Love With a Scandalous Lord Read online

  Lorraine Heath

  Lorraine Heath 2003

  0-06-119778-5

  en

  HarperCollins

  Copyright 2003 by Jan Nowasky

  PDF

  Love with a Scandalous Lord

  *

  LORRAINE HEATH

  Love With A Scandalous Lord

  For my Dad.

  You dreamed such big dreams for your children. Wish you were here to share this one coming true.

  I miss you.

  Contents

  Prologue

  The young womans breathless cries rose to a fevered pitch,hellip;

  Chapter 1

  As the dark crimson coach sped along the narrow countryhellip;

  Chapter 2

  Rhys abhorred weeping women. He stood within his mothers bedchamber,hellip;

  Chapter 3

  “I should have taken him with me.

  Chapter 4

  Rhys was fairly certain hed dined on the glazed duckafterhellip;

  Chapter 5

  Unable to sleep, Lydia stared at the shadows haunting thehellip;

  Chapter 6

  Lydia Westland was a temptation any man in his righthellip;

  Chapter 7

  The shrieking began at precisely four oclock.

  Chapter 8

  Lydia couldnt explain what drew her into the shadowy hallwayhellip;

  Chapter 9

  Rhys meticulously calculated the sum of the numbers written onhellip;

  Chapter 10

  The Harrington stables were vast. Lydia couldnt imagine the joyhellip;

  Chapter 11

  Lydia stepped out of the inn and glanced down thehellip;

  Chapter 12

  Lydia was acutely aware of the uncomfortable silence stretching betweenhellip;

  Chapter 13

  Lydia sat in the drawing room. A few lamps providedhellip;

  Chapter 14

  Lydia awakened, not certain why, with darkness hovering around her.

  Chapter 15

  Lydia knew it was probably unseemly to have a springhellip;

  Chapter 16

  Standing on the steps leading into the manor, Rhys watchedhellip;

  Chapter 17

  Lydia trembled with anticipation, shook with trepidation.

  Chapter 18

  Rhys stood in Lady Sachses cluttered drawing room awaiting herhellip;

  Chapter 19

  “The seamstress did an excellent job in so short ahellip;

  Chapter 20

  True courtship was not at all as Lydia had envisionedhellip;

  Chapter 21

  Rhys was not one to panic easily, but as hehellip;

  Chapter 22

  There were moments when Rhys wondered how he could possiblyhellip;

  Chapter 23

  Lydia awoke to a tapping. She opened her eyes tohellip;

  Chapter 24

  Her heart was shattering. Lydia actually thought she could feelhellip;

  Chapter 25

  The Duke of Kimburtons ball was without a doubt thehellip;

  Chapter 26

  Rhys stood within a small room not far from wherehellip;

  Epilogue

  It was whispered about London that tonights ball was thehellip;

  About the Author

  Other Books by Lorraine Heath

  Cover

  Copyright

  About the Publisher

  Prologue

  London 1879

  T he young womans breathless cries rose to a fevered pitch, as he skillfully urged her toward the pinnacle of pleasure. Against his palms, her hips quivered.

  “Geoffrey, ah, Geoffrey!

  Confound it!

  He stilled, knowing beyond any doubt what would follow. A tiny whimper and then tears. More quickly than most, she succumbed to both insipid reactions.

  Ever so slowly he lifted his head from between her thighs and captured her horrified green gaze for only a heartbeat, before she looked away and her tears began in earnest.

  “Im frightfully sorry, she rasped.

  As well she should be. It was exceedingly bad form to call out for ones husband while in anothers bed.

  Rhys Rhodes pressed a light kiss to the inside of her thigh, which only served to make her flinch and escalated her weeping into abhorrent sobbing. Tenderly he positioned her shapely leg in order to extricate himself from the intimate place she obviously no longer wished him to be.

  Sitting on the edge of the bed, he opened a drawer in the small mahogany bedside table and withdrew a neatly folded monogrammed handkerchief, one of a dozen he kept readily available for just such an occasion. Of late they were occurring with irritatingly increasing frequency.

  He truly needed to speak with Camilla regarding the women she was sending his way.

  He glanced over his shoulder. This latest one had turned away from him, presenting him with her lovely back. Reaching over her curled shoulders, he dangled the linen in front of her. “Here now, make use of this.

  She snatched at his offering and proceeded to wipe away her tears, sniffing inelegantly during the process.

  “Its not fair, she muttered. “Hes with his dreadful mistress tonight. Why cant I take on a lover without feeling guilty?

  He retrieved his dressing gown from a nearby chair, slipped into the silk, and tightened the sash. Experience had taught him that absolution was best given when flesh was not pressed against flesh. Stretching out on the satin sheets, he folded his hand around her quaking shoulder. “Come here.

  She shook her head. “I cant. Not yet.

  “Countess, let me hold you. Ill even allow you to beat on my chest if itll make you feel better, he said quietly.

  She peered over her shoulder. Tears dampened her cheeks and pooled at the corners of her mouth. “Dont you want to finish?

