‘Who marked your card?’ asked a deep, sensual voice.
She turned and saw that Alex had crept up quietly beside her. It was a habit of his that she found both thrilling and unsettling. He was so close she could smell his cologne, and in an instant she was transported back to the spice markets in Calcutta. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
‘You are wearing essence of bergamot, if I am not mistaken, Lord Brooke. I didn’t notice it when we were dancing,’ she replied.
‘Am I now, Miss Ashton?’ he murmured. ‘When did we go back to being so formal?’
Millie smiled. Calling him by his title made her feel hot all over and the bodice of her gown began to feel constricting.
‘I like to call you Lord Brooke; it helps to keep a respectable distance between us,’ she lied.
‘Not the way you say it, it doesn’t. Besides, I don’t think we had anything like a respectable distance between us when I held you on the dance floor,’ he teased.
Millie flashed her eyes at him.
‘How can you say such an outrageous thing?’
He chuckled. ‘I love it when you try to be all prim and proper.’
‘Why?’
‘Because you fail so spectacularly at it.’
Millie took her dance card and began to use it a fan. She felt the heat burning in her cheeks and ears. This flirting would be harmless if she weren’t so in love with him.
He took hold of her arm.
‘Where are we going?’ she asked.
‘I thought we might go and see if we can find a cup of tea. I passed the supper table on the way here and it looked rather good. My cousin Bartholomew always puts on a decent spread. I saw Lucy busily piling a plate with food. She and our cousin Eve had their heads together, plotting something as usual, I expect. I am surprised you are not with them.’
‘Lucy wanted me to form some new acquaintances. We were going to meet each other at supper,’ Millie replied.
Alex nodded his head.
‘We could stop and say hello to Lucy, have something to eat and then go and find Charles. I haven’t seen him for most of the evening. I expect you still owe him a dance at some point,’ he replied.
She wrinkled up her nose.
‘Lemonade will do fine; I am not that interested in English tea. I have not had a decent cup since I got here. The long sea journey must spoil the good leaf and our cook has not been able to find anyone in London who stocks our favourite tea, Calcutta chai,’ she said.
‘Really? No one in the whole of London has a supply of delicious Calcutta chai? How very surprising. I shall have to tell the man I get mine from that he is a fraud and have him publicly unmasked,’ Alex replied with a chuckle.
Millie let out a gasp and grabbed hold of Alex’s arm. ‘No! You cannot have found proper Masala chai here, we have been looking for weeks and no one has it. Even Twinings on the Strand do not stock it.’
A wicked glint appeared in his eyes and he began to smile.
‘Are you game, Miss Ashton?’
She furrowed her brow. ‘Game for what, Lord Brooke?’
He gave a quick furtive glance around them to see that no one else could hear him and he leaned in close.
‘My house is not far from here. We could steal away and have a cup of my chai impostor tea, then be back here before anyone notices we are gone. I know it’s a wicked idea, but trust me you will come to no harm. You have my word.’
Her breath caught in her throat. Had Lord Brooke, the most handsome and magnificent man in the whole of the ton, just asked her to run away with him? Of course, it was only for a cup of tea, not a moonlight flit to Gretna Green, but to her ears it might as well have been. She turned and stared at him for just a moment as she mulled over his illicit tea proposal. He raised his eyebrows in an effort to add weight to his argument, and when his grin turned into a sultry smile she knew she was a lost cause.
‘How on earth are we going to get out of here without my brother knowing I am gone?’ she asked, ever aware of the practicalities of a situation.
His smile turned into a smug grin. Alex was certainly gifted with all the right smiles.
‘May I remind you that the Earl of Shale is a dear cousin of mine, so this is not the first time I have been to this house? I have been to countless parties and family gatherings here over the years, so trust me when I say I can get us out of here without being seen.’
Millie’s heart thumped loudly in her chest; the thought of heading out into the night with Alex was intoxicating. It was also scandalous and completely mad, but it would make the most brilliant addition to her collection of Alex Radley fantasies.
