Just being near her was enough to lighten his mood and make the day seem a bit brighter, but for all his pleasure in being in her company, there was a part of him that felt growingly frustrated at the distance she kept between them.
He had been patient. He understood her need to be certain that his feelings were not driven by some ridiculous guilt and, more important, that he could be trusted with her fragile heart.
But the time had come to claim the woman who had stormed into his life and stolen his soul.
Refusing to believe that the butterflies in the pit of his stomach were actually nerves, Edmond led his beautiful companion down the steps and assisted her onto the waiting phaeton. Vaulting into the seat beside her, he took the reins from the groom and waited for the servant to leap onto the back of the vehicle before he set the matching bays into motion.
The early spring air was crisp, but the sun was warm and Brianna appeared content to enjoy the drive for several long moments. As he turned from Pall Mall onto St. James’s Street, however, she at last turned her head to regard him with a hint of puzzlement.
“You do not intend to tell me where we are going?”
He smiled as he concentrated on weaving his way past a coal wagon. “I do not.”
“Hmm.” Surprisingly she did not press for more. “Aunt Letty mentioned that Stefan is in London.”
Edmond shrugged. He had, in truth, been rather relieved to join his brother at his club the previous evening to discover that their relationship seemed none the worse, despite Edmond’s crazed behavior.
Stefan not only was resigned to Edmond’s determination to make Brianna his bride, but actually seemed pleased that his younger brother was so obviously caught in the coils of the beautiful young woman.
“There is some tedious bill or another up for vote in Parliament,” Edmond said, slowing to turn the carriage onto York Street. “He devoted near three hours to boring me with the details last eve, but I must admit that I caught little more than taxes and angry tenants. Such tedious business goes quite over my head.”
Brianna snorted at his offhand words. “Do you know, Edmond, your Aunt Letty is a mere amateur when it comes to playing the role of the silly aristocrat. You are the true master. I have seen you halt an entire revolution, if you will recall.”
A ridiculous warmth flooded his heart at her instinctive defense. Surely it revealed that she possessed some feeling for him?
“Actually, I left the halting of revolutions to Herrick while I was in pursuit of my beautiful fiancée,” he murmured softly. “I occasionally have my priorities in order.”
She smiled, but her expression remained guarded. “I am rather surprised that you have not returned to Russia. Surely they have need of you?”
Edmond frowned, wondering if she were hoping to be rid of him. Not the most encouraging thought.
“When Alexander Pavlovich returns to St. Petersburg, I will return to pay my respects, but have written to inform Herrick that I will no longer be actively involved in Russian politics.”
“Why?”
“Because I have more important duties that demand my attention,” he said, turning to her with a smoldering glance.
“Duties, eh?” A hint of amusement brightened her emerald eyes. “Is that what I am?”
His annoyance faded beneath a blast of pure lust. Christ. If he did not have this woman as his wife and in his bed soon, he was going to become a stark raving lunatic.
“A most beautiful and tempting duty that I plan to tend to with exquisite attention,” he promised, his voice thick with need.
She ducked her head, but not before he witnessed the answering flush of heat that stained her cheeks.
“Will the Romanov dynasty survive without you?”
With an effort, Edmond forced his attention back to the road. It would do his suit no good to overturn them in the gutter.
“In truth, I cannot say. Russia will always be a complicated mixture of tradition and enlightenment, of grandeur and wretched poverty, of effusive emotion and grim common sense. Perhaps such a country was not meant to have a comfortable crown to place on the head of their emperor.”
She was silent a long moment before she reached out to lightly touch his arm.
“You will always love the land,” she said softly.
He gave a nod. There had been a bittersweet pain in writing his letter of resignation. His duties to Alexander Pavlovich had given him a reason to crawl out of his bed each morning when he had been struggling through his darkest days, and he would never forget all that he owed his Emperor.
“And the people. But I am as much English as I am Russian, and I am no longer willing to play such dangerous games. Not when I at last have something to live for.” With a sudden tug on the reins, he pulled the phaeton to a halt. “Here we are.”
Brianna furrowed her brow as she studied the small but well-tended house.
“Is it not rather early for a visit?”
“Not at all.” Edmond tossed the reins to the waiting groom and leaped onto the cobblestone street. Then, rounding the vehicle, he spanned Brianna’s tiny waist and gently lifted her from her seat. “There is no one home.”
Standing at his side, Brianna studied the whitewashed façade of the house with its garland-decorated pilasters and a fan window above the recently painted door.
“If there is no one home, then why are we here?”
“So I can give you your surprise.”
