‘How shocking!’ Brione enjoyed his irreverent company and found herself laughing with increasing frequency. She ignored the heavy weight of the duke’s frowns when his gaze rested upon her from his position at the head of the table. She hadn’t directly looked at him once since taking up her place halfway down, but noticed in the periphery of her vision just how little attention he bestowed upon the ladies on either side of him and how much of it he focused upon her. ‘I myself come from the middle classes, so I don’t suppose I have any right to be shocked really,’ she added. ‘In fact, I rather wonder what I am doing amongst such august company.’
‘Enhancing it,’ Captain Craig replied gallantly.
‘You are too kind.’
The meal continued without her dinner partner again referring to the war, or to Brione’s circumstances. He admitted to being short of blunt, appeared to enjoy her company and wasn’t disturbed to find her there. Neither had Sir Gregory been, which was discouraging. She had only briefly been introduced to the third man who interested her. Adrian Vaughan, the duke’s adjutant, had been seated across from her and a little further down the table. She had sensed him frequently looking her way as well. He seemed interested in her, although he also appeared to be unruffled by her presence. She would make a point of crossing his path later to see what he had to say for himself.
As things stood, she had discovered that Captain Craig’s financial position required him to work for a living, and that Sir Gregory, who had attempted to flirt with her, was anxious to know her better. Neither one of them had done anything to arouse her suspicions. How to draw them out? An idea had occurred to her, but she would need to discuss it with the duke before she put it into play.
She stood with the rest of the ladies when the meal came to an end and thanked Captain Craig for his company when he helped her with her chair. She returned to the drawing room in a reflective frame of mind, feeling disheartened yet still determined.
Chapter Nine
Troy resumed his chair when the last of the ladies left the dining room. He wondered if Mrs Gilliard would glance over her shoulder at him, but she did not. Much as she hadn’t spared him more than a passing glance for the entire evening. She had played her part well, which is more than Troy could say for himself. He hadn’t been able to keep his eyes off her, wondering what Craig could have found to say to keep her so comprehensively entertained.
The gentlemen lost no time gathering around Troy’s position, the port decanter was soon circulating and the conversation naturally turned to the forthcoming race.
‘Surprised to see Mrs Gilliard here,’ Frazer remarked when that subject had finally been exhausted. ‘Pleased mind, but surprised. I tried to call at her home and offer my condolences when I returned to England but she wasn’t receiving.’
‘We all know what you called for,’ some wit remarked, eliciting a barrage of risqué comments and muted laughter. ‘Not that I blame you for that. She’s exquisite. That Gilliard was a sly dog.’
Those who had been acquainted with Gilliard voiced their agreement.
‘What on earth persuaded her to come?’ Frazer persisted. ‘She don’t seem to have any time for you, Alford, which must have given the old pride a bit of a denting.’
‘She’s a friend of Mrs Woodley’s, who persuaded her out of her shell,’ Troy replied indolently.
‘What did you make of her, Craig?’ Vaughan asked. ‘You took her in and managed to make her smile.’
‘Interesting lady. Still in deep mourning for Gilliard though. Brave of her to show her face, given the circumstances.’
Several heads nodded in agreement.
Troy said little, but he found himself grinding his jaw as compliments flowed regarding Brione Gilliard. Not that Troy could fault them precisely, and nothing they said crossed any boundaries. The general consensus appeared to be that she was bearing her loss bravely and that she was a welcome addition to the party. Troy was obliged to agree. He had been broadsided when she appeared in the drawing room, looking elegant and composed in an exquisite gown, her hair impeccably coiffured. Every other woman had paled into insignificance. The sight of her had stolen his breath away and it had taken every last vestige of his rapidly diminishing self-control not to cross the room and join her.
Instead he had been obliged to endure the mindless chatter of the females and their mothers who surrounded him, taking every opportunity to promote the multitudinous accomplishments of their various charges. Troy barely heard them. Instead he was forced to watch first Frazer and then Craig fussing over Brione. Even though he knew why she was returning their attentions, he still felt the grip of jealousy closing its hold over his heart.