She took one step forward before the rational part of her brain reminded her that if they were caught, she would be ruined. She remembered the solemn promise she had made to her mother earlier in the evening: to behave as if her parents were with her at the ball. For the briefest of moments, her sensible side won over and she decided to say no. But, as she opened her mouth to politely refuse his offer, she saw the smile disappear from his face. He had sensed her hesitation. He leaned in once more and whispered. ‘I promise no one will ever find out. It’s only a cup of tea; I will not attempt to ravish you.’
Millie looked away. She knew he was doing the right thing by confirming the innocent nature of their little adventure, but she found his supposed words of comfort surprisingly painful. If only he knew how she felt; how she would give her soul for him to take her in his arms.
Then her rational self spoke once more. What if they did get caught? He would be forced to marry her. Then what? He would spend the rest of his days hating her for it. Men like Lord Brooke did not choose to marry girls like her unless they were compelled.
On that thought, her mind was made up. Her reputation would be safe; he would make certain they were not seen. He had as much to lose as she did if they were discovered. He would be the laughing stock of the ton if he were forced to take her for his bride. What was it he had said about never allowing himself to be humiliated?
‘All right, yes, but we will have to make it a quick cup of tea and then come straight back to the ball. When I last saw Charles he was headed into one of the sitting rooms talking to a chap about a pair of horses the man had for sale, but we can’t rely on him staying interested for too long,’ she replied.
‘Good girl, I knew you would do it,’ Alex replied, and the smile returned to his face. ‘You could go and retrieve your pelisse from the ladies cloakroom maid but that might raise suspicions, so I shall borrow an extra coat from the gentlemen’s cloakroom and meet you back here shortly. But you should try to stay out of sight just in case any of our respective siblings come wandering by. I won’t be long.’
He disappeared back into the crowd and made his way towards the cloakroom, and Millie took a seat on a plush gold couch in the small alcove behind her. Since the alcove was set back, away from the ballroom, she was out of sight of most party guests. As long as no one came looking for her, she reasoned she stood a good chance of not being seen before Alex returned with the coats.
Sitting alone on the couch, she felt her heart beating heavily in her chest. Looking down at her hands, she saw they were shaking. She took a deep breath and attempted to calm herself. ‘I can’t believe I am doing this, I must be mad. What if we get caught?’ she muttered to herself. She was seconds away from calling the whole thing off and going back to the party when Alex returned, carrying two coats in his arms.
‘Try and bunch it up as small as you can,’ he instructed her as he handed over the fine wool coat. ‘Then no one will see it and think you are leaving the party. If your dancing slippers get wet now, you will have to forget to put your outside shoes on when you leave and blame it on the snow on the road out the front.’
She looked down at her silver slippers with their fine white tassels and silently bade them goodbye. As soon as she set foot outside she knew they would be ruined beyond repair.
‘Now, when we get to the hallway,
I will go first, to make sure we are not seen, and then you can follow,’ he said.
Millie did as he instructed and folded the coat into a tight little bundle. She hugged it to her chest and crossed her arms. With luck, anyone she might encounter between here and outside would think she was cold and carrying a wrap for comfort.
Avoiding the majority of guests at the party was a surprisingly easy task. Alex and Millie strolled together until they reached a long hallway, along which a number of doors were situated at various intervals.
‘Ready?’ he asked, as he took one last look around. ‘Just watch where I go and then follow; if anyone comes out of those doors, just pretend you were looking for the cloakroom to hang your wrap. I shall wait for you outside.’
He turned and started to make his way down the long hallway to the side entrance of the house. At the end of the hall, he stopped and looked back, making sure she had seen the way he had gone. He held up his hand and beckoned for her to follow, then passed through the door and closed it quietly behind him. With the coat held tightly in her sweating hands, Millie started after him.
