by Sara Orwig
The dance ended, and Governor Marcheno claimed the next one, his hand damp as his fingers closed over Lianna’s, and she felt as if an aura of danger surrounded him. “Tell me about Spain, marquesa.”
“Spain is the same as always. When we sailed from La Coruña, I wondered if I had left all happiness behind. Now that I’m here, I think I won’t miss Spain so badly.”
“Good. We’re glad to have you. I left Spain four years ago.”
“The people here have been gracious.”
“How fortunate for Santiago that Don Cristóbal decided to claim his inheritance and bring his new bride. I know your family hated to part with you.”
“I love my husband very much.” The sentiment rolled off her tongue with shocking ease. The dance stopped, and a Spanish officer claimed the next one and asked for another. Just as the music commenced, she heard a deep voice behind her.
“Sir, if you don’t mind, I’ll claim my wife.”
Lianna tried to hide the swift excitement that came when she felt Josh’s arm circle her waist. The officer nodded. “Of course, Don Cristóbal. Marquesa, gracias.”
Josh turned her into his arms and smiled, dazzling her, and for a fleeting second she forgot that he was doing it to keep up the appearance of a happy, newly married couple. And she forgot the danger in becoming entranced by Josh Raven.
“Every man in this room wants to dance with you tonight.”
“They’ve been polite.”
“Politeness has little to do with it. You’re the most beautiful woman here.”
The words were roses tumbling at her feet and she wanted to believe he meant them. “Thank you,” she said softly, “but it isn’t so. And anyway, I’m married.”
His voice acquired a cynical tone. “That makes you all the more enticing to some.”
“Why? I’m bound to you.”
“Your life couldn’t have been so sheltered that you’ve never known married women to take lovers. It doesn’t take long for a perceptive man to discover if a woman truly loves her husband.” Lianna frowned at him, wondering if he were speaking from firsthand experience. His cynical tone shattered the bubble of warmth, and she tried to keep up her guard. He looked past her. “And Farjado is no fool.”
Josh turned on the dance floor and Lianna cast a darting glance at the general, to find his gaze resting on her. She drew a sharp breath.
“Surely you don’t fear the general?” Josh asked derisively.
“No, but he makes me uneasy.”
“My brave wife, uneasy?”
“You tease about bravery.”
“No,” he replied, sobering. “I’ve commanded men since I was nineteen years of age and have seen great brutes cower at my anger, yet upon more than one desperate occasion you’ve faced me without a qualm. You’re very brave.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, wondering how triumphant he would feel if he knew she was in danger of losing her heart.
He smiled and pulled her close against his chest. “Smile, Lianna, and these Spaniards will think we’re in love.”
She smiled eagerly. How easy it was, because she didn’t have to pretend. In his arms she could smile forever, yet wisdom warned her to take care. If she fell in love with her husband, it would mean the cruelest loss when they parted.
Josh held her close and whirled her around the dance floor, watching her cling to him, following his steps perfectly. She was breathtakingly beautiful tonight, and every time he had watched her dance in the arms of another man, it had taken all his control to keep from charging to the dance floor to claim her. In the carriage, he had almost lost control and declared his longing to keep her bound in marriage. “How many balls have you attended, Lianna? How many brokenhearted suitors have been left behind?”
“None. My father was a frugal man. Balls and ball gowns were a frivolity he wouldn’t allow.”
His heart twisted. He could imagine a small blue-eyed girl growing up in an empty house with an uncaring father. A little girl who wanted love. And now he had hurt her badly in this forced marriage.
“If there were no balls, Lianna, how did you learn to dance?”
She smiled, a smile that was warm and bright, a smile that made everything inside him glow. “My friend Melissa talked her poor brother Thomas into teaching us. How put-upon he was!”
“If he could see you now, he wouldn’t be put-upon.”
“Oh, yes, he would! Thomas thought I was a nuisance. Besides, he’s the father of two now.”
Involuntarily his arm tightened more, crushing her soft breasts to his chest.
