Beauty and the Earl

by Patricia Grasso

  “I would like to thank Rudolf for interfering in my life,” Miles said, slanting an amused glance at the prince.

  Everyone laughed. Even the servants wore smiles.

  “If not for Amber,” he continued, raising his champagne flute in salute to her, “I would still be sitting in the dark.”

  “What are we celebrating?” asked a voice from the doorway, drawing their attention. Expensively garbed in the latest fashion, the man was short and slender. His light brown hair and mustache combined with deep-set eyes to give him a weasel’s appearance.

  “We are celebrating Miles’s marriage,” the Duke of Avon answered, finding his voice first and drawing a surprised look from the newcomer.

  “Sit down, Terrence, and join us,” Miles invited him.

  “Amber, I present my cousin, Terrence Pines. Princess Amber is a Kazanov cousin.”

  “Best wishes, Your Highness.” Pines sat at the end of the table where the majordomo set a place for him. “With your reclusive life, Miles, I’m surprised you found a wife.”

  Amber looked at the man sharply. The weasel’s smile did not reach his eyes. In fact, hatred leaped at her husband from the man. She had long experience with hatred and recognized that emotion when she saw it.

  “My luck is changing,” Miles was saying.

  “Miles and Amber will soon produce an heir for Arden HaIl,” the Duke of Avon remarked. “That means you won’t inherit.”

  Pines shrugged. “Inheriting Arden Hall means nothing as long as Cousin Miles finds happiness.”

  Amber could barely control herself from making a protective sign of the cross. She glanced at her oldest cousin, who shifted his gaze from Pines to her and nodded almost imperceptibly. Thankfully, her cousin recognized the man’s hatred for her husband.

  “On the night of the fire,” Pines was saying, “I would have been hard-pressed to see any good days on your horizon. Happily, life has proven me wrong.”

  Amber stared at the weasel. She had not known that he had been visiting Arden Hall on that fateful night. Her husband had never spoken of what happened. How convenient for the cousin that the countess, who could have been carrying an heir, passed away that night.

  Too convenient.

  Conditioned to be suspicious of others’ motives, Amber decided that fate would never have shown a favorable face to this man. Every nerve in her body screamed danger.

  “I have seen so little of my dear cousins in recent years,” Amber said, determined to protect her husband and the child she could be carrying. “I beg you, cousins, visit with us a few more days to renew our acquaintances.” She turned to her husband. “You do not mind, do you?”

  “I welcome the prospect of guests,” Miles answered, his hand covering hers. “Arden Hall has been empty for too long.”

  “Our shared businesses require our attention,” the Duke of Avon said. “Isabelle and I will stay a day or two.”

  “My cousin’s new-found happiness has put me in a festive mood,” Pines said. “I will stay a few days, too.”

  When breakfast ended, Amber kissed her husband and left the dining room with Samantha and Isabelle. The two women would help her change out of the wedding gown.

  “Lady Montgomery,” Rudolf called, as the women reached the foyer.

  Amber paused at the base of the stairs. She smiled at her cousin’s use of her married name.

  “We’ll meet you in your bedchamber,” Samantha said, continuing up the stairs with the duchess.

  “Why do you want us to remain here?” Rudolf asked, his voice low so none but she could hear.

  “Pines hates Miles,” Amber answered, concern etched across her face. “I saw it in his eyes.”

  Rudolf nodded. “I saw it, too.”

  “No one else noticed—”

  “We two have experience with hatred.”

  “Pines was visiting the night of the fire,” Amber said. “I do not trust him.”

  “We will stay to protect you until Pines rides north,” Rudolf promised.

  “What will prevent him from riding north and then returning when you and the others have gone?”

  “Lady Montgomery, you worry too much,” Rudolf said. “Trust me to protect you.”

  Amber inclined her head and then walked upstairs. She let Samantha and Isabelle help her out of the wedding gown and then dressed in a pink silk gown. “I need to speak to you about an important matter,” Amber said.

