Harlequin Historical July 2021--Box Set 2 of 2

by Madeline Martin

  ‘I would rather walk home instead,’ Rachael said, patting above the burn. ‘I tried sitting and it was uncomfortable.’

  ‘I admit, I’m enjoying the hospitality of the Earl and the Countess seems content to have us here. She says the servants are competent at handling much more than two agreeable guests. She is making some calls now and we are to ask for anything we wish. She is also going out to a dinner this evening, but suggests we make ourselves at home in her library, and she can also provide us with more stitching supplies, watercolours, or pianoforte.’ Her mother chuckled. ‘She also suggests it is unlikely that Devlin will be here, but advises if he is that we do not ask him to provide music as he is forbidden to touch the piano.’

  ‘He is not proficient?’

  ‘She said his music tutor suggested fencing and he was a natural at it.’

  Her mother stepped sideways and peered at Rachael’s hand. ‘And what was in the letter my future son-in-law sent? I’m so pleased to be welcoming him into our family soon. It will be as if we finally have a son.’

  Rachael straightened a crease on the paper. ‘He’s busy with work, apparently, and it is wearing on him.’

  ‘But he still had time to write to you.’

  Rachael nodded. ‘I am thinking about answering his letter now.’

  ‘Be sure to remind him how much I appreciate his missing a few hours of toil to attend our family soirée. It will be wonderful to have my sisters and your grandmothers here. It will be a lovely event and the perfect time to announce the date of your wedding.’

  Rachael couldn’t speak. She had been so anticipating Tenney’s next visit, but now she had no wish to be near him. None at all. She turned to her mother. ‘Mr Tenney and I are—’ Then she took in a breath. ‘Mr Tenney is—’

  ‘Yes?’ Her mother leaned towards her. ‘Are the two of you going to announce the date at the party as you’d planned?’

  She saw the question in her mother’s eyes and knew how devoted her mother was to Tenney. She could not break the news to her right before the soirée. The questions her mother would be asked would override the family joy.

  ‘I just must speak with him soon,’ Rachael said, flipping the letter between two fingers.

  Her mother moved a half-step forward. ‘What date have you decided on?’

  ‘I think that will be taken care of, but...’ She could not bear the hope in her mother’s eyes. ‘The brush with death has caused me to spend a considerable quantity of time thinking about...my future.’

  ‘I would not say it was a brush with death.’ Her mother’s eyes widened.

  Relieved that her mother had not pursued the subject of marriage, Rachael didn’t want her mother to mention Tenney again. ‘I could have died, if not for Devlin. I was frozen. I didn’t know what to do.’

  Her mother shook her head. ‘It was so fast. The fire just tumbled on to you and instantly the flames had taken most of your skirt. But Devlin—it seemed he knew what was going to happen before it did—and he’d grabbed you and pushed you against the wall and covered you to smother the flames. We all just stood watching, unbelieving.’

  ‘I could have died,’ Rachael murmured.

  ‘Nonsense.’

  ‘I almost went up in flames like a brandy-soaked plum pudding.’

  ‘Let’s not think about that.’

  ‘I can’t stop thinking about it.’

  Tenney’s letter had already been composed most likely. And if she had died, her mother would likely have received it and opened it. Or perhaps Rachael would have been recovering from an even more serious burn and her mother would have read Tenney’s letter to her. That would have been a grand topping for the burnt pudding.

  Tenney almost got out of the betrothal much easier than he expected.

  Rachael blinked, the paper in her hand crumpling. ‘Life is so short.’

  ‘Yes. I’m pleased you’re going to marry soon. I want you to have all of life’s happiness and, once you’re married, I’m inviting the grandchildren to spend more time with me so I will not feel so alone.’ She stopped speaking long enough to give Rachael a hug and kiss her cheek. ‘I don’t hold my two grandchildren nearly often enough. I’m so relieved you’ll be living in London once you’re married.’

  Rachael saw her mother’s happiness bursting out. She could not tell her mother that the betrothal was likely to be over.

