To Tempt an Irish Rogue

by Kaitlin O'Riley

  “That’s what I’d prefer to do, rather than hide away in Italy.”

  Releasing a heavy sigh, Yvette asked, “Is that really what you want to do?”

  “None of this is what I want, Yvette, but I have very few options. And I feel like a fool.”

  “You’re not a fool. You’re a girl in love and that’s why they have all these rules in society, you know. To keep the men away from us and to prevent us females from ending up this way.” Yvette paused a moment. “Are you going to tell Lord Cashelmore?”

  Paulette’s first instincts had been to tell Declan as soon as she returned to London, but the more she thought about it, the more she believed it might be better to say nothing at all. If she told him about the baby, Declan would feel obligated to marry her, just as Yvette predicted. But Paulette did not want to marry a man who was marrying her out of duty or a sense of guilt. If she slipped away to visit Juliette for a few months, no one would know about the baby, except Yvette and Juliette. She could think of what to do once she was in America. Juliette would know what was best and it would buy Paulette some time. “I don’t have to tell him anything if I go to America with Juliette.”

  “I still think it’s best to tell him,” Yvette said with a bit of worry in her voice. “He’d marry you and you wouldn’t have to run away.”

  “No.”

  “Now you’re being foolish.”

  “Would you want to marry a man who was being forced to marry you, Yvette?”

  After a quiet minute her sister grudgingly admitted, “No, I suppose not, but still . . . You’re having his baby, Paulette. You already told me what a good father he is. Why wouldn’t he want a baby with you? He has to marry you. At the very least he deserves to know about his child, don’t you think?”

  “I can’t think about this anymore,” Paulette cried, placing her hands over her face.

  Ever since she suspected that she might be with child, she had been trying to picture Declan’s reaction if she were to tell him about the baby. Her visions ranged from him being overjoyed and wanting to make her his wife, to her words being greeted with stony silence and disgust. Declan had so much to worry about. He was dealing with the charges being brought against him in his wife’s death as well as struggling to help his daughter speak again. He certainly didn’t need to take on the added burden of Paulette and a baby.

  A baby. She dared not even let herself think of this child. Dared not think of loving it. Of imagining a life with this baby. It was too heartbreaking.

  “I’m sorry,” Yvette whispered in the darkness. “I can only imagine how you feel right now.”

  The lump in her throat kept Paulette from responding and tears threatened, stinging, like pin pricks behind her eyes.

  Her sister’s imagination wouldn’t even come close to knowing how Paulette felt. Frightened. Embarrassed. Confused. Overwhelmed. Heartbroken. Worried. Dizzy. Faint. Foolish. Nauseous. The list went on and on. Only one word was not on her list of feelings. And that was regretful. She could not for one single minute regret any of the nights she spent with Declan Reeves. In spite of the consequences she now faced, she looked back on those times together with only joy and love. She had never been happier or felt more alive than when she was with him. Did she wish the precautions they had taken had worked? Yes. But she did not regret one moment of being in Declan’s arms.

  Under the warmth of the quilt that covered her she laced her fingers over her abdomen. The smooth cotton of her nightgown covered her, but she rubbed her hands gently across her stomach. One would never guess by looking at her that a tiny person was growing within her. A baby. Her baby. Their baby. Her heart fluttered with a strange excitement. A glimmer of hope.

  “Do you know the terrible irony of this whole situation ?” Yvette asked, settling back into the pillows.

  “What?” At the moment Paulette could not think of anything more ironic than the fact that of all her sisters, she, the most practical and reliable one, was the one to find herself in the most irresponsible of all situations.

  “Lisette.”

  Paulette’s tears came full force then. “Oh, it’s not fair.” How could it be that her married sister, who wanted a baby so desperately, could not seem to have one and there was Paulette, not married and with child?

  Yvette whispered, “We can’t tell her about this.”

  “It would break her heart if we did.” Paulette wiped at the hot tears that spilled down her cheeks and into her ears as she lay there in the dark.

