A Scandalous Pursuit

by Ava Stone

  The man’s reputation, which had at one time been titillating, was now a pressing concern. Not that she didn’t trust Livvie’s judgment—she did, or she normally would have. Again the image of the two of them in the hallway that morning, gazing only at each other, flashed through Cordie’s mind and she cringed. Kelfield was only concerned about himself. Everyone knew that. And she didn’t want to see her dearest friend get caught up in something that was certain to hurt her.

  Riding? Why had he insisted they go riding? To get Livvie alone without the watchful eyes of those who cared about her. Obviously. What if Livvie was in some sort of trouble?

  “My darling.” Gabriel stopped again, tipping her chin up until she looked at him. “You look distressed.”

  She forced another smile to her face and shook free from his hold. “Truly, sir, I am fine. I was just thinking I might like to go for a ride. Would you go with me?”

  He frowned, looking out at the darkening horizon. “Not with a storm brewing. I’ll take you riding tomorrow, if you want.”

  Tomorrow would be too late. She scrunched up her nose. “Then might we go to the stables at least?”

  “Are you very fond of horses, my dear?”

  Hardly. She’d been kicked by one of her father’s hunters when she was as a child after Russell had startled the thing. Ever since, she’d been careful not to ever be behind one. Though she handled herself fine in the saddle, she generally preferred other amusements. “Of course. Isn’t everyone?”

  He rubbed his chin. “If you were unable to ride, say for months at a time, would it make you unhappy?”

  What a bizarre question. “Why should I be unable to ride?” she asked, tugging him towards the path leading to the Prestwick stables. If they hurried, perhaps she could find out from the groom how long Livvie and Kelfield had been gone. Perhaps she could find out if he knew in which direction her friend had ridden. Then perhaps she could start out on her own to find them. Better her than someone else.

  Gabriel stumbled after her, but steadied himself. “I don’t know,” he replied. “What if you were away…say, at sea for months on end?”

  Cordie’s feet stopped working and Gabriel slammed into her back. She turned her head and blinked at him. “What if I was a sea for months on end?” she echoed, not certain she’d heard him correctly.

  A smile flashed across his handsome face. “I’d like to talk to your brother once we’re back in London—”

  “M-my brother?” She must sound daft, repeating everything he said, but she couldn’t seem to help herself.

  Gabriel caressed her cheek with his callused thumb. “Only if you want me to. Life as a seaman’s wife isn’t always easy. Just ask Mrs. Greywood. But… Well, some captains and commanders have their wives with them, and…” His brow furrowed instantly as he looked over Cordie’s shoulder. “Sweet Neptune,” he muttered in astonishment.

  Cordie turned and saw what had captured Gabriel’s interest. Livvie was racing towards the house with Kelfield fast on her heels, holding a yellow flower of some sort against his chest. A peal of laughter escaped Livvie as Kelfield reached for her, but he missed. Then the two of them rounded the side of the house, disappearing from Cordie’s view.

  Good heavens! It was worse than she thought.

  The back French doors were open and Livvie was almost there. Just as she was about to dart inside, Alex grabbed her waist and hauled her backwards into the wall of his chest. He was panting against her ear, and Livvie felt lightheaded in his embrace. “Alex,” she giggled, “someone will see.”

  “Nonsense,” he growled and kissed the side of her neck. “No one’s around.” Then he spun her to face him and presented the cowslip he’d picked during their lunch. “For you.”

  She smiled coyly and shook her head. “That’s your one chance at heaven. I won’t take it from you.”

  “Sweetheart—” he dipped his head down— “you’re all the heaven I want.”

  Then he kissed her very softly.

  Livvie was certain that her toes curled.

  Once inside Prestwick Chase, Alex left her with the flower and a self-satisfied smile, promising to find her later. She lifted the cowslip to her nose and inhaled the light scent.

  Honestly, she would have been happy to spend the rest of the day with him. Riding. Laughing. Chasing. Kissing. The man knew how to kiss and how to touch her. She grinned, remembering how glorious he had made her feel all afternoon. How strange it all was. Just a few days ago, she couldn’t abide him at all.

