That was unexpected! Robert recalled now that the two had sat whispering together in the dining room, and had left together, leaving Olivia behind. What a fool he was! Chasing all over the house after a will-o’-the-wisp, when Olivia was in no danger at all from Grayling. Clearly he had set his sights on bigger prey. What sort of dowry would the daughter of a duke command? More than Olivia’s thirty thousand, he would be prepared to wager.
“Julian!” Miss Grayling called out. “There you are, but I thought—?”
“Change of plan,” he said smoothly.
“But—?” Her gaze jumped to Lady Euphemia and then to Robert, before returning, frowning, to her brother.
Grayling had not slackened his pace as he approached them, Lady Euphemia smirking as she gripped one arm. As they swept past, Miss Grayling attached herself to Grayling’s other arm and was towed away and out of the room, leaving Robert alone.
Curious, he crossed to the tapestry, lifted it and pushed open the door concealed behind it. The room was filled with light from windows on three sides. Alongside the door, a fire in a vast fireplace burned low, clearly lit some time ago and no longer defeating the chill air of a little-used room. On a side table stood a row of decanters and glasses, together with baskets of pastries, cakes and other sweetmeats. Two glasses and a plate with crumbs on a table near the furthest window suggested that the occupants had passed a pleasant hour in there since leaving the dining room.
Robert replenished the fire, then poured himself a glass of wine, and retreated to the corner beyond the fireplace, where some residual warmth from the fire lingered, and pondered thecurious situation. He was light-headed with relief — Olivia was in no danger from Grayling! Whatever the precarious state of his finances, he was not in pursuit of her thirty thousand pounds and Embleton had no need of it.
But that was unworthy. If Livvy had set her heart on Lord Embleton, then she should have him, and they had been getting on so well in the dining room, too. He had never before seen the marquess so rapt with a woman. Normally, he had a certain set look to his face that denoted politeness but nothing more, but with Livvy his expression had softened so much, he almost looked like a different man. And if something should come of that…
Robert knew what he ought to do — he must leave. In fact, he should have left days ago with Mama and his sisters, and put Olivia out of his mind altogether. These Atherton girls — what power did they have that drove him to madness? First Izzy and now Olivia. He really should know better at his age. Yes, he would go back to Strathinver. Maybe in the spring when he returned to town he would see Olivia again and… but that was premature. Let him but get through the winter first. The season was four months away, still. So many long, dreary months without Olivia…
Voices, dim and distant, but growing closer.
“Here it is!” a female voice cried from somewhere beyond the tapestry. Was it…? Surely it could not be…?
It was. The door opened, and Olivia half ran into the room, then stopped. “Oh! There is no one here.”
If she had turned her head a little more, she would have seen Robert in his hiding place behind the fire, but she did not. He was just about to spring forward and reveal himself when a second voice spoke.
“Of course not.”
Embleton! How did he come to be with Livvy? But he sounded angry.
“But I was so sure,” Olivia said in a small voice. “She told me… and this is such an obvious place for an assignation.”
“Indeed it is,” Embleton said contemptuously. Lord he was in a rage! And not the slightest hint of a stutter. “It is despicable what some women will do to trap a man. I hope you will reflect upon this behaviour and act in a more becoming manner in future, for such stratagems will give any honourable man a disgust of you.”
“Well!” Olivia cried. “You have a nasty, suspicious mind, my lord, that is all I have to say about it. My only thought was to rescue your sister, but even if Ihadbeen trying to see you more privately, you need not be so unpleasant about it. A woman may wish to be alone with a man without any thought of trapping him into marriage. Sometimes it is just about becoming better acquainted, because that is impossible when completely surrounded by people who watch one for every minute of the day. One can talk more freely without others constantly listening in, and how else may one begin to understand a man’s character? And sometimes, one wishes only to show a man that one is interested in him and would welcome the opportunity for a closer friendship, for there is no easy way to do that. Not all of us are adept at flirting, my lord, or would wish to be. For myself, I only ever wanted to get to know you better, for you are a very private person and I am unused to that. I found it intriguing. But I am sorry now that I ever followed that thought, for I see that you are a nasty, small-minded and suspicious person, who delights in thinking the worst of everyone, and I wish I might never see you again!”
“I beg your pardon,” he said stiffly. “I will withdraw at once.”
Robert heard the door close rather forcefully. He was still angry, then. Probably no one had ever addressed him in such terms before in his whole life.
Olivia burst into noisy sobs, and walked forward to the window, resting her forehead against the panes as she wept.
At once Robert set down his wine glass and crossed the room in a few strides. “Hush, little one, hush now,” he murmured, enfolding her in his arms. “He is not worth so much grief.”
She snuggled into his arms as if she belonged there, clutching at his lapels and sobbing piteously into his cravat. He closed his eyes, savouring the warmth of her trembling body, the soft tickle of her hair on his chin, the slight hint of perfume about her. Lavender? Or roses? He could not tell, but he knew that whenever he caught that scent in future, it would remind him of the glory of this moment, when she was unquestionably his.
For a long time, she wept, but eventually the sobs subsided to an occasional gulp.
“Better now?” he whispered into her hair.
For answer, she lifted her tear-stained face to him with a tremulous smile, and he was almost undone. So close! So needy, so sad, so desperately vulnerable — it took every ounce of his gentlemanly training to resist the urge to kiss her.
“Will you try a little wine?” he said, trying not very successfully to keep his voice steady.
“Oh no, I could not!”
“I am persuaded it would do you some good. There are cakes, too.”
“Cakes…”
