The Wicked Wager

by Anya Wylde

  “Pardon,” she asked, confused, staring into his eyes.

  He blinked, and a smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

  “I asked if something were bothering you. What are you thinking of while you knit?”

  “You,” she replied, and then blushed in embarrassment as she realised what she had said. Her colour deepened as his smile grew.

  “We are giving a party tonight, My Lord, in honour of your presence,” Emma interrupted. She had noticed the scene and could sympathize with her cousin’s dilemma.

  “I look forward to it. Are many people expected?”

  “Just a few families from the neighbourhood are invited. It won’t be a fully-fledged ball, but we will have dancing after dinner. We have tried to keep the guest list relatively young.”

  “It will not be at par with what you are used to, My Lord, but we will try our best to amuse you,” Catherine broke in.

  “I am sure it will be delightful,” he politely replied, immediately making her feel small for her slight jibe.

  Emma had had enough of the tension between the two.

  “Can you two get along for one day without sniping at each other. My Lord, stop seeking her out and disturbing her … and Cat, you can say what you like with me in the room, but please do not behave like this in public. I will ignore it, but others will not.”

  She marched out of the room leaving them to sort out their differences. Richard had been right. She had carefully observed her cousin during the entire interaction and noted the blush. Her cousin had tensed the moment Lord Raikes had joined her. Her fingers trembled when she had tried to answer his questions.

  The only reason Lord Raikes could possibly affect her cousin’s composure to such an extent was if Catherine were attracted to him.

  The misunderstandings between Catherine and Lord Raikes would not have arisen if circumstances had been different. She felt she was to blame, since the crux of the matter was the wager.

  She wondered if the charade would ruin any chances of a romance blossoming between the two.

  Everyone assumed Lord Raikes to be Richard; hence, she was worried Catherine would become a target for gossip if people noticed. Her attraction to Lord Raikes was clear as day, and people would assume that she was trying to ensnare an affianced man. Even Lord Raikes’ behaviour would be noted and commented upon.

  She finally concluded that she had been right in warning them. It had to be said, and she was the only one who could have said it.

  Lord Raikes watched Emma leave, her words still ringing in his ears. He finally broke the silence and spoke,

  “I think she is right. At least for tonight, let’s call a truce. I do not want to give people any reason to gossip.”

  “Perhaps you should avoid me the entire evening, that might be best.” Her voice trembled as she spoke.

  “Lady Arden?” He watched a tear fall and immediately pulled her into his arms, knitting needles and all.

  She feebly protested, pushing against his chest. He murmured soothing nonsense until she gave up struggling. The moment her head settled on his chest a dam seemed to burst within her, and she wailed to her hearts content.

  Lord Raikes was alarmed at the display of such excessive feminine emotion, though his alarm soon turned into contentment. He tightened his arms around her as he realised how right she felt in his arms.

  “Hush, what is worrying you? I will stay as far away from you as you like, but please do not cry.”

  “You are not doing a very good job of staying away,” she hiccupped and continued, “I cannot help fighting with you, and I truly am trying for Emmy’s sake. She will marry you and go away. How will I visit her if you forbid my presence? I keep saying the wrong things and doing the wrong things around you, and I can’t understand myself anymore. Yesterday you made it clear that you disliked me and that you hold a low opinion of my character, yet out of kindness and for Emmy’s sake you tried to speak to me amiably. Whereas I cannot even manage to be polite in your presence … now even Emma has noticed. She will hate me for behaving like a child.”

  “I do not dislike you. On the contrary …” he stopped and clenched his fists in frustration. Then his face softened, and he lifted his hand to tenderly stroke her golden hair, “I promise by my honour, you will never be stopped from visiting Emma, however many times you wish, and however long you want to visit her. I would never pose such unreasonable restrictions on my wife. She will have all the freedom she wants, including reading whatever inappropriate material she chooses.”

  Catherine laughed and then hiccupped. She rubbed her tear stained face against his shirt, and his muscles tensed. She felt the change in him and suddenly sat up.

  “I made your shirt wet.”

  “It will dry,” he replied gently.

  She smiled hesitatingly, and his eyes darkened as he watched her lips turn up. That smile was his undoing, and the words tumbled out,

  “Look, I am not what I seem to be. That is, I am what I am, but I am not what I say I am. I am pretending to be me, but I am me … what I mean to say is that I am being myself, but I am not …”

  “Are you alright, My Lord? You are not making any sense,” Catherine asked confounded.

  He groaned, “I am not alright, I am trying to explain …”

  “What are you trying to explain?” Prudence called from the door.

  Lord Raikes thanked god for her timely arrival. His friend would never forgive him for what he had been about to say and do.

  He would have to keep his distance from Catherine from now on. The next time they were left alone he wasn’t sure if he could stop himself from tasting her lips.

  Chapter 19

  “Emma, how did you manage to invite so many people and not one of them has met Richard?”

  “Lord Raikes, credit me with some of the deviousness of the earl. I only invited the ones that have not yet tasted the London season. Apart from that, none of them are the sorts that move in social circles belonging to your class. They live their life in this village, and the duke encourages us to befriend them, as he does not abide by distinction. Unless it crosses lines of propriety, he believes in judging a man by his merit and not birth.”