Perdition, it simply wouldn’t do!
Troy stretched out the interlude with the port to its lengthiest extreme and then reluctantly suggested returning to the drawing room, where he knew that he would again come under siege. Fortunately, Deb had suggested music. Several of the younger set were keen to demonstrate their skills, which proved sketchy at best. He had seen Mrs Gilliard eyeing his pianoforte with hungry eyes earlier. He wondered if she would take her turn at the instrument, suspecting that if she chose to do so, she would put the other performances to shame. But she remained seated at the back of the room with Mrs Woodley and showed no intention of displaying her prowess.
Troy slipped through the open doors into the keep, where several couples were taking the evening air. He didn’t want to talk to anyone, or to be waylaid by any of his more determined pursuers. He wouldn’t put it past them to follow him, so he stood to one side in an alcove, content with his own company. Anyone stepping outside would have to pass his position and he sensed that Mrs Gilliard would be amongst their number. He had noticed several of her admirers hovering behind her position, eager to pounce. None of those loitering were on their list of suspects, and he knew from personal experience how trying unwanted and persistent attentions could become. Eventually she would tire of the company and slip outside in search of solitude, much as he himself had just done.
His patience was rewarded when ten minutes later he heard the rustle of silk, a melodic female voice that he recognised muttering too softly for Troy to make out the words, and she came into view. She gasped when Shadow, banned from the dining room, bounded up to her.
‘Oh, it’s you,’ she said, bending to tug his ears. ‘What are you doing out here?’
‘Join me,’ Troy said, stepping out from his hiding place.
Mrs Gilliard stopped in her tracks and placed a hand over her heart. ‘Ye gods, the dog startled me enough, and now you have frightened me half out of my wits! Do you always creep up on people like that?’ she demanded. ‘I suppose I should have realised that if Shadow was here, you wouldn’t be far away.’
‘Sorry.’ He offered her his arm.
‘I did not come outside to look for you, if that is what you suppose,’ she told him, placing her hand on his arm anyway. ‘It’s just that one can only tolerate so much musical asphyxiation.’
Troy chuckled as he turned away from the drawing room with the dog at his heels, onto a hidden pathway that would take them beyond the castle walls and allow them some privacy. ‘You play yourself?’
‘It is one of my greatest pleasures.’
‘I thought as much.’
She glanced up at him. ‘How could you possibly know?’
‘It was the way that you looked at the piano earlier, as though you couldn’t wait to try it.’
She conceded the point with a wry smile. ‘I would like to, but alone. I am not a performing seal and I have no desire to attract anyone with my talent—or lack thereof.’
Troy wasn’t sure what to say. Being lost for words or not in control of any situation was an unusual occurrence for him. ‘I hope you will play for me some time,’ he said, feeling disadvantaged for reasons he was also unfamiliar with.
‘Perhaps.’
‘I noticed you speaking with two of our suspects. Did you discover anything of interest
?’
‘Sir Gregory and his mother want you to marry his sister,’ she replied with an impish smile. ‘And the girl herself is ridiculously sure she will succeed in securing your affections.’
‘Good heavens!’ His brows disappeared beneath his hairline. ‘He told you that? How very indiscreet.’
‘He didn’t say so in as many words, but the implication was there. Anyway, Miss Frazer could hardly make her intentions plainer. I would be a sorry excuse for a sleuth if I had not noticed the signs for myself, just as you must have done. I wonder if the idea is your friend’s and that he has encouraged the girl to have expectations, or if she made up her own mind.’ Mrs Gilliard tilted her head and regarded him in a mischievous manner. ‘I have heard it said that you are handsome and desirable. Speaking for myself, I think it very unwise to desire a duke.’
Troy laughed. ‘Do you indeed? Be careful, Mrs Gilliard, or I might interpret that statement as a challenge.’
