Jane sat wide-eyed, her expression changing from surprise to utter fascination. "And then your brothers had him serve as protector for you at Hemmingly?"
Emily nodded.
Jane's face glowed with indignation. "Of all the barbaric things to do! It must have been dreadful, since you are still in love with him."
Emily clamped a pillow to her stomach. "I am not in love with him, Jane."
Jane patted Emily's hands affectionately. "Of course you are, dearest. Though it does not mean the man has not been an idiot."
Emily paused, then burst out laughing. "Oh, Jane. What in the world am I to do? How can I avoid him when he is living under the same roof as I?"
Jane sighed. "You cannot avoid your feelings, dearest"
Emily frowned. Yes, she could. The last time she had paid attention to her feelings, she had lived to regret it, and she never would be placed in that position again.
Jared found his ward in the hallway of the Elbourne townhouse an hour before he was to leave for the Garrick Ball. His protective instincts plunged into full alert at the sight of Jane wrapped in a confection of blue satin with ribbon trimmings, looking like some dazzling gift to be unwrapped.
Blast! More than one gentleman would be looking at her through lecherous eyes, including the duke. He knew he had a responsibility to watch over her, but how in the blue blazes was he going to do that, along with his plans for Emily.
"A minute, Jane."
"Yes?" Jane answered, glancing over her shoulder.
Jared narrowed his eyes in confusion. If he had not known better, he would have thought she was still angry with him about the incident at the dressmaker's. But he had apologized.
"A word with you, please."
Her lips seemed to thin. "Now?"
"Indeed, now." When had Jane become so beautiful? Frowning, he took hold of her elbow and escorted her into the duke's library. Roderick and his brothers had left for the club an hour previously, so he would have the room to himself.
Jane took a seat in the leather-backed chair near the hearth, studying his face. "What happened to your eye?"
"Nothing," he said. Nothing but Roderick's right jab.
She pursed her lips, obviously not satisfied. "Hmmm."
He leaned against the mantel and cleared his throat. Now, how to tell the girl to stay away from rakes such as himself? "I am your guardian, as you well know."
She arched a brow, and he was instantly assaulted with an icy blue gaze that could freeze the Thames.
"My misfortune, is it not?"
"Misfortune?" This girl had loved him like an elder brother. Had Roderick poisoned her brain against him? No, the duke would do many things, but that was not his way.
Jane folded her pale arms across the lace bodice of her dress and looked up at the ceiling. "I would rather not speak about it."
Jared quickly crossed the distance between them. Her haughty tone enraged him. "And when will you speak of it?"
She glanced toward the door and pushed her hands against the chair, starting to rise. "Pray, excuse me. I do have a few finishing touches to attend to before I depart for the ball."
"Sit down, young lady." It was not a suggestion.
Jane's forehead creased into a wary line, and she sank into her seat, her expression strained.
Jared clasped his hands behind his back. "I realize there is no easy way to say this, Jane, but as your guardian, I must make myself plain." He noted the flash of anger in those sapphire blue eyes, not able to believe that this sweet, little female had the impertinence to defy him with such a surly gaze. If he did not love her like a sister, he would stand back and let her continue her liaison with the duke and enjoy watching her break Roderick down like an obedient puppy.
"What do you want?" she asked curtly.
Jared dragged his mind in an effort to recall anything else he had done to offend her. Had she found out about his boxing match this afternoon at Gentleman Jackson's?
"Is something amiss, Jane? Have I offended you?"
"Offended me?" She shot from her seat, her hands clenched at her sides. "Offended me? If that were only the case, I would not be so angry with you."
Jared watched in shock as Jane started to turn about the room, her hands flapping in the air like a maddened seagull. He became dizzy just watching her.
"How could you?" she shrieked. "How could you be so heartless?" She whirled around, wiping the tears from her eyes.
Jared shifted uncomfortably and swallowed. "What?"
"How could you do that to Emily?"