  He bestowed upon her a wry grin. “Dear lady, trust me on this matter: we are well and truly finished .

  More tears surfaced in her limpid eyes as she rolled toward him. Cradling her in his arms, he rocked her gently.

  “I want to hate him, truly I do, with all my heart, but I cant seem to find it within me to feel anything beyond disappointment that our marriage is no more than it is, she whispered.

  “I know.

  “Why cant Geoffrey love me?

  “Perhaps he does, he offered.

  Although he knew in all likelihood the Earl of Whithaven did not love his wife. Love wasnt always a consideration for matrimony among the aristocracy. As evidenced by the tragic marriage of his brother Quentin, the Marquess of Blackhurst.

  “My coming here was a silly notion. I cant fathom why I even considered it. She looked up at him, her eyes searching his. “Was I unfaithful, do you suppose, if you never actuallyhellip;if we were never trulyhellip;joined?

  He touched his lips to her forehead. Women sought him out because he was adept at giving them what they desired, even when all they truly wanted were carefully chosen truths, bordering on but not quite crossing over into the realm of lies. “No, you werent unfaithful.

  “Truly?

  “Not to my way of thinking, but I dont believe I would broach the subject with your husband if I were you. He might not be nearly as understanding as I.

  She smiled then, a sweet, shy smile that made him want to search out her errant husband and beat the unappreciative man until he came to his senses.

  “Thank you, she said softly.

  “My pleasure.

  Her smile grew slightly, almost impishly. “It really wasnt, was it? Your pleasure, I mean.

  It seldom was. But he had no plans to oblige her with the truth and risk having it whispered about London.

  “
Why dont I pop downstairs and scrounge up some warm cocoa for you to drink, before I fetch the carriage to take you home? he offered.

  She sniffed once more, wiped her eyes, and nodded.

  “Splendid.

  While he rolled off the bed, she scrambled to cover herself with the sheets. Ah, how soon modesty returned when roles were remembered.

  He walked out of his bedchamber and down the stairs. At the sight of William sitting on the bottom step, Rhys sighed. His valet was scratching his head as though he possessed lice, but Rhys had dispensed with the vile creatures long ago. He wondered what the lad was fretting over now.

  As though hearing his masters descent, William twisted around and lunged to his feet. “A message arrived, sir. I wasnt sure if I should take it to youhe cast a furtive glance up the stairs“what with one of her ladyships bein up there and all. The bloke what delivered it

  “Who delivered it, he corrected gently.

  The lad creased his brow as though deep in thought. “I dont know his name. Never seen him before.

  Had he not long ago lost his ability to laugh, Rhys might have done so now. Instead he simply stated, “You said the bloke what delivered, and you should have said who delivered. I was instructing you, not asking a question.

  “Oh, right. Right.

  “Im also fairly certain he was a gentleman and not a bloke.

  “Oh, right again you are, sir. The gentleman said it was of an urgent nature.

  “Im certain it is, coming this time of night. And would no doubt require his visiting the shadowy corners of London as soon as his guest took her leave.

  William handed him the letter, and Rhys tilted his head slightly. “Fetch me some warm cocoa that I can serve to my guest before she departs. Then see to having the carriage readied.

  “Yes, sir. The lad took off at a lope.

  “William?

  William stopped and looked at him with such earnestness that Rhys wondered how it was that the boys mother had ever found it within herself to sell the lad at six. Two years had passed before he and Rhys had crossed paths. They never spoke of the horrors that might have transpired during those years. “Have Cook make some cocoa for you while youre at it.

  The lads face broke into a delighted grin. “Thanks, Guvner.

  Rhys opened the missive and stared at his fathers precise script. The Duke of Harrington was not prone to elaborate jokes, not prone to joking at all actually, but surely his words were designed to impart some sort of cruel jest.

  In a fogged daze, Rhys walked into the drawing room and headed for his favorite cabinet. With a trembling hand, he poured whiskey into a glass. Whiskey his half-brother had sent him from Texas. “Guaranteed to give you a kick in the gut, Grayson had written on the note accompanying his gift.

  Hed neglected to mention it also burned like a raging fire on the way down. Coughing, his eyes watering, Rhys welcomed the whiskeys warmth saturating his numb body. Reading his fathers words again, he slumped into a chair, while his carefully built world crumbled around him.

  “So how did our little countess fare once she experienced the reality of your skills? a soft, feminine voice asked, slicing through his despair.

  Camilla. Once wife to the Earl of Sachse, now widow. His benefactor, and more often than not, his tormentor. Because she generously provided him with a roof over his head, she had the nasty habit of dropping by at all hours, unannounced.

  He glanced up at her. With her brown hair, brown eyes, and perfect patrician features, she was truly beautiful. Unless one happened to search below the surface. “As any woman might who is in love with her husband, he answered.

  She released a sigh of annoyance. “Why in Gods name would she love the Earl of Whithaven?

