“Regarding your past, I wish you the best of luck, Lord Andrew. You have my blessing, but Lana must freely give herself in marriage. If she doesn’t agree, I will not apply pressure.”
***
Lana hovered outside of the drawing room, straining to hear the men’s conversation.
“The duke excels at selecting bang up prime,” her father said.
Disappointment washed over her as she realized they spoke of horseflesh.
She licked her lips, held out a trembling hand, and considered claiming illness and escaping to her chambers.
Taking a deep breath and steeling herself against seeing Drew again, she entered the drawing room. “Good evening, gentlemen.”
Her father and Drew quickly gained their feet while poor Jake struggled to stand.
“Papa. Jake. Lord Andrew.” She greeted each with an incline of her head.
An awkward silence followed while she stared at the bouquet gripped in Drew’s fist. As if snapping from a trance, he bolted forward and held out the bundle.
“Forget-me-nots, for you.”
Lana accepted the flowers with a nervous giggle. Their color matched Drew’s adoring eyes.
Behind her, a footman announced dinner.
Drew ignored the servant and kept his gaze on Lana. His dimpled grin sent her pulse racing. He offered his arm. “You look lovely.”
A thrill jolted her like a bolt of lightning as she placed her hand in the crook of his arm. She cradled his beautiful gift in her other arm and allowed him to lead her from the room. Once out of the line of sight of Jake and her father, Drew covered her hand with his. She stifled another giggle. If they had been alone, she might have teased him about looking like a lovesick pup, but his reaction warmed her heart.
Lana lifted the flowers to her nose before reluctantly turning them over to a servant. “Place these in my bedchamber.”
Behind them, Jake grunted, and she stole a look at Drew to assess his reaction. Since he appeared unaffected, in fact he seemed to be fighting a full-out grin, she allowed herself to relax.
After dinner, they retired to the drawing room. Jake took up sentry in the most comfortable chair close to the fire. Her father spoke with Drew about horses again until she thought she might die from boredom. She entertained herself by watching her brother’s eyelids grow heavy until they closed completely. When his head began to bob, she couldn’t help smiling.
“I hope the two of you will excuse me,” her father announced, “but I think I will take up the book I was reading earlier.” He moved to a different chair and reached for the book on the side table.
“Would you like to play cards, Lord Andrew?”
“It would be my pleasure.” The wicked twinkle in his eye returned and lifted the burden she had carried since their conversation at the park. “I hear you know several versions of Patience. Perhaps you could teach me.”
She smiled sweetly. “I’m sure you know much more than I when it comes to cards. Do you play whist?”
“I’m a bit out of practice, but I’m sure I can pick it up again.”
They moved to a table away from her family, and Lana dealt the cards. Drew allowed his knee to bump against hers. Her gaze shifted to her father and then Jake, but neither paid notice of them.
“Let’s make this interesting,” he whispered. “If I win, you will agree to a ride in the park tomorrow.”
“A ride?” Her voice sounded breathy. Blast him for affecting her so.
He winked. “I love how your mind works, peach. But I meant I would like you to accompany me in my curricle.”
“Oh.” Her face blazed, and she chastised herself for allowing her thoughts to drift to the inappropriate. “And what if I win? What’s my reward?”
Drew flicked an appreciative glance over her gown. “Whatever your heart desires, Miss Hillary, I will gladly deliver.”
She smiled in anticipation. “Then I shall let you know my price when I am the victor.”
“I’m impressed by your confidence.” His knee bumped hers again and maintained contact for a moment before he turned his attention to his cards.
Lana easily beat him every hand until she began to doubt he put forth any effort. “You let me win, didn’t you? Why?”
“Curiosity over what reward you will demand, of course. Perhaps you will reveal it to me on our ride through the park?”
“But you didn’t win,” she protested.
“Why must either of us lose?”
