“Well said, my lady. I applaud your courage.” He took a step back and bowed to her, loving her spirit. He could barely contain the pleasure that rippled through his body. “The small favor is this: I wish to invite you to Lomond House this weekend to meet my lord father, his grace, the Duke of Lomond, and my family. You are a treasure, Lady Crystal. I know they’ll enjoy talking to you.”
“You wish me to discuss my views about marriage with the Duke of Lomond?” she asked.
“I know my father speaks very highly of Earl Wilding. What I’d like is for him to hear your views about having choice in marriage. We are at loggerheads over it, and I fear I am losing the battle. I will have to agree to his choice, although the thought of having no affection or care for the woman I will marry sickens me.”
She tilted her head, her face soft with understanding. “I’d gladly give you my support, though I fear it will make no difference to a man of your father’s standing.”
“I’d like him to hear it, and I’d be grateful for your support.” He took her hand, bent over it, and kissed it before straightening. “But perhaps hold back on the subject of desire. I want his grace to like you.”
Chapter Four
After Lord Lyle had taken his leave, Crystal made her way to the small dining room at the back of the three-bedroom apartment she occupied in the house. Although the building had once been the height of fashion, grand in its vicinity to the high street, the need for income had seen the family modify it into six separate apartments. The rents were sorely needed, with the falling price of black angus cattle and the halving of the revenue from their kelp farm.
Crystal had taken residence here three months ago, after her father’s death, needing to get away from the family lands in the far north. The earl had fallen in battle in Spain, a musket shot and a well-aimed kick to his head from his stallion causing his demise.
Her grief at her father’s loss disturbed her in its complexity. How often she had wished him gone due to his heavy drinking and dominating behavior—and now he was. When she was a girl, she’d ridden at his side in the hunt, and he’d taught her much, as if she’d been a son. How she’d loved him. When she was full-grown, their relationship had changed. The earl never had a happy word to say, but plenty about her place and her duty. Still, grief was grief.
Hilda placed milk and broth made from a hen in front of her. Kale and carrots bought fresh from the market had been added to the soup, and she ate it, delighted with the rich flavor. It was only after she’d finished her supper and Hilda came to collect her bowl that she realized her maid wore a disapproving look, black enough to scare demons back to hell.
“Delicious broth,” Crystal said lightly. “Thank you.”
“That man had the look of a fox after a rabbit,” Hilda said with a huff.
“I take it you dinnae like him?”
Although her maid was a servant, she was also a distant cousin and a clan member of Crystal’s late mother. Hilda had needed a job when she’d lost her husband. Crystal allowed her to have her say because the woman had been with her and her sisters since the cradle. When her mother had died five years ago of the wasting disease at the age of forty, Hilda became the one Crystal confided in. Hilda had told her that her mother started off a strong, vibrant woman when she’d wed Crystal’s father at eighteen, but after so many years of brutal domination, she had wilted like a flower deprived of sunshine and water until she had become a husk of herself.
Crystal still mourned her beautiful mother, and anger resided in her chest at her mother’s terrible treatment. She was lonely, too. She had no one except her two sisters and Hilda.
The maid crossed her meaty arms. “I promised your mother on her deathbed I’d take care of you, and mark my words, that lord wants something from you.”
“And he’s going to get it.”
Hilda made a spluttering sound. “What?”
Crystal pushed her plate away and stood, weary from the difficult evening. “Lord Lyle is the heir to a dukedom, and he’s invited me to spend the weekend with his family. He wants me to meet his father. Other members of the family will be there, too. I was going to ask you to accompany me, but since you’re so disapproving…”
“Aye, and which duchy would that be?” Hilda muttered. “I’ve heard your speech. The duchy of independence, more like. Though I’m sure gentlemen think you’re offering favors.”
“Really, Hilda, you are being far too coarse for my liking. I also talk about educating women and their rights. The duchy of Lomond is an old and respectable estate.”
