Seduce Me If You Can (The Ashbrook Legacy Book 1)

by Tonya Brooks

  “Daddy! Unca Nick! I didid it!” The two-year-old shouted with glee when he managed to jump the blocks without knocking them over.

  “Congratulations, Dare,” Nicholas grinned at the boy’s obvious pleasure.

  “A fine job, Son,” Devlin said proudly of the accomplishment.

  “Before long we'll go over to Uncle Nicky's stables and pick out a real horse for you, Dare,” Scarlett said indulgently. “And then Auntie can teach you how to ride and jump just like I do.”

  While the twenty-two-year-old men groaned at the idea of having another little hellion on horseback, the boy giggled merrily and chanted, “Horsey, horsey, horsey.”

  Alasdair had already learned that his Aunt Scarlett was more fun to play with than all of his toys. Even his beloved horsey. But his daddy and uncle Nicholas were just as much fun, even if they did need a bit of coaxing to get them to roll around on the floor.

  Chapter Twenty Two

  Langford House, London, England, 1812

  Scarlett had lain awake for most of the night in abject misery. She couldn't believe what she'd done. Not only was she being forced to marry, but Nicholas would have to suffer right along with her. She would never do anything to hurt him, but that was exactly what she had done. He was going to be leg shackled to her for the rest of their lives unless she could find a way out of this. He was going to be miserable, and it was all her fault.

  Nicholas must despise her for putting him in this untenable position. Lord knew, she despised herself. It was just too awful to be real. Like some horrible nightmare she couldn't wake from. How could she enjoy being married to the man she loved when she knew it wasn't what he wanted?

  Scarlett was terrified that Nicholas would come to resent her, even though it was exactly what she deserved. Oh, why couldn't she have settled for one of those blasted dandies? Being married to a man she didn't love would be better than marrying a man who didn't love her.

  Guilt-ridden and burdened with abject misery, Scarlett dressed and made her way downstairs to the breakfast room, Rajah trailing behind as usual. She barely looked at her brother as she moved to the sideboard and fixed herself a plate. Once she was seated at the table, she kept her eyes on her plate and merely pushed the food around with her fork instead of eating it. Her throat felt so tight it was all she could do to force the coffee down it.

  ~~~~~

  “Off your feed this morning, minx?” Devlin asked solicitously as he put down the paper and noticed her odd mood.

  “I suppose,” came the lackluster response.

  A frown creased his brow. Scarlett was not the type of woman to sulk and pout. Her temperament did not allow for such behavior. He'd expected another full-fledged battle this morning and was more than a little disturbed to see her so quiet and withdrawn. Maybe he should prod her temper a bit.

  “It looks like Nick managed to get the announcement in the papers before they went to print.” No response. “I imagine you'll be flooded with callers today. Everyone will want to know how you caught a rake like Nick.”

  Dull, somber eyes lifted to meet his, and she asked in a tone void of emotion, “What would you have me tell them?”

  Who was this quiet, sullen creature, and what had she done with his sister? The worried frown grew even as he shrugged negligently. “That he asked for your hand and you accepted,” he suggested.

  “But he didn't,” she said as she looked back down and poked her eggs again. “Ask for my hand, that is.”

  “What difference does it make?” Devlin queried. “The result is the same. You're still engaged.”

  “It makes a lot of difference,” Scarlett admitted quietly and laid her fork down. “No woman wants to be married to a man who was forced into it.”

  Ah. So that was the problem. “Scarlett, I can assure you that no one has ever forced Nick to do anything he didn't want to do,” he conceded. “Not even me.”

  She nodded her acknowledgment. “Nicky's blasted honor forced him to do it,” she pointed out and began twisting the napkin that lay in her lap.

  Bloody Hell. Devlin didn't know what to say to that. Instead, he tried to reassure her by saying, “Everything will work out, minx. I promise it will.”

