Brushed by Scandal

by Gail Whitiker

  ‘Yes, of course.’ She looked at him then, and to his surprise she stood on her toes and kissed him full on the mouth in a long, intimate kiss that left his head spinning. ‘Sleep well, my love,’ she whispered against his lips. ‘And thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything you did tonight.’

  Incredible. As much as his body ached, the touch of her mouth instantly aroused him. ‘I did nothing.’

  ‘You let my brother live,’ she said. ‘But, more importantly, you lived. I wouldn’t have liked having my brother’s death on my hands, but I fear that’s what would have happened had you died at his tonight.’

  Barrington wanted to believe she was joking, but the look in her eyes told him otherwise. ‘You would have destroyed your life.’

  ‘It wouldn’t have mattered,’ she told him. ‘If he had killed you, it would already have been destroyed beyond all hope of repair.’

  * * *

  As expected, over the next few days, Peregrine and the earl spent a great deal of time talking through their unusual situation. There were twenty-seven years to make up for and a lot of ground to cover. And though, at first, the words were slow in coming, it wasn’t long before they were flowing freely, bringing the two back on an even keel. Peregrine was anxious to hear about his mother and Cambermere was delighted to talk about her. Given that he’d had to keep the truth about Olivia bottled up for so many years, it was a relief to finally be able to talk to someone about her—especially when that someone happened to be her son. And in learning of his true parentage, Peregrine seemed to mature into the man Anna knew he wanted to be. Lady Yew was never mentioned again.

  As for Edward, he had been happy to go away. Aware that his future in London was in jeopardy, both because his family knew what he had tried to do and because it was quite likely society would find out at some point, he elected to go to California, where he’d heard stories that it was possible for a man with a good head on his shoulders to acquire vast tracts of land and make a fortune into the bargain. If there was one thing Edward wasn’t lacking, Anna acknowledged wryly, it was confidence in his own ability to succeed.

  As for Julia, she was thrilled at having her necklace safely returned to her. So much so that, when she learned the truth about what happened, she decided not to press charges against Miss Paisley and even offered the girl her position back.

  ‘Why ever would she do such a thing?’ Lydia asked as she and Anna walked their horses along Rotten Row a few days later. ‘Miss Paisley has proven herself anything but trustworthy.’

  ‘I know, but if you could have seen Eliza’s face when Barrington told her she wasn’t going to be charged and that the baroness was willing to take her back, you would understand. Eliza hasn’t had an easy life,’ Anna said. ‘She told me the happiest she’s ever been was during her brief time with the baroness and she apologised to Julia so sincerely that I actually saw tears in Julia’s eyes. Eliza said she was willing to do whatever the baroness asked and that she could check her jewellery every night to make sure it was all there. She was just that happy to have a second chance.’

  ‘Well, I’m glad it all worked out for Eliza, but what about Justine?’

  Anna laughed. ‘I was able to find a position for her and you will never guess with whom.’

  Lydia looked blank. ‘Who?’

  ‘Miss Mercy Banks. Or, as she will shortly become, Mrs Giles Blokker. I think they will suit admirably.’

  ‘How marvellous! And your father? This must have been a very trying time for him.’

  ‘It has been dreadful,’ Anna admitted. ‘Learning about the existence of a son he never knew he had and finding out what kind of man Edward was were very hard on him. But some wonderful things have come out of it, too. He has acknowledged Peregrine as his son and Peregrine is delighted that he doesn’t have to go back to the country. He’s promised us all that he’ll forget about sowing wild oats and stick to his papers and archaeological investigations.’

  ‘And what of your father’s hopes with regard to Julia?’

  Anna slowly began to smile. ‘In spite of my brother’s best efforts, Julia never believed that my father was guilty of stealing her necklace. She didn’t understand Edward’s sudden interest in her and says she found it rather sad, since it was obvious he didn’t love her the same way Papa did. I believe he will ask her to marry him once a suitable time has passed and the memory of all this has faded.’

  ‘So,’ Lydia said with a smile, ‘your father and Peregrine are settled and Edward has been banished to the Americas. It would appear that matters have worked out splendidly for everyone…except you.’

  ‘Nonsense, I am perfectly happy.’

  ‘Has Sir Barrington spoken to you?’

  Anna felt her cheeks grow warm. ‘Not yet, but he did say we had things to talk about.’

