Grant’s tone was haughty, his eyes like shards of ice. He seemed bent on regaining the advantage. ‘I think you’ve said enough. Who do you think you are, to meddle in my family’s affairs?’
‘Lettie’s friend,’ Adeline stated coldly. ‘But since you think I am interfering, then I must admit I am not entertained by your family disputes.’
‘In which case I shall have Lettie removed from this house first thing in the morning.’
‘You are right,’ she flared, her eyes blazing. ‘What happens to Lettie concerns you alone. I shall leave you to decide what to do with her. Do whatever you feel must be done, but remember that it will be against Dr Lennox’s advice. Meanwhile, while she is in this house, I shall tend her. Do you have any objections to that?’
They faced one another, not speaking, their fury bouncing off each other. Adeline thought bitterly that she had never imagined the night would end like this. Her defiance had struck him to the quick of his being. Now they would simply set about destroying each other as ferociously as mortal enemies. Was it for this that she had befriended Lettie when she’d needed her most?
‘I would be grateful,’ he said curtly.
‘Thank you,’ Adeline said, with all the dignity she could muster. ‘And now, since you can do nothing but insult me, and will clearly have no need of my assistance in nursing Lettie after tomorrow, I think you had better leave,’ she said icily. ‘If she should wake and find you like this it will only upset her.’
‘You are right. I have changed my mind about staying the night. I can see Lettie will be in capable hands.’ He crossed to the door, where he turned and looked back at her. There was a deep anger inside him. ‘No matter what it costs, I cannot ignore what Cunningham has done. I do not underestimate his intelligence or his will for a moment, but they are irrelevant. It does not make me reconsider anything—only makes me more resolute. Now, if you will excuse me, I shall be at my hotel if I am needed.’
Adeline watched him go. There was no word of affection, just a cold nod as he closed the door. She stood staring at it for a long time, deeply hurt by what had just occurred. The man was a monster. It was not her fault, what had happened to Lettie, but Grant would never be convinced of this, and the tender feelings that had grown between them when they had fenced and ridden together died as a sudden frost withered a young plant.
Perhaps the kiss he had given her, having won the race, had meant nothing at all—had been nothing more than a pleasure satisfied? Anger stirred once more in Adeline—anger at herself for so readily succumbing to the embrace of this hard, cold man who had invited her love after the aggressive nature of their past encounters.
Drawing herself up proudly, she went to relieve Emma. She, too, could be hard and cold. Grant would never know how much he had hurt her. I won’t let him treat me like that again, she vowed, staring down at his sleeping sister and settling herself into the chair beside the bed. Adeline the vulnerable fool, ready to give her heart to the first man to hold her in his arms and whisper sweet nonsense, had hopefully learned more sense, she told herself, resolutely ignoring the treacherous small voice at the back of her brain that mourned her passing.
Grant didn’t remove Lettie from the house in Eaton Place. When he called the following morning, Adeline sensed that he wanted to get back on the easy footing they had been on before last night, but she was determined not to risk a second rebuff.
Having left Lettie with one of the maids watching over her, tired and not in the best of moods, Adeline had been in the garden, taking a breath of air, when Grant appeared, looking devastatingly handsome in a tweed suit.
Standing on the terrace, he had paused and looked around, searching for her. When he’d seen her, standing against some tall trellising over which pink and white roses clambered in profusion, he strode towards her with that easy, natural elegance already so familiar to her.
Perfectly still, with her hands folded at her waist, she had waited for him to reach her. Ever since she had known this man she had told herself that she was drawn to him because of his compelling good-looks and his powerful masculine magnetism—the strange hold he had over her was merely an ability to awaken those intense sexual hungers within her.
But she realised it was more than that—that was just the tip of an iceberg whose true menace lay in its unfathomable depths. While she had vainly set herself against the carnal forces he inspired in her, something deeper and dangerously enduring was binding them inexorably together. How could she possibly resist him? But resist him she must if she was to have peace of mind.
