Thwarting the Duke

by Ava Stone

  “Negotiating.” He nodded, and started leading her around the edge of the ballroom once again. “A much nicer term than blackmail, don’t you think?”

  “I suppose it depends on whether you are the blackmailer or the blackmailee. Negotiation seems nicer if one is the blackmailer; but blackmail seems more apt if one is the blackmailee.”

  He couldn’t help it, he laughed. She might not have the same sparkle in her eye that she once had, but she was the most enchanting girl he’d ever encountered. Damn Henry in his grave for finding her first.

  Draughton caught Thad’s eye and his laugh died away. He did have business to attend to, no matter that he’d rather chat with Lady Hope the rest of the evening. He drew her to a stop once more. “Why don’t I come by Post House tomorrow and we can negotiate further?”

  She frowned slightly. “I don’t know if that’s the best idea.”

  On the contrary, it was the best one he’d had all evening. “We’ll go for a ride in the park. I’ll drive.” Then he lifted her gloved hand to his lips and bowed slightly. “Until tomorrow.”

  Chapter 4

  “And then he left you in the middle of the ballroom?” Grace asked, dropping onto the edge of Hope’s bed.

  “He made a beeline for Lord Draughton and the two of them left shortly after that.” Heavens! Hope touched a hand to her heart. “You don’t think he’ll tell Lord Draughton about the coaching accident, do you?”

  Grace scrunched up her nose. “I don’t know to what benefit. Why would Draughton even care? It’s not as though he’s a friend of Mama’s.”

  That was true. Perhaps Lord Kilworth talking to Lord Draughton had nothing to do with Hope. But what if it did? What if he intended to tell everyone about the accident? He’d probably wait until after their negotiations failed, right? “He’s going to come here tomorrow.” She collapsed against her pillows in defeat.

  “Do you think he means to tell Mama himself?”

  Drat! Would he do that? “He said we could negotiate further in the park.”

  “He’ll wait to talk to you first, then. “ Grace blew out a breath. “So you’ll just have to convince him not to say anything during your ride.”

  There was the devil’s chance of that working. Hope was always more likely to be the one talked into things rather than being the one doing the talking. Of the three of them, Grace was the best negotiator. If only—“I’ve got it!” She sat back up and grinned at her sister. “You can go instead of me.”

  “I beg your pardon?” Grace’s voice raised an octave.

  But it was the most perfect idea. Hope reached for her sister’s hand. “He doesn’t know us well enough to tell us apart. He already thought you were me once.”

  Grace’s brow furrowed. “And what am I supposed to say to him?”

  “Just convince him to keep his mouth closed. You’re so much better at this sort of thing than I am. A ride in the carriage with you and he’ll never even think to talk to me again.”

  “That doesn’t sound terribly complimentary.”

  Perhaps not, but it was the truth. When in the proper mood, no one in the world had a sharper tongue than Grace. “Just pretend he’s Lord Prestwood and put him firmly in his place. Scare him so soundly that he’ll never think to cross you…er…me in the future.”

  Grace heaved a sigh. “In the first place, no one in the world is as inept as Prestwood.”

  Lord Prestwood was perfectly fine, even if Grace did hate the very sight of the man. “Please?” Hope begged.

  Her sister scrubbed a hand down her face. “I hardly think Mr. Lacy would approve if he found out.”

  Was that all? “Who’s going to tell him?” Hope asked, grinning from ear to ear. “Besides, if Lord Kilworth hadn’t been such a black-hearted beast that night at the theatre, you might still be waiting for Mr. Lacy to propose.”

  One of Grace’s eyebrows lifted. “When put that way, I should be doing him a favor and not you.”

  Hope rolled her eyes. As though Grace would ever side with Lord Kilworth over her own sister. “You will do it, won’t you? Help me untangle this mess I’ve somehow gotten myself into?”

  “I’ll do it,” Grace breathed out. “But you have to tell me everything, every single thing the two of you have said to each other, or I’ll never pull it off.”

