by Amelia Grey
Race smiled so genuinely at her that her heart melted into a watery pool.
“You are an impossible man at times. Everything you said was true and more. You are a horrible man.”
“I agree. But, for the moment, back to Lord Martin. If you can manage him, why did he grab your arm and not let go when you tried to walk away from him?”
Susannah shook her head and kept walking but didn’t look over at Race. “He is a harmless oaf. I do not want to discuss Lord Martin or anyone else with you. You are much more a threat to me than he has been, is, or ever will be.” She stopped at the edge of the dance floor. “Furthermore, I do not want to dance with you.”
He stared down at her with such an engaging smile, Susannah wanted to let all her hurt from his accusations wash out of her, but she couldn’t. She was still too raw from his thinking her capable of stealing from him. That had cut her too deeply.
“You owe me a dance,” he said, his voice hushed.
For some reason, the words excited her as much as his note had, but she had to deny those wonderful feelings.
She jerked her head toward him. “I beg your pardon. I don’t owe you anything. You accused me of theft.”
His gaze fluttered down her face to her lips. “I might have acted hastily.”
She gasped. “You might have?”
“No, you’re right, I did. I’m not a perfect man, Susannah.” He looked into her eyes and softly said, “We never had our dance.”
His heated body on hers as they moved together as one flashed through her mind. She gave him a quizzical look. “Didn’t we?”
His passionate gaze held on hers, and she saw in his expression that, no matter what he might have thought her capable of, he wanted her.
“You’re right,” he said, “we did, but not on the dance floor.”
The music started. He reached down and picked up her hand. “You do know how to waltz, don’t you?”
“Of course,” she said as he led her to the center of the floor.
They took their positions, and she gave him a stiff frame. She felt strength and warmth in his touch. On the correct note, she stepped back, and the marquis stepped forward. At first, she felt rigid in his arms, like she didn’t belong, but within seconds, she was floating along effortlessly with him.
“I believe I told you yesterday morning that I never wanted to see you again, and now you have accosted me for the second time since then.”
“No, you told me never to come to your house again, that I wasn’t welcome there.”
“Most gentlemen would recognize that means a lady doesn’t want to see the man anywhere, anytime, any place, and she certainly doesn’t want to dance with him in front of a hundred people.”
“I’ll keep that in mind for next time.”
“Pray God there won’t be a next time,” she mumbled as she allowed him to glide her across the floor, never once bumping into any of the other couples crowding the small space.
“You might be interested to know that I received a letter from my solicitor today,” Race said.
“Why should that interest me?”
“He wants to discuss with me some documents that a Mr. Rexford has made him aware of and he would like for us to meet concerning that.”
Susannah’s eyes brightened for a moment, but then she looked away from him and focused on one of the other dancers. “It hardly matters anymore, does it, my lord? You no longer have the pearls.”
“Susannah, look at me.”
She hesitated for a moment but relented and returned her gaze to his. Sincerity was etched in every feature of his face. “I will get them back. And when I do, I will look at your documents.”
Hope soared within her, but she said nothing and looked away again.
“Why were you talking to that man?” Race asked.
“Lord Martin just wanted to know why I was in Town,” she fibbed, not wanting Race to know her former beau expected her to pick up with him where they had left off.
“Not Lord Martin. Mr. Harold Winston. Why were you talking to him?”
“I will talk to anyone who I think might have the pearls.”
“All right. Why did you ask Gibby’s help concerning these men?”
“I don’t owe you an explanation for anything I do. I will talk to anyone who I think can help me accomplish my goal.”
His eyes turned stormy, and his hands tightened on her. “It’s my fault the pearls were stolen, Susannah, and it is my responsibility to find them. I don’t know what meanness these men might be capable of. You must stay out of this and allow me to handle this.”
“I think you have forgotten that I want the pearls as badly as you do. Perhaps more so.”
“I haven’t forgotten anything about you. We were lovers, Susannah.”
She glanced around them to see if any of the other couples on the dance floor might have been close enough to hear what he said. Thankfully, no one was, so she whispered, “Don’t remind me.”
“I don’t have to,” he offered. “You’ve been thinking about it all evening, as have I. What you do, whom you see, is important to me. I will not let you play games with these dangerous men.”
“You will not let me?” she answered, swift and sharp. “First, you have no proof these men are dangerous. Second, how dare you think you can keep me from doing anything I want to do?”
“When you challenge me like that, Susannah, it only makes me eager to prove you wrong.”
“I am not challenging you. I’m simply telling the truth.”
Susannah realized the music had stopped, and the dancers were leaving; a couple of curious people looked at them.
“Race, we can stop dancing now. The music has finished.”
His gaze darted around. He stopped and let go of her but hung back from the other dancers as they left the floor. “What did you find out from talking to Winston?”
“Why would I tell you anything?”
“I have a runner from Bow Street working on finding the pearls, Susannah. He is a professional and knows how to do certain things. There is no need for you to become involved in this intrigue.”