  Chapter 22

  Dilemma

  Yvette Hamilton knew she had to tell someone what was happening, but she was not quite sure whom to tell. Paulette had sworn her to secrecy, and Yvette couldn’t break a promise like that to her sister. Not to Paulette of all people. After the confirmation from the doctor in Brighton, Paulette’s plan to have the baby in America could work, but Yvette disagreed with it completely. In her heart she believed that this mysterious Lord Cashelmore simply had to marry her sister. It was the right and proper course of action for a gentleman. As if anything about this situation was right or proper.

  This was the biggest problem that she had ever dealt with before. Riddled with fear and worry over her sister’s situation, she knew that she and Paulette could not handle this on their own.

  Which is why she chose to tell Jeffrey Eddington.

  It wasn’t really breaking a confidence, Yvette reasoned, since Jeffrey already knew about Paulette and Lord Cashelmore.

  After Colette and Paulette left to go to the bookshop one morning after their little trip to Brighton, Yvette ventured to Lord Eddington’s townhouse.

  Just as his butler had opened the door, Jeffrey had been descending the stairs and saw her.

  “Yvette! What in God’s name are you doing here?” Jeffrey could not hide the astonishment on his handsome face upon seeing Yvette Hamilton standing upon his doorstep.

  “Is that any way to greet a lady?” she remarked, a bit put out by his curt welcome. Jeffrey was usually more gallant than that. His butler stood there dumbfounded, not sure what to do.

  “Let her in, Dennings. It’s all right,” Jeffrey said to the older man who seemed at sixes and sevens. Jeffrey turned his attention to Yvette. Taking her arm and leading her from the grand foyer, he said, “Ladies do not come calling upon gentlemen at this hour of the morning without an escort, Miss Hamilton.”

  “They do when it’s important and they need to speak with that gentleman privately,” she said as she glanced around her with interest.

  Yvette had never been to Jeffrey’s townhouse before and found herself quite curious about it. As he ushered her through the house, she took note of the masculine feel of the place. Surprisingly, there was nothing surprising at all about it. The house was tasteful and understated in its décor. There was none of the fashionable knick-knacks and curios and heavily patterned wallpapers that were all the rage. Feeling a bit disappointed, she had expected something more . . . more . . . well, decadent about Jeffrey’s home.

  She had known Jeffrey Eddington since she was thirteen years old and he had become a part of their family when Colette married Lucien Sinclair. Aside from his acting as a protective older brother to all of them, Yvette had always liked him for treating her as if she were a lady. Even when she wasn’t.

  “What is the matter, Yvette? Has something happened to your sisters? Is one of them hurt?” he asked once they were in the privacy of his study, his blue eyes filled with worry.

  “No, not exactly,” she said, taking a seat on a leather chair, facing him. She arranged the long train of her satin damask bustle gown neatly around her. She loved the way the floral sprig pattern on the golden yellow satin caught the light, making it her favorite brand-new dress.

  Jeffrey leaned against his large oak desk, watching her, his expression puzzled. “What is going on then, Yvette? What are you doing here? Aside from looking quite beautiful in that gown.”

  “Thank you,” she murmured, feeling a bit flustered. T
hat was another reason why she liked Jeffrey. He always noticed her and complimented her prettily, although this time she blushed a little under his regard. “Well . . .”

  “Well?” he urged.

  Suddenly feeling foolish for coming to his house to tell him what she had intended to tell him, she hesitated. Now she was not sure if she should confide in him. “I thought . . . that is . . . I came here to ask your advice on a matter of a very personal nature.”

  “Who is he?”

  “I beg your pardon?” she asked, taken aback by his question.

  He crossed his arms in front of him, eyeing her with keen interest. “Who is he? I assume that’s why you’re here. To find out more about your newest conquest. Hasn’t he fallen in love with you yet?”

  “Oh, no! It’s nothing like that!” Yvette exclaimed, with a giggle and a dismissive wave of her hand. “How funny! As if I needed your assistance with my romantic life! I’m not here on my own account!”

  He cast her an odd look at her words. “Well, what is it then?”

