But it seemed Lucy did not care to listen to him tell her that. She had been avoiding him ever since. No more visits to the house, no more impromptu hill climbs, and she darted away when he spotted her in town—twice!
“I think we need to talk to him.” Adam laced his fingers behind his head. “And you need to tell me what this is all about.”
“This is work, Adam. I know you are not familiar with it,” Alex replied dryly.
“This is a mess.” He removed his feet from the table and picked up a letter, reading from it. “Mr. Lowe, I was pleased to receive your letter about the cows at Haystack Farm. Indeed, I think we can...” He looked to Alex. “I think we can what, Alex? You cannot even finish a letter about damned cows.”
He waved a dismissive hand. “I got distracted.”
“For all your travelling, you have never been one to neglect your correspondence.”
Alex narrowed his gaze. “This is not neglect.”
“You are distracted,” his brother pointed out.
“Well, maybe that is because my brother is in my study, talking needlessly about nothing.”
“Or maybe it’s because of this Miss Evans.” Adam peered at his fingernails and buffed them against his jacket.
“What of Miss Lucinda Evans?”
“I saw how you looked at her in the armory. And in town.” Adam shrugged, his expression far too smug for Alex’s liking. “Not to mention the fact you both turned up drenched a few days ago. Mrs. Jones said you’d fallen in a well...?”
“It seems Mrs. Jones is not spying for our mother but for you.”
“She only mentioned it in passing, and why would she not? What the devil were you doing falling in a well?”
“I hardly did it on purpose, did I?” Alex snapped. “Besides, I thought you were here to talk of Leo.”
“That doesn’t seem quite so pertinent now.” Adam’s lips curved. “You are frightfully defensive over the lovely Miss Evans.”
Alex fisted a hand. Lovely. Merely a descriptive word. It didn’t mean anything. Yet he did not like the tone Adam used. He stood abruptly.
“Where are you off to?”
“I think I’m done here.”
Adam lifted a brow. “It doesn’t look like it.”
“I’m done,” he said firmly.
“Well, what shall we do about Leo?”
“We’ll speak with him tonight. If he is seeing a woman, we must urge him to cease or at least be more discrete.”
“Oh yes, we can only have one brother breaking our mother’s rules.”
“It was a mere kiss.”
Adam stilled and held up a finger. “Wait. You kissed Miss Evans?”
Cursing under his breath, Alex rounded the table and closed the gap between them. “You are not to say a word to anyone.”
His brother pressed a hand to his heart. “Upon my honor. But if I’m to live this dull life as a country gent, at least tell me all.”
“There is nothing to tell. She muttered something about ruination and fled.”
“She fears she’s ruined?”
Alex nodded. “And the damned woman will not see me so I cannot assure her that her reputation is still intact.” He shook his head. “I was careless, though.”
“Why would she think she’s ruined?”
“Mrs. Jones...interrupted.”
“So one woman in your employ saw? Hardly likely to turn into a huge scandal, is it?”
“Lucy appears to think so.” He frowned. “Come to think of it, she was often worrying for her reputation in my company.”
“Well, if one mere kiss is having such an impact on your work, I suggest you do a better job of trying to speak with her, instead of writing half-finished letters about cows.”
“I already tried.”
“Write a letter to her then,” Adam suggested. “It’s got to be more interesting than writing about cows. Act like a true gentleman.”
Alex glanced at the many half-finished letters before him. Adam had a point. He didn’t know why he even wished to speak with Lucy so badly. Perhaps to reassure, perhaps because…well, damn it, because he just needed to see her again. Either way, the woman was going to listen to him whether she liked it or not.
If he was going to persuade her he had no desire to ruin her, he needed to do something he’d never done before…
Correspond with a woman. Like a gentleman.
He shoved a hand through his hair and eyed his brother. He was never going to let him forget this. “Adam, how the devil does one write a gentlemanly letter to a woman?”
∞∞∞
WHEN HER MOTHER entered the room, Lucinda shoved the letter behind her back, pushing it under the cushion of the sofa. It was all very odd. Why would Alex take such a formal tone? It was almost as though he had been kidnapped and replaced with another man. Admittedly, she had never read a letter written by him before, but it did not seem Alex-like at all.
She rolled her eyes at herself. Listen to her. Alex-like. She did not know the man, not really. They had barely spent time with each other and hardly in the best of circumstances.
So why did it hurt to deny herself the option of seeing him?
“What is wrong, Lucinda?” her mother demanded, sinking onto the singular chair by the window of Mrs. Barker’s parlor room.
Their host kept a cozy house not far from the lakeside and Lucinda appreciated the little touches of history in the building, like the huge fireplace large enough for one to almost stand in and the stained-glass family crests in the upper windows with dates inscribed reaching as far back as the sixteenth century.
Her mother leaned forward and narrowed her gaze at her when she did not manage to come up with a response quickly enough. “Are you ailing? Should I fetch the doctor?”
She shook her head vigorously. “I am perfectly well, Mama.”
“I have a tincture—”
“I am fine, I promise.”
