Rose shrugged as nonchalantly as possible, which clearly irritated the duke. He growled low in his throat at her display of disregard.
“Your Grace, do you also think that is why I was doing it?” she asked in a low voice.
Alex’s eyes grew wary at her tone. “Is that not what you were about?”
“Not at all,” she insisted swiftly. “We have every intention of fouling up his plans as you said, by other means. But I feel badly about it because Lady Anne is a sweet young woman who deserves better than her father intends for her. I am sure he means well, thinking he is killing two birds with one stone as it were, but since I cannot allow her to marry you, I feel duty-bound to ensure she finds someone suitable in your place.”
As they were arguing, Alex and Rose had come toe to toe and were glaring at one another fiercely. Rose could feel her chest rising and falling furiously and cared not a fig about the flags of colour flying high in her cheeks. She could hardly believe the duke was being so daft. She would never have thought it.
Rose’s passionate defence of her choices must have affected Alex. She could see his gaze darkening as his focus strayed from her eyes to her lips. Rose felt the most profound desire to lick them as her mouth suddenly dried with nerves. She felt frozen in place, her heart racing with a maelstrom of emotion as she watched his unsteady hand reach toward her. Searching his gaze, she could see that Alex was unconvinced of the wisdom of his next action, but he was doing it anyway. It was startling how heat curled in her belly in concert with his warm hand curling around her nape as the duke pulled her face toward his own.
The few chaste kisses Rose had previously experienced had done nothing to prepare her for this moment. The warm brush of his breath just before their lips touched was but a prelude to the multitude of sensations that inundated her senses as their lips met and held. A warning sound was clanging at the back of her mind that this was a terribly bad idea, but for this moment Rose was determined to indulge in the sensations coursing through her.
All her senses were heightened and they were all sending an overload of messages. She could hear his intake of breath, sharp in the hushed silence of the great room. He smelled of the shaving soap he had so recently used and tasted delicious as his lips expertly parted hers and his tongue teased at the entrance of her mouth. She would never have thought tasting someone else would be a nice experience but in that moment, it crossed her mind that she would happily do this all day.
She wasn’t quite sure what to do with her hands, but she was terribly glad she had not worn gloves as she reached up and ran her fingers through his silky hair, glorying in the springy thickness. Her other hand found its way to his cheek and she caressed him mindlessly. The eyes she had closed briefly in the moment opened slowly to better take in the sight of him and they connected yearningly with his intense stare. Seeing the familiar sea-green shade brought a shaft of clarity to her befuddled mind.
I am standing in Burlington House for all the world to see, kissing the Duke of Wrentham, of all people. Horror dawning, Rose pulled herself wrenchingly away from Alex. Without conscious thought, her hand pulled back and cracked loudly against his clean-shaven cheek, while her other hand slapped over her own open mouth.
The momentary inertia that had seized her finally released its grasp on Rose, much to her relief. She could feel the heat ebbing and flowing from her cheeks as they flooded with colour and then paled as she thought of all the ramifications of their interlude. Once again, her eyes darted around to make sure no one was watching them or had seen what had transpired. Relief flooded her as she realized they were alone.
“Whatever were you thinking, Your Grace?” she demanded.
“I was thinking that you looked delectably adorable in your righteous indignation,” Alex explained with a drawl, biting back his grin as her ire rose as if on cue.
“You are truly as despicable as my parents have been saying the Wrenthams are. I did not want to believe it, but you have just proven that it is true.” She barely recognized the soft breathy voice that was issuing from her lips and cringed at the lack of certainty and the utter disappointment she could hear.
∞∞∞
Alex could hear the crack of her hand still ringing in his ears, and he was fleetingly surprised at the sting her little hand had managed to produce. The sensual haze he had momentarily been in quickly dissipated as he took in the horror and terror etched on Rose’s beautiful face. It was highly inappropriate, but he felt like smiling, seeing her rosebud mouth scrunched up into such a look of bitter distaste. It did not sit right on her usually open, smiling face.
Alex refused to be cowed by this slip of a girl, he was a duke for heaven’s sake, but it required a great deal of effort. Straightening himself to his fullest height and gathering all his dignity around him, he looked down his nose at her. Keeping a tight rein on his own temper and trying to keep in mind that she was no doubt labouring under a plethora of emotions, he hoped he would not say something he could not take back because clearly thinking before she spoke was not of much concern to his Rosie.
“Pull yourself together, Rosamund,” he bade her in as authoritative a tone as he could muster. “I have not accosted you in any truly dastardly way, as you are clearly thinking at this moment. Naught is amiss here. I thought a girl with your experience would comprehend and be able to handle the heightened senses that a situation such as this can cause.”
Feeling like a toad as he saw the myriad of emotions that crossed her expressive face, Alex hated himself for playing upon the worries he was well aware concerned her. He could not help the awe he felt as he saw her pull her dignity and composure around herself like a cloak.
∞∞∞
Rose’s pride stiffened her spine and she was able to look Alex in the eye as she coolly began speaking, obviously deciding to just ignore the entire personal situation and merely address the whole reason they had met up in the first place.