  She began to climb the stairs, lost in her thoughts, until—

  “Livvie!” Caroline’s voice brought her out of her reverie. Her cousin’s eyes widened as she descended the steps towards her. “Heaven’s, Livvie, you’ll catch the ague if we don’t get you out of those clothes.”

  She hadn’t even realized she was wet from the ride. Funny what spending time with Alex did to her.

  Then Caroline proceeded to drag her up to her room, demanding she bathe and change into something dry.

  After she slipped into a simple, pink day dress, Caroline returned to her threshold wearing a slight frown. “Am I to understand that you went riding with Kelfield today?”

  “Yes, we had a delightful time.” Livvie chewed her bottom lip and then picked up the cowslip from her bedside table. She brought the flower to her nose. The fragrance was still light and sweet.

  “Indeed?” her cousin asked with a raised brow. “So much for not encouraging him,” she grumbled.

  Livvie twirled the cowslip with her fingers, avoiding Caroline’s scrutinizing gaze. It wouldn’t do for her cousin to start asking her questions she didn’t know how to answer. But after her ride with Alex, she had so many unanswered questions of her own. “Do you remember when you said that he was a devoted father?”

  “Of course.”

  The flower twirled faster. “H-how many children does he have?” She should at least know what she was getting herself into.

  “Olivia,” Caroline began, her voice a mere whisper. “You are playing with fire.”

  She heaved a sigh and met her cousin’s concerned eyes. “I know.”

  Caroline rubbed her brow as if to stave off a headache.

  Livvie pressed forward, hoping that she could learn something about the man. “But I’m certain that everything I have ever heard about him is false. I just can’t reconcile the evil Duke of Kelfield with Alex. He doesn’t seem like the same man at all.” Well, except for the wickedly wanton feelings he stirred in her, but other than that…

  “Alex?” Caroline asked with a frown.

  Livvie shrugged. “He asked me to call him that.” Demanded was more like it, but now she couldn’t imagine calling him as anything else. “Please, Caroline, are the ugly rumors true?”

  “Some of the things said about him are utterly false, some are exaggerations, but some, Olivia, are unfortunately true. Adore Kelfield as I do, he is a dangerous man.”

  That was an understatement, but Livvie wasn’t about to be deterred. She was certain her cousin knew the answers to many of her questions, and she was determined to have at least some of them answered. “How many children does he have, Caroline?”

  With a look of resignation, Caroline dropped onto the bed. “I shouldn’t even be discussing this with you.”

  “I know, and I thank you for it.”

  “He has a daughter—Poppy. She lives with her mother in Bloomsbury, but he sees her regularly and adores her.”

  Livvie nodded and then steeled herself to hear about the rest of his children, the dozens he was supposedly devoted to. But Caroline said nothing else. “Go on,” she urged.

  “She’s a sweet little girl. I believe she’s four now. Pretty thing. She has his eyes and dark hair, but I’ve only seen her once.”

  Livvie blinked. “Only one little girl? What about the others? The hordes they attribute him with?”

  Caroline shrugged. “I suppose it is possible that he has more. I’m not privy to all of his lia
isons. However, if he has more than Poppy, I don’t believe he knows about them. He has always made certain that she is well cared for, and I don’t see why he wouldn’t do the same for any other.”

  How very interesting. That was certainly not what she expected. What else had she been wrong about in regards to this man? Livvie dropped onto the bed, next to Caroline. “Poppy’s mother—who is she?”

  “For heaven’s sake, Livvie!”

  “Please, Caroline. Please tell me.”

  “Do you know what you’re getting yourself into?”

  “No,” Livvie answered honestly. “But you’ll tell me anyway, won’t you?”

  “Ellen Fairchild,” Caroline finally divulged with a furrowed brow.

  “The actress?” The wind rushed out of Livvie. She had seen Ellen Fairchild on the stage more than once. She was very talented. She was also very pretty.

  Caroline nodded.

  Livvie sighed, feeling a bit self conscious and gangly all of a sudden. Ellen Fairchild for heaven’s sake! The woman was a raving beauty. She would come up terribly short in a comparison with that particular woman.

