Dinah blinked back her own tears and pulled a face, laughing. “That fat old man? No, thank you.”
Joe chuckled, too, now, reaching out and pinching her cheek. “Quite right, an’ all, treacle. You’re too good for ‘im.”
Dinah sucked in a breath and glanced at the clock. Lord Lancaster would be here shortly, and she had to admit she was more than a little nervous. The man had been so very angry when he’d left the night before last. She could only hope he’d simmered down.
“Dinah, luv.” She turned, surprised by the hesitant quality of Joe’s voice, and found him looking at her intently, a look of concern in his dark eyes. “You’ll be careful, won’t you?”
“Of course,” she replied, mirroring his frown and wondering what worried him so.
He reached out again, taking her hand this time. “I mean wiv his lordship,” he said, avoiding her eyes, his tone low and serious. “A bloke like that, well, ‘e knows how to sweet talk a lady. ‘Ow to make her fall for ‘im. Easy enough, I guess, when you’ve got a title and blunt enough, and an ‘andsome face,” he added with a rueful grin.
“Joe, what on earth are you talking about? I assure you I am not about to fall in love with Lord Lancaster,” Dinah said with a huff, irritated that he could even consider she’d be so stupid.
“Aye, well,” Joe said, a look in his eyes that told her he wasn’t convinced. “Jus’ remember, you trapped ‘im into this and a fella like that won’t like it. He’ll likely want to take ‘is pound of flesh in return. You get me?”
Dinah swallowed, knowing only too well that Joe was right. Lord Lancaster had made no secret of the fact he desired her and wanted her for his mistress. It was one thing to have a penniless woman as your lover, though, how much more of a conquest if she were an heiress? His ego must smart at having been caught in such a manner, and by a woman, too. He’d feel so much better if she were to fall into his arms and beg him to forgive her. A small smile curved over her mouth as she met Joe’s eyes.
“Don’t worry, Joe. I’ve got his lordship’s measure, I assure you. He’ll not catch me with his wiles.”
Joe let out a sigh of relief and grinned at her. “That’s my girl, ‘cause he ain’t the sort of fella to marry, so there’s no point in dreamin’ about it, eh? If ‘e was to offer for you for real, well … I’d eat my hat,” he said, laughing now as Dinah struggled to keep her smile in place. That it was so beyond the realm of possibility rankled for no good reason she could think of.
“Then you had better make it a table for two,” she said, patting Joe’s arm. “For we are in perfect accord.”
Chapter 7
“Wherein our combatants size up the competition.”
Ben tossed a shiny coin to two lads who were kicking a stone up and down the road and promised them another to match if they looked after his horses. They agreed with grins that showed missing front teeth as Ben took himself off and knocked at Miss Osborne’s door. A moment later and he found himself face to face with the rather daunting Joe.
“Right on time, your lordship,” the man said, nodding his approval and standing back to let him in.
“Mr Kray,” Ben replied, his tone polite and formal. He would no longer address the scoundrel as Joe, and the man could damn well remember his place. He followed the hulking brute through to the parlour he’d seen before, and as he moved through the entrance hall and stole a glance into the other rooms, he could see that the place was more down at heel than he had supposed. The daylight was not kind, showing up peeling paint and paper, and though the place was clean and tidy, a faint odour of damp lingered.
Miss Osborne was waiting for him, and, despite himself, his breath caught at the sight of her. She was all dressed in blue today, a pale, delicate colour that highlighted the unusual blue of her eyes and gave her a rather ethereal appearance. With chagrin, he wondered how much of her winnings had been spent on it. Worth every penny. In truth, she looked fragile and lovely, a fairy princess in desperate need of a handsome prince to slay her dragons and take her to safety. Ben almost laughed aloud at the idea. Appearances could be damned deceptive as he well knew. This dainty creature would likely defeat the dragon, stomp on the prince’s heart, and steal his fortune before the poor devil knew what had hit him.
