Chapter 2 #2
“I can’t imagine you are too fond of London, then,” remarked May with a laugh.
“A big animal enclosure, to be bold. And yourself?”
May stifled a chuckle. “Well, I’ve only just arrived. I can’t say I’ve seen much of it.”
“Really? By hearing you talk, I’d say you’re a right Londoner.” Lord Spencer frowned.
Tarnation. May completely forgot one of the most important aspects of her part. May, the lady, was from Essex. She couldn’t believe she’d botched it right from the start. With an effort, she dredged up some semblance of the accent she’d carried in her youth.
“My late papa’s estate is in Essex; however, when I was younger, we were often in London, and I suppose, having been here a couple of nights now, I’ve slipped into old habits. I do apologize if my speech might sound odd.”
“Not at all.” He inclined his head politely. “It is I who must offer my apologies for being the only one in your welcome committee. I believe the duke was not informed of your arrival, as he and Lady Hannah have just departed for a stroll around the gardens. He would not have left, had he known.”
“Indeed.” May forced a smile. Her entrance was timed to the very second, but this was not something to be revealed. Only admired, for the good bit of puppeteering that it was. The duke pulled her strings all too deftly.
With impeccable timing, the door swung open, and a beautiful woman appeared, with the duke half a step behind her.
There was a striking resemblance between them, but while both had dark hair and sharp features, his sister’s eyes were a soft, deep hazel, devoid of her brother’s cutting edge.
She brought with her the subtle aroma of lavender.
May stood at once, and the sight of her brought the presumed Lady Hannah to a halt.
“What’s this? Elias, I thought you said Cousin May would not arrive until tomorrow?” She whirled toward her brother.
“Do not ask me, dear sister, for I am just as clueless as you on the subject,” the duke said smoothly, making his way to May’s side. “Dear cousin, what a delightful surprise. I trust you had a smooth journey?”
She offered him her hand in greeting, as was customary, and briefly lost herself as his lips pressed into her silk glove in a show of familial devotion.
“Very smooth, indeed.” She widened her smile. That wicked plotter of a man. “I do apologize for barging in unannounced. My business wrapped up somewhat unexpectedly, and I found my day wide open. You will not begrudge me this imposition?”
“Not at all. Have you met Lord Spencer? He is also staying with us at the moment. This is my sister, Lady Hannah; she and Lord Spencer are—”
“—betrothed, brother.” Lady Hannah grinned, and May got the impression that she might have elbowed him, as younger sisters are often wont to do, if not for the company.
But she needn’t have bothered, as the duke winced well enough at her words alone.
“I am very pleased to meet you, Cousin. I confess, I do not remember meeting you before, although my brother says I should.”
“I believe we were both very little.” May’s worry could not be concealed.
“I regret to say I’ve been a stranger for too long to you all, only keeping up with your brother through some letters.
Even a third cousin like me knows one should not be too imposing on familial relations.
Truly, if I hadn’t come to London to marry, I wouldn’t trouble the duke at all.
You must know better than I do how protective he is of his time. ”
The duke inclined his head. “You need not be so harsh, Cousin. Family takes care of one another, and that includes you.” Was she imagining the warmth in his voice?
A hint of heat crept up May’s cheeks. “It is my responsibility to see you settled here for the Season. We must observe your father’s wishes for your future.
Although I cannot imagine we will have any difficulty seeing you well matched, as eligible as you are.
I’ve no doubt we will see many suitors at the door. ”
“Nonsense, brother.” Lady Hannah smiled. “You are most welcome to stay as long as you like. We women must be allowed to be choosy. Now, shall we get you settled into your rooms?”
“I will show her the way, sister,” Elias added smoothly. “I believe Lady May brought some documents for me to look at that are somewhat urgent.”
“Let Cousin rest from the road first, Elias.”
But the duke’s cue was clear enough. May moved to thank her hostess. “It is all right. I would much rather dispense with the business first and open my time to the leisure of getting to know you better.”
“Oh, all right. But do come down as soon as you are changed and settled. I will show you around.” Lady Hannah’s eyes were bright at the thought.
“Shall we, Cousin?” The note of sarcasm in Elias’s voice tickled.
She took the arm he offered.
How did that saying go? If you lie with the devil, you wake up in hell. May was only beginning to realize just what kind of fresh hell she’d gotten herself into.
Elias held open the door leading into Lady May’s quarters as his newly christened cousin made her way into the room. They made the trip up in silence, but Elias broke it as soon as they walked into the room.
“I trust you will find your lodgings comfortable, Cousin.” He toyed with the address, savoring its texture on his tongue.
