by Lavinia Kent
“Anne felt that this was a discussion for men. She was uncomfortable raising the subject. I think she fears you will try and change her mind. She is delicate and fears a stern look will send her into a faint. I know you want only what is best for her. And I am sure, being a reasonable man, that you will understand that is to stay here—in London.”
“I am not sure that I do understand. She agreed to return to Rhode Island with me.”
“As I said, she has changed her mind.”
Derek rose to standing. He was beginning to be afraid that he did understand, all too well. “That is not acceptable.”
“It will have to be.” Mr. Williams stood as well.
“And what exactly does that mean?” He was not prepared to compromise on this point.
“I think you know what it means as well as I.”
“Actually I don’t. I always find it helpful if threats are specific. What will happen if I insist that Anne return with me? My family is expecting me to come and take my part in running the mills.” Not that he had yet agreed to any such future.
“I am sure they will adjust. You do have a younger brother.”
Yes, he did, a younger brother who gave every indication of enjoying the business. “Yes, but that does not change the expectations placed on me.”
“I am sure they can be brought around. My family can be very generous if it will keep Anne happy. And I know you want to keep Anne happy. You would not be getting engaged if you did not.”
Was Mr. Williams really saying what he thought? “Your family? I would not have thought that there had been time to send word to them and get a reply.” A cold anger grew within him as he began to understand.
Mr. Williams looked uncomfortable for the first time. “I believe she discussed it with them before her journey.”
“Perhaps about the time she decided to delay our engagement?”
“I do not know.”
He’d been manipulated. Had Anne ever been willing to come back to Rhode Island with him? Or had it all been a plan? He was tired of being told what to do by others. The pressure from his own family had been enough; he was not about to bow down to Anne’s as well. “I truly think that it would be best if I discussed this with Anne. I am sure we can come to some agreement.”
“I am afraid she might find such a conversation distressing.”
Anne? He’d yet to see Anne distressed about anything more than a bent feather on her bonnet. “Still, I think this is a conversation we must have.”
“She does not wish to talk to you until this has been resolved. She knows that to go to the harsh colonies would be the death of her.”
Derek thought of his parent’s plush home and furnishings. Harsh? “It will be hard to announce our engagement if we are not speaking. I think you should have her fetched here. I will not play out this charade without her.”
Mr. Williams stared at him and did not answer.
“Ahh, I understand. You might tell her that this would have been a more useful conversation before the weaving machines were loaded on the Dawn’s Light and payment made.” At least the machines had been delivered and paid for. It was far better this way than if they had been a dowry gift, a gift he would feel obligated to return.
“I think you would be foolish not to accept the influence my family has. You would do well not to dismiss our power.”
There was nothing to do but laugh. “I think you will find that I do not respond well to force.” He walked to the door. “Give Anne my best. Tell her I am sorry I could not stay. If she wishes, she may send note of when she wishes to converse with me. If I do not hear from her I will take that as a message in and of itself.”
“You are being very foolish. Very, very foolish.” Mr. Williams looked like he didn’t quite know how to respond to the situation that had developed. It was clear this was not the outcome he had expected. Had Anne led him to believe that Derek would be such a milquetoast?
“Perhaps, but I have been foolish before and will, I am sure, be again.” He walked from the room and then the house, his hat and walking stick abandoned. He had never liked them anyway.
—
He had not come. The thought played around and around in Ruby’s mind. She adjusted the wig upon her head, placed the sapphire bobs in her ears, checked her cosmetics, and ran her hands down the sleek red satin of the low-cut dress. She prefered to avoid wearing red too often, but tonight she’d felt the need to push her dress to the limits.
Derek had not come. It was true she’d given him two days to arrive and today had only been the first, but she’d been counting on him being there, on introducing him to her grandfather, on seeing what would happen then. She refused to let herself dwell on her hoped-for outcome. She would not think beyond their meeting.
Her grandfather had known of Derek’s family, had even done business with them. His reaction had been so strange when she’d mentioned Derek that for a moment she’d feared he had something against the family, but he’d quickly placed a smile on his face and seemed eager to see Derek, who he apparently had some current business with—some type of delayed cargo.
He’d pursed his lips tight and looked doubtful at her story that Captain Price was a friend of her employer, but he had not pursued the issue—keeping his silence as always. His mind might be filled with the imagined truth, a truth probably far too accurate, but he nodded and admitted that he’d only heard good things about the Price family and that his own experiences had all been pleasant.
When Derek had not appeared, he’d still made no comment, although his lips had drawn tighter, his stare more intense. “Your grandmother has invited some gentlemen acquaintances to dinner next Sabbath,” had been his only comment before he set her to work trying to figure why the columns of the account book were not matching. The simple transposition of two sets of numbers had been the answer, apparent after an hour’s work.
Normally having the columns match would have given her an inner pleasure, but all she’d been able to do was wonder why Derek had not come. And would he come tomorrow?
