Murmurs of agreement scattered amongst the remaining ladies. Once the queen had walked out of earshot, Grace addressed Lord Grey. “Perhaps Lady Madelaine will sing for you.”
“Or play the pianoforte,” Lady Cecelia chimed in a nasty tone that matched Grace’s.
Madelaine lifted her chin and forced a smile as she looked at the two men before her. She wouldn’t let Grace make her appear embarrassed when she certainly wasn’t. The only reason she now wished for a single feminine talent was so the queen might not find fault with her at every turn. “I’m afraid I was a beastly daughter and never paid heed to the things a proper lady is required to know.” Useless as those things were.
“Such as nonsensical conversation and not appearing too educated?” Lord Gravenhurst speared Grace with a slanted-eyed look that dared her to say a word.
Finally, a sensible man. “Exactly,” Madelaine replied, enjoying Grace’s gasp and her splotchy cheeks.
“I’m curious, Lady Madelaine…” Lord Grey said.
“About what?” Her pulse skittered unnaturally in her chest.
“If you didn’t master your lessons of pianoforte, singing and…?”
“Embroidery,” his sister supplied with a small smile tugging at her lips.
“Ah, yes, the all-important skill of embroidery,” he exclaimed. She wanted to laugh at his dramatics, but she somehow managed to hold it in.
“Pray tell, what did you master?”
She nearly gasped at his question. Was he challenging her to lie? She didn’t want her secret to be revealed but she refused to be ashamed of the things she knew. “Archery, riding, and how to use a dagger.” Her eyebrows lifted in defiance.
“I’m impressed and intrigued. I, too, am interested in archery.” Lord Grey’s friend coughed and sputtered beside him. She glared at him for trying to goad her. He smiled, and her pulse skittered oddly. Whatever was the matter with her to respond to him like all the other silly dimwits at Court probably did. She should ignore him. He proffered his elbow. “Will you walk in the gardens with my sister and me? I confess I’d love to learn if you have any special techniques you use with your bow and arrow.”
Madelaine understood exactly what Grace had meant when she’d said Lord Grey thrilled her to the bone with just one look. His face had haunted her dreams many nights since she had met him, possible preening peacock or not. Court life had been a lonely, cruel surprise and fantasizing that Lord Grey was good and gallant had helped her keep hope she’d meet someone eventually. Her stomach swirled with butterflies. The way he stared at her made her believe there could possibly be something special about her.
She felt charming. The notion was silly. She was an oddity, but he was looking at her as if he liked that. Wasn’t he? Maybe she’d been wrong to think there was no one who’d accept her for who she really was. Perhaps she would meet a man who she really did want to marry for love. Maybe, that man could be Lord Grey. How ridiculous she was. She didn’t really know him. He probably bestowed that mesmerizing expression on every new lady he met. Yet she wanted to take a chance. She slipped her arm through his and refused to care one bit that Grace would make her life holy hell if the murderous look on the lady’s face was a good indicator.
As Lord Grey tucked Madelaine’s hand into the crook of his elbow and reached for his sister’s arm, Grace said, “I’ll come too. I’m positively dying to hear what sorts of accomplishments intrigue the notorious Lord Grey.”
“Notorious?” A sense of foreboding weighed down upon Madelaine’s newly light mood.
“But of course,” Grace murmured. “You’re well known for wooing the ladies but never committing to them. Aren’t you, Lord Grey?”
His arm tensed under Madelaine’s light grasp. She fully expected an annoyed denial, instead he looked supremely bored. After a moment, an amused smile played at his lips. “I suppose I am, Lady Grace.”
Madelaine tugged her arm for Lord Grey to release her. Heavens she was a fool for falling so quickly under his spell. Bewitching eyes didn’t mean a man was a good candidate for a husband. A fact she needed to remember. A walk with a scoundrel would do her no good. Avoiding him would be her wisest course, and she fully intended to take it, once she spoke with him about keeping their meeting secret. But now, surrounded by others, was not the time.