This time she resisted. “No, Josh, not too close.”
“How beautiful you are. Beautiful and self-willed.”
When she tried to pull away a fraction, his muscles tightened, holding her. “Perhaps we’re two determined people, each unwilling to yield,” she said.
Softly he whispered in English, “Aye, love, and one of us must lose.”
The music ceased, yet still he held her. “Josh, this is unseemly.”
“Not for happily married newlyweds.”
“You have danced until the music stopped, and still you hold me close. You won—now release me.”
“No, cara. The music will commence again. I won this time. If only I could always win…”
A waltz started and Josh swept her with him. She slanted a look at him. “General Farjado says you are an expert gambler.”
Josh smiled, but the cynical hardness had returned to his features. “He’s quite good. And very careful.”
“Is that where you go at night?”
“Sometimes.”
“You didn’t gamble before.”
“On my ship?” He laughed. “Hardly. This is because the real marqués was a gambler, remember? And it gives me an excuse for odd hours. And an invitation to certain houses. And I must win to keep up the marqués’ unsavory reputation, but one gamble I lost.”
“And what was the prize?”
“Our marriage.”
She missed a step, and his arm steadied her. Her smile vanished. “If you did, it is because of your own forcefulness!” She tilted her head to stare at him with wide, curious eyes. “You lost? From the first day, you told me it would be annulled.”
“How your blue eyes flash. Smile again. Otherwise it will look as if we argue.”
“I find little to smile about.”
“There are worlds of things to make one smile.”
“And what makes you smile—the beautiful ladies?”
He laughed softly. “Better! Now you sound like a jealous wife if anyone overhears us.” His voice dropped suddenly. “You smell like a garden, a heady fragrance. I’d like to pull each white flower out of your hair and watch the tresses tumble down.”
Lianna’s pulse tripped as she pulled back slightly. “I wonder, do you say that so that the Spanish will be satisfied with our appearance?”
His voice deepened to the husky tone that created a storm of its own. “I said it to see your blue eyes darken, to see your lips part, to feel your pulse quicken. For a few minutes, Lianna, let’s forget the world and tomorrow.”
With a dazzling smile that took her breath, he tightened his arm and whirled her around the floor. “You’ve not spent all your days at sea,” she said breathlessly. “You dance as if you had spent years at it.”
“Too bad we’re not in England dancing at a ball.” His voice changed to a merry tone. “Miss Melton, how delightful it is to get to know you.”
“Thank you, sir.” She entered into his game, relieved from the earlier tension.
“Do you like to ride?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Splendid! I have a fine new stallion, and spring’s almost here. Some morning soon, I’d like to call and we can ride in St. James’s Park. May I have permission?”
“Josh Raven,” she said softly with laughter, “’tis the first time I’ve heard you inquire of anything in such a fainthearted manner.”
“Fainthearted
! I must repair my image, Miss Melton.” He whirled her through the wide doors to the courtyard.
“Josh, you will stir gossip!”
“But I won’t be called fainthearted!”
“I take back my words. Do be serious!”
“So now I’m silly as well as fainthearted!” He danced over stones into a shadowed corner.
“You’re incorrigible!”
“Incorrigible, silly, fainthearted! Miss Melton, I’ll show you, I’m corrigible, earnest, and lion-hearted! How can I convince you?”
“I’m convinced!”
“Oh, no. I’ll have to prove my mettle. I know—I’ll steal a kiss!”
“Josh,” she laughed, and placed her arms on his. Her heart skipped as she looked into his smiling features, the creases bracketing his mouth, his white teeth showing in the dusky light. “Oh, Josh, why can’t it be like this all the time?”
“It can be,” he whispered. Then his head dipped and his mouth touched hers and all laughter vanished.
With the slightest contact, a burning attraction flamed. His arms closed around her waist and he hungrily possessed her mouth with his.
