Always Have Hope (Emerson Book 3)

by Maureen Driscoll

  He’d learned the address the previous evening, and as soon as he’d discreetly informed her while she was breaking her fast, she’d insisted on paying a call that very morning. She wasn’t certain Grayson would keep their midnight excursion a secret. It would be just like him to become protective and then inform Colin, Nick and James. She had to make sure he didn’t.

  She’d wondered just how disreputable his neighborhood was, then was rather disappointed to discover it was quite like Mayfair, but with slightly smaller homes, some of which had flats in them. She wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting. Opry dancers flitting about, for instance? A menagerie of exotic animals in the garden? But the reality was rather boring.

  She’d been too nervous to speak in the hack ride over and Stemple had been brooding. She was afraid he would change his mind midway and she’d have to return home. Only Maude had kept up a cheery conversation, largely carried on with herself.

  The hack finally pulled up in front of a stately building that could nevertheless do with a fresh coat of paint. Perhaps, if conversation lagged, she could bring that up with Nate.

  She didn’t know how long she’d been staring up at the building, when Stemple gently ushered her along. “If you’re determined to do this, my lady – even though I think it’s a mistake – it’s best you move into the building. I wouldn’t want anyone to see you out here.”

  “You are correct, of course,” said Rose, as Stemple opened the door for her and his wife. “I’m surprised Grayson doesn’t employ a butler.”

  “The lords who live in bachelors’ quarters tend to value their privacy,” said Stemple. “I suspect they don’t want too many people knowing the comings and goings of their guests.”

  Suddenly, Rose wondered just how many ladies had come there before her. Then she was hit with a particularly lowering thought. Nate could have a lady in his flat right now. She halted as she considered the potentially mortifying situation.

  “Would you like to leave, my lady?” asked Stemple hopefully.

  Rose steeled herself. She was no coward. “No. I have come this far. I shall continue onward,” she said, a good deal braver than she felt.

  They searched the building until they reached the correct door and Stemple knocked three times.

  “The hall looks clean,” said Maude. “That’s always a good sign.”

  “Even rakes can be tidy,” said Stemple disapprovingly.

  “I do not believe Grayson is a rake,” said Rose.

  Stemple’s look clearly disagreed with her. Yet he knocked three more times. “He is not home, my lady. Let us leave now…”

  From the other side of the door, they heard Grayson’s voice. “Who the devil is calling at such an ungodly hour? I swear I’ll string you up by the bollocks if this is…” He opened the door wearing nothing – nothing at all – but a silk dressing gown.

  Rose was absolutely shocked. Beyond shocked. His golden hair was in disarray. In fact it looked like he’d just arisen from bed and only hastily thrown on his dressing gown. A vee of skin showed at his throat and – goodness – his legs were exposed from the knees downward and his feet were bare.

  Rose knew she was being scandalous by gawking, but it was truly his fault for answering the door in such a state of undress.

  For his part, Nate looked as surprised to see her as she did him. But he recovered first. Then frowned. “What are you doing here?”

  “I….” Her mouth was too dry to speak and her wits had taken their leave once she’d seen his lack of attire.

  For a moment they both stood and stared.

  Then Stemple broke the silence. “My lady, you cannot wish to be seen in the hallway talking to a half-dressed lord. Might I suggest we leave before you are discovered?”

  “No,” said Rose, finally finding her voice. “But you have the right of it. I shouldn’t be discovered in the hall. Are you going to invite us in, my lord?”

  Nate hesitated for a moment.

  “Either in or out, my lord,” Stemple ground out. “But she cannot linger in the hall.”

  “Very well,” said Grayson. “Do come in.”

  He opened the door to allow Rose and Maude to enter, then was closing it as Stemple placed a booted foot in the way. “I am coming in.” It was a statement not a question. “And you are getting dressed, unless you want me to escort Lady Rosemary home again.” That was also a statement, not a question.

  Grayson was bemused. “Are you Rose’s guardian?”

