She smoothed her hand along the empire neckline of the high-waisted jade gown. At least Alicia wouldn’t call attention to herself if one of the houseguests were to come upon her—that is, if they didn’t already know who she was.
Alicia ducked into the stable and hurried to Cinnamon Rose’s stall. The frisky mare tossed its head in greeting. When she finished saddling the horse, she stepped up to the mounting block and arranged herself on the sidesaddle. Ten minutes later, she was pacing the animal into an easy canter, heading toward the open fields.
What a glorious night! The full moon rode high in the sky, casting upon the earth almost daylight brightness. The wind blew through her hair, whipping her face with cool, clover-scented air. Horses and riding had always calmed her spirit, and hopefully a night ride, if only for the moment, might block the painful fact that she didn’t belong with the beautiful people twirling beneath the crystal chandeliers.
When Alicia had returned from her ride, the sound of hurried footsteps caused her to duck behind the boxwood hedge. She recognized Lady Olivia rushing along the path that led to the sheltered trees in front of Alicia’s cottage. “Lady Olivia, what’s the matter?”
Olivia started, then turned toward her. “Oh, Lady Alicia, I’m looking for Dalton. By chance, have you seen him?”
“Why, no. I thought he was at the ball.”
Olivia shook her head, her brows furrowed with concern. “No, he hasn’t been seen since this morning.” She wrung her hands. “Something dreadful has happened, and I must find him.”
The thought that Dalton was with Elizabeth came to Alicia’s mind. “Have you asked Elizabeth?”
Olivia’s breath quickened. “I’m afraid Elizabeth is in no condition to answer any questions.” Olivia glanced around as if she were afraid to be overheard, then she stepped toward Alicia. “Elizabeth embarrassed herself this evening with the earl of Rothbury. Mother is frantic and determined that Dalton announce his engagement to Elizabeth, before news of this becomes known.”
“Elizabeth embarrassed herself?”
Olivia’s face looked pale in the moonlight. “I think she was only trying to make Dalton jealous. But she and Lord Rothbury were drinking. Thankfully, Lord Templestone found them before anyone else saw them. He notified Mother.” Olivia paused. “Oh, my dear, forgive me for my insensitivity. This news must remind you of…”
Alicia was touched by Olivia’s compassion. “It’s quite all right, Lady Olivia.” She swallowed, realizing that Olivia, as well as the other members of the ton, knew the embarrassing details. “Then Dalton will marry Elizabeth?”
Olivia shook her head. “No, he mustn’t! I have to alert Dalton before our mother finds him.”
“I don’t understand—”
“I don’t have time now to explain it to you, Alicia. Please help me find my brother.”
“Of course.” Alicia took Olivia’s arm and urged her toward the stable. “Let’s ask the stable master if a horse was saddled for Dalton.”
“I’ve already asked Ulger. He said Dalton usually saddles his own mount. Penn said the sorrel that he favors is missing from the stable.” Olivia’s forehead wrinkled in thought. “Oh, where can he be this time of night?”
“Who are you looking for?” Dalton’s deep voice caused Alicia and Olivia to gasp in surprise. He stepped from the shadows, leading the sorrel beside him.
Relief welled within Alicia as she drank in the sight of him. Dalton was dressed in a royal-blue riding clothes. The moonlight gave a blue-black sheen to his hair.
“Dalton,” Olivia cried, clasping her hands. “Lord Templestone found Elizabeth with the earl of Rothbury. She’d drank too much and caused a great scene. Thankfully, Templestone can be trusted, but Mother is determined that you announce your engagement to her before the ton hears of this.”
Dalton glanced at Alicia, then turned his attention to his sister. “Is Mother still at the ball?”
“You mustn’t go to her!” Olivia caught herself and lowered her voice. “Not until we think of some way for you to—”
“My dear little sister, don’t worry about me.” He smiled at her with such tenderness that Alicia was caught off guard by his compassion. “Why don’t you stay with Lady Alicia in her cottage while I’m gone? I’ll return as soon as I speak to Mother.”