Ah, Emily. He squared his shoulders. "My relationship with Lady Emily is my business," he warned. "Do not interfere."
"Business? How can you say that? She loved you and you act as if it had never happened." Her voice softened, losing its razor-like edge. "Emily is devastated that her brothers are looking for a suitable husband, and now I cannot fathom that you are a partner in that crime."
Jared was not going to delve into his relationship with Emily, though it seemed Emily had confided in his ward. However, Jane's outburst had angered him so, his patience snapped. "Speaking of her brothers, the duke, in particular"—he closed the gap between them—"I forbid you to go anywhere near the man."
Jane glanced up, her eyes flashing with contempt. "Y-you forbid me?"
"I realize you will be living here for the Season, and as your guardian I will act as a chaperon, along with Agatha, but besides the occasional meal when His Grace is present, you should not have any trouble avoiding the man. Do I make myself perfectly clear, young lady?"
He picked up the door key resting on the massive mahogany desk and tapped it against his palm.
Jane glanced at the key, her blue eyes narrowing in fury. "Oh, yes. Key, lock, prison. You have made yourself perfectly clear. As clear as an addlepated nincompoop!"
Jared grimaced. Now, where the devil had he heard that before?
Chapter Ten
Dumbfounded, Jared watched his ward leave the library. With a muttered oath, he stalked across the Aubusson rug to the rosewood sideboard, where the duke kept a bottle of Madeira. He downed a glass and strode toward the Chinese silk screen in the corner of the room and gazed out onto Grovesnor Square.
He turned with a start when the clatter of footsteps sounded behind him. Thinking it was Jane coming back to apologize, he stepped from behind the screen and stopped short. His eyes focused on the curvaceous backside of Emily's green gown. She seemed to be looking for a book and had no idea anyone else was in the room.
A slow smile spread across his face. He had wondered when he would have a moment alone with her. Shoving his hand into his jacket pocket, he fingered the door key and took a quick glance toward the hall. Key, lock, prison, and Lady Emily. How delightful.
Emily peered up at the fourteen-foot bookshelves lining the library wall, grabbed hold of the ladder, and started to climb. Why her mother wanted the new Radcliffe novel to read before the ball was beyond her. They were leaving in an hour.
Halfway up, Emily stopped to examine the collection of Minerva Press novels four rows above her. There was the book, three feet to her left. She carefully pushed the rolling ladder to the desired destination and leaned over to reach for the novel, when a deep voice rang in her ears.
"A dangerous position to be in, my dear. Especially with a rolling ladder."
Emily swirled around, stunned to find Jared standing beyond the library doors. His looming presence stole her breath away. She hated to admit how much he meant to her, though she had tried to deny it. Even now, his presence captivated her.
He was clad in a midnight black jacket and a green velvet waistcoat and looked too desirable for any woman, let alone one who recalled his kisses all too clearly. The memory of his passion surged through her blood like an elixir.
"Go away." Her voice was harsher than she intended, but she had a much stronger guard up now and was determined he would not have the upper hand. She had no intention of falling under his spell until sh
e was good and ready, if at all, and conquering her emotions at this time seemed the best place to start. Drat. If only he were not so attractive.
"And good evening to you, too."
She suddenly found herself squinting at his face, noting that one of his eyes was half-closed. Roderick's doing, no doubt, for her brother had come home from Gentleman Jackson's with a similar ailment, except double the damage.
Still, there was a lethal calmness in the earl's expression that sent her heart racing. But she was safe. She was in her own home. However, it was when he turned his back on her, shutting the library doors closed with a thud that her grip on the ladder tightened and her eyes widened in stunned astonishment.
"Open those doors immediately."
He slowly peered up at her, his smile sparkling with an unholy glint. "No." He then turned back toward the doors and proceeded to pull out a key and insert it into the lock with a resounding click.
A soft gasp escaped her. Good heavens, the man had her under lock and key in her very own home. Safe was an understatement. "You cannot lock me in here like some trapped animal," she hissed.