‘At last I’ve found you,’ he said, taking her arm and drawing her down onto a wooden bench, where they sat facing each other. His eyes complimented her warmly on her appearance—for despite the purple smudges beneath her eyes, in her sky blue dress with a high-necked bodice, she looked fresh and immaculate.
Adeline caught the clean, masculine smell of him. The onslaught on her senses was immediate, and she longed to respond to the pressure of his hand on her arm, to feel his mouth on hers, setting her skin tingling and her blood on fire. But this was the man whom she had decided she would never allow to breach her self-control. The memory of Diana Waverley, with her sly, insolent smile, and the cruel things Grant had said to her last night stood between them.
Her lips curved in a slight smile. ‘So you have, Grant. Have you been up to see Lettie?’
He nodded. ‘Mrs Kelsall kindly let me go up. She’s sleeping, but she does seem a little better.’
‘I think so. Dr Lennox should be along soon. If you still wish to remove her from the house then I think you had better wait until he’s seen her, don’t you?’
‘Adeline, if it’s in Lettie’s best interests that she remains here then I would like her to stay. She couldn’t be in better hands. I know that.’
‘I told you last night, Grant. Lettie can stay here as long as it is necessary.’
‘Thank you. All night I’ve been cursing myself for a fool. I want to apologise for my boorish behaviour, for which I am ashamed. I was cruel and thoughtless and I deserve to be horse-whipped, for I realise I must have left you feeling deeply hurt. I assure you that wounding your feelings was never my intent. I am here not only to see Lettie, but to make amends.’
‘Ashamed, Grant?’ Adeline said brightly, giving him no help. ‘I am certain there is nothing for you to be ashamed of. And isn’t it a little late to withdraw anything you may have said to me last night?’
‘Adeline, please,’ said Grant in a low, rapid tone. ‘I spoke hastily, and you have every right to be angry. I was knocked sideways by what Lettie had done—and when I think that I could have prevented it, had I known—’
‘If I had betrayed Lettie’s confidence and told you? I think that is what you mean, Grant.’
‘I don’t want to argue about that now, Adeline. Last night, when I received your note asking me to come at once and to bring a doctor, I imagined the worst, and my later anger was caused partly by relief yet also by a feeling of having let Lettie down in some way.’
And part sorrow, guilt and rage for having given his time to Diana when he might have been with Lettie, Adeline could have added. She would not give in to the old attraction that was making her heart race and her legs feel drained of strength.
‘I don’t suppose Lettie will see it like that,’ she said, standing up and walking back towards the house.
Looking at her stiff back, and the proud way she held her head, Grant wanted to go after her and shake her. He knew she was playing a part. He believed that behind that bright expression and glib speech the real warm, passionate Adeline was still to be found—only he had lost the key to her. Temporarily, he hoped. Those ill-considered accusations and insults he had thrown at her when he had vented his fury on her had driven the young woman he had come to feel so deeply for underground, had replaced her with this proper, guarded person who carefully kept him at arm’s length.
Getting up and striding after her, he took her arm and j
erked her round to face him. ‘Adeline, I am truly sorry. I shall not be happy until you tell me you forgive me.’ He smiled crookedly at her, willing her to respond as she had in the park.
But there was no answering spark in her eyes as she answered abstractedly, ‘Set your mind at rest, Grant,’ she said with a brittle laugh. ‘For my memory of last night is extremely hazy, and I really cannot recall all that you said to me. There is not the least need to apologise, so please, let us not speak of it again. Now, let us go in and await Dr Lennox.’
It took another twenty-four hours for Lettie’s temperature to subside, and then she emerged from her nightmare world.
Dr Lennox visited her twice daily and said she was making swift improvement. Grant visited every day. Lettie was tearful when she saw him, and deeply ashamed that he should know of the terrible thing she had done. She expected him to be furious, to verbally chastise her, but to his credit he issued no recriminations, merely took his sister in his arms and held her, and gave her no word of censure. Adeline was relieved.
