by test
“Mallory, you need have no fears … if you let me do as I will, I’ll have Gemma madly in love with me by tomorrow night. I need you to do one thing, though. You have to find a way to get her out of that room.”
Mallory leaned against the wall, and stared at the bust of some ancient family member that sat on a marble setting beside him. “Hmm … well, one of the ways to Gemma’s heart is through her stomach. She has a frightful appetite. The thing is she can eat whatever she fancies without having to worry about it going to her waistline. I’ll see what Elizabeth has planned for supper, if we’re lucky, she’ll have something that really caters to Gemma’s tastes.”
“And if we’re not lucky?”
“Then, we’ll have to make sure that Mrs. Grant makes a nice tasty little pudding, for afters. If she does not, we’ll just have to leave it to Gemma’s nose. She’s been blessed with the nose of a bloodhound just like all of the rest of us St. Martin’s have.
Now, I must go and find that delightful little duchess of mine.” Chuckling, he ambled away, leaving Hart with the company of his thoughts.
“Act Two is about to begin my lovely little shrew.” Whistling a jaunty tune, he walked through the upstairs headed for his own quarters … he had to make sure that he looked like the dashing debonair man of Gemma’s dreams for tonight. And since he was a man of fine breeding, he should be able to pull it off without a hitch.
HIS LADY’S KEEPER Marly Mathews 28
Chapter Five
Gemma turned away from her sketchbook and looked over toward her open window. She could hear music. Pushing her chair back, she stood up and stretched languidly. The evening meal would be served soon … but she wasn’t about to dine with the others, she had full confidence that a maid would bring her meal to her.
Elizabeth had to be playing the pianoforte in the music room. Probably as a nice little prelude to supper. Grimacing at the large growl that her stomach let out, she walked to the window seat sat down and lost herself in Elizabeth’s composition. She hadn’t heard this tune in a long time—and if her ear wasn’t off it was an old Scottish ballad.
When the harp joined the pianoforte, she dropped the sketch pencil she still held in her hand.
There was no one else in attendance at Mallory Hall that could play the harp adequately, save for Elizabeth and she. Unless her mother and sisters had arrived early, which she doubted, since her mother had been set on attending Lady Astor’s famous masquerade ball. There was supposed to be a revival of her famous Midsummer Night’s Dream theme.
The question that nagged the hell out of her was who in the world could be
playing the pianoforte? Mallory knew how, though he detested it with a passion.
“Hart.” The word slipped out of her mouth before she could even realize she’d said his name. Why had he been able to work his way under her skin so thoroughly and in such a short amount of time?
If she was completely honest with herself, he was the finest looking man she’d ever set eyes upon. His dark brown eyes were like melted chocolate, and their warmth permeated straight through her skin whenever he looked at her. His black hair gave him an air of mystery. It was a different shade from Elizabeth’s black hair, and when the light hit his in just the right spot, you could almost see red highlights. She swallowed.
Fanning herself furiously, she stood up on wobbly legs, and walked over to her wardrobe.
She could summon for her abigail, but that would take too long. She had to get down to the music room straightaway.
She slipped out of the comfortable morning gown she’d changed into after taking off her dusty riding clothes. Her eyes scoured the wardrobe for something that would make her stand out next to Elizabeth. Sometimes, she envied Elizabeth for her unique beauty. With her haunting look, she always gave the impression of being a faerie princess. “Ah, ha! This should work to my benefit.” She reached for the sapphire colored silk gown. It had a plunging neckline, accented by the high waistline. With a few strands of pearls and the sapphire jewels her mother had given her last month, she’d definitely stand out in the room. She had considered wearing her emerald evening gown, but she knew that Elizabeth had just had an emerald gown made by her modiste, and she would more than likely be wearing it tonight. Wetting her lips, she was about to slip into it when a loud knock startled her. She almost dropped the gown. Carefully placing it on her bed, she walked to the door.
