There was a brief flash of tenderness in Jake’s eyes before he glared at his brother again.
“Captain Hillary, what an unexpected surprise.” Amelia’s greeting to her unwelcomed caller sounded strained. “Do you seek out Lady Kennell?”
The captain smirked. “Does the viscountess reside here as well?” He stayed close to the entry, not venturing to approach them. “It is you, my good lady, I seek.”
What in the world was Captain Hillary doing calling on her? He couldn’t expect her to consider him a suitor, because men like the captain didn’t court ladies. She pressed her lips into a straight line. His visit meant one of two things—Mrs. Hillary had sent him here on an errand, or the captain expected something from her she was unwilling to give. And he didn’t seem a man to accept rejection easily. She leaned into Jake, his warmth lending her security.
His muscles flexed under her fingertips. “What possible reason would you have for requesting an audience with the lady?”
A surge of affection flooded over her in response to his protectiveness.
Captain Hillary shrugged. “Lady Audley promised to tell me more about her charitable work. In addition, it’s a beautiful day. What better way to enjoy the weather than a stroll through the park with an equally beautiful lady?”
Jake shifted the drawings to the side table, stood, and assisted her to her feet. He cradled her arm in the crook of his elbow. “I’m afraid she is unavailable. The lady granted permission for me to take her for a turn around the park. We were just on our way out.”
The captain grinned, not seeming the least bit discouraged. “An excellent idea. Shall we? Lady Audley could sit between us.”
“There’s no room, Daniel. Now off with you.”
Jake’s brother acted as if he hadn’t spoken. “I hope our paths cross tonight at the Chickerings’ masked ball,” Captain Hillary said. “What is your costume, dear lady? Perhaps you will grant me a waltz?”
She wished to keep her costume a secret from him, but with the intensity of the captain’s stare, she feared leaving him unanswered. He must make for a dreadful shipmaster.
“I—I will be costumed as Freya.”
Captain Hillary clapped his hands once. “Brilliant choice, my dear. You will make an excellent goddess of passion.”
Jake guided her toward the door. “We haven’t time for chitchat.”
His brother stepped aside to allow them passage. “I shall look forward to our dance this evening, my lady.”
Jake mumbled something that sounded like “over his dead body” before whisking her through the foyer and out the door to the waiting carriage.
Once he had settled her on the bench, she slid over to make room. He paid the young man tending his horses then climbed into the conveyance.
“Thank you, sir,” the boy called out then tore off across Park Street.
Amelia smiled, lifting her face toward the sun to soak up its warmth. “This was an excellent suggestion, Mr. Hillary.”
“You aren’t angry with me for delaying your outing? Now that my brother is no longer watching, I could carry you to your destination.”
She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. His handsome profile sent her heart into a lively beat. She was exactly where she wanted to be.
“In truth, I was headed to Hillary House to collect my shawl. Since you were kind enough to deliver it, I have no need to go anywhere else. Let’s enjoy our turn around the park, shall we?”
Seven
Jake couldn’t hold back his smile as he and Amelia entered Rotten Row. After their clash months ago, he wouldn’t have trusted Amelia to spit on him if he were on fire, much less accompany him to Hyde Park.
He tipped his hat to acquaintances as they traveled along the sand-covered avenue. Jasper Hainsworth, Earl of Norwick, loitered along the fence. His slack jaw suggested he was more befuddled than usual.
“Good afternoon, Lord Norwick,” Jake called cheerfully.
Norwick’s gaze followed them. “Lady Audley?”
“Good afternoon, my lord.” Amelia’s response was cool, and she turned her back to him.
Disquiet stirred inside Jake. He was well aware widows were fair prey when it came to seduction, but Amelia wasn’t just any widow. She was… Well, she should be… Damnation! He loved her and that was how it was. “Are you well acquainted with Lord Norwick?”
“I’m more familiar with his sister, Lady Banner.” And if Amelia’s pursed lips were any indication, she didn’t hold the baroness in high esteem.
