countess of Hewett. There had never been a couple so in love, at least none that Emma had witnessed herself.

“I wanted to warn you… I met a gentleman tonight who seemed quite taken with you.” Lenore’s voice dropped in volume and her eyes scanned the crowd behind Emma, then widened. “And here he is…”

“Excuse me?” Emma questioned and began to turn, but Lenore shook her head.

“Countess Hewett. A pleasure to see you once again!” A rich baritone voice demanded Emma’s attention. As she turned towards the warm sound, her eyes widened. The very same man who had winked at her from across the room was now standing beside her. He was taller than she’d assumed, reaching a good six inches above her five-foot six-inch frame. His hair appeared to have reddish highlights from the sun and his skin was indeed quite tanned. He bowed crisply and then turned. His eyes were the color of melted chocolate and immediately Emma’s body betrayed her with a warming attraction. His gaze seemed oddly familiar and confident, as if he knew her already.

“A pleasure, Miss Kingsly. I’ve been anticipating making your acquaintance once more.” He bowed and accepted Emma’s hand, placing a light kiss to her glove, creating a wave of awareness that overcame her. “I believe one of our more memorable interludes included a cold refusal, but in your defense, you were only nine.” His grin widened and a rakish gleam filled his eye.

Shock caught her completely unaware, stalling her usual quick wit.
It couldn’t be!
“Hudson? I mean… Lord Daventry?”
Scrawny Hudson with the muddy brown eyes?
He hadn’t been around for years!
Wasn’t he in India?
That explained the warm color of his hair and tanned skin. Her manners kicked in and she remembered the reason for his return to London.

“Please accept my condolences for your loss. Your father was a wonderful man.” Emma spoke reverently.

“Thank you.” He nodded and turned to Lenore, who had obviously been watching the entire exchange judging by the crooked grin on her face.

“I… er… Please excuse me,” Lenore murmured demurely and hustled away, leaving them alone.

Emma watched her friend leave and narrowed her eyes.

“Don’t be upset with her. She is probably just missing her husband. I must say it’s refreshing to see two people so much in love.” Hudson’s voice drew her attention back to his gloriously handsome face.

“Yes. I’m very pleased for them.” Emma took a deep breath and waited. Hudson gave her a wicked yet enticing grin. To her intense displeasure, he seemed satisfied to simply stand there like an idiot.

“How was India?” Emma asked after a few silent moments.

“Splendid. I do miss it, I must admit. Though I don’t miss the insects. Absolutely miserable.” He offered a mock shudder.

“Is it all that we read about? Or quite different than you expected?” Emma asked after another moment.

“Both. One cannot accurately describe the climate or culture. It’s far different from anything we’ve ever seen. But you can be better prepared by reading about it, I’d say.” He spoke lightly, yet his intense gaze betrayed his light words and made her want to squirm.

Emma found her suspicion and confusion growing by the moment. He’d often worn that same expression as a lad, and it had never bode well for anyone. Finally, she couldn’t handle it anymore.

“Just what are you doing?” she whispered, glancing about to make sure they didn’t have an audience.

“Splendid. It’s working then!”

“What’s working?” Emma asked impatiently.

“Oh, nothing. It’s pleasant to know you haven’t changed that much, Emma. I mean… Miss Kingsly. You’ll save me a waltz later?” He bowed and left before Emma could refuse. His shoulders seemed broader as he walked away. The tight fit of his coat accentuated his masculine form and Emma scolded herself for the physical attraction she felt.
It’s only temporary…

Chapter Two

Hudson walked away, strutting a bit, knowing that Emma watched his departure. Well, he didn’t think he was interested in matrimony, but with curves like hers and a spicy temperament thrown in, she was a tempting package. Like the curry spices of India, her fire only made her more delectable. If one woman existed who held the power to tempt him to such a fate, it was she. Indeed, she had grown into every inch the beauty he had already seen at the early age of nine. Her sister was beautiful, but Emma was captivating. Her blue eyes sparkled with intelligence, and her delicious body would haunt his dreams at night. He’d have to thank the Countess of Hewett later for excusing herself. He knew he liked that woman!

He chuckled to himself as he remembered the growing suspicion and impatience in Emma’s gaze as he deliberately held his silence. She was as easy to tease as ever! He had forgotten what pleasure could be taken from pestering her! Surely it could become his favorite new hobby. His lips split into a devious smile. Although, he could think of far more intriguing things to do with Emma… or to her.

“Daventry.” Hewett’s hand rested on his shoulder and Hudson turned to his friend.

“I had quite forgotten that you knew Miss Kingsly so well. Lenore said that she was positively beaming around you! I never thought I’d see the day…”

“Oh, she was something, but I wouldn’t mistake her reaction as a pleasurable one. I’ve known her for years but most of them involved me either pestering her for my own entertainment or asking for a kiss.”

“No! You don’t say! I knew you had your conquests, but Miss Kingsly?” Hewett shook his head and chuckled.

“I started young… I think she was nine.”

“My, my.”

“I’m still injured from her harsh rejection.” Hudson winced playfully.