  Neither woman spoke. They exchanged glances and looked at her.

  “I do not trust Terrence Pines.”

  “Terrence can be obnoxious company, but hardly untrustworthy,” Isabelle said. “The man is a buffoon.”

  “I saw the hatred in his eyes directed at Miles,” Amber insisted.

  “How could you see what no one else noticed?” Samantha asked.

  “Rudolf recognized the man’s hatred, too. He and I have experience with that kind of hatred directed at us,” Amber said. “Pines may have had something to do with the fire. Will you help me?”

  “What do you want us to do?” Isabelle asked, her expression troubled.

  “When the men go out tomorrow, I want to search the east wing,” Amber said. “Pines was visiting on the night of the fire. Miles never inspected the east wing, and there could be proof concerning the fire’s origin.”

  “What if Pines did leave something and sneaks in there tonight?” Samantha asked.

  “Terrence won’t go there at night,” Isabelle said. “He wouldn’t be able to see.”

  The remainder of the day passed at a snail’s pace for Amber. After dinner, coffee and tea were served in the drawing room before she could finally escape to her bedchamber.

  Wearing a transparent nightgown, Amber stood in front of the cheval mirror and brushed her silver-blond hair. She could hardly wait for Miles to come to her so they could make love as husband and wife.

  In the mirror, Amber saw him walk into the bedchamber and cross the room to stand behind her. Miles pushed the thick blond mane aside and nuzzled her neck. Then he slipped his arms under hers to cup her breasts over the gossamer silk, his fingertips caressing her nipples.

  Amber sighed and leaned against him, allowing his hands to roam wherever they would. He pushed the straps of her nightgown off her shoulders and let it fall to the floor in a pool of silk.

  Miles slipped one hand down the soft skin of her belly. At the same time, he gently slid the palm of his hand across her aroused nipple. She felt a melting sensation in her lower regions. She closed her eyes and savored the feeling.

  “Open your eyes,” Miles whispered. “I want you to watch your husband touching you.”

  Amber opened her eyes and watched him in the mirror. “Oh, Miles.” The sight and the feeling of his hands on her body were almost too much to endure.

  “Surrender, my love,” he whispered. “Let yourself go.”

  His words and his touch sent her crashing over pleasure’s precipice. Amber cried out, surrendering to the pleasure.

  Miles turned her around in his arms and captured her lips in a lingering kiss. She unfastened his black silk bedrobe and pushed it off his shoulders.

  “I am your wife and want to see your face.” Amber needed to break down the final barrier. “Will you remove your mask for me?”

  “Don’t ask me to do that.”

  Amber placed the palm of her hand against his masked cheek. “Whenever you are ready, my husband, so will I be ready, too.”

  She had time to tear his defenses down, a lifetime of proving her love. She could afford to be generous. Entwining her arms around his neck, Amber pressed her body against his, savoring the sensation of his flesh touching hers, and surrendered to his kiss. Miles scooped her into his arms and carried her to the bed. After snuffing the candle, he removed his mask and joined her.

  Amber knew in her heart that her husband would trust in her love and one day reveal his scars. Only then would they truly be husband and wife, their hearts entwined as one.

 
Chapter 10

  Windswept rain. Which meant the men would not be fishing or riding that day.

  Amber stared out her bedchamber window at the pelting rain. She had slept through breakfast, her husband having worn her out the night before. The hour was closing on lunch, and she had not given Pebbles his special instructions.

  Since the men would be staying home, searching the east wing for incriminating evidence would be postponed. She could not chance her husband discovering her plans.

  And then there was the problem of what to do with Terrence Pines. The longer he remained inside Arden Hall, the bigger the risk of his sneaking into the east wing and removing what he did not want found.

  “Molly,” Amber called, turning away from the window.

  The maid appeared in the dressing room doorway. “Yes, Your Highness?”

  “I want you to tell Princess Samantha and Lady Isabelle to attend me here as soon as possible,” Amber instructed the girl. “Then instruct Just-Pebbles to come here, but not to mention anything to my husband.”