  ‘And do you wish to talk to him about these matters?’

  ‘Yes, though there really is no hurry,’ Anna said, knowing it for the lie it was.

  But Lydia just smiled. ‘Perhaps not on your part, but I believe the gentleman is quite anxious in that regard. No doubt that is why he is approaching us now with such a determined look on his face.’

  Anna gasped and, lifting her head, saw that Barrington was indeed riding towards them. ‘Oh, no, I’m not ready!’

  ‘I don’t think we ever are for moments like this,’ Lydia said with a wink, ‘but they come along regardless. And in case you’re wondering, this isn’t a chance meeting. Sir Barrington sent a note asking me if we would be riding in the park this morning. I told him we would.’

  Anna felt her pulse begin to race. He had planned this? He’d wanted to see her that badly?

  ‘Good morning, Lady Annabelle. Lady Lydia,’ he greeted them, resting his hands on the pommel. ‘Lovely morning for a ride.’

  ‘It is indeed, Sir Barrington, and I think I shall take advantage of it,’ Lydia said, gathering her reins and smiling at Anna. ‘I shall return in a little while.’

  In the silence that followed, Anna turned to study the face of the man watching her and realised her heart was beating so hard she could barely speak. ‘I could say this is a surprise but I understand it was planned.’

  Barrington gave her a wry, fleeting smile. ‘It has been my experience that important matters are best not left to chance. I wished to speak to you in private, which meant not at your house or at a society gathering. So, I had to arrange for some other meeting place and I thought this the most suitable. I did ask Lady Lydia to stay close by so there could be no question of impropriety.’

  Anna looked up and saw that Lydia was still within sight, having stopped under the shade of a large tree just beyond. ‘You appear to have thought of everything.’

  ‘I try,’ he said quietly. ‘Though when it comes to you, I find myself constantly falling short of the mark.’

  Anna bit her lip so as not to smile. ‘I can’t imagine why you would say that. You always seem so completely in control of yourself, no matter what the situation.’

  ‘Because I am used to dealing in logic and reason. Yet all of my dealings with you involve emotions, and rather strong ones at that,’ he admitted.

  ‘And emotion clouds judgement so as to totally obscure the truth,’ she teased.

  ‘I should have known you would use that against me,’ he said wryly.

  ‘It wasn’t intended as a slight. I would never knowingly hurt you, Barrington.’ Anna’s smile faded, her fingers tightening convulsively on the reins. ‘You look…much better than you did when last I saw you.’

  Clearly intent on setting her mind at rest, Barrington grinned. ‘I have fully regained my strength and the surgeon is very pleased with my shoulder, though my valet has been heard to complain that I have, at times, been a rather difficult patient.’

  Anna laughed, a welcome relief from the tension she’d been carrying for too many days. ‘I was so afraid, Barrington. That night, when I ran across the park and saw you and Edward fighting…when I saw all the blood�
��I was terrified I was going to lose you.’

  ‘There was really never any danger of that,’ he said quietly. ‘Your brother was too far under the influence of the opium to be a real threat.’

  ‘But he wounded you all the same.’

  ‘Yes, because I was careless,’ Barrington admitted. ‘I lowered my guard. Preoccupied with thoughts of you, I wasn’t expecting the attack. But he only managed to get in one thrust.’

  ‘One good one,’ she whispered, glancing at his arm, still in its sling. ‘You may never use that arm again.’

  ‘Not to fight to my previous standard, perhaps, but it is perfectly capable of doing other things. Like holding you close,’ he murmured.

  Anna closed her eyes, feeling the warmth of his words pierce her heart. ‘Is this where you tell me again about the risks involved in loving you?’

  She opened her eyes and caught his gaze. A minute passed, and then he slowly began to smile. ‘No. It’s probably what I should say, but I’m not going to. What I feel for you isn’t rational, Anna, but I’m not willing to fight it any more.’

  ‘Good, because love isn’t rational,’ Anna said. ‘Elizabeth Paisley did what my brother asked because she loved him and thought he loved her in return. Just as Peregrine lied to me because he thought Lady Yew had deep feelings for him. Love excuses all things and forgives all things.’

  ‘Do you honestly believe that?’