HIS LADY’S KEEPER Marly Mathews 29
Something snapped at the back of her mind. She looked at the door. She wasn’t expecting anyone. She’d dismissed her personal maid for the day, resigned to spend the rest of the time in her rooms. So, who was calling upon her? The duet playing downstairs had stopped a few minutes ago.
He wouldn’t dare ….
She reached for her dressing gown and quickly placed it around her body.
Underneath, the only thing she wore was her corset and slip. Padding softly to the door, she listened. She couldn’t hear anyone. Maybe it was just Charles playing a trick on her.
She unlocked the door, and gradually pulled it open.
“Now you listen, Har ….” She stopped mid-word when her eyes rested on a
smiling Elizabeth. Wonder of wonders, she stood garbed in her new emerald colored gown.
“You look rather flushed, Gemma. Are you feeling ill? Should I send for the doctor?”
“I’m fine, really, Elizabeth. I think I’m just a bit hot. The weather has been quite strange today, one minute a cool breeze is blowing, the next moment, it feels so stifling,”
she murmured, fanning herself uneasily.
“Yes, indeed.” Elizabeth’s brown eyes flickered with uncertainty. “I came up here to ask you to reconsider attending the evening festivities. We shall be playing cards after dinner, and I might even be able to talk Mallory into striking up a game of chess with Hart to get you a few hours of peace. The man seems quite determined to woo and win you, Gemma. I can’t blame him though—you really are quite a beauty.”
“He’s only doing it because Mallory has put him up to it. That blasted brother of mine wants to run everyone’s lives! Sometimes I think it was easier for all of us when he was off on one of his bloody seafaring adventures.”
Elizabeth stepped past her into the room. Her eyes lingered on the evening gown spread out on the grand four-poster bed.
“I see you were trying to decide on whether or not to join us.” She gave her a soft smile. “You know, your brother isn’t acting out of hatred … he is acting out of his love for you … and for his whole family. He really does want you to find happiness. As for his bloody seafaring adventures, your brother was doing what he could out on the High Seas to bring back enough money to keep this family going through thick and thin. The money he brought back, he couldn’t have made on an officer’s salary in the Navy, and you know it. You and your mother might want to delude yourselves into believing that he was only a privateer, but you must know deep in your heart what his true identity was
… I sometimes think that Mallory feels confined on land. The sea calls to him, you know. That’s why I’m planning a trip back to the States as soon as my darling Susan is old enough to take the trip. She seems so frail sometimes, I worry for her, and so does Mallory.”
“I know.” Suddenly, Gemma felt like a worthless little toad. “I know that you and Mallory have been under a lot of strain, but Susan will be fine, she will get over this delicate stage, Ann went through it when she was that age, and by my mother’s tales, I did too. Look at me now, I’m as strong as a horse.”
A soft look of love entered Elizabeth’s eyes. “Yes, you are. Thank you for reassuring me, Gemma. I just wanted you to know that no matter how annoyed you might become with Mallory, and trust me, I’ve wanted to throttle him more than once HIS LADY’S KEEPER Marly Mathews 30
since we first became reacquainted at Chesapeake Bay almost two years ago today, but when it comes right down to it he wears his heart on his sleeve, and I love him so much that
I don’t think I could breathe if anything ever happened to him. Can he still make me want to scream in frustration at times? Yes. I still love him though … and I’ll love him for the rest of our lives. That’s what being a couple means, it means we fight, we argue, and when the chips start to fall, we LOVE each other with the very fiber of our beings.”
“Why are you of all people, giving me this inspiring talk?” Gemma grumbled.
Elizabeth moved to grasp her hand. “I’m giving it to you, because you have a spirit that demands freedom … just like I do. But if you marry Kilworth, he will clip your wings, and he will break you down until you lose sight of yourself … you can’t allow that to happen!”
“What makes you an expert? You have almost as much experience with men as I do. I know that Mallory is the only man you’ve ever loved, and it goes without saying that he is the only man that you’ve ever welcomed into your bed.”
