The Games the Earl Plays

by Eleanor Meyers

  His breath brushed her neck. "Collywobbles."

  Rose stiffened to block a flood of emotion and then watched in awe as Gerard pulled away and caught her eyes.

  His grin came slowly. "I believe I’ve won."

  Rose couldn't speak and knew then that their moments alone had to come to an end. Perhaps a few months away from him wouldn't be the worst thing.

  She touched the side of her nose, a code they'd worked out last year to mean that the other should wait ten seconds before following.

  Then she gave him her best dull expression before turning away.

  * * *

  2

  CHAPTER

  TWO

  .

  .

  .

  * * *

  * * *

  .

  Gerard de Gray was playing a dangerous game. But he didn’t want to stop.

  He couldn’t stop.

  How he and Rose had begun their enchanting game of flirt and jest, he wasn’t sure, but nothing brightened his day more than seeing her. He was obsessed with the little woman, if he were being honest. Of late, he’d found it hard to imagine a future without her. In a short time, she’d surpassed every other friend he’d ever made with the only exception being his best friend, Justin Padmore, the Earl of Chantenny. Yet even Justin had commented on Gerard’s recent absence. During the Season, they were usually together, but since their friendship was frowned upon by Society, they often pretended to be strangers even when standing right next to one another. They were not as open about the friendship as two men or two women could be, but that didn’t diminish the friendship in any way. Sometimes it only enhanced it.

  Rose was like a precious candle giving off light and dispelling the shadows of his life.

  Though as the months passed, the game that had started light had become very heavy.

  He liked her.

  No, he more than liked her, and knowing what his feelings were prompted him to venture farther into the garden instead of returning to the house. He took the path directly down the center toward a fountain of a woman holding a lantern in the distance.

  There were a few others about, men and women who’d had the foresight to escape the music room long before Lady Sylvia’s performance. It was a yearly event the woman held, and members of the ton only came because the night also showcased private performances of some of the world’s best musicians and soloists. The latter made it worth listening to Lady Sylvia for a half an hour or so.

  But he’d also come tonight because Rose had been with him last year, and the very thought of her reaction to the woman’s voice had made him laugh aloud while he’d been in a meeting with his father—a man who never gave cause for laughter.

  He put thoughts of his father to the side for the moment, not willing to end the good mood which always came with thoughts of Rose.

  Had someone told him a year ago that he’d take a woman from an orphanage into his confidence, he’d have called them out. There had never been a member of the lower-class in his circle until her, and though he’d met more sensual and alluring women, no one drew him in like she did.

  He stopped before the statue of the woman, who looked north while holding her lantern high and, not for the first time, wondered who she was. Perhaps she was Artemis, the goddess of light, or simply a woman trying to find her way. Or perhaps she was Lady Sylvia herself. That idea wasn’t entirely implausible. Lady Sylvia enjoyed no one more than herself, and as a wealthy widow she had the money to spoil herself endlessly.

  “Gerard?”

  He turned at the sound of Justin’s voice and watched as he and his wife, Lady Alexandra, rounded the statue. Looking at her, no one would guess that she and Rose had grown up together. Both had been left at Mary Elizabeth Best’s Home as children. The only difference was blood. Alexandra was the daughter of a viscount, thus Society was learning to accept her. This came easier once she’d married Justin, and easier still when it became clear she was determined to master the etiquette of a true lady.

  She smiled as she stopped before him. The lanterns in the garden brightened her gray eyes, though her black curls still blended into the night. “Where’s Rose?”

  Gerard shrugged a shoulder. “How would I know? Likely, she’s still inside the house.”

  Alex lifted a brow. “Gerard, you can’t hide the truth from me. I know very well how close you and Rose have grown, and it has made me quite happy knowing that the four of us get along so well. Will you be joining us at Chantenny Hall once the Season is over?”

  Justin nodded. “Yes, come with us and get away from the old man.” There was no need for anyone to expand on what ‘old man’ Justin referred to.

  Gerard had been invited to do so the previous year but had refused since Alex and Justin had only just married. Unfortunately, this year, he’d have to turn them down once again.

  “I’m afraid I can’t. The old man is forcing me to go to Avon Park. Lord Grant is to hold a lecture on his medical findings, and my father wishes me to report his findings back to him.” Were it not for the lecture, Gerard would have gone with Justin… or remained in the city. Rose would remain in the city and work at the Montgomery Library, even though she didn’t have to. Alex and Justin had offered her the leisurely life of a lady, but she’d refused, claiming that she enjoyed her work. Were it not for Gerard’s interruptions, she’d work from open to close without complaint. She was odd in that way.

  Justin frowned. “Why does he make you go to the lecture? Does he think Lord Grant can cure whatever ailment he has?”

