The Rake's Vow

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  Loretta proceeded to tell her Celia’s idea, giving her all the details she knew. When she was done, she finished by saying, “I advised her against it, but she wouldn’t listen to me. I’m afraid if she succeeds, this is going to be the worst mistake of her life. Corin doesn’t want to be with her.”

  Damara slowly came out of her shock. “It will be a mistake. What can I do to prevent it?”

  “Convince Anthony to cancel the ball.”

  “I can do that. We haven’t made many plans for it yet.”

  “Don’t tell Celia why. If she knows, she’ll get upset.” After a moment, Loretta said, “Tell her that with your child on the way, you don’t feel up to the festivities.”

  Damara considered her words and nodded. “All right. We’ll tell her that’s the reason for not hosting the ball.”

  Grateful it’d been that easy to convince Damara to agree to her request, Loretta relaxed. “Thank you. The last thing I want is for Celia to end up in a bad marriage. I want her to be with someone who’ll love her.”

  She smiled. “I’d like that for her, too. I’m glad you told me.”

  Feeling much better, she poured tea into the cups and handed one to Damara. She could understand why so many people liked her. Damara had a sweetness about her that seemed untouched by the world. Loretta didn’t know how Damara managed it, but she sure did admire her for it.

  “Celia misses you,” Damara said after she took a sip of her tea.

  Hopeful, Loretta asked, “Does she?”

  “She hasn’t been the same since she came back to the townhouse yesterday. I asked her about it, but she wouldn’t confide in me. She wouldn’t confide in Anthony, either.”

  “Probably because it has to do with the scandal she wants to create with Corin. I had to tell her I wouldn’t be a part of it. It’s hard to explain that to you and Anthony since she needs you two to host the ball in order to get him into her trap.”

  “That makes sense.” She took another sip. “I just want you to know that I won’t speak a word of our conversation to her. I’ll make Anthony swear to secrecy on the matter, too.”

  Loretta had no doubt that when Anthony did call off the ball, Celia was going to assume she had something to do with it, but she appreciated Damara’s discretion. It was nice for Damara to try to protect her.

  “I only hope that Celia won’t be angry for long once the ball is cancelled,” Loretta said.

  “I don’t think she will be. Celia has her moments, but in the end, I think she’s loyal to the people she loves.”

  Loretta hoped so, but Celia was going to be very upset when she realized Loretta was the reason her brother decided not to have the ball. Forcing the thought aside, she turned her attention back to Damara and asked her if she and Anthony had come up with any names for their baby, and from there, the two had a nice conversation.

  Chapter Nineteen

  A couple days later, Loretta had just finished getting ready for Lady Eloise’s dinner party, when there was a knock on the door separating her bedchamber with Tad’s.

  Surprised Tad had chosen that door to knock on, she stopped inspecting her reflection in the mirror and called out for him to enter. The door opened, and he stepped into the room. At once, his gaze went to her body, and there was something in the way he looked at her that made her skin warm in pleasure.

  “You’re beautiful,” Tad said, his gaze finally meeting hers.

  Her breath caught in her throat. He hadn’t looked at her that way before. In fact, no one had looked at her that way before. And she wasn’t sure what to make of it.

  Clearing her throat, she glanced down at the golden gown she had chosen for the evening. “I hope you don’t mind that I got this. I wasn’t going to buy something new for the dinner party tonight, but when I saw it wasn’t that expensive, I couldn’t resist. My lady’s maid helped me add a couple of things to it to make it look like it cost more.”

  Tad motioned for her to stop talking as he approached her. “You don’t need to explain anything to me. Your dowry gave me more than I needed to save my estate. I am indebted to you. Besides, I know you would never spend too much. You’re very careful with money.”

  She offered him a smile. “I’m so used to Brad criticizing me every time I spend a single farthing that I can’t help but explain every purchase I make.”

