The Most to Lose

by Landon, Laura

  Hadleigh cleared his throat. “Enough, Haywood. You’ve made your point.”

  Lady Amanda clasped her hand over her heart and looked at Hadleigh in feigned disillusionment. “How disappointing, Your Grace. Instead of taking lessons for future use, you seem intent on crushing any display of affection. How coldhearted of you.”

  Hadleigh glared at Lady Amanda with unmerciful disdain, but Jonah wasn’t sure the lady noticed. She’d already turned her back on them and walked out the front door unescorted.

  Jonah and Celie followed, and Hadleigh walked close behind them.

  When they reached the carriage, Jonah handed the ladies inside, then watched as the conveyance drove down the lane. The minute they were out of sight, he called for Bundy.

  “Show me what you found, Sergeant.”

  Chapter 15

  For more than a week, Jonah labored alongside the workers as they made repairs to Haywood Abbey. Other than concerns over the astronomical debt mounting from the cost of labor and supplies, every day’s improvements were amazing. Hadleigh had been most insistent concerning the progress he wanted to see before they returned to London, and Jonah was confident that he would find no complaints when they took a final tour through the Abbey.

  He placed his hands on his hips and stretched the muscles of his shoulders and back, then took a final look around the room. This was the last room of the suite that would be Celie’s if she agreed to become his wife. This would be her sitting room. The room where she would entertain close friends. Her special sanctuary.

  Only moments ago, the workmen had finished reattaching the molding around the ceiling, then replaced the furniture—a beautiful writing desk and a burgundy, black, and gray floral sofa with two chairs of complementary upholstery. Two small tables flanked either side of the chairs, and a low table that had been in the Haywood family for generations stood before the sofa. Celie could discard or add whatever she wanted in order to make her room more comfortable, but he didn’t want her to see it barren the first time she entered. Furniture gave the room a warmth he knew she’d appreciate.

  He took one more look around the room and smiled in satisfaction. He couldn’t wait to see the expression on her face when she walked through the door the first time.

  He turned to the door and stopped short when he saw her. The warmth of the glow on her face contained everything he’d hoped to see.

  “It’s beautiful, Jonah. I love it.”

  A gentle warmth wrapped around his heart. “I’m glad, my lady, since hopefully this room will someday be yours.”

  “Then I will be perfectly content here. It’s lovely.”

  He looked at the sincerity in her eyes and knew she meant every word. His blood heated as it rushed through his veins. “Would you like to see the rest of the house—at least the rooms that are finished?”

  “That’s why I’ve come.”

  “Good. Is Hadleigh with you?” He looked toward the doorway. “I can’t imagine him dawdling behind if Lady Amanda is within a stone’s throw.”

  She laughed. “No, Hadleigh didn’t come. Neither did Amanda.”

  His eyebrows shot upward. “Hadleigh let you come alone?”

  “He left early this morning. He had important business with his steward he said would take most of the day. He promised to join us for dinner.”

  “And Lady Amanda?”

  “She had a headache.”

  He crossed his arms over his chest and looked down his nose at her. “Why do I have a feeling Lady Amanda’s headache improved the minute you left the house?”

  Her face lit with feigned innocence. “Because you realize how quickly Amanda recovers from any malady?”

  He rolled his eyes heavenward. “And why do I have a feeling Hadleigh has no idea you’re here?”

  “Because you’re a very mistrusting person?”

  “No, my lady. The reason is because I know your brother better than most and know he would never give you permission to come here without coming himself as your chaper-one. He would, at the least, consider it dangerous. As do I.”

  Her lips formed a pert little pout. He couldn’t stop from reaching out to wrap his arm around her shoulder and pull her toward him. “What excuse did you give him? That you intended to stay with Lady Amanda until she felt better?”

  She tipped her chin upward. He knew she wanted to look him in the eyes, but couldn’t. She knew he’d see through the lie she was about to tell. She attempted her bluff anyway.

  “Do you honestly think Hadleigh would believe I’d stay with Amanda for such a minor malady as a headache?”

  “Yes, my lady. He’d believe anything you said because he considers you incapable of telling him one thing and doing another.”

  “And you?”

  He pulled her closer to him and hugged her. “I realize you’re as creative as Lady Amanda in your schemes, and equally as capable of getting into trouble.”

  “I see.” She worried her lower lip in a disconcerting manner. “That could eventually be a problem.”

  “I have no doubt it will be. You’ll find I’m not nearly as trusting as your brother.”

  “That’s most distressing, my lord.”

  “It’s meant to be. Your brother assumes Lady Amanda is the mastermind behind all your mischief. If I were to hazard a guess, I’d wager a large portion of the money I don’t have that you share equal blame.”

  She pulled back from his grasp. “I’m shocked, my lord. That you believe I’m capable of such deceit surprises me.”

  “I’m certain in the next several years I’ll find many more things to be shocked over. And I’ll learn to be impressed with your creativity.”

  She tipped her chin upward and smiled. “I certainly hope so.”

  He pulled her back into his arms and met her smile with one of his own. He felt himself sink into the depth of the magnificent blueness of her eyes and knew without a doubt there was no escape from the love he felt for her.

