Lady Thorn

by Catherine Archer

  “I have not-”

  “Again, I say, please spare me. Now, are you willing to make some effort to hide your true feelings for me while we are in public? If not, we may as well put an end to this charade now.”

  His expression did not soften, but obviously he had realized there was no point in denying the truth of the matter any further. He looked away from her, the muscles in his jaw flexing. “As difficult as this situation has become, I agreed to help you, and I will do so. I have no more liking for the way things have turned out than you. But you don’t need to worry about my behavior, Cousin Victoria. I will play the fond relation as well as you.”

  Victoria knew she should be glad of this, that the truth was at last out in the open. For some reason, her heart swelled until it was hard and aching in her chest. She rose with as much poise as possible. “I thank you for that. Now, if you will excuse me.”

  She turned her back to him, walking slowly from the room, though she had an overwhelming desire to run from Jedidiah McBride, and the wound of his rejection. Not for any reason would she allow him to see how very much he had hurt her by his admission. It was one thing to know he did not have any fondness for her, and quite another to hear him say the words.

  Pride was her only ally at this moment, and she would hold it close about her like a heavy cloak.

  Chapter Eight

  The footman’s voice resonated when they paused at the top of the stairs and Jedidiah handed him their invitation. “Lady Victoria Thorn and Mr. Jedidiah McBride.”

  The ballroom was filled to overflowing, and Victoria felt hundreds of eyes come to rest upon first her, then the man at her side, as their names were announced. She raised her head high on her slender neck. In no way would she give any sign that there was anything untoward about her being here with Jedidiah McBride.

  From the corner of her eye, she cast the man in question an assessing glance. If Jedidiah was the least bit ill at ease in this situation, he certainly gave nothing away. He wore his black evening attire with perfect aplomb, and the arm beneath her fingers was steady.

  He had been preoccupied during the carriage ride here. Now she watched as, before her very eyes, he took on a decidedly protective air. His gloved hand closed over her fingers as if in reassurance, or affection. His lips curved in a pleasant smile as he looked down at her. Obviously, Jedidiah meant to stand by his word.

  Victoria felt her heart lurch in reaction. Although she knew he was only acting, she could not stop her response. Nor could she help wishing it was not an act.

  Immediately she told herself that she was a fool. Not for any reason could she allow this intractable man to know how very much he affected her.

  As they began their descent of the formal staircase, she watched surreptitiously as his indolent gaze swept the room. It made no sense, given what she knew of him, but it was as if he had been born to these surroundings and was bored by them. A strange bit of pique swept through her, and her fingers tightened momentarily on his arm. Did nothing ever unsettle the blackguard?

  As if sensing her displeasure, Jedidiah graced her with a glance of amusement, before turning his attention back to the assemblage before them. She had the feeling he was reminding her of her own assertions that they must appear amicable. Victoria elevated her chin just fractionally, determined not to let the man know he had disturbed her.

  At the foot of the stairs, they were met by Lady Worthington. The lady was dressed in a ruffled gown of pale lilac that little served her portly frame. Her pale blue eyes rested on Jedidiah with open curiosity as she reached out a hand to Victoria in greeting.

  Victoria steeled herself as she took that plump hand in hers. The moment had come to see how willingly society would accept their charade. “Lady Worthington,” she said, surprised at the even timbre of her own voice. She nodded toward the man at her side. “I don’t believe you have met my cousin Jedidiah. As he is visiting me, I took the liberty of adding his name to your invitation.”

  Lady Worthington gaped, her Cupid’s-bow mouth making an O. “Your cousin? Why, I did not even know…”

  “Victoria inserted smoothly. “Oh, but surely you must recall that my grandfather’s brother went away to make his fortune in America.”

  The lady frowned pensively. “Why, yes, I do remember…” Her brows rose in a perfect arch. “An American, you say?”

  Jedidiah spoke up then. “Yes, Lady Worthington, an American, and very pleased to be here in England, absorbing some of your culture. Not to mention the pleasure of meeting such a lovely lady as yourself.” He smiled with those even white teeth, his green eyes the color of a summer sea. Victoria’s stomach tightened, and her lips went dry.

  She watched as Lady Penelope Worthington, known to be one of society’s most snobbish and class-conscious matrons, beamed up at the handsome sea captain like some besotted parlormaid. For a man who claimed to have so small an opinion of aristocrats, he was doing quite a good job of ingratiating himself. She could not help casting Jedidiah a scathing glance.

  They moved on, Victoria barely attending to what was said as she was greeted by the others in the receiving line. She knew even less of what Jedidiah said, though she noted that he managed to have both of the young ladies present blushing and giggling.

  He did not even appear to be aware of her until they were finally moving away from the receiving line. They walked through a high arch that opened onto the ballroom floor. It was lit by the bright glow of a thousand candles. Jedidiah leaned close over her with a hiss of annoyance. “And what are you looking so angry about?”

  She stiffened at his censure, as they paused just inside the archway. She barely noted the women in silks and satins gliding about the polished marble floor on delicately heeled slippers. The men, in dark evening dress and spotless white gloves, held their dancing partners at a respectable distance at all times. Victoria continued to be no more than peripherally aware of the throng of guests as she glared up at the tall blond man. “For one who professes to think so very little of society, you have made a good effort at putting yourself forward.”