Why indeed? She could argue the point, but Drew always managed to make her head as foggy as London and logic abandoned her. The man had a way of bending her to his will, or perhaps revealing what she desired all along.
“Very well, I will reveal my demands tomorrow in the park.”
***
The next afternoon, Drew hid his smile as Lana scooted closer on the carriage seat. Her body heat warmed his hip, and his trousers began to feel crowded. He would love nothing more than to pull off the path and gather her to him, but he had declared his intentions honorable. He wouldn’t go back on his word to her father.
“How long will you make me wait, Lana?”
She blinked several times. “Wait? I don’t know your meaning.”
“Don’t be coy,” he said. “You must know the suspense is killing me. You won last night. What are your demands?”
“Oh, that.” She fiddled with her reticule and demurely batted her lashes.
Little coquette. He had only been teasing at Irvine Castle when he’d told her she needed practice. She had bestowed the same beguiling look on him their first meeting, and his heart had quickened. Of course, he hadn’t wanted to admit the effect she had on him, not when he was accustomed to leaving women breathless. It had never been the other way around.
“Oh, that,” he echoed. “To what else would I be referring?”
“I didn’t know your meaning.”
She pressed her lips together and remained silent until Drew couldn’t stand it any longer. He pulled the curricle off the path. “Lana, must you torture me?”
She laughed. “It’s not as if I must do it to live and breathe, but it is a bit fun. I don’t want to tell you at the moment.”
“When?”
“When you take me home. I will tell you then. Besides, I’m still deciding.” When she smiled, her face glowed and he’d never seen a more beautiful woman. “Can’t we enjoy the park?”
He brushed a strand of hair from her eyes. “I cherish any time I have with you.” He wanted to kiss her but knew he couldn’t in the middle of Hyde Park. Instead, he picked up the reins and signaled the horses to begin walking again.
“I thought Jake was rather well-behaved last night,” she commented.
“Hmm.” Drew’s gut tightened. He didn’t care for the direction their conversation headed.
“I know he wasn’t friendly, but he didn’t call you out.”
“Wise,” Drew countered. “He heard me declare my intentions to your father. He has no reason to challenge me.”
“You spoke to my father? Drew, I thought we agreed—”
“No, you agreed. I told you I wouldn’t wait forever.”
Lana studied her hands resting on her lap. “I misunderstood.”
He stopped the carriage again and placed his hand on hers. When she didn’t speak, he prompted her. “What did you think, Lana?”
Her eyes appeared bluer today when she held his gaze. “I thought… When you said you wouldn’t wait, I thought maybe you wouldn’t wait for me.”
He wanted to kiss her. He needed to show her how much he loved her, how he would wait his entire lifetime for her. Yet, he didn’t relish the idea of waiting another day, so he didn’t care to plant the notion in her mind. “You are first in my thoughts when I wake and the last one I think about when I go to bed at night. Then you’re on my mind constantly throughout the day. I don’t know how to let you go, and I don’t want to live without you.”
Her eyes filled with unshed tears. “Whe
n will I no longer be enough?”
“Never.” His finger caressed the bare skin of her wrist, wishing he could hold her close and reassure her of his constancy. “I cannot envision a time when I won’t love you, Lana.”
She offered a half smile. “You still love me after the way I treated you yesterday?”
“Hmm, now that you remind me…” He squeezed her hand. “Of course I still love you, silly girl.”
“Drew?”
“Yes, peach?”
“You should take me home.”
The abrupt change in topic caused him to draw back. “You want me to take you home?”
She nodded.
He picked up the reins with a sigh. Neither of them spoke as he drove them back to Hillary House. Once in front of the town house, he climbed from the carriage to assist her. He escorted her to the door but stopped at the threshold, loath to let her walk away from him again.
Lana moved inside but then turned back. “Are you not following?”
“Oh, you want me to come with you?”
Her grin made his heart skip. “I won, remember. You must pay your debt.”
She grasped his hand, led him into the library, and closed the double doors. Drew had a feeling he had won as well.
