To Tempt an Irish Rogue

by Kaitlin O'Riley

  “I would love to come see it sometime.”

  “Oh, I’d love for you to see it! They are very near to completion and the construction should be done soon. Quinton thinks I’ll be able to look over the finished space within the next week. Then we shall have the furniture installed and the book inventory stocked and hire new employees.”

  “Will it be called Hamilton’s as well?” he asked, intrigued by her passion for her work. She was fairly brimming with enthusiasm, making her look even more beautiful with her eyes alight with excitement.

  “Oh that’s a secret for now. Only Colette and I know the name of the new shop and we’re saving it as a surprise for the opening day.”

  “Can I have a hint?” he asked, giving her a mischievous smile.

  She laughed but wouldn’t give him one.

  “I’ve also started reading the book you chose for me.” He gave her a knowing look. “The Law and the Lady.”

  “And what do you think of it?”

  “I think you are trying to tell me something with that story, lass.”

  Again Paulette’s sweet laughter warmed his heart. “Perhaps I am. Let me know what you think when you finish it.”

  Walking with Mara and Paulette on his arm, Declan had the impression that people who passed by them assumed they were a happy, young family. He could not recall that he and Margaret had ever walked in a park together with their daughter. Being in London was such a contrast to the depressing environment they had been living in with Margaret back at Cashelmore Manor. The grief during the past year was terrible enough, but the anger and tension in his marriage had been unbearable.

  He had no other option but to get away from Ireland, for Mara’s sake as well as his own. And each day he spent out of that sickening atmosphere strengthened his resolve that he had made the right choice. Mara seemed a little happier. And he felt lighter than he had in years. In fact, since the day he married Margaret.

  The simple pleasure of walking in a park on a summer day in the company of a beautiful girl renewed his sense of hope that he could get out of the tangled nightmare his life had become.

  The three of them continued strolling through the shady park, pausing from time to time for Mara to look at some flowers. His daughter picked a handful of daisies and Declan ended up carrying the book for her. They walked out of the park to a nearby restaurant that Paulette was familiar with, which she declared served the best ice cream in the city. Seated at a small outdoor table, they enjoyed their vanilla dessert served in pretty glass dishes. Mara was especially taken with the creamy sweetness and ate more than Declan had seen her consume in her life.

  “I think she likes her ice cream,” Paulette commented, with an amused smile.

  “Mara darlin’, you have some ice cream on your nose,” Declan pointed out, reaching over with his cloth napkin to wipe the cold treat from her tiny face.

  Before he could do so, Mara wiped at the vanilla ice cream with the tip of one of her chubby fingers, then shoved it in her mouth to lick off the cream. A delighted giggle escaped her once again and his heart constricted in his chest. He knew in that moment that taking her away from all the sadness at home in Cashelmore was for the best, no matter what Margaret’s family said.

  That made twice in one day that Mara had laughed. She had made a typical childish show of delight and he nearly burst with the joy of it. And all they had done was walk in the park, look at a picture book, and have some ice cream. The normalcy and ordinariness of the sunny day outdoors must have prompted the change in her.

  “You’re having a good time, aren’t you, darlin’?” he asked her with great affection. He loved her so.

  Mara looked up at him with her wide green eyes and smiled.

  “Paulette Hamilton!”

  Startled, Declan and Paulette both turned at the sound of her name. A tall and extremely good-looking gentleman with dark hair stood before them. On his arm was a gorgeous blond woman, dressed in a gown with outrageous pink ruffles.

  “Paulette, it is you!” the man exclaimed in surprise. “What are you doing here, little minx?”

  Declan’s brow raised in question. Who was this man who addressed Paulette so familiarly?

  “Jeffrey!” Paulette cried in disbeleif, her expression one of complete astonishment. Declan noted a bit of nervousness in her expression as well.

  “What a surprise to see you here!” Paulette continued. “When did you get back from France?”