  Gerard stiffened and then relaxed. “I suppose, though I doubt anything I learn will lead him away from the path his body is going.” It seemed the Duke of Avon grew weaker every day. He could still move around on a cane, but going to a lecture three times a week for a month was impossible. Not one of the hundred physicians in London or even England could cure Avon, much less tell him what he suffered from. Gerard had been told by Justin that many believed him to be dying from the evil that lived within him, proving that there was indeed a God who listened to the prayers of the weak. Gerard was inclined to believe them.

  “I’ll join Rose in the music room.” Alex placed a small hand on her slightly protruded belly and turned to Justin. “Someone must represent our house during Lady Sylvia’s last performance.”

  Gerard looked at his pocket watch and noted that the evening was drawing to an end.

  “You truly are a saint,” Justin said then placed a kiss on her hand before letting her go, though it was obvious from their body language that he’d wished to have done more. Once she was gone, Justin turned back to Gerard. “You didn’t mention the lectures when we arrived earlier this evening.” The group had come to Lady Sylvia’s together in Gerard’s carriage, just as they did most events.

  Gerard rolled his eyes and looked at the fountain. “I try very hard not to think about the old man when I am making an effort to have a good evening.”

  Justin stood closer and the green in his eyes became more visible. “How are your feelings toward him today?”

  “He’s my father,” Gerard said. “Sometimes I want to do everything I can to see him return to good health, yet a part of me believes it’s his time.” London was holding their breath for it, and Gerard could almost hear the chorused sighs that would be released at word of his passing. Avon had many enemies, his son included. His father always claimed that all he ever did was for Gerard, but Gerard knew better. His father took pleasure in causing others pain. “Today, I hold some sympathy for him, though I believe at this point he’d enjoy death more than his next breath.” That was how much pain the duke was in.

  Justin grabbed his shoulder. “You let me know if there is anything I can do for you.”

  Gerard nodded. “I will.” A few months in the country away from his father would do him well, even though he abhorred isolation. He enjoyed parties and people. He’d miss his friends.

  They headed back to the house and arrived just in ti
me to hear the screeched final note and join in the cheering before heading to their carriage.

  Since it was Gerard’s carriage, he’d picked up Justin and Alex before picking up Rose. He would see Rose home before delivering Justin and Alex to the Chantenny London residence. At least, that was what he’d assumed before they got into the carriage.

  Alex groaned and touched her stomach. “Gerard, would you mind if you took us home first? I feel terrible.”

  Justin straightened in the bench next to Gerard and leaned toward his wife. “Are you all right?” His face was etched with worry.

  She gave him a weak smile. “Yes, but I’m quite nauseous. I don’t think our son enjoys meat. He has all but made me an herbivore, but I did try the veneer this evening. A mistake, it seems.”

  “I’ll get you home immediately,” Gerard said before giving his driver new instructions.

  Rose grabbed Alex’s hand and held it the entire ride, frowning when it came time to let it go. She moved to the window to see her friend away. “I’ll be by to see you in the morning.”

  Alex was ushered toward the house by Justin, who looked ready to carry her. She laughed. “Really, I’m quite all right. I’ll be fine in the morning, but come if you wish to keep me company.”

  When the butler opened the door and the carriage was under way again, Justin turned to Rose.

  She was still staring out the door that Alex had departed from, and he wondered if her mind was still on her friend or if she was simply avoiding him.

  “How was the final performance?”

  That earned him a colorful reaction. Rose rolled her eyes and slumped in the seat. “Oh, you did miss it, didn’t you? Well, allow me to share the experience.” Then she broke out in song. Justin cringed and at the same time laughed until his sides hurt. Rose never did or said what he expected, and any other woman would die rather than embarrass herself in front of him.

  But not Rose.

  Her impersonation of Lady Sylvia carried the flaws of the woman she was mimicking, and by the last note, Justin adored Rose just as much as he wanted to strangle her.

  “I could sing another,” she suggested with a devious glint in her pale blue eyes.

  “Please, no more,” he said with tears in his eyes.

  She chuckled and then sighed before looking down at the hands that rested in her lap. “It was an evening I’ll not soon forget.”

  “Well, aren’t you glad I dragged you along?”

  She looked up and smiled. “Oh, yes, I do like to torment you every so often. There are far too many people willing to please you.”

  He agreed, though he wasn’t sure that anything pleased him more than time spent with her. “I’ll miss you.” The words were out before he could stop them.

  Rose blinked and stilled before laughing. “Well, you don’t have to leave the city.”

  He frowned. “But I do.”

  She turned away. “Of course,” she whispered.

  He told her about the lecture.

  She looked at him once more, and her smile fell away. “Do you want to talk about him?”

  He shook his head, yet words spilled from him nonetheless. “Is it wrong that I don’t know what my reaction will be at his death?” He shook his head again and wondered why he couldn’t seem to keep his mouth shut around her. He didn’t want to spend their last minutes speaking about his father. He leaned toward her. “Tell me again what you’ll do while I’m gone.”

  Her lips lifted once more. “Well, I’ll read Emma… and then I’ll go to Greece.”

  Justin leaned back in his chair and chuckled. “Greece? And what will you do there?”