Josh tightened his grasp, losing control. He wanted to taste her sweetness; he had to crush her softness against him. His blood roared in his ears as he kissed her deeply. With a groan, he tore his mouth away. They stood with arms entwined as they tried to regain their breaths.
“Danger lurks on all sides.”
“And the greatest danger isn’t the Spanish,” she whispered in a daze. She saw the curiosity in his expression. Suddenly uncertain, she drew back and said stiffly, “Let’s go back.”
As they stepped into the ballroom, General Farjado smiled at them. “Enjoying the governor’s patio?”
“Very much,” Josh answered smoothly. “My wife wanted a breath of air.” He pulled Lianna into his arms for a dance. They were both quiet. She wondered if he were as shaken as she. And as she danced with him, she became aware that the room was filled with lovely women whose eyes followed his every step.
Her mind went over every word said on the terrace, and her pulse jumped each time she thought about what he had admitted.
Finally the music ended. Josh shifted his hand to her arm. “I think we can leave now. We should have convinced anyone watching how in love we are. Love is always an excuse to depart early.”
Josh took her arm, and Lianna felt disappointment cut into her heart. He had danced and kissed her, laughed and flirted to present a good show to the Spaniards. What had she expected? She had warned herself before the evening started to guard against his charm. After telling the Marchenos good-bye, they started toward the door, when a voice stopped them.
“Leaving?” General Farjado asked.
“The evening grows late,” Josh answered, and turned to the butler to request their carriage be brought to the door.
General Farjado took Lianna’s hand to kiss it briefly. “How nice it is to have you both in Santiago. I’d like to show you some of our sights.” He looked at Josh. “Would you care to go tomorrow afternoon?”
“I have an appointment with Governor Marcheno, but thank you.”
“Oh? Then would you allow me to show your wife Santiago?”
A smile curved Josh’s lips as he looked down at Lianna. “Regretfully, I think my wife has an appointment tomorrow afternoon.”
“Sí,” she replied quietly, aware of the tense atmosphere, the contest developing between the two men. “I thank you too.”
“Perhaps another afternoon soon. Buenas noches, marquesa.” He bowed and Lianna smiled, relieved to have the conversation end. The two men nodded good night, and Josh took Lianna’s arm.
In the carriage they rode in silence, with Lianna acutely conscious of Josh sitting only a few feet away. Gone was his teasing charm, reinforcing the realization that his conversation, his dancing, and his kiss had been for show, to prove to the Spaniards he was what he appeared.
Again she wrestled with an unwanted emotion. She wanted Josh to return to an earlier topic, to talk about their marriage. Did he want her love? One look at his harsh expression convinced her how foolish she was.
She told herself her feelings were stirred for a multitude of reasons that she might be mistaking for love. It could be because the evening had been exciting and fun, or because she was far from home and Josh Raven was becoming familiar as a friend. It could be because he was a handsome, charismatic man. Silently she waged a mental argument, trying to convince herself of the possible reasons her heart jumped every time he looked her way.
“In spite of tonight, General Farjado will come to call,” Josh stated. “The general was taken with you and he’ll politely appear until he’s absolutely sure you’re wildly in love with your husband—or until he sees an opportunity.”
“That’s absurd.”
“No, love,” he answered cynically. “You’re a babe where intrigue is involved. Take care. He’s a dangerous, evil man.”
A commotion sounded outside. A woman screamed and the carriage halted.
“What the hell?” Josh swung open the door.
21
Lianna wanted to climb out behind him, yet part of her attention was on his hand holding to the inside of the carriage, only inches from her. She wanted to touch him, to trail her finger over each rough knuckle, to feel his arms around her…
She bit her lip and shook her head as if she could shake off the longing that plagued her. Josh sat down on the carriage seat, and Fletcher thrust his head into the carriage. His voice was tight was rage.
“Soldiers are arresting someone. A man’s donkey cart collided with a nobleman’s carriage. They’re arresting the man and trying to clear the way.”
“Fletcher, we’ll be able to give more aid here if we’re free. Don’t get involved,” Josh said quickly in a low voice.
