by Laura Martin
‘I’m impressed by your powers of observation.’
He watched as her cheeks flushed at the compliment and felt a primal stirring deep inside. Alex tried to suppress it, but as Lina stood, guided by Georgina, he couldn’t help watching her hips sway as she walked away.
‘Wait,’ he called as they reached the door. ‘Lina, I need to talk to you for a moment.’
Georgina shrugged, returned to the table and allowed her husband to escort her from the room instead.
‘Shall we take a stroll on the terrace?’
Gently Lina placed her hand on his forearm, just as he had taught her to, and accompanied him outside.
‘You did very well tonight,’ Alex said as they walked side by side.
‘It was hardly much of a test,’ Lina said with a shrug. ‘Your sister and her husband are not exactly judgemental. They are very easy to spend an evening with.’
‘Nevertheless, I think we might just win this little wager of ours.’
‘My behaviour wasn’t too scandalous?’
‘It wasn’t impeccable,’ Alex said after a moment’s thought, but regretted it as he saw Lina’s face drop. He could have just kept the tone light, congratulated her again, and enjoyed their time together, but something was gnawing at him, making him lash out uncharacteristically.
He stopped, turning to lean against a stone column to try to regain his equilibrium. Throughout the entire evening, ever since he’d seen her walk into the drawing room dressed in red and looking beautiful, he’d had the urge to pull her into his arms and kiss her. He’d barely been able to tear his eyes away from her lips and all the time he’d been imagining what her body would feel like under his, what her skin would taste like and what her breath would feel like on his neck. He wanted her more than he’d wanted any woman in a long time.
Alex didn’t like this feeling—the sensation of being out of control. These last three years he had trained his mind and body to live by his strict rules, but suddenly they were rebelling.
Maybe he needed a mistress. Not Lina, of course—she was entirely inappropriate. His past lovers had mainly been young widows, but he had once been attached to an actress for a few months and before that an opera singer for nearly a year. Never had anyone he knew kept a gypsy dancer as a mistress.
Alex’s eyes flitted to Lina’s and for a moment he didn’t care about her background. A mistress was to be kept secret anyway, so perhaps it didn’t matter that Lina was from a different world.
‘What did you want to talk to me about?’ Lina asked. She’d turned half-away from him and was looking out over the gardens, her face illuminated by the moonlight.
‘I wanted to give you this.’ Alex reached into his pocket and pulled out a small package, handing it over to Lina. He felt a spark as their fingers touched that sent a shudder of desire through his whole body.
‘What is it?’
‘Open it and see.’
Deftly her fingers undid the small bow on the top of the box and pulled off the lid.
‘It’s beautiful.’
‘I’m sorry I can’t pay you.’
Not looking up, Lina gave a small nod, running her fingers over the sparkling silver hair comb.
‘Thank you,’ she said, her voice tight. Alex scrutinised her face, wondering if he’d done something wrong.
‘I know it’s not much.’
She shook her head. ‘I think it’s the most beautiful thing anyone has ever given me.’
Despite the words of reassurance Alex could tell something wasn’t quite right.
‘If you would prefer something else we can always return it,’ he added. He didn’t have much experience of buying women gifts, not recently.
‘It is perfect. Thank you.’
‘Allow me.’ He took the comb from her, placed his hands on the thin material that covered her shoulders and spun her round so her back was to him. Against his better judgement he allowed his fingers to trail across the soft skin at the nape of her neck, wishing it was his lips instead. He felt her stiffen beneath his touch and quickly, before he could do anything he might regret, he pulled his hands away. Gently he slid the comb into the back of her hair, adjusting it so it was straight.
‘Thank you,’ Lina said, raising her hand to her hair and gingerly touching the comb. She turned and for a moment they were standing far too close, their bodies only inches apart. It would be so easy to lean forward, take her in his arms and kiss her until she begged him for more. Alex felt his body sway slightly, closing the gap between them, but at the last second he gained control of himself and stepped away.
