by Jilian Rouge
A dimple flashed in the other man’s cheek as he smiled at his friend’s exuberant greeting. “I apologize for my lateness, but as you already knew, I had urgent business that could not wait.”
Turning to his mother, who was watching this exchange between her son and this yet unknown stranger with interest, Alex said, “Permit me to introduce you to Captain Raphael Griffiths, Mother. Rafe is an old friend who was instrumental in my securing the several ships that have tripled our fortunes.” He glanced at Rafe. “I am pleased to introduce you to Lady Edith Carruthers, Countess Merrick, my mother.”
Lady Edith smiled serenely and offered her hand to Rafe. “Captain Griffiths, I am delighted to meet you. I hope you will be staying with us long enough to enjoy the ball I have planned a few nights hence.”
Rafe bowed over her hand, and replied, “Please call me Rafe, my lady. I am only Captain Griffiths to my crew. As for your ball, I would be honored to attend since I had been looking forward to a bit of a holiday after long months at sea.”
Waving him towards the newly made place setting, Lady Edith urged, “Then please sit yourself down, dear boy. After a long time away from the shores of home, I am sure you could benefit from a decent English meal.”
“Of course, thank you,” Rafe said graciously, as he seated himself across from Lady Edith and at a right angle to Alex.
Rue watched as the newcomer made every effort to charm those around him, all while busily shoveling mouthfuls of food between anecdotes. Beside her to the right, Georgie had yet to relax from her stiffened posture since Captain Griffiths had arrived at dinner, while remaining silent and tight-lipped.
Ernest held a look of mild displeasure for the Captain, and Rue wondered curiously what the Captain might have done to produce such a reaction from her mild-mannered friend. Georgie’s own reaction to Rafe Griffiths made no sense either, but then again, both Montagu siblings held a wealth of secrets she wasn’t yet privy to. She trusted that, in time, they would simply and naturally divulge what those secrets were.
While genuinely happy that Rafe had finally come to visit, Alex glanced every so often at Rue, who was animatedly chatting with his cousin Christian. Jealousy was not a fit emotion for one such as he, but it was the closest descriptor for what he felt when he saw the two of them together. As young boys growing up alongside each other, Alex conceded that he may have possessed a certain competitive streak while Christian was around, but what two boys didn’t? Now, it was a mere matter of properly conveying what was his, but Rue’s warning look prevented him from claiming her as his before everyone present.
Once the meal was finished, Lady Edith escorted the ladies towards the parlor to indulge in a game of charades. As for the menfolk, Alex led them towards his study where they would partake of the manly, after-dinner ritual of port and cigars. However, Lord Reddington and Christian were absent among their number, a fact that the ladies eagerly embraced, as the pair adjourned to the parlor with the rest of the womenfolk. Among the few men present, the conversation became lively once the subject turned to that of the new bill being passed in Parliament. Sides were taken and Alex’s study soon erupted with loud opinions and ribald jests for stating such opinions.
Rafe took that opportunity to pull Alex aside, using the noise as cover for what he was about to reveal. To others, the two men appeared to be sharing quiet opinions of what was going on around them, but if one were to listen closely, their discussion had nothing to do with government.
Appearing amused by the chatter around them, Rafe’s tone and words were anything but amused. “Have you heard the latest from London?”
“No, I’ve been busy as of late,” Alex replied, thinking back to his recent distraction in the form of Rue. “What do you have to tell me and how bad is it?”
Rafe chuckled. “I like that you already know I’m about to deliver bad news. It just goes to show how well you can read me.” Sobering quickly, he stated, “Besides an outraged husband or two that you have cuckolded, there is the small matter of you-know-who.”
Raising a brow, Alex asked, “Dendridge? What about him?”
Sighing, Rafe admitted, “He’s threatening all sorts of things and has been making a nuisance of himself all over London. In fact, he’s aiming to take things to the courts to settle money we supposedly owe him.”
“That’s preposterous! We settled that debt ages ago!” Alex scoffed.
“Yes, but he claims we owe him for defamation of not only his character but his own business. No one will take him up to trade their wares overseas, not when you had exposed him for his cheating ways.”
“The scoundrel deserves no less than what he’s received thus far, as well you know. He’s lucky I hadn’t drowned him at high tide like I was tempted to do.”
“As noble as that makes you sound, there is still the matter of his harassing our crew. He’s been causing trouble for them and their families in an effort to flush you out for an encounter, so to speak.”
“Is that all he wants? To talk to me?”
“Run you through, more like. He’s been out for your blood ever since you had put his business under.”
“As a former sea captain who has now retired to take up his lordly duties, I find I cannot indulge him in this. I’ve other pressing matters to consider.” Rue, for one, and marrying her, another. “Other than our old nemesis, is there anything else I should be wary of?”
