“This is… incredible,” he said with a touch of awe.
Alyssa was slightly embarrassed in the face of his praise, but proud of her accomplishments all the same. “Thank you. I’ve worked very hard to keep them that way.”
He lightly touched one of the petals of her Blue Ladies. “I’ve never quite seen their equal before.” He turned to her, his silver gaze filled with excitement. “Surely these aren’t natural.”
“Actually, no,” she admitted. “They are a rare cross-breed that I developed.”
His jaw slackened. “Have you sent a specimen to the Horticultural Society? I imagine that they would be fascinated by this.”
Alyssa winced. But then, any mention of the Society sent her happiness spiraling downward. “I’ve tried many times to gain an audience with the Society, but since I’m a woman, any requests have been denied, even with the backing from the Duchess of Coyton, where she personally sent them a letter on my behalf. It was also declined.”
He turned to her and empathy was visible on his face. “I’m sorry to hear that, my lady. I fear it is a man’s world.” He paused thoughtfully and said, “But if you would permit me, I might be able to help you. One of the members owes me a personal favor. Perhaps I can get him to grant you an audience. Or, at least, your Blue Ladies.”
Instantly, her heart started to pound with excitement, but she didn’t want to get her hopes up just yet. “That would be wonderful!”
He eyed her steadily. “It’s obvious you have a particular talent, my lady. I should hate to see it wasted.” He paused and winked at her. “And I daresay I could use your assistance with the earl in the interim. I would consider it a fair exchange of services.”
Alyssa nodded. “Then consider it a partnership, Mr. Lyridon. For you have yourself a deal.”
***
Travell sat in the carriage and frowned at the passing scenery. His first stop in London had been for naught for when he arrived at the Abernathy townhouse in search of his mother. He was told that she had returned from the house party, only to hie off to Brighton without a single word. While he was used to his mother’s tendencies to travel when the mood struck her, her timing had never been quite so irritating. But then, she had no idea that his life had been turned upside down.
In spite of his annoyance, Travell left a missive with the butler stating that when she returned, he expected her to call at Rosewood immediately. He considered sending a message directly to her, but she might as well enjoy her freedom while it lasted, for once she realized her husband had returned, the fun would undoubtedly end.
His next stop took him to Whitehall where he found another dead end in speaking with Lord Liverpool, who was on holiday. He’d hoped to gain an audience with the Prime Minister regarding his current absence from the Home Office and explain the situation he was faced with, but since he was left with no choice but to offer a brief explanation and leave it with the man’s secretary, he headed for his final destination — the home of Lord Fremont.
His fist clenched on his thigh, as he wondered what it was he might even say when he arrived. Pardon my interruption, but is it true that my mother was having an affair with you? And could that be the reason my father is mad?
If he started the conversation like that, no doubt they would think he was the one who was insane.
However, in all honesty, he could understand how a single person could eclipse one’s world and change their entire way of thinking. Alyssa had always been a part of his life, but not until this past week, during his lowest hours, did he realize how much she actually meant to him. She was quickly starting to become the voice in his head that he didn’t think he was missing. When he’d wondered if his father’s mind wasn’t going to slowly make him lose his own, he’d heard her say to be patient. He’d feel her hand lightly touch his arm and tell him that things would get better with time. She gave him hope in the midst of a storm, and for that, he would always be grateful.
He closed his eyes for a moment, bringing her face to mind, so that those sparkling, green eyes, filled with the mirth could give him the courage he needed to see this last visit through to the end.
As the carriage finally stopped in front of an affluent townhouse in Mayfair, he walked up the steps and used the knocker, rapping it sharply three times. It wasn’t long before a long-faced butler answered the door. He barely even spared him a glance as he said, “May I assist you, sir?”
“Yes.” Travell held out his card, which the servant accepted rather reluctantly. “Please inform your master that the Viscount of Curdiff would like to request an audience with him. It is of the upmost urgency.”
The butler actually sniffed. “I’m afraid that’s quite impossible. Lord Fremont is indisposed.”
Travell sighed. He wanted to slam his head into a brick wall, for this would be his third wicket down on a useless trip to the city. He was starting to wonder if “good luck” was actually something he possessed any more.
“Lady Fremont is in. Shall I give her your card?”
He wavered for a moment, and then shook his head. There was a good chance she didn’t know of her husband’s affair, and he didn’t wish to upset the lady over conjectures that he had yet to confirm. “I fear my business is with the marquess. Just let him know I stopped by.”
The butler bowed and shut the door as Travell took his leave. He threw his hat on the seat beside him in the carriage and instructed his driver to return home to Rosewood.
He frowned slightly. It was strange how, such a short time ago, he’d imaged Abernathy House as home, and yet, since he knew Alyssa would be there, waiting for his return, he couldn’t help but anticipate their reunion.
***
“Who was at the door, Stuart?”
The Fremont butler paused at the parlor entrance where his mistress was taking her afternoon tea. “A caller for the marquess, my lady.”
She frowned. “Did he leave a card?”
“Yes, my lady.” He strode forward and handed her the simple white calling card.
