Love With a Scandalous Lord

by Lorraine Heath

  Shed often thought she needed rescuing from dull Fortune, Texas, where each day melted into the next with seasons separated only by planting and harvesting.

  Unlike London where the Season had an entirely different connotation. It evoked images of gilded balls and beautiful gowns from Worths. Etiquette. Elegant manners. Rituals. Traditions. Here courtship was much more intriguing and complicated than anything shed experienced back home.

  Her cousin Lauren, older by three years, had written lengthy letters to Lydia describing her exciting Seasons. Shed gone into great detail regarding the various men of distinction who had called on her. Dukes, marquesses, earls, barons. Men with titles other than mister. Lydia found it all incredibly romantic.

  She knew she was being selfish, perhaps even unkind, to hope she might be allowed to experience a short Season while she was here. But she couldnt quite relinquish her hold on a dream that had wrapped itself around her at such a tender age: to move beyond the mundane and ordinary into the realm of the English aristocracy.

  “How much longer, Papa? Sabrina asked, gnawing on the tip of one of her braids.

  Lydias eight-year-old half-sister was the main reason shed been given the opportunity to come on this trip. Her mother wanted someone available to watch over the younger children, so she could devote her full attention to her husband during this difficult time. And there had been little doubt that the Duke would want to see his true grandchildren.

  “We should arrive at any moment now, Grayson said, his mouth curving into a loving smile for his youngest child.

  Sitting beside Lydia, Colton shifted on the bench seat. At thirteen, hed been fascinated with the ship theyd traveled on, but passing scenery held little interest for him. Her other brothers, Johnny and Micah Westland, with whom she shared a deceased father, had stayed in Fortune to oversee the crops and the cattle. Her stepfather had succeeded in making farming and ranching extremely profitable enterprises for his family. Of course, he took no credit for the achievement, and instead always pointed to the diligent efforts of each family member as being responsible.

  Lydia was grateful Johnny hadnt accompanied them on this trip. He always teased her unmercifully about her aspiration to be perceived as a refined lady.

  When she was twelve, hed caught her walking with a book balanced on her head. Hed laughed for days.

  When she was sixteen, hed tried to foist some of his friends off on heras possible beauxand had taken it personally when shed shown no interest whatsoever in the young men he thought so highly of. She readily admitted that an ability to dance without stepping on a ladys toes, to shoot straight, to break a wild mustang, and to curtail a stampede were admirable skills.

  But she was looking for something very different in a man. The projection of an image that was readily apparent the moment he stepped into a room. A heritage so ingrained nothing could shake it loose.

  Shed tried numerous times to explain to Johnny what she wanted, but it was intangible, without concrete form. She simply knew shed recognize it when she saw it.

  Johnny couldnt understand the reason she longed for a world so different from the one in which they lived. She didnt find her life lacking. Rather it seemed incredibly mediocre. And she yearned for much, much more.

  “Look! Swans! Sabrina said excitedly.

  Returning her attention to the scenery flittering by the coach window, Lydia caught sight of a large pond. Its surface was as smooth as blue glass except for the ripples created by the white swans gliding gracefully across it. A curved stone bridge spanned its width.

  She wondered if that was the pond in which her stepfathers brother had drowned. Although her stepfather had expressed sorrow upon receiving the Dukes letter telling him about the accident, Lydia understood no love had been lost between the two brothers.

  Beyond the pond loomed a huge house. No, house was too tame a word for this immense structure. It greatly resembled her idea of what a palace would look like. She pressed a hand against her throat. “Goodness gracious.

  “Is that your house, Papa? Sabrina asked. “Is it?

  “My house is in Fortune, he said warmly. “Thats the Dukes house.

  “But you lived there, Sabrina insisted.

  “For a time, yes, he acknowledged.

  Lydia could hardly fathom that her stepfather had been raised within the confines of those massive, towering brick walls. She counted three rows of windows. How could he find contentment with the home they had in Fortune? Granted, it was larger than many in the area, and she had her own bedroom, but surely ten of their houses would fit inside this one.