Smiling behind his port glass, Rafe said mischievously, “Remember that jealous husband I made mention of? He’s out for your blood, too. The last I heard, Lady Tattingham unknowingly let slip who her former lover was to her own husband, no less. Both Tattinghams have been harassing me separately about your whereabouts. You should be thanking me I have only been giving them vague non-answers.”
Shaking his own head at the mess of his former life he had left behind in London, Alex sighed. “I thank you for your discretion in these matters. God knows, I’ve had enough of that old way of life, and I am determined to keep it far from here where I’ve only ever known peace.”
“Yes, well, we can’t all be so lucky to find sanctuary as you so definitely have here,” Rafe stated wryly. “But I understand the need to escape from the hurts of the past. I don’t blame you for escaping the dreadful landscape of London society to seek the solace that one’s home provides.”
Nodding in agreement, Alex said, “No need to wax poetic about my reasons for leaving London, but I appreciate your understanding. Not very many do. However, I do have another matter I’d like to discuss in light of recent events.
“With your admission, I believe I may have broadened my list of possible candidates who may have enough motivation to put me in harm’s way.”
Intrigued, Rafe tilted his chin at Alex to continue. “What do you mean? Someone tried to harm you?”
“Yes. The house now knows of the attempt on my life as I nearly had my head bashed in by my own horse. Someone had placed a prickly burr under my saddle with the intent of Ulysses throwing me off and possibly doing me in. You’ve seen the size of him, he could very well do the job in one good stomp.”
Rafe’s eyes widened at his friend’s story. “How are you sure it wasn’t simply an accident?”
“Because my groom swore up and down on the Blessed Virgin that the saddle had been checked and re-checked before I made off with Ulysses. The timing of its placement would have been done after, ahem, my encounter with Rue, er, Lady Rumina in the woods.”
Narrowing his eyes at Alex, Rafe said, “Something tells me that the two of you were preoccupied elsewhere, quite some distance from your horse.” Grinning at the sudden realization of the implication in Alex’s manner, Rafe continued, “I take it an assignation distracted you long enough for your horse to be tampered with?”
Scowling fiercely at his friend, Alex growled, “You can stop imagining inappropriate things about my future countess, Rafe. Only, the stubborn woman won’t let me tell the whole world about our upcoming nuptials. She has this aggrava
ting sense of duty towards my cousin in that she promised him an answer to his proposal no sooner or later than my mother’s ball.”
Grinning wider, Rafe commented, “She must be quite the woman for you to forsake your rakish bachelor ways so easily. But that aside, I, too, believe someone must have tampered with your saddle while you were otherwise engaged. What makes you think it could be either Dendridge or Tattingham?”
“Simply for the fact that both of them have deep-seated grudges against me, and either of them could easily have employed someone nearer to hand here to do the job for them.”
“But both of them are still in London. How would either of them know your direction?”
“Ravenscroft is well-known for being in my family over the centuries. With the help of a Bow Street Runner, it wouldn’t be a hardship to locate my ancestral seat.”
“Then, how would either of them have planted someone on your property without you or your staff not knowing?”
Alex shrugged and admitted, “Then I would have to face the alternative. That someone I know wants me dead.”
19
Rue abhorred charades, a fact of which Lady Edith was acutely aware, and cried off, claiming she would benefit instead from an evening stroll on the terrace. Christian leaped to the fore and offered to be her escort, while Georgie and Ernest sprang from their seats to join them as chaperones. Rue chuckled at their eagerness to leave the parlor; the three of them detested charades just as much as she did.
The first step out onto the terrace proved chilly, and the need for a wrap was necessary if they were to continue outside for a time. Both Rue and Georgie begged a moment to fetch the extra article of clothing, and they each hurried respectively to their rooms, promising to be back soon.
Speeding down the hallway towards the main staircase, Rue did not see the arm shoot out from a recessed doorway and ran smack into it. The arm wrapped around her waist to pull her roughly into a familiar torso, their bodies hidden from view by the shadowed corner where the light did not quite reach.
Before she could let loose a shriek, a mouth clamped tightly against hers, one familiar in texture and shape. With her mouth thus engaged in pleasurable conflict, she melted into Alex’s embrace easily, and just as easily forgotten her need to shriek in fright.
Wrapped up tightly as she was within Alex’s arms, Rue could not, nor did she care to escape from his possessive embrace, not when he was succeeding in making her lose her wits so well. She gripped Alex hard, wherever her immobilized arms would let her hands reach, and she thrilled at his muffled groan that sprung unbidden from her own rough treatment of him as she had clawed at him through his coat and shirt.
Abruptly pulling back, his chest puffing heavily like a bellows, Alex stared down at the woman who affected him like no other. He hadn’t meant to accost her, but the mere sight of her reminded him of their earlier assignation as well as the mindless possessiveness that overcame him at dinner. There was just no room for Christian in their relationship, and the sooner he could proclaim her as his, the better for everyone concerned.
A little dazed, Rue tried to focus on the face hovering close to hers and she asked, accusingly, “What do you think you are doing? I thought I was being kidnapped only to discover you are deliberately being inappropriate with my person when any of your guests could have seen us!”
