A Scandalous Proposition

by Wendy Soliman

  “If you wish.” She sounded surprised by his request. “But why must it be tonight and why there?”

  “We don’t have the luxury of time on our side. I have a few ideas but need to ask you a lot more questions before I can be sure they’ll work.”

  “You don’t need to involve yourself. You already have more than your share of problems to deal with here at the Court.” She turned her face to his, her expression resolute. “You ought to enjoy your furlough without inviting more trouble. I don’t suppose it will be long before you must return to your regiment.”

  He removed her hand from the reins and took it in his. “Be that as it may, I don’t intend for Dawson to get away with what he’s doing. Besides, I begin to understand your character and suspect that if I don’t keep you within my sights, then you’ll finish up doing something rash.” He drew her hand to his lips, turned it over and gently applied his lips to the inside of her wrist. “And I can’t permit you to knowingly place yourself in danger’s path.”

  “You can’t permit it?” Her expression was affronted, her breathing suddenly ragged, and it was difficult for him to know if she was angry or aroused. There could be no similar doubts about his own condition. Those damned eyes of hers were slowly killing him. “What business is it of yours how I conduct myself?”

  “Come to the summerhouse as soon as you can after my mother retires,” he said, not responding to her question because he didn’t know the answer himself. “And we’ll be able to talk without interruption.”

  “Very well. If you’re absolutely sure you wish to involve yourself, Christine and I will be glad of your help.”

  Adam had never been more sure of anything in his life. All his other problems paled into insignificance. Nothing was more important to him now than keeping Florentina safe. That was the extent of his fascination with her.

  “We had best return to the Court by separate paths,” he said. “It wouldn’t do to cause speculation about our activities by being seen together.”

  She tossed her head as though his words were a physical assault. “Indeed not!”

  “Until later then.”

  He stood back and watched her drive away. Long after the dust kicked up by the wheels of the gig had settled, he was still standing there, following her progress with his eyes. Wishing he was still with her.

  Chapter Ten

  Florentina headed toward the dower house, miffed because Adam wouldn’t risk being seen with her. She instinctively knew that the young duchess wouldn’t react favourably if intelligence of their friendship got back to her. But she had no cause for displeasure since that was all that existed between them. Friendship and a mutual desire to see an end to Dawson’s human trafficking.

  She privately conceded that she wouldn’t have minded if something more intimate had developed during their previous sojourn in the summerhouse. The searing nature of his kiss when they’d danced together was to blame for engendering such silly notions. She adjured herself to stop being unrealistic but memories of that kiss refused to go away. It heated her body in unimaginable ways and robbed her of her levelheadedness, causing her to think the unthinkable.

  She was so preoccupied that she didn’t notice until she was almost upon him that a horseman was barring the road ahead. Her heart plummeted when she recognized Lord King astride a handsome chestnut hunter.

  “Mrs. Grantley.” He lifted his hat. “I was waiting here in the expectation of encountering you.”

  “Lord King.” She tried to keep the panic out of her voice. He was the last person she wished to see. Some might consider him charming but she didn’t care for him. “Whatever made you suppose I would pass this way?”

  “The duchess mentioned you take the gig in this direction in the afternoons.”

  “The dowager duchess told you that?” Her patroness disliked and disapproved of this gentleman. Florentina couldn’t imagine the dowager receiving him at all, much less telling him about her habits. Besides, although she knew Florentina went out in the gig most afternoons, she didn’t know which route she took.

  “No, my dear.” Lord King’s smile came across as a superior sneer. “It was the young duchess who informed me of your habits.”

  “Oh, I see.”

  Florentina attempted to quell her panic as his gaze roved slowly over her body in a most insolent manner. The dowager had warned her that this gentleman had a very bad reputation and that she ought to have as little as possible to do with him. But even if her employer hadn’t been good enough to set her on her guard, Florentina would have soon made that discovery for herself. Too many men had looked at her with the same hunger in their eyes over the years for her to misinterpret his intentions.

  “We didn’t have much opportunity to converse last night so I thought to remedy that situation.”

  “But we spoke throughout the entire meal.”

  “Yes, but we weren’t alone. The remarks I wished to address to you couldn’t be said in company.”

  Florentina bridled. “I have no interest in being alone with you, Lord King, and even less interest in anything you might wish to say to me.” She wanted to drive on but he was still blocking the road. “Pray excuse me, sir, the dowager duchess will wonder what has become of me.”

  “It wouldn’t be sensible to reject my offer of friendship, ma’am. I ought to warn you that I can be very determined. If you’re not nice to me then I shall just have to follow you every afternoon and see what you get up to.”

  Florentina was quaking with fear but refused to let it show. Her mind was working furiously. How much did he know about what she did? Had he followed her from the cottages? If so, this odious man could put everything she was working toward in jeopardy. Unless she submitted to him.

  But that was out of the question.

  After a moment’s deliberation it occurred to her that he couldn’t have followed her, at least not before today, since they’d only met for the first time last night.

  “I get up to nothing, my lord, and even if I did, what concern would it be of yours?”

  “I’ve decided to make you my concern, Mrs. Grantley. You fascinate me. More than anyone I’ve met in a very long time.”

