When at last they were ready to return to the estate, Scarlett realized that she had fallen completely and utterly under Alec Weston’s oh-so-charming spell. Then and there, she made a vow. Though he didn’t yet know it, someday, somehow, he was going to be hers.
Chapter 3
Seated across from Conner at a small table in the front parlor, Scarlett eyed the ivory-inlayed chessboard with a calculating expression. The game had been going on for well over an hour with no immediate end in sight. It was an intense battle, for they were both very competitive and neither of them liked to lose. After considerable thought, she moved her knight forward and then leaned back in her chair, glancing toward the window. “It’s coming down harder now,” she said, her brow wrinkling in consternation.
“They’ll be fine, Minx. Stop worrying.”
Turning her anxious gaze back to Conner, she noted the subtle amusement in his eyes. He was probably right. There was no need to worry. A bit of snow wasn’t likely to hinder Colin, Rory and Gavin’s return from London. She was anxious for their arrival, that was all. Not that she hadn’t enjoyed spending time with Conner, of course. Of all her brothers, Conner was the most intellectual of the group. He loved history, philosophy, and literature, and enjoyed discussing those interests with her, while she enjoyed the rare opportunity to converse about something that didn’t revolve around horses.
Though she had only been gone for just over a fortnight, she missed Georgie as well, for she had developed a special bond with the lovely young widow Colin had hired to serve as her etiquette tutor nearly three years earlier. Directing her attention back to the board, she watched as Conner reached to move his bishop, and then hesitated and drew back. “Do you think Georgie is glad to be back in London?”
“I suppose so. Though I’m sure she is far too busy planning your birthday dinner to do much else,” he replied, though his gaze remained locked on the board.
Her birthday dinner. The reminder brought forth an odd mixture of excitement and trepidation. She sighed as her thoughts shifted to her upcoming introduction to Society. Although Georgie had prepared her well, she was nervous nonetheless. Though she would never admit it to anyone but Bethany, the primary reason for her anxiety was not her societal debut, for she cared little about that, it was instead, the thought of seeing Alec Weston again.
It had been nearly three years since his last visit to Grey Oaks, but hardly a day had gone by without him entering her thoughts. Despite the passing of time, her memories of him hadn’t diminished in the slightest. She could still recall the exact hue of his striking green eyes, still recall the gentle waves that ran through his thick black hair, and in her dreams she could still hear the rich, velvety timber of his voice. In truth, it was because of her infatuation with Alec that she had finally embraced her femininity. With Georgie’s help, she had gradually exchanged her masculine attire and hoydenish behavior for silks and satins and ladylike deportment, and soon she would find out if all of her efforts had been worthwhile. In a few short weeks, she would see Alec Weston again.
“Scarlett? Hello…Scarlett.”
She blinked, shaking off her reverie. “What?”
“It’s your move,” Conner stated, eyeing her curiously.
“Oh sorry,” she said quickly. “I’m afraid my thoughts wandered for a moment.” She immediately dropped her gaze to the chessboard, hoping there wasn’t a telltale blush staining her cheeks.
Thirty minutes later they remained locked in battle, both focused intently on the game in front of them when an icy blast of cold air swept suddenly in from outside. They looked up, startled as the front door swung open and a gust of wind blew a large whirl of snow into the foyer. Through the wide set of double doors leading to the foyer they watched the men enter the house, vigorously dusting the snow from their shoulders and stomping it from their boots. Poor Mrs. Burns, their housekeeper, would surely have a fit when she saw the damage they were doing to her freshly polished floor Scarlett noted in the back of her thoughts, as she rose excitedly from her chair to greet her brothers.
“Welcome home!” Conner said, reaching them first.
As Conner was partially blocking Scarlett’s view, she didn’t notice that a fourth man had accompanied them into the house. She stepped around Conner, a bright smile upon her face and then froze mid-stride. Her startled gaze met with an equally startled look from the very set of brilliant green that had appeared time and again in her dreams and fantasies. The shock nearly took her breath away.