  “Olivia, darling,” Caroline’s voice interrupted her thoughts, “would you care to tell me where you were last night?”

  “Where I was?” she asked, her heart suddenly in her throat.

  “I came to check on you, since you weren’t feeling well, but you weren’t in your room.”

  Heavens! She hated lying to Caroline. For one thing she always tried to be honest, and for another, she felt certain that her cousin could see right through her anyway. “Oh…well…I couldn’t sleep and thought I might find a book in the library.” There. She hadn’t said she’d gone to the library. It wasn’t technically a lie.

  “Oh,” Caroline replied, still studying her. Then she smiled brightly and took Livvie’s hand in hers. “Well, darling, I have another favor to ask of you.”

  “You do?”

  Caroline nodded and her golden brown curls bobbed up and down. “Tonight at Juliet’s ball, I’d like for you to keep Lord Clayworth company.”

  “Lord Clayworth?” Livvie hadn’t known Lord Adonis would be in attendance. That wouldn’t make Cordie happy at all. Perhaps she’d be so engaged with her captain she wouldn’t notice.

  “Hmm,” Caroline continued. “His ancestral seat, Bayhurst Court, is not far from here. I thought it would be good for him to bring his sister, Lady Rosamund. The poor girl is painfully shy and a bit awkward, I’m afraid. But since she should be debuting next season, Juliet and I believe she could benefit from this little event, get a bit of experience with these sorts of things.”

  Then one would think that Caroline would want her to spend time with Lady Rosamund, befriending her, making her feel comfortable. “You want me to keep Lord Clayworth entertained?”

  “Do you remember the ball I held in March?”

  Most balls, soirees, and fetes tended to blur together—but Caroline’s events always stood out for one reason or another. The particular ball she was referring to had caused quite a fuss. All of the hired servants had been painted silver and dressed as scantily clad Greek sculptures—an idea she claimed was Juliet’s, though Livvie had a hard time believing that. And the musicians had played more waltzes than was considered fashionable. But mostly the March ball stuck in Livvie’s mind because Lord and Lady Laude had gotten into a horrible fight in the middle of the room, with him complaining about her cavorting with the Maruqess of Haversham. The Staveley Ball was talked about for weeks. “Yes, of course.”

  “Well, Clayworth was supposed to be in attendance, but the obstinate man failed to arrive. I’ve yet to forgive him for the slight.”

  “Did he mean to slight you?” It always seemed to Livvie that the earl was quite fond of Caroline.

  Her cousin flashed a grin. “Somehow he has gotten it into his mind that I’ve turned my matchmaking machinations on him.”

  It all made sense now. “Which, of course, you have.”

  “Which, of course, I have,” she agreed with a grin. “But that doesn’t mean I want him to be certain of the fact. It will make the next season that much more difficult for me. Tonight he’ll expect me to try to pair him up with one of the young ladies in attendance, which means that is the very last thing I will do. Instead, I’d like to lull him into a false sense of security.”

  Livvie couldn’t help but laugh. For years she’d heard men bemoan Caroline’s abilities in this arena. They spoke of her as though she were an all-knowing deity bent on stealing their freedom. She imagined this conversation would make Lord Clayworth shudder in fear. “You want me to keep him entertained?”

  Caroline winked at her. “Livvie darling, you are happily betrothed. That makes you the only safe girl I can thrust in Clayworth’s path.”

  “Actually, Caroline, I know that Phoebe Greywood had her eye on the earl. Perhaps—”

  Her cousin fell out in a burst of giggles. “Goodness, Livvie, Brendan would decimate the poor girl.” When Livvie stared blankly at Caroline, her cousin smiled and continued. “Miss Greywood is young and silly. She wants a man to fawn all over her, to shower her with attention. That man is not Brendan Reese.”

  When Livvie frowned, Caroline explained, “He is one of Robert’s closest friends, you know. And he is unfortunately very similar to my brother in many regards. Stubborn. Rigid. Set in his ways. He’ll need a strong woman who can handle him. I would have thought Cordelia was a good match for him, but she seems so taken with Captain Seaton. But no matter, I’ll find the right lady next season. And that means I need him to fall into a false sense of security.”

