He nodded. ‘As you wish. I had hoped that you would like respite.’
She paused at the tone of his voice and looked up at him. ‘Why would you think that?’
His tanned skin turned a burnt red. ‘I should not have said anything. My apologies.’
‘No,’ she said quietly. ‘I truly do want to know why you think that.’
He angled her away from the direction they had been going so that they walked in enough privacy to speak. ‘I overstepped the bounds of propriety, but your brother said that this marriage was not to your liking.’ He stopped and waited as though trying to decide what else to say. ‘At one time, he intimated that you might be open to receiving an offer from me.’
Lillith stiffened.
‘I am truly sorry,’ Carstairs said, his deep voice full of chagrin. ‘I see now that Mr Wentworth was mistaken.’
Still more to put at Mathias’s feet, Lillith thought bitterly. She kept her tone low and easy. ‘I am the one who is truly sorry, Mr Carstairs. My brother can be overbearing at times when he believes that what he does is in my best interests.’ She had to stop for a moment to let the lie settle. She did not like telling untruths, but in this case she could not tell the truth. ‘I agreed freely to this wedding.’
‘I see,’ Carstairs said, his voice circumspect. ‘I should return you to Perth.’
‘There is no need,’ Perth’s deep baritone said from nearly right behind them. ‘I have come to fetch my wife. It is time we were gone. She needs all the rest she can get.’
Carstairs lifted one dark brown eyebrow. He looked as though he would say something, but nodded instead. ‘I hope to see you around town.’
Lillith smiled at him before allowing Perth to escort her to the foyer where he bundled her into her heavy cape and then out into the street where the carriage waited. Instead of allowing the footman to help her, Perth handed her inside.
She had no sooner settled herself than Perth demanded, ‘Was Carstairs importuning you?’
His question took her by surprise. She could never tell him the truth. He would challenge Carstairs and then Mathias.
‘No, he was merely allowing me to catch my breath before returning me to you. The dance was more strenuous than I had thought.’ She smiled softly. ‘It would seem that dancing requires more effort right now than normally.’
‘I am sure there is more to it than you are saying, but I will let it drop.’
‘There was nothing to it,’ she said coolly. ‘And if there was, so what? I am carrying your child.’
She had not meant to goad him. The less interest he took in the intrigues Mathias insisted on creating, the better for everyone. Mathias had much to answer for, but she did not want him hurt or killed and particularly not by her husband. But Perth’s lack of interest in her lately had piqued her. Against her better judgement, she wanted him to desire her. No sooner had she realised that, than she berated herself. She was totally unreasonable! It had to be her condition.
‘True, the child you are carrying is mine. As the rest will be.’ He made a flat statement that brooked no contradiction.
‘Well, they certainly will not be another man’s,’ she retorted.
He grinned at that, his teeth a white slash against his swarthy complexion. But instead of replying, he banged his cane on the carriage roof. The vehicle stopped and without a backward glance, Perth leaped to the ground and set off walking.
Nonplussed and not a little bit angry at his desertion, Lillith fought the inclination to follow him. The urge to yell at him like a fishwife was strong. She was crazy. He was only treating her the way she had demanded. He was treating her as a man would treat a woman whom he had married for convenience. After all, she already carried his child.
Still, her hands shook uncontrollably and tears were near the surface. Things were going horribly close to the way she had dreaded they would.
The next morning, Lillith sat in the breakfast room drinking hot chocolate when Perth joined her. She could not help the frown she greeted him with. He had not come back last night, or, if he had, she had not heard him even though she had lain awake until daybreak.
‘Good morning to you, too,’ he said, helping himself to a large slice of ham and ale and sitting across from her. ‘I am glad I caught you before you left today.’ He took a bite of ham. ‘I have something for you.’
‘Really?’ She sipped her hot chocolate and nibbled on her toast. ‘More jewellery?’ she asked, not really thinking so or wanting any, but wanting to needle him.