His brows lifted suggestively as he walked farther into the room in long purposeful strides. "No?"
"No, you cannot." She scrambled up the ladder, glancing over her shoulder. "You best unlock that door before my brother comes in here."
Jared laughed. "Your brothers, including Roderick, have left for the club and won't be seen until the ball."
He stood there with his hands planted on lean hips exuding such an air of self-confidence that she was momentarily stifled with shock. She was determined to hold the upper hand here. She would not love him. She would not.
"Well, I daresay, someone is bound to come looking for me, so you best open that door."
"Or what?"
Her eyes widened. "Or I will scream."
He took another step and lifted a foot onto the bottom rung of the ladder, dragging his eyes up to hers.
"Come down here, Emily."
The warmth of that endearing smile echoed in his voice, and she blushed. Oh, he was an insufferable rogue. She needed to think. Her chin lifted only slightly, so she could still keep her eyes fixed on his movements. "I refuse to come down until you take your leave, sir."
His eyes drank in the sight of her, gleaming with purpose as they raked her body from head to toe. "You leave me no choice than to join you, Emily."
His words were like an enticing caress, and her knees began to feel like jelly. She merely blinked in awe as he started ascending the ladder. A powerful set of shoulders blocked her view of the ground, and she immediately awoke from her shocked state, hastening up the ladder more than she would have liked.
When she reached the highest point she could go, she panicked. "Jared, please get down! This is becoming ridiculous."
He lifted his amber eyes, which were now even with her green slippers. "Get down? And pray, my dear girl, why would I do such a fool thing as that when I find myself enjoying the sights." Before she could retort, he traced a light finger across her ankle. "Immensely, in fact."
A prickling heat shot through her leg at the mere touch of him, and she jerked her right foot off the ladder, tightening her grip on the sides. "Oh! You are not a gentleman."
He wrapped his hand gently around her afflicted ankle, kissing it lightly. "Come here, sweetheart."
The endearment sent her heart fluttering. How could she stop loving this man? She closed her eyes, heedlessly easing her grip on the ladder. She immediately realized her control was slipping and not just in her mind.
She tottered precariously, spinning off the ladder and bumping into the shelving. "Jared!"
She groped mindlessly, falling in midair when a strong hand grabbed her around the waist, heaving her upward, knocking the breath right out of her.
"For the love of heaven, woman. Stay still."
She froze, feeling herself dangling about ten feet off the floor. To her astonishment, the earl carried her like a sack of flour on his hip as he maneuvered himself down the ladder. When his shoes hit the ground, he stood her upright, his hands still wrapped tightly around her waist. He glared at her, his mouth clenched tight. "Don't ever try that again. It was a stupid thing to do."
Emily fell back, gasping for breath, stunned by his criticism of her for his wrongdoing. How dare he treat her in such a fashion! The blood rushed to her face, and suddenly everything inside her finally snapped.
"You pompous idiot!" She pummeled his chest with her fists, her breathing still labored. "How dare you accuse me! Never ... in my life . . . have I met anyone like you." He clamped her hands to his sides, but she was too far gone to stop her tirade. "Of all the unmitigated, insufferable—"
Her words were muffled against the warmth of his lips. "Emily, sweetheart, I never meant to hurt you."
The tenderness of his whispered kiss awakened her soul. She fell against him, melting into his embrace. He trailed kisses down her neck, and she shivered, knowing she loved this man and would never love another. How could she not? Whatever happened three years ago had an explanation, she was sure of it. He would tell her soon.
"Emily Anne, are you in there?"
Emily fell back from Jared's passionate embrace and gasped, frantically pushing her hair back into place at the sound of her mother's voice. "Gracious, I must look a fright."
Jared smoothed his fingers against her lips and proceeded to replace the pins in her hair. Smiling, he kissed her, raising the door key in his hand.
"Take this. Tell her you needed some privacy. I can step behind the screen near the window."
"Don't be a fool," Emily hissed. "She's not an idiot."