  His hand tightened on her arm, making her pull away abruptly as his dark eyes met hers. “Isn’t that the reason I’m here with you? Did you not remind me yourself that I was to abide by my end of our bargain? Are you now telling me, Cousin Victoria—” his meaningful gaze drifted to the throng around them “—that you do not want me to behave as if I belong here? Are you further telling me you want everyone to suspect I am not your cousin, as you have said? It seems you are having some problem with making up your mind.” He gave her a long, indecipherable look. “I am not. My mind is set. I must appear to be what you say I am in order to have any hope of finding my son. And that, my dear Lady Thorn, is more important to me than my pride or my dislike of your class.”

  A deep flush stained her cheeks as she unconsciously rubbed her arm where he had held it so tightly. “Forgive me… I…do not know what got into me. I simply had not expected you to be quite so adept at acting your part. It seems there are things about you that I do not know.”

  At that, she saw his jaw harden. Hurriedly she continued, not having meant to anger him by the remark. But even as she went on, she wondered at his reaction. “Of course you would be willing to go to any lengths in your search for your child. It is understandably of the utmost importance to you.” Victoria realized that she was babbling most uncharacteristically, but she could not stop herself. “And of course you are following through with our agreement, no matter how distasteful it may be, in order to locate him.”

  Jedidiah made no reply.

  A long, heavy silence fell between the two of them as they stood there alongside the ballroom floor. Victoria looked away, forcing herself to concentrate on the scene before her. She saw the mature women, in bright splashes of color, and the debutantes, like Easter lilies planted among more exotic flowers, in their demure white gowns. She vividly recalled the night of her own debut, how proud her parents had been, how they had stood
arm in arm as she met and was welcomed by society. How long ago that now seemed.

  Tonight she wore a new gown of silvery satin. It was trimmed with the most delicate lace in a matching shade, as were her slippers. The only other adornment was a large rose of palest pink that rested just below the scooped neckline of the gown and matched the one Betty had pinned in her upswept hair. There was no one to care how she looked, no one to smile with, no one to share a secret. Her sigh was more wistful than she would have liked.

  Some inner sense made her aware of Jedidiah’s attention on her, and she turned to him, her eyes questioning. He was watching her with a mixture of curiosity and sympathy.

  He leaned close, even as she wondered what could have brought on his abrupt change of mood. For a long, breathless moment, she stared at him, her heart thudding in reaction to his gentleness.

  He shook his head, and when he spoke, his tone was softly questioning. “What is it?”

  She held her head high, and forced a smile. “There is no need for concern. It is simply the first time since Mother and Father…”

  He grimaced. “Of course, this would be very difficult for you, Victoria. Is there something I… ?” But even as he began to speak, his gaze fell on some spot behind her and he muttered, “What the—?”

  Jed started across the rim of the ballroom floor with obvious determination, though where he might be going she had no idea. Victoria went after him, her brow creased with confusion. Jedidiah stopped at the door leading into the dining room, where refreshments had been set out. His eyes searched the throng.

  She put her hand on his arm. “What… Jedidiah, what is it?”

  His worried gaze went to hers. “Cox,” he told her. “I’m sure I saw him in the ballroom. He was coming this way.”

  Victoria studied the crowd closely, though she did not believe Reginald would act against her, even if he was present. It was possible that she might at some time see him again. Even though she had expected he would make himself scarce for some time to come, they did move in the same circles. Despite this understanding, she felt a sense of anxiety at the thought of his being near.

  Seeing no sign of the would-be kidnapper, Victoria forced herself to relax. She turned to her escort. “Really, I believe we are becoming overanxious. Surely he must be ashamed of what he has done and would not show his face in polite society. And even if it was Reginald you saw,” she reasoned, “he obviously does not have the courage to face you. Thus, he is no longer a threat to me.”

  She squared her shoulders. “We should go back to the ballroom. I do not wish for his foolishness to spoil this night for us, or any other, for that matter.”

  As Jedidiah allowed her to lead him back the way they had come, he looked down at her with doubt still clouding his dark eyes. “I do not have the same faith in Cox’s desire to do the proper thing that you do. The man is scum, and would not have tried to kidnap you if he had the least amount of decency in him.”

  Inside her, ‘Victoria knew that what Jedidiah was saying might well be true, but she had known Reginald most of her life and could not believe that two such respectable people as his parents had raised a child completely without morals. She still hoped that once Reginald realized just how despicably he had behaved, the young nobleman would come to his senses. She did not bother to say any of this to Jedidiah. It would do no good. She was well aware of his feelings toward the other man.

  She gazed up at the handsome sea captain for a moment, nearly overcome by the sheer masculine force of him. For he was never more formidable or more autocratic—or more attractive—than when he was disturbed over her safety. When she answered him at last, her voice was unexpectedly husky, giving away more than she would have in her agitation. “I fear you are right. I do not mean to defend him in the least. I only wish to forget what happened and not live in dread. I could easily do so, you know. My fear of being forced to do something against my will is strong. It is the reason that drove me to ask for your protection.” She glanced down at her gloved hands, then back to his face. “I can think of no other man I would trust to do so, which leaves me to wonder if Reginald and his kind are really so very rare. It seems that there are few men of your caliber, Je—Cousin Jedidiah.”