Grant called on Lord and Lady Stanfield to explain that Lettie had taken a severe chill and would remain at Eaton Place with Adeline. When asked if they could visit, he politely told them he would let them know when she was feeling up to receiving visitors.
Once the tide had turned, Lettie made rapid strides towards recovery. Luckily she was blessed with a remarkably vigorous constitution. After three days she was able to leave her bed and sit in a chair by the window, and on the fourth day she was able to go downstairs and sit out in the garden. But her face looked drawn and thinner, and there was a haunted look in her eyes. Still she had not spoken of what had turned her against Jack Cunningham, and Adeline had not tried to draw it out of her, believing she would speak of it when she felt ready.
Later she was in the drawing room, her face transparently pale, her shoulders draped in an ermine wrap. Sitting beside her, Adeline took her hand and held it. For the time being they were alone, but they were expecting Lady Stanfield and Marjorie at any minute, and Grant had said he would look in.
‘I hope you are feeling up to visitors, Lettie.’
Lettie stared at her, her eyes bleak with the kind of self-knowledge she could neither accept nor pardon. ‘Yes, I am looking forward to seeing them. But I do not feel brave enough in my afflicted state to return to Stanfield House and endure the inquisitive glances and questions of the many people I will come into contact with. In a few days’ time I have decided to go home to Newhill Lodge—and Mother. I have to get away from London—from Jack.’
‘I think that’s a good idea, Lettie. I know Grant is to go to France in three days’ time, so he will be unable to go with you. But Emma will accompany you.’
Lettie looked at her with eyes that were opaque, awash with tears. Her suffering was real, and a familiar look of distress crossed her face. ‘That’s very kind of you, Adeline. If you can spare her I would be most grateful. Besides, she knows what I’ve done, and she has not judged me as others would.’
‘Emma can be trusted, Lettie. You can rely on her discretion.’
‘You’ve been so good to me. I don’t deserve it. I—I think I will tell my mother what I have done. I don’t know how, but I will. I cannot keep such a secret from her. I just hope she will understand. It is my vanity, my wilfulness and my immorality that has brought about this mess. I’m not proud of myself, Adeline,’ she whispered. ‘What I did was wrong—some may call it wicked. I thought I was doing the right thing—but I feel mutilated.’
‘And Jack Cunningham?’
Lettie’s eyes clouded with pain and she looked away. ‘I never want to see him again. I hate him, Adeline. People say time heals all wounds. I can only hope they’re right.’
Grant was the first to arrive. He strode in and gave his sister an affectionate hug before turning his attention to Adeline, who greeted him with a cool nod. He frowned. There was a quietness in her now, a restraint when they were together, and he was acutely aware of it. Adeline Osborne had become in his sight a woman as alluring and desirable as any he had ever known, and even though she rebuffed him at every turn he wanted her. She had become a challenge—a beautiful, vibrant, adorable challenge—a passion.
Lady Stanfield and Marjorie entered the house like a summer breeze, their presence creating an atmosphere of freshness and vitality that was badly needed. They were concerned that Lettie had been so ill, and glad she was beginning to feel better.
Marjorie, full of excitement over her engagement party two days hence, was disappointed when Lettie told her she did not feel well enough to attend. The truth was that she couldn’t face it and, knowing this, Adeline did not join Marjorie in trying to persuade her.
Defeated, Marjorie sighed and looked at Adeline. ‘You’ll still come, won’t you, Adeline? You have to. I must have at least one of my friends there.’
‘Of course Adeline will come,’ Lettie was quick to reassure her. ‘I don’t see why she should forgo your party because of me.’
Suddenly a scheming gleam entered her eyes, making her look more like her old self as her gaze slid to her brother, leaning idly against the window with his arms crossed over his chest. She smiled inwardly, not having forgotten her intention to try and bring Grant and Adeline together.