  “I like your brother, but I think he takes things a little too seriously sometimes. Saving is good. But it’s alright to spend money once in a while. You’ll be happy to know that my conversations with Malcolm, Warren, and the Duke of Silverton have yielded good results. I found a couple of promising things to invest in, and I believe they will pay off nicely in the future.”

  “That’s wonderful news,” she said.

  “So, as you can see, it’s just as I said: I am indebted to you. You deserve a new gown.”

  He took her hand in his and brought her hand to his lips. His warm lips made her shiver with pleasure. Whether he was aware of it or not, he was extremely charming. She could understand why so many ladies wanted to be with him. Some people had a magnetism about them that drew others to them without any effort at all, and he happened to be one of them.

  “Are you looking forward to tonight?” he asked.

  Not really. She should be. This was an incredible opportunity to go to Lady Eloise’s dinner party. But she couldn’t seem to get excited about it. Not without Celia there. She did, however, have Tad to go with, and she most certainly enjoyed being with him. No matter where she was or what she was doing, she loved every moment they spent together. And tonight wasn’t just about her. It was also about him. He would be able to talk with the Duke of Silverton.

  “I am,” she told him for his sake.

  With a smile, he placed his hand on the small of her back and led her to the hallway. “I might be biased because you’re my wife, but I think you’re going to be the most attractive lady there.”

  “Lady Eloise didn’t mention who else would be going to her dinner party this evening,” she replied. “Do you think I should have asked?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t think it’ll matter. The important thing is Lady Eloise thought to invite you. This evening will improve your social standing in London.”

  Yes, she supposed there was that, but she couldn’t help but think that being envied by the Ton wasn’t as important as it used to be.

  She and Tad didn’t say much during their carriage ride to Lady Eloise’s townhouse. To be honest, she wouldn’t have known what to say since he held her hand. This was something new. Yes, he touched her often. Touching seemed to be something he did without even thinking about it. But holding her hand the way he was, his grasp firm and gentle, was intentional. It meant something.

  She glanced at him from time to time, but as soon as he looked in her direction, she lost her nerve and quickly looked back out the carriage window. She didn’t know what to make of this. Something was changing between them. She couldn’t point out exactly what it was, and she was afraid to give it too much thought because it might all be in her head. For all she knew, she might be imagining things.

  She’d done that with Anthony. She had imagined him doing things because she thought he was in love with her, and she had turned out to be wrong. The last thing she wanted was to risk another broken heart. So she chose to focus on other reasons he might be holding her hand. Maybe he was doing it because he wished to reassure her that this evening would go well. Maybe he merely wanted to let her know he enjoyed their friendship. There could be a million and one reasons other than love that could motivate a gentleman to hold a lady’s hand.

  The carriage came to a stop, and he let go of her hand. She had to force aside her disappointment so he wouldn’t notice it. She was enjoying his touch far too much.

  The footman opened the door, and Tad left the carriage first then waited for her to step out. Cupping her elbow with his hand, he led her up the steps of the townhouse.

  “I hope this evening goes well for
you,” he told her.

  “I hope it goes well for you, too,” she replied. “And it’ll be good for you to talk to the Duke of Silverton.”

  He chuckled. “When I first met him, I thought he was intimidating.”

  Her lips curled up into a smile. “I’ve heard people say they’re afraid of him.”

  “I can understand why they say that, but as Malcolm said, he’s harmless once you get to know him. I think he’s just careful about who he lets into his circle of friends. I wouldn’t consider myself a friend,” he quickly amended. “I’m more of an acquaintance. But I still feel privileged to know him.”

  She hadn’t considered things from that angle before. “Maybe Lady Eloise is like her father. Maybe she’s selective about who she associates with because he’s that way.”

  “Maybe.”

  They stopped at the door, and after knocking on it, he gave her elbow an affectionate squeeze. She glanced at him, and once again, he was looking at her in a way that made her weak in the knees.

  “I meant what I said earlier,” he said. “You are beautiful.” He turned his gaze forward, breaking eye contact with her.

