To Tempt a Scandalous Lord by Liana De la Rosa
Chapter Nine
The next morning, outside the townhouse, Alicia considered the chestnut mare who was to be her mount for the morning. The mare’s coat was sleek and shiny, her mane gleaming with copper under the dawning sun. She would never claim to have an eye for horseflesh, but even Alicia knew the horse was a beautiful creature.
“Flora selected Bluebonnet just for you.” Inverray ran a hand along the mare’s side, and the beast leaned into his touch. Of course it did. “She’s even tempered and doesn’t scare easily. You’ll be safe on her back.”
Alicia rubbed her palm along the horse’s soft muzzle, letting some of the tension in her shoulders go. “Please thank her ladyship for me.”
“You can thank her yourself. She and Amstead are going to meet us in the park.” He tilted his head. “I thought it a good idea for us to have chaperones, of sorts.”
Alicia gasped. This talk with Inverray had been all she could think about last night and into the morning; any rules of propriety of such a meeting had been forgotten. At least one of them was thinking straight. “I had not even considered it. Thank you for doing so.”
The marquess nodded. Dressed in a dark blue frock coat and camel-colored breeches, with Wellington boots shined to perfection, he was the picture of an English gentleman…until one took in how his black hair brushed along his neck, the silky ebony strands tempting her to reach out and capture them with her fingers.
She smoothed a hand over her waist, as if she could chase away the butterflies that had taken flight within her belly. “I haven’t ridden in so long.”
“Are you nervous?” he asked, his expression inscrutable as he looked down at her.
“Just a bit,” she admitted with a bashful smile. “I hope I don’t make a fool of myself.”
“I’m certain that’s not possible. But if it were, I will be close at hand to keep you from making a cake of yourself.” The words were dry, but the arch in his brow was teasing.
Before she could reply, he put his hands around her waist and lifted her easily into the saddle. She tried to ignore how her stomach flipped at the sensation.
As she adjusted her skirts, Alicia paused when she noticed Inverray had not stepped away. He stood close, gazing up at her with an odd expression on his face.
When she raised her brows, he took a step back and coughed into his hand. “I do beg your pardon.” Without another word, he turned to his bay and mounted with easy grace. “Let’s be on our way.”
They were silent for several minutes as they made their way toward the park. The sun shone brightly upon them, as if promising only good things. Alicia longed to believe its promise, but she knew better than to hope on intangibles.
A million questions she wanted to ask clamored in her mind, but at that instant, she could not grasp one. The moment seemed oddly intimate, the two of them riding along together in the soft morning light while the rest of Mayfair still snoozed in their beds.
“That really was a terrible proposal.”
She looked at him askance. “Is it fair to call it a proposal when the question wasn’t even asked?”
A long sigh hissed from his lips. “It was not well done of me. I’m known for my stoicism, and yet in that moment I was anything but. I offer my sincere apologies.”
The earnestness in his voice made her chest feel tight, especially when she was not being earnest herself. But now was not the time to reveal her work, and perhaps if she stopped antagonizing him about the proposal, they could determine a plan to go forward.
Alicia pulled back on the reins until her mount came to a stop. It took Inverray several more steps to realize she was no longer riding by his side. Angling his horse about, he came to a stop before her, his head cocked in question.
“There’s nothing to apologize for, my lord. It was an accident, and neither you nor I are at fault.”
Inverray nodded slowly, and the stiffness of his manner told Alicia he remained unconvinced. “Surely I could have come up with a better way to deflect from the predicament than announcing a sham engagement.”
Nibbling on her bottom lip, Alicia considered what to say. “It was a situation neither of us expected to be in, and we did not have more than a heartbeat to come up with a believable excuse. I heard some of the unfair assumptions that were whispered, and your timely excuse stopped those whispers in their tracks.”
The marquess didn’t respond, and when Alicia turned to look at him, she was surprised to see a ruddy hue to his cheeks. Had she embarrassed him?
“I was more concerned about the rumors that could spread about you,” he said. “The reputation of a widow alone in the world is a precarious thing.”