  The maid gave her a puzzled smile and left the chamber.

  Amber paced back and forth while she waited. Someone knocked on the door and then opened it. Both Samantha and Isabelle walked into the bedchamber.

  “Look at this rain.” Amber walked toward the window. “The men will not leave the house today.”

  “We will search the east wing tomorrow or the day after that,” Isabelle said.

  “I promise that Rudolf and I will stay until we are sure about Pines, one way or the other,” Samantha said.

  “The rain is not the only problem,” Amber told them. “We will need to watch Terrence. I will try to keep him busy under the guise of getting acquainted with my husband’s cousin, but you will need to help me. I do not want Miles to become suspicious.”

  “I will help,” Samantha said.

  “So will I,” Isabelle agreed.

  A knock on the door drew their attention. Amber called, “Enter.”

  Pebbles walked into the bedchamber, a confused look appearing on his face when he saw the three of them. “Is something wrong, Your Highness?”

  “I need your help, Just-Pebbles,” Amber said, walking toward the majordomo. When the duchess laughed, she flicked her a questioning glance.

  “How may l serve you?” the majordomo asked.

  “Where is my husband?”

  “His Lordship and the others are meeting in his office.”

  “Is Terrence Pines with them?”

  “I believe so.”

  “Good.” Amber gave the older man the sunniest smile she could summon. “I want two footmen stationed near the entrance to the east wing.”

  “Very good, Your Highness. What shall I tell His Lordship?”

  “Do not tell His Lordship anything,” Amber said. “Do not mention this conversation.”

  “Her Highness believes Terrence may sneak into the east wing,” Isabelle explained. “We think he may have set the fire that killed Lady Brenna.”

  “When the men go out tomorrow,” Samantha added, “the three of us will search the east wing for incriminating evidence.”

  “Why don’t you tell His Lordship what you suspect?” Pebbles asked.

  “That would be too easy,” Isabelle answered, and winked at the older man.

  “You know my husband, probably better than I,” Amber said. “He would never believe ill of a family member.”

  Pebbles nodded. “Do not worry, Your Highness. I will instruct a footman—”

  “Two footmen,” Amber interrupted. “If Pines sends one on an errand, the other will stand guard. He cannot send two men on the same errand. One footman should stay out of sight lest Pines think of an errand that requires two.”

  “Your Highness, you are a remarkable woman,” the majordomo said.

  “Thank you, Just-Pebbles,”

  Isabelle Saint-Germain laughed again. “His name is just Pebbles.”

  Amber looked at her. “Yes, I know.”

  * * *

  “Macbeth’s witches have arrived for lunch,” Miles teased, when the three women walked into the dining room.

  Amber laughed at her husband’s joke and sat near Terrence Pines at the opposite end of the table. Samantha sat between her husband and his brother Mikhail.

  “That remark is insulting,” Isabelle told her brother, sitting between her husband and the princess.

  Prince Rudolf, seated beside Miles, looked down the length of the table. “I do not mind moving if the bride would care to—”

  “I am fine where I am.” Amber gestured her cousin to stay where he was. “I will use this time to become acquainted with my cousin-by-marriage.”

  Pebbles supervised the serving of lunch. There was spicy vegetable soup and a medley of potted dishes—chicken, shrimp, ham, mushrooms—as well as filet of sole and salad.

  “Where is Joseph?” Miles asked the majordomo. “Doesn’t he usually serve?”

  “Joseph is completing a task for Her Highness,” Pebbles informed him.

  Miles gazed at his wife down the length of the table. “What task?”

  Amber gave him an ambiguous smile. “A surprise.”

  “I can hardly wait.” Miles looked at Rudolf but spoke loud enough for all to hear. “My wife baked me a special Russian dessert one day, and when I asked her its ingredients, she spouted Shakespeare at me. You know, “eye of newt” and the rest of the witches’ ingredients for their infernal cauldron. I still have not managed to discover what I was eating.”