Hilda gasped.
Crystal bit her lower lip, trying not to laugh. She left the dining room and headed to her bedroom down the hall, knowing Hilda would follow.
“But that’s one of the richest in the land and not that far from here!” Hilda declared. “My cousin works as a carpenter on the new house the duke is building. He tells me it’s verra beautiful.”
“So, now you approve?” Crystal sat in front of her dresser and started pulling pins from her hair.
“Not exactly. Lord Lyle has hardly given you notice, and that’s most ungentlemanly. Admittedly, though, I’m interested to see Lomond House. It’s right famous,” Hilda said. She picked up the hairbrush and started brushing Crystal’s hair. “I cannae understand. Why is he asking you to meet the duke? I’ve not heard that his grace concerns himself with the issue of women’s education. Certainly not with the French war at our doors.”
“Lord Lyle claims he wants my support because he doesn’t believe in forced marriage, but I confess, I’m not convinced that’s why he has developed a sudden interest in me. But his father is very important. He has a seat in the House of Lords and wields much influence. I’d do well to curry favor with those who have the power to create change.”
“Do you really think a grand aristocrat will support your radical views?”
“Tonight, many did not. But at other meetings, the men saw the sense of what I’ve been arguing. They also understood the injustice of our property laws. After all, men have mothers, sisters, and daughters. They may not talk about it publicly, but plenty have seen their womenfolk hurt by fortune seekers and scoundrels.”
“You’ve a good heart, my lady, but I’m not convinced Lord Lyle was thinking of social justice when he invited you to visit.” Hilda glanced at Crystal’s reflection in the mirror as she unbuttoned the back of her gown. “You’re a strip of a lassie with strong ideas. You’re not going to Lomond House without me as your chaperone, for that lord had ravishment in his eyes. You mark my words.”
Chapter Five
Saturday
Crystal wasn’t foolish enough to think Lord Lyle had developed feelings for her, but she knew he was capable of a deeper understanding of her ideas. If she was to affect real change in the education of and working situations for women, she needed powerful men on her side.
Men such as the Marquis of Lyle and his father, the Duke of Lomond.
“Oh look, my lady. There’s Lord Lyle, riding out to meet you,” Hilda said, pressing her fleshy cheek and nose against a spotless pane of coach glass, causing mist to stain it. “Och, he is dashing on that black stallion.”
“What happened to not liking him?” Crystal pressed her cheek to the carriage window by her seat to see. But she was on the wrong side, and short of climbing over her maid, there was nothing she could do. A thrill of anticipation rose inside her, and she realized she was excited to see him, even though she had told herself not to be.
“I like how he is seated on that stallion. My pa worked for a lord who bred warhorses, and that is a well-muscled Friesian mount if I’ve ever seen one,” Hilda declared.
“You make a better door than a window, Hilda. Shift aside, for I cannae see.”
Crystal leaned across her to look out. In the distance, wearing a black hat, red riding coat, pale breeches, and long boots, Lord Lyle g
alloped toward them. Heat rose between her breasts, and she put her hand to her throat. She knew desire when it slammed into her, causing her breath to shorten.
The spying had started when she was eighteen. She had found a way to ignite her passion, thanks to the hole in the wall set behind large whisky kegs in the castle distillery. It was there she had touched herself as she watched the handsome footman bury his face in the maid’s cunny. She’d never imagined a man would do something like that, but unlike the maid, she’d never been able to bring herself to the state of the panting deliverance, which appeared to be some sort of complete abandonment of the senses. She assumed it must be due to some magic that the man possessed, but it was difficult to discover what it was.
Although a silk scarf covered her neck, she could feel her pulse skittering under her fingertips. Here a wonderful heady sensation threatened to take her over—nothing like the maid had experienced, but a bubbling, fizzing sensation. It was the first time she’d experienced excitement over a gentleman of her own class. “Fine, indeed.”