  She hesitated, patting her blond curls in place. “Now I’m not sure if I should tell you.”

  “You came all this way, Yvette. It was obviously important enough for you to seek me out. I can tell you’re harboring some kind of secret, so you may as well tell me now.”

  He was right. She had come here for help, which she needed. Which her sister needed. She paused for a moment. “It’s about Paulette.”

  Jeffrey immediately stood straighter, a look of anger clouding his handsome features. “Is it Lord Cashelmore? Has he done something to hurt her?”

  That gave Yvette pause. Had Lord Cashelmore hurt her sister? “I’m not sure if hurt is the correct term I would use.”

  “Yvette, just say it.” His voice was filled with determination and not a little anxiety.

  “The reason I came to see you is only because Paulette told me that you knew of her . . . friendship . . . with Lord Cashelmore, so I knew you would be understanding.”

  “I won’t be understanding for much longer,” he growled, growing impatient. “The man has a dark reputation. I warned Paulette about him in the first place, but I was under the impression that they were no longer seeing each other.”

  Yvette hesitated again, a flicker of fear in her chest. “It seems there has been a bit of a complication that adds to the seriousness of the situation.”

  His expression darkened. “Damn it, Yvette.”

  Yvette just blurted it out. “Paulette’s going to have a baby and someone is threatening to kill her!”

  “Good God. You’re not jesting.” His eyes widened at the news, then he grew terribly somber. He shook his head in disgust. “I should have stopped it from the beginning. I knew no good would come of their association. I blame myself for this.”

  “Don’t blame yourself, Jeffrey. They’ve been meeting in secret. No one even knows about them. She only told me two weeks ago.”

  “Is she sure? Has she been to a—”

  “Yes, we visited with a doctor in Brighton last week.”

  “Who else knows about this?”

  “Just me. And now you.”

  “Well, she’s just going to have to marry him, that’s all.”

  Yvette shook her head. “That’s the problem. She won’t marry him.”

  “What?” Jeffrey was incredulous.

  “She says neither of them wishes to marry and she wants to go stay with Juliette in America and have the baby there,” Yvette explained, beginning to feel like she made the right decision in coming to see Lord Eddington.

  Jeffrey whistled low. “She’s completely lost her mind.”

  “I know and it has me very worried. That’s why I’m here. We can’t let her run away to America. Lord Cashelmore needs to marry her. As soon as possible.”

  “He certainly does. Although I’m not sure I like the idea of your sister marrying a man suspected of murdering his first wife.”

  “Paulette swears by his innocence.” Yvette looked at Jeffrey. “And I believe her.”

  Jeffrey paused, thoughtful. “She said the same to me, and as much as I would love to believe Paulette, I don’t trust the man himself. She’s in love with him and a woman in love will believe anything the man she’s in love with has to say.”

  Now that was interesting. Yvette arched an inquisitive brow in Jeffrey’s direction. “Is that so?”

  “Yes,” he responded matter-of-factly. “So Cashelmore knows nothing about the baby?”

  “No. And she had no plans to tell him. Perhaps you can talk some sense into Paulette. Or even speak with Lord Cashelmore. I feel that if he knew about the baby, he would want to do the honorable thing and marry Paulette, as he should.”

  “Perhaps,” Jeffrey said.

  “She’s in love with him, just as you said. She shouldn’t have to flee to America and have her baby alone. It will break her heart, Jeffrey.”

  “Does he love her?”

  “I don’t know for sure, but who wouldn’t love Paulette? He’d be a fool not to marry her.”

  “You have a point there.”

  “Paulette is already planning to leave with Juliette when she gets here and you know Juliette will do anything to help her. We have to stop Paulette from ruining her life. And the baby’s.”

  Jeffrey remained quiet. A lengthy silence ensued and Yvette grew worried. Finally she asked, “You’ll help her, won’t you, Jeffrey? Please?”

  “Yes.”

  “What will you do?” Yvette’s heart pounded, wondering how Jeffrey would address the problem.