“I apologize for frightening you, but I couldn’t help myself. Impropriety is my forte, after all, and with you looking completely delectable, I couldn’t resist.”
“Well, my nerves would appreciate your restraint in the future,” she grumbled as she stepped away from his clinging grip. “Where are you off to, anyhow? I thought the gentlemen were still puffing away on their sinful cigars and drinking that dreadful port you call a drink.”
“And what about you? Why aren’t you in the parlor with the rest of the ladies? I don’t imagine that you are off to some clandestine meeting, are you?” he asked suspiciously.
Frowning, she replied, “Not when I had plans to take a turn about the terrace with Georgie, Ernest, and Christian. I was about to fetch my shawl from my room before you so rudely grabbed me.”
“And do you suppose that hearing you are still spending time with my cousin makes me happy?” he asked, glowering down at her. “The man wants you for himself, but you are mine!”
Stopping herself in time from rolling her eyes at his possessive tone, she patiently said, “Yes, I know I am yours. But you promised we would wait until the ball before we made an announcement.”
“I made no such promise! You assumed wrongly that I would keep quiet when all I want is the world to know that I have claimed you for my wife. Why can’t you see that leaving this news too long will just make matters worse?”
“How? It is only a matter of one more night before we make our announcement. And I would much prefer having Christian be the first to know that I am rejecting his proposal before the rest of the household. Don’t you think that would be a more appropriate way of doing things, all things considered?”
Sighing heavily, Alex acquiesced, “I will allow that the man deserves to be the first to know of his own rejection, if only to spare him the humiliation. But I will wait no longer than that!”
“Good. That is all I ask of you. Until then, I will continue on to fetch my shawl as I am keeping my friends waiting.”
Hissing between his teeth, “Just know that I am not happy with any amount of time you spend in Christian’s presence. But before you go, a reminder.” Before she could stop him, Alex captured her lips with his own once more, his hands gripping her fast against him, and she could feel the evidence of his arousal pressing into her belly. In an instant, her own desire rose to match his, as her body was reminded how sensitive it was to his touch specifically. No other man could arouse her to such heights as Alex did, and she had no defenses against his ability to spark desire within her.
He drove her wild as his hands were busy roaming over her body, skimming the flat of his palms over her sensitized nipples, and gripping a buttock to further press her into his groin. She was dimly aware that she now straddled one of his legs, her body instinctively seeking relief as she rubbed her core against his hard, muscled thigh. Small moans sounded in her ears in time with the pounding of her heart, but she faintly realized the sounds were originating from her own throat.
Soon, the feelings Alex effortlessly cajoled from her rose to such a fever pitch that she tried to scramble up his body in an effort to get closer. Totally engrossed in the passion between them, Alex scooted his hands down her hips and scooped her up by her buttocks to press her desperately into him. However, Rue’s skirts hampered her ability to wrap her legs about Alex’s waist, and Alex sobered enough to realize that Rue’s foiled attempt to enfold him within her embrace was a good thing. They were in the middle of a dimly lit hallway after all, and anyone who cared to observe them while passing by would see all evidence of their passion fully on display.
Reining in his need to have her that very moment, Alex slowly pulled away, their eyes staring into each other as they both eased their bodies apart. Rue saw his need for her burning there in his eyes, and she was sure he saw the same in hers. With a slight, wicked smile, he bent his head and kissed her lightly on her kiss-swollen lips before arrogantly saying, “Just so you remember who it is you belong to.”
He turned then and walked back in the direction of the parlor, presumably to join his mother and their guests, leaving Rue still trembling in the darkened doorway. His words were like cold water to her impassioned feelings, and she resorted to visibly shaking off the Alex-induced haze brought on by his kisses and caresses. Damn that man, she thought uncharitably, but she knew she was just as responsible for her own unseemly behavior as Alex was for stoking it in the first place.
Smoothing her skirts back into place, she stepped out of the recessed doorway, continued on her way up the stairs, and headed towards the private wing of the manor reserved for family only. As close as she was to th
e family, Lady Edith had arranged for her room to be closer to hand within the family’s own quarters, and thus, it was convenient that there would be no one around to witness the blush high on her cheeks or her slightly disheveled appearance.
It took but a moment to retrieve her shawl from her room, but she took her time slowly making her way across the dimly lit hallway that served as the main vein for the family’s quarters. The quiet hallway was almost heavenly for repose and quiet reflection, and Rue soon found herself deep into her musings, her gait methodical and thoughtful.
Her thoughts dwelled mainly on Alex, as her daydreams of late automatically gravitated towards him, especially now that she was aware of his feelings for her and his eagerness to have her as his wife. As much as she herself was eager to officially claim him as hers in marriage, she was just as apprehensive of hurting Christian in the process. She would never have considered Christian’s suit if she had known how Alex felt about her after all this time, and neither would she have given him false hope.