  He shrugged. “I assure you that I havent the foggiest notion. Im hardly well versed in matters of the heart.

  He gazed back at the missive crumpled within his white-knuckled grasp. The words were no longer visible, but they would be forever emblazoned on his memory.

  “Dont look so devastated, Rhys. It doesnt become you. I can assure you that love is highly overrated and does little more than sticky up the situationas our countess upstairs has proven.

  Ignoring her senseless prattle, he slowly rose to his feet. “My brothers dead.

  “I must confess that Im not terribly surprised he met an early end. From what I hear, Texas is a lawless wilderness. Your father was asking for heartache when he sent his bastard there. How did he die? Indians? Outlaws? Was it terribly gory? Do share the details.

  Shaking his head, he was as yet unable to fathom the significance behind the fact that Satan had called his minion home. “Not Grayson. Quentin.

  She gasped and pressed a hand against her throat. “The Marquess of Blackhurst? How in Gods name

  “Apparently he drowned in the family pond.

  Her shock quickly gave way to her penchant for schemes, as evidenced by the triumphant smile that slowly spread across her strikingly beautiful face.

  “Well, well, well. So the spare becomes the heir . Stepping closer, she placed her palm over the spot where he had once possessed a heart. “Ive always wanted to be a duchess.

  He wrapped his hand around hers and flung it aside. “Then you can want awhile longer, Countess.

  “Dont be absurd. Weve worked well together these many years. Were well suited, you and I.

  “I daresay Ive never considered us as such. He turned on his heel. He could be packed and out of her house, permanently out of her presence, in five minutes.

  “And what, pray tell, do you think will happen the first time you attend a ball or dinner? she threw at his retreating back. “When my ladies discover exactly who you are?

  He froze, his heart thundering.

  “Do you honestly believe, after all youve done, that tongues will not wag, or that any woman would want you?

  “I am well aware that marriage is not an option for me, Countess.

  “Then why not settle for me? she asked. “I am more than willing to accept your carefully guarded sins.

  “Because I am unwilling to accept them.

  Not only the sins that hed committed in this house, but the one that had come before hed taken up residence here. The one he found truly unforgivable.

  Striding from the room, he accepted that he would never possess the one thing for which hed always yearned: the love of a woman.

  Chapter 1

  A true lady shall comport herself in a dignified manner which will serve to draw little attention to herself.

  Miss Westlands Blunders in Behavior Corrected

  A s the dark crimson coach sped along the narrow country lane, Lydia Westland gazed out the window and fought to maintain an air of casual indifference, to give the impression that traveling in a coach bearing a ducal crest was an everyday occurrence for her, to be taken in stride. When in fact, it was the most exciting adventure of her life.

  With a contented sigh, she settled back against the plush interior padding. Traveling back home had never been this comfortable or elegant. She couldnt help but be impressed by the pomp and ceremony.

  The coachmans beautiful crimson coat was adorned with silver braid. His white trousers fit snugly and stopped just below his knee, leaving his white stockings and black shoes clearly visible. Beneath his hat, he wore a white wig. As did the two footmen who stood on the back of the vehicle. She was amazed they didnt fall off.

  As the coach passed beneath a massive archway supported by two stone columns, her heart picked up its tempo to beat in rhythm with the pounding hooves of the six gray horses that led the way. The well-built vehicle smoothly turned onto another road where magnificent towering elms lined both sides like a regiment of well-trained soldiers. Dappled sunlight broke through the abundant leaves overhead to create a breathtaking scene.

  “Id forgotten how large Harrington is, her stepfather said quietly.

  Lydia darted a glance his way. The lines in his beloved face had deepened since the new Marquess of Blac
khurst had sent a cable to inform him of their fathers failing health. She ached for her stepfather and all the sorrow he would endure in the following days.

  Grayson Rhodes had been a constant in her life for almost as long as she could remember. She was seven when hed arrived at her familys farm to help them harvest cotton shortly after the War Between the North and South had ended. His hair had been a little blonder then, his face considerably paler. Now it clearly revealed where the sun and wind had staked claim to it. More tan, more weathered.

  The distinguished lilt of his voice had intrigued her and been a bit more pronounced then than it was now. His impeccable manners had fascinated her. They alone had remained steadfast through the years, while every other aspect of him had changed. His shoulders had broadened, his hands had roughened, and every time he looked at the woman sitting beside him, Lydia knew his love for her mother had grown stronger.

  He was unlike anyone else shed ever known. In spite of the unfortunate circumstances that had brought him to their door, he was incredibly worldly. Shed hung on his every word, badgered him with questions regarding his homeland, and prayed for the day when he might decide to return, taking his new family with him.

  Remorse swamped her because her prayers had at last been answered, but not as shed hoped. She hadnt wanted her stepfather to suffer simply so she could live in a fantasy world for a brief time. She felt guilty because she harbored any joy at all regarding this trip. But shed wanted to travel to England ever since hed first regaled her with stories of brave knights and damsels in need of rescue.