  “I wish Hadleigh hadn’t made you promise to wait be-fore formally asking me to marry you.”

  “He only wanted you to have time to be sure you wanted to marry me. And he wanted to make sure I intended to make the extensive repairs needed for Haywood Abbey to be a fit home for his sister.”

  “To which you agreed?”

  “Of course.”

  “Weren’t you afraid I might be swept off my feet by another suitor during that six months and you would lose me?”

  He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “No. I considered it a wise request. I want you to be certain, too. I don’t want you to feel I rushed you into a marriage you aren’t sure you want.”

  “Weren’t you afraid I might not love Haywood Abbey and refuse to make it my home?”

  He chuckled. “No. That thought didn’t enter my mind. If you didn’t like the Abbey when you saw it, I’d simply build you another home. One of your own choosing.”

  “You’d do that?”

  “Of course.” He pressed another kiss to the top of her head. “I’d do anything for you, Celie. All you need do is ask.”

  “Oh, Jonah.” She lifted her chin and looked at him. “Then I would like to ask a favor.”

  “How can I refuse you anything when you’re so enticing?” He lowered his face until his lips were only inches above hers. “What favor would you ask?”

  “Would you please kiss me?”

  “Kissing you isn’t wise.”

  “I know. But since you already assume my scheming abilities rival Amanda’s, I think I’ll prove you right. Please, kiss me.”

  Kissing her was one favor she wouldn’t have to ask twice. He lowered his head until his lips touched hers.

  Their meeting was soft and gentle, their contact stimulating. He didn’t want their kiss to get out of hand. He didn’t want the passion he felt when he held her to pass the point where he couldn’t control the outcome. She knew the rules as well as he. The last thing he wanted was for her to feel forced into a marriage because o
f what they’d done.

  She pressed closer to him, and he wrapped his arms around her to keep her near him. She wended her arms around his neck and matched the intensity of his kisses with a passion of her own. Again and again, she drew from him, deepening her kisses until the rapid rise and fall of their breaths matched the fury of his need.

  Dear God, but he wanted her. He wanted her in his arms, in his bed, in his life. He wanted her for his wife, for his mate, for a lifetime, then beyond.

  He deepened his kisses and met her demands with demands of his own.

  He opened his mouth atop hers, and she accepted his assault with an eagerness that increased the passion that was growing beyond control. She raked her fingers through his hair as she battled his assault. The feel of her against him tested his resolve, and his determination to keep their passion from getting out of hand suddenly died.

  He wanted her. Oh, how he wanted her. But he couldn’t. He wanted her to have a choice without the guilt of what they’d done clouding her judgment. If she chose someone else as her husband, he wanted her to go to her marriage bed a virgin.

  Without giving himself time to consider what he was doing, he lifted his lips from hers and held her in a warm cocoon.

  “No, Jonah. Don’t stop.”

  Her labored breaths brushed across his cheeks. She looked at him with a glaze of passion in her eyes. Her frantic touch caressed him with a need that increased his desire even more. Before he could stop her, she wrapped her arms around his neck and brought his head downward. And kissed him again.

  “Love me. Make love to me,” she begged through rasping breaths.

  “We can’t.”

  “We can,” she whispered softly.

  The sound of rushing feet brought them to their senses, and they separated with a jerk.

  “I was afraid this is what I’d find,” Amanda said, entering the room almost at a run. “What’s the nearest way out to the garden?”

  Jonah stepped away from Celie and straightened his shirt collar. He doubted he looked presentable and realized from the frantic look in Lady Amanda’s eyes he needed to look in control.

  “What’s wrong, Amanda?” Celie asked as she made an attempt to straighten her hair.

  “You brother is right behind me. We need him to find us anywhere but here!” She pointed to the bed.

  Jonah led the way out the door and down the back stairs. Once on the lower level, he escorted the two ladies to the library, then out the French doors and onto the terrace. A table was already set up, and they each took a chair.

  “Did you need something, my lord?” Bundy asked from the doorway.

  “Yes, Bundy, tea. And some of the cake, if Cook has any left from lunch.”

  “Right away, my lord.”

  “And four cups,” Jonah added.

  “Yes, my lord.”

  Amanda cast an accusing look in Celie’s direction. “I thought you said Hadleigh would be gone all day,” she gasped, trying to catch her breath. “He arrived not fifteen minutes after you left.”

  “He told me he wouldn’t be home until dark,” Celie said in defense.

  “Well, he changed his mind.” She paused. “Or he set a trap, and we walked into it.”

  Jonah sat back in his chair and smiled. It was a rare treat to see the two connivers spar over a failed deception.

  Before they had time to make any more accusations, Hadleigh’s heavy footsteps indicated he was on his way.

  “His Grace, the Duke of Hadleigh,” Bundy announced.

  Jonah rose to his feet. “Hadleigh, please, join us. We were just about to have tea.”

  Hadleigh ignored Jonah’s invitation and focused his glare on his sister. “I thought you told me Lady Amanda was feeling under the weather and needed to rest, Cecelia. I hardly call this resting.”

  “The fault is mine, Your Grace,” Amanda stated, but Hadleigh cut off the remainder of her sentence with a slash of his hand.

