Too Hot For A Rake (18 page)

“Someone has to, ’cause you don’t take care of yerself. First thing is to get you out of those wet clothes.”

Harry shook his mother gently. “She’s been found, Ma. By Amy and Casper. Ma? Wake up. Lady Helena’s back.”

“Hmph. What? Why’d you wake me? So she’s been found. What do ye want me to do?” Jennie Trasker rubbed the sleep from her bleary eyes, but she couldn’t rub away the effects of the gin.

“You said to tell you…you said you wanted to put on a show. You know, be kind so she won’t suspect.”

“Plenty of time, Harry, me boy. Plenty of time.” The housekeeper reached for the near-empty bottle of gin. “Go away boy, and let yer ma finish her nap.”

After Amy helped her mistress bathe and change into dry clothing, she said, “Casper’s waitin’ in the kitchen, milady. We’ve somethin’ to tell you.”

Helena checked her grin, for Amy’s fidgets gave her away. “Lead the way, my dear. I can’t wait to hear your news.” Once in the kitchen, she sipped the hot chocolate Cook had made for her and said, “All right. What have you to tell me?”

“We found lots more people lookin’ for work at the mop fair today,” Amy began. “They’re willin’ to work for you, my lady. They’ll come round in the mornin’ to meet you.”

Casper tore his eyes away from Amy and added, “They’re good folk, milady.” He put his arm around Amy, and for once, she did nothing to remove it.

Helena’s and Cook’s eyes met. Here was a new twist. By the look of things, Casper knew he was in love. Had Amy discovered her true feelings yet?

“Good work, both of you. I’ll deal with Mrs. Trasker to make sure the new hires begin their work as soon as possible without any interference from her.”

That Night…

Waverley pleaded his case in the drawing room before dinner. “Don’t be angry with me, my darling. I love you and I want you for my wife, but I won’t bed you and ruin all chance for real happiness. If you become with child before we wed, think of the scandal. Haven’t you had enough of that?”

“You hurt me today.”

“Yes. I saw it in your eyes. I didn’t mean to do it. Forgive me my clumsiness. Might we begin again? My new mantle doesn’t sit easy, my darling—I have far too many irresponsible years to make up for. Can you not put your hurt aside and help me to learn to be respectable? I know I don’t deserve it, but I’m asking you to let go of your anger and give me another chance to prove my love.”

His words tore her in two, but she said nothing.

“Well, my sweet Helena?” He took her in his arms and held her head to his shoulder. When she did not object, he chided, “Is that a yes?”

Her giggles cleared the air. “You
are
a rake. Incorrigible as well.”

He laughed, for her tone signaled forgiveness. “Shall we dine?”

The dowager joined them in the dining room, which gave Helena an opportunity to tell them the tale of Cook’s wily ways in keeping any knowledge of Brindle, Willa, and Bridey from Mrs. Trasker.

“I remember Brindle. When I was a boy, he often scolded me whenever I scuffed my boots. I’ll be sure to visit him now that I know he’s still with us.” Waverley grinned at the fond recollection.

“Beware,” Helena warned. “He complained to me that Harry is stealing his leather. No doubt he’ll ask you to buy him some more.”

“He can order as much as he likes, the old curmudgeon. I’m just glad to know he’s still alive.”

“My dear Bridey will no longer have to sneak in to see me, will she? Perhaps we can dismiss Nurse Hubley now,” said the dowager hopefully, for she chafed at the woman’s way of ordering her about.

“I shan’t dismiss Nurse Hubley, Grandmother. She’s brought you back to health.”

“She’s a tyrant, nevertheless,” grumbled the dowager.

“You’ll have Bridey for comfort, but Nurse Hubley stays.”

“If that’s the best you can do,” she said sourly. In truth, she despised the regimen recommended by Dr. Fenwick and slavishly enforced by Nurse Hubley. “You aren’t forced to endure that vile-tasting medicine Fenwick prescribes.”

“The medicine he prescribed has healed you, Grandmother. And the exercises the doctor recommended have helped you to walk again. You are much stronger as a result. Don’t complain so, dearest. It’s for your own good.”

Helena gently touched the dowager’s hand. “Bridey can assist Nurse Hubley, ma’am. Will that suit you?”

“Humph!” The dowager knew she’d lost this battle and changed the subject. “Poor Willa! She can no longer see well enough to sew. What shall you do about her? You won’t sack her, will you?”

“Of course not. I’ll arrange to hire a seamstress to help Willa as well. Don’t fret, Grandmother. I have some news that ought to cheer you. I have asked Helena for her hand in marriage, and although she hasn’t given me her answer, she gives me reason to hope.”

The dowager’s eyes lit up like candles on an altar. “Bravo, Desmond. Helena is just the right woman for you. You mustn’t wait too long to wed, my children. I’m not getting any younger and I want to be here for the wedding of my only grandchild to his lovely bride.”