He gave her a considering look. ‘If that is what you want, then I shall get you more. I have already taken the Perth family jewels into Gerrard’s to be cleaned and reset. There are rubies and sapphires and some South Sea pearls.’
Exasperated at herself and at him, her reply was tart. ‘Nothing of the sort. I was merely curious.’
He finished his ham and drank down the ale. ‘Then perhaps you will be more pleased with today’s gift than you were with the opals.’ He stood and went to the door where he stopped and waited for her.
Lillith’s scowl intensified. She had wanted a marriage of convenience and that was exactly what he was giving her—except for the lavish presents. She sipped the last of her chocolate and rose, moving at her own leisure in spite of his haste.
Whatever he had for her, it was outside and he was excited. Watching him practically dance from foot to foot finally eased her unhappiness with him. He swept her out the front door and stopped.
In the street, a prancing pair of grey horses were harnessed to a silver cabriolet with black trim and a black top pulled up. The door was emblazoned with the Perth coat of arms.
‘This is for you,’ he said softly.
She gasped. ‘Me? It is fabulous. I mean, it is beautiful. Surely it is for both of us.’
‘No,’ he said firmly, taking her by the arm and directing her down the steps and to the coach. ‘It is for you alone.’
‘But…thank you,’ she said, remembering how he had wondered if she would like this gift more than the last. ‘It is truly a magnificent present.’ She turned to him, perplexed. ‘But why? I already have a carriage, and I have already had so much from you as my settlement.’
He scowled at her. ‘Your other carriage was de Lisle’s and it has his coat of arms. You are no longer the Dowager Lady de Lisle. You are Lillith, Countess of Perth. This cabriolet reflects that.’
‘Ah,’ she breathed as though she understood, but she did not. ‘This is to show the world that I am your property.’
‘That you are my wife,’ he corrected. ‘I thought you might take it to your meeting with Mr Sinclair. See how you like it or if there is something you want changed.’
She shook her head in amazement. He was showering her with very expensive things. It was disconcerting.
‘That is a good idea. I must go get my pelisse and a cape,’ she finally said. ‘The day is cold and a drizzle starting.’
He nodded and let her go.
Lillith rushed up the stairs more to escape him and the situation than because she needed to hurry. There was still plenty of time before she needed to leave. However, the horses pulling her carriage would need to keep moving. She could take a ride around London, possibly Hyde Park, before going to Mr Sinclair’s. It truly was a beautiful vehicle.
An hour later, Lillith exited her new carriage.
Her appointment with Mr Sinclair was in five minutes. Parliament would be over in several days, and she wanted to get an update on her affairs before she and Perth left for the country.
She entered the outer office and was quickly ushered into his private room. He rose and offered her a seat close to the fire. She sat with alacrity.
‘It is getting colder by the hour,’ she said.
‘Winter. I should imagine you and the Earl will be leaving for the country soon.’
She nodded. ‘As soon as Parliament ends. The Earl has some concerns he is attempting to get Parliament to address.’
M
r Sinclair nodded. ‘Yes. His bill for the returning soldiers. Many people are in favour of it, but I doubt that he will get it passed. ’Tis a shame.’
Lillith was momentarily taken aback. She knew that most of the people in their circles were aware of Perth’s endeavours, but she had not realised that his name and cause were so well known that people outside of their sphere were also aware of what he did. Pride in her husband’s efforts brought a lump to her throat.
‘My husband has many fine qualities,’ she finally managed to say around the tightness that made swallowing difficult.
‘Many,’ Sinclair agreed. ‘And he is very generous.’
Lillith coloured and wondered if news of her magnificent jewels and new carriage had managed to travel this far. ‘He is.’
Mr Sinclair smiled. ‘I have the marriage settlement papers here for you to read and sign. You will see that the Earl has agreed to far more than we asked for.’
‘What?’ She reached for the papers.