  “And you seek to make a good impression by accosting me on the open road. Whatever can you be thinking, my lord?” She arched a brow. “Any gentleman worthy of the name would observe the usual formalities and call at the dower house.” She cast an imperious glance in his direction and was rewarded by the sight of anger flashing in his eyes. She’d called his credentials as a gentleman into question and he didn’t like it.

  “In the ordinary way, you’re right, of course.” He conceded the point by inclining his head. “However, my intentions are far from ordinary. There’s something about you, Mrs. Grantley, that doesn’t ring true. But then the same could be said of me. We’re kindred spirits. I believe you have secrets you’d prefer to keep to yourself, whereas I’m not looking for a wife, but rather someone to amuse myself with.” She gasped at his sheer effrontery. “Come, my dear, you’ve been married so I believe we understand one another very well.”

  “Go to the devil!”

  He threw back his head and roared with laugher. “I very likely shall but in the meantime I intend to enjoy you.”

  “Never!”

  “You’re every bit as spirited as I imagined.” He finally moved his horse out of the road. “Perhaps we shall meet at Chamberleigh in the very near future.”

  How could he possibly know about her connection to Chamberleigh? “I don’t know what you mean.” Fear made her speak more sharply than she’d intended and she could see that he didn’t believe her denial.

  “Oh, I think we understand one another. However, I shall give you time to consider what I’ve said. We’ll meet again very soon, be assured of that. I shall be holding another of my masquerades next week and you would be a very welcome addition to the gathering.”

  “If you think I’m so lost to respectability that I would appear at such an
event, then you’re in for a grave disappointment.”

  “I doubt it.” He sounded disconcertingly confident in his ability to persuade her. “Think upon all I’ve said but don’t imagine Fitzroy will protect you.” His cold, confident laughter sent shivers down her spine. “I have it on good authority that he’ll be too preoccupied with matters closer to home to spare any time for you.” Once again he lifted his hat. “Good afternoon, Mrs. Grantley.”

  And he cantered away without looking back.

  The previous evening’s activities had set James back, and Adam wasn’t surprised when he didn’t come down to dinner. It was to be just Philippa, whose eyes came alive when he entered the drawing room.

  “Ah, Adam, there you are.”

  “Good evening.” He accepted the glass of whisky that Kennedy handed to him. He had a feeling he was going to need it.

  “I thought our entertainment went very well last night,” Philippa said. “The food was excellent and all our guests appeared to enjoy themselves.”

  “Just so long as you’re satisfied that it didn’t overtax James’s strength.” Adam spoke with deliberate courtesy. “He seemed all done in when I called upon him this morning.”

  “Oh, he’s none the worse for the experience.” Philippa waved a hand airily, as though the subject was too trivial to engage her attention. “He hates being treated like an invalid and enjoyed seeing some of his old acquaintances again.”

  Kennedy announced that dinner was served. Adam offered Philippa his arm and the meal passed amidst a slew of her bright chatter, tempered by his more measured responses. She seemed determined to behave toward him as she had been accustomed to do before he joined his regiment. Her attitude tonight was a combination of the sweetness that he’d once mistaken for innocence, flattery, rapt interest in whatever he had to say, and mild flirtation. There were no signs of the steely determination he now knew underscored everything she did.

  “I believe Lord King was greatly enamoured with Mrs. Grantley,” she said. “He spoke about her to me in glowing terms, wanting to know what had brought her to the district and how long she intended to remain here.”

  Adam suspected that he was being tested. Accordingly he didn’t react to the mention of Florentina’s name in the same sentence as King’s. “I was surprised to see Lord King amongst your guests,” he remarked instead, watching her closely without making it apparent he was doing so. Her expression altered briefly and he thought he saw alarm filter across it. But it was gone again before he could be sure. “We’ve never moved in the same circles as him. How did he become intimate with you?”

  “Oh, he’s an acquaintance of my brother’s.”

  “But King being an acquaintance of your brother’s doesn’t account for your knowing him. I doubt Dennett is so lacking in tact that he’d introduce you to a person of his ilk. So how did he come to be invited to dine at the Court?”

  “James has taken a liking to him. They recently transacted some business. Something about a horse, I believe.”

  Adam raised a brow. The only business interests those two had in common were the type transacted beneath Christine’s roof. In spite of King’s title and wealth, his reputation precluded him from the best salons. James wasn’t so devoid of finer feelings that he’d suggest inviting him to be a part of any gathering where their mother was present. The invitation had clearly been extended by Philippa because she’d developed a taste for the rake’s company. Or possibly because he had some sort of hold over her. Either way, Adam knew she would never admit it.

  “Be that as it may,” he said, “I don’t believe we should be encouraging such people to think themselves welcome at the Court. No good can come of it.”

  Philippa tossed her head. “I wouldn’t have him here without company but don’t see why he should be excluded from large gatherings. I find his company diverting and he would hardly dare to misbehave here. Besides, if he really likes Mrs. Grantley then it would be a very good match for her.”

  Adam hadn’t realised she was quite so set against Florentina as all that. “I hardly think she would entertain such a person.”