London: Fairchild House

“Better, Lady Mary, but not perfect,” said her new piano instructor. He was a handsome man with a thin mustache, meant to mask his youthfulness, for he was not yet twenty. “There is more to be had from such a one as you. Your ear is blessed with perfect pitch, yes?”

“Thank you, Maestro,” she answered, blushing. Her eyes shone with adoration.

He sat down next to her and began to play scales, his very nearness sending chills through her. Abruptly he stopped, put his right arm around her, and cupped his left hand over hers. “Place your fingers so. You must work to force the left hand to be strong, you see. Pretend you have only the one hand, yes?
Allegro. Andante. Staccato.
One hour each scale with only the left hand, Lady Mary. Tomorrow you will show me, eh?” He rose from his seat, bowed and departed.

Lady Mary could not sleep. She could not eat. She practiced one extra hour each day. She counted the seconds until the Maestro’s arrival for her lesson. She told no one her secret for fear of having Signore Giovanni Bartoli banished from her life forever.

At fifteen, Lady Mary Fairchild was suffering the pangs of her first love.

Waverley Castle

Helena was reluctant to ride even with Casper as protection, for fear she would fall into Glynhaven’s hands again. Instead she opted for a stroll in the garden, for it was indeed a beautiful morning. Unruly brambles tore at her hem and scratched her ankles as she made her way to the pond. The grounds had been neglected far too long, but that was changing day by day, since Waverley had by this time engaged a reputable head gardener.

Her thoughts turned to her home in Brighton. She had such fond memories of Heatham House, where as children, she, her brother, and her sisters had learned to ride and to cool their feet in a pond graced with mute swans. It had been such a happy time, a time when she had no cares, a time when the world was as it should be and her future was assured as the wife of Chris Darlington. She had believed him to be the handsomest of lads then. She frowned. What had changed Chris from a loving fiancé to a pompous boor who judged her ill for making a mistake? She continued to dread her return to London, especially after Saltash’s and Glynhaven’s ugly taunts. How long would it be before Polite Society would forget the scandal that imprisoned her, she wondered.

The gazebo overlooking the pond was in grave disrepair, but she found a section of bench sturdy enough to hold her and sat down to rest. Thanks to unruly branches and thorns grasping at her, she’d lost most of her hairpins. She brushed a few strands of hair away from her eyes, surveyed the pond critically and made some notes for the gardener on the pad she habitually carried with her.

“Repair the gazebo,” she wrote. “Clear a path to the pond. It is choked with leaves and branches and debris and must be restored as soon as possible.”

She smiled as she continued making notes. She couldn’t fail the marquis in this, for she knew her way in matters of management. Pleased with herself, she took pride in knowing she was well on the way toward restoring Waverley Castle to its former grandeur.

I left London, intent on escaping the humiliation of a broken betrothal, with no thought for anything but the weight of my own mortification. I never gave a moment’s thought to what lay before me when I arrived at Waverley Castle, yet I’ve come such a long way these past few weeks.

I’m not that silly chit anymore. I’m a woman. And I’m capable of managing an entire estate, thanks to my mother, bless her. I’m a woman in all ways but one, that is. I can’t stop loving Desmond, though God knows I’ve tried. He knows that, doesn’t he? He’s wrong in putting me off with what he fancies is his newfound honor. If he won’t seduce me, it’s up to me to find a way to seduce him. And if I fail, what then? Does it matter what Polite Society thinks of me? Not a whit. I’ll have gambled. And lost.

She was so engrossed in her thoughts, she never heard the sound of crackling leaves, but when she saw who it was, her eyes lit up. “That you, Waverley?”

“Good morning, my love.”

“You startled me. Unkind of you to sneak up without any warning. Are you well enough to wander about without Rabu to hover over you?”

“The little devil doesn’t think I am, but I managed to escape his clutches.”

“Were you looking for me, or did you find me here by chance?”

He tapped his chin with one finger. “Actually, I thought I heard a wild beast crashing through the woods. I came to investigate,” he said with a mischievous grin. “Apparently, you are that wild beast, lovely Helena. What a lot of noise you managed to make.”

Strange. Her tongue was tied in knots. “You’re…you’re up early.”

He ignored this remark. “Why aren’t you out riding this morning? I looked for you in the stables.”

She colored, unable to fashion a suitable answer.

“Are you afraid of another unpleasant encounter with Glynhaven’s dog? I’d be happy to ride with you to protect you.”

“Thank you, Waverley. I’ll accept your offer just as soon as Doctor Fenwick says you are well enough to ride again.”

“So be it.” He shrugged. “It would please me no end if you could remember to call me Desmond.”

“All right.”

“Not good enough, fair Helena. I want to hear it from your lips.”

“Desmond.”