  The coach rolled onto a cobblestone drive that circled in front of the palace. A riotous array of colorful flowers lined the drive and bordered the house.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Lydia saw her mother wrap her hand around her husbands and squeeze with reassurance. Lydia knew this moment could not be easy for him, could not be easy for either of them.

  Grayson Rhodes had been born on the wrong side of the blanket. Although he was not legally acknowledged as the Dukes son, the Duke had taken great care to do his duty by his child. He recognized him and allowed him to use his surname. Still, Lydia couldnt overlook the fact that the Duke had sent Grayson to Texas to earn his own way, while the Dukes legitimate sons had everything handed to them. Her stepfathers insistence that he had no quarrel with English law did little to convince Lydia that hed been treated with absolute fairness.

  Lydias parents planned to divide all theyd acquired in land and wealth equally among their five children. It didnt matter that three of those children had a different father. They all shared the same mother, and to Grayson Rhodes, each child was hisa child of his heart if not of his blood.

  Lydia couldnt love him more if he had been the man who had sired her. He loved her without reservation. Hed comforted her when she was ill and kissed her scraped knees. Shed danced her first waltz with him.

  The coach rocked to a halt, and everyone insideexcept for her stepfatherexchanged nervous glances. She could hardly believe theyd arrived at last.

  An unsmiling footman immediately opened the coach door and helped everyone clamber out. Other servants began to quickly unload their luggage.

  A stern-faced man wearing long pants and a black coat approached. He bowed slightly. “If youll follow me.

  He escorted them up the tall flight of stone steps, opened the intricately carved heavy wooden door, and stepped discreetly back so they could enter.

  Lydias breath almost didnt follow her into the immense front foyer. The gleaming marble floor branched off into three different hallways, two nearly hidden by the wide, curving stairs on either side. A long balcony joined the stairs at the top and looked down on the entrance hall. Huge gilded-framed portraits adorned the walls above and below.

  She craned her neck to better study the painting on the domed ceiling: a man dressed in a toga drove a chariot through an abundance of clouds. She thought it entirely inappropriate. He should have been a knight, dressed in armor, sitting astride his great destrier.

  She lowered her gaze at the tap of quiet, dignified footsteps. She assumed the staid man was the butler. He was dressed as she imagined a gentleman would be: black trousers, jacket, white shirt, and cravat. He looked as though he was afraid his face would break apart if he cracked a smile.

  “Mr. Rhodes, I have been instructed to escort you and your family directly to His Graces bedchamber. If you will be so kind as to follow me?

  Lydia bristled at what everyone else probably thought was a warm welcome. Although her stepfather wasnt a legitimate heir, she thought the servants, at least, should address him as “my lord. After all his father was a duke, and that connection should have garnered him a great deal of respect.

  Shed studied everything she could find on the aristocracy, finally managing to unravel the maze of titles, rank, and hierarchy. In Texas, a man earned his position. Here, he was born into it.

  Grabbing Sabrinas hand and directing Colton wit
h a touch on his shoulder, she fell into step behind her parents. They ascended the sweeping staircase. More portraits lined the dark paneled walls. In some of the mens faces, she detected a resemblance to her stepfather, although most of these people had dark hair and dark eyes. She wondered if they represented the generations who had resided here.

  “Is this a castle? Sabrina whispered, obviously as awed by the majesty of the residence as Lydia was.

  “Almost, Lydia whispered back.

  She wished theyd had a moment to make themselves presentable. Because theyd been in a hurry to be under way this morning, shed done little more than brush back her hair and tie a ribbon around it to hold it in place. While her navy wool serge traveling dress had served her well during the journey, it was wrinkled and hardly fresh. Shed hoped to make introductions in something a little more flattering.

  With all the rooms in this house, surely one could have been made available to them for a few minutes.