“Keep your head, lassie. I ken you’re not talking about the horse,” Hilda said.
“Like you, I’m interested to see the new house,” Crystal said, making sure to keep her words nonchalant, for just the sight of Lord Lyle had made her breath catch and her voice husky.
“My cousin, who works for Earl Druam in London, said this extravagant manor is the talk of the ton,” Hilda said, craning to see the house through the trees.
“It’s more a palace than a manor. Still, I’m sure it’s much better than the cold, draughty castle at home, where everything is so old and costly to repair,” Crystal said.
“Or living in Old Reeky,” Hilda said, referring to Edinburgh, famous for its stink.
The driver slowed the coach and halted on Lord Lyle’s approach. Crystal opened her window and raised her hand in greeting.
Lord Lyle slowed his stallion to a halt next to the carriage, swept off his black hat, and bowed from his seated position on his horse. “Lady Crystal, welcome to Lomond House. I trust you have had a comfortable journey?”
Oh, he was handsome, with his coal-black hair and winter-sky blue eyes glinting. The stallion tossed its head, but Lyle steadied it with a slight tug to its reins. She swallowed, her throat suddenly dry at the commanding sight of the lord who would one day be a duke. “Thank you for sending your coach. It was only an hour’s drive from town, but I’ll be glad to walk a little, for my bones were thoroughly shaken on these roads.”
He turned his head and looked at his driver, Jenson. “Were you racing the carriage again?”
“Just a little, my lord,” Jenson said with a perfectly straight face.
Lord Lyle leaped off his horse, opened the carriage door, and held out his hand. “Climb down, Lady Crystal. We’ll walk to the house. It isn’t far, and it will give me a chance to tell you about the more interesting members of my family.”
“My lady?” Hilda asked.
“I’m fine, Hilda. Lord Lyle is hardly likely to ravish me on the driveway,” she said wryly.
“What a wonderful idea,” he said with a wicked grin. “Unfortunately, I don’t wish to be caught by Lomond, as he is rather a prudish and old-fashioned duke, so I’ll have to behave.”
“Phff!” Hilda made a deprecating noise and looked away. Crystal hoped Lord Lyle had not heard it.
She accepted his helping hand, the warmth of it penetrating through her gloves, and climbed down from the coach. “You’ve a fine mount. Very impressive.”
“If you would like to ride tomorrow, I’m sure I could find you something suitable. Though perhaps not a stallion, because they can be difficult to handle.” He held out his arm for her to take and, as he led his horse with his other hand, they walked down the long driveway toward the house.
“You’d be surprised at what I can manage.” She was a very experienced rider, having grown up in the Highlands.
“You are a constant delight and surprise, Lady Crystal. I’ll find you a frisky pony so we can ride far, and I’ll finally get to spend time alone with you.” He chuckled, then glanced her way.
Her stomach fluttered and her heartbeat rose from the hot look he gave her.
She lifted her eyebrows. “How very improper of you to be thinking of getting me alone already.”
“I can think of nothing else,” he said huskily.
“I understand I’ve inflamed you by speaking of desire, but I meant it in terms of every woman’s feelings. Not me specifically.”
He stopped and turned the full force of his gaze on her. “Not true. I know you spoke of your own feelings. I much prefer to think of you, Lady Crystal, full of desire.”
Her face burned, and she was certain it was bright pink. Hilda’s warning came to mind because, damn it, she wanted him filled with desire, as well.
For her.
She took a deep breath to calm herself. “You know very well it isn’t appropriate to speak so.”
“Perhaps not, but should I lie? I truly can think of nothing else.”
Before she had time to answer, they rounded a slight bend, and she could see the magnificent new manor house with a whole line of servants waiting for them out front. She gasped at the enormity of the glittering stone building surrounded by lakes and gardens.
“Why, it’s absolutely beautiful.”
“His grace has spared no expense building the house of his dreams for my stepmother.”