‘Shall we return to the others?’ he asked stiffly.
He saw her hesitate. ‘I’ll follow you in a minute or two.’
Normally Alex would not let a young woman remain outside by herself, even somewhere as safe as his own home, but right now he had to put some distance between them and if that meant being ungentlemanly, then so be it. He knew if he stayed out here with Lina any longer, he would do something he would regret.
Chapter Seven
Lina watched Alex stroll back along the terrace and disappear inside the house and slowly willed her body to relax. Carefully she raised her hand to her hair and touched the comb again, running her fingers over the intricately decorated surface and feeling the tears spring to her eyes.
‘Don’t be a fool,’ she whispered to herself.
The words she had said to Alex were true: this was the most beautiful gift anyone had ever given her.
Needing some time and space to clear her head, Lina carefully lifted the skirts of her dress and descended the steps into the garden. She would return to the house in a few minutes, but first she needed a moment or two to regain control of herself.
She was being foolish, spinning fantasies out of thin air. She tried to tell herself it was only natural to feel some sort of attraction for Alex. He was both good-looking and good company, and they were spending large amounts of time together. Tonight she’d even fancied he had looked at her once or twice with desire in his eyes, but Lina knew that was probably only wishful thinking. What she did know was that her own heart pounded when he stepped close and she’d barely been able to breathe as his fingers brushed against her skin.
‘Stop it,’ she admonished herself. Even if he did desire her physically, nothing could ever happen between them. Their differences went so much deeper than just status and lifestyle.
‘Fancy seeing you here.’ The voice from the bushes made Lina jump so much she let out a shout that she only just managed to muffle at the last minute.
‘Uncle Tom?’
‘Unless you’ve got another rendezvous planned?’
‘I hadn’t planned one with you,’ Lina grumbled.
‘Now, that’s not true, my dear. Remember our deal.’
Lina felt the nausea rise in her throat as she remembered the terms of the latest deal she had made with her uncle.
‘You’ve had plenty of time to scout the place out,’ Uncle Tom prompted.
She shook her head, wondering how to get rid of him, knowing he wouldn’t be satisfied until she gave him something. For a second her fingers darted to the comb in her hair, but immediately she dismissed the idea of trying to buy some time with it. Alex would notice if she returned to the house without it—besides, she wanted to have a proper look at it before she gave it away. Lina knew she wouldn’t want to part with the comb, but she would have to be practical in the end if it meant getting rid of the debt she owed Uncle Tom.
‘It’s a fine house,’ Uncle Tom said, gripping her arm and pulling her off the grassy path and into the darkness. ‘Lots of money kept inside for wages and the like, I’d imagine.’
‘I’m not stealing for you,’ Lina said, pulling her arm from his grasp and stumbling backwards a few steps.
‘I’m not asking you to steal, I’m happy to do that part myself.’
Lina felt the rage building inside her. This was why gypsies had a bad name. Men like her uncle Tom who
were prepared to do anything to make a quick profit.
‘Raul wouldn’t like it if he knew what you were doing,’ Lina said. She saw the flash of anger in Uncle Tom’s eyes at the mention of her brother. Raul was respected in their troupe and, despite his relatively young age, it was her brother who made the decisions as to where they went and when they moved on. He had the power to exile Uncle Tom from their travelling group and Tom knew it.
‘Well, he’d better not find out then,’ Tom snarled. ‘We had a deal, Lina. You shouldn’t have accepted the terms if you weren’t happy with them.’
‘Let me just pay you instead, when I get the money.’
‘Why are you protecting this toff? After what his kind did to your father I’d have thought you’d be more than eager to get your revenge.’
‘My father brought his situation on himself,’ Lina said coldly. ‘It has nothing to do with Alex...Lord Whitemore,’ she corrected herself quickly.
Tom threw his head back and laughed heartily. ‘I see what this sudden reticence is about—you fancy that you have feelings for this lord! Following in your father’s footsteps after all.’
