The Hellion and The Heartbreaker

by McNare, Jennifer

  “Invitations?”

  “My yes. Poor Bertram has been answering the door knocker all morning,” Tess relayed, smiling brightly. “I’m so happy for you, dearest.”

  Outside, Gavin and Oliver had just stepped through the front gate when Gavin noticed Alec’s mother exiting his residence with two liveried footmen following immediately in her wake, obviously heading to the carriage that waited out front.

  Closing the gate behind them, Gavin stopped on the sidewalk, tipped his hat and offered a pleasant good morning to the duchess as she made her way down the walk.

  “Good morning to you, Mr. McPhearson,” the duchess replied genially as they came abreast of each other. “And who do we have here?” she asked, nodding toward Oliver.

  “Your Grace, please allow me to introduce you to my nephew, Oliver McKinnon,” he said courteously, “Oliver, this is Her Grace, the Duchess of Worthe.”

  “How do you do, Your Grace,” Oliver responded, sounding quite grown up for his tender years. However, his Your Grace sounded decidedly more like Your Grapes, which brought an amused twinkle to the duchess’ brilliant green eyes.

  Bending down, she offered her hand. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Oliver.” Olivia Weston noticeably fought back the urge to laugh as the young lad grasped her gloved hand and vigorously pumped it up and down.

  “You smell nice,” Oliver told her, smiling from ear to ear.

  “Why thank you, dear,” the duchess replied, visibly charmed. “I am quite fond of this fragrance myself. It’s French.”

  “My mama smells nice too,” he said, finally releasing her hand. “Do you like horses?”

  The sudden change of topic gave the duchess only a moment’s pause. “As a matter of fact, I do like horses.”

  “Oh no you don’t young man,” Gavin quickly interjected. “He will have you standing here all day if he thinks that you will talk horses with him, Your Grace. Won’t you scamp?” he said, ruffling Oliver’s hair.

  “I see,” the duchess said, with an understanding smile. “Perhaps we should save that conversation for another time then, Oliver.”

  Oliver grinned and nodded his agreement. “Can we go to the park now Uncle Gavin,” he asked, reaching for his uncle’s hand.

  With a polite farewell, the duchess was assisted into her carriage and the boys were headed to the park across the street.

  It was almost dinner time when Alec finally managed to drag himself from the comfort of his bed. After leaving the theater, he had spent the remainder of the night at Boodles, drinking and playing cards well into the early morning hours in a vain attempt to keep his mind off Scarlett. His head was still throbbing from the effects of his overindulgence as he made his way downstairs. His mother was presently staying with him and they were to have dinner together. She had suggested it yesterday afternoon, and at the time a quiet evening at home had sounded like a splendid idea. With the Season in full swing, his calendar had long been inundated with social obligations, and he was quickly growing weary of the constant barrage. Now however, he feared the quiet night ahead might provide far too much time for him to reflect upon Scarlett’s return. Oh well, there wasn’t much he could do about it now.

  Entering the formal salon, he immediately made his way to the liquor cabinet and poured himself a brandy, the hair of the dog and all, and waited for his mother to make her appearance. She arrived a few minutes later, looking immaculate as always. Despite the fact that they were having a causal dinner at home, she was garbed in the finest silk and adorned with brilliant jewels, some of which had been in the family for generations. His mother took her role as the Dowager Duchess of Worthe quite seriously and always looked the part. She was still a beautiful woman and she took a great deal of pride in her appearance.

  “Good evening, darling,” she said, entering the room amidst a colorful expanse of silk skirts and accompanied by the subtle aroma of expensive perfume. Walking over to her son, she kissed him lightly on the cheek.

  Although his mother had her own house only a few blocks away, she occasionally stayed with Alec, insisting that she would never see him if she didn’t. He supposed it was true enough, for he was always busy with work and the never-ending demands of his social position. In any event, he didn’t mind her occasional stays, for he enjoyed her company and they had always got on quite well with one another.