‘He has bought your London house that was on the market and it will go to the second child you have if the first is a boy. If the first child is girl, then the house will be hers. He has also given you a very large jointure that will continue in the event of his death whether you remarry or not. And he has settled ten thousand pounds on each of your children who will not inherit the earldom. Most generous indeed.’
She gaped, only just managing to keep her eyes from widening. ‘Most generous indeed,’ she repeated, too stunned to think of something different.
Mr Sinclair cleared his throat. ‘There is one stipulation to everything. Mr Wentworth must never be in charge of handling any of this.’
‘That is a wise course,’ Lillith said, instantly relieved.
The good news and the bad news in the open, she signed the papers with relish and rose. ‘Thank you so much, Mr Sinclair. I know that the past months have been difficult on you, but I think you will find the future ones much more pleasant.’
He bowed over the hand she extended. ‘As I hope you will, my lady.’
She left his offices with a lightness of step that she had not experienced for a very long time. And it was all because of Perth. The journey home was much more pleasant than the journey to Mr Sinclair’s.
She delighted in the well-sprung comfort of her cabriolet. The soft wine leather squabs beckoned her fingers and she took off her gloves to stroke her bare skin over the fine leather.
And there was Perth’s generosity to her and to their children. This might be a marriage of convenience, and Perth might be acting toward her in some ways as though it was, but his behaviour was that of a man determined to show his new wife that she was valued. He was behaving as though theirs was a love match, and he was trying to show her how greatly he cared for her security and sense of worth. Which she knew was not the case. Nor could she let herself be so weak as to think it was.
’Twas very unsettling.
Chapter Sixteen
Lillith reined her mare in. She and Perth were leaving London tomorrow and she had been busy packing; she had not wanted to come here. But Mathias had sent a note asking her to meet him in Hyde Park. He had not been to see her since her wedding and she found that she missed him, and this would be her last chance to see her brother for some time.
It was late afternoon and the sun would soon be gone. She wished he had picked a warmer spot, preferably inside. But he had said he did not want her coming to his rented rooms. None of her friends, not even Madeline, would have him in their home and his friends were mostly unmarried men.
A biting wind whipped the bare tree branches around and caused little wavelets to crest white on the surface of the Serpentine. The ducks that swam on the pond in summer were gone.
She heard the sound of horse’s hooves on the hard ground, and angled her mount to face that direction. Instead of seeing her brother, she saw her husband. He rode quickly and drew his horse to a halt just as she thought he would ride her down. She knew in an instant that he was furious.
‘What in blazes do you think you are doing? In the park at this time of day with the sun nearly down and no groom?’ he thundered. ‘Anything might have happened to you. And if you have not a care for yourself, consider our child.’
On the defensive and knowing she should have brought a groom, she shot back, ‘I came here to meet Mathias, who will not come to the house—as you very well know. He is still my brother, and I do still want to stay in touch with him.’
‘Then meet him somewhere warmer and safer than Hyde Park in the late afternoon in the winter when nearly no one is around.’
He turned his horse and started off as though he expected her to automatically follow. Her hackles immediately rose and she stayed put. He glanced back at her, his brows drawn.
‘Come along.’
‘I told you, I am waiting for Mathias.’
‘And I am waiting for you,’ he said coldly.
She drew herself up, prepared to resist him.
A shot rang out. Her horse reared and she slid off onto the ground, hitting it with a force that knocked the wind from her.
‘Lillith!’
She heard Perth’s anguished cry, but could not sit up just yet and tell him she was fine. Her lungs burned and would not seem to fill with air. He was beside her before she recovered.
‘Lillith, my God, are you all right?’
He lifted her into his arms just as another shot rang out. Instantly he dropped, covering her body with his. His hands shielded her face and head. She heard the horses neighing.
‘We have got to get out of here,’ he muttered. ‘Can you run?’
Realisation of their peril hit her like a runaway carriage. ‘Yes, I think so,’ she managed. ‘I will have to.’
He nodded. ‘That’s my Lillith. Now.’
