the course of an evening, can one?"
Victoria snapped her closed fan against
the table. I knew it. This is blackmail."
A nasty word for it, but, yes, I suppose
in a manner of speaking, it is blackmail."
Fortune hunter. That was the only
explanation. She had never before encountered
one quite so bold and aggressive. The
type generally tended to be extremely well
mannered and gracious, at least initially.
But Victoria trusted her instincts. She
locked eyes with stone vale for an instant,
fascinated by the waiting, expectant gleam
in his hard, gray gaze. When she started
to rise from the card table, the earl got to
his feet to assist her.
I shall look forward to seeing you later
this evening," he murmured in her ear as
she rose.
If you are fishing for a fortune, my
lord," Victoria drawled, cast your lures
elsewhere. You are wasting your time with
me. I will grant that your technique is a
novel one, but I do not find it at all
attractive. I assure you, I have resisted far
more agreeable bait."
So I have been told."
He paced beside her as they moved into
the glittering, crowded ballroom. Victoria
became aware again, as she had earlier, of
stone vale's curiously balanced, but uneven
stride. The elegant black evening clothes,
finely tied cravat, close-fitting breeches,
and polished boots did not disguise the
limp that marred the movement of his
left leg.
What, precisely, have you been told, my
lord?" Victoria demanded.
He shrugged. It is said you have little
interest in marriage, Miss Huntington."
Your sources are wrong." She smiled
thinly. I do not have even a little interest
in the married state. I have absolutely no
interest in it, whatsoever."
stone vale slanted her a considering
glance. A pity. Perhaps if you had a
husband and a family to occupy your time
in the evenings, you would not be obliged
to amuse yourself with risky adventures
such as the one you have planned for
tonight."
Victoria's smile widened. I am certain
that the sort of adventure I have planned for
this evening will be vastly more entertaining
than the evening duties of a wife."
What makes you so certain of that?"
Personal history, my lord. My mother
was married for her fortune and it
destroyed her. My dear aunt was also
married for her money. Fortunately for her
my uncle had the grace to die early on in a
hunting accident. But since I cannot count
on similar good fortune, I have chosen not
to take the risk of marriage."
You do not fear that you might be
missing an important part of a woman's
life?" he ventured.
Not in the least. I have seen nothing
of marriage to recommend it." Victoria
opened her gilded fan to conceal a shudder.
Memories of her stepfather's casual little
cruelties and drunken acts of violence
toward her mother were never far below
the surface. Even the bright lights of the
ballroom could not entirely banish them.
She fanned herself languidly once or
twice, hoping stone vale would gain the
impression that she was acutely bored with
the direction of the conversation. Now, if
you will excuse me, my lord, I see a friend
I must speak to."
He followed her glance. Ah, yes, the
intrepid Annabella Lyndwood. She is no
doubt anxious to discuss the evening's
plans, too. It appears, since you are
determined not to be cooperative, that I
shall be left to discover the details on my
own. But never fear, I am very good at
games of strategy." stone vale inclined his
head briefly over Victoria's hand. Until
later, Miss Huntington."
I shall pray you find something more
entertaining to do with your time tonight
than to accompany us."
Not likely." The earl's faint smile flared
into a brief, wicked grin that momentarily
displayed his strong white teeth.
Victoria turned away from him with
an elegant swirl of her golden yellow
silk skirts, refusing to give the man the
satisfaction of a backward glance. This
man was not only potentially dangerous,
he was insufferable.
Victoria stifled a small groan as she
swept through the crowd. She ought to
have known better than to have allowed
the earl to entice her into the card room
tonight. It was, after all, not quite the
thing for a lady to play cards with a man
at an affair such as this. But she'd always
had a hard time resisting adventure and
the damnable man had seemed to sense
that almost at once. Sensed it and used the
weakness. She must remember that.
It was not as if she'd had any warning.
stone vale had, after all, been properly
introduced to her by Jessica Atherton,
no less.
Everyone knew Lady Atherton was
entirely above reproach, a paragon, in
fact. Slender, dark-haired, and blue-eyed,
the viscountess was not only young,
delicate, and quite lovely, she was also
becomingly modest, unfailingly gracious,
eminently respectable, and a stickler for
the proprieties. In other words, she would
certainly never have introduced a known
rake or fortune hunter to one of her
guests.