Ben moved towards her, smiling at her as Mr Kray left the room with a rumbling remark about being right outside the door if she needed him.
“Miss Osborne,” he said, bowing low over her hand before raising it to his lips. He looked into her eyes, irritated but not surprised to see amusement in that cool blue. “You look as lovely as a summer’s day, which it is,” he added with his most charming smile. “So I thought perhaps we could for a drive instead of sitting indoors. We can discuss everything you wish just as easily and privately, I assure you.”
A slight frown marred her beautiful face as she hesitated. “I’m afraid that won’t do,” she said, shaking her head, though she looked rather regretful. “My companion is feeling unwell today, and it will do me no good to be seen alone in your company.”
“We are to be betrothed,” Ben added, keeping his smile in place though it irritated him to be thwarted at the first hurdle. “Surely in the circumstances …”
She shook her head once more, blonde curls dancing. “I am sorry but no,” she replied, her voice firm. “We cannot announce our engagement right away, no one would believe it.”
“Oh, but don’t you believe in love at first sight?” he asked, his voice low and gently teasing now, keeping a look in his eyes that was both warm and inviting.
“Certainly not,” she retorted, sounding disgusted by the idea.
Ben sighed, realising he would not win this round. Onto the next.
“Very well,” he said, making sure he didn’t sound the least bit put out. “It only seemed a shame to waste such a lovely day.”
“I’m afraid you are right,” she allowed, that look in her eyes again that told him she would have liked to ride in his curricle with him. “But I would be glad to do so once our engagement has been announced.”
“Quite so,” he agreed, smiling at her, all affability. She gave him a curious look and bid him sit down. “I took the liberty of making some plans since our last meeting,” he carried on, enjoying the surprise in her eyes. “As I assume the idea is to gain you entrance into society?”
Her expression faltered a little and Ben confessed to being surprised, too, as he realised this wasn’t at the top of her list as he’d imagined. He had assumed she would want to insinuate herself into the ton, all the better to cast her lures for another poor unsuspecting fool. He’d assumed nothing less than snaring a duke would satisfy her, in all honesty. Now, however, he was less certain.
“Is that not what you want?” he asked, curious now.
“I-I hadn’t really thought,” she stammered, looking suddenly discomposed. “I just need to be seen out and about with you,” she said, her fingers clasped tightly together. “I do not mean to impose on you to such an extent as to foist me upon your friends and family,” she added, a rather tart edge to the words that made him remember his barbed comments last night. Ben grimaced as guilt prickled at his conscience. He wasn’t a snob and never had been, he’d just been apoplectic with rage and he’d wanted to strike out at her. Well, his remark had hit home, and no doubt shot himself in the foot at the same time. She would remember that and hold it against him as well she ought.
“But if I was in love with you, that would be exactly what I should do, Miss Osborne,” he said, the words gentle and caressing now. “Besides which, it will be no hardship to be out in society with a beauty like yourself at my side.”
She snorted, mockery glittering in her eyes in a manner that did nothing to sooth his ego but made him feel a damn sight less guilty. “Lord Lancaster, I am forced to observe that you seem remarkably at peace with this affair now, considering the depths of your anger on leaving here the night before last.”
Ben felt his jaw tighten, and it took a supreme
effort of will to keep his expression placid. The little wretch deserved everything she got. “You have to forgive a man for not enjoying being bested at cards by a woman,” he said, the words smooth and sincere enough, though there was far more than that to be angry about. “Our egos are fragile creatures, truth be told. However, once I had taken a moment to think things over, I saw no reason we could not enjoy the next few weeks. We shall have a deal of fun, I think, Miss Osborne, and I shall enjoy pulling the wool over the eyes of my friends and family.”
She stared at him then, that direct, crystal clear gaze he still found a little unnerving. It was as though she could see right inside his head, and would burst out laughing at what she found at any moment.
“Will you?” she demanded.