Crystal thought she detected a catch in Lyle’s voice. She glanced up at him. “Does that displease you?”
“The new duchess has a great love of innovation, and she wants a palace to live in, not merely a house. What will my father indulge her with next? The moon? It is a sickness.”
Surprise coursed through Crystal. “You’re saying…the duke is in love with her?”
Lyle’s mouth thinned into a line. “Indeed. It is a second marriage and full of happiness.”
“Then I don’t understand why you appear to be so disenchanted. Surely, you want your father to be content?”
“My father means for my arranged marriage to a wealthy heiress to pay for all this splendor. I don’t wish to be used. He was too pious to take a mistress after my mother died, which is a shame, as it would have been far cheaper,” he said through slightly clenched teeth.
She nodded in sympathy. “Ah. I can see why you are cynical, my lord.”
He was right when he said they were alike. It disgusted her that both men and women were being forced to marry for financial gain.
“Besides, I’m a Scot, and I think like a Scot,” he said. “I dinnae wish to see money flowing like water down a river. The family seat I grew up in, when my mother was still alive, was wonderful. Perfectly fine for our needs.” He gave his stallion a tug on the reins as it pulled to munch grass.
She tilted her head and contemplated the manor’s graceful edifice. “And yet, this will all be yours one day. It certainly is a magnificent building. The duke and duchess have exquisite taste. Lomond House reminds me a little of Buckingham House,” she said, her voice filled with awe as they approached the three-story, double-winged building.
His hand slid from the crook of her arm, and he took hold of her hand and squeezed it gently. “I would rather have a woman with whom I am madly in love than inherit an outstanding manor house filled with generations of pressure and expectations. I think we lose sight of what’s important because of money.”
His deep show of vulnerability warmed her. “It seems you’re a fierce spirit, too,” she said softly, looking into his eyes. “Your heart is in the right place.”
“Aye, and meeting another such spirit means a lot to me. I dinnae feel so alone.”
It was like falling into a cloud when he was so close. She pulled her hand away because she couldn’t think. “I speak about women, but I’ve never thought about how the gentlem
en are affected.”
“I’m glad I met you last night. You understand how I think and feel,” he said, relief in his voice. “I can talk to you.”
They strolled toward the house, and she put her hand over her heart at the staff turnout for her. Ten liveried servants were standing at attention in front of the house’s steps. The only time her father had lined up the castle staff like that was when his fatted hog had gone astray and he’d fancied bacon. Even growing up in a castle had not prepared her for this level of grandness.
Lord Lyle stepped aside to give his horse’s reins to a footman. “Lady Crystal, welcome to Lomond House. Come, I’ll introduce you to his grace, my father.” He offered her his elbow again and led her toward the grand entry, the servants bowing as they passed.
She glanced behind her to see Hilda organizing the footman and driver to retrieve her box from the carriage.
Standing at the top of the stairs at the elaborate entrance was Lord Lyle’s father, the Duke of Lomond. Although he was heavier than Lord Lyle, that he was his sire was unmistakable. Age had not tarnished his good looks. Next to him stood a pretty woman with mauve ribbons in her hair, which matched the color of her silk dress.
“The Duke and Duchess of Lomond”—Lord Lyle nodded to them in turn—“may I present to you Lady Crystal Wilding?”
Crystal gave a deep curtsey. When the introductions and small talk were done, the duchess stepped forward and took her arm in a friendly manner. The gesture surprised Crystal, given their difference in status.
“Lady Crystal, Lyle has spoken so much about you this morning, I feel I know you already.”
“He has? Gracious,” Crystal said cautiously. She glanced at Lord Lyle.
He nodded. “Indeed, I have, Lady Crystal. I have spoken of your many fine attributes,” he said, his stern face giving nothing away, but his eyes glittered.
An Unsuitable Lady for a Lord (Scottish Lords and Ladies) Page 3