  ~~~~~

  Kindness was the last thing she could deal with right then. It shattered the fragile shell of her emotions and the tears began to slide hotly down her cheeks. “Damnation,” she choked as she bolted from the chair and all but ran from the room. The cat gave the duke an accusing look, growled in warning, and quickly followed his mistress.

  ~~~~~

  When Nicholas arrived, he found Devlin in the breakfast room scowling at the empty table. “I'm worried about Scarlett,” he said without preamble.

  Having already eaten, Nicholas poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down. “You knew how she'd react,” was pointed out without heat.

  Knowing her temper, Scarlett had probably already given her brother hell this morning and now Devlin's conscience was plaguing him. Good. Nicholas wasn't exactly pleased with the way the other man had handled the situation either. Now he'd have his hands full getting back into Scarlett's good graces. Not an auspicious beginning for a betrothed couple, dammit.

  “It had to be done,” he countered.

  “Not like that,” Nicholas denied bluntly. “You backed her into a corner with no way out, Dev.”

  “Maybe you're right,” he growled and scrubbed a hand over his face, looking weary to the bone and guilty as hell. “But it's too late to change things now.”

  “I assume she's still as mad as hell,” he surmised in resignation. Nicholas knew that Scarlett loved him dearly, and he'd been confident that emotion would grow into something deeper while he courted her. Now he was going to have to get past her anger before he could charm his way into her heart.

  “No,” Devlin sighed wearily. “I almost wish she was. Scarlett's not herself this morning. I've never seen her so quiet and withdrawn before. Anger would be preferable to the apathy she displayed.”

  Nicholas snorted at that. “The word isn't even in her vocabulary,” he denied. “Scarlett has too much spirit to give in without a fight.”

  Devlin shook his head. “You didn't see her, Nick,” he pointed out. “I even tried to make her mad and didn't have any luck a'tall. She's really upset over the fact that you're being forced to marry her.”

  Not at all liking what he was hearing, her fiancé complained, “I knew this was a bad idea.”

  ~~~~~

  “You didn't have to go along with it,” was shot back irritably.

  “The hell I didn't,” he growled. “In case you've forgotten, I did compromise Scarlett.”

  Remembering his sister's desire laden expression from the night before, Devlin scowled and growled back, “Yes, and you did a damn fine job of it.”

  Nicholas stood abruptly. “You and I are going to Gentlemen Jackson's,” he said as he headed to the door. “Apparently we both need to work off some aggression.”

  “Best damn idea you've had yet,” his old friend agreed as he rose. Maybe after they beat the hell out of each other in the ring, they'd both feel better.

  ~~~~~

  Nicholas came back that afternoon, bruised and aching, but in a much better frame of mind. As a rule, a man courted a woman before they became engaged, but thanks to Scarlett's determination to be compromised, they had managed to put the cart before the horse. Now that they were engaged, he was going to have to court the lady and reassure her that he wasn't being forced into anything. Nothing could be further from the truth.

  He had loved Scarlett since her birth, but somehow that had changed. The emotion had become deeper, more insistent and demanding. He didn't just love Scarlett, he was in love with her. He didn't understand how or why the change had occurred and was doubtful he ever would. Nor did he really care anymore.

  Scarlett was the only woman on earth that he could be himself with. The one woman who did not expect anything from him more than companionship. He didn't ha
ve to maintain the image of the stiff and proper duke for fear of offending her delicate sensibilities. He didn't have to play the role of a wicked rake to feed her jaded fantasies. He didn't have to do anything except be himself. That was more valuable than all of his considerable wealth. He could trust her with his heart and his life.

  With hindsight, it was easy enough to see how it had all begun. An incident in the summer of her fourteenth year had changed Nicholas forever. He had thought that Scarlett was drowning, and it had been the fright of his life. It had also shown him just how important she was to him. In those terror filled moments before she surfaced, he had known in his soul that life simply would not be worth living if she were not in it.

  The realization that his very existence depended on another person to such an extent was as shocking as it was humbling, but it was true. He loved Scarlett with his whole being and would gladly lay his life down for her without reservation. Then she began to mature, to blossom into the curvaceous, nubile young woman who inspired a depth of hunger inside of him that simply could not be quenched. For nearly a year he had fought to suppress the unwanted feelings while he struggled to understand why he was experiencing them.

  He had always been possessive and protective of Scarlett, and he had loved her as a man would love a sibling. Or so he had thought. Never having had a sibling of his own, Nicholas had nothing to compare the feeling with. Then he began to understand the difference. Yes, he had always loved her, but not because she was his sister.

  He had loved her as an angelic baby, a precocious toddler, a daredevil child, and as a teenage hoyden on the cusp of womanhood. He loved her because she was Scarlett. Wild, free and unrestrained. He loved her because she loved him unconditionally. He loved her because she was his to love, and now she would be his wife and he would love her forever.

  When Scarlett joined him in the drawing room, he noticed that she was still subdued and wouldn't meet his eyes. “It looks like we're finally going to have that carriage ride you wanted,” he teased. As an engaged couple, it was perfectly acceptable for her to be seen with him, so long as she was properly chaperoned.

  Scarlett obviously did not see the humor in the situation. She raised those big, sad eyes to his and said quietly, “I'm so sorry, Nicky. I never meant for this to happen.”

  The look on her face broke his heart, and just like he had when she was a child, Nicholas pulled her into his arms and hugged her fiercely. “It's all right, kitten,” he said and kissed her temple. “Besides, it’s high time I settled down and raised a house full of horse mad little rakes and hellions.” Which is exactly what their children would be, of that he was certain.