“Thank you for meeting up with me, Your Grace. I had a very enlightening conversation with Lady Yorkleigh about Sir Broderick yesterday and it became more obvious why he would be so intent upon controlling you. He is out to control the government. You are high enough in the House of Lords for his needs. According to Lady Yorkleigh, Sir Broderick has had his sights set upon The Prince for quite some time.”
“Prinny?” Alex asked, incredulous. “Whatever for?”
“While, if I understand correctly, although his authority has been drastically curtailed, he is still the regent of our country and will one day be King. He may not have as much power as his father or grandfather once did, but he is still the monarch. As such, he has the most authority in all the land.”
“If you believe that you are far more naïve than I ever thought,” Alex scoffed.
Rose could feel her eyebrows spring into her hairline and her jaw unhinged inelegantly. “Now you are just being ridiculous, Your Grace,” she huffed.
“No, I am not, my dear,” Alex explained rather condescendingly much to Rose’s disgust. His snide smile made her palm itch to slap his face again, but she managed to keep it firmly at her side.
∞∞∞
Alex saw her clench her hands and had to exert an effort over his features to keep a grin from breaking over his face. The lovely young woman is so easy to goad if you know her well enough. He could see that the situation between the Smythes and Wrenthams was going to have to be straightened out as soon as possible, because there was no way he was going to be able to stand by and watch this treasure be married off to someone else. He would learn to live with her managing ways. He now knew the quiet girl he had envisioned as his wife would bore him to tears. And while he missed his brother, the circumstances of his death did not need to dictate Alex’s own future. Chastising himself that such thoughts were not at all helpful at the moment, he shoved the idea from his mind for the time being and returned to the subject at hand.
Realizing it would not do to have her stomp off in a huff as they still needed to w
ork together amicably to clear up the Broderick situation, Alex tried for a placating tone. “You were, of course, correct in stating that the Prince Regent holds the highest office of authority,” Alex began, placing slight emphasis on the word office. “But as you also said, much of his power has been curtailed. The man who wields the most authority is actually the Prime Minister.”
Alex could see Rose’s eyes widening in surprise as he began his explanation and had to bite back his amusement. It was clear that he had been paying attention to his lessons in school and had been working hard in the government over the past few years. He had never had interests like this when they had been friends.
She finally waved him to silence. With a sweet, conciliatory smile upon her lips she offered an apology. “Your Grace, I am sorry for calling you ridiculous. Clearly you know much more than you ever let on. But please recall that I am fairly well educated in these matters as well. We are wasting our precious time by standing here debating the politics of the situation. It matters naught. The fact is, your very speech reveals even more why Broderick would be wanting to control you. As the Duke of Wrentham you are, by birth, highly placed in our government’s affairs. And by the words you just spoke you displayed a degree of knowledge and involvement that make you dangerous to anyone not on the same side as you.”
Alex blinked at her in surprise. Rose’s lips twitched with her amusement, and she was clearly taken aback to see his answering grin.
“How can you find this funny?” she asked with confusion.
“Another perspective is always so helpful,” he explained rather vaguely. Now it was his turn to wave for silence as he could see that Rose was about to launch into speech. “You were absolutely right—we must not waste any time. We really need to ensure that we are not seen together. I fear that Broderick may have taken notice of you, and I do not want you in harm’s way. It would be most helpful if we could ascertain what exactly he is after. Do you think he wants to be Prime Minister or some such position, or is he after something more specific?”
“Men that seek power are so often after both more power and something specific,” Rose answered pensively. “In Broderick’s case, I have never taken the time to try to figure out the workings of his mind, but in Vienna he was involved in fouling up the land divisions. I am uncertain how that benefits him, but you can be sure it does somehow, whether someone was paying him handsomely or if the land in question was his. Now there are to be more negotiations taking place in Paris shortly. My father is about to depart.”
“Your father is leaving town,” Alex repeated in surprise. “But that shall leave you without protection.”
Rose blinked at the duke with surprise, clearly unsure how to respond to his remark. “I do not know whether I should remind you that I do not require protection or to explain that my father’s absence will not leave me unprotected,” she said with a small laugh. She then looked around at where they were, and Alex could see she was remembering what had transpired between them. A tide of warm colour rose in her cheeks. “Well, maybe I do need protection,” she conceded with another small laugh. “But my father’s presence or absence will not make much difference in that regard.” Seeing the arguments written on Alex’s face she continued, placating, “My brother is to arrive in Town on the morrow, so I shall still have a male family member about, have no fear.”
Remembering her brother as a towheaded little boy did not reassure the duke as to his friend’s safety. “Your brother is a boy, Rosamund, what good will he be?”
“Time does march on, Your Grace. He is just about to turn nineteen. He has finished his schooling and he has even been on the Grand Tour for some time. It is hard to imagine, but he is practically a man.”
They shared an amused smile before Rose continued. “Once again, we have strayed from our topic. I do declare, Your Grace, we are rather useless at this. It would seem we could fritter the day away mumbling nonsense at each other and we shall have nothing accomplished. I must be leaving shortly or my absence will be remarked upon. Do tell me if you can think of anything we ought to be doing.”