“Look who we’ve brought home with us,” Colin said, placing his hand affectionately on Alec Weston’s broad shoulder.
“Alec, it’s good to see you,” Conner said in friendly greeting. “What brings you to the country at this time of year?”
Before he had an opportunity to respond, the McPhearson’s butler hurried into the foyer with two footmen on his heels who quickly began relieving them all of their heavy coats, hats and gloves.
Scarlett took that moment to step back into the parlor, trying with no small degree of difficulty to steady her rapidly beating heart. He was here. She couldn’t believe it! The Duke of Worthe had returned to Grey Oaks. Good heavens she thought, her hand fluttering to the base of her neck, she wasn’t prepared. She had anticipated seeing him in London, fantasized about it actually. She would have seen him at a ball, he would have asked her to dance, or perhaps she would have encountered him at the theater where he would have invited her to share his box. She looked down at her simple, pale-blue cotton day dress in mute frustration. She certainly wasn’t dressed in the dazzling finery she had envisioned herself in when next they met, but nevertheless he was here and she was elated!
Standing in the foyer amidst the four McPhearson brothers, Alec’s head was suddenly spinning. His brief glimpse of Scarlett had left him feeling as if he’d just had the wind knocked out of him. He remembered the lovely young girl from years before, but nothing, absolutely nothing could have prepared him for the actual, heart-stopping beauty of Scarlett McPhearson now. Thankfully, the arrival of the servants had kept him from staring, mouth agape, like an absolute dolt.
Once the men had all been relieved of their outer garments, Colin quickly ushered Alec and the rest of them into the front parlor.
“Thank heavens you arrived when you did,” Conner said with feigned gravity, motioning toward the abandoned chessboard. “Scarlett was setting herself up for the kill.”
“Trouncing Conner yet again, were you,” Colin chuckled, as he pulled Scarlett into his arms, hugging her tightly. “We missed you, Minx.”
“I missed you too,” she said, placing a fond kiss on Colin’s cheek.
“You remember my good friend the Duke of Worthe, don’t you Scarlett?” Colin asked, pulling back.
Scarlett struggled to keep her nervousness from showing as Colin turned her toward the duke. Rory and Gavin offered a quick “hello Scarlett” before making a mad dash to warm their hands before the roaring fire, leaving Conner and Alec standing just a few feet from her and Colin.
“Of course,” Scarlett murmured, as she dipped into a polite curtsey. “It’s so nice to see you again, Your Grace.” Oh so very, very nice to see you again, she thought as her gaze took him in from head to toe, or from toe to head rather, as she rose from her curtsey. As their eyes met, Scarlett felt as though the world had suddenly tilted on its axis. If possible, Alec Weston was even more handsome than she’d remembered.
“It’s a pleasure to see you again as well,” he said smiling. “And please, call me Alec. We’re old friends are we not?”
His smile nearly buckled her knees as their gazes locked and held. For an instant, the physical awareness between them was nearly palpable, and then one of her brothers spoke, shattering the moment.
“Conner, how about pouring us some of the earl’s fine brandy,” Rory called from his spot by the fire, his teasing smile directed toward Colin. “I’m chilled to the bone.”
“I’ll second that,” Gavin chimed in, briskly r
ubbing his hands together. “I’m near frozen myself.”
“I have to keep the expensive stock locked away,” Colin said jokingly to Alec. “This lot would drink me into the poor house within a month if I didn’t,” he joked, glancing fondly at his brothers. “Go ahead and fetch a bottle from my study Conner. It’s a bit early for strong spirits, but I think we are all near frozen after that long ride from the city.”
“At least we made it before the worst of it hit,” Gavin added. “It’s really starting to come down out there.”
“It’s a good thing you weren’t delayed any further,” Conner said jokingly as he headed for the door. “Scarlett was just getting ready to send out a search party.”
“Our little mother-hen was worried about us eh?” Rory laughed, grinning mischievously at Scarlett.
Scarlett merely rolled her eyes, well-accustomed to her brother’s good-natured teasing.