Vicky, I've been looking everywhere for
you." Annabella Lyndwood hurried over to
her friend's side. She flicked open her fan
and proceeded to use it to shield her lips as
she spoke in a whisper. Were you actually
playing cards with stone vale? How very
naughty of you. Who won?"
Victoria sighed. I did, for all the good
it did me."
Did he tell you Bertie has invited him
to accompany us tonight? I was furious
about that, but Bertie insists we should
have another man along for protection."
So I was given to understand."
Oh, dear, you are angry. I am so sorry,
truly I am, Vicky, but there was no help for
it. Bertie promised he would say nothing
about our plans, but apparently stone vale
tricked him into revealing all."
Yes, I can see how that might happen.
Probably poured hock down Bertie's throat
until the truth emerged. It is certainly a
pity your brother could not keep his mouth
shut, but don't fret, Bella. I am determined
we shall enjoy ourselves regardless."
Annabella's sky blue eyes gleamed in
obvious relief Her fair curls bounced
enticingly as she nodded her head and
smiled. Annabella Lyndwood was held
slightest bit too well rounded for fashion.
But that tendency toward a full figure had
certainly not put off her many suitors.
She had recently turned twenty-one and
had confided to Victoria that she would
undoubtedly be obliged to accept one
of the several offers she had received
this Season. Annabella had gotten a late
start in the marriage mart because of the
untimely death of her father, but she had
proven enormously popular when she had
finally made her appearance in London.
What do you know of him, Bella?"
Victoria asked quietly.
Who? stone vale? Not much, to be
perfectly truthful. Bertie says he's respected
in the clubs. He just recently acceded to
the title, I believe. The previous earl was
a distant relative of some sort. An uncle
or something. Bertie mentioned estates in
Yorkshire."
Did Bertie have anything else to say
about him?"
Let me think. According to Bertie, the
family line has almost died out. It came
close to dying out entirely, I gather, when
Lucas Colebrook was badly wounded on
the Peninsula a year or so ago."
Victoria felt her stomach tighten in an
odd manner. The limp?"
Yes. It was the end of his career in the
military, apparently. Still, that career would
have ended regardless once he inherited.
His first duty is to his title and estates
now, of course."
Of course." Victoria did not want to ask
the next question, but she could not resist.
How did it happen?"
The injury to his leg? I don't know the
details. Bertie says stone vale never talks
about it. But according to my brother,
Wellington, himself, mentioned the earl
in several of the dispatches. The story is
that during the battle in which he was
wounded, stone vale managed to stay in
the saddle and lead his men on to take
their objective before he collapsed and was
left for dead on the field."
Left for dead. Victoria felt sick. She
pushed the queasy sensation aside, remind
ing herself that Lucas Colebrook was not
the sort of man for whom she could afford
pity. Furthermore, she seriously doubted
that he would welcome it. Unless, of
course, he could figure out some way to
use it to his advantage.
It occurred to her to wonder if stone vale
had suggested the card game earlier so that
he would not be obliged to endure a set of
country dances. The limp probably kept
him off the floor.
What do you think of him, Vicky? I
have seen the Perfect Miss Pilkington
eyeing him all evening and so have several
other ladies in the room. Not to mention
their mamas. Nothing like a little fresh
blood on the scene to whet the appetite,
is there?" Annabella teased lightly.
What a perfectly disgusting image." But
Victoria laughed in spite of herself. I
wonder if stone vale knows he's being
looked over like a prize stallion?"
I don't know, but thus far you are the
only one he is looking over in return. No
one could help but notice that it was you
he coaxed into the card room."
I suppose he's hanging out for a
fortune," Victoria said.
Really, Vicky, you always believe men
are after your inheritance. You are positively
single-minded to the point of idiocy
on the subject. Is it not possible that some
of your admirers are seriously interested in
you, not your money?"
Bella, I'm nearly twenty-five years old.
We are both aware that men of the ton do
not make offers to women of my advanced
years unless they are lured by practical
reasons. My fortune is a very practical
reason."
You speak as if you are on the shelf,
and that is simply not true."
Of course it's true, and to be honest, I
prefer it that way," Victoria said evenly.
Annabella shook her head. But, why?"