  “The fault is always yours, Lady Amanda, but I keep hoping that eventually my sister will realize she has to stand up for herself and not give in to your every misbegotten scheme.”

  “Now, just wait—”

  The situation was about to become explosive. Before it did, Jonah realized he had to step in. “Your sister wisely thought a little fresh air would be best for Lady Amanda, and they went for a walk. We’re neighbors, after all, and they stopped by to see how the work was progressing.”

  Hadleigh gave him a hostile glare.

  “Sit down, Your Grace. I’ve ordered tea. It should arrive any moment.”

  Hadleigh hesitated, then took the chair between Celie and Lady Amanda. Celie poured the tea when it arrived, and the conversation calmed to talk of the weather and the conditions of the farmland.

  Jonah breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps it was possible to have a normal conversation with Hadleigh in attendance.

  They were nearly finished with their tea when Bundy arrived with a tray. Jonah took the letter and opened it.

  “It’s an invitation,” he announced. “It seems there’s going to be a dance in one week’s time and we’re all invited.”

  “Oh,” Celie said with a smile on her face. “How exciting. I haven’t been to a local event since I was young.”

  “Neither have I,” Lady Amanda chimed in.

  “In a week?” Hadleigh asked. “I’d hoped to return to London within the week.”

  “We can’t, Your Grace,” Celie said. “The locals have no doubt planned this event to coincide with our being here. They’d never forgive us if we left before that night.”

  Hadleigh’s shoulders sagged, and Jonah could see his disappointment. He didn’t want to stay for another week, but then, he hadn’t wanted to come in the first place.

  Talk at the table turned to the upcoming event, and Celie listed some of the people she knew would be there. Since Lady Amanda wasn’t familiar with their neighbors, she considered it her duty to catch her up on who would most likely be in attendance.

  That left Hadleigh and Jonah to converse with each other.

  Neither said anything.

  Chapter 16

  Jonah climbed down from the scaffolding they’d erected to paint the ceiling in the entryway. When he reached the bottom, he rolled his shoulders to ease the aching muscles, then looked upward at the beautiful scene the artist had painted on the domed ceiling.

  He felt a sense of accomplishment. He’d made good progress today.

  Celie hadn’t been to visit for two days. He couldn’t wait until she visited so she could see what the workmen had accomplished since the last time she’d been here. She would approve. He knew she would.

  He walked down the long hall and opened the door to the room that had been his mother’s sitting room. This was the room where his mother entertained visitors when they came to call—which was often.

  Celie would approve of this room, too. It was bright and cheerful, in several shades of yellows and greens. He put his hands on his hips and smiled.

  “The house looks wonderful.”

  He turned to see Celie standing in the doorway. She was alone.

  His heart leaped in his chest. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Even though it had only been two days since she’d last been here, he’d missed her terribly.

  “Do you like it?”

  “How could I not? How could anyone not like it? It’s beautiful.”

  Jonah walked to where she stood and took her hands in his. Once he touched her, just holding her hands wasn’t enough. He brought her to him and wrapped his arms around her. She went willingly.

  “I didn’t expect you today. Since the other day, I thought your brother would keep a closer watch on you.”

  She smiled. “He tried to work from his study, but there were certain matters he needed to check on before we left. And I’m glad.” She paused. “I had to come. I missed you.”

  He kissed the top of her head. “I’ve missed you, too. Are you sure your brother won’t
come back to find you gone?”

  “He went out with his steward, and I overheard him tell his valet that he wouldn’t return until dinner.”

  “I don’t like you traveling alone, though. I’m not sure it’s safe.”

  “Of course it is. It’s been weeks, and nothing has happened.”

  “I know, but—”

  “Shh.”

  Celie lifted her hand and pressed her fingers against his lips to silence him.

  “Show me what you’ve done to the house since I was here last.”

  “It would be my pleasure.”

  Jonah took her on a tour of the house, starting with the ground floor. The workers were concentrating on the rooms here, hammering and plastering and painting. The noise level was high as the pounding echoed in the empty rooms.

  With his arm around Celie’s waist, they walked around piles of lumber and stepped over debris that littered the floor. Celie greeted each workman they encountered as they made their way from room to room. They each greeted her in return. When they finished with the ground floor, he led her up the stairs. The rooms on the first and second floors were for the most part completed, but she hadn’t seen them all. He couldn’t wait to see her reaction.

  “We’ll start here.” He opened the door at the end of the hall. “This was my mother’s favorite room.”

  Jonah escorted her into the room, and she stopped short, then sighed.

  “Oh, Jonah.” She turned to look at the entire room. “It’s beautiful. Simply beautiful.”

  “I remember, when I was young, only very special guests were put in this room.”

  “Did your parents have guests often?”

  “Yes, they were both fond of entertaining. Mother loved people, and they loved her. It wasn’t until she died that Father changed. He became a different man after she was gone.”

  “Is that when he lost interest in the estates?”

  “Yes.”

  There was a small settee in the corner of the room. It sat back in a cozy nook shadowed by the flickering candles that dimly lit the room. Jonah led her to the settee and sat beside her.