  “Then she would be very foolish. She has no money of her own and is hardly likely to receive a better offer.”

  Adam quirked a brow. “So you’ve made the leap from mild admiration to offers of marriage, have you? You might enjoy King’s company and think him harmless, Philippa, but my mother was embarrassed to see such a dissolute rake in her drawing room. I’m surprised you’ve become so careless about her feelings.”

  “It’s my drawing room now, not your mother’s. And if James doesn’t object to his company, I can’t see what it has to do with her.”

  “You disappoint me, Philippa.”

  “It’s not my fault! I have to do everything myself in your absence and it’s all becoming too much. James is too ill to care and so all his duties fall to my lot.”

  “Then you should turn to my mother for advice, as Julia did before you.”

  “Your mother knows nothing about the workings of the estate.”

  “And you don’t need to involve yourself with them either. Fowler is well able to manage things.”

  “Huh, that’s what you say, but he quite forgot about his duties whilst you were away and thought only of his family.”

  “Have the goodness to explain yourself.” Adam’s words were clipped, and in spite of his best efforts he knew he was in danger of losing his temper.

  “His wife was unwell and he spent all his time caring for her. If I’d not stepped in, then the estate would have been completely neglected and we’d have been robbed blind.”

  “Instead of involving yourself in matters you don’t understand, you’d have done better to arrange for Mrs. Fowler’s care yourself.” Adam felt moderately satisfied when she had the grace to blush. “However, I’ll speak to Fowler myself and make sure everything is as it should be.”

  “That’s all very well, Adam, and I dare say he’ll follow your orders to the letter.” She paused, placing heavy emphasis on her next words. “Whilst you’re here to ensure that he does. But what happens when you return to your regiment?”

  “Fowler is very experienced and knows the estate backwards.”

  “That will not serve,” she said stubbornly. “James has lost all confidence in him and replies upon me to ensure that he follows orders.”

  Adam sighed. “What precisely is it that you’re trying to say to me, Philippa?”

  Her eyes gleamed with determination. With a wave of her hand she dismissed the servants and leaned toward him, placing one hand over his. “Ah, so we come down to it at last. I knew it wouldn’t take you long. You understand now the sacrifices I’ve made for your family and have overcome your jealousy. You realise I had no choice but to marry James but, rest assured, nothing of an intimate nature occurs between us anymore.” She offered him a dazzling smile. “You and I will be able to resume our old relationship without fear of interruption. Only this time there need be no barriers between us.”

  Adam had known she wanted something from him but never in his wildest dreams would he have suspected this. “Let’s see if I’ve got this straight.” He clenched his teeth so tightly that his jaw ached, struggling to control the fulminating rage ripping through him. “You married my brother to stop anyone else doing so, managed to get him to impregnate you and—”

  “Yes, my love. If the child’s a boy, then James has an heir and you will have control of the estate until he’s of age. If it’s a girl, then you will become duke. It’s perfect!”

  “My God!” Adam regarded her through eyes narrowed with contempt. “I knew you were ambitious but had no notion you could be quite so calculating.”

  “Someone had to take control.” Her voice resonated with pride.

  “Yes, but you’ve overlooked one small fact. In order for your plan to succeed you require my cooperation. And,” he said, putting aside his napkin and standing, “I think it only fair to warn you that hell will freeze over be
fore that happens.”

  “Don’t go. I’m not finished yet.” The steel in her voice stayed him. “I’ve done all of this for your sake and won’t be cast aside because I’ve acted in a fashion that disappoints you.”

  “Your situation is of your own making.”

  “I did what was necessary for the sake of your family, although precious little thanks I got from your mama. But you won’t turn your back on me, Adam, nor will you look down your nose at me. You’re the only man I’ve ever loved. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll treat me with respect and show me some gratitude for the sacrifices I’ve made. You should have been the only man to share my bed. Do you imagine I enjoyed allowing James to take your place?” Tears coursed down her face. “Do you imagine I enjoyed having his hands pawing at me, doing all the things I…”

  Her words trailed off, the heavy silence broken only by her racking sobs. Adam was unmoved by her display and regarded her passively. As he’d assumed, when he didn’t offer her comfort she recovered her composure with remarkable speed.

  “If you don’t demonstrate your affection for me then I will use my influence with your brother to ensure that the two of you are permanently estranged.” Her tone was imbued with cold determination. “That will deprive you of access to the Court.” He frowned but her expression of absolute resolve didn’t falter. “Don’t doubt me, for I mean what I say. Given the fragile nature of your relationship with James, it will be easy for me to poison his mind against you. His reliance upon me is absolute, as you have already observed for yourself.”

  Adam stared at her for a protracted moment, seeing her now in an entirely different light. She was not only ambitiously determined but dangerous too. Why hadn’t he realised that about her before? She actually appeared to believe that he would meekly step into his brother’s shoes. Not only when he was dead—a situation that Philippa appeared ready to anticipate with unseemly haste—but also whilst he was still alive and they were living beneath the same roof. Not trusting himself to answer her, he made do with throwing a scathing look her way and leaving her still seated at the dining table.