  “It is Lady Rosemary to you, my lord. We met briefly in Wiltshire one day. I believe you were unwell.”

  “I believe he was deeply in his cups,” said Maude with a curtsy. “I am Mrs. Stemple and that is my husband, Mr. Stemple. And you’d best do as he says and get dressed or he’ll bundle us out of here quick as he can.”

  “You are all talking as if I summoned Rose…I mean Lady Rose. And I do not recall doing so.”

  He looked at Rose curiously, but with such an intense stare that she felt it to her bones. She was once again robbed of wits and speech.

  “Perhaps you need assistance dressing, Lord Grayson,” said Stemple. “I can accompany you to your chamber, shut the door and work something out.”

  “I can dress myself, thank you,” said Nate, acknowledging the not-so-veiled threat. “If you ladies will excuse me.”

  He bowed to Rose and Maude, then pointedly turned his back on Stemple before departing for his bedchamber which was, hopefully, unoccupied.

  Rose turned her attention to the small room they were in, which seemed to be a combination library, sitting room and dining area. There was very little in it that would distinguish it as belonging to Nate. But it had a distinct masculine air about it. It was so intimate being there, knowing this was where he spent his time when he wasn’t in Wiltshire. She’d often wondered why he had bachelors’ quarters when his father, the Duke of Bancroft, had a town house he seldom used. But it was just one of many things she didn’t know about Grayson.

  Such as how it was he’d shown up at Win’s house the previous night in the company of Mr. Lewis.

  “My lady,” began Stemple.

  “I’m not leaving,” she said. “Not yet.”

  Nate reappeared, looking more – but not completely – respectable. He’d donned trousers, a shirt and waistcoat, but wore no cravat and his feet were still bare. She couldn’t get over her fascination with his feet. She never knew feet could be so interesting. In fact…

  He must have noticed her staring because he was rather amused when he asked, “Is there something I can help you with, Lady Rosemary?” Then he languidly wiggled the toes on one foot.

  She blushed. “Yes, well, I need to speak with you.” Hoping for some privacy, she looked pointedly at Stemple, who rather pointedly ignored her.

  “I believe the lady would like you to wait in the hall,” Grayson said to him.

  “That is not going to happen,” said Stemple.

  “Are you often in the habit of disregarding her wishes?”

  “No. But I think I’ll make a habit of it if she insists on doing more foolhardy errands in the future.”

  “Please Stemple, I will be but a minute,” said Rose. “And you can trust Lord Grayson. He would never harm me.”

  Stemple stared at Grayson, sizing him up. “I believe Lord Ridgeway would prefer that I stay.”

  “I cannot imagine Ridgeway would want any of you here,” said Nate. “Am I right in assuming he does not know about your visit, Lady Rosemary?”

  “Colin doesn’t need to know everything I do. I am almost nineteen and no longer a child.”

  Nate seemed to consider that before moving to the door and opening it. “Mr. Stemple, please wait in the hall. I have a feeling Lady Rosemary will not leave until she has shared what she came here to tell me. And if you truly want her to go…”

  “I very much do, my lord.”

  “Then your absence will hasten that along.”

  “So you think I mean to leave you alone wit
h Lady Rosemary and my wife?” Stemple seemed most incredulous at the very notion.

  “Actually, I suspect Lady Rosemary would like Mrs. Stemple to wait with you in the hall, as well.”

  “I would,” said Rose, with a pleading look to Maude. “It shan’t take long. But I would appreciate it.”

  “Out of the question,” said Stemple.

  Now it was Maude’s turn to take Grayson’s measure. But first she looked pointedly at the nearly empty brandy decanter. “We shall go outside for ten minutes only,” she said. “I hope, my lord, that you will remember Lady Rosemary is a lady and you a gentleman and act accordingly.”

  “Barring that,” said Stemple. “I hope you’ll recognize that I am not a gentleman and won’t hesitate to hurt you badly if you dare make an improper advance on Lady Rose.”

  “Stemple!” said Rose. “You cannot threaten the man. There are laws against that.”