  “That is noble of him. I have spent considerable time with your uncle since my arrival here, and I have learnt to respect him. Are you sure he is unaware of this charade?”

  “Why, has he said anything?” she asked in alarm.

  “Keep moving your feet, the dance is not over. No, he has not, but sometimes I wonder how we have managed to fool such an intelligent man. He hardly misses any detail, and I find it hard to believe that he is not aware of everything that is going on in this house.”

  “Oh, he is growing old, and Richard’s plan is brilliant. How can anyone fathom such an absurd situation? I am the only one who has met the earl, and if I say you are Richard, then they have no reason to doubt my word. You worry too much, My Lord.”

  He stared down at her face thoughtfully. He was not so sure. Still, it was just another fortnight before this ridiculous plot was over.

  “I wonder if we can delay this entire thing by another week?” he asked hopefully.

  Emma stopped dancing and refused to budge.

  “Whatever do you mean and why?”

  “I need time to woo Catherine.”

  “You can’t be serious? You are supposed to be my fiancé! We are meant to be madly in love. How can you make eyes at my cousin? What will people think? Besides, she believes you are in love with me and are to marry me. The more you pester her, the more you fall in her eyes. Even if she felt something for you, she would never admit it.”

  “I can’t help the things I say to her, and the more I mean them the angrier she gets. She thinks I am a cold, heartless man who is playing games, courting anything in skirts.”

  “Oh, you poor thing.”

  “I am glad you see my dilemma, while Richard thinks this whole situation is hilarious.”

  “Men can be so callous
,” she replied.

  “Exactly!”

  “Now, go dance with Prudence as I cannot stand her glaring a minute longer, while I go rescue my uncle from Mrs Barker.”

  “I thought you were sympathizing with me?”

  “I was, but now duty calls. Oh, don’t look so miserable. Once I am married, I will call Catherine over for a visit, and you can have three months of uninterrupted courtship.”

  “I am not going to wait an entire month to get her!”

  “Oh, no, not you too, why can’t a man wait? First Richard and now you! Please do not plan some convoluted scheme to get my cousin. My nerves will not be able to handle another one of these situations.”

  “I am not waiting an entire month,” he replied stubbornly to her departing back.

  ***

  “I need some fresh air, My Lord.”

  Lord Raikes stifled a sigh. Prudence had spent two whole dances clinging to his arm. He had hoped to be excused to ask someone else, but it seemed it was not to be.

  “I will accompany you to the balcony if you wish?” he said, fervently hoping she didn’t.

  “Thank you, My Lord,” Prudence replied, fluttering her lashes.

  They strolled out through the doors, with Prudence having to bend slightly to avoid hitting her giant hairdo on the door frame. A little bit of hair from the top came off, and the curls scattered onto the floor. She did not notice, and he did not point it out.

  She led him towards a dark corner, and he, guessing her intentions, started sweating profusely.

  He was running through excuses in his mind when she leaned forward and pressed her full length against him.

  He stared down at her pursed mouth and felt a distinct itch on his shoulder. Good lord! The girl was giving him hives, and he had to get away before it became worse.

  Still struggling through his list of excuses he noticed Catherine gaping at them. She stood deeper in the shadows; he had not noticed her until his eyes had adjusted to the dark.

  She stared at him in utter contempt and with a swish of her skirts walked away.

  Snapped to his senses, he disengaged Prudence’s arm and said firmly, “I am about to swoon, I need to go sit inside.”

  “Pardon, did I hear you say … that you are about to …?”

  “Swoon? Yes, that is exactly what I said. Now, please excuse me,” he said forcefully, turning away and striding back indoors.

  He caught up with Catherine as she tried to escape the room.

  “We need to talk. I need to explain.”

  She stared at him accusingly, refusing to reply.

  “Please,” he begged softly.

  She searched his eyes and then finally nodded.

  He followed her into the dark morning room. She lit a candle and then turned to face him.

  “I know how it looked, but trust me, she flung herself at me. It was not how it seemed,” Lord Raikes explained.

  “You must have read her intent, then why did you allow yourself to be in that position in the first place?” Catherine asked in disbelief.

  “You know her, nothing I said dissuaded her. I had to tell her that I was about to swoon before she let me go.”

  “Swoon, My Lord?” she asked, her lips twitching.

  “Yes, dammit, are only women allowed to use that excuse?”

  “No, but I expect men to come up with, well … manly excuses.”

  “Fine, I should have said something else, but that was the first thing that came to my head.”

  “I believe you, My Lord, and you need not worry, I won’t tell Emma anything.”

  “I don’t care what you tell her, just as long as you don’t believe that …”

  “You don’t care about Emma?” she interrupted, shocked.

  “No … yes … no … I mean I do not care what you tell Emma because … because she knows how Prudence has been behaving with me. She trusts me.”

  “Well, then she is a fool for trusting a man like you,” she snapped.

  “What,” he asked, dangerously quiet, “kind of man do you think I am?”