About midway down the hall was the door to the ladies retiring room. If she could make it past that door and not be seen, she had a clear run to the exit through which Alex had just disappeared.
She slowly blew all the air out of her cheeks as she began the long walk towards the exit door, knowing that if she went through it, she could stamp this evening as one of the highlights of her life.
Fortunately the hall runner was a deep, luxurious Persian carpet, which muffled her footsteps. Inevitably, as one foot followed the other, the distance between her and the door to adventure closed. She could hear the music from the ball and the sound of shuffling feet as those currently occupying the dance floor made their way through another waltz. Fortunately her card was not marked for this dance, so no one would be looking for her. The next dance she had on her card would be with Alex, their second for the night. It was a pity it was not a waltz, but she had promised the last dance of the evening to her brother.
We had better be back well in time for that. Charles will be looking for me.
The door at the end of the hall opened and Alex poked his head through the doorway. He silently mouthed, ‘Come on.’
She took one look at the door to the ladies retiring room and saw to her horror that the handle had started to turn. Someone was coming. In a moment whoever it was would be out into the hallway and she would be seen. Alex watched Millie as she took one last look at the opening door and knew it was now or never.
She picked up her skirts and ran to him.
Chapter 11
As soon as she had cleared the hallway and was outside, Alex closed the door behind them. She spun around and put her hand to her heart.
‘That was close,’ he said, as he checked the side path to make sure no one else was having a private moment out in the darkness.
‘That was fun,’ she laughed, her eyes full of light. ‘I never get to go any faster than a slow walk any more; it’s not considered ladylike. In fact any sort of amusement seems to be off limits to young ladies in this town. I would be sent to my room for a week just for running, if my mother saw me. I dread to think what she would do if she found out I was here with you.’
He pointed to the coat, still in her hands. ‘You might want to put that on; it is rather cold out here. It could be a touch difficult to explain a chill to your mother if all you have done tonight is to attend a party in a well-heated house.’
Millie unfurled the dark-blue coat and allowed Alex to help her put it on. His hands rested gently on her shoulders as she quickly did up the buttons on the front. When he stepped in a little closer, she began to fumble with the double brass buttons at the top.
‘Here, let me help you,’ he offered, as he spun her around to face him. ‘I have a couple of these and they are the devil to work with if you don’t have a valet or a mirror.’ He made quick work of the buttons, but allowed himself the indulgence of standing a little closer to Millie than he should.
When he was finished he took hold of her hand. He made another quick check of their surroundings, making sure they were alone, before guiding her down the dark pathway that ran behind the house. As they cleared the path and came out into the next street, Alex looked both ways. With his vigilance, they would be back at the party in no time, and no one would be any the wiser.
Apart from a hack dropping off a couple of drunken old gentlemen at a nearby house, Bird Street was silent and empty. Alex laughed. He was having a wickedly fun time.
‘Nearly there; that is my house,’ he said as he pointed out a tall, thin building on the other side of the street. They crossed the road, avoiding patches of ice and snow as they went.
As they reached the top of the front steps and faced the door, he quickly withdrew a key. Millie raised an eyebrow.
‘We utilise the staff from Strathmore House during the day, so most evenings the only servants left are Mr and Mrs Phillips. Granted, it is a little odd, but my brother and I like the privacy it affords us,’ Alex explained. He unlocked the door and ushered her inside. As she stepped across the threshold of his elegant townhouse, Alex gave her a bow and she smiled.
‘Welcome to my humble abode, Miss Ashton,’ he said.
She held her head high in a regal fashion as she gave the vestibule of his home a brief examination.
‘Yes, it is rather humble isn’t it?’ she replied.
Before he could stop himself, Alex grabbed her by the waist and swung her around. She let out a squeal and he suddenly remembered who she was and where they were.
‘Oh. Oh, I am so sorry, Millie,’ he gasped as he let go and set her down. ‘I’m so used to doing it to Lucy when she gives me cheek that I completely forgot who you were for a moment.’