Susannah tensed. “You may hire whomever you wish and do whatever you wish, but do not try to tell me what I can and cannot do.”
He hesitated before answering. “Susannah, I think you want to drive me to madness, and much as it pains me to admit it to you, you are succeeding.”
She felt her eyes grow misty, and that angered her. She did not want this man to reduce her to tears. “I don’t care enough about you to drive you mad. I want only to find the pearls and return them to my mother.”
She saw by the quick blink of his lashes that her words stung him, but he recovered quickly. “You don’t care about me? That’s another challenge, Susannah, that begs me to prove you wrong.”
“No. I want you to leave me alone.” The words were almost a plea.
“I have not been able to get thoughts of you out of my mind. I can’t get the taste of you off my lips, I can’t…”
“Stop,” she whispered.
“I know you have been thinking about me, as well.”
“You flatter yourself, Race.” Their eyes locked together. “You thought I had the necklace.”
Sorrow filled his eyes. “I was wrong about that.”
He looked at her as if his gaze was absorbing her, but she couldn’t trust him again. “It’s too late to apologize.”
His gaze swept down her face. “All right. I deserve that. But, Susannah, you must not do anything impulsive in your search.”
“Impulsive?” she whispered earnestly. “What is impulsive, Race? Asking you to join me in my bed?”
“No, not that,” he confessed on a broken sigh.
“Then perhaps your storming into my bedroom was impulsive?”
“Very.”
She stepped closer to him, her gaze piercing his. “Let me make this clear to you, Race. My mother is sick. She wants the pearls returned to her. I was naïve, a
fool to think I could get them from you legally. I should have known that, with men like you, Mr. Winston, and Captain Spyglass, there would be no possibility of that, but I didn’t know. Hear me well on this, I will beg, borrow, or steal the pearls to get them to my mother.”
“Steal them, Susannah?” he challenged.
She paused. Had she said that?
Yes.
Had she meant it?
Yes.
Susannah took a deep breath. Her throat felt tight and dry, but she felt confident, strong. “The pearls were stolen from my grandmother, stolen from you. If that is the only way I can get possession of them, so be it. Now, stay out of my way, Race, you are hindering my efforts.”
Susannah turned and marched off the dance floor.
Sixteen
My Dearest Grandson Alexander,
Read this and know one of the reasons I was always so fond of Lord Chesterfield. “I will let you into one secret concerning myself. I desired to please, and I neglected none of the means. This, I can assure you, without any false modesty, is the truth. Call it vanity, if you please, and possibly it was so; but my great object was to make every man I met with like me and every woman love me. I often succeeded.”
Your loving Grandmother,
Lady Elder
SUSANNAH HAD SEEN RACE AT EVERY PARTY SHE HAD attended for the past week. It wasn’t easy watching him dance, laugh, and converse with so many beautiful young ladies each evening, when she wanted to be the only one he had eyes for. They had spoken politely to each other on several occasions, but he had not asked her to dance again, nor had he tried to seek her out for a private conversation. He had obviously taken her at her word when she told him she wanted him to leave her alone. She supposed he was doing exactly what she was doing, trying to figure out who had the pearls so he could get them back.
She still had the notes he had sent her in her jewelry case. Sometimes after staring at his house, she would take the notes out and read them and hold them against her heart before putting them away again. She couldn’t explain it, but she felt close to him when she held them.
After dressing for the day and finishing her chocolate and toast, Susannah hurried below stairs. As she expected, Mrs. Princeton was in the drawing room, sitting at the desk, with papers scattered all around her.
“Good morning, Mrs. Princeton. How are you on this lovely morning? You did notice the bright sunshine, didn’t you?”
Mrs. Princeton rose. “Indeed, Your Grace. And I am very well. I’m working on the mound of invitations that have arrived since yesterday afternoon. Even though it is nearing the end of the Season, the number of parties each evening has not declined. I have some of them opened and ready for you to look through, but I’m sure this will be the first one you’ll want to read.” She held out an envelope.
“Race?” Susannah whispered as she reached for it and then could have bitten her tongue for saying his name out loud.
“No, Your Grace,” Mrs. Princeton said kindly. “It’s from your mother.”
“Oh, even better,” Susannah said, trying to cover for herself.
Susannah took the envelope from her companion. She walked over to the window and stood in the sunshine, not wanting Mrs. Princeton to witness the flush of embarrassment that heated her cheeks. She was furious with herself for even thinking Race might have sent her one of his outrageous but cleverly informal notes.
She opened up the letter and read:
My loving daughter,
My one joy throughout the day is when I pick up your letters and reread them. I do miss you, my dearest, but I am tremendously grateful for what you are doing for me. Do not fret over my condition. Just do what you went to London to do, and hurry home to me so that I may have the joy of your company once more.
With all my love, I am your,
Mother
Susannah’s shoulders sagged; her heart ached. She laid her forehead in the palm of her hand and took in a deep, steadying breath. Susannah didn’t know how or why she had wasted so much time in London. How long ago had she first met the marquis and asked him about the pearls? Three weeks or maybe closer to a month, and she was no nearer to getting them. No, she was farther away, in fact, because she no longer knew who had them.
