‘There’s time enough yet.’
‘If Lady Isabel don’t suit, then my sister-in-law’s a prime piece.’
‘I will bear that in mind.’ Nick shifted his position and accepted a refill from his host. ‘Any idea why Woodley is so short of blunt, Simon?’
‘Mind my own business about your matrimonial ambitions, in other words.’ Dawson chuckled. ‘Well, that’s me put in my place. All I will say, for what it’s worth, is that Lady Isabel is deuced attractive and you could do a damned sight worse.’ He paused to savour his wine. ‘Anyway, let’s talk about Ravenswing Manor, since you insist. It was purchased by Woodley’s grandfather and is entailed through the male line.’
‘And Woodley’s brother married well after he inherited.’
‘Very well. The Earl of Lancaster’s only daughter, no less. Woodley’s father hadn’t managed the estate well. It was on the brink of going under, until Lancaster got involved. When he realised his new son-in-law had a way with horses, he suggested the stud and helped him get it off the ground.’
‘But the current owner is not similarly blessed. With intuitive horse sense, I mean?’
‘It don’t seem so.’
‘But what I don’t comprehend, Simon, is his need to involve me in the purchase of a new stallion. He must know that I will only involve myself in return for a hefty share of the profits. Why place that sort of drain on the estate? It must be doing well enough for him to manage the purchase unaided, surely?’
‘It ought to be. But Woodley’s wife and children have no sense of economy. As soon as they moved in, Mrs Woodley ripped the interior of the place apart, even though there was nothing wrong with it. She threw out most of the furniture and started again. And Woodley indulges those girls of his, particularly the elder. Anything their hearts desire. They spend every season in town.’
‘I have never laid eyes on them before.’
‘I don’t suppose you have. The girls haven’t been presented because…well, because they are not quite part of our set, if you follow my drift. They don’t have a suitable sponsor. But that doesn’t prevent them from hovering on the periphery of society, hoping to attract the attention of well-heeled beaus.’
Nick rolled his eyes. ‘I can well imagine.’
‘Taking a town house don’t come cheap. Plus that lad of theirs is a bit of a gamester and plays high. I hear his father has had to settle his debts on several occasions.’
‘Shame Ravenswing Manor didn’t pass to Alicia Woodley. She appears to have inherited her father’s way with horses.’
Dawson chuckled. ‘Seen her riding that stallion of hers then, have you?’
‘I have.’ Nick shifted his position to conceal his reaction to the image this reminder conjured up. ‘I understand she has expectations of an inheritance.’
‘Yes, the residue of her mother’s fortune.’
Nick raised a brow. She’d indicated that it was a trifling amount, but perhaps she didn’t know the exact sum involved. Either that or she rightly considered it to be nobody else’s business. Still, if she had financial expectations, it would account for Frederick’s sudden interest in her. Nick was more pleased than ever that she had turned the cove down. He would make sure she wasn’t pressured into accepting him should he renew his suit. Someone had to protect the child’s best interests. She clearly felt a great sense of gratitude toward her family and such considerations might eventually sway her into accepting Frederick. Nick was surprised at the depth of his determination to prevent that from happening.
Stretching, he glanced at the long clock in the corner of the room and drained his glass. ‘It seems I have overstayed my welcome. But before I leave, are you sure there’s nothing more you can tell me about the situation at Ravenswing Manor?’
Dawson hesitated. ‘Well, nothing definite. I have heard one or two rumours but I hesitate to repeat them. They probably don’t have any foundation in fact.’ He spread his hands. ‘You know how the smallest thing gets exaggerated in the retelling.’
‘Yes, but even so, it might help me to decide if I want to invest. And you know you can depend upon my discretion.’
‘Very well.’
Dawson spent the next ten minutes relating all he had heard. The information, although rumour and speculation, so coincided with the suspicious thoughts running through Nick’s head that he was almost certain they must be true. The mulling over of this information between the two gentlemen took another half an hour, and by the time Nick was ready to take his leave, the sky had clouded over.
‘Looks like we’re in for a storm, Nick,’ Dawson said. ‘Sure you don’t want to stay the night?’