Before Olivia could object, Dalton stepped behind the hedge and was gone. Alicia forced back the sudden feeling of dread that threatened to engulf her. “Come, Olivia. We’ll have a cup of tea while we wait.”
Couples strolled along the moonlit gardens and the wide veranda leading to the French doors of the ballroom. Dalton climbed the stone steps and moved past the throngs of people who would linger until dawn. His gaze met Sir John Oxley, his solicitor, who immediately moved toward him.
“Enjoying yourself this evening, Sir John?” Dalton smiled at the tightly pinched face of the serious old man whose family of solicitors had served the duke’s family for generations.
“Your grace, I must have a word—”
“I know, John.” Dalton kept walking toward the staircase. “Where is the dowager duchess?”
The solicitor hurried to keep up with Dalton’s long strides. “She’s taken to her bed, your grace. The doctor has been called.”
“For mother or for Elizabeth?” Dalton didn’t try to keep the sarcasm from his voice.
Sir John’s mouth tightened as they ascended the stairs. “Then you’ve heard about Lady Elizabeth?”
Dalton raised a brow. “Isn’t that exactly what the lady had in mind?”
Sir John was out of breath when they reached the third floor landing. “It would be…in everyone’s best interest…if this matter remained secret,” he said finally.
A groom stood at attention at the front of the hall. Dalton strode to the double doors of his mother’s suite and knocked.
Moments later, a maid opened the door. She gave a shy smile when she saw Dalton. “I’ll tell her ladyship that you’re here, your grace.”
Dalton returned her smile, then glanced down at Sir John. “Wait for me here,” he said. “This won’t take long.”
Before the solicitor could answer, the maid returned, and Dalton was ushered into the duchess’s suite.
His mother was propped up in the French chaise where she often greeted visitors. Two candelabras flickered nearby. She settled back against the satin headrest, her eyes closed. Several maids scurried about the room.
“I’d like to speak to my mother alone,” he said, pulling a chair beside the chaise. The startled maids glanced up, then bustled from the room.
When he sat down, the dowager opened her eyes. “I asked Sir John to be here, too.”
“He’s waiting outside. Now, Mother, what is so important that this couldn’t wait until morning?”
She sat up and stared daggers at him. “How could you bring that Spencer trollop to Havencrest?”
“Lady Alicia Spencer is no trollop, my dear.”
“I was there when she was found with your despicable friend, Justin Sykes in his guest room at our London town house. She’s a trollop, and I will never forgive you for bringing her here.”
“May I remind you that I’m of legal age, Mother. I don’t need your approval for anything.”
“Don’t be insolent with me, Dalton.”
“I’m simply providing you with the truth.” He leaned back and crossed his legs. “As for the rumor about Lady Alicia, I know that Sykes prefers experienced married women to green girls. And he’s much too clever to be caught.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Really, Dalton, you care for no one but yourself! Poor Elizabeth was tormented when she told me about meeting that Jezebel. How could you parade your mistress-”
“Lady Alicia is not my mistress.”
She narrowed her eyes. “I really don’t care if she is or not.” Her voice was low and menacing. “You’re totally to blame for what happened to Elizabeth. You’ve ignored her far too long. The poor girl was
only trying to get your attention—”
“I heard she got drunk with Rothbury and that Templestone found her. What has this got to do with me?”
She took a deep breath. “Elizabeth was beside herself over your outrageous behavior with that woman, and she…well, she apparently tried to make you jealous. Rothbury plied her with drink, and…” She shook her head. “Luckily, Templestone found her and hid her away before anyone saw her. There’s no telling what might have happened, and it’s all your fault.”
He shrugged. “I would think Elizabeth could outdrink old Rothbury any day, and I would also think you should be having this conversation about marriage with him.”
Her eyes hardened with outrage. “Rothbury, be damned. Elizabeth comes with a sizeable dowry, and her family lives on the adjoining property to Havencrest. You will marry Elizabeth. It’s time you came to your senses and realized it.”
He shrugged. “Elizabeth enjoys playing the field and she knows that I could care less whom she beds. But she knows that I’ll never marry her.”