Jake’s tight grip on the ribbons eased.
“What do you suppose has the earl so perplexed?” she asked.
Amelia was the most beautiful woman Jake had ever encountered. One glimpse of her could conceivably turn any man into a simpleton.
“The better question would be what doesn’t have the man bewildered on any given day?” Jake said. “Let’s pay him no more notice and enjoy our time in the park.”
“Agreed.” Amelia sighed and wiggled her bottom closer toward him. Having her snuggled against him reminded him yet again he was alive, well, and foolish for having questioned his virility. Yet, he must have been born under a halfpenny moon for they were never in the appropriate setting to remedy his condition.
Spotting a grassy area close to the Serpentine, an image flooded his memory. He pulled the carriage out of the line of traffic, stopped the grays, and pointed. “I saw you there once.”
“Saw me? What do you mean? When?”
“The first time ever, I believe.” Three years before Amelia came out. “You were just a girl. I assume you were with your governess.”
“Marguerite.” Amelia spat the name as if it were bitter on her tongue, but when she glanced at Jake, her expression softened. “And what was it I was doing to draw your attention, Mr. Hillary?”
“The hysterical screeching from your governess first earned my notice, but then I understood the cause. It’s a wonder you didn’t tumble headlong into the water. You were teetering on an outcropping of stones, trying to capture a toy boat with a stick.”
Amelia’s brow furrowed. “I don’t recall having a toy boat. Are you certain it was me?”
“Of course it was you.” He recalled the vision with clarity. With the sunlight casting Amelia’s hair in a glow, she had looked like an angel in white muslin. An insubordinate angel. “You are correct, however. It wasn’t your boat. You were retrieving it for a boy weeping on the bank.”
Pink colored her cheeks, adding to her attractiveness, if that were possible. “I recall the day now. His nanny scolded him for letting it go, and she refused to retrieve it. What a tyrant she was, telling him he didn’t deserve such a fine toy.” With a stubborn set to her jaw, Amelia added, “I disagreed.”
“Yes, you did.” He had admired her bravery that day. Amelia had possessed a healthy dose of mettle for one so young. Rarely did he witness daughters of the ton defying authority, at least under the censorious eyes of society. Amelia had pursued the morally correct path despite the consequences. He liked that quality.
“What else do you recollect?” she asked.
“Your governess was livid and bellowed warnings that she wouldn’t save you from drowning if you fell in the water.”
Amelia huffed. “I would have been rescuing her is more like it. She never learned to swim and trembled if she came within five steps of a puddle.”
“A cowardly governess for the brave young Mia.”
She wrinkled her nose, a smile lifting the corners of her lips. “Well, she is French.”
“How dreadful.”
Amelia touched her hand to his leg as she laughed, seemingly oblivious to her action, but Jake wasn’t. He stiffened and his breathing almost ceased. A simple touch sent his senses whirling like a tempest. Did she have any idea what she did to him?
She cocked her head to the side. “Mr. Hillary, please forgive my boldness, but I have wanted to ask you for some time what happened with Lady Delilah?”
; Lady Delilah? Who in the devil’s name…? “Oh! Do you refer to Lady Ramsden?”
Amelia offered a sympathetic cluck of her tongue. “I do hope I haven’t opened an old wound by asking after her.”
Jake blinked and readjusted his hat, searching his memory for any dealings with the baroness and recalling none. “I’m afraid I don’t follow your meaning.”
Amelia shifted toward him on the seat. Her compassionate gaze searched his face. “Were you terribly hurt when she rejected your offer?”
He laughed, thinking she was jesting. “Me? Marry Lady Ramsden? I mean before she became Lady Ramsden, of course.”
His merriment faded quickly, however, when Amelia frowned.
“I thought you desired a match with Lady Delilah. Audley said it was a certainty she would accept your offer. He said she held a tendre for you and you for her.”