‘No, I’d best get back. Is there a shorter way?’
‘Yes, there’s a back road to the estate. Take the left-hand fork at the end of my drive and you’ll come directly upon it.’
His caped driving coat pulled tightly about him and his hat low on his head, Nick set off at a brisk canter. He was less than halfway to Ravenswing Manor when the heavens opened and, had it not been for his heavy coat, he would have been drenched in seconds. He slowed his pace and patted the neck of his sodden mount.
‘I can see an outbuilding just ahead,’ he told the horse. ‘We’ll take shelter there until the rain stops.’
But before he’d even reached the sanctity of the barn in question, he encountered an impediment.
‘This is getting to be a habit,’ Nick remarked to no one in particular.
He frowned. A very familiar female form, drenched to the skin, sought to remove a cob and the gig it was harnessed to from a muddy rut. Matilda appeared to be co-operating for once, clearly taking exception to getting soaked. But even the force of her considerable bulk was insufficient to free the conveyance.
Nick dismounted and went to Alicia’s assistance. She raised a brow when she eventually noticed his presence but made no comment upon it.
‘When I give the word,’ he said, applying his shoulder to the rear of the gig, ‘lead Matilda forward.’
The wheels spun, covering Nick in mud but refusing to grip the road’s surface. It took three attempts before the vehicle regained firm ground.
‘Quick,’ Nick said, ‘let’s head for that barn over yonder before we get even wetter than we already are.’
‘Or muddier.’ She stifled a giggle as her eyes ran down the length of him.
‘You’re welcome,’ he muttered beneath his breath, rolling his eyes. Forgetting to thank him appeared to be a failing of hers.
The horses required little persuasion to take shelter beneath the barn’s dilapidated roof. It leaked in several places but at least afforded them some protection from the torrential rain and biting wind. Nick unharnessed Matilda, removed his own horse’s saddle and rubbed them down with handfuls of straw to extract the worst of the water from their coats. Alicia ignored his directive to find somewhere warmer to wait out the storm. She stood to one side and observed him instead.
‘There.’ He threw the last handful of soggy straw aside and found some fresh hay, which he placed before the horses. ‘Now, let’s attend to ourselves before we catch our deaths.’ He led the way farther inside. ‘What is this place?’
‘The area’s used for grazing in the autumn. We keep hay and straw here when it’s been harvested. It saves carting it all the way back to the main buildings.’
‘I thought as much.’ Nick looked about him at the neatly piled hay, kept under the roof parts which didn’t leak. The straw was stacked just as neatly on the opposite side.
‘Thank you.’
Alicia’s almost grudging acknowledgement of his assistance brought his attention back to her. Seated on the edge of the hay, she trembled with cold. He was seized with an overwhelming desire to rub her body dry as well, except he would take infinitely more care, and pleasure, from making her comfortable. Since that wasn’t possible, not even for him, he would have to devise another means to keep them both warm until the storm abated.
She steadfastly refused
to look in his direction, making it impossible for him to interpret her thoughts. Did she sense the tension in the atmosphere between them? Fate had provided him with a perfect opportunity to win his wager with Gibson. Instinct told him that she possessed a violently passionate nature, and once released it would quickly dispel any doubts she might otherwise entertain. That being the case, Nick wondered why he was even hesitating to exploit the situation.
‘Here.’ He shrugged out of his driving coat and handed it to her. ‘It’s still perfectly dry on the inside.’
‘You will get cold yourself without it.’
He ignored her protest and wrapped the coat round her shoulders. It swamped her, making her appear endearingly vulnerable. He sat beside her, still relatively warm in his coat and waistcoat, which had been protected by his driving coat. Alicia’s teeth still chattered.
‘Don’t take this the wrong way, but I believe you would be warmer if you removed your gown. Unless I mistake the matter, it’s quite soaked through.’
She threw a scornful glance his way. ‘Don’t be ridiculous!’