  “She’s right,” said Nate, leaning casually against the door frame. “If you harmed me, I could have you arrested.”

  “That’s assuming they’d ever find your body. Which they wouldn’t. Just think of me as a substitute for Lord Ridgeway, Lord Layton and Lord James combined. You have ten minutes. No more.”

  Then Maude joined her husband and Rose heard her call him her hero before Grayson closed the door after them.

  Meaning they were completely alone in Grayson’s private quarters.

  *

  “I like that man,” said Nate.

  “I am certain he wouldn’t truly harm you.”

  “Actually, I am certain he would, which is why I like him so much. Loyalty and protectiveness are excellent traits in any relationship. In servants, they are invaluable. Because I believe I am correct in assuming you didn’t tell your brothers about this visit. Nor would they be very happy if they knew of it.”

  Nate had spent much of the previous night – well, the few short hours he’d been asleep – thinking of Rose. He hadn’t expected to see her at Win’s house and he’d been wholly unprepared for his intense need to protect her. He’d been concerned about both Rose and Win’s safety, of course. But while he’d watched over Win like a brother, he’d been protective of Rose like a lover.

  Like a husband, though that would be impossible, of course.

  He’d been in the middle of a sensual dream about her when he’d been rudely summoned from his bed by the knocking. In his dream they’d been in his bed in the castle. His suite was in the turret and he’d imagined imprisoning her there as he made her every wish come true. Of course, his throbbing cock was a reminder that, dream or not, his attraction to her was only growing stronger. He casually moved behind a chair to hide his arousal. She’d been fascinated enough with his bare feet. Lord only knew what she’d do if she saw the bulging evidence of his interest.

  He’d known Rose forever. And there was a damningly awkward eight-year age gap between them. He’d grown up with her brothers and she’d tagged along as soon as she could keep up. He’d been fond of her as a child and had admired her intelligence as she’d been an adolescent intent on her studies. The old earl had been a vicious bastard and while Nate didn’t think he’d ever beaten the girls like he had the boys, he’d been cruel to them just the same. Win had withdrawn into her art. Rose had thrown herself into her studies. She would have done well at university if women had been allowed to attend.

  Then came the awkward moment when she’d been sixteen and Nate had caught a glimpse of the beautiful woman she’d one day become. He’d felt terrible having those thoughts since she was so young, not to mention his friends’ sister. So he’d kept his distance and teased her mercilessly. Fortunately, his work kept him away from Wiltshire, so he’d been able to stay out of her intoxicating orbit.

  But then he’d seen her this past Christmas and even though he’d been deep in his cups, as Mrs. Stemple had said, he’d been bewitched by her once again, even falling off his horse at the sight of her.

  That had been rather embarrassing. It was one thing to play the fool and quite another to be one.

  Now she was almost nineteen and getting more beautiful by the day. But she was still so much younger than he and still his friends’ sister.

  And what the devil was she doing in his flat?

  “Thorn,” he said, using his old nickname for her. “What are you doing here? Are you afraid I’ll tell your brothers about your nighttime excursion? I should, you know. It was a dangerous stunt and could have gotten you both killed.”

  “Yes, I believe you made your displeasure clear last night. But in the end, no harm came to us and we were indispensable in moving the case forward. What do you think of Mr. Lewis? Can he be trusted? Or does he plan to use this against Win?”

  “I do not know what to think about Mr. Lewis. His reputation as a barrister is excellent – too good, considering we’re on opposite sides in this case. But I believe him to be an honorable man. Had he wanted to use last night against Win, he could have already sent her back to Newgate. He didn’t mention either of you to the Bow Street officers when they showed up last night. Even more promisingly, he threatened me.”

  Rose’s eyes widened. She was so expressive. Nate wondered how she’d look beneath him in bed. Especially the first time he slid into her….

  “What did he say?”

  Nate blinked. “What did who say?”

  “Mr. Lewis! What did he say to threaten you?”

  “He wanted to make certain my intentions toward you are honorable. Your good Mr. Stemple is the second man in less than eight hours to threaten me in case I had any designs on you.”

