If the Earl Only Knew (The Daring Marriages)

by Amanda Forester

  Her candle on the desk guttered, leaving them in darkness. His hand touched her cheek, cupping her face, gently turning her head toward him. His lips brushed across hers, warm and soft. His lips sought hers again and kissed her hard, bringing his hand around her head to prevent her from pulling away. He need not have bothered, for she had no intention of drawing back. He deepened the kiss, demanding and anguished, tasting of sorrow and desire. His hot tears fell on her cheeks, running down her face.

  Time stopped and she knew not how long they kissed—desperate, mournful, passionate. Suddenly, it was not enough. He pushed her down on the cushions, running a hand up her leg, pulling up her nightgown. She should tell him to stop. Make him stop. But she didn’t wish him to stop.

  What might have happened, Kate would never know. A scream had pierced the night, shocking them both back to reality. Whether it had been Jane or Ellen, she had not known, for both were suffering great pain from their injuries. John had rolled off her and staggered to his feet. A mumbled apology was all she had received before he had run out of the room.

  * * *

  Kate blinked, waking back from her memories into reality. She had not seen John again until they met yesterday in the bank. Over time, she had conveniently cast him in the role of the villain, but she knew he was so much more.

  She was no longer the confused teenager who had met a grieving young man in the study that night. Yet when it came to John, now the Earl of Wynbrook, she was desperately unsure of herself. She was immune to the charms of men as a general rule. Lord Wynbrook was the one unfortunate exception. One dangerous exception.

  The question for tonight was: Did she want to be caught again?

  She turned back to the ledgers, back to her comforting number friends. They always added up the same. They never confused her. She reached for another ledger and lost herself in the allure of calculus.

  “What are you doing?”

  She found herself before the open ledger, an incriminating quill in her hand. Her heart began to pound. She had been caught red-handed. Again. Just the way part of her had known she would be.

  Wynbrook stood in the doorway, alive, well, and immaculately dressed as if he had returned from the opera, not a meeting with a scoundrel. “You just can’t keep yourself out of my ledgers, can you?” He raised an eyebrow, amused.

  This was her chance to talk to him. This was her chance to make sense of what had passed between them six years ago. But what did she need to say? What questions did she need to ask? Staring at the impeccably dressed, undeniably handsome Lord Wynbrook, her mind went blank. Now what was she going to do?

  Kate stabbed the quill back into the jar of ink and jumped up from the desk, circling around it. “I do beg your pardon. I understand this is a gross invasion of your privacy, but I just needed to correct one or two, or, well, exactly fifteen math errors. How did it go with Sir Richard?”

  “Fifteen math errors? Exactly how much of my ledger did you go through?” He was not to be dissuaded.

  “It would have been a disservice if I had not gone through it all. But do tell me how it went with Sir Richard. I have not been able to sleep, wondering how your interview proceeded.”

  “Finding you here tonight seems to bring back an old memory.” Wynbrook came closer and leaned next to her against the desk.

  Kate swallowed convulsively. “No, I am sure it does not.”

  “I rather think it does.”

  “I’d rather if it did not.”

  “Then why come here tonight and remind me?”

  Kate took a breath. “An excellent question. When I have an answer, I’ll be sure to let you know.”

  “Go ahead. I’ll wait.” His eyes blazed at hers as the silence stretched between them.

  “I came here…” She had to think of something, but it was difficult to think standing so close to him. “I came here to extend my services to help hide the body if need be, as you offered to help me earlier this evening. Do tell me, did you leave Sir Richard in good health?”

  Wynbrook raised an eyebrow. “So you came to offer mortuary services.”

  Kate shrugged. “I thought of it more as accessory to murder.”

  “Then I am sorry to disappoint but Sir Richard is alive, though perhaps not in as good health as he would wish. I must say, your brother does have a fine right hook.” Wynbrook’s smile was slow to build, warming places within her she would rather not acknowledge.