  ‘Mother, I would not want to make a mistake and...’ she couldn’t very well say marry in haste ‘...do something I might regret.’

  ‘I would not worry about that at this point. You are a sensible woman. You’ve always been mature beyond your years and used your head, as is evidenced by your choice of someone like Mr Tenney. Now you can follow your dreams. I feel you have been too serious your whole life. It’s time for you to enjoy the results. It’s time for you to become a wife. That is what you wish, isn’t it?’

  ‘I’m not entirely convinced.’ She lowered her gaze, breathing out.

  ‘You have been waiting six years? And you’re not confident?’

  She answered her mother, ‘I shall dance at the soirée. With Tenney. And I am confident that I will make the right decision where he’s concerned.’

  And as she said those words, she knew deep in her heart that the betrothal was over. She’d read the letter one last time when she’d returned to her room after speaking with Devlin and no longer believed the missive had been a mistake. When she viewed it with the memory of Tenney saying he never worried about a breach of promise and imagined him penning it with that in his mind, it made sense.

  She dreaded the thought of dancing with him.

  Earlier that afternoon, when Devlin had held her in his arms and consoled her, her body had melted against him. Feelings she’d never experienced before had awoken, shocking her.

  For six years Tenney had done little more than brush a fleeting kiss on her lips. She’d consigned it to his deep respect at the time and never questioned the lack of affection.

  Her betrothal had been a sham and she’d believed in it.

  She would never be so foolish again.

  * * *

  Rachael left her room and went in search of a maid. She clasped the paper in her hand.

  Devlin stood at the door of the library. Her room was directly above the library. He could most probably hear her moving about.

  ‘Is that a letter you’ve written in your grasp?’ he asked.

  ‘Yes.’

  He bent so that he could read the name on the paper. ‘“Mr Ambrose Tenney”.’ Devlin’s eyes took on a wicked, humorous glint. ‘And how will Ambrose take this message?’

  ‘I’m not concerned about it at this point, but I have reconsidered everything twice at least.’ She lowered her hand and frowned. ‘I think he and I have both been wrong. A misunderstanding could have caused this. Yet, that doesn’t mean we are to be married. I don’t even want to be friends with him.’

  ‘It pleases me, Rachael, to hear you are investigating this.’ He reached out and took her fingertips, barely grasping them. ‘But you must be suspicious of anything he says if he is so unkind to you.’

  ‘I’ll take your words into consideration.’

  ‘Just be aware it is easy for most males to be rakish. So, if I were to agree I speak flattery, but you truly do have a most adorable nose, if for no other reason than it is in the middle of your face and beneath two expressive eyes, and lips that would make a grown man swoon, then how could you doubt it? Even if it is total nonsense—which it isn’t—I have taken the time to praise you. Obviously, I feel you are worthy of a compliment as I have proven it. My actions speak to you, even if my words are lightly given.’

  ‘I am much impressed. You have this business of being a rake down to a science.’

  He put his other hand beside his first, and rested it at her wrist, then, he raised her finge
rtips, stopping just short of a kiss against them. His breath warmed her. ‘Rachael. Being a rake is a twenty-four-hours-a-day endeavour. One becomes accomplished at anything if one practises that much.’ Then he brushed his cheek against her hand before releasing her. She suppressed any pleasant feelings caused by his touch. ‘You are treacherous.’

  He released her. ‘No. That boor is treacherous. I am accomplished.’

  ‘And that was rude.’

  ‘But not to you. I can’t be rude to you.’

  ‘Do you ever extinguish the rake part of you and just be truthful?’

  He shook his head. ‘If you are born with big feet, do you cut off your toes to make them the size of everyone else’s? If you have flower seeds, do you lock them in a box or do you plant them? If you are born with a chance to put happiness on faces, do you hide yourself into a room and be silent?’

  He stepped back, stopping at the door. ‘I must get on about my day. There are smile bouquets to deliver around town.’

  Still at the threshold, he continued. ‘And, if you will beg my sincerest pardon, then I must let you know that you are the one being unmannerly. Everything I have said about you is of the deepest truth. It may be delivered flippantly, but it is true. Whether you believe it or not is entirely up to you. You are exquisite and I don’t say that lightly.’