She shook her head, trying to knock the thought away. It was bad enough that she’d spent the afternoon on such thoughts. It would not do to spend the night as well.
Tonight she would think about the running of the house, about her girls. She’d been far too distracted recently, and she knew from experience how quickly inattention could result in difficulties. It was easier to take care of problems before they arose than after.
She glanced at the clock. It was still early, but if she headed down now, she could offer Tilly and Simms a sherry in the parlor before her patrons began to arrive. A quick drink and a few words about how things had run the last few nights would do much to restore her mood. And then the patrons and their admiring glances.
Yes, she would sink into being Madame Rouge and let that content her.
With that thought in mind, she slipped from her chamber and headed down the hall and then the long stair to the entry.
Simms met her at the bottom of the stairs, a worried expression upon his face.
She nodded in inquiry.
“Lord Thorton is in the parlor,” he said.
That took care of her desired glass of sherry. She could have one with him, but it would not be the same. “He is quite early. Did he say what he wants?”
“No, only that he demanded to speak to you.”
Demanded? Not requested. It was impossible to miss the emphasis Simms placed upon the word. “Then I suppose I had best see what he wants.”
Simms smiled gratefully.
Placing her professional smile upon her lips and adding an extra sway to her hips, Ruby entered the parlor. “It is good to see you, Lord Thorton. I am so happy that you reconsidered your decision to stay away. Is there some way I can help you? Is something amiss? Was one of my girls not to your liking?”
“I am glad to see you back in your proper place, Madame Rouge.” Lord Thorton did not sound happy.
“Have you mis
sed me these last nights? I am sorry. I fear I’ve been a trifle indisposed.” Men always quailed at the thought of indisposed women. No man wanted to inquire too closely as to what the problem might be.
“Actually, I was not here last evening to miss you,” Thorton replied. “I was attending the Simpsons’ masquerade at my sister’s request.”
A shiver stole up Ruby’s spine. “Oh?”
“Yes, and I was rather surprised to see a certain medieval maiden walking with a saunter I know only too well—or perhaps not well enough.”
Ruby had a bad feeling that she knew where this was heading. How could he have recognized her? Had others? She’d thought her costume and wig most concealing, but perhaps she had been wrong. Had she been careless? Overconfident? “I am not sure that I know to what you refer.”
“Do not play coy with me.” Thorton took a step toward her, reminding her that he was quite a tall man. “I am not blind—and I did not miss seeing you slip out with that same sea captain I’ve seen you with here.”
“I don’t…” Her voice trailed off at the look in his eyes.
“It is no use to pretend. You have broken both your own rules and the rules of society. I was trying to overlook your laxity, to remember that you are only a woman, but I don’t know what you were playing at attending a society function. It is most unacceptable. You might speak with ladies of character at such an event.”
She hated the hypocrisy of men. Her girls were good enough for an evening’s pleasure, but the thought of them even talking with a man’s wife or daughter…“I am sure you mean no insult,” she said through gritted teeth.
“Oh, I am quite sure that I do mean insult,” Thorton replied, looking down and admiring his nails. “You have behaved beyond the pale and I see no reason to pretend otherwise. I would not even bother to discuss it with you if you had not acted as if you understood in the past.”
Fighting her growing fury—and dread—Ruby could only nod. She did not need this complication now.
“Life has rules. Whether one likes them or not, they exist. I thought you were clear about this. I have seen you be most strident with your girls. I am not sure what has changed recently, but it must stop and stop now.”
Deep breath. Deep breath. Lord Thorton is a powerful man. It does not do to anger powerful men. Deep breath. Deep breath. “I do not admit to being at the Simpsons’ affair the other night. I had a personal matter I needed to attend to which kept me from the house. And I am quite capable of deciding what rules to comply with in my own house.”
“Tut, tut, tut. That is how problems develop, when people think to decide what rules to apply. You made rules. Now stick to them. I will not push about the Simpsons’ masquerade. I notice you did not go so far as to lie, and I will commend you on that and not push you into the mistruth you try to avoid. Just do not let it happen again.”
Who was this man that he thought to govern her? She had never heard such nonsense. Oh, the replies that came to mind. Only, she knew just who he was and what he could do. Could he ruin her, ruin Madame Rouge’s? Probably not, at least not completely. But was she willing to risk all on a probably? She had survived other such threats in the past, and she certainly had friends in high places, but…“I will take your words under advisement.”
Thorton looked up, let his eyes roam over her in a manner that was deliberately cold and insulting. “See that you do. I am very capable of carrying through with my threats.”
Ruby pressed her lips tight, still trying to swallow the words that wished to bubble forth. If only she understood why Lord Thorton cared so much. She’d always considered him one of her nicer patrons. Yes, he’d always been obsessed with rules, but his current behavior was far beyond reasonable.
“And don’t look at me like that, my girl. I am being generous with you. If I chose to enforce my views, I promise you would be much less happy.”