He stood and pulled her to her feet. He swung her in front of him and propelled her forward. Another shot rang out. She felt his hand slip from the small of her back but return almost immediately.
She grabbed her riding skirts in both hands, cursing their bulkiness, and ran for her life. Her lungs laboured. She heard Perth’s boots pounding on the ground and felt his breath hot on her neck. They made it to a copse of trees where Perth shoved her behind the largest trunk and pushed her into a crouch.
‘You make a smaller target,’ he explained, kneeling beside her and shielding the part of her body the tree did not protect.
She gasped for breath and pushed her hand hard against the stitch in her side. Frantic to know what was happening, she angled so that she could look around the trunk.
‘Damnation,’ Perth said, yanking her arm so that her head was no longer exposed. ‘What are you trying to do, give them the perfect target?’
Instantly chagrined, she said, ‘You are right. I did not think.’
He let out a long, frustrated breath. ‘The best thing that could happen to us right now would be for your brother to come along. Whoever is shooting at us is bound to disappear if too many get involved.’
‘But why would anyone shoot at us?’
He shrugged. ‘Who knows? It has been a hard winter. Perhaps someone is desperate beyond words and willing to risk the very great possibility of getting caught.’ He slanted her a dark look. ‘Maybe someone was waiting here on purpose.’
His words fell between them like stones.
‘Surely not,’ she finally managed to get out between shaking teeth.
He shrugged again and this time he winced. She ran her gaze over him and saw the red stain on his back right shoulder that was slowly spreading.
‘You have been hit,’ she said, suddenly frantic with worry. ‘We have got to get you to a doctor.’
‘Hush,’ he said, his tone gentle. ‘First we have got to get away from here. Everything else can wait.’
She knew he was right, but that did not stop the icy fear that clutched her heart. ‘We must at least stop the bleeding.’
She lifted her skirts and ripped at her petticoats. Another
shot rang out.
‘Stop it,’ he said. ‘The trunk of this tree is not large and all your twisting around makes you the perfect target. I would rather bleed to death than have you get hurt. Now stop.’
A shot hit the tree, sending pieces of bark ricocheting. A sliver caught her cheek. She yelped and reached up to see if the piece had stuck. It had not, but her gloves came away with a dab of blood.
Perth vowed, ‘Whoever is behind this will pay dearly.’
Fierce pride filled her for she knew he meant it, and right now she wanted nothing more than revenge on the person who had shot him. No matter how he felt about her, she loved him.
It was fast becoming dark.
‘We will try to escape again. They will not be able to see any better in the dark than we will. That is, if someone does not come looking for us very soon. The horses will have returned to the house and the groom will immediately tell Fitch.’ He had no sooner said the words than the sounds of approaching hoofbeats came to them. ‘Ah, I knew I could depend on Fitch,’ he said with great satisfaction.
To Lillith’s relief, it seemed that Fitch had brought a small army. Several riders held flambeaux to light the scene. Every one of them carried pistols which they had out.
‘Fitch,’ Perth yelled. ‘Over here.’
Lillith heard Fitch tell several of the riders to fan out and look for the attackers. Men and flambeaux moved into the dusk, trailing smoke and the scent of pitch. She marvelled at Fitch’s efficiency.
Quickly the remaining men surrounded her and Perth. The orange and yellow flames from the flambeaux shot into the sky and cast the men’s shadows behind them in elongated parodies.
‘I knew something was wrong,’ Fitch said, dismounting. ‘A good thing you mentioned something about coming here.’ He cast a quick, involuntary glance at Lillith.
She caught him looking at her, however briefly, and knew this whole débâcle was her fault. But surely her brother had not planned this! Someone must have known he had sent her a note or had seen her leave the house and followed her, thinking she would be easy prey. Mathias had his faults, as she knew only too well, but this went beyond gambling away and inheritance—or even a horsewhipping. Surely…
The Rogue's Seduction Page 19