  * * *

  Footsteps in the hallway silenced their words.

  Payton strolled into view, his arms spread to grasp the doorframe, and leaned in. ‘Ready to leave—?’ He stopped when he saw Rachael and gave her a quick bow of his head. ‘So pleased that you are doing fine today, Miss Albright. I wanted to let Devlin know I’m about to leave. A business meeting we should attend. Cosgrove’s.’ He turned to Devlin. ‘You?’

  ‘Go without me,’ he said.

  Payton spoke. ‘Large sums at stake. You should come along.’

  ‘Miss Albright is still suffering from the incident. I cannot leave her.’

  Miss Albright’s mouth opened, and she regarded Devlin. ‘You must attend to your work.’

  ‘I can always catch up later.’

  Payton chortled. ‘An opportunity wasted for ever. Don’t let him mislead you, Miss Albright. Only one thing is more important than duty to Devlin and that is chivalry.’ He made a fist and thumped his arm over his heart. ‘The family honour demands that a lady’s comfort comes first. Always.’

  ‘Of course. Go on to your appointment.’ Devlin studied his fingernails. ‘Just don’t let anyone cheat at cards.’

  Payton clucked his tongue. ‘You’ve given me such an idea. I could pilfer Alfred’s marked cards, replace them with an exact set, but the spots indicating different cards.’ He shut his eyes tight. ‘Wouldn’t that be the biggest tale of the century. Right after I took his money, I’ll let him in on how I did it.’

  ‘You’d get yourself challenged to a duel.’

  Payton laughed. ‘Why not? Even that could be fun, if done correctly.’ He touched his chin. ‘Can pillows be chosen as a weapon?’ He nodded. ‘The problem isn’t with duelling—it is in the choice of weapons.’

  ‘Well, if you’re interested in a duel,’ Rachael inserted, ‘could you be so kind as to fight one over me? It would be grand if Mr Tenney thought, if only for an instant, that someone should be so infatuated with me that they might think I’m worthy of such attention.’

  Devlin observed her.

  ‘You want Devlin and me to fight a duel over you?’ Payton beheld her as if the last bit of her brain had fluttered out of the window.

  ‘It’s not so farfetched,’ Devlin commented. Payton didn’t have to appear shocked at the suggestion of someone fighting a duel over Rachael.

  ‘Of course.’ Payton caught himself. He pointed a finger and waved it rapidly between himself and Devlin. ‘I just don’t feel like shooting anyone today, or ever. Or running anyone through with a sword, particularly someone I could win money from at a card game.’

  ‘I have a fine pair of duelling pistols,’ Devlin said. ‘They’ve never been used and Grandfather purchased them new.’

  Payton’s eyes widened. ‘You’ve lost your senses.’

  Devlin shook his head. ‘A lady’s honour is at stake, Payton.’

  Payton’s mouth opened, and he didn’t speak for a second, then he turned to Rachael. ‘Miss Albright, if I have done the slightest thing to impugn your honour, I heartily retract it. I would wound myself before I would hurt you.’

  ‘You’ve done nothing to offend me at all,’ Rachael reassured him. ‘I think you a fine person and a delight to know. In fact, you are raising my spirits.’

  Indignation flared in Devlin. His cousin was raising her spirits?

  ‘Then what is all this duelling business about?’ Payton asked Devlin. ‘You know how fond I am of my boots and it’s hardly likely that I’d want to get blood on them or be buried in them.’

  ‘What if I show up at the hunting box and act enraged that you have dared to speak unkind words to Miss Albright?’ Devlin asked.

  ‘No,’ Payton said. ‘Never would I speak distressfully to her. Never. No one would believe that of me.’

  ‘We can apologise after we see how close we have come to shooting each other over her. The story would make its way around London.’

  Rachael stood closer to Devlin to capture his attention. ‘That is kind of you, Devlin. Exceedingly kind. But that’s a considerable effort. It touches my heart.’