There was something very chilling in the man’s tone, something that caused Ruby to take notice. She had assumed that he meant only to spread the word that her house was not the reliable, comfortable place it had always been, but something in his words made her wonder. This sounded far more like a direct threat, but a threat of what? Well, if all went as she wished, it would be her successor who’d have to deal with him. And wasn’t that a strange thought—her successor? She could almost feel sorry for that unknown woman, or man, as she gazed across at the arrogant, little lord.
And if she stayed? If Derek never came? Or if he refused her? Then she would manage Lord Thorton as she had managed all such threats in the past. She would not be cowed, not now.
She nodded again. “I will be careful, Lord Thorton.”
He looked directly into her eyes, clearly seeing all that she did not say. And then with a nod of his own, he was gone.
Chapter 21
Derek rubbed his aching head and sat up, looking about his cabin on the Dawn’s Light. Fuck, that had been a mess yesterday. A wrong cargo being loaded. A dockmaster wanting thrice the normal payoff. The delayed cargo still not here. Three men missing—only one of whom had showed up, stumbling and drunk. A fight between two other men over a tailor’s daughter.
There were times when giving up the sea did not seem such a punishment.
And he was not even thinking about being summoned to meet with Anne and her brother and the disaster the meeting had been. A meeting that still had him seeing red every time he closed his eyes and let his thoughts wander.
Had Anne really believed he’d just give in? They did not know each other well, but how could she believe he’d be so easily persuaded, manipulated? Did she not know him at all? He’d never given any indication that he’d stay in England. He’d always been very clear that he intended to make his home in America.
His blood boiled at what a fool she must have thought him, what a pliable fool.
At least that was done. His family would not be pleased, but neither would they have been pleased if he’d refused to return to Rhode Island.
And there were other possibilities…If only Anne did not relent and summon him back.
Ruby.
He had missed seeing her yesterday.
She’d be upset, women always were. But hopefully if he arrived on time today she’d be soothed. She had given him two days and she was a reasonable woman.
A woman who would never try to manipulate him, never try to force his hand.
And if he could get over his feelings of Anne’s manipulation last night, it might even lead to those possibilities he barely dared to dream of, possibilities that would make Ruby very happy—at least he hoped they would.
Getting up from the bed, he picked up the pitcher of water and poured some into a bowl, splashing his face. It was still early, but it was not a fast ride in from the Port of London—and he had a feeling Ruby would not take it well if he were late today.
All he had to do was think her name and she filled his mind, lush and creamy, curled against his side. He could almost feel her against him, her softness and musky smell, her sleepy words whispering in his ear.
And possibility…
Could he dare hope?
His shoulders eased. His neck unknotted. Such was the power of the thought. He indulged himself for a moment, relishing the memory of her beside him, of the deep comfort and safety of the moment.
It was only as he pulled on his breeches and boots that he realized he’d been thinking about words and cuddles instead of breasts, and belly, and…
What was happening to him?
—
Slowly Ruby walked the stairs up to her grandfather’s office. She’d come much later today than yesterday, having no need to explain about Derek again, but no dread was filling her—not that she’d been without a belly full of anxiety for more than an hour at a time for several days.
For so long she’d felt that all the large choices in her life were made and now nothing was certain. Everything seemed to be pointing her in a new direction, but did she have the courage to foll
ow? And even if she did, there were so many questions.
The largest of them Derek.
She didn’t even know if he’d consider what she proposed. He might be furious that she had held so much of herself back—although when she should have revealed herself to him was unclear, certainly not that first night months ago when what had passed between them had only been an impulse and a dream.
And what of these past weeks? At what point had things changed between them? Had things changed between them or was it only in her mind?
And what of Anne?
Her stomach felt as if it lifted and turned over, and then turned again.
Even if Derek was interested, even if he desired the same as she, would he be willing to set aside his promise, even if it was only the promise of a promise? He was a man of honor. Of that she had not the slightest doubt. If he gave his word, he would keep it. But had he given his word? How did he consider the current situation?
And what of his family? She had no doubt that there would be advantages to an alliance with her grandfather’s firm, but would they consider that payment for losing whatever it was they gained from the alliance with Anne’s family?
Her mind spinning with questions, she pushed open the door and stepped into the crowded office.
Her grandfather looked up. That strange look again upon his face. “Is he here, then?”
“No, but it is still early. I do not expect him for at least an hour.”
“And if he does not come?”
That was the heart of the question that kept Ruby’s innards spinning. What if he did not come? Did she take that as a sign of disinterest and disinclination, or was it merely a matter of circumstance? Derek did not know what she wanted, so it would be hard to take his not coming as a refusal, but if he did not arrive, what choices did she have left?
Spin. Grumble. Spin. Drop. Spin. Her stomach felt like she’d been at sea for a week in heavy storm waters—and eaten a plate of bad fish as well.