  ~~~~~

  In spite of her misery, a smile twitched her lips at the analogy. Looking up at him in earnest, she asked, “Can you ever forgive me for dragging you into this mess?”

  He grinned down at her with the rakish smile that never failed to charm a lady. “As I recall, I was a very willing participant in our little tryst. You didn't drag me into anything.”

  “True, but you never would have done it if you'd known who I was,” she felt compelled to point out. “We both know you'd never seduce your best friend’s sister.”

  “It was a costume ball, kitten,” he reminded her. “The fact is that raven haired seductress could have been anyone's sister. I just didn't give a damn whose.”

  Scarlett actually smiled at that. “Scandalous rake,” she accused lightly.

  ~~~~~

  “Seductive minx,” he shot back softly and lowered his head to lightly brush his lips over hers, but one taste wasn't enough. Before he knew it, Nicholas was feasting on her mouth, his hands familiarizing themselves with the body that Scarlett had plastered against him.

  This time, however, her hands were busy learning him as well. They slid up under his coat, across his back, and everywhere she touched felt like a brand. God, he wanted her so much he could barely pull himself away.

  Nicholas forced himself to break the kiss and release her, then he pulled a small velvet box from his pocket and said somewhat hoarsely, “Thought you might like this, but if you don't, we'll get whatever you want.”

  ~~~~~

  Still dazed from his kiss, Scarlett opened the box with trembling hands and the breath froze in her lungs. Nestled inside was the most gorgeous emerald she'd ever seen. At least ten carats, square in shape, and surrounded by a bed of diamonds, the multi-faceted center stone flashed green fire in the sunlight.