“This is true. I’m ruined with Mallory … he lavishes me with everything that I could ever want … and when it comes right down to it I could do with none of those things as long as I had his love. Yet, I am an expert. I’ve seen a man just like Kilworth destroy a good woman’s life. A woman, that when I think about it, was probably much like you. My mother wasn’t exactly my mirror image … she had the St. Martin beauty.
Even though we are only distantly related, some of the same traits and looks spilled over into my mother. She was an angel—but marriage to my father made her into a living shadow of what she’d once been, and eventually, it was her complete undoing. My father was responsible for my mother’s death … and I will live with that until my dying day. I won’t let you follow in her footsteps.” Elizabeth released her hand and walked to the door. Turning back, she looked her straight in the eye. “I’ll send my maid to help you dress. Oh, and one last thing … though I sympathize with you on a great many things, I will do whatever I can to help Hart. He looks at you just the way Mallory first looked at me. I want to see that burgeoning love continue to grow … you’ll thank me for it in the years to come.”
“Don’t bet on it, Elizabeth.” Gemma dropped her voice to a low whisper.
“Oh, you’ll find, my dear, that when it comes to gambling … I never lose.” She winked at her and with that, she quietly shut the door behind her, leaving Gemma with a slowly breaking heart.
HIS LADY’S KEEPER Marly Mathews 31
Chapter Six
“Did you have any luck with Gemma?” Mallory asked.
Hart looked for any sign of Gemma behind Elizabeth.
“Actually, I have a fair feeling that she’ll be arriving shortly in the grand style that she so favors. She certainly does like to make an unforgettable entrance.”
“Excellent. We shall have a merry game of chase tonight.” Hart smiled thinking of all of the ways he would work on breaking past Gemma’s icy exterior.
His mother would tell him that she was a spoiled chit not worth the salt he was using to woo her into his arms … but he couldn’t help himself. He loved to rescue damsels, and though she wasn’t exactly in distress, she still needed to be rescued.
His breath caught in his throat when he wandered out of the music room to see a vision in sapphire floating down the marble staircase. The dress was inlaid with some sort of material that made it sparkle beneath the large chandeliers that filled the grand entryway of Mallory Hall. Her glorious blond hair had been swept up into an elaborate updo. She wore a headpiece that looked like a fairy crown in her hair. Quite simply put, she was stunning.
She made a scoffing noise as she alighted from the stairs. He caught the barest glimmer of her slim ankles clad in fine silk stockings, and her slippers had been dyed to match her dress. Her feet were small in comparison to the rest of her body. But then, her hands were small for a woman as well.
“I should have known you would be here, waiting for me like a wolf stalking its prey. You look--d-a-s-h-i-n-g.” She forced the compliment out of her mouth as if it pained her to do so. “No doubt Mallory loaned you an outfit of his.”
“No, actually, these clothes belong to me.”
The look of complete shock that came across her face, made him smile. “Ah, I see, you’ve saved up your wages that Mallory has paid you and you bought yourself some suitable clothing. Though, I must confess, I recognize that look … you must go to the same fine tailor my brother uses.”
“Oh, yes, only the best for me when it comes to clothing. I’ve always been a smart dresser, but I’m definitely not in the crowd of a Brummel Dandy.”
She remained silent. He wondered if he’d struck her speechless. If he had, that had to be some sort of a milestone.
He offered her his arm. “Allow me to escort you into the music room … I hear the evening meal will be in about fifteen minutes.”
“It won’t come soon enough.” She eyed his arm warily. “I do think I can walk into the music room on my own, thank you.” She stepped forward. He blocked her path.
“I must insist, Lady Gemma.”
She pursed her slightly rouged lips. “I do not care for your commanding tone,”
she gave him a withering stare, before continuing, “furthermore, I don’t appreciate your uppity tone, you need to learn your place.”
He controlled his temper at her snippy words. “I do think, Lady Gemma, that you HIS LADY’S KEEPER Marly Mathews 32
are quite the little shrew … mayhap, I should tame you.”