  They reached the top of the stairway. It opened on to an impressive corridor, a hallway that more closely resembled a large room with its tables, chairs, lamps, portraits, and potted plants. Only the myriad of doors that converged on it identified it as a hallway. Lydia was beginning to hope the palace came with a map.

  The door closest to the stairs opened, and an elegantly dressed woman stepped out of the room. A few dark strands of her hair gave testimony to the fact that the others had faded from black to silver. As her gaze fell on Lydias stepfather, her eyes took on a murderous gleam. She slammed the door and fisted her hands at her sides.

  Everyone stopped walking. Her stepfather bowed slightly, and Lydia thought that in spite of his weariness from traveling and his disheveled clothes, hed never appeared more regal.

  “Your Grace, he said quietly.

  “You bastard! she spat, spittle flying between her thin lips. “You are not welcome here. I will not allow you in my house, let alone inside this bedchamber.

  “Is she the witch? Sabrina whispered.

  “I think so, Lydia forced out, horrified by the womans treatment of her stepfather.

  “Your Grace the butler began.

  “I simply will not allow it. If you value your position here, Osborne, you will escort these people off the premises immediately!

  The opening of a distant door had Lydia turning her attention to the young woman who stepped from the room into the hallway. She wore an apron over her black dress and a cap perched on her head.

  “Mary, fetch His Lordship, Osborne instructed the servant.

  “Yes, sir, Mr. Osborne. Mary scurried toward the stairs.

  “You will not fetch him! the Duchess screamed.

  In spite of the order, Mary rushed down the stairs.

  “Little chit. The servants Rhys brought here know nothing of discipline. He does not rule this dominion. I do. As for you, you bastard

  “You will stop insulting my husband

  “Abbie, her stepfather interrupted quietly, shaking his head.

  “Quite so. He understands his place, and it is not within my house, the Duchess said. “Now out with you, out with you all, before I set the hounds on you!

  Her tirade continued, her voice growing louder with each unkind word she threw out.

  Lydia had expected elegant behavior from a noblewoman, not screeching like the fishmongers shed seen on the wharves when theyd arrived in Liverpool.

  “Lyd, youre hurting my hand, Sabrina said softly.

  Lydia loosened her hold, while her heart ached at the spectacle taking place before her.

  How humiliating for her stepfather. How devastating for his younger, impressionable children. Based on the immense size of the house, Lydia assumed it would take Mary several minutes to locate His Lordship , longer for him to make his way there. She wanted to stand her ground, but she couldnt allow her brother and sister to witness the degradation of their father any longer.

  She wasnt retreating. She was protecting.

  Quickly she glanced around. Darting into another room was out of the question. She had no idea what shed find inside. Besides, she didnt think a door or four walls would block out the Duchesss ranting.

  “Come on, she whispered. Tugging on Sabrinas hand and prodding Coltons shoulder, she guided them back the way theyd come.

  Ushering her charges down the flight of stairs, she simply couldnt believe this womans anger over her stepfathers arrival. Theyd sent for him, for pitys sake.

  She stopped when she noticed three men rushing toward them. The man in the lead radiated power and grace, his fluid movements tightening his gray trousers around his thighs. His dark blue coat sat well on his broad shoulders. His white shirt, waistcoat, and cravat indicated he was a man who clearly recognized his own worthdressing in his finery despite the lack of a special occasion.

  She had little doubt he was her stepfathers brother. Rhys. The Marquess of Blackhurst. Although he looked nothing like Grayson Rhodes. He was dark, foreboding. His silvery-gray eyes reflected the fury of the storms that often whipped along the Texas coast. She was caught in the tempest of his gaze, unable, unwilling to move beyond him.

  As though suddenly and equally stunned by her presence, he came to an abrupt halt. The servants behind him promptly stopped as well.

  Lydias heart hammered rapidly against her ribs with the intensity of his stare. Ensnared by his commanding presence, she was acutely aware of his nearness, his harsh breathing. His hair, the black of midnight, had fallen across his brow. She desperately wanted to reach up and brush it back into place.