Jake’s heart began pounding in his ears, so that anything more she said became muffled and incomprehensible. Audley had said Jake held a tendre for Lady Ramsden? That was a blatant lie. He knew full well Jake had eyes for no one but Amelia.
“When did Audley tell you this?” Despite Jake’s best efforts, anger lent his voice a harsh edge.
Amelia’s gaze dropped to her gloved hands resting on her lap. “I’m sorry, Mr. Hillary. I should not have pried into your affairs. I’ve upset you.”
He bit back an oath. Taking a deep breath, he forced lightness into his tone. “You’re not prying. Please, tell me when he shared this with you.”
When she glanced up, wariness swam in her eyes. “I refused his first offer of marriage, and he…”
Jake’s nostrils flared. That damned blackguard. If Audley were still alive, he would pound him senseless. Jake had extolled Amelia’s admirable qualities and professed his undying love to his closest friend. All the while, Audley had catalogued her shortcomings as if he did Jake a service. Then he had stolen her with covert meetings and lies.
The significance of what she said hit him. She had turned down Audley’s first offer for her hand. “Did you marry Audley because you thought I wished a match with someone else?”
Her face drained of color. “No! Why would I?”
“I didn’t mean to imply—”
“Audley used your association with Lady Delilah as an example. To illustrate a point. It was time he took a wife, too.” She swiveled on the bench, her movements agitated. “I married him because he said he loved me.”
His hope crashed at his feet. Of course Audley hadn’t been her second choice. What had he been thinking?
She inched farther away from him. “I don’t know what you take me for.”
He’d made yet another mistake insinuating Amelia had married out of desperation. He had painted an unflattering picture of her in his haste to believe she held him in some esteem.
“Audley loved you, Amelia, as you loved him. I never meant to imply otherwise. I apologize.” He lifted the reins, directed the horses back onto the avenue, and headed back toward Verona House.
They rode in silence, not even speaking as he escorted her up the front stairs. When she passed through the front door in a swish of skirts, he stopped at the entrance, unsure if she wished him in her home after the ghastly assumption he had made.
***
Amelia had never wanted Jake to know she’d accepted Audley’s offer only after realizing Jake pursued another match. What a weak-minded ninny that made her.
Her stomach churned with humiliation and a growing resentment toward her deceased husband. She paused in her step. There had been something in Jake’s eyes a moment ago. A lively flash when he had realized the truth. She hadn’t been mistaken, had she? Perhaps she should take a chance and expose her true feelings for him.
She spun around to address him, but her sentiment stuck in her throat. Instead of following her inside, he loitered at the entrance, looking for all the world like he wished to run away.
She clamped her lips together and breathed deeply to steady her voice before she spoke. “Thank you for the lovely outing, Mr. Hillary.”
He nodded. His expression was rigid and undecipherable.
“Perhaps we shall cross paths this evening at the masquerade,” she said, hoping he might give her some encouragement to speak her heart despite the sudden chasm separating them again.
“Perhaps.” His voice lacked conviction.
With a quick tip of his hat, Jake stalked back to the phaeton.
She hurried to the drawing room, pulling the doors closed before her tears fell and the butler witnessed her emotional outpouring and sent for a vinaigrette.
When the doors closed, fury swept over her and she trembled from head to toe.
Blast Audley for lying! Blast him! Blast him! What had possessed her husband to coerce her into marriage? Audley had known of her feelings for Jake. Somehow, he had ascertained that she favored Jake and used her tender feelings against her.
How dare he steal her chance for love? If Jake couldn’t have loved her, then another gentleman might have held some affection for her. Because, truth told, Audley hadn’t cared a whit for her. Not when he abandoned her after three months of marriage. How she wished he had revealed his true nature during their courtship, but Audley had been charming and determined in his bid for her hand, penning her love poems and whispering sweet words into her ear.
Amelia wandered the drawing room.