  ‘No. It’s a pretty sentiment, but it doesn’t justify lies or deceit. Peregrine’s belief that Lady Yew wasn’t in love with her husband didn’t make it right for him to enter into an affair with her. Just as being in love with my brother didn’t justify Miss Paisley’s stealing Julia’s necklace.’

  ‘So you’re saying that truth and emotion will always clash,’ Barrington said.

  ‘Probably. I suspect men will always do bizarre things in the name of love.’

  ‘Which brings me back to our ongoing conversation.’ At her look of confusion, he said, ‘The one we started the night we met at Lady Montby’s and that we have been having ever since. The one concerning…us.’

  Her pulse accelerated. ‘I wasn’t sure there was an us.’

  ‘Oh, there most definitely is an us,’ Barrington replied. ‘I’ve spent the last few weeks trying to deny it, but finally realised I’m fighting a losing battle. And you know why.’

  Anna stared down at her hands. ‘You have taken pains to tell me and on more than one occasion. But you must feel there is hope for us or you wouldn’t have sought me out.’

  ‘You’re right. Because the idea of not having you in my life is one I can no longer contemplate. You are all I think about, Anna,’ he said quietly. ‘And a man cannot be effective if his mind is constantly engaged upon something or someone he believes…unattainable.’

  ‘I have always been attainable…for you,’ Anna said, her voice husky. ‘It was you who chose to believe otherwise. And I don’t care if being with you involves risk. I would rather take the risks than live without you.’

  ‘Even if it endangered your life?’

  Anna suddenly felt wise beyond her years. ‘You said yourself that life is never entirely without risk and you’re right. But I like to think I demonstrated that I am not some witless female prone to running away at the first sign of danger.’

  ‘No, you’re not.’ His mouth lifted at one corner. ‘You have proven that most admirably. But would you allow yourself to become intimately involved with a man like me? Knowing that what I do might always put you in danger.’

  Anna shook her head. ‘The greatest danger to both of us thus far has been from my own family. I couldn’t be any closer to the source of the danger if I tried.’

  ‘In that case…’ Barrington dismounted and, crossing to her side, held out his hand. Anna placed hers within it and allowed him to help her down from the saddle. His hands lingered on her waist and they were so close she could feel the warmth of his breath on her face. ‘I haven’t spoken to your father, and if you say you have no desire to be my wife, I will not do so. But if you consent to marry me, Anna, I’ll make you a promise here and now that there won’t be any more risks to either of us, because I won’t take on any more assignments.’

  Her eyes widened in shock. ‘You would do that for me?’

  ‘I would do whatever it took to keep you safe,’ Barrington said softly. ‘I love you, Anna. There’s never been a woman in my life for whom I’ve felt a deeper or more powerful passion. I love everything about you. Your enthusiasm for life, your unstinting concern for others, the genuine goodness that is so much a part of you. If you refuse to marry me, I will go on, but only because there won’t be anything else for me to do. If you accept, you’ll never have to worry about your happiness again.’

  ‘Or yours,’ Anna said. ‘My brother almost killed you, Barrington, and I suspect there are others who would no doubt like to try. A man doesn’t make friends by exposing other men’s deepest, darkest secrets.’

  ‘That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.’

  ‘Nevertheless, someone has to try to stop them, and as I’ve been trying to tell you, I don’t want you to give up what you do. I love you. There’s no doubt in my mind about that. And, yes, I’ll be afraid for you, but what you do is part of who you are. I couldn’t ask you to give that up for me.’

  ‘You don’t have to ask. I’ve given a great deal of thought to what I would be giving up and it doesn’t compare to what I would be gaining. I want you as my wife, Anna,’ he told her fervently. ‘I want to hold you in my arms and tell you every day how much I love you. I want to cover your body with kisses and hear you cry out my name when we make love. And I want to see your beautiful eyes in the faces of our children. Marry me, sweetheart, and I’ll spend the rest of my life not only telling you how much I love you, but showing you.’

  His smile was slow and sensual, filling her with a giddy sense of pleasure. ‘Good, because I am saying yes, Barrington, so you’d better be prepared to make good on your promise.’ Uncaring as to who might be watching, Anna walked into his arms and tilted her head back, her eyes glowing. ‘As far as I’m concerned, you can start telling me and showing me, just as soon as you like.’

  ISBN-13: 9781460349397

  BRUSHED BY SCANDAL

  © Gail Whitiker 2011

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