Ben pursed his lips, giving the matter some actual thought. His family would be unbearable the moment they announced the engagement, and with good reason. However, he wasn’t actually going to marry her, and knowing that changed things, rather. He thought he might enjoy the look in Hugh’s eyes when he discovered he was all set to marry a girl with no breeding and whose fortune came from trade. With luck, the man might suffer an apoplexy. He could only hope.
“Yes,” he said, with some confidence now. “I believe I will.”
Ben stayed for another half an hour, laying out the diary of events they would follow for the next couple of weeks. Things might change as more interesting opportunities arose, but it was a plan of action. Miss Osborne’s obvious disquiet at some of the grander events was intriguing and played to Ben’s advantage. If she felt adrift among the cream of the ton, she was far more likely to cling to him for security, and gaining her trust was what he needed to do. He would guide her through the melee of society with a steady hand and understanding, and before she knew it, she would be his.
***
By the time Ben reached home, he was hungry and in need of a drink. Feeling that his first step to guiding Miss Osborne into his bed had gone well, he drove his horses around to the stables, leaving them in his groom’s capable hands, and then made his way to the back of the house in a far lighter frame of mind than he’d left with earlier. A meaty arm wrapped around his throat, and the sharp end of a razor-like blade just under his right ear chased any such pleasant feelings far away in short order.
“Don’t you move now, my lord,” came a rough and rather familiar voice. Ben stilled, wondering what the devil Joe was doing. He was playing their bloody game as they’d wanted, what more could he do? “I ain’t of a mind to do you no ‘arm,” the big fellow continued, the tightness of his arm about Ben’s throat rather undermining that statement. “I jus’ want to give you a little warning, is all.”
“Oh?” Ben replied, very still. He cursed himself for being taken unawares in such a manner, but bearing in mind he was on his own property and not in some run-down area of London, he’d not been on his guard.
“Aye,” Joe continued, his voice calm but forceful. “See, I don’t wantcha gettin’ any ideas about Miss Osborne. She needs yer ‘elp, my lord, or else she’d never ‘ave done what she did. She’s a good girl, see, innocent, too.”
Rather unwisely in the circumstances, Ben made a choking sound which he regretted as the knife point dug in a little harder.
“You reckon otherwise?” Joe growled, anger in his voice now. “You’re wrong. I’ve guarded her like she was my own since she was nought but a little slip of a girl. We’ve done what we ‘ad to do to keep body an’ soul together after ‘er parents died and that miserable bloody grandfather abandoned ‘er, but she’s a lady. All she wants now is what’s ‘ers, nought more than that. So, don’t you go gettin’ any ideas about ‘er.” The arm tightened a fraction more, making it hard for Ben to breathe. “You treat her nice, respectful, right? Or you’ll answer to me, and you know now …you won’t even see it comin’.”
Abruptly the pressure and the knife were gone, and Ben hauled in a breath. Turning, he looked around for his attacker, but Joe was gone. He rubbed at his throat and discovered a smear of blood on his fingers from where the knife had nicked his throat. A shiver of unease rolled down his spine; somehow, he didn’t doubt that Joe meant every word of his threat, which had just made things a deal more complicated. That Miss Osborne was an innocent was an intriguing idea, but hard to swallow all the same.
To his chagrin, Ben discovered that his goals had not changed, only that the game had become rather more dangerous. The idea did not entirely displease him. It was, at least, unlikely that it would bore him at any point in the next few weeks.
Chapter 8
“Wherein the games begin.”
“Does that creature have to accompany us?” Lord Lancaster demanded, and not for the first time as they took a turn about Hyde Park.
Dinah frowned, glancing behind them at Dot, who was trailing some distance behind. The lazy creature would likely moan all night when she got home. Dot hated exercise in any form.
“At least she’s sober today,” Dinah muttered, wishing they could dispense with the dreadful woman as much as her companion did.
Lord Lancaster shot her a curious look. “She drinks?” he asked, disgusted. “Why on earth do you keep her around?”