  “Landed him a facer, did he?”

  Wynbrook raised both eyebrows at her boxing cant, but answered, “Caught him in the eye. Will be quite the shiner by morning—handy too, as it will be a few days before he will be able to show his face in public.”

  “I cannot say I am sorry to see him injured, and it was probably wise to avoid the inconvenience of concealing a murder.”

  “Quite. In the end, we discussed things like reasonable gentlemen, or at least he came to see our point of view. He signed the document and took the money.” Wynbrook turned to the sideboard and poured himself a glass of brandy. “I must say I resent giving the bastard a single shilling, but I cannot allow Jane’s good name to be tarnished.”

  “It is a sad world where the villain is rewarded.” Kate shook her head, thinking this might be a good time to make her escape.

  Wynbrook sighed in response. He looked tired after the evening’s excitement. “Please do sit, Lady Kate. If you’re going to be conversing with me at this inappropriate time, we might as well make ourselves comfortable.” He sat down in one of the leather chairs by the waning fire, and Kate took a seat in the chair opposite him. She knew she should not have been there at all, but there was one thing more she needed to say.

  “Please let me apologize for bringing to the fore the true nature of Sir Richard on the second day I am welcomed to this house.” The business with Sir Richard was just more confirmation that she was bad luck to all. “I do not like to cause everyone such distress.”

  Wynbrook frowned at her. “You’ve done nothing to apologize for. It is Sir Richard who is the villain in this scenario. I only blame myself for not seeing through his facade sooner. If I had taken better care of Jane, this never would have happened. You saw his true nature within an hour of meeting him. I blame myself for being so blind.”

  “It is not your fault. He appeared to be charming, at least when he wished to be, and Jane seemed quite taken with him.”

  “Yes, I think I was swayed by her affection. She seemed happy, his estate is an old one, and his family name is well-known. Unfortunately, I did not look closely enough at the man himself.”

  “It is maddening for us to blame ourselves. Perhaps we should lay the blame squarely with Sir Richard.”

  Wynbrook lifted his glass to her. “I can drink to that.”

  Kate felt the interview had gone as well as could be expected. She wished to say something about that night six years ago, but she could not figure out how to broach the subject. It was best to let it alone and run away.

  “I shall seek my bed now.” Kate stood up, ready to take flight but unable to move. Had she mentioned her bed? To him? Was he thinking what she was thinking, or was she the only wanton in the room?

  Wynbrook stood slowly before her. “I bid you a good night and a pleasant evening.” His voice was low and seductive, his green eyes bright with intensity.

  Kate’s feet finally began to move, but it was toward him, not away. She drew close before she could realize what she was doing. Now what was she to do? She must look a fool.

  She gave a small curtsy to cover her mistake, and much to her surprise, he returned with a bow and caught her hand, pressing a lingering kiss on the back of her hand. He remained close, too close, and she feared he could hear her heart pound. He leaned in, and memories of their kiss surged through her mind. She tilted her face up, both of them waiting for the other. A cloud flickered across his eyes and
he stepped back.

  “Good night, Kate.”

  “Good night, John.”

  Kate spun and flew from the room, cognizant that they had crossed a threshold. Something between them had begun.

  Ten

  It had taken Lady Katherine less than forty-eight hours to utterly disrupt Wynbrook’s well-ordered life. In the brief time since he’d met her again, his polished reserve had been shattered, Jane’s engagement had been dissolved, and he had witnessed his affable brother threaten a man with a cutlass.

  Wynbrook admitted this was not entirely Kate’s fault. But certainly none of it ever would have happened had she not come to stay. Kate was a puzzle to him. He generally knew what to do with ladies but she defied every convention. She resisted pleasant overtures and repulsed flirtation even while flaunting societal rules by conversing with him alone at night in his study.