Chapter Four
Grey didn’t want to release Lady Madelaine’s hand, but when she tugged on it for a second time, he relinquished it. His mysterious Miss Prattle was quite the lovely blusher. Was the blush out of anger or embarrassment? He could assure her he had no intentions of seducing her, but that would be a lie and could, in all fairness to himself, make her discomfort worse.
Fate had delivered this lady back into his life and he had every intention of unwrapping fate’s gift. Especially after being awoken in a state of frustrated arousal many times since meeting her. Add to that excellent reason the ribbing he’d taken for weeks from Gravenhurst when the lady had failed to reappear in Golden Square and seemingly disappeared into thin air, and Grey was not about to just let her walk away from him again. Now he knew where she was and why. Far be it for him not to use the knowledge.
What the devil had a proper lady been doing in Golden Square shooting a bow and arrow? Unlocking that secret, and whatever else Lady Madelaine was hiding behind her dark eyes and deceptively delicate appearance, would be a pleasure. A lady who claimed an affinity for riding, archery and daggers was a lady with mettle. Strong women were so much better in bed than weak, simpering misses who refused to tell you what she craved and exactly how she wanted it.
The fact that she had never met him as promised no longer bothered him. No doubt she’d only been in Golden Square by trickery. He smiled. If the chit sought more than the constraints life offered her, he’d gladly introduce her to other, more exotic constraints. Lady Madelaine studied him with her slumberous gaze the color of a chestnut flecked with black. She pulled her cape tighter around her, her fine-boned hands white as cotton clutching the dark material, and her honey-colored hair bunched up under the cloth. Right now, she looked more like a trapped fox than a potential bed partner who was assessing him.
He had the unusual desire to assure her he’d never led a woman to his bed by force or trickery. Yet, now in others’ company was not the time to say such a thing. There’d be time enough later to tell her he may be known as a seducer, but he’d never seduced a single lady who didn’t wish the seduction and willingly participated in the game. No doubt she was probably worried about his keeping her secret and would seek him out. He could practically see her worry in her lovely eyes. Maybe she was even considering how they could rendezvous or if it would be too dangerous.
Her tongue darted from her mouth and she nervously licked her plump lips. She definitely recognized the perils of a private meeting. His muscles tightened in awareness of the invisible gauntlet that had just been thrown. Of course, he would pick it up and show her there were ways to meet privately even at Court.
“It’s gotten cold suddenly, hasn’t it,” she said.
It hadn’t at all, but he nodded. “If you want to go inside we can postpone our walk.”
The relief that made her body relax amused him. He didn’t wait for her answer, he already knew it. “Gravenhurst, will you see Lady Madelaine and Lady Cecelia inside? I don’t want to deprive Elizabeth of our walk, and I know how much Lady Grace likes exercise.” From what he had been told, the woman had a voracious appetite for vigorous bed sport.
Lady Madelaine slipped her arm through Gravenhurst’s but focused her dark eyes on Grace. “I wasn’t aware you enjoyed anything that required you to breathe heavily.”
Grey bit back a laugh. Lady Madelaine did indeed have some steel in her spine and perhaps a bit of gossip regarding Lady Grace stashed.
“As usual, you know nothing,” Lady Grace snapped, before schooling her features into a syrupy smile.
“I know more than you think,” Lady Madelaine said. “Shall we go, Lord Gravenhurst?�
��
“By all means.” Gravenhurst rested his gaze on Grey. “I’ll see you in a bit.”
Grey nodded and as the three walked toward the castle, he wished he were Gravenhurst. Then he would be leading the beguiling Lady Madelaine inside instead of dealing with a jealous harpy. Since he had to see the king soon, he couldn’t afford to delay his duties, and setting Lady Grace straight was a must to protect his sister. Pursuing Lady Madelaine would wait, and if it didn’t then the seduction wasn’t meant to be or was meant to be accomplished by someone else. He hoped not Gravenhurst. The thought didn’t sit well.
“I’m so glad you wanted me to stay and walk with the two of you,” Lady Grace said.
