The Spinsters Secret

by Monroe, Jennifer

  “I beg your pardon?” a male voice asked behind her.

  Alice spun around, her heart in her throat at the thought that someone might have overheard her one-sided conversation. However, her fear became anger when she saw the owner of that smooth baritone voice.

  With the bright sun shining behind so his features appeared in shadow, Lord Blackmoore looked the overbearing god he certainly believed he was. However handsome she might believe him to be, he had proven time and time again that he had no redeeming qualities whatsoever, at least not those which impressed Alice. Other women might find him interesting, perhaps even a bit exciting, but she was immune to his roguish ways.

  He entered the stables and the light adjusted, allowing her to see his features a bit more clearly. Yes, she could see how women might swoon in his presence with his straight nose and deep cleft in his chin. How many women had brushed back that wave of brown hair that fell over his forehead?

  She straightened her back and lifted her chin, for she would not allow him to intimidate her—or captivate her. He might be titled, but he was certainly no better than she. As a matter of fact, if what she had heard about his conquests when it came to women was true, she would consider herself much better than he.

  “Lord Blackmoore,” she said in as haughty a voice as she could muster. Why was she struggling to breathe as she took in his well-fitting coat and breeches? Or was it the chiseled line of his jaw or the plump lips? What was the matter with her? Was she some sort of child to think in such a way? “How dare you sneak up on me. Why are you here?”

  He laughed, and it was a pleasant sound, not at all mocking as it had been in every other encounter they had had in the past. Today it was foreign to her ears. “I am here to collect my horse. However, I am glad I have the opportunity to see you once again before I leave.”

  Alice crinkled her brow. What insidious plans did this man have? “See me? Why on Earth would you want to see me?” Had he somehow lost his mind overnight?

  “But of course,” he replied with an easy smile that made her feel as if she had turned too quickly. “I have always had an interest in speaking to you.”

  It was Alice’s turn to laugh. “What was it you said last night?” She tapped her finger on her lips as if thinking, though the words were burned into her brain they were so offensive. “Oh, yes, ‘no man—and certainly no woman—stops me from anything I wish to do’. I would not think of stopping you from retrieving your mount, if only to have you gone from my home at the earliest possible moment.”

  A darkness crossed his face. Or was it a cloud from outside blocking the bit of sun that shone through the upper window? Whatever it was, it was gone before Alice could be sure she had even seen it.

  “I do regret those words,” Lord Blackmoore said sadly, his tone causing her to believe she had misread the previous look. “I must admit that I spoke without thought to how my words could be taken.”

  “Oh, I doubt very highly you meant anything but exactly the words you said,” Alice said as she flicked away a bit of straw that clung to her gown.

  He chuckled. “Perhaps. However, I would like to put that all behind us. Let us have a fresh, new start.” His smile was disconcerting and she found herself wondering what he was up to. He leaned against a heavy beam. “So, to whom were you speaking just now?”

  Alice narrowed her eyes at him. “That is none of your concern,” she snapped in an attempt to keep herself from running away and finding a safe place to hide where no one would be able to find her for the remainder of the day. How could she have allowed someone to overhear her? She was typically much more careful when she reminisced here.

  “Indeed, you are correct. It is none of my concern. I only asked as a way to start a conversation.”

  So, what is it you want? Alice wondered to herself as she raised her defenses. He had never shown an interest in conversation with her before, so why the interest today? “It seems to me,” she said aloud, “that you have a tendency to find yourself alone with women quite often, or so I understand.”

  This time his laughter was boisterous. “I do not deny it,” he said firmly. “I have had my fair share of women. Yes, the rumors are true.”

  Alice sniffed. “I am not like other women, My Lord. I do not indulge my time in listening to gossip. I prefer to make my own judgments about people.”