As she read the name, all the blood receded from her face. “Bring the carriage around at once!” she instructed.
The servant bowed and did as he was bid, while Lady Fremont continued to stare at the name on the card. Travell Abernathy, Viscount Curdiff.
Dear God, she hadn’t heard the name Abernathy in years, praying that she never would again. Her heart began to race, wondering why now, after all these years, she might be cursed once more to suffer such a fate.
Her hand trembled as she stood and tossed the card into the fire. The Bible had claimed that one’s sins would seek a person out. She had just never thought the same would be true for her. She cursed inwardly, sure that she had destroyed any evidence of her wrongdoings, but it appeared she was mistaken.
The question now was how to proceed?
She paced back and forth, her skirts swishing with her movements. No one must ever know what had transpired so long ago. And they wouldn’t. Unless, Lord Curdiff decided to pay another call…
She blew out a heavy breath, anxious for Stuart to return. When he did, she gathered her cloak and bonnet and rushed out the door.
***
Weary from a day’s worth of travel, Travell walked in the front door at dark, expecting to be greeted by the woman who had held his focus during the entire journey. However, when Ives told him that she was in the dining room taking supper with Mr. Lyridon, he merely asked for another setting to be added as he headed in that direction.
Even though he could use a change of clothes and a hot bath, he could do with something to eat, and the need to see Alyssa overrode all else. But the moment he drew near the open room, he heard the sound of laughter coming from within.
As he turned the corner, his jaw clenched at the sight before him. Alyssa was sitting across from Mr. Lyridon, but it was their shared merriment that fired something deep within Travell. He didn’t want to call it jealousy, for it was closer to rage. After a day filled with nothing but
frustration and disappointment, where his only thought was to return to Alyssa, the last thing he needed to come back to was the sight of her flirting with another man.
“This is a rather cozy scene.”
They glanced up as he advanced into the room, where a footman had just set an extra setting for him, served with a mouthwatering fare. “Lord Curdiff.” The barrister stood and bowed politely, and then sat back down as Travell settled himself at the head of the table. “I hope you had a productive day.”
Travell flicked the napkin and settled it over his lap. “Not in the least. Mother is currently in Brighton, and when I paid a call on Lord Fremont, he was conveniently out as well.” He decided to omit the part about Whitehall, for not only was it a delicate matter; it also had no bearing on his father’s current predicament.
Alyssa turned to him, and her green eyes appeared sincere when she said, “I’m sorry, Travell. I know you were hoping for some answers.”
Travell nodded, and then turned to the man on his right. “Did you have any further success with the earl today?”
“I’m afraid not. He was rather insensible. Although—” He nodded across the table to Alyssa. “We were able to calm him enough for a short sedan ride about the grounds, but I’ll let her tell you about that.”
Alyssa giggled and began to recount the story. “It was rather humorous. Talon was…”
The rest of her words trailed into oblivion as Travell unconsciously blocked out her voice. The only thing he could focus on was the fact that, after only a day’s acquaintance, she was on a first name basis with the barrister. He glanced at Mr. Lyridon and had to admit that some ladies might find his easy countenance to be rather pleasing. But was Alyssa immune to his charm?
His gaze shifted back to her, only to find that she was rather animated as she spoke. With a sparkle of enthusiasm in her green eyes, she was absolutely beautiful.
In that moment, Travell realized that what truly bothered him wasn’t the fact they had become friends in his absence, but they’d had fun doing it. Combined with the constant concern for his father and the day he’d just had, the fact they could sit here and find amusement in anything didn’t settle well with him.
As his anger grew with every passing moment, he found that he couldn’t withstand any more.
His fork clattered to his plate.
***
Alyssa stopped mid-sentence as she glanced at Travell. She had never seen such a dark look on his face, and something told her it didn’t bode well. His palms were flat on the table on either side of him. In truth, he looked like he was about to explode.
Mr. Lyridon must have thought the same, for he lightly cleared his throat and pushed back his chair. “If you’ll excuse me, Lord Curdiff. I think I’ll retire early.” He pushed to his feet, and after a brief nod at her, he fled the room.
Once she was alone with Travell, she pushed back her chair as well. “I’m sorry that you had a discouraging day, my lord, but there’s no need to take out your irritations on us. I’ll return tomorrow. Perhaps by then you’ll be in better spirits.”
She stood and started to head for the door.
“It appears you and Mr. Lyridon have become rather comfortable with one another.”
Alyssa stopped and slowly turned back to face Travell. His blue eyes were intense as they lit on her, but she refused to be intimidated. Or back down, even if a footman might be in the same room, doing his best to pretend that he wasn’t observing the exchange.
“Are you drunk?” She snorted. “Because if I didn’t know you better, I would think you’re jealous!”
“I’m perfectly sober.” He calmly wiped his mouth on his napkin. “I merely feel irritated that while I was driving all over London searching for some insight into my father’s condition, you were here, playing the coquet!”