He stood shaking his head in disbelief. Not only had he stolen his sister’s best friend away from a party, but he had managed to manhandle her within a minute of having her in his house. What sort of rogue had he become?
‘Well, you did say you would try not to ravish me,’ she replied, as she straightened her clothing. ‘You did, however, fail to mention that you would attempt to wrestle me to the ground.’
Alex searched for words to express his regret, but he could only manage another pathetic ‘Sorry.’
Millie held her hands up in surrender. ‘I give up; just tell me what you want from me?’
‘What?’
‘I have met pirates and pickpockets, Lord Brooke – Calcutta is full of them, but I have never been so openly assaulted for my treasures. Just tell me what you want and I shall hand it over. My gloves? Or my shoes perhaps, though they are a bit wet. I don’t actually have much else on my person that is worth taking.’
He stared at her, unable to respond. Knowing that whatever he said at that moment, it would come out all wrong. Then, to his immense relief, she laughed and shook her head.
‘It’s all right, Alex, I was only joking. I know you meant me no harm; besides, my slippers would never fit you.’
A gush of relief escaped his lips and he closed his eyes. Apart from his sister, he had met so few young women with a real sense of humour. A little strange though hers may be, Millie at least had the ability to laugh in an awkward situation.
‘Have you really met a pirate?’ he asked, intrigued.
She nodded her head. ‘Yes, and he stole my gold bracelet, the swine.’
A rush of anger coursed through Alex’s body. Wherever the pirate was now, he had better be dead. He felt a sudden and overwhelming need to leap onto the nearest ship and sail the seas to hunt down the brute who had taken Millie’s bracelet.
‘What did your father do? Did he have him flogged?’ he asked as he fought to control his rage.
Her face burned and her eyes widened with horror. She grabbed hold of his arm and pulled him close. ‘You must never mention it to my father; he would kill me. Please, Alex, swear you will never speak a word of this to anyone. Ever,’ she pl
eaded.
‘Why not?’ he asked, sensing there was more to the tale than she had told him.
She screwed her eyes shut and confessed. ‘You can never tell anyone, because I lost the bracelet in a game of cards. If my parents or brother ever found out it would be very bad for several of our household servants. It was not their fault; they tried to prevent me, but I was too stubborn and stupid to listen. Believe me, I learnt my lesson and never went to a dockside tavern ever again.’
Alex nodded his agreement and she let go of his arm.
‘Now, can we please have that cup of tea before someone notices we are missing?’ she said.
Alex pointed towards an open door across the entrance. ‘The kitchen is downstairs through there.’
Millie followed behind as he stepped into the small kitchen. He quickly checked the stove. Fortunately, Mrs Phillips had remembered to add an extra log to the fire and so the water in the stovetop pot was hot.
‘The Phillipses will have retired for the night, but thankfully they left us with hot water. We should have tea in no time,’ he announced. He turned to see Millie removing her gloves and taking a seat at the wooden kitchen table.
‘David and I normally eat in here or in our rooms. We don’t use the dining room that much as we don’t have the need for it. If we want to entertain friends, we go out to our club. Otherwise we dine with the family at Strathmore House,’ he said.
She smiled at him. ‘I spend half my life downstairs at home; our cook has been with the family since I was born so she knows exactly what I like to eat. She can tell from the look on my face what sort of mood I am in and what food will make me happy.’
Alex turned back to the stove and after locating the tea canister, he took it down from the shelf and brought it over to her. He lifted the lid and waved the tin under Millie’s nose. ‘Marsala chai, Miss Ashton,’ he announced, with a degree of smugness.
Her eyes lit up with delight and she eagerly took hold of the canister. She held one finger up to signal that she had yet to judge his offering. Then she put her face over the opening of the tin and took a deep breath. She sat back in the chair, still clutching the tea canister and closed her eyes.
Letter From a Rake Page 14