  He could hardly pass her in the hall without being graced with a scowl. She seemed permanently irritated with him, and yet there had been a moment in the study the other night when only the alarm bells of self-preservation had prevented him from trying to move in for a kiss. Again.

  If Kate remembered their kiss, she certainly gave no indication. Far from the practiced flirtation he was accustomed to, she challenged him, rebuffed him, and nothing intrigued him more. Despite her barbed conversation, often at his expense, he was never more amused than when in her company. If nothing else, she certainly kept him on his toes. He only wished he knew whether behind her frequent rebuffs lay true affection or abhorrence.

  Wynbrook accepted a freshly ironed newspaper from the footman, who was acting in the role of the butler while they were in Town. Wynbrook strolled into the drawing room only to find Kate, who greeted him with her customary scowl. At least she had thrown off the black and agreed to wear white, though it was hardly of the latest fashion, and her hair was pulled back in a severe twist. She was seated at one end of the room, before the card table, ledgers spread before her.

  Wynbrook approached, wondering if she had once again invaded his privacy and corrected his math errors. Why had she gone to his study the other night? Was she so addicted to accounting she could not help herself? She must have wanted to be caught by him, but why? Did she remember their kisses as often as he?

  “They are mine!” she defended as he approached.

  “I should hope so.”

  Another scowl.

  He was wondering what to say next when Jane wandered into the room. Since he was saved from the awkward situation and it was the first time Jane had managed to leave her room in two days, he was doubly pleased.

  “Jane!” he exclaimed. “Good to see you.”

  Jane did not look the better for her self-imposed isolation. Her red, swollen eyes were evidence of days spent crying. Wynbrook’s hands clenched. Not for the first time, he wished bodily harm on Sir Richard. Though Sir Richard was a cad and a lout, the loss of the engagement had clearly touched Jane’s heart and her grief was real. Jane was miserable. Wynbrook was also miserable, witnessing her grief at the hands of the worthless Sir Richard.

  Worse yet, her engagement had been greatly publicized. Everyone knew she had been about to marry Sir Richard. Anne had quietly circulated the story that the engagement had been dissolved on mutual terms. Talk had begun and everyone noted that Sir Richard had taken an impromptu trip away from London. Wynbrook had paid him enough to get him to leave London; whether it was enough to get him to stay away was another matter.

  “Would you like some tea?” asked Kate, though as the hostess, it should have been Jane’s place to offer.

  Jane shrugged a shoulder and slumped in a chair, the very picture of misery. No one objected when Kate called for tea.

  “Would you like to go for a ride today?” asked Wynbrook, trying to divert Jane’s attention.

  “No, thank you.”

  “Perhaps a book?” asked Kate.

  “No, thank you.”

  “I know. We can go to the theatre tonight,” tempted Wynbrook.

  “No, thank you.”

  “Oh, for the love of Saint Christopher, Sir Richard was a lout and a few other things I shan’t say, since it may shock your brother. You ought not let the man affect you so,” cried Kate.

  Jane blinked and stared at Kate as if she were seeing her for the first time. She shook her head. “I am not upset that the engagement with Sir Richard is dissolved. He was utterly beneath my notice.”

  “Then what has upset you?” asked Wynbrook, confused.

  “I am grieving the loss of the dream I had. It was naive. I see that now. I thought I couldn’t find happiness with a boy I knew from childhood, someone like Sir Gareth. Did I ever tell you he wished to marry me years ago? I discouraged him because I thought love could only be found in someone new, someone dashing, someone exciting. I was such a fool.”

  “The only fool here is Sir Richard,” said Kate with disgust.

  Wynbrook agreed wholeheartedly, but it had little effect on Jane.

  “I told Ellen I would come down for a few minutes, which I have. So now I’m going back upstairs.” Jane was the picture of listless misery.

  Wynbrook watched helplessly as Jane retired from the room.

  “I can think of several ways to kill Sir Richard and make it look like an accident,” muttered Kate.