“That’s untrue. Elizabeth is crushed that you care so little for her. She wants to marry you, and so she shall. I’ll have no more foolish episodes with Elizabeth trying to make you jealous. This indifference of yours must stop, once and for all.”
He leaned back, studying her fury. It wasn’t like Elizabeth to do something to irritate the dowager duchess. Yet there was no doubt that his mother was infuriated.
“Next week will be the last ball of the season,” the dowager said, “before the ton leaves for grouse hunting in Scotland. You will announce your engagement to Elizabeth at the ball, or I will announce it for you.” She closed her fan with a snap.
Dalton clicked his heels and bowed low. “I believe you have just wasted your time and mine, dear mother. You obviously have not heard a word I said. I will not marry Elizabeth. Now, or ever. If you’ll excuse me?” He turned to leave.
The dowager stood and stamped her foot. “Why didn’t God take you instead of Drake?”
Dalton stopped in his tracks. He didn’t turn around.
Her voice lowered in anguish. “Haven’t I been punished enough, without you behaving like some hell-bent—?” Her voice broke, then she recovered. “I know you’ve hated me even since you were a lad and found me with George—”
Dalton turned around and met her gaze. For the past twenty years, he had never mentioned to anyone about that afternoon he had rushed upstairs to tell his mother that his horse had finally foaled a healthy colt. What he saw when he opened the door and stood in this very room changed his life forever.
“I don’t hate you, Mother. I feel nothing for you.”
Her lips quivered. “You feel nothing for anyone. Drake was so very different.”
“Yes, Drake was all the things I never was, Mother.” He felt an empty wrench in his gut. “And no one misses him more than I do.”
“If Drake had lived, he would have married Elizabeth—”
“He deserved better. Did you know that Elizabeth tried to seduce me just before Drake and I left for Spain—”
“I don’t believe it.”
He smiled. “Oh, yes, you do. Because deep down you know what Elizabeth is like. She knew that Drake was hopelessly in love with her, just as my father was blindly in love with you. When I refused Elizabeth, it only encouraged her. Too bad Uncle George didn’t have more self-control.”
“Dalton, it’s not the same for women as it is for men. I was in love with George before I married your father. But your father was the oldest, and I would have been a fool not to marry him.”
“Thank God my father never knew of your infidelity. And Drake never knew of Elizabeth’s true nature, either.”
“Do you think you’re any better, carrying on with that Spencer woman?”
He took a breath. “You aren’t worthy to speak her name.”
“Do what you want with her. But if you’re indiscreet, you’ll destroy your precious father’s name. You wouldn’t want that, now would you?” She smiled, knowing she had struck a resonant chord. “You’re almost thirty and five, Dalton,” she added. “Like it or not, it’s time you had an heir.”
“Mother, let’s put an end to this feuding. I promise to be at the ball.”
The dowager stiffened and studied him warily. “You mean that you’ve changed your mind?”
“Yes. You’ve convinced me it’s time I marry.”
“You’ll…announce your engagement?”
Dalton smiled, enjoying the incredulous look on his mother’s face. “I’ll announce my engagement, arm in arm with my betrothed, for all the world to see, Mother, dear.” His smile widened. “I promise to make it an evening you’ll never forget.”
She stared at him in astonishment. “No further arguments?”
He bent to kiss her hand. “None whatsoever.”
“Very well, Dalton.”
He bowed again with a flourish, then left the room.
Sir John jumped to his feet when the duke appeared.
“Come, Sir John, we have work to do. Bring your papers and ink pot and follow me.”
“Of course, your grace.”
By the time Dalton’s carriage arrived in front of Alicia’s cottage, he couldn’t wait to see the look on Alicia’s face when he proposed marriage to her.
At the sound of the carriage outside the cottage, Alicia jumped to her feet and ran to the door before Dalton had a chance to knock. Olivia, curled up on the sofa by the hearth, leaned forward, eager to hear what her brother had to say.
“I’d like a few minutes alone with Lady Alicia,” Dalton said to his sister. He turned to Alicia. “Would you step outside into the garden with me?”