She had never hated anyone, not even her father, but perhaps she could make an exception for her husband. Even though her father had faults, he had never taken from her. Audley had tried. He had attempted to take her pride and her confidence. Perhaps even her one opportunity for love.
He would not succeed. She refused to embrace the bitterness pulsing through her veins, and she wouldn’t abandon hope. Certainly not for him.
David Audley was in the past.
And he could stay there.
***
Amelia adjusted the black feather cape to cover her décolletage as she and Bibi stepped into Mayfair’s mythical world of Greek gods and goddesses, dominos, Roman soldiers, and even a pair of matching topiaries. The Chickerings’ ballroom vibrated with excitement, causing goose bumps to pop up along her bare arms.
She enjoyed masked balls, but she approached the evening’s event with trepidation.
Captain Hillary had indicated he would seek her out, and she was uncertain how Bibi might react if he did. In addition, she dreaded the talk she must have with him, but she couldn’t avoid the unpleasantness. She would tell Jake’s brother, so there was no room for misinterpretation, that she desired no association with him.
Bibi readjusted the snow-white mask covering the top half of her face and grinned, her red lips standing out in contrast. “Lively crowd this evening.”
Merry voices intertwined and overlapped until nothing was distinguishable, aside from an occasional peal of laughter. The ballroom boasted low lighting, lending a wicked ambiance to the affair. Gentlemen and ladies stood closer than deemed appropriate, a subtle brush of hip against hip or gentle touch of hand to elbow revealing their secret desires.
Bibi’s brown gaze swept over Amelia. “Signore Alberto surpassed all expectations with your costume. Reports of his superior craftsmanship were not exaggerated.”
It was true the artisan had created a masterpiece, from her helmet and mask combination to the gold-plated breastplate, which shielded barely anything from view. Amelia felt overexposed and consequently grateful for the full cape of dyed goose feathers draped around her shoulders.
“Let’s join the fray, shall we, Freya?”
Amelia hung back as Bibi immersed herself into the gay crowd, but soon hurried after her. Being alone in a social gathering was even worse than being surrounded by heavily perfumed bodies and the occasional wandering hand.
When Bibi disappeared among the taller guests, Amelia followed the golden asp’s head rising into the air from her mask.
The snake slithered and bobbed, twisting until she lost sight of it.
Jumbled bodies closed in around her. A light sheen covered her skin as a wave of dizziness engulfed her. She had to get out of there. Amelia gulped in big breaths of air to fight the suffocating sensation and shoved through the guests to escape to the sidelines.
Cooler air drifted inside through the opened French doors, the veranda beckoning to her. Amelia searched the crush once more for Bibi but didn’t see her. Slipping into the night, she filled her lungs with fresh air.
A full moon illuminated the empty space, creating a magical world in the gardens beyond the veranda. She moved to the railing and leaned against the smooth marble. A welcome breeze washed over her heated skin, and she lifted her face with closed eyes.
“Freya, most glorious of the goddesses.”
Jake. A smile pulled at her lips. She peered over her shoulder, her breath catching at the sight of the ethereal deity sharing the veranda with her. “Adonis, we meet at last. Rumors circulated that you were merely a myth, but I see everyone was mistaken.”
Jake’s chuckle warmed her blood, as did the glimpse of his strong calves peeking out from beneath the pristine robe.
“Should you be out here alone?” he asked.
She patted the sword at her side as she turned fully to face him. “I am armed for battle. Do you have need of a protector?”
“An armed escort as I walk the gardens might be wise.” He stepped forward with a slight frown. “Amelia, could we go somewhere to talk?”
Eight
Jake’s thoughts fled as soon as Amelia linked her arm with his. Not that he had prepared a speech when he followed her to the veranda. He hadn’t even formed a solid plan when the sight of her in the full moonlight had stolen his breath. Inviting her to walk in the garden had been impulsive.
They meandered along the path. The whispers of a set of lovers rendezvousing in the shadowed garden carried on the breeze.
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