“I prefer to collect my winnings in kisses,” she announced and wrapped her arms around his waist.
“Then I shall always let you win.” He pulled her close and covered her lovely lips with his own, the scent of lily of the valley filling the air. He had missed her sweet kisses. The combination of her soft lips, supple body pressed against his, and contented sighs made him light-headed.
The stolen moment with Lana and her promises to see him again the next day preoccupied Drew’s thoughts as he left Hillary House. Bounding through the front door, he collided with Jake. The man stumbled back and Drew’s hand shot out to grasp his waistcoat to steady him.
“Sorry, old chap,” he offered.
Jake sneered. “You’re back? I thought you would have tired of my sister by now.”
His fist gripped Hillary’s waistcoat tighter. “Don’t you dare disrespect my future wife.”
“Let go of me, you prick.” Lana’s brother pulled away and Drew released him. “If you hurt her too, I’m going to kill you.” Jake’s eyes blazed with unrestrained hatred.
“I won’t hurt your sister. And you have my permission to kill me if I do.”
“I won’t require your permission.”
Drew blew out an exasperated breath. “The way I see it, we have a lot of years where we must endure each other’s company, because I’m staying. Do you really want to continue this animosity?”
Jake made to move around him, but Drew stepped into his path. “Do you think Lana will go unscathed if two people she loves are at each other’s throats?”
“I’m unconvinced she loves you, or that you love her.”
“You are mistaken,” Drew stated, staring him down. “I can appreciate your doubts, but you are dead wrong. She is the only woman I have ever loved.”
“That makes you an even more contemptible bastard.”
Drew’s jaw dropped, and Jake took advantage of his shock to slip inside Hillary House.
Thirty-two
After leaving Lana, Drew met Amelia at the house in Piccadilly to allow her access so she might draw plans for the redesign. She wandered the first floor, stopping every few minutes to jot something on a sheet of foolscap while bracing it with a book. Since Drew had apologized, his guilt had lessened, but he still had an itch to escape her company. His gut bound itself into a tangle of nerves as if he betrayed Lana by being alone with Amelia, Lady Audley.
Drew scoffed. Everything he did was for Lana. He had no cause to feel guilt.
“It is a charming town house, Lord Andrew. I’m positive your betrothed will love it.” He followed at a distance as she continued her tour. “The natural lighting in the drawing room is wonderful. I picture a pale yellow on the walls.”
Drew paid little attention to what she said, his mind preoccupied with fantasies of his life here with Lana. He had never believed himself capable of love, yet here he stood in a house he wished to make a home for the one woman who had captured his heart.
Lady Audley’s voice cut through his musings. “And then,” she said, sweeping her hands in a grand gesture, “a gilded mirror to the ceiling flanked by huge bouquets of peacock feathers in Ming vases.”
Drew recoiled. Feathers?
Lady Audley’s hearty laughter brought a smile to his lips. “Lord Andrew, you didn’t hear a word I said. Woolgathering, I take it?”
He shrugged and grinned. “My apologies. All this discussion of color and fabrics isn’t my cup of tea. I trust in your judgment. Please make whatever changes you deem appropriate.”
“Are you certain you trust my choices?”
He handed her a key. “Explicitly. Just no feathers, please?”
“Agreed.” She accepted his offering with a smile, appearing happy for the first time since he had met her.
Leaving Lady Audley to wander the residence and make her drawings, he left for Talliah House. As soon as he entered his father’s home, he knew his family was back. Gone was the oppressive silence that had bothered him since his return. The house vibrated with liveliness as maids rushed around the ground floor carrying vases of flowers and throwing open draperies while the footmen set about building fires in the grates.
“I take it my parents are back?” he asked a passing maid.
“Yes, my lord. They arrived twenty minutes ago, and with a guest.”
A guest? Drew scratched his head. Whom would his parents invite to stay with them? His father was likely livid with this additional disruption to his routine.
