“They’re not going anywhere,” he said. “And we have things to discuss.” He dragged her into a small sewing parlor and shut the door behind them. “Now, ma’am, you’ll tell me exactly what your relationship is to Miles Linden.”
Nicholas hadn’t realized until this moment in how many ways his mother’s supposed betrayal of his father had affected him. He finally knew why he had never let himself love a woman. Because loving meant taking the risk that you might not be loved in return. If anyone had asked, he would have denied emphatically that he loved Daisy Windermere. But he realized now, when he thought her feelings were fixed on another man, that he wanted her to love him.
He felt the clutching fear—and fury—Lord Philip must have felt at the thought that Lady Philip had given herself to another man. Nicholas had killed in the past because it was a job, without letting himself feel the heat of anger or the lust for blood. What he felt now wasn’t rational, and it wasn’t calm. He could easily have strangled Miles Linden with his bare hands.
“Stay away from Miles, Daisy.”
Daisy’s chin was up, her hands curled into fists. She was aghast at the monster she had created—all by her idiotic self—but determined to brazen it out. “You’re acting crazy, Nicholas. I want to return to our guests.” She tried walking past him, and he grabbed her arm and swung her around.
“We’re not finished here.”
“Oh, yes we are!”
“No, Daisy. We’re a long way from finished.”
He captured Daisy’s face in his hands and lowered his mouth toward hers. “You’re mine, Daisy. Only mine. Always mine.”
It was a kiss of claiming that was all the more effective because his mouth was soft on hers, coaxing an equally hungry response she was helpless to refuse.
Daisy tore herself free and rasped, “There is no always for us, Nicholas. Only now.”
Desperation. It surged between them, clawed at them, so they couldn’t get enough of each other, couldn’t taste and touch enough to satisfy the needs of a lifetime in the brief time they had allowed themselves.
Until spring. Just until spring.
Nicholas was stunned by Daisy’s passion, overwhelmed by the demands of her mouth and hands. He hadn’t counted on the need that rose in her to match his own and which threatened to overwhelm them both.
“Daisy, Daisy,” he said as he pressed kisses across her face. “I need you now. Come upstairs with me and—”
The quiet knock on the door cut him off. “Ignore it,” he said.
Daisy pressed her palms against his chest, but they slid up and around his neck. She laid her forehead against his linen shirt and moaned. “We have to go. We have guests.”
She lifted her head and stared into eyes that were hot and hungry and impatient. “What are we doing, Nicholas? We’re only going to end up hurting each other. I should have told you sooner why I left The Wolf and the Lamb. It was because I didn’t think I could spend two weeks making love with you and not lose my heart.
“I’m not strong enough to resist you,” she said in a quiet voice. “If you want me, I’ll come to you. But I won’t fall in love with you, Nicholas. I have to protect myself somehow.”
“So you’ll give me your body, but that’s all,” Nicholas said in a harsh voice.
Daisy nodded.
“I’ll take it.”
Daisy bit her lower lip. “Just my body, Nicholas. Not my heart. Never my heart.”
The knock came again. Louder. Insistent.
He let her go, and she stepped back from him.
“I think we should return to the party now.” Daisy looked down at herself to make sure she showed no signs of her recent tryst with the duke. “Do I look all right?”
Nicholas brushed a stray curl back from her face. “You look ravishing.” And very well kissed. Miles couldn’t fail to see that Nicholas had staked his claim on her.
Nicholas opened the door and found Priss standing there.
“Are you two all right? People are beginning to talk. I thought you might want to return to the party.”
“We’re coming,” Daisy said. She linked her arm with Priss’s. “How did you enjoy your supper?” she asked.
Nicholas watched the two women stroll down the hall toward the drawing room. He tried not to think about the agreement he had just made with Daisy, but her words echoed in his mind.
Only my body. Not my heart. Never my heart.
That was fine with him. He didn’t want her damned heart. He would be plenty happy with her body in bed. So long as she was his, and only his, for as long as he stayed in England. After he was gone, he didn’t care what she did.
Nicholas scowled. It wasn’t the best bargain he had ever made. But it was the safest course for both of them. No love. No commitment. It was the way he had always dealt with women. Daisy was no different from all the others. At least, that was what he wanted to believe.
The problem was, he didn’t believe it. Not for a second. Only sometimes it was easier to settle for a lie than to probe for the truth. Nicholas found it too difficult to admit to the feelings roiling inside him. He was a man used to being in control, and there was nothing controlled about his relationship with the duchess.
For the first time since his mother had died and left him alone, he was afraid. He wasn’t even sure what he was afraid of, except losing Daisy. And that was ridiculous, because how could you be afraid of losing something you had never possessed?
Nicholas shook off the feelings of foreboding that hung over him like a thundercloud. He had never gone looking for trouble, and he wasn’t about to start now.
He shut the door to the sewing room behind him and headed back toward the ballroom, which had filled with people in the short time he had been absent. To his surprise, the orchestra was already playing. He stood at the edge of the ballroom and searched for Daisy. He spied her finally in the middle of the floor. She was dancing a waltz with Miles Linden, and there wasn’t more than an inch of space between them.