  There wasn’t that much to tell. In fact, Hope was fairly certain she had already told Grace every bit of it, but her sister was doing her a favor. So Hope started again from the beginning. “Jamie and I were chasing after Alice Humphreys’ barouche…”

  The Posts’ white parlor was very white, not even a hint of any other color as Thad glanced around the room for the hundredth time. He’d been waiting ten minutes already and wondered exactly how long Lady Hope intended to make him cool his heels. He’d spent the entire morning and the better part of the previous night thinking about her. The missing sparkle in her eyes, the plumpness of her bottom lip, the creamy swells hinted at beneath her bodice. And she had the most intoxicating scent, like wisteria on a breezy spring day, the memory of which had kept him awake for several hours. It was all slightly maddening.

  “Lord Kilworth?” Her lyrical voice from the threshold made Thad’s breath catch in his throat.

  He spun on his heels and couldn’t help but smile. She was beautiful, strikingly so. “My lady, you do look lovely.” And she did, but there was something unusual about her that morning. Lady Hope held herself more proudly than she had last night, and her eyes…Well, they were still missing their sparkle, but there was something else that didn’t seem quite right, not that he knew her very well at all.

  She heaved an irritated sigh. “A ride in the park, wasn’t it? Let’s do get this over with.”

  So no banter today. That was unfortunate. She’d been so charming last night. “Are you feeling all right?”

  She narrowed her eyes on him and a chill rippled through Thad. “How unusual for a blackmailer to care one way or the other.”

  Oh, for God’s sake. He wasn’t really blackmailing her. Besides, hadn’t they decided that they were negotiating? It was all just flirtation in any event. “Well…” he began.

  But an older lady with blonde and silver hair appeared in the doorway at that moment, “Grace!” she snapped. “I thought you were going to do something about that girl.”

  Grace? She was Lady Grace! Why the devil was Grace Post passing herself off as her sister? A muscle began to twitch in Thad’s jaw. Did the two of them think they could play him for a fool? They likely would have if their mother hadn’t spoiled their plans. But to what end?

  Lady Grace’s face turned slightly red. “Mama, can’t we discuss this later?”

  “We will discuss it now,“ her mother said, and apparently didn’t realize Thad was in the parlor. “That girl is wholly unacceptable, and you are well aware of the fact. You were supposed to talk to Mr. Lacy—”

  Lady Grace sucked in a breath. “Hope has company, Mama.” And she tipped her head towards Thad.

  The dowager Marchioness of Bradenham glanced from her daughter to Thad and a bit of color stained her cheeks. “I’m terribly sorry. I didn’t realize.”

  “I’m Kilworth,” Thad introduced himself.

  And the bit of color on the marchioness’ face went from a slight pink to a blood red in half a second. “Kilworth?” she nearly shrieked.

  From her reaction, it was quite clear that the marchioness had not been terribly fond of Thad’s predecessor. Something the two of them had in common. “I assure you, Lady Bradenham, I am not cut from the same cloth as my late-cousin.”

  Lady Grace snorted which pulled her mother’s attention back to her. “Go get your sister, Grace. Then we will continue our conversation in just a moment.”

  Blast it! Hope knew she shouldn’t nibble on her nails, but she was just so nervous, she couldn’t help it. Hopefully, Grace could pull off a miracle where Lord Kilworth was concerned, but… she glanced down at the jagged edges of her nails and winced. Heav
ens, her fingers looked atrocious. She’d be wearing gloves to bed for the next fort—

  The door to her chambers burst open and Grace stumbled inside, her face flushed and looking positively panicked.

  “Good heavens!” Hope’s hand fluttered to her heart. Her sister couldn’t have dispensed with Lord Kilworth so quickly, could she? Had he done something awful to put Grace in such a state? “What happened?”

  “Mama,” Grace whispered. “She came upon us. She said my name. He knows I’m me and he’s waiting for you.”

  Hope’s stomach twisted and she was fairly certain she was going to be ill. “He’s waiting for me?” What in the world was she going to say to the blackguard?

  “Mama is still with him,” her sister added urgently.

  Drat it all! What if he was telling Mama right at that moment that Hope had been the one driving Jamie’s phaeton in the park the other day? Without another word for her sister, Hope brushed past Grace and raced as quickly as she was able in her slippers to the white parlor.