He went to his mother’s chambers and knocked on her door.
“Enter.” He swung open the door and watched as his mother buzzed about the room directing the servants, before he walked inside. “I wish for my evening dresses to be placed in the larger wardrobe this time. My day gowns can go in the other.”
“Mother, it’s great to have you in Town before Easter for once.”
“Oh, darling, I wish your father felt the same. He has been grumbling the whole trip.” She bustled across the room, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed his cheek. “I am sure you will get your ears blistered over taking his horse. It’s all he has talked about for days.”
Drew returned her kiss and took a seat to watch her in action. He had missed her constant chatter. For a woman who barely reached five feet in height, and that wearing heels, she commanded with the confidence of a general. “Trish, take those gowns on the bed and have them ironed.”
“Yes, Your Grace.” The girl curtsied and hugged the bundle, her arms barely encircling the load. He wasn’t sure she could see over the pile and hurried to open the door for her.
“Why the change of plans?” he asked once he and his mother were alone.
His mother collapsed into a chair. “Several reasons. For one, my newest grandchild will be born in a matter of weeks, and I have no intention of missing the blessed event.”
Drew smothered a chuckle. He could imagine his mother attending the birth, shoving the midwife aside and shouting orders. You, baby, we haven’t got all day. It will be teatime soon, and we have the Hollisters’ ball tonight.
“Then there are preparations to be made for Gabby’s coming out.”
He sat up straighter. “Indeed?”
His mother’s cheeks flushed pink. “I considered our conversation, and conceded your argument may have merit. I don’t wish to alienate my daughter. And she behaved herself at Irvine Castle.” A slight smile graced her lips. “Besides, your father has agreed he will not grant permission for her to marry until her second season, but this way we both get our wishes granted.”
“A nice compromise.” Of course, Gabby might not abide by the agreement.
“Your sister will need an entirely new wardrobe, so we’ll visit the modiste right away. And something else�
��” She tapped her jaw with her index finger. “Oh, yes. A much less important reason for coming to London, but a reason all the same. Lord Philip Bollrud has returned from Northumberland as our guest.”
Drew lightly shook his head. He couldn’t have heard her correctly. “Bollrud, you said?”
“Yes, Lord Bollrud. He has been out of the country and has no residence in London. He intends to search for rooms to rent, but in the meantime, he will stay as our guest.”
“What of Lady Dohve’s residence?”
His mother frowned. “According to rumor, Lady Dohve has fallen on hard times and was forced to sell her town house, although I am uncertain if Lord Bollrud is aware of her financial hardships. He mentions nothing of offering his assistance to his aunt, but it is a private matter and Lady Dohve’s pride is legendary.”
Another reason to dislike the prig. If he possessed the means, he should assist his aunt, though Drew suspected the count didn’t have two shillings to his name. “Haven’t you extended enough hospitality in the last several weeks?”
His mother heaved a great sigh as if she had already explained herself several times. “As I have tried to tell your father, this is a favor to Susan Hillary.”
“A favor? What kind of favor?”
“She is discouraged by Miss Hillary’s lack of interest in securing a husband.”
Drew clutched the arms of the chair until his knuckles turned white.
“Susan has promised Lord Bollrud he may have Miss Hillary’s hand.”
He jumped from his seat. “Pardon?”
“Darling, I’m not certain Susan is thinking clearly.”
“Mother, how is it you are friends with that woman? She seems quite dotty.”
Disquiet flitted across his mother’s features. “Our connection goes back many years.” She offered no other explanation. “Susan hasn’t spoken with James, and I fear he will be in a temper when he learns of her promise. I’m afraid he will disapprove of the young man, even if Miss Hillary seems fond of him, but perhaps when he sees the two of them together at dinner tonight—”
“Bollrud is not marrying Miss Hillary.”
Miss Hillary Schools a Scoundrel Page 21