‘I don’t have feelings for anyone,’ Lina said, taking a deep breath to maintain her composure. ‘I just don’t believe in stealing.’
‘He’s not going to look twice at you,’ Tom gloated. ‘At the very most he might use you for a quick roll in the hay, but then you’ll be out on your ear and he will have moved on to someone much more suitable.’
Lina felt the tears building in her eyes, but refused to let Tom see her cry. She didn’t even know why she was upset, it wasn’t as though she wanted anything to happen between her and Lord Whitemore. She’d seen first-hand how lives were ruined when someone dallied with a person of superior rank and status, she knew what heartache that brought. No, the last thing Lina wanted was for any romantic involvement with Lord Whitemore, even if her heart did pound and her throat constrict when he was close by. The physical attraction she could resist; all she had to do was remind herself how her father had been broken by his short affair with Lady Farrien nearly a decade ago.
‘Someone will come looking for me soon,’ Lina said, turning to walk away. She felt Tom grab her by the waist and before she had chance to twist out of his grip he had her pinned up against the nearest tree.
‘Consider where your true loyalties lie, Lina,’ he whispered in her ear, his warm breath making her shudder as she felt the specks of saliva hit her neck. ‘And remember the terms of our deal, my dear. If you do not get me my fifteen pounds and the information you promised me, you won’t like the consequences.’
Just as he dug his fingers into her wrist, Lina managed to slide down the trunk of the tree and, with a quick twist, wiggled out from under his arm.
‘Send me a note next time the house will be empty and make sure you include details of where this toff of yours keeps his money. I don’t care about vases and statues and jewellery, it needs to be money.’
‘The house is never empty, there are dozens of servants.’
‘But servants retire early if their master is out for the evening.’
Knowing she had some difficult decisions to make, but unsure how she could even start to untangle herself from the mess she was in, Lina turned and darted back towards the house before Tom had chance to say any more. It went against every moral fibre in her body to betray Lord Whitemore to her uncle, but if she didn’t come up with an alternative solution soon she might have no choice in the matter.
Chapter Eight
Alex glanced up from the papers he was reading in the hope that he might catch a glimpse of Lina or his sister, but he knew that was too much to hope for. Despite it seeming like an eternity that he’d been sitting in the dressmaker’s, he knew in reality it had been less than half an hour.
‘I don’t see why my presence is required here,’ Alex called, hearing the chattering voices on the other side of the curtain pause as he spoke. ‘You haven’t asked my opinion once in the hour we’ve been here.’
‘Do remember that I have a vested interest in you losing your wager,’ Georgina said, poking her head through the curtain. ‘I might advise Lina to purchase something absolutely terrible. Hence the need for your supervision.’
‘You wouldn’t be so underhand,’ Alex said, but then held his hand up to correct himself. ‘You would be so underhand, but you wouldn’t allow Lina to embarrass herself in a frock that was anything but fashionable.’
‘Very true, brother dearest. Anyway, it does you good to be out of the house and away from those horses you’re so obsessed with.’
Alex grumbled, but returned to his papers. He knew how important truly magnificent clothes were for a debutante. If Lina attended the ball in five weeks’ time dressed like the daughter of the aristocracy, then people would believe that was what she was. That was why he had insisted they ride into town and start the process of getting Lina fitted for her appearances in society. Despite all this, he hadn’t expected it to take quite so long and, as far as he could tell from his position on the other side of the curtain, they hadn’t even chosen the dress yet.
‘Remember she needs to blend in with the other debutantes,’ Alex called. ‘It needs to be the latest fashion.’
Standing and stretching, Alex walked the length of the shop, allowing his fingers to trail over the selection of materials that were on display.
‘It is a shame we have to buy something ready-made,’ he heard Georgina say from the other side of the curtain. ‘There’s nothing more luxurious than a dress that fits you and only you perfectly.’
