Rescued By The Earl's Vows

Naive child. In his wilder days, he’d rarely come home before three in the morning, and if he was home, she might have caught him at home with a houseful of guests enjoying themselves in ways no respectable lady should be aware of. These days, he preferred to spend his time in the conservatory, with his plants. He narrowed his eyes. ‘Do you do this sort of thing often?’

‘Not any more. When I was at school in Bath, I and some of the other girls used to sneak out to get decent food, like cake and ice cream.’

‘Good Lord! What a hoyden you are.’

She waved a dismissive hand. ‘That is not important. Have you found Freeps?’

‘As promised, I sent a man to Kent the moment I came back from our drive.’

‘When do you expect his return?’

‘Tomorrow or the day after. I had some other errands for him to perform while he was there.’

She shook her head and paced to his desk, picking up the silver letter opener and putting it down again. ‘He will be too late.’

‘What is the urgency?’

She stared at him. For a moment he thought she might tell him the whole story. She shook her head. ‘Circumstances beyond my control.’

The worry in her eyes gave him pause. She wasn’t the sort to worry. She was the sort to solve a problem. Case in point, her visiting him at his office and her arrival at his house tonight. A most irritating sort of a woman. The managing kind. Yet for some reason her expression of anxiety still troubled him. Hester, his first wife, had done things she wasn’t supposed to just because someone told her she couldn’t. Lady Tess, however, seemed to have a purpose behind her mad starts. For some reason far beyond rational thought, he wanted to uncover that purpose.

Rider brought in the tea tray. His eyebrows climbed to his hairline when he saw this new version of Jaimie’s guest. He put the tray down with a decided bang. Cups and saucers rattled ominously.

Jaimie glared at his butler, but the man was right. This situation was completely improper and had to stop. And it would as soon as he’d solved the problem that had brought her to his door. ‘Sit down. Have a cup of tea.’

‘I can’t stay long. Someone might go into my room and find Mims there instead of me.’ But she did sit.

To his surprise, he liked the sight of her sitting in front of his teapot.

She gave him a startled look when he sat next to her rather than opposite. Dammit, she really was an innocent. If she had gone to any other man’s house at such a late hour she might have discovered herself in serious difficulty.

He waited until she had poured the tea, had drunk it and eaten a biscuit. ‘Perhaps you would like to tell me exactly what circumstances have changed?’

She put down her cup. ‘Things are moving more quickly than I anticipated. Freeps may be able to put me in touch with someone I need to speak to. Urgently.’

‘Then why not say so before? My messenger could have asked him for this other person’s directions. Why are you being so dashed secretive?’

‘Some secrets are not mine to tell.’

He stilled, instinct honing in not on the words, but the softening of her voice and the sadness in her expression.

‘A man?’ he asked, his voice icy. He should have seen this coming. This was just the sort of romantic idiocy Hester would have engaged in.

She swallowed, looking torn. He didn’t care what came out of her mouth, a man was involved. And she was dragging him into the mess. Hester had played him for a fool more than once, and in the end it had caused her death. But he had learned his lesson far too well.

He stood up and carried the tea tray to his desk. ‘I’m sorry, there is nothing more I can do. I will pass along the information regarding Freeps when my messenger returns and that will be an end to it. It is time for you to leave.’

When he turned back, she had risen. The look of betrayal in her remarkable brown eyes stopped him short. Against his better judgement, he gentled his tone. ‘I cannot assist you in some sort of clandestine relationship, Lady Tess.’

Her gaze slid away. ‘It is no such thing, I swear it! I cannot imagine why would you think so.’

He prowled towards her. ‘Can you not?’ Then he must make her understand. Give her a lecture of the avuncular sort. Point out the error of her ways, and the possible consequences...

But as he gazed into her lovely face, the words he sought escaped him.

She lifted her chin, gazing up at him with a tiny frown on her brow. Without another thought, he leaned closer and brushed his lips across the silk of her luscious mouth. Tasted the lush plump curve that had been a temptation from first sight.

Her lips parted on a gasp of shock, but she did not draw back. If anything, she leaned a little closer.

He firmed the kiss, lingering over the soft sweet pressure of her mouth on his, feeling her body soften, hesitant and trembling, but eager. She made a small sound low in her throat, half moan, half something he couldn’t name. He stroked a finger down her cheek, tasted her sigh.