  “Can I pour you a sherry Mother?” he asked.

  She nodded her affirmation, all the while regarding him with a discerning eye. “You look tired, Alec.”

  Handing her the glass, he escorted her to a seat by the window. “Never too tired to spend an evening with my favorite lady,” he replied, his smile sincere. He leaned back against the edge of the side table near his mother’s chair. “How was your day today Mother?”

  “Oh Alec I must tell you, I met the most adorable little fellow this morning,” she told him, smiling fondly at the memory. “He reminded me so much of you when you were a boy.”

  “He was quite the rapscallion eh?” he queried teasingly.

  “Oh darling, you weren’t so bad,” she said affectionately. “But you may be right about the boy. I think I may have detected a bit of a mischievous twinkle in his eye.”

  “Did you now?”

  “Indeed. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see him following in the footsteps of his uncles. You know those McPhearson lads,” she said good-naturedly, “such a boisterous lot. All charming devils though. I can still remember all of the mayhem you and Colin got yourselves into at school. It’s a wonder the headmaster didn’t toss the pair of you out on your ears.”

  “The McPhearsons?” Alec’s mouth suddenly went dry. So much for keeping his mind off Scarlett.

  “Yes, he was with one of the twins, Gavin I believe it was.” She thought for a moment. “Yes, Gavin, and the boy’s name was Oliver.”

  “His nephew?” Scarlett’s child, it had to be.

  “You remember the scandal dear, when their sister ran off and eloped with that Scotsman.” His mother shook her head slightly, her expression surprisingly benevolent. “Then widowed and expecting a baby, all within a year’s time. Such a shame.”

  “Yes, I remember,” he said, hoping his mother didn’t detect the note of discontent in his tone.

  “Well anyhow, the boy was simply delightful. Which leads me to wonder when, if ever, you are going to settle down and start a family of your own?”

  He groaned internally at his mother’s not so subtle way of informing him that she was ready to become a grandmother.

  “I know you escorted Vanessa Brookshire to the theater last night?”

  “And?” He was deliberately unforthcoming, despite his mother’s inquisitive expression.

  “And, I am not getting any younger dear,” the duchess reminded him. “I would like to have at least a few grandchildren before I am too old to enjoy them.”

  “Only a few?” Alec eyed his mother with a droll expression. He was well aware that she was ready for him to find a wife and promptly begin the begetting of heirs. How could he not, when she broached the topic every chance she got. It was the one subject on which they had been continually at odds over for years.

  “Well if you intend to have more than that you had better get busy my boy,” her meaningful look implying that the time was now. “Vanessa is a lovely girl Alec, and her family is highly respected.”

  It was times like these that Alec most disliked being an only child, for his mother had no other children to concern herself with. “How’s Duchy doing, I haven’t seen her in a while,” he said, pointedly ignoring her last comment.

  She harrumphed at his deliberate change of topic, but apparently decided to let the matter drop, at least for the time being. “You can ask her yourself. Your grandmother should be here any minute. I stopped for tea earlier and when I mentioned that we would be dining at home this evening, she promptly invited herself over.”

  Like his mother, his grandmother had her own residence not far from his, just o
n the other side of the park in fact. He stopped by to see her regularly, but he had been especially busy of late, and it had been too long since his last visit. It was an oversight for which he was sure to catch hell. Nearing seventy, his grandmother was still vibrant and active, and as she had aged she had become decidedly more outspoken and forthright. He was sure to receive a well-deserved chastising for his nonattendance of late.

  Not a moment later, and as if on cue, they heard the front bell ring.

  Gwendolyn Weston, the elder Dowager Duchess of Worthe, or Duchy, as she was most commonly referred, had a personality that belied her diminutive stature. Arriving at the threshold of the salon a moment later, she glared crossly at her grandson.

