Theodora

by Christina McKnight

  Theo pulled her hands free from his and shot a quick glance to the spectators—and archers—who pushed closer still, their attention focused on Alistair.

  “I think this conversation is better had in private, Mr. Price.”

  Alistair’s heart—and hopes—sank when she turned and bolted to Lady Georgina’s and Lady Josephine’s side, the trio pushing through the gawking archers toward the tourney exit.

  Standing, he watched as Lady Josephine took hold of Theo’s bow and quiver, their heads tilting close.

  He and Theo had much to discuss, but certainly not as much as she did with her friends.

  The discontent of the crowd forced its way into his mind, dispelling his thoughts as the people watching loudly speculated about the outcome of the tourney; the way she’d cut him off and fled dismissing Alistair from their minds.

  The chance she would chose a path that did not include him was always in the back of his mind, but this…

  Alistair hadn’t imagined he’d have to live through her leaving him so soon, without time for either of them to discuss the matter at length. Certainly love and affection were not something easily expressed in words, nor could mere words bring to life love where it did not exist.

  Did he have the strength to follow her, only to have every hope for his future dashed?

  Chapter 26

  Theo, Josie, and Georgina made their way back to the practice area, and Theo shrugged from her heavy cloak, allowing the afternoon breeze to hit her overheated skin. Any added weight upon her, and Theo would collapse as her head spun uncontrollably. She could not catch her breath.

  What had possessed Alistair to do such a thing? In such a public way?

  Every person she passed either stared at her or offered their congratulations on a shot that secured her place in the final round.

  She would not deny that she loved archery, but her meeting at the museum with Cassini and his sister was far more important, not for her, but for the many people that would be saved if her ideas were incorporated in the family’s next set of topographical maps. Adeline was slated to take her place on the morrow, but that was impossible now. The audience would never be fooled if Theo’s chestnut brown hair suddenly turned to a blonde so fair it appeared like spun gold in the sun.

  Alistair had made it impossible for her and her friends to secure the prize purse without Theo giving something up.

  Oliver had threatened her into agreeing to a betrothal she did not want, and Alistair was doing the same. Did he not see his actions were little better than the man he despised?

  “Theo,” Georgie said, grasping her arm and pulling her to a stop. “What was Adeline’s brother doing out there?”

  She should have confided in her friends long ago. Told them everything—about Alistair, Gladstone, and her work at the museum. Would they turn away from her when they learned of her deceptions?

  “Your face has been revealed, Theo,” Josie said, wheezing as she commonly did when her nerves got the best of her. “And your name was spoken loudly.”

  “That was Alistair’s plan all along, I presume.”

  “Do not look now, but he is coming this way.” Georgie released her arm and took a step closer to Josie. Suddenly, Theo felt more exposed than she had on the tourney field moments ago. “And he wears the oddest expression.”

  Theo whipped around, knowing she could not avoid him any longer. He needed to know the consequences she and her friends would face at his disastrous actions. He’d not only put her in jeopardy but her friends, as well.

  Surely he saw that.

  “Lady Theo,” Alistair said before turning to Josie and Georgie. “Ladies, I offer my sincerest apologies for my outward display of affection on the tourney field.”

  Josie brought her hands to her chest and sighed. “That is awfully romantic, Mr. Price.”

  “And quite dashing, I would say,” Georgie said, fluttering her lashes.

  Theo’s mouth gaped open, and her arms fell to her sides as she looked between her two friends. Josie and Georgie thought his actions valiant, and his emotions true.

  “It is my hope that Lady Theo will accept my offer of marriage.”

  “He has asked for your hand?” Josie turned to her, brows raised in disbelief.

  “When?” Georgie screeched, clapping her hands. “I mean, Theo, you never told us.”

  “I was not at liberty to accept Alistair’s proposal.” Theo knew the situation was going from bad to worse as both women stared at her, mouths opening and closing but neither knowing what to say. “I had already given my promise to another.”

  “To another?” Josie said breathlessly, turning a puzzled glance in Georgie’s direction. “Who?”

  “And what, pray tell, does Adeline think of all this?” Georgie stepped closer to Theo, lowering her voice as if she feared their friend would jump from the shadows and berate them all for keeping a secret from her. “Is she agreeable?”

  “I fear this is all rather new, and unexpected,” Alistair said. “But now, Theo is free of her other suitor.”

  Theo’s heart raced when she realized Gladstone held nothing over her any longer, any power he’d seized was gone, made irrelevant the moment Alistair had incited the crowd to chant her name.

  Even now, the gathering of people shouted for her to return to the field.

  She was thoroughly and scandalously ruined…and unequivocally free.

  And never in her life had she been happier, except when Alistair had pressed his lips to hers.

  “Alistair.” She glanced to Josie and Georgie, pleading silently for them to give her a bit of privacy. They nodded in understanding and clasped arms, making their way to a vendor hocking flags to wave during the competition. Certain they would not be overheard, Theo continued. “You have ruined me.”

  “Yes, I have.” His smile encompassed his entire face, as if he were proud of what he’d done. “And now you are free to tell Gladstone to take his offer and sod off.”