He flicked his tongue along her bottom lip, a tiny little sip of innocence that was only a beginning.

Innocent.

He broke away, stifling a curse. What the devil was he thinking? The woman was far too alluring for her own good was what he was thinking.

She gazed at him wide-eyed. Her tongue touched her bottom lip in a brief exploration, as if she, too, could not quite believe what had occurred.

Should not have occurred.

‘That is why you should not come to a gentleman’s lodgings in the middle of the night. It could lead to something...untoward.’ He kept his tone cool, but damn it all, his blood was running hot. And his breathing was nowhere as steady as it should have been. ‘When my messenger returns I will give you the information you asked me to acquire. At that point I wash my hands of the whole business.’

With seeming difficulty, she regained control of her breathing. Good. He hoped she was suffering from the same sort of discomfort he was. Embarrassment, mostly.

Her shoulders straightened. ‘I expected better behaviour from a gentleman.’

Typical. Now she was blaming him, as if he had invited her here. He glared at her. ‘You should not go to any man’s house without a chaperon if you place a smidgeon of value on your reputation.’

She turned her face away from him. ‘Well I certainly won’t do it again, will I?’

Dear God, was she going to cry? Guilt assailed him. Dammit, she was the one in the wrong, not him. But grudgingly, he found himself saying, ‘Tell me who it is you actually seek, and I will decide whether or not to assist you further.’ What the hell was he getting involved in?

She paused in picking up her cloak and threw him a glance of dislike. He gritted his teeth against the desire to apologise for his brusqueness.

‘The friend from my childhood I spoke of at the masquerade.’ Fury sparked in her eyes when he curled his lip. ‘He is a friend. Nothing more.’ Her hands clasped together at her waist, her knuckles showing white. ‘He is in a position to assist me with a small problem.’

Hell and damnation. His horrified gaze went straight to her waist. ‘What problem?’

She flushed. ‘You are horrible, you know that? And it is none of your business. I simply need to find him.’

If she wasn’t being so mysterious, he wouldn’t be jumping to conclusions. He frowned. Perhaps she feared some sort of blackmail? A letter written to a lover? Something given away that did not belong to her?

Keeping such secrets always ended in disaster. ‘You should ask for help from your cousin.’

‘I cannot.’

This friend obviously meant a great deal to her if she was prepared to take such risks. Perhaps it was a friendship as she said, or perhaps it was more. He suspected the latter despite her denials. Clearly, though, she was not going to tell him anything more unless he could find a chink in her armour. ‘What is the worst your cousin is likely to do, if you tell him? Send you to his aunt in Yorkshire?’

Her spine stiffened. ‘Did you have to mention her?’

Trying to make her see sense was getting him nowhere. He couldn’t think why he was bothering. ‘I will send you a note the moment I have the information you seek.’

‘No. My cousin will wonder...’

Now she cared about the proprieties. He smiled a grim smile. ‘And now you know the reason your family tries to protect you.’

She coloured, no doubt recalling their kiss.

‘Well then, what engagement do you have tomorrow night?’ he asked.

She looked startled.

‘I am invited to all the best places, you know.’ He swallowed the urge to chuckle at her look of chagrin. ‘I promise you, I will be discreet.’

‘We are to attend Lady Bloomfield’s musicale tomorrow evening.’

‘Very good. I will see you there. In the meantime, let me get you back into your disguise and send you home in my carriage. You should not be wandering the streets at this time of the morning.’

She gasped. ‘I couldn’t possibly arrive in your carriage. Someone might see it.’

This time he laughed. ‘Do you think I am not up to snuff when it comes to intrigue? My dear Lady Tess, the carriage will be unmarked and it will drop you around the corner from your cousin’s house, but my driver will ensure you go inside before he leaves.’ He’d make sure Growler drove her home. He would find the location of this Freeps and that would be an end of the imbroglio. He had enough going on in his life, without adding the problem of a woman who didn’t trust him an inch.

Thank goodness when he decided to take a wife again, it would be a nice, quiet girl who would be happy embroidering handkerchiefs, producing his heirs and behaving herself with decorum. He wished he’d married a woman like that the first time. A woman more like his mother. A faint bedtime memory of a sweet voice singing drifted across his mind. He tried to recall her face, but it drifted away like smoke on a breeze.