“Pretty music when you say it.” He sat beside her and brushed wisps of unruly hair away from her face. “Your hair’s come undone.”

“The brambles conspired to comb it that way, I expect.”

“I like it when it flows down your back that way.” One finger trailed across the top of her gown and she shivered. “Cold?”

“N-no.”

His lips brushed her cheek and found their way to her mouth, but she turned to stone.

“What’s wrong? What have I done to offend you?”

Don’t be a coward. It’s now or never.
“Are you planning to play your silly game of seduction only to run from me at the last minute?”

“You know my reasons.”

“You needn’t practice this new game of honor with me, you know.”

He raised an eyebrow. “No? Why?” One hand toyed with her slender throat, sending chills through her.

“Take your hand away. Makes it hard to have a serious conversation.”

“Are we having a serious conversation? I hadn’t noticed.” He leaned forward to kiss her, but she turned her head away. “What’s wrong this time?”

“The truth?”

“Of course.”

Her penetrating eyes bored into him. “I cannot possibly agree to marry you without knowing if we would suit as lovers. Frankly, your reluctance leads me to wonder whether you are…deficient in that way. Is that why you need three women to make love to you at the same time?”

“That’s a lie,” he roared, stunned. He raised his hands as if to shake her but thought better of it, forcing them to his sides and clenching them into fists instead.

She was disappointed, for a shake would at least have been something. She settled instead for a further taunt. “A lie you say? Methinks the gentleman doth protest too much.”

“You are thinking of my French…er…friends, no doubt. I have Glynhaven to thank for that, I suppose. Let me assure you that I most certainly am not deficient when it comes to making love. What a crackbrained thing to say! I’ll have you know I’m perfectly capable of…”

“But how should I know this? You’ll have to prove it, my lord,” she challenged, hugely enjoying the encounter.

“There are rules about innocent maidens and I am trying my best to be a gentleman and play by them. I’ve told you more than once, I’m done with breaking the rules.”

Though her knees trembled, she managed a scornful laugh. “You can’t be serious. There are no such rules for the likes of you, are there? You’re a rake.”

He scowled, offended. “You wrong me, dear heart. I am a reformed rake. You’ll have to wait until we are married.” He took no notice of the wicked gleam in her eyes, for his own were fixed on her bodice.

She crossed her fingers behind her back to ward off the consequences of the barefaced lie she was about to utter. “I can’t marry you until you prove yourself.”

He tore his eyes away from her breasts and said, “I don’t have anything to prove.” Her meaning dawned on him. “What are you up to, adorable minx? You know I won’t bed you before we are married, and that’s final. You’ll have to take my word for it. There’s nothing wrong with my ability to…to consummate my marriage to you or to…to any woman. Besides, I gave my word to your brother-in-law and I don’t mean to break it.”

“Then marry my brother-in-law if you can persuade my sister Livy to agree to such an arrangement, which I strongly doubt.”

“Be reasonable, Helena. If you were to become with child, it would only cement my cursed reputation in people’s minds. I cannot do what you ask, my heart’s delight. You’ll have to wait for our wedding night.”

“What a quaint notion. Your chivalry is touching, my lord. Very well. You force me to confess the truth.” She paused for effect and added dramatically, “I am not a virgin.”

Unconvinced, he added with a touch of sarcasm, “No? Then what was that passionate scene in Darlington’s home all about, pray tell? You certainly convinced me that you meant to seduce him into marrying you.”

She threw her head back and laughed. “How innocent you are for all your rakish airs. Chris and I were already lovers. He was furious with me merely because I mistook you for him. I embarrassed him in front of his distinguished guest, you see. That toadeater told me so when he raked me over the coals afterward. You couldn’t know, of course. How could you? You’ve never remained locked in my embrace long enough to find out.”

“I’ll marry you anyway.” He folded his arms and glared at her.

Her eyes flashed. “Will you now? Such…
condescension
. I’m overwhelmed by your generosity. You still want to bed me even though I’m not a virgin,
my lord rake
. Do I have that right?” She shifted from irony to anger. “I think you ought to hear my terms for our marriage before you commit yourself to the odious task of seducing me, my lord rake.”

“Your…terms?” He barked an unpleasant laugh. “Where is my sweet lady, the one I love, in all this?”

“Before I agree to marry you, I cannot in good conscience take your word for it. I must first sample the pleasures you say you have to offer, my lord rake. Indeed, that might well prove to be the only new experience for me.”

His brows knit. “The only new ex…? How many lovers have you had, my girl?”

Warming to the game, Helena thought a minute. “Let me see. There was Chris, of course, but before him there was…Dear me, I’ve forgotten the lad’s name, poor boy. And then there was that stranger at the Brighton Fair two years ago. No. There were two men at the fair that year, I recall. Oh, and before those two, there was that cute Irish boy who worked in Father’s stables….”