She looked up, trying not to be distracted by the depths of his dark blue eyes. The sky above them was that of a perfect summer day, and still not as intense a shade as his eyes were. “Because I must have a female companion for propriety’s sake, and she is all I can afford.” Dinah shook her head, wondering what it must be like to never have to worry about money, never to have to wear clothes that were beyond worn, or worry about whether you would eat that night. “You really have no idea what it is to be poor, do you?” she said. She hadn’t meant it to sound like an accusation, but this was the first time they had been out in public and, truth be told, she was horribly nervous. People were watching them, looking at her. She could feel the judgement in their eyes, the whispering murmurs that she did not belong.
Lord Lancaster shrugged, a frown at his eyes. “I suppose not, no,” he said, his gaze on her warm and inviting. “Have things been so very bad?” There was invitation in the way he asked and Dinah acknowledged a desire to have someone to confide in, other than Joe, of course. But she would never complain to Joe as he’d sacrificed so much to keep them going at all. Besides which, his lordship was playing a game, trying to get her to trust him, she knew that well enough. So, with a snort, Dinah just shook her head, looking away from him.
“Don’t pretend you care,” she said, the words rather harsh. “You think me a grasping gold-digger, I’ve no doubt.”
“And are you?”
She started a little at the question, taken aback. Pausing, she looked up at him once more. “Would you wish to live in squalor?” she demanded, holding his gaze, though sinking into the depths of that blue was all too tempting. “To freeze in the winter and have nothing to eat for days at a time when things are bad? Would you want to be forced to cheat at cards or steal or lie, just so that you didn’t spend another sleepless night with hunger gnawing at your belly?”
Dinah felt a surge of satisfaction at the glimmer of shock in his eyes. Good. She was glad if she had shocked him.
“Yes, maybe I am a gold-digger,” she said, wanting to shock him further now. Who cared what Lord Lancaster thought after all? “But I’m not tricking you into marriage for it. The money is rightfully mine, I’m my grandfather’s sole heir, and if I have to be a little ruthless to gain it, then yes, I’m going to be ruthless, and you can disapprove all you like.”
Putting up her chin, she continued to walk, Lord Lancaster at her side. He was quiet for a little while, and when he spoke, the words were soft.
“You know, if people are going to believe we are falling in love, you really ought to look a little less fierce.” She glanced back as he gave her a rueful smile and winked at her. “You look like you’d far rather strangle me than kiss me,” he added, amusement in his tone.
Dinah’s lips twitched a little despite hers
elf. “Isn’t it possible to want to do both? I always understood that grand passions comprised many such emotions.”
“Ah,” he said, nodding, his expression grave now. “Is that what you want? A tumultuous love affair? Public fights and burning love letters, trysts at midnight … should I fight a duel for you, perhaps?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she replied, smiling all the same.
“I’m quite a fair shot,” he added, his tone perfectly serious though laughter danced in his eyes when she dared a glance at him.
“You’d need to be more than fair,” she remarked. “I had enough trouble with you. I don’t want to have to start over because my fake fiancé got himself shot, now do I?”
“Yes,” he said, apparently giving the matter serious thought. “I can see how that would cause you difficulties. Do you think there is a clause in the will that allows for a dead fiancé?”
Dinah burst out laughing despite her best intentions. “How absurd you are!” she exclaimed as he grinned at her.
“How lovely you are when you laugh,” he replied, holding her gaze as her smile fell away.
“Don’t,” she said, turning away from him and walking on.
“Don’t what?” he demanded, sounding a little perplexed as he followed her. He put a hand on her arm, reaching for her hand and laying it upon his sleeve. “If we are to walk together, you should hold my arm, you know.”
Dinah looked at her gloved hand laying upon the fine material of his coat and then stared ahead, walking on once more in silence. She badly wanted to remove her hand from his arm. In truth, she wanted to turn tail and run far away. He was trying hard to make her like him and she was having to try harder than she’d imagined to stop it from happening.
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