Lord Sinister (Secrets & Scandals Book 3) (12 page)

He stalked into the room, halting at her side.  “You marrying Julian Westland,” he said with a hint of anger in his voice.

Amelia placed the dress in her trunk then began folding another.  “Yes.”  She needed to keep her hands busy, and not dare a peek at Jack.  Undoubtedly, Mrs. Briggs hadn’t wasted any time spreading the news.

Jack moved closer, his voice dropping to a whisper.  “You don’t have to do this, you know.”

“You had better make yourself scarce,” she said instead of replying to his words.  “Julian will be here at any moment.”

“You can’t mean to go through with this, Amy.”  He took her by the arms and turned her to face him.

Staring into Jack’s troubled eyes, her insides trembled.  She shook her head.  “What Julian is offering Alex—”

“What about you, Amy?” His hands tightened on her arms.  “What about you?”

She took a slow, deep breath.  “Alex is all that matters.”

His dark brows dipped down, then rose.  “I have some money.  Alex can attend any school…” his words trailed away when she started shaking her head.

“No.”

“Why not?”

She stepped out of Jack’s hold and resumed her packing.  “You know it takes more than money to gain entrance into those schools.  Background and reputation are just as important.”

After several seconds of silence, she heard his heavy sigh.  “I suppose you’re right about that.”

“Now go before you’re caught.”

He pulled her into his arms.  “Should you ever need me, let Mr. Gunney know.”  Then he kissed her cheek.  “I wish I didn’t have this damn investigation over my head.  I would have—”

She pulled away, not allowing him to finish.  “I know.”

“Try to be happy,” he whispered, then turned and walked out of the room.

Amelia stared at the empty doorway for several seconds, her body numb.  Alex, she thought, turning back to her packing.  She must think only of Alex.

Julian walked from the house with gritted teeth, damned surprised he could walk at all.  It was nothing more than a bloody kiss!  But a kiss that he felt down to the marrow of his bones. 
Damn it all to bloody hell!

Increasing his pace, Julian hurried toward the stables, wanting to get his mind off Amelia and the strange feelings she brought out in him.  Feelings of wanting to protect her and Alex, to keep them safe.  To make them happy.

“You’re not leaving so soon, are you, Lord Julian?” Alex asked worriedly, meeting him at the door.

Julian shook his head.  “There’s something I wish to discuss with you, Alex.”  He glanced around.  “Is there somewhere we can talk in private?”

Alex nodded. “Mr. Gunney was hurt a few days ago.  He’s staying in the house until he recovers.”  He shrugged.  “So we’re alone.”

Julian opened his mouth, but hesitated.  What if Alex protested the marriage?  What then?  He thought it would be easier to tell the boy without Amelia being there, but now, he wasn’t so certain.

“Lord Julian?”

Unable to stall any longer, Julian inhaled the scent of fresh hay, horseflesh, and oats before plunging ahead.  “Your mother and I have come to a decision, Alex.  One I hope you’ll be happy with.”

Alex crinkled his brow, stepping closer.  “What?”

“We’re getting married.”

“Married?  But how…when…?”  The boy shook his head.  “I don’t understand.”

Julian moved closer and placed his hands on Alex’s shoulders.  “We were hoping you’d be happy about this.”

Alex lifted dazed eyes.  “I am.  I just don’t understand.”  Then his eyes widened as if realizing something, and he stepped back.

“What is it, Alex?”

“Are you doing this because you feel sorry for us?” the boy asked, stumbling back another step.

“Absolutely not.”

Alex paused, his bewilderment returning.  “They why do you want to marry my mother?”

So much depended on how he answered, Julian realized.  Sweat broke out on his forehead.  “I have come to care for you both very much.”  Actually, that truthful statement surprised himself almost as much as Alex.

The child shuffled forward, looking much older than his nine years.  “Give me your solemn vow, Lord Julian, you won’t hurt my mother and I’ll give you my blessing.”  He halted and stuck out his hand.