He studied her. He’d never liked the woman, suspecting she had a viperous streak hidden behind the angelic façade she presented. His sister’s letter and Lady Grace’s nasty treatment of Lady Madelaine confirmed his suspicion. What was surprising was the queen’s open dislike of Lady Madelaine.
There was an interesting mystery. Queen Charlotte was usually kind to all. Grey stared off into the distance as an idea formed. He would uncover what tension lay between Lady Madelaine and the queen, and he would disarm the hostility and earn Lady Madelaine’s trust and favor. He smiled, pleased with the possibilities his idea would bring and with the fact that he had once again proved his father wrong. Father thought him uninterested in politics. It wasn’t that at all. It was that his father had never bothered to discuss a damned thing with him, only Grey’s older brother.
He was perfectly happy to discuss politics. He did so quite frequently in bed with a beautiful lady in his arms. If soothing the queen’s anger without her even realizing what was occurring wasn’t a perfect example of the political savvy his father loved to point out that Grey’s brother possessed, Grey didn’t know what was.
A discreet cough brought him back to the present, unpleasant task. “I did not want you to walk with my sister and me.”
“I beg your pardon?” Lady Grace stammered.
“You force me to speak plainly, Lady Grace. A situation I’ve learned most women dislike.”
“Grey!” Elizabeth hissed and clutched at his arm. “You said you received my letter. I assume you read it since you’re here.”
He squeezed his sister’s cold hand. He’d die to protect Liz, but he did wish she were more like him than just the looks they shared as twins. While he was a devil, she was an angel. It didn’t serve to be an angel, especially at Court. People turned other’s kindness to weakness. “I read your letter, poppet, don’t worry.”
“Then you know I’ve recommended Lady Grace to you.”
Lady Grace smiled. “Did you forget the contents of your sister’s letter, Lord Grey?”
“I never forget anything. Ever. You’d be wise to remember that. Let me explain something to you. Men talk amongst themselves a great deal.”
Lady Grace’s eyes widened.
“I see you understand. Or I think you do. Yet I find the need to be perfectly clear since you threatened my sister, who is the one person in this world I hold dearer than myself.”
“I didn’t threaten her.”
“You don’t call telling her you’d see her thrown from Court a threat?”
She pressed her lips together. “I suppose you could see it that way.”
“I do. Things, I find, are easy to see if one simply looks. You threatened my sister to gain a recommendation from her to me. Consider yourself recommended and dismissed.” He ran a finger down her cheek. “I am flattered. You’re beautiful. But I’m not in the market to marry, as you so kindly pointed out to Lady Madelaine. But if I were, I would choose a lady who hadn’t already given herself willingly to half the men at Court.”
“You’re a devil.”
He shrugged. “You’re correct, of course. So don’t think for a moment you can threaten my sister. If you so much as peep a word of her harmless girl talk with Lady Madelaine, I’ll go straight to your father and make sure he knows you lay with Lord Barrington not a week ago.”
“You’ve no proof.”
He didn’t have it at this moment, but he knew how to get it. “You may take that chance if you wish. Some have, but I’ll warn you they regretted it. I do not bluff, Lady Grace.”
The woman blanched at his words. “Lord Barrington is an imbecile. He’ll never rise far at Court.”
“Yes. It makes me wonder why someone as scheming as you wasted your favors on him.”
Color heightened her cheeks as her eyes narrowed. “I’ve my reasons. My silence for yours?”
Grey nodded. “I do so love a deal.”
“A devil’s bargain,” she hissed and stomped away.
Something nagged at Grey as he watched her depart. His sister tugged on his arm. “Grey, you were brilliant. She’ll never bother me again. But poor Lady Madelaine, Lady Grace will—”
That was it! Lady Madelaine! “Hold that thought, Liz.” He ran ahead until he reached Lady Grace. “One more thing,” he said.
“What is it?” She folded her hands across her chest.
“You will cease harassing Lady Madelaine as well or I will forget our bargain and tell your father.”
“Why do you care about her? The little fool wouldn’t know how to please you if you managed to get her into your bed.”