  ‘A duel could be a theatrical performance everyone is in on,’ Devlin suggested. ‘Those pistols may never have been fired and could remain that way.’

  ‘We’re family,’ Payton agreed. ‘We can’t fight—openly. And I rarely reflect on throttling you. Though now, I’m thinking, if I could be the victor, it might be a good plan.’

  ‘You’ve both brightened my spirits considerably and made me understand how foolish revenge is. Besides, I would only allow a duel fought with pillows.’ Rachael clasped her hands in front of herself. ‘Please forget we ever spoke such nonsense. I hope you both go to that business endeavour and that you don’t have marked cards.’

  Payton removed an imaginary sword from a scabbard, swirled it in the air before tucking it at his side. ‘Should you ever need a duel fought in your honour, you know you only have to ask Devlin and me. We will fight to the last feather in a pillow for you.’

  Then he doffed an invisible hat, gave her a bow suitable for a room of royals and turned to his cousin. ‘You sure you’re not going?’

  Devlin waved him on. ‘There will always be another card game, but Miss Albright is a guest and I want to stay here in case she needs someone to duel with.’

  ‘He is an excellent choice, Miss Albright.’ Payton extended his fingers and gave a rotating wave in a half-circle. ‘I must be off. All this talk of duelling has concerned me and I must distract myself with the solace and respectability of gambling.’ He darted out of the door.

  ‘You should go with him,’ Rachael told Devlin.

  ‘I meant what I said. I want to make sure you have this behind you.’ And if Tenney had second thoughts and arrived to throw himself at her mercy, he wanted to be there.

  He took stock of Rachael. He couldn’t imagine her being so gullible as to take Tenney back. He believed she’d realised she didn’t truly love him and it was a relief. He didn’t want to think of her suffering any more than she already had.

  But when he took stock of her, it dredged up the two hurts she’d just had. One physical and one mental. And yet her jaw was locked. She wasn’t weeping and she didn’t throw herself into his arms. He admired that in her.

  She shook her head. ‘There is no need. Really, now there isn’t. You’ve shown me that, while it may take a few days to put this behind me, it doesn’t matter. I am fortunate that this happened. Very. It may cause a tumble inside me, but I am thankful for it.’

  �
��Did you truly not care that much for him?’

  Rachael didn’t answer at first. ‘I did when he asked me to marry him. I believed I did, up until the words in the letter made sense to me. I had arranged my own marriage, thinking it would be a love match later. A marriage like my parents’.’ She laughed without humour. ‘I gambled more than your cousin will, I suppose, and bet on a losing hand. The cards were probably marked in front of my face and I didn’t know it.’

  She shook her head. ‘I bet on a losing hand. Now I have to live with the loss and the consequences.’

  Ire flashed through Devlin’s body. Women were to be protected. Particularly good-hearted ones such as Rachael.

  He would fight for Rachael’s honour. And it would be with the same determination that he’d managed to stay on top of the hill to keep his territory.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Rachael could tell she was on the mend.

  The constant burning had dissipated and her steps didn’t hurt any more. As long as she stepped slowly and cautiously, she felt no pain.

  The carriage ride concerned her, but she wanted to get home, although she would miss Devlin.

  He’d had some of his meals with them and been attentive and ever so proper. Her mother glowed under the attention Devlin showered on the ladies at mealtimes and he could make his own mother laugh at the slightest thing.

  She’d been surprised at the difference when he was in the room. Everyone seemed happier and conversation flowed more lightly.

  But she’d not talked privately with Devlin since they’d discussed her betrothal ending.

  She heard booted footsteps. Her skirts swirled as she rose. Devlin walked into the doorway and the sunshine from the window highlighted him, making him stand out against the dark hallway and seem bigger.

  Then she remembered him pulling her into his arms and lifting her. It was as if she’d weighed no more than a porcelain doll and he’d carried her with the same care.

  Now he stood in front of her and secretly she admired his strength. Not just in his body, but the power he took for granted that was given him by birth and the depths she suspected that were hidden under the surface, but no one detected because he humoured everyone so well.