  “Is that so? However, you listen enough to know with whom I spend my time? That seems a bit of a contradiction.” The half-smile played on his lips was almost a sneer. “Perhaps you do care more for what the gossips say than you admit. What if I were to tell those gossips how you are here alone with me without a chaperone?” Then his face pinched for a mere second and his pleasant demeanor returned once again. “Damn,” he whispered, apparently not wanting her to hear, though she had. “No, this is not the best way to end such a pleasant conversation.”

  Oh, but this man was a frustration, twisting her words and running from hot to cold and back to hot within a few seconds. She did not care to continue this, or any, conversation with the man. “Of course, the best way to end this conversation would be for you to get on your horse and leave.”

  “Well, I was hoping to perhaps ask your father if I could walk with you through the gardens…”

  To this Alice doubled over in laughter. “Walk with me? Why would you be interested in walking anywhere with me?” She pulled at the drab gown she wore knowing it did nothing to compliment her looks. “Do I look the type of woman who desires the company of an earl? Or one an earl would desire to have in his company? No, My Lord, I believe it would be much better if we steered clear of one another from this moment forward.”

  He shook his head and went to the stall where his horse had been stabled, the black mane flying here and there as the horse whinnied at its owner. “Very well, then perhaps tomorrow?” He did not wait for her to reply, but instead threw a finely crafted saddle on the horse’s back and soon had it strapped expertly into place.

  Alice pretended not to notice how the man’s arm muscles strained against the sleeves of his coat or how his leg muscles held firm as he reached over to readjust the strap. “I must insist…”

  “Ah, very well, if you insist, then I will be here tomorrow at three in the afternoon. I will inform your father as soon as I ride to the front of the house.” He then put his foot in the stirrup, pulled himself onto the horse and added, “Until tomorrow, Miss Huntington,” he said with a nod.

  All Alice could do was stare after the man. How dare he make such plans without waiting for her to turn him down? She turned and kicked at a pile of straw.

  “Oh, and another thing…”

  Alice spun around. He had done it again! He had come up behind her without her hearing him. “My Lord,” she said in the fiercest voice she could generate to hide not only her startled state, but also a small amount of excitement as she struggled to keep her emotions in check, “Again, I must insist…”

  He jumped from the horse and she pulled back fearing he meant to take advantage of the fact they were alone in the stables—although he had yet to be even the slightest bit improper. As he walked to stand directly in front of her, she found herself holding her breath. He would not dare!

  His arm shot out and Alice almost swooned on the spot. Just the scent of him made her realize the reason he was able to have any woman he wanted. “I almost forgot my bag,” he said as he reached around her, grabbed a leather saddlebag that hung from the half-wall of the stall and threw it over his shoulder. The half-smile he gave her was one of a man who had won a bet or proven a point, almost a sneer, and she had to hold herself from slapping him.

  “Well, then I hope you have a pleasant journey,” she snapped. With that, she walked around him and toward the stable doors, her head held high. Then she turned one last time. “And as for tomorrow,” she said in a haughty tone, “I will not…” She took a step back and did not see the stool that sat on the floor behind her. If it had not been for Lord Blackmoore reaching out to catc
h her, she would have ended up flat on her backside and her gown would have been covered in straw and dust, as well as what was in a nasty pile the Earl’s horse had just plopped onto the stable floor.

  “You really should be more careful,” he said as his eyes bore into hers.

  She yanked her eyeglasses from the hand he held out. “Thank you,” she replied curtly, though the feel of his hand lingered on her arm in not an unpleasant manner.

  He gave her an amused smile. “Until tomorrow.” He trotted around the corner of the house and was soon out of sight.

  She glared at the stool and held back the urge to give it a good swift kick. Typically, she planned her acts of clumsiness and was quite proud of the results. However, when it happened of its own accord, and especially in the presence of a man such as Lord Blackmoore, it only made her want to lash out at whatever she could.

  Well, come tomorrow, she would find a way to be sure he did not wish to continue visiting her. For no matter what the man thought, she could easily outsmart him, for she was much more intelligent than he. There was no doubt in her mind of that fact.