  “I’m certain you can understand my trepidation.” Mama’s voice drifted down the corridor and Hope slowed her gait so she could hear the conversation better.

  “Considering my cousin’s reputation, Lady Bradenham,” came Kilworth’s voice, “your worries are completely understandable. But I can assure you, my highest priority as earl is to return the Kilworth name to its formerly untarnished prestige.”

  Formerly untarnished prestige. Hope couldn’t help but frown. Henry was dead. Must everyone, even his own flesh, continue to speak ill of him?

  “Happy as I am to hear that, I’m certain you can appreciate that any attention you bestow upon Hope will only remind the ton further of her association with your predecessor. That would be most unfortunate for my daughter.”

  Heaven forbid anyone remember Henry fondly. Hope’s blood began to boil.

  “It was complete happenstance that she bumped into me in the park—”

  Heavens! He couldn’t finish that sentence.

  Hope burst into the parlor, her heart pounding in her chest. “We’re to go for a ride, weren’t we, Lord Kilworth?”

  He pushed off the settee at her entrance, and his dark gaze settled on her. Hope’s breath caught in her throat. Blast him for having any sort of effect on her at all. And blast him for being so singularly handsome.

  Chapter 5

  Ah, yes. That blonde, with her flushed cheeks and panicked emerald eyes, standing just inside the parlor was most definitely Lady Hope. At least Thad thought she was. The girl did have another identical sister. But they wouldn’t try to pull the wool over his eyes a second time, would they? Not with their mother right there in the parlor with him? “As long as we have Lady Bradenham’s blessing.” And once he had that blessing, he and Lady Hope were going to have a very long conversation about this most recent deceit.

  The dowager marchioness looked from Thad to Lady Hope, her brow furrowed. “I suppose I could chaperone the two of you.”

  Well, that was counterproductive to his purposes. “I’m afraid there’s only room for two in Cole’s phaeton.” Which was the main point in possessing such a conveyance. Well, that and the thrill of racing, of course.

  “I beg your pardon?” Lady Bradenham’s brow furrowed even further in confusion.

  What did she not understand? He chanced a glance toward Lady Hope whose cheeks were still a rather endearing pink. “Cole’s phaeton only has room for two,” he said again, slightly differently, thinking perhaps word order might explain away whatever it was her ladyship had not understood.

  “You thought to take my daughter for a ride in the park in a borrowed phaeton?” She sounded on the edge of histrionics, to be honest. She was tightly wound, wasn’t she?

  “Mama,” Lady Hope whispered.

  “Do you not have your own conveyance, Lord Kilworth?” Lady Bradenham speared him with a horrified expression.

  Honestly, what business was it of hers whether he owned a conveyance or not? The truth was, he owned a number of them, but a nice phaeton only had room for two and his was currently in Mr. Davies’s shop. “Well, I—”

  “Mama!” Lady Hope nearly squealed. “Lord Kilworth has a perfectly nice phaeton, but Jamie crashed into him. Remember?” And she shot Thad a murderous expression as though daring him to contradict her.

  Ah! That’s what this was about. Lady Bradenham would lose her mind if she knew her daughter had been driving that day in the park. And that was why she thought Thad meant to blackmail her. Well, that was interesting, wasn’t it? He couldn’t help but smile in return.

  “Indeed,” he agreed, thoroughly enjoying himself as he let his gaze settle on the blonde he’d thought so much about the last few days. “Lord Robert offered me the use of his phaeton while mine is in the process of repair.”

  “Oh!” Lady Bradenham’s hand fluttered to her chest. “I hadn’t realized the incident Hope and James were involved in had caused any sort of damage. Was anyone hurt?”

  “We were fortunate not to have suffered injury to any humans or equines in the collision.”

  “I don’t know what was wrong with my nephew that day. It’s quite unlike him to behave so recklessly.”

  But not so unlike her daughter just a few feet away. Reckless Lady Hope who had first captured Thad’s notice with that infamous romp through the Serpentine the previous year. “Perhaps he’s easily influenced, my lady,” Thad replied, which earned him a scathing look from Lady Hope. It was quite impossible for her to be any lovelier than she was right then, color in her cheeks, her emerald eyes flashing indignantly, and all the while trying to appear composed in front of her mother. Thad wasn’t certain when he’d had so much fun. “Or distracted,” he tossed in for good measure. Lady Hope could, after all, probably distract a saint.