Her mouth fell open and she took a threatening step forward. Her ire wasn’t merely piqued; it was on fire. “How dare you! If you had bothered to listen to anything I said, you would have realized that we spent nearly every moment with the earl, trying to help him. And yet, you would turn our consideration into something twisted and sordid, just because of your inability to confront your own personal demons!” She shook her head. “You have no right to lecture me on the bonds of morality when I know your past is littered with misdeeds.”
This time, she intended to walk out the door without looking back. Even if he called out to her, she would keep on moving. If this is what she must endure at Rosewood from now on, then she would rather remain a prisoner at Breyton Hall, even if it meant sacrificing her Blue Ladies.
She made it halfway down the hallway to the foyer before she was spun around. Travell held her upper arms in a nearly bruising grip. “I’m not jealous,” he growled. “I just demand respect in my absence.”
She twisted to free herself, but he held tight. “Then perhaps you should try to earn it,” she shot back hotly. “Nothing untoward happened between me and Mr. Lyridon.”
“Good,” he said harshly. “Because you’re mine.”
The kiss wasn’t unexpected, but the sheer, brutal desperation that followed was. It stunned her and caused her heart to ache at the same time. She was still upset with him for accusing her of flirting with Mr. Lyridon, but how could she ignore such an unspoken plea for affection?
As she slowly started to kiss him back, he instantly gentled his firm grip. His fingertips brushed the edge of her neckline with gentle caresses and it didn’t take long for her anger to melt away into something more… desirable.
Her arms crept up around his neck, as his hand brushed the side of her breast. She gasped against his mouth and he mumbled something untenable in return. When his thumb flicked the hardened nipple beneath her bodice, Alyssa’s hands tightened on his broad shoulders.
“Did you like that?” he whispered against her lips.
She nodded, so he did it again, and then he cupped the mound of flesh in his hand and began to knead gently. Alyssa bit her lip, and moaned.
“Look at me.”
She opened her eyes and saw that he was watching her with a touch of manly pride mixed with raw lust. He smiled wickedly as he pressed the lower half of his body against her, letting her feel the hard evidence of his erection. “Do you know what that means, Alyssa?”
She swallowed, finding it difficult to manage any sound at this point. “You’re… aroused.” Her face flamed with mortification, for she had never thought to utter that word aloud in her life.
“It means I want you,” he corrected in a gravelly voice. “Stay the night with me.”
Alyssa’s senses slowly started to return. “I… can’t.” She blinked. “You know that. My reputation…”
“I told you before that I would marry you, Alyssa, if you would but give me a chance. There is enough passion between us, that we could enjoy a happy life together.”
She let her hands slide down from around his shoulders and pause on his chest. She could feel his strong heartbeat beneath her palm. “Passion fades.”
With a deep breath, she pushed against him. She thought she might meet with some resistance, but he dropped his arms and let her move away from him.
He shoved a hand through his hair. “What do you want from me that I haven’t already offered you?”
The sting of tears made her blink, but she refused to let them fall. Instead, she lifted her chin and said, “If you don’t know by now, then I’m afraid I can’t answer that for you.”
Chapter Thirteen
For the next three days, Alyssa kept her distance from Travell. What made matters worse was that she didn’t even try to hide the fact. She arrived at Rosewood at various times, tended to her flowers, and left long before he had a chance to do more than pass her on her way out the door.
Mr. Lyridon wisely said nothing about the change in her sporadic patterns, and continued his work with the earl. At times he was able to drive back a lucid moment, but nothing further that might help with his current ailment, or the a
nswers that Travell longed for. But at least his violent outbursts had ceased and he had started to sleep through the night without laudanum to assist him, so there was that.
But the more his father improved with treatment, the more Travell found himself falling down into a deeply troubled state.
He strode to the stables one afternoon, determined to put Alyssa out of his mind as effortlessly as she had pushed him aside. Her cool attitude of late was starting to annoy him, for he thought they had started to make a more permanent connection, but she had quickly nipped that in the bud before it could even blossom into something more.
Unfortunately, it appeared that all his efforts to keep her in England were going to be met with opposition. Was she truly so determined to travel to America that she had to continually spurn his attentions?
Travell mounted his horse and galloped across the grassy expanse that had been in his family for centuries, ever since the time of the Romans. It was supposed to be relaxing, but he found a frown creasing his brow nevertheless.
He finally reined in atop a grassy knoll that looked out over Breyton Hall. From this vantage point, he could see the stone manor displayed in its entire splendor. He remembered many trips to this property in his youth. Although he didn’t much care for the current Lord and Lady Lockley, Alyssa’s parents had always been kind and welcoming.
Little Mouse.
He recalled the nickname that Alyssa had been given, and it angered Travell to know that she continued to allow herself to become a laughingstock, rather than to accept his hand. He’d never met such a stubborn woman in all his life.
“Lord Curdiff. What a surprise.”
Travell clenched his jaw, but forced a cool smile as he turned to meet Lady Lockley’s gaze. “Good day, my lady.” Her mouth was curved upward in that usual smug expression he’d come to associate with her. To anyone else, she might have appeared rather becoming in her peach dress and royal blue redingote, her golden curls escaping her straw bonnet, but he only saw her for what she was — a conniving pretender.
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