Lina gave a light, carefree laugh that made Alex smile. When she wasn’t arguing with him she was good to have around. She tempered Georgina’s bossiness nicely and had a quick wit that kept him on his toes.
‘I think you’d look lovely in the green,’ Georgina murmured. ‘But really we should stick to less vibrant colours. You are supposed to be a debutante after all. Perhaps the pink?’
‘Pink makes me look ghastly.’
‘White, then. Although half the debutantes will be wearing white, it’s so popular these days. When I was a debutante hardly anyone wore plain white.’
‘White is good,’ Alex called to them. It was a safe choice, guaranteed to group Lina with the other young debutantes as soon as she entered a ballroom.
‘You make it sound as if it were two dozen years ago. It can only be five or six at the most.’ Lina laughed.
‘Six,’ Georgina confirmed.
‘How about this one?’
Silence followed and Alex walked to the window, glancing out into the street.
‘That could work,’ he heard Georgina say after a small pause. ‘It’s unusual, but I think it would suit you very well.’
The rest of their conversation faded into the background as Alex felt his throat begin to constrict. He tried to take a step back from the window, but his muscles failed to obey and for an awful few seconds he was in full view of anyone walking down the street.
He’d known it was her the very moment she’d rounded the corner into the high street, he recognised her graceful walk and exquisite posture as if he had last seen her only yesterday. His ex-fiancée didn’t look a day older than she had three years earlier—it was as if that time had been wiped out in an instant.
Alex felt a coldness descend over his body and, willing his muscles to work again, he quickly moved away from the window. The last thing he wanted was to be forced into a polite conversation with Victoria. She’d almost broken him and the worst thing about the whole debacle was that she knew how much she’d hurt him. For Alex, a man who’d been brought up to respect strength and dignity, the humiliation of how she had almost felled him was as bad as the heartbreak itself.
As the door to the shop slowly opened, Alex cursed every deity he had ever heard mention of. Of all the shops in all the world, Victoria had to choose this one to enter today. Squaring his shoulder as if he were about to go into a fight, Alex fixed a nonchalant sm
ile on his face. He wouldn’t pretend he hadn’t seen her or that he was surprised by her presence, he was better than that, even if his sinking heart might disagree.
‘Good afternoon, Lady Winchester,’ he said as Victoria entered the shop, trying not to enjoy the moment of panic in her eyes as she recognised his voice. He stepped forward, still smiling, took her hand and bowed formerly over it. ‘I do hope you are well.’
‘Qu-qu-quite well,’ she managed after a few seconds.
He waited. Etiquette dictated that she should enquire after his health now, but she still hadn’t rallied from the shock of seeing him.
‘What brings you to Pottersdown?’ he asked, his voice light and conversational.
For three years he had wondered how he would react when he saw Victoria again. He knew it would happen. The people they socialised with—the members of the ton—were surprisingly few in number, but he’d worked hard to avoid Victoria these last few years. Declining invitations to events he suspected she would be attending had become almost habit. He’d never left a ball because Victoria was there, but he had sought out the card tables quickly on the few occasions when their paths might have crossed, knowing Victoria’s views on gambling meant he’d be safe.
‘I am visiting my aunt,’ Victoria said. ‘Alex, I’m sorry, I assumed you would be in London, preparing for the Season. I’d never have come if I’d thought...’
Alex gave a dismissive wave of his hand. After his initial feelings of dread at seeing his ex-fiancée for the first time since she’d declared her intention to marry his closest friend instead of him, he actually felt wonderfully unmoved by this encounter. He’d half expected their first meeting to be much more painful, much more strained, but he felt...nothing. Maybe time did heal all wounds.
‘You’re looking well, Alex—’
‘Lady Winchester.’ He heard the curtain behind him being pulled back and Georgina step out. The venom in her voice was unmistakable.
‘It is a pleasure to see you again,’ Victoria said, her expression betraying her true feelings, but she quickly sank into a curtsy before the other woman could see.