‘That is the response I anticipated.’ He moved closer to her, until their bodies were touching. ‘If you feel uncomfortable about my very sensible suggestion, then we must think of another way to ward off the cold.’ He pretended to consider their dilemma. ‘How would horses manage it?’
‘They would huddle together and—’
Her words trailed off and she blushed a fiery shade of red.
‘Quite so. They would have the sense to benefit from their close proximity to one another, sharing what bodily warmth they still possessed.’ Nick permitted his grin to widen. ‘Clever creatures are horses, and we could do worse than follow their example.’
‘I have never heard such a ridiculous suggestion in my entire life.’ She elevated her chin.
‘You are worried about your cousin Frederick objecting, I dare say, but I won’t tell him if you do not.’
She glared of him. ‘What do you mean by that?’
Nick shrugged. ‘Rumours abound in the servants’ hall, I’m told.’
‘Eavesdropping and then listening to servants’ gossip all in the same day, your grace?’ She wrinkled her pert little nose.
‘Absolutely! Servants’ gossip is the only reliable way to learn what is happening in an establishment.’
‘My relationship with my cousin is none of your concern.’
‘I understand you rejected his suit.’ His gaze lingered on her profile and his voice softened. ‘Your cousin is a weak man who doesn’t deserve you, but it must have taken strength of will to pass up the opportunity to become mistress of your childhood home.’
‘I didn’t even stop to consider the material benefits when rejecting him,’ she said, staring off into the distance. ‘He has no feelings for me.’
‘Then why did he make the offer?’
‘He displayed a rare sensitivity, claiming that he didn’t want me to live alone when I come into my inheritance.’ She tossed her head. ‘But it won’t serve. I don’t intend to marry, even to secure my own comfort. I will be quite content to live out my days alone in the village.’
‘In that case, I feel we should return to our conversation about animal instincts.’
He ran his index finger idly down the length of her arm. It was covered by the thickness of his greatcoat, but he still sensed her shiver violently. He allowed a predatory smile to grace his lips. Never had a storm arrived at a more opportune moment. The hay looked soft and warm and altogether too inviting. Its sweet aroma filled the barn. Nick breathed it in, anticipating the moment when he would toss this disrespectful wench into the middle of it in a flurry of petticoats and half-hearted protests.
Perhaps then images of her would no longer fill his head. Once his mind was clear of that delightful distraction, he would be able to think more coherently about his reasons for being at Ravenswing Manor. And decide what swindle her uncle was attempting to perpetuate.
‘You know all about matters that occur in the covering barn,’ he said in a persuasive whisper, his fingers still tracing the length of her arm. ‘But don’t you ever stop to consider how such matters are conducted between a man and woman?’
Nick half expected her to protest at the turn their conversation had taken. Most females would pretend to be outraged, simply because that reaction was expected of them, even if they privately hankered to indulge their curiosity. He wasn’t surprised to discover that this one had little time for convention and tackled the subject head-on.
‘I do know what occurs in the covering barn.’ She shuddered. ‘The couplings are very brutal and clinically achieved. I have never been able to understand why a lady would willingly put herself in that position.’
Nick chuckled. ‘Oh, I think you can.’ Her face flamed with embarrassment. He cupped her cheek gently in the palm of his hand. It was evident that she wanted to wrench her head away but seemed transfixed. ‘You feel it now, although you probably don’t recognise your feelings for what they actually are.’ He spoke in the low, hypnotic tone which had never failed him in the past. ‘Why do you think the mares only accept the stallion’s advances when they are feeling receptive?’
‘I…I really c-couldn’t say.’
‘Don’t claim ignorance. I didn’t think you lacked spirit.’
‘No, really, I—’
‘You know the answer because you feel receptive now, towards me, Alicia.’
‘Don’t flatter yourself!’
This time she succeeded in turning her face away, leaving his hand clutching at air.
‘Your curiosity is piqued,’ he said softly, ignoring her protest. ‘Before you settle down to a life of respectable spinsterhood, you wish to learn firsthand what all the fuss is about.’
‘You’re very sure of yourself, your grace.’ She turned back to face him and arched a brow.
‘Thank you.’
‘That wasn’t intended as a compliment.’