His eyes followed Lady May as she strolled about the room, trailing her hand across the bedposts and chairs, as if examining the room for flaws. When his guest swung open the closet door, the numerous gowns and garments inside nearly burst out in a colorful kaleidoscope.
He watched for her reaction despite himself. Lady May’s lips quirked—in surprise, or something else…?
“My arrival must have been quite a shock.” She turned to him. Ah. It was amusement, then.
“Indeed. You caught me quite unprepared.” Elias threw up his hands with a smile.
He was impressed that she waged no direct accusations against him.
They would have been fair—he did leave her rather to fend for herself right upon her arrival.
Yet it had clearly been the right move. She’d made quite a first impression, one that was bound to linger with the damnable Lord Spencer.
It was unfortunate that Elias could not hold Hannah back a little longer to give them more time.
His dear sister had wretchedly good, albeit inconvenient, instincts.
Lady May turned back to the clothes, her fingers running over the fabrics. “How in the world did you manage this? You did ask for my measurements, of course, but all this—in two weeks? They can’t have been your sister’s?”
“Of course not.” What an offensive idea. “She would recognize them right away, dispelling your entire heiress image. But this is mere child’s play. I can do much more than this.”
“Really?” The wonder in her voice somehow spurred Elias to prove his claims. Focus, man. He kept getting distracted by the easy charm of her smile. “Yet you still have need of your cousin.”
She walked away from him yet again, only to lower into the chair by the vanity table and toy with the hand mirror that rested upon it.
How long has it been since Elias last felt this well matched in a conversation?
Last time, at the masquerade, she’d held her own well enough, but her surprise was evident.
The woman who stepped into his household today was impeccably composed, every word of hers thought out, every gesture a piece to a puzzle he would delight in cracking, bit by bit.
Elias moved to stand against the high-backed chair, fingers curling over the top of its carved back, just brushing Lady May’s shoulders.
From this vantage point, he could see her breasts rise and fall with every far too evenly measured breath.
She betrayed nothing, eyeing her own reflection and fixing a stray lock of hair.
Everything in Elias begged him to do more, to see if he had the same effect on her as she did on him.
He bent toward her ear.
“Family ought to help each other, don’t you think?” His voice dropped into a drawl.
Their eyes met in her raised mirror.
“Are you certain you wish to do this, Your Grace?”
With one unflinching question, the games had been abandoned. Elias’s facade faltered under its weight, leaving him winded with the answer he could not bear to say.
No, he had no wish to do this. Yet it had to be done if he was to spare his sister the agony of the heartache he himself endured.
The heartache Father had put him through to spare him a bigger pain.
Better to discover a loved one’s treachery before you were bound and trapped…
to find your future hollowed out by a stranger you trusted.
He was no fool; he knew too well the fallout that would follow, once their plan was fulfilled. Hannah would hate him.
He resigned himself to that. But why was the woman he was paying handsomely to lie the only one kind enough to ask if he really wanted the job done? And why did he feel grateful that she had?
Elias cleared the tightness in his throat.
“Perhaps we ought to straighten out some of the minutiae of our relationship. As you divulged earlier, we appear to have corresponded. Would you refresh my memory? Who has written to whom, pray tell?”
“Why, you, of course.” She did not miss a beat, breezing on as if he had not just frozen up and refused to answer. “Our shared childhood memories of swimming along the coast have brought you much solace after your father’s passing.”
Elias stilled. He hadn’t told her about Father.
She had a habit of catching him off-guard, somehow convincing his mind to forget that she was a hired professional, and he was a constant topic of discussion.
It had been foolish to expect she would not do her research.
He certainly would not get in bed with somebody he did not know—then again, what a lie.
With such a lovely companion, he was sorely tempted.
He’d have to content himself with testing the bounds of their connection instead… while the opportunity allowed.
“That will do.” He turned aside. “I am holding a hunt on the morrow. You are, of course, expected to join us. I have already taken the liberty of ordering your riding habit. The maid will make sure you are equipped as necessary.”
“A hunt?” That earned him a proper reaction. She turned in her chair to gaze up at him. “What are you planning?”
He offered no reassurance. “You need not venture down tonight. I’ll tell the servants to bring you a tray. We do not want to shatter your mystique too soon.”
“My mystique? Has Your Grace ever considered writing plays? For you certainly seem to have a knack for it.”
“You wound me, Cousin. Now, get some rest. You will need it for tomorrow.” He could not help pausing as he stepped into the corridor. “Should you want for anything, let me know.”
There was no answer but for the soft sound of the door clicking shut behind him.