  She smiled. “I’ll walk the broken roads of Rome and visit the Parthenon. There, I will pray to the goddess Athena for wisdom and enough power to take over the entire world.”

  He closed his eyes and pictured such a sight. Her story had been told in fun, yet he loved it whenever she did such things. It was her own way of distracting him from his thoughts. Her imagination fascinated him. He could see power being bestowed on Rose, light shining down from the sky. She’d be radiant and probably a fair ruler if she took over the world. He looked at her and asked, “What would you do with an entire world?”

  “I’d change the rules,” she said quickly.

  “What rules?”

  “The ones that keep people from getting whatever they wish.”

  He lifted a brow. “That could be a very deadly thing. Perhaps not everyone should have their greatest wish granted.”

  She stared at him. “Then I’d only grant the wishes of those who wished for something that would not bring anyone else harm.”

  “Like what?”

  “Love,” she said boldly.

  Gerard’s heart raced, and he pulled in a breath. The air in the carriage seemed warmer. His mind tried to venture places he never allowed it to go. “I would wish I could take you with me to the lectures. At least I’d be less likely to fall asleep.”

  She smiled and looked down. “Well, the only way I could ever go to your house is if you held some sort of party and invited Alex, who in turn invited me.”

  He stared at her for a silent moment. “Rose.”

  She looked at him innocently and waited for him to speak.

  “Would you really leave the library for a house party?”

  She shrugged. “I… suppose I…” She frowned and looked him over before pulling her brows down. “Gerard, you do know I wasn’t suggesting you host a party.”

  “I know, but I like the idea.” He would put off his isolation until winter set in. “I could host a party. I could invite men who enjoyed medical lectures, their wives, a few sons and daughters. Avon Park could easily host well over thirty men and that’s not counting wives.”

  Rose’s eyes widened. “Oh, I don’t know…”

  His eyes widened. “Rose, it’s a brilliant plan. I’ll invite Justin and Alex, and there will be no reason for her not to come. The best doctors in England will be in the city if anything arises, and you’ll come as Alex’s guest just as you suggested.”

  Rose was shaking her head before he finished. “I couldn’t go to a house party! I’m a bastard.”

  He was beside her in a second. The speed with which he moved surprised them both, but his anger put aside those thoughts. “Don’t you ever call yourself that again.”

  She pressed back in the chair. “I wouldn’t have to. The others would do it for me.”

  “Not aloud,” he growled.

  She smiled just as the carriage stopped. “Will you call out any gentleman who does?”

  “In a heartbeat.” He knew she was jesting, but he was not. He didn’t like the thought of her being hurt by anyone. “I’ll not invite anyone with a closed mind. Besides, thanks to Mary Elizabeth Best, being an orphan gives one a certain celebrity.” Since Alexandra’s father had been revealed as the Viscount of Wint, there had only been a few papers that had not documented some part of her life in the last year. London followed her around, printing everything from her debut into Society to her first visit to Covent Gardens. Ladies read her exploits as though she were an opera singer, and all because of Mary Elizabeth Best.

  Twenty years after her death, Miss Best was commemorated by the church. The event had taken place last year with the ton in attendance. Then later that week, a page from her diary made it into the papers, revealing Alexandra’s true heritage. Since the woman had been all but dubbed a saint, no one could question it, especially since Alexandra was the very image of her father.

  “But you forget one thing,” Rose said. “Alex is the daughter of a viscount. I’m nobody.”

  “Stop,” he warned again and motioned for the footman to step away. They were not done with their conversation.

  “It’s true. I can’t go to a party, Gerard.”

  He opened his mouth to speak again.

  She placed her gloved hand over his mouth. “Please don’t make me.”

  He stared at her and the urge to do just wh
at she’d forbidden rose within him. He did have the tendency to drag her into things, but she always seemed to have fun. He made sure of it. He could make sure she enjoyed her time at his home. He’d do everything he could to ensure it. The entire party was really for her, so that they could be together. Didn’t she want to be with him?

  He leaned away. “Very well.” Any other woman in the world would have been begging for an invitation, but not Rose. Perhaps she preferred reading her books to him.

  She smiled. “Don’t look so wounded. Some beautiful lady will catch your eyes, and you’ll forget me in a matter of days.”

  “Never.”

  She started for the door. “A week at most.”

  He grabbed her arm and waited for her to meet his eyes. “Never.”

  She held his gaze then gave him a soft smile. “I’ll miss you as well. Don’t leave town without saying goodbye.” Then she was gone.

  Gerard leaned back in his chair and, as the carriage pulled away, thought that perhaps it was best to be away from Rose for some time. His feelings were out of order, especially where she was concerned.

  * * *

  3

  CHAPTER

  THREE

  .

  .

  .

  * * *

  * * *

  .

  Rose looked up when the door opened and slowly took a breath before turning to the shelf of books by the front of the library. It was noon at the Montgomery Library and with the Season at an end, ladies and lords had arrived in great groups to pick and choose books to last them through the winter until the next Season.