  Chapter Four

  Johnathan stood in nothing but his smallclothes as he gazed out his bedroom window at the garden highlighted by the bright rays of the full moon. A cool breeze moved the curtains and cooled his skin. The sound of movement behind him reminded him that it was not just the heat of the summer that had heated his body this night.

  “My Lord, shall I bring you a brandy?” Margaret asked as she placed a hand on his shoulder. Her voice was pleasant, but he knew what she truly wanted—to get close to him.

  “No, retire to your room for the night,” he replied without turning. “You are not needed any longer.”

  She hesitated and allowed her hand to slide down his arm in a light caress. However, holding this woman, or any woman for that matter, was the last thing he wanted. In fact, the further away they kept from him, the better.

  He turned his head slightly to glance over his shoulder. “Goodnight, Margaret,” he said in a sharp tone. Her hand left his arm and a few moments later he heard the door close softly behind her. He did not look at the women when they parted ways, he never did, whether he took her to bed or not. Too often he recognized the look of rejection on the women’s faces and the sadness in their eyes, and each time he hated himself for it. Therefore, by never fully turning when he asked them to leave, he saved himself the anguish of guilt.

  He let out a sigh. An earl had no reason to feel guilty for anything he did. If he wanted to take a woman, any woman, into his bed, he should be allowed to do so, especially one in his employ such as Margaret. She had no right to expect anything in return, though she was paid well for fulfilling his needs. If she expected him to marry her, or even put her up in an apartment like some sort of mistress, she could simply forget those foolish notions or she would be out of a position.

  The guilt for his thoughts returned and he let the curtain fall back into place. Perhaps he should have allowed the girl to pour him a brandy. But no, it was better this way. Plus, he was capable of doing at least that much on his own.

  As he sipped at the fiery liquid, he thought back to the party several nights earlier and the antics of Miss Alice Huntington. Johnathan had to admit the woman had spirit and was quite cunning, but were those qualities suiting a marchioness? This had been the reason for hesitating on giving Mr. Huntington an answer immediately; she was much too bumbling in so many ways, and yet there was something about her that he could not seem to pinpoint. Then there was the promise of what Johnathan could receive in return, which was too great to not accept. Furthermore, he had never been presented with a woman he could not tame, and thus when he did finally get the upper hand, it would be as any other conquest. The only problem was this time he could not push her to the side. Was the price too high?

  He walked to the small table beside his bed, grabbed his brandy, and came back to look out at the night sky as he stood in front of the open window. He took a sip and smiled. The quality of the brandy was much better than that which Mr. Huntington had served at his party. Once again, his thoughts turned to the elder daughter, and he wondered how he was going to convince her to marry him. The thought of how her father had manipulated him into accepting such a deal still pricked his pride and made it difficult for him to consider his next steps with the woman.

  He had gone back the following day to visit with her as he had promised only to find that she had gone into Exeter with her mother to go shopping. In his rush to leave the stables that morning, he had forgotten to stop and ask Mr. Huntington if he could visit, and he was halfway home before he realized his mistake. That was what one deserved for the smugness he had felt in manipulating her into setting up the meeting in the first place.

  “Blast it!” he grunted before downing the rest of the brandy. How that woman could get under his skin was beyond him. The way she had led him so quickly to anger and then had the audacity to give him that look of triumph, as if she had somehow won a battle only made matters worse. And yet, when she tripped over the stool and lost those unbecoming eyeglasses, she had looked at him and he felt for a short moment that he could be lost in those bright green eyes. A red curl had come loose from her chignon and hung down next to her cheek and a completely different woman seemed to stare back at him.

  However, that moment was gone so quickly, he had to have imagined it, for she was once again the severe spinster he knew her to be. It only proved what he already knew—women were good for producing heirs or a simple tryst to ease the physical needs of a man and nothing more. Once upon a time, he had fallen for the alluring words of a woman; however, in the end, he had learned a valuable lesson.

  Never open your heart to any woman, for in doing so only ended in heartache and misery.