  “Nicky,” she breathed reverently and sank weakly into the chair behind her. “It's big enough to choke a horse.”

  ~~~~~

  He took that as a positive sign since she'd equated it with horses, the things she loved most in the world. Nicholas laughed as he said in that teasing tone, “I wanted it big enough that all those puling whelps would know you were taken.”

  At that, a genuine smile lit her face and her eyes. “Oh, Nicky!” She exclaimed merrily. “Do you think this will finally get rid of them?”

  “Never doubt it,” he assured her. There was no way in hell that Nicholas would let those scavengers continue to sniff around Scarlett now that she was his. “Carstairs will probably throw himself in the Thames.”

  She snorted at that. “If I had to put up with any more of his blasted poetry, I'd throw him in.”

  Taking her hand in his, Nicholas dropped down on one knee before her, his expression as solemn as his tone, he asked, “Lady Scarlett, would you do me the very great honor of being my wife?”

  Scarlett stared at him in shocked dismay. “Nicky, what are you doing?” She managed to choke out.

  “Asking you to marry me, kitten,” he said with that rakish grin she adored.

  “Why are you being so bloody gallant? We both know you don't want to marry me.”

  “How do you know what I want?” He asked in amusement since she couldn't be more wrong.

  “Damnation, you don't want to marry any more than I do,” she hissed in annoyance.

  “Well, if you do have to marry, I'm probably your best candidate,” he reasoned. “You don't have to act like a lady with me since I already know all of your bad habits. I don't even mind most of them.” At her indignant look, he added, “Although that stubborn streak is rapidly becoming annoying as hell.”

  “Lord. Why did I ever pick you to compromise me?” She complained in exasperation.

  He flashed her that wicked smile and admitted, “Truth be told, you were compromised before last night, Scarlett.”

  “You mean the day I kissed you?” She queried.

  “I mean that day in the ballroom when I was teaching you improper advances,” he clarified.

  “But you didn't even kiss me,” Scarlett protested.

  “Didn't have to. That we were alone together would have been enough,” he explained. “Add to that the fact that I was holding you in my arms and had my hands on that delectable body of yours. Oh, yes, Scarlett. You were compromised.”

  ~~~~~

  “Why you scandalous rake,” she laughingly accused, more than pleased to discover that he thought her body delectable.

  “Former scandalous rake,” he corrected with a raised brow. “I'm a respectable engaged man now and soon to be a happily married one.”

  “Do you really mean that, Nicky?” Scarlett asked hopefully, thrilled to her very soul that he was going to give up his rakish ways. “Can we be happily married?”

  “Never doubt it, love,” Nicholas promised with a tender smile. “Now, will you marry me or am I spending the rest of the afternoon on my knees convincing you?”

  The smile Scarlett bestowed on him was simply dazzling. “Yes. I'll marry you.”

  ~~~~~

  Exultation shot through him and it took every ounce of will power he possessed not to crush her against him and ravage her mouth again. She was his! Nicholas removed the ring from the box and placed it on the third finger of her left hand. Lifting her hand to kiss her knuckles, he rose to his feet and offered her his arm. “Come, La
dy Scarlett. Your chariot awaits.”

  ~~~~~

  They made a full circuit of Hyde Park, which took quite a while to accomplish, as everyone they met had to stop the newly engaged couple and congratulate them. Nicholas was the perfect gentlemen, of course, readily accepting all the teasing he received without a qualm and gallantly playing the role of adoring fiancé. Both the ladies and gentlemen they chatted with seemed envious of their good fortune at such a happy alliance.

  Scarlett would have been ecstatic if there had been an iota of truth to it. Like it was, she was hard pressed to keep reminding herself that it was all a farce. They weren't a happily engaged couple eagerly awaiting their marriage. They were a couple being forced to the altar because of her stupidity. The fact that Nicholas refused to let her shoulder the blame made her love him even more. He was being so blasted sweet and gallant that she had difficulty recalling that he really was a jaded rake.

  ~~~~~

  Although considered a rebel because of his forward thinking, the Duke of Ryder was reputed to be a very serious, even tempered and level headed young man by his peers in the House of Lords. While parliament was in session, he behaved as much as a correctly formal peer of the realm as was possible. However, the ladies of the ton saw a side of him that their husbands and fathers did not. They saw the Rake of Ryder, a charming, seductive rogue that no woman could resist.

  Reputed to be able to seduce a woman with just a look from those midnight eyes, he was indeed a rake of the first water. Some believed Nicholas's irresistible appeal stemmed from the passionate French blood that he had inherited from his mother, others thought it was that wicked continental charm he had adopted in the Moldavian court, but whatever the reason, all the ladies agreed that it was marvelously indecent.

  With the face of a fallen angel, Nicholas was more handsome than any man had a right to be. Tall and broad shouldered, his body bore the well-honed musculature of an avid sportsman and attested to his physical prowess in other areas as well. He was a generous lover, well versed in the arts of plaisir, and women had been known to fight for the chance to share his bed. But even though he gave freely of his body, his lovers were never allowed entrance into his innermost thoughts and dreams.