  Alec once again groaned internally. Yes, there was no doubt, he was indeed about to catch hell. Adorned in an elegant black gown of expensive watered silk and sporting a small fortune’s worth of jewels, his grandmother looked as if she were about to dine with the royal family. She wore just a hint of cosmetics, and her snowy white hair was as usual, styled into an elegant coiffure. Despite her age, she held her back ramrod straight, walked without the assistance of a cane, and still presented the image of a woman of high-class, old money and classic elegance. She was a product of a previous generation, yet still reined as one of the ton’s most influential and highly respected matriarchs. His grandmother was also the kindest and most caring person he had ever known, and he loved her dearly.

  “Apparently if I wish to see my only grandson, I shouldn’t wait around for him to appear on my doorstep,” she said, her tone satirical.

  “Forgive me Duchy,” Alec said with a contrite smile. Walking over he enfolded his grandmother in a fond embrace.

  “Now, now, do not go wrinkling my gown young man,” she said, despite the fact that she was hugging him back with surprising force for someone of her advanced years.

  Though her tone conveyed a sense of irritation, Alec knew it was feigned. Duchy had always been warm and loving and he knew that she would gladly take a show of affection over a wrinkle free skirt any day of the week. When he was little, she used to pull him onto her lap and read him stories, never chastising him for squirming or mussing her gown, and to this day she rarely had a cross word for her beloved grandson.

  Stepping back, he tucked her hand into the crook of his arm and led her to the silk-covered settee. “I’m afraid my solicitor has come down with something and I have had to pick up a bit of the slack this past week, but fortunately he is on the mend. Nevertheless, I shall make it up to you, I promise.”

  “You work too hard already Alec,” she told him, her voice now sympathetic, as she sat down next to his mother.

  “I doubt that he will listen to you any more than he does to me,” his mother said, with a sidelong glance at Duchy. “But one of these days he is bound to discover that there is more to life than work.”

  “As both of you are well aware, I seem to have a talent for making money, and the fact is, I enjoy managing the family’s business interests. Besides,” he added with a derisive grin, “someone has to keep the local shopkeepers in the black. If the two of you were to cut back on your spending, it could very well send the entire economy into a decline.”

  “Very amusing dear,” his mother said humorlessly.

  “Perhaps we should change the subject then,” Alec suggested with a smile, though Duchy’s next comment had him immediately regretting that decision.

  “Your mother tells me that you have been squiring Vanessa Brookshire about town recently.”

  Though it was phrased as a statement, it was actually a question, a pointed one at that. “Did she?” he responded, deliberately keeping his tone bland.

  When it became apparent that he wasn’t going to play along, his grandmother gave him a quelling look. “Don’t play daft with me young man,” she stated impatiently. “Let’s have it. Are you courting her or not?”

  “Isn’t that what the two of you have been yearning for these past years, that I will finally show an interest in taking a wife and starting a family?”

  “So you are courting her?”

  Was he? He supposed he was, though he had made no formal request as of yet. He had escorted her to the theater the other evening, and once to Vauxhall Gardens, but already tongues were wagging. When he’d met Vanessa at a dinner party hosted by the Duke and Duchess of Stanhope, he had been struck by her delicate beauty and pleasant disposition. Having been partnered with her at dinner, he’d had the opportunity to converse with her at length and had quickly surmised that was Vanessa was not only intelligent, but seemed to possess a sensible nature as well. Though he found her attractive and enjoyed her company, she didn’t set his blood on fire. It seemed a perfect combination. However, when it came to the thought of marriage, he remained hesitant. “Don’t get overly excited Duchy. I assure you that I haven’t issued any proposals, if that is what you were hoping for.”

  “Do you love her?” his grandmother asked bluntly.

  “I wasn’t aware that was a prerequisite to marriage,” he responded drolly.

  “Nonsense! As much as I would like to see you wed, you are much too special to settle for anything less than a love match, my dear.”

  “Honestly Duchy,” his mother said, casting her eyes toward the ceiling. “You and your romantic notions.”

