Forgive me, please. I did not leave you. My parents took me to London against my will. Please, Alexander, please come rescue me as soon as you can. I still wish to be with you. I don’t care what my parents want. I love you with all my heart.
Her written words echoed in his head. The silly girl continued to want him and so the game was still on. He could marry her yet and win it all.
“Well,” a soft, lazy voice asked, “what does she say?”
Alexander looked over at the beautiful woman who lay naked in his bed, her long blond hair tousled and her eyes sleepy, and his heart thudded in his chest. Lucy Camden had only just awakened when the letter from Sara Fleming arrived, even though it was well past noon. Then again, he had kept her up rather late last night.
He flashed her a triumphant smile. “It seems we’re going to London, darling.”
Lucy perked up at that. In fact she squealed with delight, sitting up in bed, her golden hair falling over her bare shoulders, and clapped her hands together. “London! How wonderful! I’ve always dreamed of going there.”
“Yes, the little chit wishes for me to come ‘rescue’ her.” He frowned in thought. Perhaps he shouldn’t bring Lucy to London with him. That might be a bit too bold. Yet he couldn’t imagine being away from her for that long. He needed Lucy like he needed air to breathe.
Lucy Camden was the only good thing in his life that had ever come to him easily. An orphan and the distant relation of the wealthy Ellsworth family, Lucy had earned her keep by being the companion to Margaret Ellsworth, the old matriarch of the family. And Lucy bitterly resented every minute of it, feeling that she was belittled and taken advantage of. Alexander met Lucy at a garden party last summer in Newport. Immediately struck by her sultry blond beauty, he fell hopelessly in love with her when he noticed her pocketing a pearl necklace from one of the young ladies at the party.
They were kindred spirits, he and Lucy, because they wanted the same things out of life. They lived on the edge of respectability and did what they needed to do to get what they wanted and they didn’t care who got in their way. He’d been with Lucy since last summer and hadn’t tired of her yet, as he usually did with other women. Because Lucy Camden wasn’t at all like other women.
In fact it was his brilliant little Lucy who told him about Sara Fleming in the first place, having seen her as a guest at the Ellsworths’ grand house in Newport last summer. Lucy was the one who devised the scheme for Alexander to meet her.
It was a shame that Sara’s parents had ruined everything when he had worked so hard and planned it all so thoroughly. He had toed the line and played each move perfectly in his seduction of her. Sara quickly fell head over heels in love with him and she believed he loved her. In all honesty, it was ridiculously easy to do.
Sara Fleming was a very attractive, if a little spoiled and vain, young woman, and so very ripe for the picking. After playing the romantic hero for her with a few stolen kisses and sweet words of eternal devotion, she was his. It certainly wasn’t a hardship to be with her. Alexander had actually enjoyed some of the time he spent with her. Her parents had been cordial to him and seemed to approve of him, at least outwardly. Why, he thought he’d totally won over the captain with his talk of being a self-made man! Hard work. Grit. Schooling. Gumption. Determination to make a better life for himself. All that sort of nonsense.
Alexander had fooled them all into believing he was an upstanding man of character with a bright future in the law, which was only half true. He’d stolen a small fortune to put up that front, to wear the proper clothes and appear as an up-and-coming lawyer. Aware that he couldn’t hope to enter Sara Fleming’s social circle with the Vanderbilts and the Astors, he’d even arranged for their accidental meeting that October afternoon in Central Park. It had been Lucy’s brilliant idea to startle the horse, causing Sara to fall and creating a seemingly unplanned moment. And Alexander was right there to rescue her. He’d charmed her easily and their courtship was a simple affair filled with pretty words and gentlemanly ways. He’d even stolen a diamond engagement ring, intending to propose to her before she disappeared with her parents. It was another little trinket he’d lifted from an unsuspecting society matron.
“I’ve been thinking, Drakey.” Lucy interrupted his thoughts, a sly little smile on her full lips.