Nicholas saw red. He ignored the gasps and grunts of surprise as he pushed his way across the dance floor toward his wife.
17
Miles saw Nicholas coming and whispered in Daisy’s ear, “You wanted a jealous husband. You’ve got one.”
Daisy had changed her mind about antagonizing Nicholas, but had been so discomfited by the incident in the sewing room that when Miles asked her to dance she had agreed. “Oh, Miles. What am I going to do now?”
“I’m going to turn you over to your husband and let the two of you work it out,” Miles said. “Nicholas, I see you want to cut in.” Miles released Daisy and backed up a step.
Nicholas had to choose between going after Miles and taking Daisy in his arms. The choice was simple. “Daisy?” He held his arms open, and she reluctantly stepped into them.
His right arm slid around her waist to draw her breathlessly close, and his left hand captured hers as he led her into the waltz. Neither said a word as the music swelled behind them and carried them around the floor.
Daisy could feel Nicholas down the entire length of her. Her heart batted against her rib cage. “You’re holding me too close,” she protested.
“Not close enough,” he retorted, tightening the arm around her waist.
“I can’t breathe.”
“Stop wearing those damned corsets.”
“Nicholas, please.”
He loosened his hold but said, “Don’t do that again, Daisy.”
She didn’t ask what he meant. She knew now that Nicholas wasn’t a man to tolerate the sort of games a woman might play with another man. If he thought his claim to her was being challenged, he wouldn’t respond with a civilized duel at dawn. Murder would be done.
“I need to speak with some people this evening,” Nicholas said. “Can I trust you not to get into trouble?”
“Are you ordering me not to flirt?” Daisy asked, her eyes narrowed dangerously.
“Flirt all you like,” Nicholas said. “Just remember that
I’ll kill any man who lays a hand on you.”
“You must joking!” Daisy protested. “What if someone asks me to dance?”
The waltz ended, and his fingers tightened on her waist before he released her. “There are some things a man doesn’t joke about.” He left her and walked away toward Lord Prestyne.
Daisy wanted to defy Nicholas, but after looking around the ballroom she realized that the only men who would be able to stand up to him in a fight were Charles and Miles. She wasn’t about to provoke Nicholas into confronting either one of them, since she didn’t want blood shed on her account.
Priss approached her later in the evening and asked, “Why aren’t you dancing, Daisy?”
“Nicholas forbade it!” she snapped before she could stop herself.
“Good Lord, Daisy. Why would he do a thing like that?”
“Because he’s a barbaric, uncultivated savage. That’s why.”
“Your opinion of your husband certainly bodes well for a long and happy marriage,” Priss teased.
“Oh, Priss. I think I’ve made a terrible mistake. Everything’s gone wrong. The servants dislike Nicholas now more than they did before I married him. The tenants are afraid of him. And I have no idea what he’s going to say when he realizes I’ve bought cattle instead of seeds for new crops with what money we had left.”
Priss’s jaw dropped. “You did what?”
“Colin suggested it,” Daisy said. “And it seemed like a good idea at the time.”
“You acted without waiting to speak with Nicholas first?”
“He wasn’t here,” Daisy said.
“Oh, Daisy. You are in trouble.”
“Thanks for the words of comfort, Priss.”
“I’m afraid you’ll need more than comfort when His Grace finds out what you’ve done.”
“Maybe he won’t mind,” Daisy said, chewing on her lower lip.
“You don’t believe that any more than I do.”
“You’re right. He’ll mind. What am I going to do, Priss?”
“Run for your life?”
“He’d only come after me.”
“You’re probably right.”
“What are you two hens cackling about here in the corner?” Charles asked.
Priss arched a brow. “Hens?”
Daisy matched it. “Cackling?”
Charles held up both hands and laughed. “I take it back. What were you two ladies discussing?”
“Oh, Charles, you’ll never believe what Daisy’s done.”
“Try me. You might be surprised.”
“She bought cattle to put on Severn land without consulting Nicholas first.”
The earl stroked his chin. “Cattle. I wonder why nobody thought of that before.”
“So you think it’s a good idea?” Daisy asked eagerly.
“I do. The question is whether Nicholas will agree.”
“Whether I will agree to what?” Nicholas asked, joining them.
“That it makes sense to put cattle on Severn land,” the earl said.
Daisy held her breath.
“I’d certainly be willing to investigate the idea,” Nicholas said.
“It’s a little late for that,” Daisy said.
“Oh?”
“I’ve already bought the cattle, and I’ve put them on Severn land,” she said defiantly.
“I know.”
“What?”
“Colin told me all about it this afternoon.”
“And you let me stand here and worry whether you were going to lop off my head when you found out?” Daisy said in an ominous voice.
“Daisy, Daisy, this is no time to argue,” Nicholas said with a mocking grin. “We have company. Come on. I’m in the mood to dance.”
“I wouldn’t dance with you—”
Daisy found herself swept onto the dance floor where the third waltz of the evening—she had noticed Nicholas talking to Lord Prestyne during the second—was playing.
For a few minutes Daisy kept her lips pressed tight, too furious to speak. Then she realized she had won the war without ever having to go to battle. “Do you really think cattle are a good idea?”
