Nick was too stunned by her outburst to follow her immediately. After several minutes he went in search of her, expecting to find her struggling with Matilda’s harness, once again in need of his assistance.
Instead she was already driving away and didn’t once look back.
Chapter Six
Alicia slammed the door to her chamber, thoroughly out of sorts after her encounter with the duke. She climbed out of her sodden gown, blushing as she recalled the nature of their discourse. She ought to have expressed greater outrage at his infamous suggestion and the insultingly offhand manner in which he had delivered it, implying all sorts of unpalatable things about her morals. As though she would have agreed to be his plaything! The idea was nothing short of…of temptation personified. There, she had admitted it, albeit to herself. She had been stunned by his frankness and too excited by it for her protests to sound convincing. Her show of repugnance hadn’t fooled him for a second. She blamed that on the fact that she had long been curious about the subject matter but had never before met a gentleman with whom she had the slightest inclination to experiment.
Until now.
His words had filled her with an almost overwhelming urge to agree with his suggestion, necessitating a hasty departure before she gave way to temptation. As she relived the moment, a churning sensation started in the pit of her stomach and seeped through her limbs, taunting her by pooling in her most intimate places and refusing to go away. She stepped out of her petticoats and threw them aside, disgusted with her lack of self-restraint. One brief kiss, a few salacious comments, and she no longer recognised herself.
She sat on the edge of her bed, mulling over the events of the afternoon. She couldn’t seem to concentrate on anything else. Dare she do as he’d suggested? She was sorely tempted, and only the thought of his disgusting conviction that she would eventually succumb held her back. She would never beg him for his favours. Never! She didn’t mind that he had no feelings for her. She had no feelings for him either, so they were equals in that respect. But she refused to become the latest in a long series of conquests.
Alicia squared her shoulders. If he considered her to be that desperate, then he had severely miscalculated.
Janet bustled into the room. ‘There you are, lamb. I thought I heard you coming back. You are late, as always.’
‘I got caught in the storm.’
‘So I see.’ Janet eyed Alicia’s sodden garments and pulled a disapproving face. ‘You really must take more care, my love. You could easily catch a chill.’
‘I am never ill, Janet, you know that.’
‘Was that the duke I heard coming in directly behind you?’
Alicia rolled her eyes. Absolutely nothing went on in this house that the servants didn’t know about. ‘The gig got stuck in the mud on the back road. His grace helped me to get it free.’
‘And sheltered with you until the rain abated, I don’t doubt.’
Alicia was furious when she blushed. ‘Fortunately the storm soon passed.’
Janet beamed at her mistress. ‘I have prepared your cream muslin for tonight, my love. I know it’s a favourite of yours.’
‘I think I will excuse myself from dinner tonight. Perhaps I caught a chill after all.’
‘Oh, no! You can’t keep claiming an indisposition. It will look odd. Besides, it’s not like you to lack spirit. I know you’ll feel awkward facing your cousin again but the longer you leave it, the harder it will be.’
It wasn’t Frederick who Alicia wished to avoid but she refrained from saying so. ‘My aunt has been quite short with me all day but I have nothing to apologise for.’
‘That you do not!’ Janet cried indignantly. ‘Your aunt adores her son so her reaction is only to be expected. Just treat him naturally, as though the whole thing never occurred, and you’ll soon be comfortable again.’
‘I just don’t understand it.’ Alicia frowned. ‘Why he wishes to marry me, I mean. And why his father is so keen to promote the match.’ She nibbled the end of her index finger, barely aware of Janet dressing her hair. ‘It is kind of him to be concerned about me, which I suppose accounts for it. But surely they ought to be relieved that I rejected him.’
Janet laughed. ‘You really do underestimate yourself. Sometimes I could shake you.’
But it was Alicia’s knees that were doing the shaking as she entered the drawing room. As her presence was noticed, conversations ceased. She pretended not to notice the tense atmosphere and the hostility in her aunt’s eyes. As the hubbub resumed, she relaxed a little. Only one pair of eyes remained focused on her, and she instinctively knew who they belonged to. She didn’t require the ripple of excitement curling its way down her spine to tell her that his grace continued to observe her closely. She felt her cheeks colouring as she bore his scrutiny, but not once did she glance in his direction.
Before Alicia had time to wonder what fault in her appearance was engaging the duke’s displeasure, Frederick bore down on her. He wore a charming smile and set about being agreeable. Perhaps his regard for her was genuine after all. The possibility made her feel wretched so she smiled and asked him how he had occupied his day.
‘Been working my fingers to the bone in the stud in the hope of impressing you, coz.’
‘You would impress me a great deal more if you worked there because it is what you genuinely wish to do.’
He spread his hands and adopted the helpless expression which so captivated his mother. ‘Ah, well, give a man his due, Alicia. It’s a start.’
She couldn’t help laughing. Frederick was Frederick still and would never change.
The duke had been hemmed in by Maria and her aunt but Alicia was conscious of him looking over Maria’s head and regarding her with disconcerting regularity, testing her. Never one to back down from a challenge, she turned fractionally in his direction, met his gaze and boldly held it. For a sublime moment the activity in the room faded away, and nothing else existed except the force of his captivating smile. Her mind returned to the substance of their conversation that afternoon and she now knew with absolute certainty that this attractive sophisticate actually wanted her, albeit temporarily.