A burning sensation built behind her eyes, and Alicia blinked rapidly to assuage it. That Inverray had been concerned about her reputation above his own, when he had just as much to lose if they were caught in a scandal, left her confused. And a bit overwhelmed.
After a long moment, she finally whispered, “I’m humbled by how willing you were to use your name as a shield for my reputation.”
The air filled with a static that raised the hair along her arms as his unwavering gaze held her captive. “And I would do it again.”
A sudden urge to reach for him and kiss him until neither of them could see straight overcame her. Alicia clamped down on her lip until it passed. Whatever was the matter with her? The first man to care about her well-being over his own had already turned her ridiculous. She might have been overlooked by her father as a child, and ignored by her late husband, but she refused to abandon all good sense over a kindly spoken word.
Unaware of her thoughts, Inverray said, “I know Lindsay was not the husband you would have wished for yourself. I do not want to be another husband foisted upon you.”
“This is a very different situation. I am not friendless. Nor am I the scared, grieving girl I was when I met the earl.” Alicia fiddled with the reins. “If I were not amendable to a marriage between us, I would have fled to the small estate Lindsay left me on Skye long before you came to call with your sisters.”
The corners of his lips curved up. “At least you didn’t flee to the Hebrides. It would have been quite the thing to explain your sudden absence if you had.”
With a shared chuckle, they set off again down the trail. They rode quietly, each lost in their thoughts.
Shopkeepers were beginning to open their doors to business, while the grocer arranged his produce in a rainbow display that showcased their robust colors. A coal wagon rumbled past, the driver tipping his hat politely to Inverray and offering her a jaunty smile. London was awakening, and in a few hours the park would be filled with the wealthy and fashionable, ready to parade themselves and their consequence about for everyone to see and admire.
Alicia sincerely hoped she would be home before that happened.
He cleared his throat. “Perhaps there are other ways through this potential scandal we can consider.”
Alicia nodded. But she had been wracking her mind for other avenues they could take instead of forging a lifelong bond to each other, and every possible avenue was marred first by the scene at the ball and then her words of confirmation at her afternoon hours the day before.
And those tangible moments were now weighted with the contrition that simmered in the pit of her stomach when she thought about how her well-intentioned essays had affected him.
Yet she’d all but settled the engagement, and by now every house in Mayfair was aware they were to wed.
“Have you thought of any?” Alicia ventured.
Inverray stared at her, his expression giving away none of his thoughts.
She tried not to fidget under the weight of his gaze. Her future depended upon the next words that fell from his lips…
He sighed, his mien softening. “I—”
“There you are!” A voice cut through the tense moment, causing them both to jerk back.
Doing her best to school her expression and tame her racing heart, Alicia looked over her shoulder to meet Lady Amstead’s merry green eyes.
“I was beginning to worry when I had not seen you after our race had concluded.”
The marchioness gestured with her head to the big gelding next to her, on which sat a tall, broad-shouldered man with dark hair and a beard. She only knew him by his reputation as a famed horse trainer, but Alicia recognized the Marquess of Amstead on sight.
“Who won this time?” Inverray asked.
“I did,” Flora said in a singsong voice, laughing when her husband scoffed.
“Only because you cheated and cut off the trail.”
“Yes, well, you never clarified that I had to stay on the trail.” Flora turned her attention to Alicia with a flip of her head. “My lady, how do you do this morning? Is Bluebonnet behaving herself?”
“She has behaved admirably.” Alicia flashed the woman a small, answering smile. “I admit I was nervous, since it’s been so long since I’ve ridden, but you selected the perfect horse for my skill level.”
“I am happy this sweet girl has been so well-behaved.” Flora steered her mare next to Alicia’s and leaned over to pat Bluebonnet’s head. “A bit of confidence in the saddle is easy to gain with the right mount.”
“And I do find myself more confident. But just a bit.”
While the marchioness chuckled, Inverray raised impatient brows at them. “Are we ready to walk?”
The others nodded, and Lord and Lady Amstead advanced ahead of them, leaving Alicia and Inverray alone once more.
After several silent minutes, Alicia gathered her courage and asked, “Are we decided then? Our time is limited, and any number of acquaintances could ride up and interrupt us. We should not waste this moment of privacy.”
