As he quietly closed the chamber door, he looked up and saw Dottie Longford coming down the hall.
“Christopher, my dearest boy, please know that my heart is with you on this sad day. If there is anything we can do for you and Nicholas, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
Nick realized that she had mistaken him for Kit, but surprised himself by not correcting her. He took her arm and gently led her away from Kit’s door. “That is extremely kind of you, Lady Longford. My brother and I appreciate your friendship.”
“I am devastated that the circumstances make it necessary to postpone the betrothal, but I want to assure you that nothing has changed. After your mourning period . . .”
Nicholas realized that here was his chance to give Alex the year of freedom she longed for. “My heart aches that a whole year of mourning must be observed before I may betroth Alexandra.”
Dottie’s shoulders sagged. “A year is a devilish long period, Christopher. Well, now is not the time to speak of it. . . . Another day soon, my dearest boy.”
Alexandra went to her bedchamber and changed from her riding habit into a soft day dress. Once more she rolled back the rug and looked down into the chamber below. It seemed to be empty; she saw no movement and no sign that Nick had even been there. She got up from her knees and went over to the window. When she drew back the lace curtain, she saw him walking with the minister in the direction of the church, which was on Hatton land. She was sure it was Nick because he was still wearing his green riding jacket.
She dropped the curtain quickly as a sharp tap came on the door and she heard Rupert call her name. “Alex, we’re ready to leave.” She held her breath and remained perfectly still. Rupert’s voice came again. “Alex, are you in there?” A moment of silence passed, then she heard the sound of his retreating footsteps. Alexandra let out a relieved sigh. Until she had spoken to Nicholas, she knew there was no way on earth she could bring herself to leave Hatton Hall.
Nicholas made all the arrangements for the funeral and then went into the churchyard with Doyle to approve the burial site. He knelt at his mother’s Celtic cross and spoke to her silently, as he always did. With reverence he traced his fingertips over the name carved upon the cross: KATHLEEN FLYNN HATTON. Then he got to his feet, nodded to the grave digger who had been standing patiently waiting with his shovel, and quickly departed.
With his hands in his pockets, Nick walked over the Hatton land that he loved so deeply. As twilight descended he headed for Hatton Grange. The sight of the mares with their foals in the grass paddock filled him with a sense of well-being. He had bred most of them himself and was proud that, due to his hard work and long hours, Hatton Grange horse farm had become a successful venture. It now brought in high profits from the contract he had negotiated to supply mounts for the Royal Horse Guards.
Nicholas knocked on the grange-house door and went inside to give the horseman and his wife the news about the fatal accident. Tom and Bridget Calhoun were aghast at the dreadful tidings. Nick knew they were familiar with Lord Hatton’s famous temper and were glad that these days they worked for him rather than for his arrogant father, who was notoriously difficult and demanding. Nick assured them that there would be no changes at Hatton Grange, and he saw the relief on their faces as the Irish couple offered him words of comfort for his troubles.
When he left the Grange, he made his way into Hatton Great Park, pausing as he looked across the lake toward the hall. Its beauty and permanence had made him feel secure since his earliest memories, and tonight it seemed to emanate strength. It had stood there for almost two centuries, sheltering the people who dwelled within its massive stone walls. He knew it would remain a bastion against the storms of life for future generations, and he hoped that a hundred years from now his great-great-grandchildren would love it with the same deep and abiding passion that he felt.
The beauty of the rising moon reflected in the lake took his breath away, and he threw back his head to gaze up at the stars.
He easily found the constellation of Leo the Lion; its star Regulus was one of the brightest in the sky. Tomorrow was his birthday. Twenty-one years ago on just such a night as this he had been born. The vastness of the universe helped him to view the day’s troubles somewhat in perspective, and he felt a small measure of calm descend. He had learned not to dwell on the past, and in that moment Nick made a conscious decision not to look back. Instead he vowed to look forward, to embrace the future.