  “And, do you?”

  Nate searched her face. The girl had sounded almost hopeful. He’d come close to kissing her in the Lynwood garden the previous night, but hadn’t. He didn’t need anyone to threaten him to be honorable. His inconvenient conscience did a damnably good enough job all on its own.

  She took a deep breath as if to steady herself. “I would like you to kiss me.”

  He couldn’t have heard that correctly.

  “I want you to kiss me.” She repeated, as she raised her chin in resolve, though it seemed to tremble just a bit. “I am almost nineteen years old and have never had a real kiss.”

  “Good! I see Colin has been doing his job. And I daresay Mr. Stemple will keep other interlopers at bay. Was it my imagination or was he purposely showing his scarred side as a means of intimidation? I imagine he’d be gravely disappointed to learn it only made me admire him more, given the reminders of his wartime bravery. And, no, I will not kiss you.”

  Though he surely wanted to. But if he kissed her, he wouldn’t be able to stop. Then Mr. Stemple would make his best attempt to kill him.

  And he’d deserve it.

  “You should save your kisses for your husband.” The lucky bastard.

  She laughed humorlessly. “And where shall I find one of those? You know there is no money for my come-out. And there’s certainly no one at home I would like to marry.”

  “I should say not! No one there is good enough for you. But now that Colin is married and James soon will be, as well, I expect you’ll meet eligible men through them.” And the thought well and truly grated on his nerves.

  “I have no dowry.”

  “You don’t need one. Any man would be lucky to have you as his bride.” He hadn’t quite meant to say that, but he also couldn’t let her think she needed a dowry to find a husband. The very notion was ridiculous.

  Now she was walking toward him. He should back away, but then he’d be further away from her. And he only wanted to be closer.

  “Then kiss me. I am tired of waiting.” She looked like she was gathering her courage. “Touch me.”

  He was standing stock still, but the minx wouldn’t retreat. She carefully put her arms around his neck, then stood on tiptoes. They weren’t touching anywhere except at his neck, and she seemed to be teetering just a bit. So he snaked his left arm around her waist to steady her – he couldn’t let her fal
l and break her neck. Even the bulldog butler couldn’t object to protecting her from that. Nate put his right hand on her cheek. It was so soft.

  He looked at her lips, so pink and inviting. And to ease any neck strain she might be feeling, he lowered his lips to hers, which were nervously pressed together.

  “Open, sweetheart,” he said, then touched his tongue to the seam.

  She opened them on a gasp and he took merciless advantage, taking her mouth in a slow, intense kiss.

  He’d had his share of fantasies about Rose in the few months since he’d seen her briefly at Christmas. Most had been of taking her in his large bed at the castle. Then in the bathing tub, against the wall, in a field during spring, in the lake on a summer’s day, on a boat looking up at the stars. Basically, his fantasies involved making love to Rose in various positions in any number of locales.

  But his fertile imagination had never come up with a scenario as alluring as this kiss. She was melting into him, following his lead and blazing her own trail at the same time. He’d never known a kiss could be this passionate before. He’d always thought of kissing as a brief prelude to the really fun activities.

  If he was enjoying the kiss this much, what would happen when they made love?

  With great effort, he pulled away. Then he made the mistake of looking down at her. She was still caught up in the throes of passion. Her eyes were closed, her lips were swollen and slightly parted. When Stemple saw her, Nate would be a dead man.

  But it would be worth it.

  He gently moved away, then Rose slowly opened her eyes. She blinked. Then blinked again.

  “How was your first kiss?” Nate asked, trying hard for a casual tone when he was almost desperate to know if it had affected her the way it had affected him.

  “My what?” whispered Rose, even as she looked like she was about to lean into him again.

  And God knew he wouldn’t have the strength to pull away twice.

  “Your first kiss,” he said, as he carefully made his away to the other side of the room for safety.

  “Oh….that,” she said, still a little off balance, though she was no longer on tiptoe. “It was….adequate, I suppose.”