Suddenly, a thought crossed Susannah’s mind, and her heart started racing.
That’s it!
Why hadn’t she thought of that idea before now? She knew exactly what she needed to do, and it would be the perfect foil to draw out the person who had the pearls.
She quickly figured how long it would take for a special courier to get a letter to her mother and how long it would take for her mother to respond back to her. If the spring rains hadn’t bogged too many roads, a few days, possibly a week at most? Would fate, for once, be kind and give her that much time to work on finding the pearls?
It was a chance she had to take.
She dropped the letter from her mother onto a chair and said, “Mrs. Princeton, I need a quill and vellum. I want to write to my mother immediately.”
“What is wrong? Does her letter bring bad news? Is there anything I can do to help you?”
“No, nothing right now. Continue what you are doing, but I will want this letter posted to her today.”
It took Susannah several tries and much longer than she had hoped, but she finally had the letter to her mother worded the way she wanted and sealed it. Susannah hoped her mother would not fret or worry about the odd request she was making but simply honor it speedily and without question.
“Your Grace,” Mrs. Princeton said, turning to Susannah from where she sat, surrounded by invitations. She extended a note to Susannah. “This arrived for you a couple of days ago. Captain Spyglass is giving a party on Saturday night, and you received an invitation to it. Should we decline this one?”
“Captain Spyglass?” Susannah drummed her fingers on the desk. “I heard he was having a party, but since I hadn’t received an invitation, I thought I wasn’t invited.”
“It’s still three days before his party. There is time before you have to make a decision whether to go.”
“No, no, of course I want to go. I can’t pass on a chance to spend an evening in his home.”
As Susannah said the words, an idea formed in her mind. She rose and walked over to the window again and stood in the sunlight while she studied over the plan. She could do it. She was sure of that. All she had to do was persuade Mrs. Princeton to help her.
“Mrs. Princeton,” she said, walking back over to the settee. “I need a word with you.”
“Yes, Your Grace.” She rose to face Susannah.
“Do you remember I told you a few days ago that I might have to do some things you may not approve of or perhaps do something you don’t think is in my best interest?”
“Yes.” She remained perfectly still, as if bracing for what might come next.
“I hate to ask this of you, but I truly have no one else to trust.”
Mrs. Princeton relaxed slightly. “You know you can trust me. I am at your service. Whatever you need, I will do.”
“Good.” Perhaps fate had finally decided to smile on her. “This will be so much easier with your help. When we are at the captain’s party Saturday evening, I intend to search his bedchamber for the pearls.”
Mrs. Princeton looked at Susannah as if she’d lost her mind and whispered, “You can’t do that.”
“Of course I can.”
“Then let me rephrase what I said. You shouldn’t do that.”
“Nonsense. The way that man covets pearls, I would think he keeps his collection in his bedroom, guarding them with his life, and that’s the first place I’m going to look. If I don’t find them there, I’ll search his book room.”
Mrs. Princeton’s eyes were wide. “You simply cannot be caught in that man’s bedchamber or anywhere else, Your Grace. It’s just not acceptable for you to be there for any reason. Besides, he is a dangerous man. I heard some ladies talking about him when we we
re at Lord Kendrickson’s house last week. They think that man used to be a pirate and that he has acquired most of his wealth by robbing ships at sea.”
“Yes, I’ve heard that story, too. And with all the pearls he has, it could be true. I am not worried about any supposed danger right now.”
“I will do it for you.”
That startled Susannah. “What? Mrs. Princeton, I cannot let you do that.”
“My reputation does not matter, but yours does. I will search his bedchamber for you.”
Susannah’s heart softened and she smiled gratefully at her devoted companion. “I cannot let you do that, but you can help me by keeping the captain occupied while I search.”
“How can I do that? He will have no desire to speak to a gray-haired companion.”
“Perhaps you can gain his attention by fainting or pretending you are drunk and making a fool of yourself.”
Mrs. Princeton gasped and her back stiffened.
Susannah smiled at her prudish companion. She was willing to break the law for her but not pretend to be drunk!
“If you don’t like my suggestions, I will leave it up to you as to how you keep him occupied long enough for me to scour his bedchamber.”
Mrs. Princeton’s eyes narrowed, and concern etched its way across her face. “I don’t know if I can do this.”
“Mrs. Princeton, my life might very well depend on your acting abilities.” Susannah didn’t enjoy being so forceful, but she truly had no choice if she was going to find the pearls for her mother.
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Thank you. Now, would you please see to it that the letter gets on its way to my mother? I’m going to go practice my music and prepare myself for what I have to do.”
Race’s lids fluttered open to the bright light of day and a banging inside his head. He rolled over and slung the sheet aside, revealing that he’d gone to bed again in his trousers rather than his nightshirt. He rubbed his forehead and then his temples. What happened to him last night? He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so deep in his cups that he woke with a headache.