The warm, comforting silence of the house wrapped itself around him as he climbed the stairs to his chamber. The feel of the oak banister, so sturdy beneath his hand, seemed to lend him strength, and the familiar touch of his wolfhound as it brushed against his thigh in the darkness brought a smile to his lips. He lit only one candle, then he undressed and threw the casement wide. He braced his arms upon the windowsill, filled his lungs with air, and took one last look at the stars. As he sat down on the bed, Leo jumped up beside him, and a female scream rent the air.
Chapter 6
Alexandra’s eyes flew open to observe a naked man and a gigantic black animal looming above her. The scream escaped her throat before she could stop it.
“Alex, what the hellfire are you doing in my bed?” His words, shot at her like steel arrows, reverberated with anger and outrage.
She was suddenly filled with a dismay that was tinged with fear. Before dark it had seemed perfectly acceptable to await him in his chamber. Now she realized how compromising it was to awaken in his bed. “I—I must have fallen asleep while I was waiting for you.”
“Waiting for me for what? This is a whore’s trick! You have no more goddamn sense than a five-year-old!” Vivid memories of last night’s encounter in the stables filled his head. It had been hard enough to resist her in the hay; here in his bed it was almost impossible. Anger was his only possible defense against Alexandra’s potent allure.
A whore’s trick?
Alex was stricken. Would he teach her another lesson? She was breathless at the thought. Her intentions had been completely innocent. She had longed to comfort him, share his trouble, and show her compassion for his anguish. How could she have forgotten how dangerously male he was at close quarters? To cover her fear she allowed her temper to flare. “Well, you are the expert on whores! In my extreme ignorance I thought I was being a friend.”
“A lady does not come to a man’s chamber, nor does she wait for him in his bed, Alex. She guards her reputation.”
His words told her she was in for a lecture, not a lesson, and she experienced a moment of disappointment rather than relief. “If you are so worried about my reputation, why are you standing before me completely nude?” she challenged.
Nick uttered a foul oath, strode to his wardrobe, and pulled on a bedrobe. He lit another candle and set it down on the bedside table so that he could see her face. “Alex, you must know that your betrothal to Kit was to be announced at the dinner tonight.”
“I know no such thing!” She denied it, but she knew that was exactly what her grandmother and Henry Hatton had planned.
He held his patience. “You cannot deny that Dottie and my father have always had an understanding that you would marry Christopher and become Lady Hatton.”
“My grandmother’s wishes are common knowledge; how can I deny them? But you know I long for a year of freedom in London, before I bury myself in the country with a husband.”
“The terrible accident today guarantees you a year of freedom. Kit cannot marry until a year of mourning has been observed. But you don’t seem to realize that your reckless behavior tonight could ruin your future. Christopher is now Lord Hatton. Do you think for one moment that if my twin discovered you in my chamber, in my bed, he would ever make you Lady Hatton?” Nick pulled on the riding breeches he had discarded. “I am taking you home, Alex.”
“I can find my own way home!” she flared. “I don’t need a father, or a keeper; I am not a child!”
“Then for Christ’s sake stop acting like one.” He threw off the bedrobe, donned his shirt and jacket, then pulled on his boots. “Keep your voice down,” he cautioned, as he picked up her bag and moved toward the door.
“Any more orders?” she asked tartly.
“Not another bloody word, Alex!” His forbidding tone told her clearly he was at the end of his patience. “Stay, Leo,” he commanded, then swept her through the doorway.
Though she could feel the ironlike grip of his fingers bruising her arm, she obeyed his order to remain silent as he pulled her along the hallway and down the dark staircase. Outside, she suffered in silence as he half dragged her across Hatton Park in the direction of Longford Manor. When they reached a copse of trees that separated their properties, Alex finally rebelled and dug her heels into the soft earth. “I refuse to take another blasted step until we talk, Nicholas.”
He towered above her, determined to get her safely home without anyone knowing they had been together until close on midnight. “Then you leave me no choice.” He picked her up, slung her unceremoniously over his shoulder, and strode forward.