  He didn’t comprehend the level of harm he’d done.

  “Yes, I can…and a part of me thanks you for that…” Her back stiffened in indignation. “But now there is little chance of keeping scandal from my family and yours.”

  “Not a person who witnessed us on that field today will think there is anything scandalous about you, or your actions,” he replied. “Especially when the ton learns we were promised to one another long before your identity was revealed. I was here, watching from the stands as you applied your skill with a bow. You had my blessing—and a proper escort—during your outings at the tourney, as well as my sister, Lady Josephine, and Lady Georgina. Not a single member of the ton will find scandal where none exists.”

  “And what of your family?” she asked. She couldn’t ponder the notion—or the excitement that filled her—of them entering society together as a betrothed pair. Yes, she’d been willing to give up her future for the people she loved, but she would never expect him to do the same.

  “What of them?” he countered.

  “It was not long ago you were resigned to securing their futures before your own.” The burden on his shoulders was heavy. Eight siblings to see properly introduced to society with hopes that each made a favorable match. It was a daunting task for even the most skilled London matron to undertake. “What of them and their futures?”

  “They will be better off with a brother who has found happiness and a love they can admire,” he said. “I need not postpone my own life to make sure they all succeed in theirs. We can all have what we want. And, Lady Theo, make no mistake, I want you.”

  A shiver of anticipation coursed through her at this declaration. She wanted him, too; desired him more than the air she needed to breathe. He’d filled her every waking thought since their first meeting, and invaded her dreams almost as regularly.

  “I know my methods have been rather unorthodox, to say the least.” He looked to the ground, almost ashamed. “But I can assure you, I mean well. However, I am resigned to the
possibility that your affections do not match my own—“

  “Rest assured, Alistair, they do.”

  His gaze snapped to hers, a new sense of confidence filling him as he continued. “Then you will marry me?”

  “Mr. Price, Alistair,” she began, holding her smile within. She had much more to say before allowing the man to think she was agreeable to their match, no matter that every part of her was tingling at the mere thought of Alistair’s hands and lips on her again. “You are the most high-handed, insufferable, domineering—“

  “Do not forget overbearing, dictatorial, and arrogant,” he said with a wink.

  “Those are certainly on my list, as well,” she confided. “However…”

  A spark lit his eyes.

  “You are a man undaunted by overwhelming situations. You have a mind that solves even the most complex dilemmas, and besides my own brother, I’ve never met anyone more dedicated to their family’s well-being.”

  “Even though I am an insufferable blackguard?” he asked.

  “Especially because you are an insufferable blackguard…but an insufferable blackguard who was determined not to allow me to make the worse mistake of my life.”

  “I have never been so honored to be called an insufferable blackguard.” He pulled her close, settling his body against her. “Would you do me the honor of making me your insufferable scoundrel for all eternity?”

  “I think that can be arranged, Alistair.”

  “There is nothing I adore more than my name on your lips.”

  “There is nothing I adore more than your lips on my lips,” Theo countered, shocked at her suggestive comment.

  Alistair paused, his arms holding her tighter to him. Theo knew it would take much convincing to get him to let her go, and that was fine by her. “Are you saying you adore me, Lady Theo?”

  Theo smirked. “I am saying I adore your lips against mine. The rest of you I am not completely certain about.”

  “Then allow me to do a bit of convincing.” Theo gasped as his hands kneaded her backside, gently coming to rest on her rounded posterior. “Do you not fancy my hands, Lady Theodora?” he leaned in and whispered in her ear.

  “I do, sir.” She was utterly helpless to stop him, needing him to continue, anticipation flaring at the thought of his next move.

  He did not make her wait long as his tongue darted out, and his lips settled at her earlobe. “And my tongue, my lady?”

  “It is certainly rapturous, Mr. Price,” she sighed. “Though I must say it is nothing without your lips, which we have already discussed I adore immensely.”

  “Oh, the things I could do with my tongue—“

  “Alistair!” Theo protested, strangely aware of their current surroundings as the noise from the tourney grounds invaded their moment of privacy. “Can we talk of something else—“

  The feel of his hips, moving against hers stopped her words, and she focused on the obvious sign of his desire for her.

  “You were saying, Lady Theodora?” he asked, allowing his groin one more swirl against hers.

  “I…well…I…” She paused. “You scoundrel. You have utterly distracted me from my thoughts.”

  “I will distract you from more than just your thoughts if you persist in denying me what I want.”

  Theo didn’t seek to deny him anything. In fact, she was prepared to give him everything as long as his hands and hips continued their course, and his lips remained close to hers.

  The sounds of the gathering crowd began to push through her haze, and Theo pulled back out of his arms. Though her attendance on the tourney field was no longer considered scandalous, her intimacies with Alistair before all these people was still highly improper.

  At his wounded look, she grabbed his hand and began to drag him toward her waiting friends.

  “One last question,” Theo said, pulling him to a stop several feet from where Josie and Georgie awaited them.

  “I will answer anything.”

  “Did you truly come to the tourney today knowing your plan was to ruin a lady?”