‘Nevertheless, I will take it as such.’
‘That doesn’t surprise me. Just because everyone else you meet flatters you, it would be a mistake to assume that I will follow their example.’
‘I depend upon you not doing so. Even so, your effort to change the subject won’t work. Now, what were we discussing?’
‘I cannot recall.’ She flapped a hand, seemingly more in control of herself and, dare he hope, enjoying the verbal sparring. ‘Something very trivial, I have no doubt.’
Nick chuckled. ‘You want to know what makes a man and woman get so carried away by their feelings that they act rashly. You want to understand what impulse makes them forget the proprieties and engage in carnal relations. Why it is that they can’t help themselves? What impulse could be so strong that they get totally carried away by passion?’
She tossed her head but in spite of her best efforts to appear disinterested, she couldn’t entirely disguise her fascination for the subject. She opened her mouth but he held up a hand to fend off the protest he could sense her formulating.
‘Don’t bother to deny it since I shall not believe you. You have an inquisitive nature. An open mind. An independent spirit. Your rejection of your cousin’s suit proves it. You did not reject him just because you don’t approve of him. You rejected him because he doesn’t agitate your passions.’
‘Perhaps you are right,’ she said impatiently. ‘I must defer to your opinion, even though I fail to understand why my circumstances should matter to you. You and I are strangers, from different walks of life, and our paths ought never to have crossed. If we converse at all, it ought to be about trivialities.’ She arranged her features into a neutrally polite expression and folded her hands neatly in her lap. ‘Tell me, your grace, what do you make of the fine weather we’re having?’
Nick roared with laughter. ‘Alicia, it’s pouring with rain! Besides, I don’t wish to discuss the blasted weather with you.’
‘Then we have nothing to talk about. You will be gone in a few days and we
will never see one another again.’
‘Which makes me the perfect person to satisfy your curiosity.’
‘What makes you suppose I am curious about anything you would be able to teach me?’
‘Oh, you are exceedingly curious. No matter how hard you try, you can’t rid your mind of the subject, not now that it’s lodged in that quick brain of yours.’ His voice was velvety smooth, full of confidence in his ability to talk her round. ‘You want to know and I am offering to teach you.’
‘Even if that were true, which it emphatically is not, I am not so lost to all sense of propriety that I would admit to it, much less do anything about it.’
He grasped her chin and turned her head until she was compelled to look into his eyes. ‘Don’t try to be what you are not, Alicia. What society expects you to be. Not with me. Just allow yourself to feel. Don’t you crave excitement? Don’t you want to feel truly alive just once in your life?’ He met her gaze and held it. ‘I dare you!’
His words struck home. She moistened her lips, a whole range of emotions clearly visible in the depths of her remarkable eyes. She was on the brink of capitulation. It would be so easy. He dropped a gentle kiss on her lips, breaking it almost before it had begun.
‘But I won’t force myself upon you,’ he said, astounded to hear the words slipping from his lips. Not ten minutes ago that was precisely what he had intended to do. ‘The decision is yours alone to make. You must come to me and ask me politely if I would be good enough to further your erotic education.’
‘Humph!’ She elevated her chin and looked away from him. ‘If that is what you expect then I fear you will have a long wait.’
‘I don’t think so. You will come to me, and you will beg me to—’
‘You are uncommonly sure of yourself.’
‘I know what you want, even if you do not. And, trust me, you would be hard-pressed to find a better teacher.’
She stood up and glared at him, hands on hips. ‘You are without doubt the most arrogant, self-assured, insolent gentleman it’s ever been my misfortune to encounter. You’re full of pride and spare not a thought for the feelings and sensibilities of others. You are supposed to be a leader of men. To set an example. And yet you are making sport of me simply because you are bored.’ She dragged his coat from around her shoulders and threw it violently in his direction. ‘So tell me, your grace, what does that make you?’ Without waiting for an answer, she headed for the door. ‘The rain has stopped. Thank you for your assistance with the gig. Good afternoon.’
Of Dukes and Deceptions: Dangerous Dukes Vol 4 Page 7