Looking down at Alex, Julian swallowed.  What in the bloody hell had he just gotten himself into?  Seeing no other alternative, he slowly extended his own hand.

CHAPTER 11

Amelia didn’t move as the carriage shuddered to a halt.  She closed her eyes and tried to calm her clamoring heart, but it continued to thump wildly within her chest.  During the long, rattling carriage ride, she’d changed her mind at least three dozen times.  Perhaps she should have taken Julian’s original offer of a house and a monthly stipend.  Then, at least, she could have maintained a modicum of freedom.  Not…not...
this
!  Her breaths came out in short, ragged spurts, and small tremors continued to plague her body.

Dear God, what was she doing?

“Mama, aren’t you coming?” Alex asked, having already opened the door and jumped to the ground.

With a deep breath, she turned to her son, who stood in the open doorway, watching her curiously.

His soft gray eyes turned troubled.  “Are you all right?”

Uncertain if she could even speak, Amelia nodded, then moved toward the door, knowing she could not procrastinate any longer.  Alex assisted her from the carriage, a small frown on his lips as he studied her face.  “Mama, you don’t look well.”

She could not stand to see her son worried.  Hoping this would be the very last time, she forced her lips into a smile.  “I am well, Alex,” she reassured him softly, then turned to the small church and gasped.  How beautiful.  From the gurgling fountain near the entrance to the colorful windows on either side of the honey-colored stone building, the tiny church looked something out of a fairy tale.

One of the front timber doors opened and out walked the very man who continued to plague her dreams night after night.  Julian.  His polished black knee boots and tight dove gray pantaloons revealed every curve of his legs, and his pure white shirt, silvery-gray waistcoat and sapphire overcoat did nothing to hide the wide expanse of his shoulders.  He had to be the most handsome man God had ever created.  And he took her breath away.

Feeling a bit foolish that she had intentionally picked out her ugliest gown, an old faded olive-brown thing that had once belonged to Mrs. O’Malley two decades past, Amelia twisted her fingers together, knowing her cheeks shone like two red apples.

“I have secured the special license,” he said, halting before her.  He didn’t seem at all disturbed by her dress.  “The vicar said we can proceed whenever we’re ready.”

As a spurt of panic assailed her, she blurted, “Where are we?”

Instead of answering her right away, Julian reached forward and took one of her trembling hands.  The contact with his warm, calloused fingers sent a shooting spark down to weaken her knees.  He guided her several feet from the church, where the surrounding woods weren’t so dense, and stopped.  They were on a rise, she noticed, and carefully pulled her hand from his, lest her legs buckle and she tumble down the hill.  He didn’t speak, he merely pointed down to a clearing in the woods below.  She followed the direction of his finger and gasped.

He leaned over.  “That’s Sagemeadow Hall.”

She stared at the mansion below, unable to believe such beauty existed.  It resembled a castle more than a mansion with its spiraling rooftops and numerous chimney peaks in the center of a well-manicured lawn.  At the rear of the house, beyond a flower garden sprinkled with colorful blooms, sprawled the largest hedge maze she had ever seen.

“Well?  What do you think?”

As Julian’s warm breath grazed her ear, Amelia swiveled around and stomped back a few feet so she would no longer see the picturesque view below.  She was good and furious with herself.  How had he already managed to break through her defenses and make her yearn for something she could never have?  A loving family with children and laughter.

Nervously, she smoothed her rough, brown dress before making a reply.  “Though my prison is beautiful, it is a prison nonetheless.”

As Julian’s eyes widened, Alex called out for her from the trees to her right.  Relieved, Amelia turned toward her son’s voice.  “Coming!”

Julian scowled as he followed Amelia’s stiff-back march to the church.  Why did it have to be the one woman on earth that didn’t want to marry him?  Didn’t she realize how lucky she was?  How many would kill to be in her place at the moment?  By God, he was about to make her the bloody Marchioness of Amersleigh, the future Duchess of Kenbrook.  Why would she act as though he were taking her to the gallows?

The kindly old vicar smiled wide as they approached.  “Are you ready to begin, my lord?”