Her mother settled back on the chair and retrieved the sample she had been stitching since their arrival. “Is it because of that Lord Kirbeck? Mrs. Barker said he called for you yesterday.”
His name made her heart leap and she had to take a breath before responding so she did not sound all breathy and ridiculous. “He was simply inquiring after my health, Mama. I sent him on his way.”
“Good. You know they call him a Lord of Scandal Row?”
“I know, Mama.”
She frowned and paused mid-stitch then set down her sampler. “But why would he inquire after your health?” Her mother rose and swiftly strode over to press the back of a hand to her forehead. “You seem a little warm.”
“I am well, I promise, Mama.” Lucinda ducked back from the touch and batted her mother’s hand away.
She could explain that the heat existed because she was thinking about that kiss. A kiss that had been about the most foolish thing she had ever done. Good Lord, how wanton she must have sounded, practically begging for it. Now all she could do was sit and wait and see if the housekeeper revealed her.
A man like Alex would never marry her so she would be left completely ruined—and after such a long time of being so careful. Her parents would be so ashamed.
“I do not like that man visiting, marquis or not. I refuse to be like Mrs. Lonsdale, so desperate for a title for her daughters, regardless of the man’s character or quality.”
Lucinda bit back a response that her mother would certainly not appreciate. The man was a flirt and charming, but he was also brave and caring. Without him, she surely would have drowned in the well, having given up long before they were rescued. She would never forget the strength of his reassurance and the way he held her, giving up any idea of comfort to ensure her safety.
“I heard he is here because he utterly ruined a woman,” her mother continued.
Sucking in a sharp, painful breath, Lucinda forced her expression to remain blank. “Oh?”
She leaned in, her voice low. “He has fled London because he does not
wish to claim the child.”
Lucinda rose swiftly as the heat drained from her face. Gone were the memories of kisses, replaced with the darker ones of that fateful night—the one that had almost ruined her life forever.
“Lucinda?”
“I—”
Mary-Anne strode into the room and glanced between them. “What is happening?”
“I feel the need for a walk. Come, Mary-Anne, let us get some fresh air. It will do us some good.” Lucinda snatched her sister’s arm.
“My bones say it is going to rain,” Mama protested.
“We will not be long,” Lucinda assured her, practically dragging Mary-Anne from the room and only pausing long enough to snatch both their bonnets and gloves. She thrust the bonnet on top of her sister’s head and handed her the gloves.
“But I only just returned from being with Mrs. Beaton and Miss Eleanor.” Mary-Anne fumbled with putting her gloves on while Lucinda kept hold of her arm, stuffing her fingers into the wrong holes. “They made me walk practically around the whole lake.”
“I thought you liked walking.” Lucinda did not release her sister’s arm until they were some distance from their lodgings and headed down the dirt road toward the lakeside.
“I like walking when there is something to walk toward. Aimless walking is such a bore.”
“Well, we shall walk somewhere. Like...that hill there.” Lucinda pointed to a random spot at least halfway around the lake.
“That would take us at least two days!”
“Oh.”
“What of the edge of Alex’s estate? We could walk there.”
Lucinda shook her head. “Certainly not.”
“He called for you again yesterday, did he not? Mrs. Barker said as much.” Her sister looked up at her. “Why do you avoid him after he so heroically rescued you?”
“I am grateful to him, though it would not have been necessary if someone had not decided to go adventuring.”
“I would not have gone if you were not such a bore.” Mary-Anne thrust out her tongue.
“I am not a bore.”
“You are,” Mary-Anne insisted. “You used to be so much fun when I was little. What happened to you? Why will you not even visit a castle for goodness’ sakes?”
“Perhaps because I might fall into wells,” she muttered. “And I can be fun when I want to be.”
“When?” her sister demanded. “The only time I see you smile is when you are with Alex.”
“His name is Lord Kirbeck.”
“Well, Lord Kirbeck made you smile several times, and I do not think I have seen you smile like that in forever.” Mary-Anne gave a dramatic smile. “I miss my fun, happy sister.”
Lucinda didn’t respond. She could not. Her throat hurt too much because as cutting as her sister’s words were, they were not wrong, and if she was honest, she missed how she used to be too.
She just did not know what she could do about it.
Chapter Eleven
Alex had this horrible feeling he should be counselling his brother Leo. Or whatever it was brothers did. Apparently Adam had learned such skills and who knew where from. The return of Leo’s only love would surely impact their younger brother. Alex still recalled how devastated Leo had been when Rebecca had left.
The trouble was, he had his own problems. Like the fact a certain young lady was seen in the kitchen gardens and was most certainly not escorted or invited here. He strode past the rows of neatly planted vegetables toward the generous orangery at the back and spied her through the tall glass windows, currently hidden behind a towering plant.
He shook his head to himself. He could not get Lucy to respond to him, despite what he believed to be excellently worded letters, but it seemed her sister could not stay away.
She ducked out from behind the plant when she spotted him and gave a vigorous wave. He smiled at her boldness. He saw hints of such a girl in Lucy sometimes and wondered if this was what she had been like when she was Mary-Anne’s age.