And she was oh so sorely tempted.
‘How were things at the school today, coz?’
Frederick’s voice recalled her wandering attention, which she considered that to be just as well. This visitor of theirs was playing havoc with her level-headedness. Alicia redirected her attention to Frederick, her breath shaking as she answered his question. No one joined them. It was as though a tacit agreement had been reached to leave them to themselves. Her relations clearly thought she had suffered a temporary aberration and that, given time, she would see the advantages in the match. Alicia sighed at the obviousness of the ploy. She didn’t want to encourage Frederick’s ambitions but didn’t have it in her to treat him unkindly either. He was older than her but in so many respects it was the other way around.
She quickly ran out of things to say to him that didn’t impinge upon yesterday’s embarrassing interlude. If she had entertained any momentary doubts, they evaporated at that moment. Casting about for a new subject, Alicia became aware of a looming presence at her side. Why did she always instinctively know when the duke was within her sphere without the need to actually see him?
‘Good evening, Miss Woodley.’
‘Your grace.’ She curtsied, stifling a smile at such formality. Only that afternoon her name had slipped from his lips as naturally as though he’d been addressing her with familiarity all her life. But now he was behaving perfectly correctly, and she couldn’t find anything to criticise in his behaviour.
‘I trust you are fully recovered from the affliction that deprived us of your company yesterday evening?’
‘Completely recovered, I thank you.’
‘Oh, my cousin’s been traipsing all over the countryside in the pouring rain this afternoon on some rescue mission or other,’ Frederick said carelessly.
‘I trust
you came to no harm in the storm.’ His lips were perfectly straight, his expression fastidiously correct, but Alicia still blushed beneath his scrutiny. Even if she had not known the precise nature of his thoughts, the wicked glint in his eye would have given him away.
‘None whatsoever. I am not so delicate that I cannot survive the occasional soaking.’
‘Just so long as it was only a soaking you were obliged to withstand. I shouldn’t like to think of your wrestling with anything more tempestuous.’
‘Why, your grace,’ she said, opening her eyes very wide. ‘Whatever temptation could possibly befall me on the road to Ravenswing Manor?’
He chuckled. ‘What indeed.’
Alicia enjoyed bandying words with the duke but regretted her reckless impulsiveness when the smile he directed her way pointedly excluded Frederick. Rocked by a whole raft of pleasurable sensations, she forced herself to look away from him.
‘I assure you that nothing out of the ordinary has occurred today.’
‘I say,’ said Frederick, frowning, ‘what do you—’
‘I believe your mother is looking for you, Woodley.’
Oh.’ A shadow of annoyance passed across Frederick’s features. ‘Excuse me for just one moment, if you please, Alicia. I shall return momentarily,’ he added with a significant glance in the duke’s direction.
‘I hoped for a private word with you,’ he said as soon as Frederick was out of earshot.
‘Indeed.’ She raised an inquisitive brow. Whatever for?’
‘Oh, I think you know, but that is not why I sought you out.’ He lowered his voice. ‘You will come to me when ready and it won’t take you very long to realise that you already are.’
‘Such arrogance,’ Alicia muttered, the insult making him smile.
‘What I actually wanted to discuss with you is your uncle’s desire to involve me in the stud.’
‘I thought that might have been his reason for inviting you here. I did wonder—’
Their conversation was interrupted by the announcement that dinner was served.
‘Ah, your grace.’ Alicia’s uncle appeared at her side. ‘Perhaps you would be good enough to escort Miss Woodley—’
‘With the greatest of pleasure. Miss Woodley, may I have the honour?’ He proffered his arm to Alicia, his expression one of exaggerated innocence.
‘Ah, no, actually, I didn’t mean—’
Alicia bit her lip to prevent a laugh from escaping. She had already disappointed her family and harboured no desire to make that situation worse. Even so, her relations really shouldn’t be quite so blatant.
‘Thank you, your grace.’ Avoiding looking at him, she placed her hand on his sleeve. A jolt of awareness rocked her body as she felt the muscles in his arm tighten beneath her touch. ‘I am not the person my uncle intended you to escort,’ she added sotto voce, ‘and well you know it.’
‘Are you not?’ The surprise in his tone sounded genuine. ‘You are Miss Woodley?’
‘I suppose technically, since I am my cousins’ senior, but…oh, fiddlesticks.’ She met his mocking gaze and felt her face flood with colour. ‘You’re making sport of me.’
They glanced at Maria, clinging to her brother’s arm with her lips drawn into an angry grimace.
‘I urgently need to talk to you,’ he said in an undertone.
Alicia experienced an irrational stab of disappointment. He had only singled her out because he required her opinion on the state of the stud. Perhaps she had been cherishing a secret desire that he would woo her in a more romantic, less self-assured manner. But he clearly harboured no doubts about his ability to prevail and wouldn’t bother with further persuasion. This latest display of his arrogance bolstered her determination to hold out against him. She might lack experience but she could still play games just as competently as he.