  “Of course, not,” he said as if appalled she’d think of him in that regard. “I came to the tourney to claim the woman I love—by any means necessary.”

  Chapter 27

  “Are you certain you want to tell her now?” Theo’s voice shook with apprehension as the carriage pulled to a stop before his townhouse. Her fingers clutched his hand, squeezing so tightly, her nails dug into his palm. “There is always tomorrow, or even after the holidays.”

  Lady Josephine and Lady Georgina had sat stick-straight on the bench seat across from Alistair and Theo as they departed Greenwich Park in one coach. Both women had held their tongues the entire journey, no matter what outlandish topics Alistair put before them to try and bring out their voices.

  “There is no time like the present, Lady Theo.” He didn’t bother hiding his exultant grin. He was happy, ecstatic even. “Besides, I think it is in all of our best interests—and I do mean your best interests—to tell Adeline sooner rather than later. For if she thinks the trio of you were conspiring to keep something from her, she’s likely to take out her vengeance on you all.”

  “And what of you, sir?” Lady Josephine squeaked. “Do you not fear for your welfare?”

  “Her wrath is permanently focused on me.” He laughed when the meek woman averted her stare, focusing once more on the velvet cushion beneath her. “And, I do not seek to be her friend. I am her brother, her guardian, and her protector while in London. She can rail on me all she wants, but that will never change where my heart lies.”

  The women across from him gave a collective sigh.

  “So we are all clear,” he paused to gain both women’s notice before continuing, “my heart lies with Lady Theodora Montgomery.”

  Georgie and Josie ahhh’d in delight.

  “Mr. Pri—Alistair!” Theo swatted at his arm, clearly beyond acting as if they were mere acquaintances. “Do not send them into a frenzy with your honey-coated words before we have had the opportunity to speak with your sister.”

  “We will see if my—what did you call them?—marmalade-dipped words can save us all from my sister’s vexation.” Alistair departed the carriage when the footman swung the door wide and set about down the steps. He held out his hand for the women to alight. “I, for one, am quaking in my Hessians with fear. Let us get this done and see what our fate is to be.”

  “I do not think it necessary for Josie and I to accompany you,” Lady Georgina whined. “I only learned of your treachery today. Why should we align ourselves with your cause?”

  “Yes, we should continue home, if your coachman would be so kind as to deposit us at our doorsteps.” Lady Josephine kept her eyes lowered but a fraction of force had entered her tone.

  “Absolutely not.” The pair inhaled sharply at this rebuff. “Theo needs you both by her side in this matter. After all, she was prepared to do much more for her dear friends, the least you can do is stand with her in this decision.”

  “We certainly do agree with Theo, and are overjoyed you found one another, but…” Lady Georgina dared a glance at Theo. “I am sorry, Theo. Of course, we will be by your side today and every day. Friendship, loyalty, and honor above all.”

  Alistair was uncertain he had heard the woman correctly, but the smile that lit Theo’s face as her eyes came to rest on her friends was all he needed. His heart surged once more.

  His sister was a force to be reckoned with—a plow of sorts, who pushed until she attained what she wanted. Unfortunately, Adeline was unaware Alistair was capable of the same. At least, when he desired something enough.

  And he desired Theo.

  He would take Lady Theodora to wife, no matter his sister’s opinion on the matter.

  It was only up to him to convince his sister to agree, for she could make his life a living hell if she so chose.

  But at least he’d have Theo by his side through it all.

  “Lady Theodora, my swee
t,” Alistair called into the carriage when none of the three women ventured out. “I neglected to ask how you feel about gaining eight wildly out of control, opinionated, and frighteningly honest siblings…”

  “Why do I feel as if we are walking off a plank with no land in sight?” Lady Josephine whispered.

  “Because, we are all her prey…” Lady Georgina chided in a hushed tone. “Thankfully, Mr. Price and Theo are far more appetizing at the moment.”

  Theo took his hand and stepped from the carriage, her wide smile revealing her perfectly straight teeth. The light in her eyes was enough to brighten a thousand days but held the promise of dark, stormy nights of passion. “You are an appetizing morsel, indeed, Lady Theodora.”

  “Mr. Pric—“ She attempted to scold, but her laughter cut off her words as she took him in from head to toe.

  Alistair imagined the man she saw before her—he was beyond hiding his intense adoration of her. If it showed in his eyes, then so be it. He had nothing to hide from her, not any longer. “Lady Theo, though I jest, it does not mean my feelings for you—and our future—are not deep.” He held tightly to her hand as he stared down at her, gauging her mood and determining his next course of action. He could kiss her right here, before his townhouse with anyone watching, even Adeline. He could whisk her into his arms and carry her into his home, straight to the study, and summon his lively bunch of siblings to impart the good news.

  Though he was far more tempted to reenter the carriage and command the driver to depart, drive, and…keep driving. Take them straight to the Archbishop and demand a special license.

  He wouldn’t do that, though. There was no chance their marriage and future would start in such a manner. The banns would be properly read when the time was right. They would meet one another’s families. He would not rush their union, but savor the time between this day and the day when he could call Theo is wife in truth—the future Viscountess Melton.