Julian watched how Amelia fought to keep her features bland.  She refused to look directly at him.  The way she clutched her hands tightly before her and the way her bottom lip trembled gave him pause.  Was she afraid?  That made no sense.  Having no money, no way of supporting herself and Alex was the real cause for fear.  Surely, once she thought it through better, she would come to the same conclusion?  And then he realized something else.  Didn’t all brides have wedding day nerves?

Relieved to finally have the answer he sought, Julian glanced to the vicar and nodded.  “Yes, let us begin.”

Twenty-three minutes later, however, Julian clenched his teeth against the urge to roar at the woman.  Before the day was over, Amelia would drive him mad.  Utterly insane.  Not only did she look the part of a virgin sacrifice, she sounded like one, too.  After a very lengthy pause in which she requested time to ponder on whether or not she would take him as her lawful husband, she finally consented.  Her voice solemn, her eyes round with fear, she eventually recited her vows.  Indeed, a virgin sacrifice saying her farewells before facing the terrible dragon.

And all he could think about was peeling her clothes away and ravishing her as soon as they rolled to a halt before Sagemeadow.

Julian groaned as the image of their entwined naked bodies filled his mind, but he quickly cleared his throat when the vicar gave him a knowing, reproving glare.

“I now pronounce you man and wife.”

Ignoring the vicar’s five giggling daughters sitting in the front pew, Julian turned to Amelia.  Seeing her standing there, enticing him with her innocent, ethereal gaze, he had a most devilish idea.  He wrapped his arms around her small body, causing her eyes to grow even wider, then he pulled her snug against him.  A small gasp escaped her.  He dropped his mouth down over hers and kissed her senseless.  It was terrible and shameless, but he let his lips try and convey all the naughty images running through his head.

Amelia could not stop shaking when Julian finished with her.  She opened her eyes, saw the sinister twinkle in his gaze, the smug smile on his lips, and grew enraged.  And just as she opened her mouth to give her new husband what for, Alex walked up to them.

Julian withdrew his arms, making her even more furious that she hadn’t pulled away first, and turned to her son.

“Congratulations, Lord Julian.”  Alex stuck out his hand, his smile extending from one ear to the other.

“Thank you, Alex,” Julian said as they shook hands.

After a warm hug from her son, Amelia turned away and started for the door.  Oh, if Alex only knew the real Julian Westland, he wouldn’t be so cursed happy at the moment.  No, indeed.

Several minutes later, much to Amelia’s chagrin, Julian opted to ride in the carriage with her and Alex to Sagemeadow.  It was awful.  Every bump and sway caused their knees to touch, sending tiny shocks through her body.  And his musky male scent—oh, she just couldn’t stand it.

As a trickle of sweat rolled in between her breasts, Amelia could envision Julian’s long slender fingers touching her there before cupping her in his hands and bringing his lips down…

Her eyes flew open and she gasped, shocked by what she had been thinking.

Alex turned from studying something outside the window, brows puckered with worry.  “What is it, Mama?”

Shaking her head, she forced a smile.  “I must have dozed.”  She didn’t dare look in Julian’s direction.  “It was nothing but a dream.”

Her son’s shoulders relaxed, his brow cleared.  Then he turned to the carriage window and his eyes widened.  “Oh, look!”  He pointed at something outside.

Grateful for the distraction, Amelia turned her head.  “Oh, my,” she whispered as Sagemeadow Hall came into view.  It really was a castle, she thought, gazing at the grand circular turret coming into view with ivy sneaking up its evenly cut golden stones.

The carriage had barely stopped when Alex scrambled out.  Amelia smiled at her son as she watched him dash up to the mansion.  Of a sudden, he halted and rushed back.  “I’m sorry, Mama.” Chest heaving, he held out his hand and assisted her down from the carriage.  Julian followed, the heat of his body attesting to his nearness.  She prayed he wouldn’t detect how he affected her, and decided this unwanted attraction would end.  Today.  Right now.