Alex grinned at his companion and then wrinkled his brow. “You are right, it does seem like we could easily spend the day together.”
Rose grew flustered. “That is not what I was trying to say, Your Grace,” she insisted with discomfort.
“I know, I know,” Alex soothed. “I was merely funning you. Now, do you have any ideas? Do you think it might be best to put a bug in your father’s ear at this point? It would seem that neither of us is fully equipped to thwart the knight in whatever nefarious plot he might have. If it does have something to do with the treaties being negotiated in Paris, since neither you nor I are going, there is nothing we can do to stop him.”
Rose chewed her lip as she thought on his words, oblivious to the intent expression descending upon the duke’s face as he watched her, licking his own lips hungrily. He tried to wipe all expression from his face as her attention returned to him.
“Are you quite all right, Your Grace?” she asked solicitously. “You look a trifle unwell.”
“I am perfectly fine, thank you for asking,” he declared with aplomb. “What have you decided?”
“I think you are quite correct. We do need my father involved now. There is no avoiding it. But this might be the last time we can talk.”
Alex found the earnest look she cast his way to be utterly endearing and felt his heart swell with emotion that he made every effort to keep within bounds as she continued.
“It is quite possible that I shall be banished to our estate if I cannot find the perfectly correct words to convey the seriousness of the matter to my father. Even if I do find the right words, if I have to tell him of our involvement, that will most likely still be the outcome. Or mayhap he will take me with him to Paris, although he no doubt is fully aware that would be a reward, not a punishment,” she mused with a grin.
When Alex made to protest, she waved away his concerns. “Do not trouble yourself, Your Grace. I cannot say that I am truly attached to this Season business. It does not suit my disposition to be placed on the market for matrimonial bidding. As you yourself have remarked, I am not the biddable sort of girl most noblemen want to take as their wife, and I so wish to be useful. I will be perfectly happy to go back to the country, or better yet, to head off to Paris with my father. I am not averse to the idea of marriage—it is just that the silliness of catching a husband drives me mad. Perhaps my father will marry me off to the nearest statesman and that will suit us all perfectly well.”
Alex could see that her wobbling smile did not quite reach her eyes, but there was nothing he could do as she bolstered her spirits and ploughed on bravely. “I am not telling you this to make you feel sorry for me, Your Grace. I am just wanting to warn you that you might be on your own to deal with Broderick if I do get banished. And in the event that his schemes do not involve Paris, you shall have to be vigilant to thwart him. I know you do not enjoy these sorts of shenanigans so you must be sure to enlist whatever help you might need. If I am well away from the situation, you need not fear for my reputation, so it is not as necessary to keep matters secret.”
∞∞∞
“You look so tragic right at this moment, Rosie. I cannot believe that you are as unmoved by the thought of banishment as you say.”
Alex’s concern caused the tear she was valiantly trying to suppress to spill over and slide slowly down her cheek. “I truly would not mind going back to the country,” she explained as she brushed the offending moisture impatiently away. “I just wish I could be around to finish this thing. I am the one who uncovered the problem. I would dearly love to be around to see its resolution.”
“Well then, do not borrow trouble, my dear,” Alex declared with confidence. “I do believe you are a sufficiently resourceful girl that you will be able to tell Lord Smythe about this without getting yourself banished. Have you thought about what you will say? Think it through, and if you would like, yo
u could even practice on me. I could play the role of your father.”
If it had been the duke’s intention to make Rose’s mood lighten, he did the exactly right thing as she burst into a fit of giggles that was difficult for her to control.
“Oh Alex, you are a complete hand,” she declared after she managed to get her mirth within bounds. “I do not think I could remain serious if you were to try to pretend to be my father, but I do appreciate your suggestion. And you are absolutely correct—if I think on it enough I should be able to muddle my way through. My main concern, even more than the fear of banishment, is to ensure that my father takes this threat seriously and does not merely dismiss it because of your involvement. It might be best if I leave you out completely. This would ensure I get to stay in London to keep an eye on the scoundrel, if he does not head to Paris, and would also keep my father focused on the problem. If I can skip over certain details without Papa noticing, I just might be able to pull it off.” She concluded this statement with a cheeky grin.
Alex returned her grin cheerfully. “You were always good at pulling the wool over everyone’s eyes when you were a slip of a girl. I am perfectly sure that you are even better at it now than you ever were. If anyone can get Lord Smythe to miss a detail or two, it is you.”
“But your statement reminds me that my father scarcely ever misses a detail, so I shall have to be alert and diligent.” She paused for a moment, deep in thought. “All right, Your Grace, I really must go. This is the best course of action we can take at this point. I will do my utmost to get a message to you as to my father’s reaction, whatever the outcome. If he has anything helpful to share I will endeavour to pass it on to you as discreetly as possible, even if I have to leave Town.” On an impulse, she grabbed for Alex’s hand. “Promise me you will be careful, Alex. Broderick can be a very dangerous man. Do not do anything foolish, and enlist whatever help you might need.”
The Duke Conspiracy: A Sweet Regency Romance Adventure (Mayfair Mayhem Book 1) Page 20