“So Alec, what brings you to Grey Oaks?” Conner asked when he returned with the brandy a few minutes later.
“Your brothers kidnapped me,” he responded, with a sardonic grin.
“Had to get the poor man out of that god-awful city for a while,” Colin said affably. “Alec tends to forget that clean country air is good for a man’s soul.”
Once Conner had distributed the drinks, they all seated themselves upon varying pieces of furniture. Colin and Alec took the large wingback chairs placed on either side of the fireplace, Conner took the upholstered seat near the window; while Rory and Gavin dropped onto the cream and gold stripped settee, pulling Scarlett down to sit between them.
Rory placed his arm around Scarlett’s shoulder and pulled her to his side in an affectionate squeeze. “What have you been up to, Minx? Besides trouncing Conner at chess, that is?”
Scarlett swallowed the sudden lump in her throat as all eyes were suddenly directed her way, including Alec Weston’s. Feeling the heat of his direct gaze, Scarlett gave silent thanks for the countless hours she’d spent under her friend Bethany’s proficient tutelage. Though Georgie was an apt tutor in most areas, when it came to dealings with the opposite sex, Bethany was the hands down expert. With unmitigated enthusiasm, she had done her best to help prepare Scarlett for her upcoming reunion with the man of her dreams. Drat, if she’d known of Alec’s impending arrival she never would have let Bethany accompany her mother to Ireland to attend her cousin’s wedding. But much to her chagrin, Bethany was away, and in turn she was on her own. Despite her nervousness, she managed to answer her brother without stammering like a simpleton. “Nothing terribly exciting,” she admitted.
“She enjoyed the peace and quiet more than anything I’d wager,” Gavin said with a playful wink.
“She wasn’t the only one,” Conner added with mock sincerity, looking pointedly at the twins.
During the course of the next hour, Scarlett did her best to converse with Alec and her brothers without showing any outward signs of her romantic interest in their guest, despite the fact that her heart skipped a beat every time her gaze inadvertently connected with his. The last thing she wanted was for her brothers to suspect that she had anything more than a polite interest in Alec Weston. She would never hear the end of it if they did.
As Alec sipped his second snifter of brandy, he was still having trouble believing that the vision before him was actually real. Scarlett’s natural beauty was almost too incredible to be believed, and her hair, the long auburn curls held away from her face by a simple blue ribbon, was the perfect complement to her stunning features. He had seen a lot of attractive women in his lifetime, but none that could hold a candle to her. He tried to remember her as she had been the last time he’d seen her. She had still been a child then. Pretty enough as he recalled, but even so, he’d never imagined that she would blossom into quite possibly the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. When she excused herself a short while later, it was all he could do to keep his eyes from following her from the room.
That night, as Scarlett dressed for dinner, she spent extra time on her appearance. With Tess’ help, she arranged her hair into an artful mass of curls intertwined with sapphire ribbons that cascaded elegantly down her back. She chose a beautiful off the shoulder gown of deep sapphire blue to compliment her eyes, the style simple yet elegant. Carefully, she attached her late mother’s diamond and sapphire earbobs to her ears, then decided to forgo the matching necklace, leaving her neck and upper chest bare. The gown’s neckline was cut low enough to show off the rounded swell of her breasts and the tightly cinched waist accentuated the slimness of her figure. When Tess wasn’t looking, she tugged the neckline down a tiny bit more. It was perfect. Georgie might have considered it a touch risqué, but Bethany would definitely approve.
When she entered the parlor a short time later, she found that the men had all gathered once again and were presently laughing at something that had just been said. Her breath caught at the sight of Alec standing across the room. He was dressed in a superbly-cut black dinner jacket, a finely embroidered waistcoat, a pristine white shirt and black trousers. His thick dark hair was combed and styled to perfection, his skin was freshly shaved and a snowy white cravat was tied elegantly around his neck. She scarcely noticed her similarly clad brothers as she took in every last detail of Alec’s appearance. He turned then, noting her entrance, his face still reflecting his laughter. To Scarlett, he looked like a prince from a fairytale.