The front door opened, drawing her attention, and a man dressed in black emerged.  He gave a bow.  “Welcome home, my lord.”  Then he turned to her and bowed again.  “My lady.”

“Jennings,” Julian said.  “I trust you received my note?”

The butler inclined his head.  “Everything is in order, my lord.”

“Good.”  Julian took her arm and led her into the mansion.

The luxurious interior distracted her momentarily.  She gazed at the polished marble floor and the gleaming suits of armor with wonder.  Spying Alex, she found him glancing around the vestibule, turning his head this way and that with his mouth agape, and smiled.  Seeing him so happy was worth any price she paid.

“There is just one thing, my lord,” Jennings indicated as they were about to move farther into the house.

Paying them little attention, Amelia continued to glance around.

“What is—?”  Julian halted.

Hearing footsteps clopping on the marble, Amelia turned and noticed a woman dressed to the nines sashaying toward them.  Her honey-gold locks had been artfully arranged beneath a sky-blue feathered hat.  The woman’s matching gown poured over sinuous curves, revealing a tiny waist and large breasts that looked ready to pop right out of the bodice.  And her heavy-lidded eyes were fixed solely on Julian as a cat-like smile spread slowly over her coral painted lips.

Amelia watched the woman halt about six inches from Julian and delve into his eyes with the lewdest look she had ever seen.  The smoldering gaze revealed intimacies shared between the two as well as if the strumpet held up a banner with the words ‘Julian’s lover’ sprawled across.

“Hello, darling,” the woman purred throatily.

“Claudia,” Julian said with a smile in his voice, curse his black soul to the devil.

As the two exchanged customary how-do-you-do’s, Amelia stood stiff at Julian’s side, seething.  How dare the scoundrel bring his mistress here!  In front of Alex, no less!

Finally, Julian turned and introduced her to the woman.  “Claudia, meet my wife, Amelia, Lady Amersleigh.  Amelia, this is our neighbor, Claudia Templeton, Lady Bridgewater.”

Lady Bridgewater turned and, masking her surprise, scanned Amelia from top to bottom.  Then, as though finding Amelia no threat whatever, a large smile bloomed across those painted lips.  “Lady Amersleigh.”

Anger churned within Amelia, heating her face.  Clearly, the strumpet did not feel the least bit concerned about being left out of Julian’s bed.  “Lady Bridgewater.”

“Well, I really must be going,” the woman said, turning to Julian.  She took his arm and pulled him toward the door, crushing those plump, fleshy breasts against him.  “Walk me out, Julian?” She looked at him as though he were a tasty morsel to be devoured.

Unable to stand another second in their presence, Amelia turned and, not finding Alex anywhere in sight, walked further into the mansion.  She glanced around the large hall, seeing that also deserted.  “Alex.” She walked past the grand, oak stairway.  Her voice echoed, making her feel alone, insignificant.  “Alex, where are you?”

“The young master is in the observatory, my lady.”

Amelia staggered to the side, her hand covering her mouth to keep from screaming.  “Oh, Jennings, you frightened me.” 

He bowed.  “My apologies, my lady.”

She shook her head.  “Apologies aren’t necessary.”  She straightened.  “Where did you say my son has gone?”

“Last door on the right, my lady.”  He indicated the direction of the room with his hand.

“Thank you,” Amelia said as she hurried away.

The door stood ajar as she approached.  Amelia entered the glass-paneled room sprawling with potted palms, ferns, orchids, and lilies, and then she found Alex standing before the largest telescope she had ever seen.  The enormous brass cylinder was mounted to some sort of wheeled conveyance that made it possible to transport it right out of the set of French doors to the lovely garden beyond.  Peering at the open sky, Amelia knew where she would be finding her son most often.

“Isn’t this the greatest thing you have ever seen?” Alex’s words ran together in his excitement.  His eyes traveled up and down the polished brass and he couldn’t keep the enormous smile from his lips.

“It certainly is.”

Alex gazed into the eyepiece for several seconds then turned to her, his eyes momentarily sullen.  “I guess I have to wait until it’s dark.”