He lifted an amused brow. "Very well, then. If you wish, I can open the door for you."
The door rattled. "Emily?"
Emily jerked the key from his hand. "Very well. Move behind the screen."
He kissed her hand and bowed. "Your wish is my command, sweetheart."
Emily felt a severe tightening in her chest when she reached for the door. The man had stolen her heart . . . again.
Candlelight dripped from a string of crystal chandeliers above Jared as he leaned against a pillar in the Garrick ballroom. His gaze followed the back of Emily's green gown as she stopped to converse with a couple of dandies who were dressed to perfection, their waterfall cravats and bright-colored waistcoats portraying them like strutting peacocks. A small orchestra played a waltz in the far corner of the room. A peal of laughter echoed near the refreshment table, where two young debutantes stood surrounded by a group of young bucks vying for their attention.
At that moment Emily glanced toward the sound. Jared caught her eye and winked. A blush stole across her face and he smiled.
"What the devil are you grinning about?" Roderick growled beside him, his arms folded across his chest. "Makes that ghastly eye of yours look wretched."
Jared raised his good brow. "At least I have one good eye. You, on the other hand, have no good eyes."
It was true. Both of the duke's eyes were half shut from Jared's bout with him in the boxing ring that afternoon. Nothing about the two women had been settled. Nothing except that each one had ordered the other to stay away from their respective relative.
Roderick grimaced. "You may not have the other eye available if you seize another dance with my sister. Her future husband would not care for you snatching three dances with her this evening. You have already gone far and above the call of duty with two, and I daresay, the way you held her in that waltz made me want to shoot you point-blank." He tilted his head toward the opposite side of the floor where the musicians played. "See there, how very good they look together. And a waltz. Nothing more intimate than that, is there?"
Jared pushed off the wall, his gaze flying across the room. Something primitive shot through him at the sight of Emily in Lord Bringston's arms. The marquess was a perfect gentleman and good husband material. That fact did not sit well with Jared at all.
Roderi
ck waved his hand in front of Jared's face. "Suffice to say, we do have other matters to attend to tonight than my baby sister."
The strains of the waltz pounded in Jared's ears. He became increasingly uneasy as he noted the smile blanketing Emily's face while she was swirled around the ballroom by Bringston. It was all Jared could do not to march across the floor and sweep Emily into his arms, announcing she was his. But he had a job to do tonight, and the meeting of the three most prominent secret agents in London was going to take place, Emily or not.
"Jared?"
Jared shifted his gaze back to the duke, and they walked back into the shadow of the pillar, away from the crowd. "At fifteen minutes to twelve," Jared said, "I will make my way to the designated rendezvous point. You follow in ten minutes."
Roderick nodded. "Heard the fellow took a ball to his back to stop the missive informing the enemy of your location."
Jared grimaced, hating to owe any man, let alone a man who almost died saving his life. "I have not forgotten. I owe the man a debt I cannot repay. Any more words of wisdom, Duke?"
Roderick broke into laughter and held up his hands. "Truce. Have you not considered the fact that this legendary man may be as big as the two of us put together?"
A sliver of softness squeezed into Jared's expression. "Truce, but only for tonight ... as long as you stay away from Miss Greenwell."
Roderick's lip curled. "A mere half truce then, since you will stay away from my sister."
"Call it what you will." Jared shrugged, moving a few feet and leaning his back against the pillar. Boney would have to take over England before Jared would stay away from Emily. "I have made my orders plain to Jane on this matter."
While Jared's roving eye searched for Emily, he missed the duke's intent gaze locked on a pale blue gown located near the refreshment table.
Jane stood near the punch bowl, waving her fan about her face. "I simply do not know if I can make it through the night, Agatha. That colonel with the big red nose stepped on my toes twice, Lord Goodley tried pulling me into the gardens, and Lord Sunbury breathed so heavily on my neck I thought I might wilt."
The Rejected Suitor (The Clearbrooks) Page 13