“Have you now?” He stood and tossed Sara’s letter into the fireplace. He made his way back to the bed, his robe falling open.
“Yes, I have.” She reached her arms up to him and greedily pulled him down on top of her.
Easing his weight over her lush little body, he kissed her pouty lips before asking, “What are you thinking in that pretty head of yours, sweet Lucy?”
“I think I shall pretend to be your sister during our trip to London,” she explained with an amused smile. “No one there will know and I can be with you all the time.”
Alexander rolled off her and settled back into the pillows, placing his arms behind his head. He loved the way her mind worked. “My sister?”
“Yes,” she continued with excitement. “We can say I came to New York to visit you, and you had no choice but to bring me to London with you. It will appear much more respectable if you have your sister with you. It’s perfect. We even look a little alike with our blond hair and light eyes.”
He nodded, stunned by the brilliant simplicity of her plan. “Yes . . . It could work. I think I even mentioned my seven siblings to her once. She’d probably be thrilled to meet you too!” Alexander laughed at the thought, then turned serious. “Except that means that we will have to pay for two ship passages and all the hotels, travel, and meals. New clothes for the both of us. Going to London to marry her will be a very expensive and risky undertaking, Lucy. Her parents are already suspicious and will try to stop us. I’m going to have to elope with her there. That will cost even more money.”
Lucy placed a kiss on his cheek. “We can sell the engagement ring.”
Yes, they would have to part with the diamond. Alexander wanted to travel to London with Lucy in grand style and that would cost a pretty penny. He wished he could cover Lucy’s entire body with diamonds. One day he would do just that.
“We must look the part when we arrive in London or it won’t work, Drakey. We shall book adjoining rooms on the next ship to London. We need the money to do that, so we’ll sell the ring. It’s nothing compared to the millions we’ll get our hands on when you marry that Fleming girl.” Lucy positioned her naked body over his, straddling him, her long legs pressing against his thighs. “You can make it up to me then.”
“That will most definitely be arranged, my love,” he answered. “You’ve been such a sweet, patient girl and you shall be richly rewarded.”
The plan was, once he got his hands on the Fleming millions, he would set Lucy up in a grand house of her own, with servants, beautiful clothes, jewels, and anything else she desired. She would never have to feel subservient again. Lucy didn’t care about marrying Alexander, or any man for that matter. Lucy simply wanted to be rich enough to have whatever she wanted, and he couldn’t blame her for that. In fact, he admired her for it, because they shared the same dreams.
Again, Lucy smiled that slow, seductive smile of hers that weakened him to her power every single time. He could deny her nothing when she smiled at him like that. “The best part will be . . .” Lucy said with a triumphant gleam in her eye. “You can introduce me to everyone as Miss Lucille Drake.”
“My innocent little sister,” he laughed wickedly as she moved her hips over him.
9
Trade Winds
Christopher Townsend, the Earl of Bridgeton, glanced around the crowded ballroom, his eyes searching for one woman in particular. He knew she was here, for he saw her mother just a moment ago. He finally spied her dancing with a young man he recognized from his club. With his heart thudding in his chest and echoing in his head, he made his way over to her as the dance ended.
“Miss Beckwith,” he called, eyeing
her pleasant face and soft brown curls. She wore a gown of white silk with enormous puffed sleeves, which gave her the ungainly appearance of a snowball. He steeled his resolve, recalling that her father had endowed her with a massive dowry, which would solve all his financial problems and then some, for years to come. “Isn’t this our dance?” he asked, mustering his most dashing smile.
“Why, Lord Bridgeton, I believe you are correct!” she gushed, waving her fan and glancing up at him.
Hating himself for what he was doing, he took Bonnie Beckwith in his arms as the orchestra played. She chattered amiably about he knew not what nor could he respond except with the merest of acknowledgments. While meaningless words came from her cupid bow mouth, his heart was sick with dread. He must convince this woman, this odd little stranger with the wide eyes and the snowball dress, to marry him when he had no desire to marry her at all. In fact, he didn’t even wish to be dancing with her. But he must.