  Jane’s image entered his thoughts and her sweet words whispered in his ear. She had fawned over him until he promised her whatever her heart desired; from clothing to books to the most exquisite jewels, she could have had it all. However, that had not been enough.

  Johnathan shook his head, removing Jane from his mind once again. She was no longer worth a moment of his thoughts as far as he was concerned.

  Although it was difficult to force her image back into the recesses of his mind, he did so by bringing forth an image of Miss Huntington. His earlier conversation with the woman had not gone badly, per se, but it also was not a battle which was won. Granted, he had snapped at her when she mentioned his trysts and the publicity of them, but overall, the meeting had gone reasonably well. It was time for him to rein in on his conquests; he was becoming much too old for his womanizing. Yet, he would not give them up completely, even once he was married. He would simply be much more inconspicuous with those visits. It was not unheard of for a man to seek out another woman’s bed, especially not a man of his rank; however, he would never convince Miss Huntington to marry him if he did not lessen the publicity of such acts.

  He stared out into the night and considered all the ways he could win over the serious, but lovely, Miss Huntington. When the moon was high in the sky, a light tap on the door brought Johnathan from his thoughts.

  “Come!” he called out.

  The door opened and a young woman entered, the shift she wore barely concealing what lay beneath. Joanna was eighteen years of age with a pleasing figure and the face of an angel. “My Lord,” she said once she closed the door and dipped into a light curtsy. “You requested my presence?”

  There was a longing in her eyes, and his body responded. He would not reject her, at least not until his needs were fulfilled.

  ***

  Anger threatened to erupt in Johnathan as he sat in his study opposite Mr. Joseph Langley, a man seeking support for a business venture in which Johnathan knew would be more than advantageous for them both. However, the man was impatient, a trait that ground at Johnathan’s nerves.

  “I do understand what you are offing, Blackmoore,” Mr. Langley replied. “However, without the real es
tate secured, I will not commit to anything. I have other men who are quite interested in joining me, and to be perfectly honest, I am beginning to wonder if it would be more prudent to go with them.”

  Johnathan wanted to shake some sense into the man, but he knew the importance of patience. At least in times like this. “Your concerns are not unfounded,” he assured the man. “However, in two months’ time, I will have procured several storefronts from which to choose.”

  Mr. Langley’s eyebrows rose. “Oh? And how has this miracle come about? There have been no properties for sale or rent in any reasonable area of London for months.”

  Johnathan smiled as he rose to pour the two men a second drink. “Soon I will marry a woman whose father holds the deeds to four properties. He has offered those holdings as part of his daughter’s dowry. I will see that you have one of them.”

  “Well, pray tell, who is the lucky lady?”

  Johnathan laughed. Yes, Miss Huntington was lucky, indeed. “I am sure you know Mr. Dudley Huntington? He deals mostly in fabrics and textiles but also has a few other ventures to which I hold an interest.”

  The man’s eyes lit up. “Oh, are you speaking of Miss Emily Huntington? She will make a wonderful marchioness.”

  For some reason the man’s exclusion of Miss Huntington as a possible prospect upset him, but he kept his tone even. “I speak of Miss Alice Huntington,” Johnathan replied as he handed the drink to Mr. Langley.

  Again, Mr. Langley’s eyebrows rose. “The elder daughter?” He cleared his throat. “Well, yes, I have met Miss Huntington. She is a bit…severe,” he said, a shake to his head. “Are you certain she will know how to conduct herself in a social setting?” He gasped and then quickly added, “But she is a lovely woman, nonetheless. I imagine she has some very good qualities she can also bring to the marriage.”

  Johnathan chuckled. Severe was certainly a fitting term for the woman he would soon win over, but he was not certain she actually had any truly redeeming qualities. And as to her comportment, she could barely walk without bumping into something or tripping as it was. And then there was her headstrong manner with which to contend. “Yes, well, be that as it may, I am certain she and I will be able to come to some sort of arrangement for how she will spend her time once we are wed that will keep her out of trouble.” He took a sip of his brandy. “You are married, are you not?”