Alexandra’s eyes flooded with tears of frustration. It wasn’t supposed to be like this, she told herself fiercely. All she had wanted to do was comfort him in his hour of need and offer him a woman’s warmth and tenderness. All he wanted was to be rid of her as quickly as possible. His words and actions made it plain that she was just a nuisance. His outright rejection made her heart ache. It was obvious by the way he carried her that he did not even think of her as a woman. It was also apparent that Nick Hatton didn’t need anyone, least of all her.
As his long strides covered the distance between their homes, Nicholas knew his feelings for Alexandra were totally inappropriate. This fierce need to protect her at all costs came from the deep affection he had always felt toward her. Lately, his fondness had turned to desire, deny it how he may. He knew that shouldering the blame for the shooting accident that killed his father would not only protect Christopher but would keep it from touching Alex in any way. Nick was under no illusions. The Society matrons who had wooed him for their daughters yesterday, would now fall on him like ravening beasts. He suspected that he would be vilified, crucified, and then ostracized. He would be
persona non grata
. He knew that Society lived for scandal, thrived upon it in fact. He knew he would be fodder for the gossip mills for the next year at least. As his arm tightened on Alex possessively, he assured himself that he had done the right thing.
Nick deposited Alex on her own doorstep without arousing anyone at Longford Manor. When she was safely inside, he sprinted back through the trees that separated their properties. When he passed by the library, where his father now lay in his oak coffin, Nicholas said a silent prayer, then slowly, quietly ascended the stairs that took him to the sanctuary of his own chamber.
Leo greeted him with great affection and a thumping tail, and Nick rubbed his head fondly, grateful for the animal’s devotion, no matter what the rest of the world thought of him. Once more he undressed and climbed into bed; the great wolfhound contentedly stretched out on the rug beside him. As Nick lay with his arms folded behind his head, the day’s bizarre events replayed themselves. Though he doubted he would be able to sleep, gradually his body relaxed and he slipped into a dream.
Nick undressed and threw the casement wide. He braced his arms upon the windowsill, filled his lungs with air, and took one last look at the stars. As he sat down naked on the bed, he became aware that he was not alone. “Alex,” he murmured huskily, “I knew you would come.” His hands cupped her shoulders tenderly as she came up from the bed.
“I—I must have fallen asleep while I was waiting for you.”
“You know you shouldn’t be here, sweetheart. You should be thinking of your reputation, not of me.”
“Nick, you are more important to me than anything in my life.”
He felt her touch his cheek and covered her hand with his to keep it there, hungry for the physical contact between them.
“Nick, I know you didn’t do it. You took the blame, as you take the blame for everything at Hatton Hall. In my heart I know that you didn’t shoot your father.”
“Hush, Alex, no one must know.” He opened her hand and dropped a kiss into her palm. “It will be so much better this way. I have no crushing burden of guilt to bear. Christopher will get through this if there is no one to point the finger at him or whisper behind his back.”
“No matter how strong you are, I couldn’t bear for you to be alone tonight. Let me stay, Nick; let me comfort you.”
He gathered her in his arms, so that her cheek pressed against his heart. He could not deny how much he needed her warmth, how much he wanted her love. His possessive hand stroked her silken curls, and the scent of her hair filled his head, almost stealing his senses. He knew that Alexandra was still sexually innocent, and a wave of protectiveness swept over him. He removed his arms and reached for his bedrobe to cover his nakedness. When she came back into his arms, he imagined the black velvet that covered his bare flesh would be barrier enough to keep her safe from his rampant desire, but Nicholas had not reckoned with Alexandra’s irresistible allure. She lifted her lips in sweet invitation, and his mouth touched hers softly, gently at first. The sensations she aroused were so heady a temptation that he deepened the kiss. When her lips parted, he entered the hot cave of her mouth and lingered there, reveling in the taste of her and the warm, sensual scent of her skin.
“Nicholas, please let me love you.”
Her whispered plea was too hard to resist. He pulled her down beside him, opened the velvet robe, and drew her inside. They touched, and caressed, and whispered for hours. At last he undressed her slowly, exploring, savoring, stroking, and tasting her until she cried out in her need. Finally, in desperation, he knew he must bring her release the only way he could without taking her virginity. He opened her slender thighs and trailed his lips across her warm, satin flesh.