With an arch smile she turned toward him, ready to give as good as she got.
‘We can hardly discuss the workings of the stud over the dinner table.’
‘Then perhaps I can engage you in conversation on the subject at a more appropriate juncture. We are, after all, both early risers.’
‘Do you consider that I will be so easily won over?’ She offered him a haughty smile. ‘I believe you have mistaken me for my cousin, your grace.’
‘This is too important to worry about the proprieties,’ he replied, an urgent edge to his tone. ‘I know there is little you would not do to protect your father’s life’s work.’
‘You’re beginning to sound rather desperate. Even an inexperienced provincial such as I can see through your ruse.’ Alicia smiled, convinced that she had gained the upper hand in their verbal sparring.
‘I hesitate to disagree with anything you say, but I feel no desperation regarding our previous conversation.’ He spoke his next words is a husky undertone. ‘You want me, and the sooner you admit it, the sooner we will be able to do something about it.’
Alicia stifled an outraged protest and made do with glaring at him. Only to be discouraged by his unruffled expression.
‘I merely require clarification of your uncle’s objectives in order to decide how to respond to his overtures.’
‘I don’t know what involvement is required of you, so I can hardly advise you. If you are so unsure about the venture that you require the opinion of a mere female who is no longer trusted to play an active part in the operation, then my advice would be to turn my uncle’s offer down.’ She lifted her chin, aware that she had let her guard down and allowed her hurt feelings on the subject of the stud to be apparent. ‘I feel sure you must be anxious to be on your way.’
They reached the dining table and the duke pulled out a chair for her. She glanced at his face as she arranged her skirts and was gratified to observe his mystified expression. She had spoken inappropriately and ought to beg his pardon. But she didn’t. If he required flummery and an audience that hung on his every word, then he ought to have escorted Maria to the table.
He quickly appeared to recover his equilibrium and devoted himself to her entertainment for the duration of the meal. She intended to remain aloof but his charm compelled her and gradually she was drawn in by it. That an aristocrat of his elevated status would take the trouble to notice her was gratifying. Even though she knew he had a hidden agenda, she would not repay him with sullenness. He was a skilled raconteur, and her spontaneous laughter frequently drew the disapproving attention of the rest of the table.
The meal flew past and Alicia was actually sorry when her aunt led the ladies from the room. As soon as the gentlemen rejoined them, Maria pounced upon the duke, asking him to turn the pages whilst she played the pianoforte. Frederick glued himself to Alicia’s side and she wasn’t able to evade him for the rest of the evening. She felt the duke’s expressive glance resting upon her on more than one occasion but had no further opportunities to exchange a private word with him.
Alicia managed to slip from the drawing room, intent upon making one of her unobtrusive escapes. She’d almost reached her chamber when a hand came to rest on her arm, almost scaring her out of her wits. She turned and found her cousin standing close behind her.
‘Frederick, what do you mean by creeping up on me like that? You frightened me half to death!’
‘Sorry, coz, but I wanted to talk to you before you retire.’
‘We have been talking all evening,’ she said, wariness in her tone.
‘Yes, but…look, can’t we go somewhere else? We cannot talk in this passageway.’
‘Talk about what, Frederick?’
‘About us.’ He steered her into a nearby salon. ‘Alicia, you have had time to reflect upon our conversation of yesterday by now. Dare I hope that you have undergone a change of heart?’
In the dim light of the room Frederick’s forlorn expression tore at her heartstrings. He was so used to getting his own way that her refusal had totally flummoxed him.
‘I am very sorry, Frederick,’ she said gently, ‘but I won’t change m
y mind and you must accept my refusal.’
‘Do you need more time to think about it?’
‘All the time in the world will not change my decision.’
‘Nevertheless, I refuse to be downhearted. I will give you more time to consider the advantages of the match and speak to you again in a few days.’ He grabbed her hand and brushed his lips across her knuckles. ‘I have surprised you and now I’m rushing you. But when you have had the opportunity to reflect, I feel persuaded that you’ll view the matter in a more favourable light.’
Early in the morning Nick went in search of Alicia. They had not actually agreed to meet but he was sure she would be jumping her stallion. He could scarce hide his disappointment when he learned from Will that she had already exercised Fabian and would be departing for the village school within the hour. She must have arisen before daybreak in order to avoid an encounter with him.
At a loose end, Nick knew that Maria Woodley would be lying in wait for him somewhere in the house. She appeared more determined than ever to entrap him. He was equally determined to keep out of her path.
‘Saddle two of the carriage horses, Gibson. I feel the need for some exercise.’
‘Glad to hear it. This place is starting to close in on me.’
Half an hour later Nick and Gibson cantered through the park, heading for the same back road they had arrived on. They had just passed the spot where Matilda had blocked their path when Alicia’s dog came hurtling out of the bushes, barking to gain their attention.
Nick reined in.
‘Hello, Jasper. Is your mistress rescuing more animals in distress?’
Jasper barked furiously and headed back towards the bushes.
Of Dukes and Deceptions: Dangerous Dukes Vol 4 Page 8