Lady Madelaine’s discretion pleased him. He much preferred to pursue a lady who chose her lovers with care and managed to keep her bed sport secret. “It doesn’t matter why I care, only that I do. So bite your pretty little tongue or find yourself married to a man who will never rise to the heights you hope to reach.”
“Very well.” Her nostrils flared, but she didn’t say more. He had to give her some credit. She appeared smart enough to understand when she was beaten. She swiveled on her heel and walked away.
Grey went quickly back to his sister and took her arm. “I don’t have long. The king is expecting me, so I have to hurry. But I’ll be here for at least the next week, so we can visit. No more talk of the queen, even if you think you are alone.”
“I promise. But Grey, it was harmless.”
“To you. But the wrong word could get you named traitor. You should know that, and so should your new friend. Tell me about Lady Madelaine.”
Elizabeth’s eyes narrowed. “Why? She is not some doxy for you to play with, Grey.”
“You too?” He ran a hand through his hair. “I coerce no lady into accepting my favors. They do so of their own choosing.”
“I imagine it’s hard to make a rational decision when someone as handsome as you has turned all his attention upon a lady.”
Wistfulness laced his sister’s words. “Liz, you will meet the perfect man someday, have ten children, and be utterly content just as Mother and Father are.”
“And what of you?” She touched her fingertips to his arm. “Will you take a wife someday?”
“We’re not talking about me,” he said, neatly avoiding his sister’s question. She wouldn’t like that he wanted no part of marriage or love, and he didn’t want to fight about it. “We’re talking of you and your lovely friend. Tell me of her.”
Liz shrugged. “There’s little to tell. I’m ashamed to admit I’ve been too afraid of Grace to openly befriend Lady Madelaine.”
“Only because of Lady Grace?” he prodded.
Liz’s eyebrows shot up. “You’re very observant. If only Father understood this.”
“Liz,” he warned, not wanting to hear a word of how sorry she felt for him because of their father.
“Fine. Fine. Yes, the queen too. She seems to have a virulent dislike of Lady Madelaine.”
“Is Aunt Helen here?”
Liz smirked at him. “I already thought of her.”
“Really? Then why don’t you know more of Lady Madelaine?”
“Well, I only just thought of Aunt Helen. And she only just returned to Court.”
“Excellent. Seek her out. Alone though. Aunt Helen will know what nettles the queen. She knows all the Co
urt secrets.”
“I’m ahead of you for once. I requested to see Aunt Helen after she refreshes from her travels. I asked Lady Madelaine to meet me later in the hope I could impart some information that might help her or at least enlighten her.”
“You’ve a kind heart, poppet.”
She shook her head. “Not kind enough.” Her voice trembled. “Or I wouldn’t have been too afraid to befriend her. I feel so ashamed I’ve allowed her to be treated cruelly. How lonely she must be, friendless here at Court.”
That would probably make Grey’s intention of getting the lady into his bed easier, but somehow that seemed like little accomplishment to win a woman because she was desperate not to feel alone. Instead of feeling any lust, his blood stirred toward anger. “There’s no shame having been scared, but now you need to learn to be brave. It will serve you better.”
“As it serves you?”
She didn’t say their father’s name, and Grey was grateful for that. “Yes. As it serves me. Let’s go in now, so you can see Aunt Helen. She won’t mind you arriving early.”
“Do you want to come?”
“I have to see the king. But I’ll find you later and demand a full recounting.”
“Perhaps I’ll tell you.”
He grinned at his sister’s unusual show of backbone. “Name your price.”
“You must promise not to hurt Lady Madelaine. She’s been hurt enough by her treatment here at Court already.”
“You wound me, Liz. I swear to you, I have never hurt a single lady I give my attentions to.” He went to great pains to make sure his bed partners understood neither commitment nor love were part of what he offered.
His sister pursed her lips, but said nothing.
“Come on.” Grey tugged on Liz’s hand. “I need to go before I earn the king’s displeasure.”
Lords of the Kingdom Page 45