“Indeed not.”
Leading his gelding to the side of the trail, he waited for Alicia to join him, his hands folded and resting on the pommel. He looked at her again with that inscrutable expression. Surely such an expression was valuable as a politician, but it was cursed annoying in a fiancé. Possible fiancé.
“Considering how we have both made public declarations about our fabricated engagement, I’ve been unable to think of a single plausible excuse for not only the incident on the dance floor,” he sighed, “but for my ill-conceived pronouncement afterward.”
Alicia clenched her eyes closed. Of course he hadn’t found a solution and neither had she. They had declared their intention to marry before all of society, and to recant it now would be a disaster. The marquess would no doubt weather it because of his connections and reputation, but at the possible expense of his political career. As for herself, Alicia was certain she would lose access to the social events she relied upon to write her tracts, not to mention the fledgling friendships she was nurturing.
The consequences pressed down like an anvil on her chest.
“Which leaves us with marriage.” His Adam’s apple bobbed for an instant. “Will you marry me? I respect you a great deal, my lady, and will endeavor to be a good husband to you.”
His declaration didn’t promise passion. Or even lust. Yet he respected her, and to earn his respect was a heady feeling. Maybe one day she would also earn his admiration. Because his respect and admiration might be the only thing to save her from further scandal should he learn of her secret vocation…
Especially as she had no intention of giving it up.
Various scenarios and possible peccadillos played out in her mind, twisting and turning until they spun like a blinding kaleidoscope. If she said no, Alicia knew what would come next. But if she said yes…well, that picture had yet to be painted. If she utilized her subsequent essays wisely, perhaps her future could be painted with the vivid colors of happiness and fulfillment she’d once believed impossible.
Decided, Alicia raised her chin. “I will, my lord.”
A smile brightened his face for a passing moment. “I have hope we will be able to channel our mutual respect into happiness, and an asset for my political career and any future children we may have.”
“You would want children?” she squeaked.
“Of course.” His laugh was dry. “I will be the Duke of Kilmorow one day, and will need an heir.”
Alicia managed a nod. Of course he needed an heir. What nobleman didn’t? Still, to beget an heir meant he intended to visit her bed. The thought made heat pool low in her belly, and she gritted her teeth to stop it from spreading to her blood.
Misunderstanding her silence, perhaps thinking he had offended her, the marquess reached out and grasped her hand. His palm was warm, and served to agitate her already naked nerves. “If an heir wasn’t a necessity, I wouldn’t think to bother you.”
No, but he would happily “bother” the likes of Lady Ellis, her traitorous mind whispered.
Inverray wasn’t promising her affection, but he was saving them from scandal and even offering her the chance to have a family. She had longed and prayed for a child all the lonely years of her marriage to Lindsay, and her arms had remained painfully empty. If the possibility of a child was born from taking on the mantle of Lady Inverray, Alicia could not overlook it. The idea that life, her life, could include a child made her shiver in anticipation.
Terrified all her eager, hopeful thoughts would be visible in her expression, Alicia carefully diverted her face. “I…understand an heir is necessary.”
“Good.” He paused for a tense second. “With that finalized, when would you like to marry? If you’d prefer, I can acquire a special license and we can marry quietly at Campbell House. Or at your house.”
“No.” Her tone was firm, and she would brook no argument. “I believe that in this situation we should marry publicly. In front of the ton. We should invite them all to see you take a wife. After the horrible things they said the night of the ball, I want them to see that I accept you just as much as you accept me. And, I’m sure, it will only help your bid, my lord.”
His gray eyes suddenly bore into hers. “Please call me Niall. As my affianced bride, I would prefer for you to use my given name.”
Delight curled through her, and the desire to kiss him doubled. “Oh, well then please call me Alicia.” She swallowed. “What do you think of my suggestion? Are you in favor of a large wedding?”
He chuckled, and Alicia tried not to stare at the way in which it changed his face. Made him more approachable. Younger. “I wouldn’t say I’m in favor of it, but I see the wisdom of the suggestion. A big, public wedding would go a long way to quiet the rumors.”