  “Just because you had the misfortune to fall in love with someone who wasn’t capable of returning your devotion, doesn’t mean Alec has to suffer the same fate.”

  “Might I remind you that the misfortune you refer to happens to have been my marriage to your own son,” Olivia responded indignantly.

  “I of all people am well-aware of Nathaniel’s shortcomings. Heaven knows, Edward and I spoiled him terribly. Your father was a good man, Alec,” she said, looking pointedly in his direction, “but everything always came too easily to him. Though he had his good qualities, my son never learned to properly appreciate what he had.” With a sidelong glance at her daughter-in-law, she continued on. “Your mother, despite her disavowals, has always been a romantic at heart. She deserved better than to have a womanizer for a husband, and quite frankly it has made her cynical.”

  “I hardly think Nathaniel’s philandering is an appropriate topic of conversation,” Olivia stated sharply, with a quelling look toward her mother-in-law. “Marriages within the ton are seldom based on love, as you well know. Vanessa Brookshire comes from an exceptional family; she’s attractive, amiable and well mannered. She is an excellent candidate for Alec’s future duchess.”

  Though the two women got on surprisingly well, Alec was accustomed to their occasional bickering, and knew better than to try to intercede. Leaning casually against the fireplace mantel, he simply observed the contretemps in amused silence, despite being the subject of it.

  “Dimetri Petrov possessed all of those qualities as well,” Duchy reminded her, referring to her most infamous suitor, “but instead of marrying a Russian prince, I chose Edward. I could have been a princess, but instead, I married for love and never once regretted that decision.”

  “Edward was a member of one of the most prominent and wealthiest families in England and heir to a Dukedom. I hardly think it was a momentous sacrifice.”

  “Do not be impertinent with me, Olivia Weston,” Duchy snapped. “The point that I am trying to make, as you well know, is that Alec does not have to settle for amiable and well-mannered. He deserves to have the kind of happiness that his grandfather and I had. Because of Nathaniel’s faults, you have been filling my grandson’s head with this rubbish for years, and enough is enough.”

  Turning to Alec, she fixed him with a pointed stare. “Your grandfather and I were faithful to each other to the end and fell more in love with one another with each passing year.” Rising from her seated position, she walked toward Alec. “Though it’s true that most people aren’t fortunate enough to find the love that Edward and I shared, it isn’t impossible.” Looking up at her cherished grandson, she placed her wrinkled hand
softly upon his cheek. “Yes it’s true that your mother and I are eager to see you wed, but do not settle for less than you deserve. Take your time, my dear. Find the woman who will bring you a lifetime of love and happiness, a woman who will share your dreams and make your life complete. You mustn’t settle for anything less. You have grown into such a wonderful man Alec; I want you to be happy.”

  Regardless of his future plans, he was loathe to see his grandmother disappointed. “I know you do Duchy,” he replied, taking her slender hand in his. “I will do my best not to disappoint you, I promise.” Tucking her hand into the crook of his arm once again, he led her over to his mother, and then offered her his other arm. “Shall we go to dinner ladies?”

  Later that evening, long after Duchy had returned home and his mother had retired to her room, Alec was restless. He’d been pacing back and forth across the floor of his study for the past hour, his grandmother’s words affecting him more than he cared to admit. As they had repeatedly for the past twenty-four hours, his thoughts turned to Scarlett. Was she next door at this very minute he wondered, or was she out once again with William Morton? And why the hell did the thought of her with Morton seem to bother him so much? It was disconcerting as hell.

  Although he had been with numerous other women since ending his affair with Scarlett, none of them had ever affected him as she had. They were simply warm bodies, the encounters pleasurable, some decidedly more so than others, but never like it had been with Scarlett. Not even close. Was Duchy right then? Had he foolishly tossed aside something he should have held on to with all of his might? He shook his head. No dammit, he had been right to end it. Recalling just how quickly Scarlett had turned her attentions to another man was confirmation enough of that.