Alec’s eyes widened at the sight of Scarlett, exquisite in a sapphire-colored gown that complemented her bold coloring perfectly.
“Scarlett, join us,” Rory said, noticing her presence. “Conner was just telling us the funniest story.”
“Oh really, and what story was that?” she asked as she made her way into the room, her skirt rustling softly around her legs as she moved.
Colin immediately sent his younger brother a quelling look.
“Well, um… it wasn’t actually that funny,” Rory quickly back peddled, obviously realizing, albeit belatedly, that the topic of the story might be deemed a bit racy for her ears.
Scarlett’s brows lifted in a knowing fashion.
“That is to say…er…it wasn’t…” he stammered, glancing helplessly about.
Gavin rolled his eyes at his twin. “Let’s go eat!” he said, letting his floundering brother off the hook.
Despite the presence of their guest, or perhaps because of it, dinner was a lively and boisterous affair, even more so than usual. The wine flowed as easily as the conversation, and before long Scarlett was feeling a bit tipsy. She rarely had more than one glass of wine with dinner, but Alec’s presence had her feeling slightly unsettled. The additional glasses she’d consumed were definitely helping to calm her nerves, and before long she was feeling surprisingly at ease. With her nervousness under control, she decided to try out a few of her newly acquired skills. According to Bethany, her beauty was a powerful tool, and starting tonight she intended to use it.
Seated directly across from Alec, Scarlett’s gaze drifted toward him, but instead of a brief glance, her eyes lingered on his face. Becoming aware of her steady regard, Alec turned his head and met her stare. Instead of demurely lowering her eyes, Scarlett continued to look at him, tilting her lips upward in the hint of a smile. It was a seductive look, boldly conveying her interest. At Bethany’s insistence, she’d practiced it over and over until she had gotten it just right. The expression on Alec’s face told her all she needed to know. The Duke of Worthe clearly wasn’t immune to her charms. His interest had definitely been piqued.
She longed to try her hand at flirting, but with her brothers present it was probably best to wait for a more opportune time. Flirting was so unlike her, they would pick up on it in an instant. Therefore, she decided to stick with the occasional seductive glance and enticing smile. It was much more subtle, or so she thought.
Throughout the course of the meal, Alec felt the recurring heat of Scarlett’s lingering gaze and it was having an unnerving effect on his libido. Having been the
recipient of many a woman’s interested regard since he was fifteen years old, he hadn’t the slightest doubt as to what she was thinking. In fact, he would have to be a blind man to miss the signals she was sending out. Christ, if she wasn’t Colin’s little sister he might very well have pulled her aside already and suggested they meet for a clandestine tryst later that evening. But she was Colin’s sister, and that fact alone made her off limits, unless of course he was looking for a wife, which he definitely wasn’t, at least not in the foreseeable future. However, if Scarlett continued to send out those blatant come and get me looks, it was going to be damn hard to keep remembering that she was untouchable. Damn hard indeed!
The next morning, Scarlett found Alec sitting alone in the breakfast room, just as she’d hoped. She thanked her lucky stars that her brothers were still late sleepers, as this would likely be one of the few opportunities she would get to have Alec all to herself. Much to her frustration, the men had closeted themselves away in Colin’s study shortly after dinner the night before, and she had spent the remainder of the evening alone in her room with a book. Thus, upon waking, she had quickly donned one of her heavy velvet riding habits and rushed downstairs hoping Alec would be up. The snow had stopped and she was hoping that she and Alec might go for a ride, just as they had done during his last visit to Grey Oaks.
She paused for a moment at the threshold, thrilled to see that he was garbed in his riding attire. He stood before one of the room’s large windows, casually sipping a cup of coffee as he looked outside. As she watched him her breath caught in her throat, and she could almost hear her heart beating wildly in her chest. It amazed her that just the sight of him managed to send her pulse racing. She closed her eyes and took a deep steadying breath. “Good morning,” she said, once she’d gotten her breathing under control.
The Hellion and The Heartbreaker Page 5