  “He was quite intent on catching Miss Humphreys’ barouche that afternoon,” the tempting blonde added.

  Her mother frowned at that. Then she turned her attention back on Thad. “You won’t have her gone too long, will you, my lord?”

  Only as long as he was able. Thad shook his head. “Just a quick ride through the park, Lady Bradenham, though I suppose we could always encounter an acquaintance or two along the way.”

  The dowager marchioness acknowledged that with a nod of her head. “Very well.”

  Thad started towards the threshold and offered his arm to Lady Hope. He managed to hide his grin as she begrudgingly slid her dainty hand around the crook of his arm.

  Awful, irritating, manipulative jackanapes! If Hope never saw Lord Kilworth again, it would be too soon.

  “Aren’t you a cunning little minx?” he asked as he led her through the front door and out onto the stoop.

  That was hardly complimentary. Hope glared up at the earl. “Still as charming as ever, I see.”

  A shadow of a smile graced his face as though he was truly enjoying himself. Despicable blackguard. “Did you truly think it would be so easy to fool me?” he asked, guiding her to his borrowed phaeton. Then he placed both hands on her waist and lifted her up into the conveyance. Heavens! The heat from his touch nearly seared her.

  Hope gasped at his familiarity. “I can manage on my own,” she grumbled. Why in the world would a touch from him make her feel…anything?

  And that smile of his grew even wider like he knew he’d affected her somehow. Blast him. He rounded the back of the phaeton and then settled beside her on the seat. “I’m sure you won’t object if I drive. Less dangerous that way, don’t you agree?” he said so condescendingly, Hope wanted to slug him.

  Less dangerous. She tipped her head back and narrowed her eyes on the earl. “Until I push you over the side to your death.”

  He laughed as he urged the pair of matched bays forward. “I am not sure how I ever mistook you for your sister, Lady Hope. I can promise that I will never do so again.”

  He certainly wouldn’t be the first to think so, but Hope, Grace and Patience had done a fair amount of impersonating each oth
er over the years. Well…Hope and Grace had done so. Patience couldn’t keep a secret if her life depended upon it. “As I have no plans to see you in the future, Lord Kilworth, I suppose we’ll never know the truth one way or the other.”

  “You do wound me,” he said, sounding fairly far from wounded as his horses continued onto South Street. “And I thought we had such a delightful time sparring with each other.”

  Spending time with him was not delightful in the least. But Hope bit her tongue from saying as much to keep from sparring with the man, since he seemed to enjoy it so much. Thankfully, they continued in silence for a bit, at least until they approached Park Lane.

  “You aren’t quite the same as I remember you from last year, however,” Lord Kilworth said softly.

  Last year? On her life, Hope had never encountered the man until a few days ago. She glanced up at him only to find the earl’s eyes firmly on the road before them. “We’ve never met before,” she said. And they hadn’t. She would have remembered his arrogance had their paths ever crossed.

  “In the park,” he said evenly. “You were romping through the Serpentine with my cousin. It’s a memory I’ll never forget.”

  He had been in the park that day? Heavens. She’d never live that day down as long as she lived. Henry had snatched the strand of pearls from around her neck. He had possessed the cleverest of fingers. It was foolish of Hope to follow him into the Serpentine trying to get the necklace back. Looking back on that, she’d been so idiotic. But in the heat of the moment, and worried her mother would kill her if something happened to the heirloom, she’d followed Henry right into the water. He’d looked so surprised when she’d splashed into the water after him. And then he’d smiled so purely, so honestly, if she hadn’t already been in love with him, she’d have fallen that day.

  She’d slipped in the water and ended up bringing Henry right down with her. They’d both been drenched from head to toe. She could even remember the horrid taste of that water in her mouth. But nothing else had mattered, nothing other than Henry. “It was not one of my better days,” she said, missing the loss of Henry all over again. She could live to be 500, and she’d never get over losing him.