  “I know where we can hide the body where no one will ever find it,” returned Wynbrook.

  “Good to know.”

  “And I would like to know what words you thought might shock me.”

  Wynbrook exchanged a smirk with Kate. Their mutual dislike of Sir Richard was the one thing they agreed on, though he doubted murder was the best way to begin a courtship.

  If he was interested in courting her.

  Which he wasn’t.

  Definitely not.

  “Lady Durant,” intoned the footman at the door of the sitting room, doing his best impression of their stalwart butler.

  Anne swept into the room, majestic as always. “Yes, yes, no need to introduce me. I think they should know their own sister.”

  Wynbrook was grateful for a diversion. “Anne. Good to see you.”

  Anne had been outraged at the situation with Jane, and they had spent many hours discussing what could be done to salvage poor Jane’s reputation, but so far no one had been able to divine a solution. Today, however, Anne was in brighter spirits.

  “You look well pleased,” commented Wynbrook.

  “I have a solution for poor Jane,” she said in triumph. “Oh, good, tea has arrived.”

  The tea service was set, and the three of them sat down at a round table.

  “Well, Anne?” queried John, teacup in hand. “If you found a solution for poor Jane, please do not keep it to yourself.”

  “I’ve just come from a conversation with the Dowager Duchess of Marchford,” said Anne with the air of one sharing a great secret. “She knows an exclusive matchmaker who can help us. Apparently, this Madam X has helped other similar cases. You remember the Miss Talbot affair?”

  Wynbrook shook his head. “I do not recall any such scandal.”

  “That’s because she married Mr. Grant and it was all hushed up nicely,” said Anne triumphantly. “Hopefully, Madam X will be able to do the same for our poor Jane.”

  “But what will this matchmaker do for poor Jane?” asked Kate, glaring at Wynbrook as if the situation were entirely his fault.

  “You must realize the only way for Jane to save her reputation and her standing in society is to be married at once,” said Anne, choosing a scone from the platter.

  “But why must Jane have to find another fiancé?” asked Kate. “And why this concern about her reputation? She found her fiancé wanting and tossed him aside. She did nothing wrong. Why should her standing in society be in jeopardy? I do not see why this should be a tragedy for her
.”

  John exchanged a silent but meaningful look with Anne, trying to figure out which of them would be better able to explain to Kate the workings of society. For one so clearly bright, she had little knowledge of the haut ton.

  “It may not be fair, but Sir Richard has the law on his side. Under English law, Sir Richard can sue for breach of contract. His philandering is not considered just cause to break it off,” explained Anne.

  “It should be,” grumbled Kate.

  “I am sure it is quite unfair, now that I think of it,” John said with a shrug.

  “Society is cruel to women. They always take the brunt of it, which is entirely unfair.” Kate’s silver eyes flashed dangerously. She was ready to charge into battle. “I blame men.”

  The Earl of Wynbrook was not known as a coward, but neither was he a fool. Having three sisters, he knew when to agree with the womenfolk. “Quite so, quite so. Agree with everything. Good news, Anne, good news.”

  “I am glad you approve, for you need to speak to the Duchess of Marchford and sort out the details. These things are dearly done, I fear.”

  “Of course. Glad to be of service,” said Wynbrook gallantly, hoping his generosity would not be overly taxed but resigned to pay whatever amount was requested.

  “Good, it is settled then. I only hope this matchmaker can find a replacement groom before Jane’s reputation is utterly ruined.”

  “I still do not see why that should be,” demanded Kate.

  “Ta-ta, good day.” Anne left in a swirl of silk, leaving John to answer the question.

  Kate crossed her arms and pinned Wynbrook with a singular look from her silver eyes. She could be an imposing figure.

  He cleared his throat. “Let me begin with the caveat that I agree this is wretchedly unfair.” He waited for her to concede the point, for while he did not mind crossing swords with Kate, he wished it to be for a better reason than the capriciousness of society.