She looked flustered, and a little surprised to have made what could be construed as a flirtatious statement. ‘Anyway,’ she said, flapping her free hand, ‘with regard to Miss Frazer, I suspect she made up her own mind. She seems to be a very focused and determined young woman who knows what she wants. But there again, Sir Gregory is reluctant to take her to London next season, so she probably worries about not having an opportunity to show herself off to potential husbands.’
Troy snorted. ‘Very likely.’
‘Sir Gregory remarked on the cost of London in high season.’
‘How very gauche of him.’ Troy stole frequent glances at his lovely companion’s profile, amused by her sudden desire to converse. He didn’t think she would ordinarily be given to mindless chatter and wondered if she was doing so now out of a sense of achievement, or because she was nervous at finding herself alone with him.
‘That is what I thought but refrained from pointing out. As to Captain Craig, I liked him rather better.’
‘I really hope he is the traitor, in that case.’
She stopped walking and stared up at him through wide eyes glistening with a combination of genuine surprise and curiosity. ‘Neither of them said anything to incriminate themselves, but then I didn’t suppose it would be that easy. Captain Craig did mention that he’s a younger son and must work to keep the wolf from the door.’
‘Even so, he has managed to buy himself a very spirited and well-bred horse to compete against Omega.’
‘Yes. He said he was looking forward to the race.’
‘Be careful. He might set his sights upon you to resolve his problems.’
‘I hope I didn’t give him any reason to suppose that his advances would be welcomed. Oh!’ She blinked when Troy stopped walking at the banks of his lake. ‘How did we get to this spot?’
He didn’t want to tell her that it had been a deliberate ploy on his part. He was unsure himself why he had brought her to such a romantic place. All he knew was that he craved a few minutes of her exclusive company, and that he wasn’t prepared to think beyond that point. ‘Do you like it?’
She laughed when Shadow splashed in the shallows and emerged shaking water from his shaggy head, having failed to capture whatever aquatic fowl had caught his attention. It was almost full dark and rays of moonlight lit up the surface of the gently rippling water with a silver glow. In the distance the trees were silhouetted against a velvety sky spangled with a thousand stars that appeared to be putting on a show solely for their benefit. It was a situation designed for romance, and yet Troy couldn’t—wouldn’t—exploit it. Instead he watched transfixed as Mrs Gilliard threw her head back and took in the astral display, her pleasure apparent in her radiant expression.
‘It’s magical,’ she breathed. ‘So very peaceful. If I lived here, this would be my favourite spot and I would come here every day.’ She paused and breathed deeply, apparently at peace with herself. Troy suspected that inner peace had been in short supply for this enchantress over recent years and was glad to see her slowly conquering her demons. ‘I suppose you can identify all the constellations.’
‘Not all of them,’ he replied, still watching his companion rather than the night sky. ‘I can teach you if you like.’
‘There is nothing you can teach me that I have any interest in learning,’ she said with an arch look. ‘I have an aversion to playing with fire.’
Troy turned laughter into a cough and decided against telling her that he’d wager half his fortune on being able to greatly enhance her education in ways that had nothing to do with astronomy. She was a compelling mixture of experience and naiveté, self-confidence and vulnerability. A beautiful woman who thought she was nothing out of the ordinary. An exceptional woman who had been unaware of her husband’s true character, who mourned a ghost and would never rest easy until she had proved his allegiance to king and country.
Oh, my sweet, beware what you wish for!
Troy feared that her eyes would be opened if she continued with her quest, and was gripped with a fierce determination to protect her from the pain that the coming revelations would cause her.
But he did not have the right to shield her.
‘We are so close to the castle and all those people, but the sound of music and voices barely penetrates the thick walls.’ She turned her head to smile at him, a captivating gesture that sent Troy’s mind on a sensual detour and momentarily robbed him of the ability to breathe.
‘It was built in the Eleventh Century. Harold and William were squabbling over the crown, just as monarchs through the centuries always seem to be at odds about something or other. Anyway, noblemen learned to take measures to protect themselves from unprovoked and sometimes provoked attacks. They built strongholds that would endure sieges and make it easier to repel uninvited guests. Half of the original castle is in ruins now, and I sometimes wonder about the wisdom of maintaining the rest of it.’ Troy lifted one shoulder. ‘It is most definitely a labour of love.’