  “I’m not quite sure yet.” He flashed her his signature, charming grin and winked at her. “Aside from getting you home posthaste before we have another scandal.”

  Smiling, Yvette rose from her seat and took the arm that Jeffrey offered her. In spite of his flirty ways, she knew he would take care of Paulette’s problem. “Thank you, Jeffrey. I knew I could count on you.”

  “You can always count on me, Yvette.” Jeffrey paused as if something just occurred to him. His brows furrowed and he stared at her incredulously. “Did you say someone was threatening to kill her?”

  Pausing to look at him, Yvette grimaced. “Oh, yes. About that . . .” She had almost forgotten the other part of Paulette’s dilemma. Now she had to explain to Jeffrey what she knew about the threats.

  He wasn’t going to be happy at all.

  Chapter 23

  Family

  As they arrived at the site of new bookshop for the grand opening, Paulette struggled to contain the terrible nausea that had been plaguing her day and night. Today it seemed worse than ever. On a day when she should be overjoyed and full of satisfaction, she could not bear even the smell of food, let alone eat any of her breakfast.

  Unable to sleep, she knew she appeared weary and gaunt that morning. Tossing and turning in her bed each night as she wrestled with the decision she had to make sooner rather than later did her appearance no favors. She still had not told Declan about the baby although she knew that she should. Part of her yearned to tell him, but something held her back from doing so.

  She had hoped against hope that Juliette would have arrived by now. Juliette had written that she and her husband and daughter would return to London in time for the opening, yet here it was the day of the event and there was no sign of them. Paulette longed to confide in Juliette and know what her thoughts were. She also planned on leaving with her sister on her return voyage to America. If Juliette ever got there, that was.

  Paulette waited impatiently as the new shop filled with family and friends. Lucien and Colette were there with their two little boys along with Lisette and Quinton Roxbury, Yvette and their mother, Genevieve Hamilton. Even their estranged uncle and aunt, Randall and Cecilia Hamilton, had surprised them by arriving for the opening of the new store, along with their son, Nigel. Tom Alcott and his mother, Anna, and her fiancé, Jack Harris, were there as well.

  Touched by everyone who made a point to share in their spec
ial day, Paulette glanced around the beautiful shop with pride. Feeling eyes on her, she saw Lord Jeffrey Eddington. She did not like the look he gave her. As if he knew she was in trouble. Guiltily she averted her eyes from his intense gaze.

  Filled with the hum of voices and activity, the shop was crowded with guests who had been invited to the opening. Many were friends of Lucien and Colette. As the Marquis and Marchioness of Stancliff, they had a wide social circle. Quinton and Lisette Roxbury too had invited a number of his political friends. And surprisingly, a rather large crowd had gathered outside the store as well, much more than they had expected. But it barely mattered to Paulette, because the person she wanted to be there more than anyone in the world would not be there that day.

  Raising his hand in her direction, Quinton motioned to her. “Come, Paulette. It’s time. We’re ready for the unveiling.”

  Paulette was the one who was to pull down the drapes revealing the sign bearing the name of the new bookshop. Everyone was looking forward to learning the name, which she and Colette had kept as a secret. She moved toward Quinton, and a dizzying wave of nausea washed over her. She willed herself not to be sick right there in front of everyone as she walked unsteadily toward her brother-in-law.

  “Are you feeling all right?” Quinton asked in her in a discreet whisper. “You look a little green.”

  Swallowing, she barely nodded her head, grateful she did not have to be the one to give a speech this day. “I’m fine. Let’s go.”

  They made their way out of the store and joined the gathering crowd on the street. Colette, Lucien, and the rest of the Hamilton family joined them as they climbed the steps to the small dais that had been built outside the shop and they took their seats. Colette stepped to the podium to begin her speech. Paulette pressed her fingers to her forehead, fighting another wave of dizziness, and breathed in the cool autumn air.

  Paulette’s eyes scanned the crowd, wondering at all the people who had come out on this crisp October day for the opening of a new bookstore in London. It was quite a spectacle. There were men and women of all classes in the crowd as well as children.