“Aye. I know, but it’s damned difficult to sit and watch.”
Fletcher’s head disappeared; Lianna heard voices as someone asked Fletcher who rode in the carriage.
“Don Cristóbal and his wife,” Fletcher snapped, “the Marqués and Marquesa de Aveiro, on their way home from the governor’s ball.”
“Perdón. This will be cleared within minutes.”
A soldier looked into the carriage.
“A thousand pardons, Don Cristóbal. You’ll be on your way in seconds.”
“Sí.”
The soldier closed the door, but it didn’t shut out the sounds of a woman weeping, begging soldiers not to hurt her husband.
Lianna drew her breath. “There’s nothing we can do except watch?”
“That’s right, and it’s a damned helpless feeling.” Fury laced Josh’s voice and he sat with his fists clenched. The carriage started to move, and Lianna looked out the window as a child screamed. A Spanish soldier had his fingers locked in a small boy’s hair, the mother sobbing and pulling on the soldier’s arm.
Hard arms yanked Lianna from the window and the leather flap dropped down. “Don’t look!” Josh ordered.
He moved back into his corner and gazed stonily ahead. All became silent again except for the horses and carriage, and Josh’s heavy breathing gradually returned to normal.
When they entered the large hallway at home, Josh lifted her cloak from her shoulders and leaned down to kiss her throat, his warm breath sending sparkling tingles down her spine as he whispered, “Es guapa, cara mía.”
She guessed the display of affection was for the benefit of a valet, Geraldo, who moved silently behind them with Fletcher, both men putting away the cloaks.
“Gracias, Cristóbal,” she answered with a smile.
He dropped his arm across her shoulders and strolled beside her up the broad stairs; then, at the top, he swung her into his arms.
Lianna’s heart thudded violently. Pressed against his chest, she felt his pulse race also. She curled her arm around his neck, gazing at him, so close at hand.
They entered her bedroom and he closed the door behind them with
his foot. Two small candles burned, the bed was turned down, and a nightdress was laid out for Lianna.
As soon as the door clicked shut, Josh set her on her feet. “’Night, love.” She looked up into eyes that burned into her soul. His gaze dropped to her lips. “In a while, I’ll slip out and see if anything can be done for that family.”
It took a moment to realize what he had said, and she stared at him blankly. “Won’t it be dangerous?”
He shrugged. “Lianna, beware the general.”
It wasn’t the general who was a threat. It was stormy eyes and lips that could drive her into a world of fiery passion. It was a man whose quiet laughter and quick wit could delight. And in some ways, she had discovered, he was as vulnerable as she. As if she had no control over their movement, her fingers drifted to his hands.
Instantly his dark brows drew together, and he glanced down at her pale fingers resting as lightly as a lily bloom placed in his grasp. He drew his breath in a hiss and turned to go to his room, closing the door behind him.
Dazed, Lianna stared blankly at the door. Had she escaped something she would have regretted later, or was she falling deeply in love with her husband? Still, all too clearly she could remember the moment at sea when she had discovered Edwin. All else had vanished and she had wanted Edwin’s arms and Edwin’s kisses. Would that happen again when she saw him?
She stepped out of the ball gown, letting it drift to the floor before picking it up. The dress would hold special memories, and she placed it carefully over the chair, then pulled on the nightdress before she reached up to take a gardenia out of her hair.
Without warning the door opened, and Josh paused there, one hand pressing against the jamb while he watched her. His coat and cravat were gone, the white shirt with ruffles was unfastened over his coppery chest, dark hair on his chest curling against the white ruffles. Flickering candlelight gave a subdued rosy glow to the room, and silence was complete. Everything inside her constricted, and she trembled slightly.
“If I had given you the choice of going on that ship with Edwin, would you have gone?”
The question lay between them, and Lianna realized her answer was important. For a moment she was tempted to lie, but she faced him and answered, “Yes, I would have.”