  Everyone laughed. Amber warmed to the sound of the earl referring to her as his wife. If lucky, she would hold her own child within a year. Hopefully, his love would follow that.

  “Tell me about yourself, Terrence.” Amber gave him her sunniest smile.

  “There is not much to tell,” Pines said.

  “Do you have a wife and children?”

  “I am a bachelor.”

  “It is never too late to marry and father some children.” Amber dropped her gaze for a moment and then gave him a flirtatious smile. “What activities do you enjoy on rainy days?”

  Her question elicited ribald laughter from her cousins. Amber cast a quelling look in their direction and then glanced at her husband, catching his speculative expression.

  “Would you care to play chess with me after lunch?” she asked Terrence.

  Pines appeared flattered. “I would love a game of chess.”

  An hour later, Amber sat across a table from Terrence Pines in front of the hearth in the drawing room. Isabelle and Samantha sat on the settee near them to watch the chess game. Princes Viktor, Mikhail, and Stepan sat at another table and played hazard. Miles, Rudolf, and John sat together at the opposite end of the room and spoke in quiet tones.

  “I will take the black chessmen,” Amber said to Pines, “and you may take the first move.”

  “As you wish, Your Highness.”

  Terrence started the game by moving his king’s pawn two squares forward. This allowed his queen and one bishop to get into the action.

  Amber decided to play recklessly and lose the game. If he won, Pines would want to play again or give her instructions that would keep him busy for hours. She did not believe he would venture into the east wing after sunset, the darkness arriving early because of the storm.

  Amber brought her queen’s knight out. He leaped over the pawns, ready for action.

  “That was a bold move,” Terrence said.

  “I enjoy taking risks.”

  Terrence advanced his queen’s pawn two squares, giving his queen more scope and unblocking his second bishop. Amber countered by moving her king’s pawn two squares, attacking the white queen’s pawn with both knight and pawn.

  “You need to learn restraint,” Terrence said, advancing his queen’s pawn one square forward, threatening her black knight.

  “You may be correct.” She moved her knight out of harm’s way.

  Amber flicked a quick glance across the room. Though her
husband was involved in a conversation, his gaze was fixed on her. She suffered the sudden feeling that he suspected what she was doing.

  Pines moved his king’s bishop’s pawn two squares forward to attack her pawn one square. If he took her pawn, she would take him on the next move.

  Bringing his king’s knight into play, Pines threatened her king’s pawn. Amber moved her bishop, effectively pinning his knight down. If he moved his knight, his queen would be unprotected.

  “That was an excellent move,” Terrence complimented her. “I see you have some experience with the game.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Amber said, “but I consider myself a fair player only.”

  Pines brought his second knight into play. Amber moved her knight to attack his king’s bishop’s pawn. He moved his king’s rook’s pawn one square forward to threaten her bishop. She drew first blood by capturing his knight with her bishop.

  Terrence moved his bishop to attack her king. “Check.”

  His cunning caught her by surprise. Amber advanced her queen’s bishop’s pawn one square, interposing it between her king and his attacking bishop.

  He captured her pawn with his queen’s pawn. She retaliated by capturing his all-powerful queen with her bishop.

  “You think you have the advantage, Your Highness,” Terrence said, “but you are destined to lose.” He captured her queen’s knight with his pawn, which left her king open to his bishop’s attack. “Check.”

  Amber moved her king, saving him from the bishop.

  Pines moved his knight. “Check.”

  Amber realized her husband’s cousin was no fool, though he chose to dress and act like one. That made him particularly dangerous. One would never suspect a buffoon to attack.

  She moved her king one square forward to save him. He countered by moving his king’s bishop’s pawn one square. “Checkmate.”

  Amber stared in surprise at the board. He had won the game—and in doing so had revealed his cunning mind to her.

  “You failed to consider the safety of your king,” Terrence explained. “On your seventh move, you should have retreated your bishop to the square in front of the queen to protect your king from danger.”

  “So I will win if I remember to protect my king from danger.”