  She released her breath. If he kept talking to her this way…if he kept looking at her this way…if he kept touching her this way, she didn’t know if she could stop herself from letting her thoughts go in a direction they really shouldn’t. Because right now, at this very moment, she wanted nothing more than for him to take her in his arms and kiss her.

  If he started kissing her, she would probably want to do more. She didn’t think a lady could stop with kissing when it came to him. There was something about him that could easily lead a lady to wanting far more than a simple kiss. No doubt, he was used to having ladies fall all over themselves to be in bed with him.

  The footman opened the door, jarring her out of her thoughts.

  Clearing her throat, she followed the footman to the drawing room, Tad at her side, his hand still on her elbow. Lady Eloise and her father were there, as Loretta had expected. But Miss Webb and Miss Wilmington, two ladies from Ladies of Grace, were there as well, along with a couple of gentlemen she did not recognize.

  “Good,” Lady Eloise called out as she hurried over to Loretta and Tad. “I was beginning to worry you wouldn’t make it.”

  “We wouldn’t dream of missing one of your father’s dinner parties,” Tad said. “We’re honored to be here.”

  “Well, you had me worried,” Lady Eloise replied. “Dinner is almost ready.”

  Almost ready? Loretta was sure she and Tad had arrived early so there would be time to socialize with the other guests.

  “We have so much to discuss,” Lady Eloise told her, “but I suppose the more interesting conversations will come when the ladies and gentlemen separate.”

  She chuckled and then turned to introduce Loretta and Tad to the others in the group. Loretta hadn’t heard of the three gentlemen before, but she quickly realized that was because they were Frenchmen who had come to London with Lady Eloise’s father. She glanced at Miss Webb and Miss Wilmington, wondering if each had been paired up with one of the gentlemen.

  The butler came to the doorway and announced that dinner was ready. Loretta glanced at Tad, wondering if he was surprised that dinner was going to be served so soon. She could have sworn the invitation said that dinner would be served in another half hour. But, with everything going on with Celia, she could have easily forgotten the correct time to be here.

  As if Tad could read her mind, he whispered, “You’re not wrong. The invitation did tell us to arrive at this time.”

  It had? But why would Lady Eloise ask them to come so much later than the others? Before she could give the matter any more thought, Tad escorted her to the dining room.

  The meal itself was good. Loretta had to admit the Duke of Silverton served some of the best food in London. Lady Eloise’s boasting during the Ladies of Grace social engagements had not been in vain.

  The conversation was pleasant, though she didn’t participate. For the most part, the duke was telling them all about his latest trip to France and encouraged the three Frenchmen to tell everyone about themselves. And when those weren’t the topics, he ended up answering questions Lady Eloise would ask about the foods, social activities, and fashions over there.

  Loretta didn’t really have an interest in France. In fact, she had no personal desire to go to another country. She was content with where she was. Besides, her thoughts kept going to Celia. The evening just wasn’t the same without her friend.

  If Celia was there, Loretta imagined Celia would be as bored as she was. Celia would probably cross her eyes or pretend to fall asleep when no one but Loretta was looking at her. Loretta in turn would have fought back her giggles.

  Yes, there was no doubt Loretta would’ve had a much more enjoyable time if Celia was in attendance tonight. Which wasn’t fair to Tad. She did enjoy being with him. If it weren’t for him, she would have been uncomfortable.

  Miss Webb and Miss Wilmington were cordial enough, but she didn’t know them very well. During the social engagements in the past, they never paid much attention to her. All she’d ever seen them do was huddle around Lady Eloise. Until she married Tad, she had no idea Lady Eloise favored them more than any of the other members of Ladies of Grace.

  After dinner, the ladies adjourned to the drawing room while the gentlemen went to the den.

  As the butler brought in tea for them to drink, Lady Eloise said, “I’m going to accompany my father on one of his many trips in the near future. I was thinking of going to Greece.”

  “Greece will be lovely,” Miss Webb agreed.