Olivia sat upright. “Dalton, it’s not proper for her to go with you, unchaperoned.” She stood, clutching her wrap to her. “I’ll go with you.”
Dalton opened the door and Alicia joined him outside. “Why don’t you chaperon by watching us from the door?” he suggested with a wink.
Olivia’s mouth twitched. “Very well, Brother.”
Alicia wanted to ask him what his mother had said, but she knew that Dalton would tell her only what he wanted her to know. She strode beside him until they came to the marble bench. He withdrew a handkerchief and wiped the dew from the seat before she sat down.
He remained standing beside her. “Tell me, Lady Alicia. Have you been happy during your short stay with us?”
She stared. “I—I beg your pardon. I’ve been here barely a week.”
“That’s long enough to determine if Havencrest suits you.”
“Well, the estate is most beautiful, but I’ve only seen a small part of it.”
“Yes, of course. Forgive my awkward question. Then what do you think of me?”
Alicia was dumbfounded. “You?” She couldn’t answer him. “It’s quite chilly, your grace, and it’s very late. I—”
“Forgive me, again, Lady Alicia. I’m putting this very badly.” He took a deep breath of the night air. “Oh, damn. Might as well come right out with it.” He turned to her and took her hand. “Lady Alicia, I want to marry you.”
She jerked her hand away and stared as though he’d been struck foolish. “If this is a joke—”
“I’m deadly serious.” His blue-eyed gaze met her eyes, and she knew he was sincere. “If you married me, your little sisters would have the funds to marry well. Marston Heath could be restored to the former glory of when your grandfather built it. Your parents wouldn’t have to worry for money in their old age, and you would have anything money can buy.”
“And what would you gain if we were to marry?”
His gaze swept over her hair, her face, her bodice, and she shivered under his bold perusal. “It’s time I marry. I must have an heir. I won’t hold you to any terms except that you bear me an heir. Once my son is born—”
“What if I don’t bear you a son? Will you chop off my head as King Henry did to Anne Boleyn?”
He smiled lazily. “I believ
e Henry’s queen was also accused of adultery. I expect you to be faith- ful to me until our first son is born, regardless of how long that might be.”
She blushed, wishing she had remained quiet.
“Don’t worry, my pet. After you bear a son, you’ll be free to return to Marston Heath and never see me again. I’ll provide an allowance for you, your family and your estate.
“A marriage of convenience,” she said softly.
“Exactly.”
“I—I’m certain my father will be happy to agree.” She didn’t know what to say; she was still speechless.
“We’ll announce our engagement at the ball in three days.”
Alicia lifted her head as the reality dawned upon her. “Your mother, the dowager duchess…what will she say?”
A slight smile curled Dalton’s mouth. “I choose my bride. My mother has no say in the matter.”
Suddenly Alicia realized why Dalton wanted to marry her. “You want to shock your mother, and you’ll marry me to do it.” She stood up. “Well, I won’t be your bad joke. You can find some other malcontent to marry.” She turned to leave but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her around to face him.
“Alicia, wait. If you marry me, it’s the answer to all of your problems.”
“True, you’ll solve my financial problems, but life with your mother and her friends would be a living hell.”
“My mother and her friends will be far away from us. In several weeks she’ll be leaving for our castle in Scotland. You would never have to see her if you chose. You can be alone with only the horses, if that’s what you want.” A slow grin spread his lips. “Of course, you’ll have to see me occasionally,” he said dryly.
She ignored his remark. “It’s true I’ve grown quite fond of Bashshar, Cinnamon Rose and the other horses.”
He smiled. “I’ll buy you your own stable of horses, whatever your heart desires.”
She looked up at him in the moonlight. What about love? she wanted to ask, but she already knew the answer. Was he capable of love? she wondered. He cared deeply for his horses, and she sensed a protectiveness toward his sister, Olivia. But was that responsibility? She sensed that he could turn an icy shell to the world if he so chose. could he grow to care for anyone but himself?
Taming the Duke Page 7