Stepping into the warm building, he shut the door behind him. “What are you doing here, Mary-Anne?” He nodded toward the tree. “And why are you hiding? Quigley thought you were being a mischief-maker.”
“I only wanted to see you,” she protested. “But I did not think the gatekeeper would let me in alone.”
“You’re right.”
“I had to climb the wall,” she confessed, slightly breathless. “I nearly tore my skirt.”
“Your sister would not be impressed if she knew what you were up to.”
“My sister is precisely why I am here.”
His heart gave a little jump of excitement and he tried to quash the feeling. Here he was, a well-known rake, getting excited over the prospect of perhaps a mere word or a simple letter from a woman. What the bloody hell had happened to him?
“What’s the matter?” he asked. “She has not sickened after the well incident has she?”
“No, no, she’s quite well.” Mary-Anne gestured to the stone bench tucked at the back of the building that looked out toward the gardens. “Can we sit?”
“Of course.” He waited for Mary-Anne to perch on one end of the bench before joining her.
“Lucinda does not know I am here.”
He should have known Lucy had not sent her. He shoved aside the disappointment residing in his chest. “What can I do for you, Mary-Anne?”
She flashed a grin. “I rather hope I am going to do something for you.” She fixed him with a serious expression. “But first, did you really leave that woman with child?”
“You should not even be hearing of such matters.”
“I am quite old enough to understand how relationships between men and women work.” She thrust a finger at him. “So answer my question.”
“I take it Lucy knows about this.”
She nodded. “Mrs. Barker said you escaped to Cumbria, so you did not have to claim the child.”
“Well, that explains why she is ignoring my letters,” he murmured.
“No, I do not think it does.”
He frowned.
“Did you or did you not leave that woman in the family way, Alex?”
“No I most certainly did not.”
“Good.” She eyed him for a few moments. “I do not think Lucinda believes you did either.”
“So she is giving me the cut because?”
“She was nearly ruined once.”
Alex closed his eyes briefly. “Ah.”
“She thinks I do not know—I believe she thought she was protecting me—but our grandmama told me. As a warning or some such.”
“What happened?”
“Lucinda will likely scold me for telling you.”
“Mary-Anne,” he prompted.
“But I have never seen her smile as I have with you, and you persuaded her to go to the castle.”
“I think that was down to you, Mary-Anne.”
She grinned triumphantly. “It does not matter. The point is, my sister has been miserable for far too long and I am heartily sick of it.”
“Is this to do with all this medieval stuff?”
“I do not even care for castles that much, but Lucinda used to adore it all. She told me all sorts of tales and promised we could visit every castle in Britain when we were older.”
Alex smiled at the image of a young Lucinda sharing gory tales with her little sister.
“I was hoping if we did some interesting things during our stay here, she would be more like her old self.”
“So this ruination—that changed her?”
Mary-Anne nodded. “I do not remember it. Lucinda was sixteen and I’m ten years younger than her. But I remember what fun she was.” She smiled softly. “But then she went out one day, and my parents kept speaking in whispers and everything changed.”
He had to prevent himself from curling a fist at wherever this story was to go next. Lucy had never married so he had to assume the man, whoever the bastard was, had not done the right thing by h
er. “So she was ruined then?”
“Lucinda had snuck out to visit this old abbey near us. She was always doing these sorts of things and my parents were fearful she was going to damage her reputation one day with all her adventures.”
“I knew Lucy was hiding some part of her.”
“Grandmama said she met a Mr. Yardley there who was quite a bit older than her, and they were seen kissing.” Mary-Anne wrinkled her nose. “I think the man practically forced himself upon her but Grandmama blames Lucinda.”
He bit back a curse. “So they were caught?” he managed to ask with more calm than he felt.
“The man refused to marry Lucinda.” Mary-Anne balled both her fists, her small knuckles white. “Then the person who had spied them demanded money from my parents to remain quiet. Apparently it was a huge sum and my father had to borrow money to see it paid.”
Shaking his head, Alex released a long breath. “I would not mind getting my hands on either of those two.”
“The blackmailer went to America apparently and Mr. Yardley is married to a woman who looks like a pig.” She gave a smug grin. “I hope she’s horrible to him.”
“That certainly explains why Lucy is so cautious.”
“She has tried so hard to be boring and bland for fear of causing a scandal and I know our mother is terrified she will do it again, but I loathe to see her that way.”
“I’m not certain what you wish me to do about it.”
“You make her smile, Alex, and I’ve seen how you look at her.” She gave him a smug look. “I might be young but I’m not foolish.”
“I would not dare suggest such a thing.”
“You care for my sister. A lot. And I think you could make each other happy.”
Alex could not deny it. He might not be obeying his mother’s wishes, but she could not complain if he was to properly court a woman, surely?
First, however, he had to persuade Lucy he had no desire to scandalize her.
“Your sister will not see me,” he pointed out.
“Well with my brains and your brawn, I am certain we can come up with a way of getting her to see you.”
His lips quirked. “Brawn?”
“I am certain you have some brains in there somewhere or else my sister would not like you, but let us be honest, how many women have pursued you for your mind?”
The Tempting of a Devilish Lord (The Lords of Scandal Row Book 2) Page 8