  His eyes locked on hers, and Victoria felt a strange current pass between them. With that current came a vivid flash of memory, a memory of the feel of Jedidiah’s lips on hers. The strength of his arms around her, his hands on her back, her waist, her buttocks.

  A liquid warmth settled in her lower belly. Her chest ached with the effort it cost her to breathe. The sensations were only heightened when his own gaze darkened with an emotion she was afraid to name.

  The next instant, she was drawn firmly back to an awareness of her surroundings as a deep male voice spoke from her other side. “Lady Victoria.”

  Still somewhat dazed, she looked up to see Sir Roger Kasey standing beside her. The pleasant-featured young man looked toward Jedidiah with a polite expression in his dark gray eyes, then turned back to Victoria. “May I claim the privilege of the next dance?”

  She glanced up at Jedidiah, who merely nodded, his gaze not meeting hers. His expression was as remote as ever it had been. She swallowed down the lump that rose up to block her throat and addressed Kasey. “Yes, of course.”

  Unable to bring herself to look at Jedidiah again, she took the arm Roger Kasey held out to her. As they moved out onto the floor, she wondered desperately why she could not begin to control her reactions to the American. She seemed to have no sense whatever as far as he was concerned.

  Her lack of sensibility could only be blamed on her reaction to his obvious care for her safety. Jedidiah McBride took his responsibilities very seriously, and protecting her was one of them. Victoria would do well to remember that his feelings for her went no deeper than that.

  She looked up at Roger with a falsely bright smile. He did not appear to even notice her forced animation as he beamed down at her. It was well known that Roger was in search of a wealthy wife, and had no illusions that the young fortune hunter would do for her own purposes. But she was indeed grateful that he had rescued her from again making a fool of herself in front of Jedidiah McBride.

  Jed watched from the sidelines, trying hard to convince himself that the displeasure he felt toward the man was brought on by the nobleman’s lack of respect for Jedidiah. Why, Victoria might very well have promised the dance to him already.

  Just like the rest of his fellows, Jedidiah thought, totally lacking in any consideration for anyone other than himself. Well, if that was what Victoria was looking for in a husband, it wouldn’t take long to find her one.

  As he watched her leave the dining room, Jed had had the feeling that Victoria was hurt. The urge to comfort her had been great. But he could not do that. It had been more than his battered willpower could withstand. He’d known that he could not touch her and control himself.

  If she only knew that he was so very careful of her safety because it near drove him mad to think of anyone touching her against her will—of touching her at all. How could he explain that to her, even if he wanted to, especially when he did not understand it himself?

  His thoughts left him feeling decidedly uncomfortable. Unwilling to examine the reason for this, he watched the couple as they circled the floor, keeping Victoria ever in his sight. When she smiled and gazed up at her partner with rapt attention, Jed’s lips thinned.

  The only thing that held him back was a certainty that Victoria would not take the young buck seriously. He was round-cheeked, and slightly clumsy in the steps, seeming somewhat in awe of the dark-haired beauty. Not at all the sort the lady had described as her future mate.

  He was relieved when that dance ended, and was just thinking that he should retrieve his charge when she was immediately approached by another man in evening dress, who led her out onto the floor again. That this fellow was not of the same ilk as the other Jed could immediately see. He was tall, very slender, and walked with a
confident grace that bespoke a certain physical strength. His hand slid around her slim back with practiced ease as he moved her into the steps. This was no easily controlled boy, but an experienced man.

  Jed’s scowl deepened.

  Victoria could feel Jedidiah watching her, and wondered at his continued concern. She had barely taken note of her new partner as he took her in his arms, so occupied was she in thinking about what had just happened between them.

  Thus preoccupied, she was surprised to hear her partner speak. “What could bring a frown to such a lovely lady’s face?”

  She looked up into a pair of arrestingly dark eyes. Good heavens, she was dancing with none other than Lord Ian Sinclair, known throughout the social world as Lord Sin. Victoria had never actually met the man before, but his reputation had preceded him. It was well-known that he had a penchant for women, gambling and racing.

  As she studied him, Victoria could not help noticing that the man looking down at her was decidedly handsome, with his aquiline nose, regal features and air of sensuality. But, to her surprise, the realization left her quite cold. It was a pair of sea-green eyes that rose to fill her thoughts. Impatient with herself, she pushed the image aside.

  Jedidiah McBride was not available to her. Even if he was, she would not have the disagreeable man. He was far too commanding and sure of himself.

  She concentrated on the man who held her in his arms, answering his question as directly as it had been asked. “And why do you have the audacity to inquire about my frown, sir? A gentleman would be too polite to ask.”

  He studied her closely, assessingly, then shrugged and glanced around the room as if he viewed little of interest. “Because it is the first genuine expression I have encountered all evening. I did not feel you were wearing the thing so as to affect any kind of response on my part, but because you might actually be vexed about something.”