She flashed him a baffled frown. “Edmond, you are being incredibly annoying.”
“And you are dawdling. Come along.” Taking her arm in a firm grip, he led her through the wrought-iron gate and up the wide steps. They halted at the door, and Edmond reached into his pocket to withdraw the heavy key. “Here. I think you should do the honors.”
She blinked, staring at the key that lay in the palm of his hand.
“What do you mean?”
“I have given a great deal of thought to the perfect wedding present, ma souris.”
“For goodness sakes, Edmond, you have already given me more than any woman could possibly desire.”
He shrugged. “Mere trinkets that any man could purchase with enough wealth. This gift had to be special. Something that would prove that this is no bout of guilt or passing fancy. Something to convince you that all I desire is your happiness.”
She regarded him with wide eyes, the pulse fluttering at the base of her throat the only indication she was affected by his words.
“And it is in the house?” she whispered.
Realizing she was too bemused to obey his bidding, Edmond unlocked the door himself and gently pressed her into the marble foyer decorated with matching satinwood chairs and a small cherry table with a vase of fresh pink roses.
“It is the house.”
“You…” She shook her head in stunned amazement. “You bought me a house?”
Edmond smiled wryly. “Well, I will admit that I have great hopes that you will choose to live with me at Huntley House, or if you prefer, we can purchase our own town house. But since the first night we met, your one insistent, unwavering, at times aggravating desire has been to possess your own home, has it not?”
“Yes, but…”
Tossing the key on the nearby pier table, Edmond reached to grasp her trembling hands, his expression somber.
“I understand, ma souris. I understand what this house truly represents.”
She gazed at him with wide, vulnerable eyes. “Do you?”
“Security,” he breathed. “The absolute knowledge that you will never have to depend upon the whims and weaknesses of another. And that there is always a place where you can go to feel safe.”
Without warning, tears rolled down her cheek. “Yes.”
Unable to bear to see her cry, Edmond cradled her face in his hands and gently rubbed away the tears with his thumbs.
“So you see, even if you wed me, you will always have your own establishment to offer you shelter if you think I am b
eing overbearing or annoying or…”
A tremulous smile curved her lips. “Or?”
He lowered his head to capture her lips in a soft, yearning kiss. “Or we simply decide to vary the location of our lovemaking,” he whispered against her mouth.
For a moment she melted against his ready body, only to pull back with a sudden gasp.
“Edmond…the neighbors,” she protested with a glance toward the open door.
Accepting that the moment was not yet ripe, Edmond stepped back. “Then let us inspect the house, ma souris, before we shock the good citizens of London.”
Together, they moved toward the polished staircase to wander through the fully furnished rooms, a smile touching Edmond’s lips at Brianna’s unfettered wonderment. She looked for all the world like a child on Christmas morning as she inspected her domain, her fingers running loving hands over plain but solid English furnishings as if they were priceless treasures.
They had reached the master bedchamber when Edmond at last pulled her to a halt and turned her to meet his searching gaze.
“Well?”
“It’s perfect.” She heaved a deep sigh, her cheeks flushed with pleasure. “Did you truly purchase it?”
“I have made an offer with the owners, but I could not sign the final papers until I was assured you approved.” He gave a tug on her hand, pulling her closer to his hard, desperate body. “Do you?”
With a smile as old as Eve, Brianna lifted her hand to trail her fingers along the line of his jaw.
“Do I have to wed you to get it?”
He sucked in a sharp breath, fiercely aware of the wide bed only a few steps away. Mon dieu, he would give the woman a dozen homes if it would allow him to place her on that mattress and end his torment.
“Will it make you agree to my proposal?” he demanded, his voice raw with desire.
“No.”
Feeling as if he had just been punched in the gut, Edmond pulled back to regard her with a hopeless sense of despair.
“Brianna…”
She pressed her fingers to his lips to stop his pained words. Then, stepping back, she reached beneath her cloak to pull a small box from her pocket.
Still smiling, she opened the box to reveal the ring he had sent to her only that morning. His heart halted as she tossed aside the box and slowly slid the ring onto her finger.
“There is only one thing that will make me agree to your proposal, Lord Edmond Summerville,” she said, tugging on his hand as she backed toward the bed. “And you cannot purchase it with your considerable wealth.”
With a low growl Edmond had his arms wrapped about the teasing minx and tumbled them both onto the bed.
Later, he would teach her a lesson in nearly sending him to an early grave, but for now…ah, for now he intended to savor the woman who had given him something he never dreamed possible.
A future.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-2011-3
SCANDALOUS DECEPTION
Copyright © 2008 by Rosemary Rogers
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