He had to save his family. He had to save the estate. As the Earl of Bridgeton, Christopher was now obligated to pay his father’s outrageous debts and care for his mother and sisters. And to do that he needed to marry this peculiar personage who babbled incessantly as he waltzed her around the ballroom.
It felt as if ice water ran in his veins.
Earlier that day he met with his investment partner about their shipping venture. The outlook was still not good. They might not see a profit for another year at least, and even then the amount wouldn’t be enough to keep him solvent yet. He had gone to the meeting with the expectation of some good news, a glimmer of hope for a financial return in the near future, which would see him through. But it wasn’t to be.
So Christopher was left with the only option available to him. Marriage. He’d done his research thoroughly. There were only two feasible prospects with enough money to resolve his financial trouble.
First there was Bonnie Beckwith. She was the pampered daughter of an immensely wealthy textile merchant who wanted to marry his daughter to a title and didn’t care what it cost, and Christopher’s title was definitely for sale. She was pleasant enough, if a little odd. The thought of spending his life with this round chatterbox with the big eyes made him a little queasy. With the way she batted her eyelashes at him, he figured he could win her over easily enough. His youth, good looks, and his earldom made that possible, in spite of his disinterest.
As the seemingly eternal dance ended, he escorted Miss Beckwith back to her mother and thanked her politely, leaving the girl slightly breathless with one of his smiles. It occurred to him that he still had no idea what she had said to him while they danced. She could have told him she ran around the house naked for all he knew, or cared, for that matter.
He sighed heavily with relief. At least the first step was taken. He gazed around the room once more, looking for his second option, which was only slightly more palatable.
Lady Constance Fuller. She was a tall, lanky redhead, and a very wealthy widow. As the daughter of the Earl of Granville she had been an heiress in her own right even before her marriage to a wealthy copper and tin industrialist. Now a widow with two young daughters, she was still quite eligible and the word was, now that she was out of mourning, she was looking to remarry. Christopher would be acquiring a ready-made family with Constance, but she was more physically attractive to him than Miss Beckwith.
He took a deep breath and began to make his way through the crowd toward Lady Constance, where she stood drinking punch near the refreshment area.
“Well, good evening, Lord Bridgeton!”
The familiar American accent immediately caught his attention and it seemed his heart skipped a beat. He paused and slowly turned his head. There she was, a vision of loveliness in yet another pale blue gown, showing off the elegant curves of her body, her silky dark hair piled stylishly atop her head, which accentuated the graceful curve of her neck. That floral scent of hers surrounded him and he couldn’t help but grin.
“Miss Fleming. You are a sight to behold, indeed.”
“Why, thank you, kind sir. You shall turn my head with your pretty compliments. But I must say that you are just the man I was looking for,” she said, an impish grin on her exquisite face.
He knew her words were just that, words. She was merely flirting with him, which she was an expert at. You are just the man I was looking for . . . Yet the sound of those particular words, coming from those sweet lips, caused his breath to catch in his chest.
However, Christopher managed to mutter carelessly, “Am I now? Why would you be looking for me, Miss Fleming?”
She waved her tiny dance card, her blue eyes sparkling as she spoke. “Yes, well, you see, I was supposed to dance this next set with a Lord Robinson, but apparently he left rather suddenly, and here I am without a partner. And then I recalled that yesterday you asked me to save you a dance and I thought to myself, I wish I knew where Lord Bridgeton was, and then you appeared! Isn’t that remarkable? Just as I was thinking about you, here you are!”
What was truly remarkable was how much it thrilled him to imagine that she was thinking of him in any way. How he wanted to dance with her! For the briefest moment he glanced toward Lady Constance Fuller. She was being led to the dance floor by an older, gray-haired gentleman. Well, he’d apparently missed his opportunity to speak with her just now anyway.
He looked down at Sara Fleming, marveling at how petite she was. He wanted nothing more than to scoop her up into his arms and carry her out of there.