  “I talked my father into letting me go to Rome with my cousin and her family,” Miss Wilmington replied. “It was beautiful. It has a wealth of history with it. Did you know they used to have gladiator games in the Coliseum? Men of all kinds fought to the death right in front of people who were watching them.”

  Miss Webb grimaced. “It sounds gruesome.”

  Loretta had to agree. The last thing she ever wanted to see was two people fighting, especially if one ended up dead.

  “Actually,” Lady Eloise said, “it was up to the Roman emperor who lived and who died. A single up or down of his thumb decided the fighter’s fate.”

  Miss Webb stopped drinking her tea and gagged. “That seems even worse than them simply fighting until one of them died.”

  “I don’t think so,” Lady Eloise said. “If the fighters both pleased him, they would live. At least they had a chance.” She smiled, her gaze taking on a wistful quality. “Can you imagine having that kind of power? A single man got to decide whether someone lived or died.”

  “You can’t tell us you’d actually want to see something like that,” Miss Wilmington said.

  Lady Eloise shrugged. “It’s no different than deciding who belongs in Ladies of Grace and who doesn’t.”

  Loretta stared at Lady Eloise. She couldn’t be serious about comparing her opinion of people in London to an emperor who actually let people die in a gladiator game.

  “One of these days,” Lady Eloise said, “everything I say will matter to the entire Ton. Lady Cadwalader has just a short time remaining before I take over as the most influential person in London.” Lady Eloise proceeded to sip her tea and then shivered. “How dreadful! This new cook doesn’t know the first thing about making green tea. The old cook was so much better than this one. I barely made it through the meal tonight.”

  Loretta didn’t want to argue with Lady Eloise, but she didn’t think it was fair to the cook to go through so much work to end up with such criticism. Lady Eloise had had him recook several things on her plate before she was satisfied. And besides, there had been nothing wrong with the food.

  “I enjoyed the meal,” she told Lady Eloise.

  “Then I must have you back when we have a suitable cook.” Lady Eloise put her cup on the tray and smiled at Loretta. “You’ll realize how poor this one was then. The food we had toni
ght wasn’t even good enough for a rat to eat. I am going to get more tea. Would anyone else like a better cup of tea?”

  Miss Wilmington and Miss Webb immediately agreed and placed their cups on the tray. After a moment, Loretta decided she might as well do it, too, unless they wondered what was wrong with her. It had been enough she had protested the quality of the food they’d just eaten.

  Looking pleased, Lady Eloise picked the tray up, balanced it on her hip, and shut the doors behind her as she left the room.

  “Shouldn’t she ask the butler to take the tea for her?” Loretta asked in surprise.

  Miss Wilmington leaned back in her chair. “I suppose she figures this is something important enough to take care of all by herself.”

  Miss Webb turned toward Loretta. “I’m glad we finally got a chance to talk with you alone.”

  Loretta’s eyebrows furrowed. “You are?”

  Miss Webb grinned. “Yes, I am. Tad is absolutely gorgeous.”

  “And charming,” Miss Wilmington added. “Lady Eloise is dying because you got to him before she did.”

  “She is,” Miss Webb added. “How does it feel to be envied by someone like her?”

  Loretta’s face warmed. “Well, I haven’t given it much thought.”

  “Surely, you must have,” Miss Wilmington argued. “She wishes she was you, and she thinks she’s the most important person in London.”

  “Forget London,” Miss Webb said. “She thinks she’s the most important person in the entire world. She even thinks her sneezes are worth everyone’s praises.”

  Loretta shifted in her chair as the two ladies giggled. Should they be talking about Lady Eloise this way? Even if they thought it, should they be saying it? Especially right here in her townhouse?

  Miss Webb shot her a pointed look. “You, of all people, must be loving this. She was ready to throw you out of our group. Then, she found out you were engaged to Tad, and…well…I’m telling you, she talked of nothing else for days.”

  “It’s true,” Miss Wilmington added. “It must feel good to finally have the advantage. You could’ve shown up half an hour after we started eating and Lady Eloise would have had to deal with it.”