  “Just yesterday. And I have presents for all of you. But first let me introduce you to my friend, Miss Francine Hunter. Miss Hunter, I’d like you to meet Miss Paulette Hamilton and . . . ?” The man glanced rather skeptically at Declan. He had a proprietary air about him that instantly put Declan on edge.

  “I’m pleased to meet you, Miss Hunter,” Paulette said with a note of amusement in her voice. “This is the Earl of Cashelmore, from Ireland, and his daughter, Lady Mara Reeves. And Lord Cashelmore, this is a dear family friend, Lord Jeffrey Eddington.”

  Declan exchanged a handshake with the man, wondering what claim he seemed to have over Paulette.

  “Are you here in London on holiday, Lord Cashelmore?” Lord Eddington asked.

  Declan bristled under the other man’s intense regard. “No, not a holiday.”

  “Then you are planning to stay here?”

  “I’m not sure how long I’ll be here,” Declan responded tersely. The man’s tone had a critical edge to it. There was not a doubt in his mind that Lord Eddington glanced disapprovingly between Paulette and Declan.

  Mara stared up at the handsome stranger with wide eyes.

  Then Eddington asked, “You have a very sweet daughter, Lord Cashelmore. May I ask why your wife is not with you on this fine afternoon?”

  “Oh, Jeffrey!” Paulette whispered hurriedly. “Lord Cashelmore is a widower.”

  Declan glared at Eddington, daring him to say anything more. He and Paulette were not doing anything untoward and he didn’t like this man insinuating that they were.

  “I beg your pardon. I had no idea,” Eddington said, his expression one of genuine regret. “My condolences to you and your daughter.”

  Declan nodded, barely acknowledging his remark of sympathy, and the atmosphere around them grew quite tense. How dared this man, who was obviously carousing with a lower-class woman, for the girl had to be a dancer or an actress judging from her dress alone, question him in such a way? Who was he to Paulette? Clearly he was not a blood relative for she would have introduced him as such. Yet he had the effrontery to act as if he were her older brother.

  “We were just treating Mara to some ice cream after a walk in the park,” Paulette murmured in an attempt to break the awkward silence. “Have you had the ice cream here before, Miss Hunter? It’s quite good.”

  The woman shook her head. “No, but I’ve heard it’s delicious.”

  Lord Eddington said, “We were just walking to the theater. Miss Hunter has a show this afternoon. But it was wonderful to run into you, Paulette. It’s rare that I ever see you outside of the bookshop. Please be sure to tell Lucien and your sisters that I’ll be around to Devon House sometime tomorrow.” He turned his attention to Declan. “Lord Cashelmore, it was a pleasure meeting you and your adorable daughter. Enjoy your stay in London. Perhaps we shall meet again?”

  Declan shrugged noncommittally. “Perhaps. It was nice meeting you, Miss Hunter. Lord Eddington. Enjoy the show.”

  As the two walked away, Declan handed the picture book to Mara, who hurriedly opened it and immersed herself in the colorful pages once again. Then he turned to Paulette. “Who was that?”

  “I just introduced you,” she said matter-of-factly. “He’s Lord Eddington.”

  “No, I meant who is he to you? He acted very protectively toward you.”

  “Yes, well, he’s been like a brother to us since Colette married Lucien Sinclair. Lucien and Jeffrey grew up together and are like brothers,” Paulette explained. “So we accepted Jeffrey as a part of o
ur family, too. He’s very sweet and charming, and he’s great fun.”

  “And clearly not married.”

  Paulette laughed. “Jeffrey? No, he’s not married yet! But plenty of women want him to be!”

  “He certainly wasn’t happy at finding you here with me. He made that very plain.”

  “He doesn’t even know you. But he’s known me since I was a young girl, and he is protective of all us Hamilton girls, and I think he was just surprised to see me out with . . .” Paulette fumbled for the right word. “. . . Out with . . . well, surprised to see me out.”

  “With someone like me,” Declan finished for her.

  “With anyone, I suppose.” Her cheeks flushed prettily. “I’m sure it looked to Jeffrey as though you and I are . . . you and I . . .”