“If they’re managed properly. At least I know something about cattle. I can give the tenants some direction.”
“I’ve asked a few of the tenants to plant hay and oats to feed the stock,” she said enthusiastically. “Severn should be quite profitable in the near future.”
“That’s what I’m counting on,” Nicholas said.
It dawned on Daisy that the more successful the introduction of cattle on Severn land, the sooner Nicholas would be able to put the property on the market. Which meant she had work to do, and fast. There had to be a way to make Nicholas fall in love with Severn all over again. She hadn’t found it yet, but by God, she would!
Nicholas didn’t like the gleam in Daisy’s eye. She was planning something, he could tell. He wondered what she was up to now. So far everything she had done for Severn had turned out surprisingly well. But he didn’t want her getting into the habit of making decisions without talking to him first.
“I should mention to you, I suppose, that Phipps contacted me the day you made the request for funds to buy the cattle,” Nicholas said.
Daisy’s eyes widened. “He what?”
“You didn’t think he was going to release funds without my permission, did you?”
“But he always—”
“I am Severn, ma’am,” Nicholas said. “Any decisions that get made from now on go through me. Is that understood?”
Daisy remained silent.
“Daisy, I want an answer.”
“Yes, it’s understood,” she hissed.
Nicholas didn’t push for more cooperation from her. His mind had already skipped ahead to the end of the evening, when she would come to his bed. That was all the submission he wanted or needed from Daisy Windermere.
“What did you and Lord Prestyne discuss?” Daisy asked.
“I asked him what he knew about my mother and father.”
“Was he able to shed any light on the situation?”
“He mentioned the name of a man he thought might know something.”
“Who was that?”
“No one you know,” Nicholas said. She wouldn’t have known Estleman, he thought. The man had stopped coming to Severn after Lady Philip left for America, Lord Prestyne had said.
Nicholas danced Daisy to the edge of the room. “I need to speak with Miles. I’ll see you later.” And left her again.
Daisy fumed. This was supposed to be her wedding celebration, and instead of paying attention to the bride, the groom was off visiting with the guests. Meanwhile, he had made it plain that if she so much as glanced at another man, he would flatten him. Daisy was ready to hit something herself. Preferably Nicholas. In a place where it would hurt.
Nicholas found Miles on the terrace with Verity. “I’m sorry to interrupt you, but I’d like to speak with Miles privately.”
“Nick, your timing is terrible,” Miles said after his wife was gone. “A party is no time to talk business.”
“This isn’t business, exactly. I wondered what you might know about my mother and father.”
“Oh.” Miles turned and stared out over the garden. The smell of roses was overpoweringly sweet. “I remember your mother smelled of roses the day I met her.”
“When was that?”
“On the ship that took you to America.”
“You were on it?” Nicholas exclaimed.
“I was.”
“How old were you then?”
“Seventeen.”
“Why didn’t I meet you?”
“You were seasick at the beginning of the voyage, if you’ll recall. Later I stayed in my cabin during the day and only came on deck at night.”
“You spoke with my mother?”
“Often.”
“Did she tell you anything about … Were my father’s accusations true?”
“
All I know is that she was a very unhappy woman. She obviously loved your father. And she worried about what was going to happen to the two of you. I think she expected your father to come to his senses and come after her. To be honest, she still seemed to be in shock over the whole incident.”
“That doesn’t seem the picture of a guilty party,” Nicholas said thoughtfully.
“I didn’t think so,” Miles concurred.
“Unfortunately, her tragic behavior isn’t proof of anything,” Nicholas said. “She could simply have been upset over getting caught.”
Miles shrugged. “I can’t help you any more than I have.”
“Do you know a man named Estleman? Have you heard of him?”
“No.”
“My mother didn’t mention him?” Nicholas insisted.
Miles shook his head. “I’m sorry. Believe me, I know how frustrating it can be to wonder about something and never know the truth.”
Nicholas recognized the look in Miles’s silvery eyes. He had seen it often in his own mirror. “I’d like to get together again sometime. I’d be interested to hear how you like Wyoming.”
“You’ll have to catch me before the spring,” Miles said. “Verity and I are heading home then.”
“I thought your home was here.”
“I have a ranch in Wyoming that’s home for us now. We only came here for a visit. I hadn’t been back to England in quite some time. It’s interesting how much things change.”
“And how much they stay the same.”
Miles smiled. “I know exactly what you mean. Do you miss your ranch in America?”
“I didn’t leave many friends behind in Texas. Just one really,” Nicholas confessed. “I’m amazed to admit it, but I believe I have more memories of Severn than of my ranch in Texas. I was always on the trail. I didn’t spend much time at home. My friend, Simp, was there with my son, and I came and went on business.”
“What does Daisy think about living in America?”
“I don’t know.”
When Miles arched a questioning brow, Nicholas flushed. “Daisy and I … Daisy’s staying in England.”
“I see. You need her to keep an eye on things here for a while. I can understand that.”
Nicholas didn’t correct Miles’s inaccurate perception of the facts. He didn’t need to explain his life to anyone. But Miles wasn’t content to let sleeping dogs lie.
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