  “A flirt, a rake, a blackguard, and insensitive! You may feed me lines about not leading Prudence on, but I find it hard to believe that you would not take advantage of her if you had the chance. I have seen … seen the way you look at me, and it is not the way someone about to marry the love of his life would behave.”

  “In what way do I look at you?” he asked in the same controlled tone.

  “Like you want to …” she blushed.

  “Like I want to kiss you? Since I am a flirt and heartless and using Emma, then there is no harm in me looking at you as I please. Yes, I desire you. But trust me, I would not touch Prudence, even if she climbed naked into my bed.”

  The candle trembled in her hand, but she raised her chin defiantly, “I think I should tell Emma everything. I cannot keep your character hidden from her any longer. You are deceiving my cousin, and I have every right to …”Her words were cut short by a strangled oath emitted by him, and before she knew it, he had pulled her into his arms.

  “You can tell her what you like, but I think I need to give you more to talk about than speculation and words.”

  “What … what do you m … mean?”

  “This,” he bit out, capturing her mouth with his own.

  He kissed her roughly and passionately. Trying to show her if not with words, then with his kiss how he felt about her.

  Her inexperienced mind shattered under such an onslaught of senses. Unconsciously, her mouth softened beneath his and her body curved.

  He changed the rhythm to a tender caress before he let her go.

  She stood staring at him in a daze. She kept a hand on his shoulder to keep herself steady while he gently extracted the tilting candle from her hand.

  He leaned over one last time to kiss her forehead, and then left her alone in the dark room.

  ***

  “Emmy?”

  The earl groaned as he dived under the bed, and Emma quickly smoothed her hair and straightened her night gown.

  “Cat?”

  “Can I come in?”

  Emma opened the door and allowed her cousin to enter her bedroom.

  “You look flushed, are you alright?” Catherine asked.

  “Yes, I think I overdid the wine, but I am alright. Did you want something?” Emma said flustered.

  “Can we talk? I could not sleep and saw the light below your door. I really need to speak to you.”

  Emma stared at the distress on her cousin’s face and sighed. The earl would have to stay under the bed for the time being.

  “Sit, and tell me what is bothering you.”

  “Do you really love the earl?”

  The earl, hiding under the bed, cocked his ears to hear the answer.

  “Yes, I told you that already.”

  He grinned in delight then frowned. He absently scratched an itch on his back as he thought about Emma’s answer. Did she really love him? Then why had she not told him yet? He had tried asking her plenty of times, and surely she knew that. That blasted duke always interrupted them at the wrong moment.

  He decided to stay his happiness until she confessed it to him on her own. Finding out that your fiancée loves you while hiding under her bed was not very romantic.

  Catherine’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

  “But the two of you behave more like friends than lovers. Forgive me for speaking like this, but I cannot understand it. To someone else it may seem natural, but I have known you for a long time. I feel like you are just pretending to care for him.”

  “What has brought this on? Did something happen tonight? You have already asked me these questions,” Emma asked, concerned.

  “Yes, well, I… I saw Prudence in the earl’s arms tonight.”

  The earl grinned at that, filing away the information to use at an opportune moment. His smile froze as he noticed a spider skitter by. He shoved his fist into his mouth and bit down hard to avoid squealing. />
  It would not do for Catherine to discover his identity like this. He squeezed his eyes shut, blocking the sight of the spider. Instead, he concentrated on Emma’s voice as she said,

  “I see … well, I know she has been eyeing him, and honestly I do not think he wants her in that way. She must have lured him,”

  “That is what he said, but …” Catherine replied.

  “Is there more?”

  Catherine flushed in confusion. A kiss did not mean anything. Men, she had heard, did not need to love to desire. Her aunt had told her so plenty of times. He had kissed her, but what if he truly loved Emma, then she might be ruining her cousin’s happiness. For a moment, her heart rebelled at the thought of Emma being his wife. She crushed the traitorous thought and decided to keep her silence.

  “No, that’s all.”

  “Well, then do not worry, Cat. I know the earl, and Prudence is not a threat I take seriously.”

  But am I? she wondered as she exited the room.

  Chapter 20

  Everyone was late for breakfast the next morning. Emma stifled her yawn. The gathering the night before and the earl’s visit had allowed her only a few hours of sleep, and the effects were now showing. She could barely keep her eyes open, and they were watering alarmingly. She blinked, trying to clear them.

  Prudence walked into the room, and Emma was startled to see her looking worse than she felt.

  “No, I don’t want any breakfast.” Prudence whined.

  “But Pru, you need to keep your strength up,” Mrs Barker urged her daughter.

  “I feel horrible. I don’t think I can swallow a bite. Not even a sip of tea.”

  Emma was concerned; Prudence never missed her breakfast, and the girl looked terribly ill. She was about to speak when the duchess beat her to it.

  “Try to nibble this piece of toast. You may leave it if you cannot have more than a bite. Trust me, you need to eat something. Just one bite to please me?” she coaxed.

  Emma raised her brow at Catherine, wondering where the duchess’s maternal instincts were coming from. Her cousin looked just as surprised, and she shrugged in reply to Emma’s silent query.

  Prudence tried a few bites, and then managed to finish the entire slice of toast. She reached for another, and the duchess poured her some weak tea.