‘Is that why you do it?’
‘Perhaps, but I suspect it’s more a case of stubbornness on my part.’ He gave a self-deprecating shrug. ‘I don’t want to go down in history as the man who admitted defeat and let the ancestral home fall into complete ruin.’
‘I can understand that. It must be cold and draughty here in the winter, but it has a certain rustic charm.’
‘Thank you.’ Troy chuckled at the backhanded compliment.
‘How long has it been in your family?’
‘Six generations. My great-great-great—well, you get the picture—purchased it from a cash-strapped baron. Not sure he realised quite what he had taken on, or what a millstone he would be leaving future generations, but there you have it.’
The musicians that Deb had hired to entertain the company had taken over from the indifferent performances on the pianoforte.
‘Dance with me,’ Troy said on a whim.
‘Here? No, absolutely not! Don’t be ridiculous.’
Ignoring her protests, Troy pulled her into his arms. He could sense a desire to behave impetuously waging war with her reserve. Impetuosity won the day and her feet followed his as he waltzed with her by the banks of the lake.
‘We will fall in the water,’ she laughed, and he felt the tension leave her body as she gave herself over to the pleasure of the moment.
‘I will never let you fall,’ he said softly, his lips brushing the shell of her ear and causing her to shiver.
‘Do you realise just how disgustingly self-assured you sound?’
Troy threw back his head and laughed. ‘If I did not, I feel persuaded that you would remind me.’
She huffed out an impatient breath but he could sense her attempting not to smile. ‘Someone has to.’
He twirled her into a turn, but her heel caught in a tuft of grass and she stumbled against him. Her torso collided with his and he heard the breath leave her body in an extravagant whoosh. He held her a little tighter as their feet stopped moving and time stood still. She looked up at him, the mo
onlight causing her eyes to smoulder with a combination of luminescence and surprise. She moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue and he could feel her heart pounding. Her soft curves felt sublime beneath hands that urgently needed to explore further. Perdition, she was slowly killing him!
‘Careful,’ he cautioned, somehow finding the strength to release her before he lost all sense of reason.
Shadow bounded up to them, thinking it was a game, and his presence eased the tension.
‘If they are dancing inside, you should return. You will be missed.’
‘Damn the dancing! I prefer being here with you.’
‘Which is all well and good,’ she replied, clearly struggling to find her composure, ‘but it will not help us to identify the traitor.’
‘Always so focused,’ Troy said softly, cupping the side of her face in his hand and fighting the desire to kiss her.
She pulled away from him and turned her back, arms folded across her waist. He gently touched her shoulder. Her shawl had fallen across her arms and his fingers made contact with her bare flesh. It felt warm and pliant to the touch. She shuddered and swirled to face him.
‘Stop flirting with me!’ she hissed. ‘That is not why I am here. If you want someone who will react to your overtures, you will find plenty of willing victims in your drawing room.’
Her voice sounded strangled, conflicted, and the force of her objections startled him. He had been severely tempted to flirt and would likely have taken things further had she not found the strength to pull away. He wasn’t being fair to her. Or to himself. He ran a hand through his hair as he tried to decide how to make things right between them. The accidental feel of her body pressed against his when she stumbled had produced the inevitable reaction on his part, which she couldn’t have failed to notice. No wonder she felt so disgusted. She was still in love with Gilliard, and he was making a nuisance of himself.
‘My apologies. It wasn’t my intention.’
She turned to face him again, seeming more in control of herself. ‘I know.’ She gave a careless little laugh. ‘You can’t seem to help yourself, can you? Just make sure you don’t get carried away by Miss Frazer’s charms and waltz with her in the moonlight. She will rush to order her wedding clothes if you do.’
To Desire a Duke: Dangerous Dukes Vol 8 Page 12