  Not for the first time Declan wondered what he was doing with this girl. Perhaps this Eddington character had every right to be suspicious of him. For what were his intentions with Paulette? He sure as hell didn’t know.

  “Does your family know you’re here in the park with me right now?” he questioned.

  He sensed the hesitation in her before she answered.

  “Well, no, not actually,” she confided, her expression a bit anguished. “I told them I was walking in the park, but I didn’t necessarily mention that I would be meeting you there.”

  “Why not?”

  She grew thoughtful and her voice changed to a whisper. “I don’t know. Maybe I was afraid they wouldn’t approve.”

  Declan glanced at Mara, who was still engrossed in the toy book on the table in front of her. He lowered his voice as well. “Because of the rumors about me?”

  Paulette nodded, her eyes downcast.

  His heart raced. “But you don’t believe those rumors, do you?”

  She looked up to meet his eyes. “I told you the other night that I don’t believe them.”

  “Wouldn’t your family believe me if you said that you believed me?”

  “I suppose they would.” She didn’t seem very sure of her answer. Paulette bit her lip. “Jeffrey is sure to tell them about seeing us here.”

  “And that concerns you?”

  “Only for the fact that I wish I could tell them myself, when I was ready to share such information. It’s just that now I shall be subjected to far too many questions that I don’t know how to answer.”

  Their gazes locked, and for a moment they were lost in thought. They both had questions. Lord knew Declan was filled with a multitude of questions where Paulette was concerned. And he had no answers for her either. He had placed her in an uncomfortable position.

  “I wish I knew how to answer them for you, Paulette.”

  “You could probably answer some of them for me at some point. But now is neither the time or the place.”

  “I agree,” he said.

  A dainty, little snore distracted them both. Mara had fallen fast asleep, her head resting on the table over the opened book.

  “It must be past her nap time, the sweet thing,” Paulette whispered. “We should get her home.”

  Declan noted the use of the word “we” in her remark and did not know what to make of it. Instead he stood and lifted the sleeping child in his arms. Mara’s head lolled against his shoulder. Paulette gathered up the picture book, Mara’s daisy bouquet, and her reticule, and they left the little restaurant together.

  “Do you live far from here?” she asked.

  “Not at all. Just down the block,” he said, as Paulette fell in step beside him.

  They walked back to his townhouse and he felt oddly comforted by Paulette’s presence. His butler, Roberts, greeted them in the foyer and Mrs. Martin hurried in, clucking over the sleepy child.

  “Oh my, someone is just worn out!”

  Declan made the introductions rather hastily, as he noted that Mrs. Martin eyed Paulette with avid curiosity. While Roberts escorted Paulette to the parlor, Declan carried Mara upstairs to the nursery and then let Mrs. Martin put her to bed for a much-needed nap. He returned to the main parlor to find Paulette waiting for him, seated on the rose-patterned sofa. She had removed her lavender beribboned hat and her gloves and looked more at home here than he would have imagined.

  They were quite alone in his formal parlor as he closed the door behind him.

  “This is a very nice house, Declan,” she said.

  He gave a cursory glance around the room. “It’ll do for now. Can I get you anything? Shall I ring for some tea?”

  She shook her head. “No, I’m fine, thank you.”

  “I should thank you for being so kind to Mara. She loves that book.” After a slight hesitation he moved to sit beside Paulette on the sofa. The sweet floral scent of her perfume wafted to him. She smelled delicious. “Being in London has already been an improvement for Mara. She actually laughed for the first time since her mother died. It was just a brief giggle, but it meant the world to me.”

  “It made you hopeful that she’ll speak again?”

  “Yes.” He liked how Paulette knew what he was thinking. “She was happy today in the park. I think she finally felt safe and forgot the horror of that night for a little while. It exhausted her too, apparently.”

  “I’m sure it did, but when she has more days like today, she will eventually come out of her shell.” She smiled brightly at him, her pretty face beaming. “Have you thought about other children?”