‘In fact, I think Grant should escort her. After all, it’s important that at least one member of the Leighton family be there to represent us—and as you know, Mother is unable to get to town just now, so that leaves Grant.’ Her look became one of pure, unadulterated innocence as she fixed her eyes on her brother. ‘You have no other engagement that night, have you, Grant?’
Her suggestion brought startled glances from both Adeline and Grant. Adeline was not at all in agreement, but one look at Grant and she sensed his absolute and unquestioning co-operation. A lazy smile curved his lips and his eyes gleamed wickedly.
‘Nothing that can’t be put off, Lettie. I shall be delighted to escort Adeline to the party.’
Grant’s ready acceptance brought everyone’s instant attention. Adeline stared at him blankly. There was something subtle in the way his smile had changed that made her uneasy. Her mouth opened and closed again.
‘Ooh, that would be lovely,’ Marjorie enthused happily.
‘Absolutely,’ Lady Stanfield agreed.
‘It’s very good of you, Grant, but I don’t need an escort,’ Adeline remarked, tossing him a vengeful glance.
‘Yes, you do,’ Grant countered smoothly, enjoying every minute of her discomfort.
‘Of course you do,’ Lettie agreed.
‘And I would so like Grant to be there,’ Marjorie said.
Adeline looked from one to the other, unable to believe she had been so easily manoeuvred into a situation she would rather have avoided. Grant was looking at her in tranquil, amused silence, but she noticed there was an infuriating arrogance about the man’s smile, and even in the way he was lounging against the wall.
Grant saw her features tighten, and he recognised the ominous glitter in those narrowed green eyes. ‘Am I to take your silence for acceptance?’ he asked, knowing perfectly well that she couldn’t object to him being her escort when everyone else was in favour.
‘Don’t you think it will raise speculation about us if we arrive together?’
A slow grin came with his answer. ‘You seem to forget that the party is being thrown by Lord and Lady Stanfield in a very unconventional household where that sort of thing doesn’t count. Besides, I never thought I would see the day when you were conscious of propriety. I think both of us have laid waste to all the usual conventions—especially among certain elements of society where they count for so much.’
Knowing that to argue further would draw everyone’s curious attention, she merely glowered at him. He really was the most provoking man she had ever met. She knew what he was about, and that he would go to any lengths to make another conquest, but, as his prey, she was just as determined to make it difficult for him. He intended to seduce her,
and nothing was going to deter him from trying.
For her sake, the sooner he was across the Channel in France the better.
It was late afternoon when the door bell rang. Mrs Kelsall answered it, and a moment later came upstairs to tell Adeline that a Mr Cunningham wished to speak to Miss Leighton.
Adeline rose from her dressing table, straightened her skirt, reached up automatically to make sure her hair was tidy, and walked towards Mrs Kelsall.
‘Show him into the drawing room, Mrs Kelsall. I’ll see what he wants. Please don’t tell Miss Leighton he’s here.’
Jack Cunningham was standing in the middle of the drawing room, looking totally at ease. Immaculately dressed, he had the sleek, polished patina of great affluence—every inch the gentleman, in fact. But gentleman he was not. Keeping her distance, Adeline felt a rush of distaste. Resenting his intrusion into her home, and hoping his visit would be of short duration, she didn’t do him the courtesy of asking him to sit down.
Looking at him with a cool composure she was far from feeling, she said, ‘Mr Cunningham! What brings you to Eaton Place?’
‘Thank you for seeing me. I am here to see Lettie. I know she is staying with you and I would like to speak to her.’
‘I’m afraid Lettie doesn’t want to speak to you, Mr Cunningham. I find your presence in my home offensive and I would like you to leave.’
He looked surprised by her coolness, and wondered at the reason for it. His features tightened. ‘Leave? Not until I have seen Lettie. Please don’t fear me.’
‘I don’t.’
‘Good. I rarely harm anyone—unless provoked.’
‘Mr Cunningham, I think you had better leave,’ Adeline repeated coldly.
Wicked Pleasures Page 19