“Here I am, just when you were thinking of me.” He held out his arm to her. “Shall we dance then?”
A bright smile lit her face and she took hold of him with the lightest of touches. He guided her to the dance floor as the orchestra began a waltz.
“Do you recognize this waltz, Lord Bridgeton?” she asked, her eyes dancing with merriment.
“Should I?” he replied, looking at her blankly.
“It’s ‘Tout à vous.’ It’s the one we danced to the first time we danced together! Isn’t that funny? Now we’ve waltzed to it twice.”
“Ah, yes. I recall you telling me about it now,” he said, smiling at her. “Truly yours?”
“Yes, that’s right.” She gazed up at him. “I shall have to think of it as our special tune from this point on.” She paused for a moment, listening to the music and humming a little. “It was wonderful having you and your sisters at Devon House last night.”
“Yes, it was, wasn’t it? Thank you again for having us. Your family is most welcoming and very special.”
In all honesty he was fascinated by her family. There was so much connecting everyone. Admittedly, he had known Phillip and Simon Sinclair for years, and had dined with their parents, Lord and Lady Stancliff, a number of times, but he had never been with the entire family before. Sara’s family.
Observing Sara with her parents had been quite interesting. There was definitely a little tension between them. However, there was also genuine love and warmth between the parents and their daughter, something he had never witnessed or experienced in his own family. Captain Fleming was a good man, and had amazing stories to tell about his travels, and Mrs. Fleming was quite a character herself. Sara had an unconventional upbringing and had visited places he had never even heard of.
Then there were all the aunts and uncles and other cousins. He’d had a devil of a time keeping everyone straight. Quinton and Lisette Roxbury and their three children. Lord and Lady Cashelmore and their two children, one of whom was Lady Mara. The Duke and Duchess of Rathmore and their three little daughters.
Aside from the sheer number of people, what struck Christopher most was the laughter and joking between them all. The good humor and camaraderie was astonishing. These people loved and cared for one another, respected one another and were happy to be in one another’s company. He couldn’t even articulate why it touched him so deeply. He only knew that everything his own family, his own childhood, was lacking, was right there in the Hamilton family.
&nbs
p; Something inside of him longed to be a part of it.
His own sisters couldn’t stop talking about the evening either. It was as if a dark veil had been pulled off their eyes and they could finally see the world and what they had been missing out on all their lives. Yes, his sisters had read about loving families in books, but they had never witnessed one firsthand.
“I agree. My family is very special, but at times they can all be a bit too much. I’m always happy to see them, but I’m always happy to go home too. There’s just so many of us!” Sara laughed lightly.
“I can understand that,” he replied, seeing her point. He’d felt overwhelmed a few times last night with all of them there.
“You are a very understanding man, Lord Bridgeton.”
“Is that a fault in your eyes?”
“No, not at all. I was merely stating a fact. But since you’re the one fishing for compliments this time, I shall tell you that I find your sympathetic nature quite attractive.”
“I am delighted to hear that.” God, but she felt good in his arms. She was so pretty he could hardly take his eyes off her. He had a wild desire to lift her in his arms, carry her to a dark corner, and kiss her passionately for hours. It was a shame really, that he couldn’t even consider marrying Sara. He’d heard that her father recently lost all his money and they were here in London living with the Sinclairs at Devon House until they recovered and to hopefully see their daughter successfully wed.
When he’d discovered that he wondered if her story about her parents separating her from the man she loved was really to spare her the knowledge that her family was now bankrupt. Why, she was in the same position that he was, only she wasn’t aware of it and didn’t have to shoulder the burden of providing for the rest of the family, as he did.
“It was interesting to learn more about your exotic childhood at dinner the other night,” he said. “You’ve been all over the world, Miss Fleming.”
“Yes, there are some benefits to being a captain’s daughter. I’ve seen some beautiful places. Have you done much traveling, Lord Bridgeton?”
The Heiress He's Been Waiting For Page 9
