Too often, the full memory came surging back of the afternoon two months ago when he had called on Cecily without prior notice. The footman who opened the door had looked perturbed to see him and muttered, ‘My lord, Lady Cecily is in her bedchamber resting. She must not be disturbed…’
For Dan, alarm bells were already ringing. Ignoring the footman, he went upstairs to find she was in bed with a man and they were making vigorous love. Repelled by the scene, Dan had left them to it, but Cecily had quickly followed and begged himfor forgiveness. She’d told him the man was a former friend, an army captain who was shortly returning to the war, and she’d wished to comfort him.
‘You call thatcomfort?’ answered Dan. His voice, like his heart, had been cold as iron. ‘We shall let it be known immediately that our betrothal is at an end.’
Dan had realised in that single moment that he had never truly loved her. His pride had taken a severe blow, certainly. But the more she had wept and pleaded, the more certain he was that his mind would never be changed.
Was he actually capable of love? He doubted it. The chances of that had been severely diminished by the fact that his mother had abandoned her family and his father had become barely able to bear the sight of his two young sons. Yes, Dan had felt betrayed by Cecily, but it was better now than later, and he was glad to be rid of her and to postpone the burden of marriage. He was still burdened, though, with this house he’d never really wanted and was determined to sell it as soon as the Season was over. But in the meantime, he was going to enjoy himself, and no way would he allow Jemima’s niece to interfere.
A cloud of gnats pursued him through the oak woods, and Dan used his hat to flap them away from poor Domino’s head. His mood was dark and in no way was it improved when he rode into the courtyard of Clematis Villa and saw Joseph standing there, for Jemima’s manservant had always been suspicious of him and it looked as if nothing had changed.
‘My lord,’ said Joseph as Dan dismounted, ‘Miss Summerby is expecting you.’ After waiting while Dan looped his horse’s reins over a hook in the wall, Joseph silently led the way into the house and Dan followed. He remembered the interior well enough, with its oak furniture that had likely been here since the first owners moved in over a hundred years ago, but he knew that Jemima had loved it dearly, and he was briefly wonderingif her niece would feel the same way when Joseph halted and pointed to the parlour doorway.
‘You’ll find Miss Summerby in there,’ he said, adding afterwards, ‘my lord.’
So in Dan went.
This had been Jemima’s favourite room, snugly furnished with two sofas. There was also a tall bookcase, and he spotted Miss Summerby standing on a footstool, reaching for a volume on the very top shelf. It was clear that she hadn’t heard Dan enter, which meant he had time to assess her, and several things took him by surprise.
Firstly, she wasn’t dressed in brown this time but was wearing a plain long-sleeved dress in navy blue. She probably thought it was demure, but in fact it clung to her slim waist and her nicely rounded behind rather invitingly. Also, he could see that even though her fair hair had been pinned up on the crown of her head, quite a lot of it had escaped to trail around the nape of her neck, where it glinted gold and silver.
He cleared his throat. ‘Miss Summerby? I have arrived, as promised.’
She whirled round in surprise. She was wearing spectacles but they’d slipped halfway down her nose, and as she peered over them, she dropped the large book she was holding so it fell with a crash to the floor. ‘Botheration,’ he heard her say.
All in all, she looked decidedly unsteady up on that footstool, so he felt obliged to come over and help her down. ‘Lord Rivington,’ she said a little breathlessly. ‘You are late.’
He’d stepped back now, but he was very much aware of the delicate fragrance of her—lavender, he thought. ‘Am I? I don’t recollect specifying a time, and I certainly hadn’t forgotten. But a problem arose this morning that required my immediate attention.’
She was smoothing down her skirts and he could hear her muttering something about conceited, dandified men. He said, ‘I beg your pardon, Miss Summerby?’
‘Oh, nothing!’ She smiled at him, too brightly. ‘I was just indicating that I was a little startled by your attire. A red coat and a green necktie—goodness. Should I be honoured, my lord?’
‘Not in the least. The fact is that I have no fondness for funereal colours, either by day or by night.’
‘I see.’ She pursed her lips. ‘I wasn’t aware of your preference, I’m afraid, because last night you weren’t wearing very much at all, were you?’
Dan stared at her. He had to admit he was having to rethink his opinion of her, because as the sunlight fell upon her delicate features, she really did look quite pretty, and she certainly wasn’t afraid to speak up. He’d realised that last night when she’d put Gascoyne in his place, and today she was aiming her darts at him.
When he didn’t answer, she removed her spectacles and said, ‘Well, my lord. Now that you are here, let us waste no more time.’
She was moving now to pick up the large book she’d dropped, but he reached it first.Guide To Property Law.Hmm. He gave her an icy smile. ‘So you’ve been doing a little research, Miss Summerby, have you?’
As far as Kate was concerned, this unfolding scene was a total disaster and she could have wept with annoyance. In fact, she could have howled, because despite her resolve to appear calm and unflustered, the wretched man had arrived to see her teetering on that footstool like an idiot and now he knew she’d been making a pathetic attempt to understand property law. Maybe she shouldn’t have made those comments about hisclothes—but then again, no man should preen like a peacock, even if he was spectacularly good-looking!
Her spirits sank further. That, of course, was the real trouble. He was attractive and he knew it, just like the Viscount’s son and just like her vain brother-in-law too, though thank goodness she had kepthimat bay. She pointed him to a chair, but instead he took that book over to the desk and began flicking through it, presenting her with a view of his broad shoulders that really had her staring—until he turned to her with a half-smile that almost knocked her off her feet.
‘This is a hefty volume you’ve got here.’ He indicated the book. ‘Did you find it interesting?’
She answered loftily. ‘I really haven’t had time to study it. Maybe my aunt read it all, but unfortunately, I would guess that my aunt’s legal knowledge was nowhere near enough to outsmart you, my lord.’
Once more he gave that maddening half-smile and strolled across to sit in the chair she had indicated, lounging there in his unbuttoned coat and stretching out his booted legs then casually flicking some speck of dust from his riding breeches. Kate remembered Harriet whispering,He looks like a pirate.
She also remembered that tattoo on his back and felt an uncomfortable surge of heat. Good lord, this man was a rogue, and there was an absolutely maddening curl at the corner of his mouth as he reached inside his coat to pull out a packet of papers then rose and passed them to her. ‘Here you are, Miss Summerby. You will see all the relevant legal documents and also the name and address of your aunt’s solicitor, whom you must have spoken to concerning her will. But I’ve been thinking—surely, he must have explained to you about the sale of the land?’
She gripped the papers and tried to remember. Mr Freeman hadn’t mentioned anything about the sale, had he? But—oh dear—he had definitely suggested she read all those documents he’d shown her in his office, only she’d been in such haste that she had barely skimmed them.
The Earl was watching her a little curiously. ‘Are you all right?’