It makes everything so much simpler,"
Victoria explained vaguely, unconsciously
scanning the crowd in search of stone vale.
She spotted him at last talking to his
hostess near the door that opened onto
the vast Atherton gardens. She studied
the intimate manner in which he stood
towering over the angelic Lady Atherton,
who was a vision in pink.
If it makes you feel any better, Bertie
has said absolutely nothing to imply that
stone vale is a fortune hunter," Annabella
said. Quite the contrary. It's rumored the
old earl was an eccentric who hoarded his
wealth until the day he died. Now it all
belongs to our new earl. And you know
Bertie. He would not dream of inviting
anyone to accompany us tonight unless
he approved of him."
That much was true, Victoria conceded.
Lord Lyndwood, only two years older
than his sister, took the duties of his
recently inherited title quite seriously. He
was highly protective of his flirtatious,
exuberant sibling and he was always
pleasant to Victoria. He would not expose
either woman to a man whose background
or reputation was questionable. Perhaps
Annabella was right, Victoria thought,
perhaps she was a bit overanxious on
the subject of wily fortune hunters.
Then she recalled stone vale's eyes. Even
if he were not a fortune hunter, he was
still more dangerous than any man she
had ever met with the possible exception
of her stepfather.
Victoria sucked in her breath at the
thought and then discarded it angrily. No,
she told herself with sudden fierceness,
regardless of how dangerous stone vale
might be in his own right, she would
not put him into the same category as
the brutal man who had married her
mother. Something deep within her was
very certain the two men were not of the
same mold.
Well, congratulations, Victoria, my dear.
I see you have captured the attention of
our new earl. stone vale is an interesting
specimen, is he not?"
Startled out of her thoughts by the
familiar, throaty voice, Victoria glanced
to her left and saw Isabel Rycott standing
nearby. She forced herself to smile. The
truth was, she did not particularly care for
the woman, but she did feel a trace of envy
when she was around her.
Isabel Rycott always reminded Victoria
of an exotic jewel. She was in her early
thirties and had about her an air of
lush, feminine mystery that seemed to
attract men the way honey enticed bees.
The sens
e of exoticism was enhanced by
Isabel's catlike grace, her sleek black hair,
and faintly slanted eyes. She was one
of a handful of other women in the
room besides Victoria who had defied
the current style by wearing a strong
color rather than demure white or pastel
tonight. Her riveting deep emerald green
gown shimmered brilliantly in the light of
the ballroom.
But it was not Isabel's unusual looks that
made Victoria regard her with a certain
wistful envy. It was the freedom conferred
upon her by her age and her status as a
widow that Victoria secretly admired. A
woman in Lady Rycott's position was far
less subject to the close scrutiny of the ton
than Victoria was. Lady Rycott was even
free to indulge in discreet affairs.
Victoria had never met a man with
whom she had wanted to have an affair,
but she would have liked very much to
have had the freedom to do so if she
chose.
Good evening. Lady Rycott." Victoria
looked down at the woman who stood
several inches shorter than she. Are you
acquainted with the earl?"
Isabel shook her exquisitely shaped
head. We have not yet been introduced,
unfortunately. He has only recently entered
Society, although I hear he has been active
at the gaming tables in the clubs for some
time now.
I heard the same thing," Annabella
said. Bertie says the man is an excellent
gamester. Very coolheaded."
Really?" Isabel glanced across the room
to where the earl was still standing with
Lady Atherton. He's not at all in the way
of being handsome, is he? Still, there is
something quite intriguing about him."
Handsome? Victoria could have laughed
aloud at the notion of using such an
insipid word to describe stone vale. No,
he was not handsome. His face was strong,
harsh even, with a sharp blade of a nose,
an aggressive jaw, and an unrelenting
awareness in those gray eyes. His hair
was the color of a moonless night sky, shot
with silver at the temples, but none of it
added up to handsome. When one looked
at stone vale, one saw quiet, controlled,
masculine power, not a fine dandy.
You must admit," Annabella said, that
he certainly wears his clothes well."
Yes," Isabel agreed softly. He wears his
clothes exceedingly well."
Victoria did not like the assessing look
Isabel was employing as she surveyed
the earl, but there was no denying that
stone vale was one of those rare men who
was not dominated by the elegant tailoring
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