“Go to hell,” she snapped, her fair complexion mottling with anger.
“That sort of language does not befit a woman of your high station … after all, we must learn to act in the station that we have been born into. We must uphold social propriety. As for my place, I think my place for the foreseeable future is right by your side.”
She glanced down at the signet ring he wore. The ruby in it had finally caught the light.
He did look dashing. She hadn’t been stretching the truth when she’d given him that compliment. By far, he was the most handsome man she’d ever laid eyes on.
Though she did doubt his claims that he owned everything he wore. Mallory must have had a hand in it. He was notorious for trying to help those that were less fortunate better themselves. Plus, the fact that he’d decided to groom Hart to be her groom made her suspicious. If she put him next to Kilworth, he would outshine Kilworth in two seconds flat.
Her heart fell. How could she think such thoughts? Her loyalty didn’t lie with Hart, it belonged to Kilworth. So, she had to put all thoughts of Hart out of her head.
She had to remain cool and detached from him—there was just no other way.
“Please take my arm … it would save a lot of trouble between you and Mallory.”
“Mallory and I have numerous disagreements to our credit. It will not matter either way, if we have yet a few more arguments. If we didn’t have at least one tiff a day Mallory would think I was ill,” she explained, catching the slightly beseeching look in his gorgeous eyes.
She eyed his arm warily. If she took it, it would serve as a sign of submission to Mallory. But if she didn’t take it he’d probably goad her more than if she did.
Decisions, decisions.
Against her better judgment, she took his arm. She couldn’t believe how right it felt. Shaking her head, she allowed him to guide her into the music room. Mallory and Elizabeth sat cuddled together on the sofa. She snorted. She could see that Mallory was trying to give her a sign by telling her that he was going to covet Elizabeth’s attention for the entire night, leaving her without anyone to talk to.
Hart led her over to the sofa that sat opposite Mallory and Elizabeth. She would have rather taken up charge on one of the King Louis styled chairs, but yet again, Hart was trying to plan her every movement out for her.
“We shall have to hold a grand ball to announce your impending nuptials,
Gemma. That way, you and Hart can dance the fandango together to announce your commitment to each other.” Mallory smiled, glancing lovingly at Eli
zabeth.
“Oh, I do wish I could give that dance the credit it deserves.” Elizabeth sighed.
“Alas, I’m much better with a simple quadrille or waltz. The Spanish dances have always eluded me.”
“You are even better giving a vocal performance my love, those Italian Operatic pieces you are so talented at quite simply take my breath away,” Mallory breathed, giving her a look of completely devoted admiration.
“Ah, if only I’d remained in London, I could be living it up at Vauxhall Gardens or Claridges,” Gemma lamented.
“Yes, and then you could listen to that claque that surrounds your Kilworth’s HIS LADY’S KEEPER Marly Mathews 33
sister. I swear I don’t know what she has that has given her such a little following of rabid supporters. It makes me sick to my stomach. That girl is as stupid as a badger and has the temperament to match!” Mallory snorted in obvious disgust. “That girl wasn’t blessed with the brains of a twat.”
“Mallory, you are just trying to goad my temper. I will not have it … I’m
determined to act like a genteel lady tonight.”
“Genteel?” Hart chuckled. “From what I’ve witnessed so far, you always behave like a lady of your class.”
“I agree with Gemma. I do so wish for a peaceful evening,” Elizabeth murmured.
“Your wish is my command.” Mallory squeezed her hand.
Gemma sighed, pursing her lips. “Yes, indeed, dear brother. You are an ever-faithful servant of your wife. It is quite a refreshing change in you, since you were so self-centered before you married.” She resisted the urge to smile, and inched away from Hart placing as much distance between them as she possibly could.
“Your Grace, the evening meal is ready to be served.”
They all looked up at the butler’s announcement.
“Well, then, I must say I am ready to tuck in to some of Mrs. Grant’s heavenly concoctions,” Gemma said, sighing.