“It would,” she agreed. “For the record, I would prefer a quiet wedding with just your family and friends, but that is not what is needed in this situation. And I know that as a political wife, sometimes we must table our personal wants for what represents the best interests of others.”
Inverray—Niall—nodded. With a slow movement, he reached out and grabbed her hand again. His fingers squeezed hers for a brief second.
Alicia clenched her jaw at the idea of his skin one day being pressed against hers. The time would come for deeper intimacies. For now, they had forged an accord with each other, and a future she had not anticipated, would never have dreamed of, unfurled before her with unlimited possibility.
Yet it was also rife with pitfalls, and she would have to navigate them carefully if she was to keep her house of cards intact.
…
Niall wanted to cancel the rest of the items on his agenda to stay in this moment with Lady Lindsay. Alicia. She had accepted his apology of a clumsy proposal and agreed to marry him. His career was safe. For now. But most importantly, she wouldn’t have to weather a scandal and the viciousness of the ton.
Alicia rode beside him, all perfect poise and gleaming gold hair in the sunlight. Looking at her made his chest ache. Niall wasn’t sure when he had begun to think of the countess as beautiful, but now he was certain no other woman had ever captivated him quite like her.
If he were to be yoked together in marriage with anyone, he was glad it was with a woman he desired as fiercely as he desired Lady Lindsay…although desire would not aid his career.
Matthews had long excoriated him to find a proper British wife, if only to silence the critics who grumbled of his Scots heritage and bold ambitions. A woman with the connections he could leverage to push through the reforms he labored to produce.
Lady Lindsay lacked those very things. And instead of being worried about this shortcoming, Niall found he didn’t care…which should unnerve him more than it did.
“A wedding at St. Paul’s Cathedral it is.” He coughed into his hand, trying desperately to clear his throat. “Flora and Juliana will be thrilled. Flora married by special license, and Juliana married at a small parish on Ashwood’s estate, so neither had a big Mayfair wedding. They will be delighted to plan our ceremony and wedding breakfast.”
“I would be honored if they did.” She stared at Flora and Amstead in the distance. “Lindsay did not have siblings. His cousins were in Scotland and though they corresponded, they did not visit each other. And my family…well, my family are not a part of my life. I have dreamed of having sisters more times than I can count, and the fact that you have two who would celebrate our nuptials with us leaves me in a bit of awe.”
“They will be thrilled to welcome you into the family. And wait until you meet my nephews and niece. They’ll have you wrapped around their wee fingers in no time.” Niall grasped for Alicia’s same lighthearted spirit even as he stored away the tidbits she revealed of her past. “Just be careful that you don’t allow Juliana and Flora too much control, or they will run amok.”
Her laughter washed away his concern. “I will make sure to speak up when a matter is of particular importance to me. But I suspect I’ll be perfectly content to allow the duchess and Lady Amstead the freedom to plan to their hearts’ content as long as I can play with the children.”
Once again, a silence lapsed between them. A dull pain speared him under the ribs at the idea of Alicia engaging with his family. For the last several years, his life had revolved around his work in Parliament but now she was tempting him with the possibility of more.
Which threatened his objectives. Niall could not afford to be distracted from his quest for party leadership. Becoming familiar with his new wife and planning a family with her would have to remain a future consideration.
“Shall we rejoin your sister and tell her and Amstead that we have agreed on terms?”
“Agreed on terms? How very official…and dry that sounds,” he drawled, nudging his mount in the flanks.
Riding next to him, she laughed. “Is marriage not a business arrangement? I’m sure your solicitors would tell you so.”
“I’m sure they would.” And he needed to remember that. Niall looked at her from the corner of his gaze. “Are you prepared for Juliana and Flora to be overbearing?”
“Oh, I’m certain I will be able to handle them.” A small smile flitted over her lips. “It’s you I’m worried about.”
Niall swallowed back a laugh at that.
As they continued their way down the riding path, Niall replayed his conversation with the woman who would be his bride. A hundred questions he desired to ask roiled through his mind, and that was the crux. His marriage of convenience was suddenly unearthing emotions he did not have the luxury to feel.