Bitterness filled him. He had so few memories of his parents and they were getting more and more elusive. Forcing his mind back to the present, he picked up the sash and one of the pillows. ‘Come on, then. Let’s get you ready.’

The sooner she left, the sooner he could get back to what was important.

And yet as he tied the sash around her now bulky form his unruly body expressed a strong desire to take her out of her clothes, not bundle her up.

Dammit.

Chapter Four

The Bloomfield music room was full to bursting. Seated in a row near the front, only by sheer willpower did Tess squash the urge to look over her shoulder to see where Sandford was seated.

‘Sit still, Theresa,’ Wilhelmina hissed. She glanced worriedly at the man on Tess’s other side, the man whom Phin wanted her to marry. Somewhere in his late thirties, Mr Stedman wasn’t much taller than Tess, and his pale complexion and portly figure spoke of a sedentary life. Fortunately, at the moment he seemed oblivious to everything but the young lady playing the harp. A most uninspired performance in Tess’s estimation, but perhaps she was not in the mood for music. She nibbled her bottom lip. Would Sandford keep his promise? And if so, how would he manage to speak to her without attracting attention?

The piece finally concluded to polite applause.

‘Brava!’ Stedman called out. Several people turned to stare, but he seemed oblivious to that, too. He half-turned in his seat. ‘A fine example of the young lady’s talent, Lady Theresa. When might I have the pleasure of hearing you play or sing?’

When the sun ceases rising above the horizon?

‘Theresa has a lovely voice,’ Wilhelmina hastened to say. ‘Perhaps when you have dinner with us next week she will oblige us.’

Tess gritted her teeth at their insistence on using her full name. Could she really stand listening to her name spoken in that precise way for the rest of her life? She might not have a choice if Grey couldn’t be found. And even he was located he might be unable or unwilling to assist... She forced the doubt aside. Grey would not let her down again. He must only have meant to borrow the bracelet, perhaps to pawn? Surely he would have intended to redeem it as soon as possible and return it to her?

‘Refreshments are served in the Egyptian drawing room,’ their hostess announced from the front of the room.

Mr Stedman offered his arm and, along with the rest of the guests, they shuffled along their respective row and were herded out of the gilt music-room doors. The invitation had spoken of a select gathering, but to Tess it looked as if every member of the ton were present. All except Sandford. Dratted man.

Mr Stedman hissed out a breath. ‘Lady Theresa. My arm. Your grip.’

She loosened her hold. ‘I beg your pardon.’

He patted her hand where it now rested lightly on his sleeve. ‘Do not fear, I shall protect you.’

He couldn’t protect a rabbit. A baby one. She smiled absently, scanning the faces around her, but given her lack of inches she could not see beyond those standing closest.

The drawing room proved to be a nightmare of overcrowded heavily carved furniture representing all manner of strange beasts, such as crocodiles and ibis. One had to be careful not to bark one’s shins on sharp claws or beaks while manoeuvring around the people crammed inside.

‘I must congratulate Lady Bloomfield on her daughter’s performance,’ Wilhelmina said. She swanned off in a rustle of royal-blue silk.

‘I shall get us some tea,’ Mr Stedman announced. ‘Wait right here.’

Was she to pretend to be a statue? Tess inched out of the centre of the room to stand beside a low table by a window.

Finally, she could breathe. And have a proper look about her.

‘Lady Tess.’

She nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of Sandford’s voice so close to her ear and the light graze of his breath across the top of her shoulder.

‘Lord Sandford! You startled me.’

‘You were expecting me, were you not?’

‘Yes, but—’ She glanced up into his haughty expression. ‘Do you have to creep up on a person?’

Her heart sped up. Because he had startled her—nothing else. And if the recollection of his kiss had flashed into her mind, it was only to remind her to be extremely careful around this man.

He gave a soft laugh. ‘One would be hard pressed to sneak about in here.’

That low laugh made butterflies take wing in her lower abdomen. So annoying. She glanced towards the teacart. Mr Stedman was on his way back with two teacups in one hand and a plate of biscuits in the other.

‘Do you have news for me, my lord?’ She kept her voice low in case anyone was listening, but could not keep the urgency out of her tone.

His eyes were sympathetic. He had no reason for sympathy, unless... Her stomach dipped.