  “Very well.” Livvie beamed at Caroline. “I will keep Lord Clayworth company.”

  Alex was in hell.

  And he was fairly certain that Caroline Staveley was responsible for his current predicament—her wink and wiggling of fingers from the other end of the dinner table were all he needed to convict her of the offense. Tonight he found himself in the unenviable spot directly across from the giggly Miss Greywood and in between the bubble-headed Lady Felicity and the level-headed Miss Avery, who continually sent him disapproving glances.

  Meanwhile, Olivia was across the room, at another table entirely, smiling and chatting with Brendan Reese, the Earl of Clayworth—a brooding, pretty boy with dark, blue eyes and sandy blond hair. Of course with Olivia’s laughing eyes focused on the earl, Clayworth seemed perfectly happy this evening. Lucky bastard!

  Alex inwardly cringed before turning a charming smile on Miss Avery. If he couldn’t converse with Olivia, at least he could gather information from her dearest friend. “You hail from Papplewick, do you not?”

  “Just outside,” she answered with a frown.

  “I hear it is a lovely village.”

  He could see Miss Avery’s internal struggle. She didn’t want to encourage him, but the ghost of a smile tugged at her lips. “I’ve always thought so, Your Grace.”

  Apparently, Miss Greywood felt his question had opened the door for her to blather on and on about the Greywood estate in Norfolk—as if he hadn’t seen the place a million times, himself. The girl seemed incapable of shutting her mouth.

  Though he had a reputation of being rather charming, one he generally lived up to in the presence of attractive females, he was barely able to contain his irritation by the end of the excruciating meal. He had honestly never heard so much incessant prattling in all his days. The ordeal reminded him of the Greek myth of Echo. Hera had punished the loquacious young nymph by taking her voice away, and Alex wished the Queen of the Gods had saved her wrath for Phoebe Greywood. Whoever married the girl would have to either be deaf or resort to Odysseus’ remedy of blocking out unwanted sounds by pouring melted wax in his ears.

  When everyone began to adjourn to the ballroom, Alex escorted Miss Avery from the table, as she was the only one of the three that didn’t drive him stark raving mad. “How are you enjoying your stay in Derbyshire?”

  Cordelia Avery rolled her eyes.
“Is that the best you can do, Your Grace?”

  He nearly choked at her brusqueness. “I beg your pardon.”

  She shook her head. “You spent all dinner sulking, staring across the room at Livvie. You obviously know that we grew up together, since you specifically mentioned Papplewick. And while either Felicity Pierce or Phoebe Greywood would have been ecstatic if you had offered your arm to one of them, you chose me. So what exactly do you want to ask me about Olivia?”

  Alex had to swallow a smile. He did like Miss Avery’s spirit. It was no wonder she and Olivia were such good friends. “You are certainly bold, are you not, Miss Avery?”

  “She loves him, you know? And she misses him. You shouldn’t toy with her emotions.”

  He heaved a sigh. He didn’t believe for one second that Olivia had confided their activities to her friend. She wouldn’t risk anyone discovering what they were about when no one else was around—which meant Miss Avery was simply concerned for Olivia’s sake. That was actually admirable, and Alex’s respect grew for the pretty brunette. “Your loyalty commends you, my dear. But your suspicions are off the mark. I do not mean your friend any ill will.”

  As they stepped over the threshold into the ballroom, Miss Avery scowled when her eyes landed on the Earl of Clayworth, speaking with Olivia and a pretty blond girl. “I suspect even you would be a more welcome companion than him.”

  A laugh escaped Alex’s throat. Miss Avery didn’t like the supercilious Clayworth either? He liked the girl more and more. “My dear, what could Lord Adonis have possibly done to incur the wrath of such a beautiful lady?”

  “He’s a fraud,” she replied, staring at the object of her disdain. “Cold hearted and cruel.”

  “You know the earl well?” The animosity he detected was deeply seated. Odd. He’d never known Clayworth to dally with young ladies. He generally avoided them like the plague, preferring gaming tables of one sort or another to the company of women.

  “I know enough, Your Grace.”