  A high-pitched shriek shattered the moment. Rage, fast and furious, flashed in his eyes. At that moment, Lydia thought she should have feared him, and yet she felt completely and absolutely safe. Surely he was here to rescue her stepfather from the abusive woman at the top of the stairs. A woman protected by the privilege of her rank.

  Although the staircase was wide enough for anyone to have passed by them, Lydia grabbed her siblings. She pressed them and herself against the wall, giving the man ample room to charge past them and put an immediate end to the shrews shrieking.

  “No need to run away, he said with a voice as warm and soothing as the nectar of honey beneath a Texas sky.

  “I wasnt running. But her unexpected breathlessness belied her statement.

  He arched a dark brow in skepticism. Then he continued up the stairs, his long legs taking the steps two at a time. His servants quickly followed.

  As did Lydia, with her brother and sister in tow. She had a feeling the Duchess was about to get her comeuppance, and she wanted to be near enough to witness it.

  When she reached the landing, only a step or two behind the others, she pulled Sabrina and Colton off to the side so theyd be out of harms way, but shed have a clear view of the Marquess. The Duchess had yet to notice him, and yet to Lydia his presence dominated the hallway.

  “Mother. His Lordships deep voice echoed around them, carrying a hint of warning.

  The Duchess swung around. “You! You sent for him!

  “Yes. The single word made no apology for what she obviously viewed as an unforgivable betrayal.

  “Youre a worthless excuse for a son. As long as your father breathes, your title is nothing more than a courtesy.

  “As long as Father is alive, I am obligated to carry out his wishes. He wants to see the son he loves, and you will allow it.

  She thrust up a chin supported by layers of fat. “I will not.

  “You will. He made a waving motion to the two young men who had accompanied him. “Escort Her Grace to her chambers.

  Her Grace shook her fist in the air. “I shant go!

  “You may either leave with a measure of decorum and respectability, or you will leave flung over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes, but one way or another, Your Grace , you will leave so Father may visit with his son in peace. The choice is yours, but make no mistake, you have all of two seconds to render a decision.

  Fury contorted her features. “I wish to God it had b
een you who had drowned.

  Sadness touched his gray eyes as he said with a wealth of compassion, “I know.

  He angled his head slightly, and the servants stepped toward the Duchess. She cast one last scathing look at Lydias stepfather and then at her son before lifting her skirts, tromping to the stairs, and going down them. Not soon enough, as far as Lydia was concerned.

  The Marquess turned to her stepfather. “My apologies. I hope youll forgive the Duchesss unpleasant behavior. The past few months have been exceedingly difficult for her, and she is a bit overwrought.

  On the stairs, hed impressed Lydia as a man filled with conviction and passion. She could hardly reconcile that image with the frigid greeting hed bestowed on her stepfather. Nearly fifteen years had passed since Grayson Rhodes had left his home and traveled to Texas. Fifteen years, and he was not greeted with smiles or hugs of welcome. Instead he was spoken to as though he was an unwelcome stranger, his presence barely tolerated.

  However, her stepfather, true to his nature, more than made up for the lack of hospitality. He smiled broadly. “Its good to see you, Rhys.

  The Marquess looked as though hed been slapped. “Its Blackhurst now.

  “Of course. My apologies for the slight. I was sorry to hear about Quentin.

  The Marquess nodded slightly. “As we all were. I trust your journey was a pleasant one until you arrived at our hallowed halls.

  Lydia knew little about the Marquess because her stepfather rarely mentioned the family hed left in England. After witnessing the encounter with the Duchess and now listening to this uncomfortable exchange, she certainly understood the reason hed been reluctant to speak of them.

  With his blue eyes twinkling, her stepfather seemed unaffected by all the rudeness that had come before. “Actually I have the misfortune of suffering from seasickness.

  “I regret hearing that. It will, however, make your willingness to travel much more meaningful to Father. He awaits you. He stepped back as though he fully intended to leave without another word.