  “Excuse me?” Her question startled him.

  At one time, when he and Margaret were first married, he had wanted a large, boisterous family with lots of children. Something he never had growing up. But now . . . Now he had his hands full dealing with only Mara. Another child was the furthest thing from his thoughts, which saddened him, too. Nothing in his life had turned out as he had planned.

  Paulette looked confused and became a bit flustered. “Forgive me. I meant to say have you thought about having other children over to play with Mara? It seems as though she spends her days alone or only with adults. Being with children her own age might engage her enough to talk.”

  Declan was astonished by Paulette’s simple idea. “I’d never thought of that, to tell you the truth. Maybe because I don’t know any other children. Not one doctor has ever given me that suggestion before, but what you say makes complete sense. If Mara had a playmate or two her own age, maybe that would help.”

  “It’s too bad that my niece Sara isn’t here. She’s about Mara’s age and would be a perfect playmate to her. But she lives in America with my sister Juliette. However, Colette’s two sons, Phillip and Simon, are darling little boys. They would play with Mara and not scare her. They’re all close enough in age. Maybe we could introduce them at the bookshop one afternoon?”

  “That would be a grand idea, Paulette. I think Mara would like that and it wouldn’t feel so forced. Thank you.” On impulse he took her hand in his and gave her a gentle squeeze. Her hand felt warm and her fingers intertwined with his.

  “You’re welcome.”

  Declan looked into her blue eyes, seeing the honesty, intelligence, and warmth within her. Paulette’s golden blond hair had come loose from the pins during their walk home and few stray tendrils fell charmingly around her delicate face. He still held her hand in his and she did not pull away.

  “You are very beautiful, Paulette Hamilton.”

  “Thank you . . . Ah, about those questions that I am bound to be asked by my family,” she whispered, her voice a bit breathless. “Might we discuss those answers now?”

  She regarded him with a yearning that he recognized quite clearly. Suddenly his heart pounded like a hammer in his chest. The familiar tension grew between them, as he still held her hand, their fingers interlocked together.

  “Of course.”

  She remained silent, her gaze fixed intently with his.

  He moved closer to her, inhaling the sweet scent of her hair. He lifted her hand to his lips, feeling the smoothness of her skin against his mouth. He pressed a kiss to her fingers. “You ha
ve questions?” he whispered.

  She blinked in confusion. “I’m sorry?” Her words were barely audible.

  He moved his head closer to hers. “You wanted me to answer something?”

  “I . . . I don’t . . . recall . . .”

  He could almost touch her cheek with his lips, he was so close to her. Her skin looked so incredibly soft and he longed to touch it.

  She licked her lips slowly, her tongue skimming the full curves. Declan’s heart slammed into his chest, his eyes fixed on her mouth.

  The air became warm around them. She did not speak. She stared at him.

  Before he could consider what he was about to do, he leaned into her and covered her sweet mouth with his.

  The effect was immediate.

  As if waiting for him to do just that, Paulette practically melted into him, her body pliant and soft, her arms wrapped around his shoulders. He breathed in the flowery scent of her, basking in the feel of her lips against his. She kissed him back eagerly, which only enflamed his growing desire for her. When her mouth opened he dipped his tongue inside, the sensation almost causing him to lose his mind when she touched her tongue to his. With his arm around her he pulled her closer, pressing his chest against hers.

  They kissed. And kissed. And kissed. Declan felt he could kiss her for days on end and never get enough of her.

  Her breathing became shallow and so did his.

  Releasing her hand, he traced a path up her arm, along her shoulder, and around to the back of her neck, his fingers sliding into her silky blond tresses. He tilted her head back as he kissed her even more deeply. God, but he could easily drown in her. She was all soft skin and warm sighs. He caught his breath as her hands splayed through his hair.

  Wanting more, he slowly maneuvered them both until she was reclining on the sofa and he positioned himself over the length of her body. She was perfectly proportioned, and fit him as if she were made for him and no one else. He caressed her cheek, kissing her over and over again.