‘Excuse me.’ Mr Stedman thrust a teacup and saucer at Tess. ‘Lady Theresa, your tea. I put plenty of sugar in it.’

Of course he would. She usually only took cream, but he’d made her tea the way he liked his.

And how had he moved so quickly through the crowded room? She ground her teeth in frustration. ‘Mr Stedman, may I introduce you to Lord Sandford?’

Her swain visibly brightened. He set the plate down on a nearby table, and with an overly friendly expression reached out to shake Sandford’s hand, pumping as if it would cause nobility to spill forth and anoint him. ‘Please to meet you, my lord. Very pleased.’

Tess sipped at her tea, naughtily wondering how the stiff nobleman would handle such an effusive greeting.

Sandford raised an eyebrow. ‘Stedman.’ An awkward pause ensued.

Stedman swallowed down a sip of tea. ‘What about this business of Ireland, then, my lord? Damn lot of Catholics wanting the same rights as Protestants. Divisive, I call it. Taking positions that belong to good Christian men.’

‘Truly, sir?’ Sandford looked down his nose. ‘Personally, some of my best friends are of the Catholic persuasion and are all able men and certainly Christian.’ Sandford’s gaze shifted to her. ‘What is your opinion on the issue, Lady Tess?’

Tess tried to hide her surprise. He wanted her opinion? But the mocking curve to his lips gave him away. No doubt he wanted to make her say something she would regret.

Stedman’s face darkened. He put up a hand to forestall her answer. ‘Lady Theresa thinks as her cousin thinks, I should suppose.’

Rebellion rose inside her. ‘I think people should be judged by what they do rather than because of their religious leanings.’

Mr Stedman looked so affronted that she wished she had held her tongue. And then she didn’t. Now she really was getting to know him better, the idea of being married to this man was becoming more and more distasteful. ‘Lord Sandford?’ she enquired sweetly.

‘I agree wholeheartedly, Lady Tess.’

‘Theresa,’ Mr Stedman muttered. ‘Lady Theresa.’ He glared at Sandford.

Tess took a sip of tea to hide her smile of triumph, poor victory though it might have been.

A bored expression passed across Sandford’s face. He bowed. ‘If you will excuse me, my lady, I see an acquaintance.’ He wandered off and the next moment was deeply engrossed in conversation with Lord Canning, a known supporter of Catholic emancipation.

Tess swallowed a laugh at the look of fury on Mr Stedman’s face. Oh dear, she really was beginning to dislike him very much indeed. How very awkward.

‘You may smile, Lady Theresa,’ he said stiffly, ‘but one expects a man in his position to set an example, not go about inciting unrest. Next thing he’ll be supporting the idea that women should have a say in Parliament. I would have thought better of a friend of the King’s. And as for you supporting such reactionary views, well, I am shocked. Mother would be most dismayed.’

She opened her mouth to issue a set-down, then closed it again, with the greatest difficulty. One could hardly cause a scene, like refusing a proposal as yet to be made, in such a public place, but, oh, she hoped Sandford had good news. A feeling of dread in her stomach promised something else.

A servant near the door rang a bell.

‘Time to return to our seats,’ she said.

‘Yes, indeed. Come along, Lady Theresa. We don’t want to lose our places.’

She wanted to lose him with all her heart.

As they moved towards the music room, she glimpsed Sandford paying close attention to the words of a most elegant female. Tall and willowy and blonde, she was exactly the sort of woman men preferred. Her heart seemed to dip and that was ridiculous. She was disappointed that they hadn’t had a chance to talk, that was all.

The only reason to even notice Sandford existed, she told herself, was that she needed to find Grey.

The evils of her situation suddenly felt unbearable. With her father’s death her life had turned upside down and her expectations had changed dramatically. If only things could go back to the way they were before that day, life would once again be perfect.

A childish wish for things that could never be. She had to find her own solutions now.

She glanced at Stedman and repressed a little shudder.

* * *

While he listened to Lady Caroline with half an ear, Jaimie watched Lady Tess walk out of the drawing room on Stedman’s arm. Why on earth would a woman as lively and intelligent as she put up with such an idiot? The way the man put a hand in the small of her back as he ushered her out of the room exhibited a possessiveness Jaimie found distasteful in the extreme. Devil take it. Lady Tess was none of his business. And once he delivered his news, his obligation was at an end.

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