Love's Guardian (33 page)

No. She couldn’t summon anger, only sorrow at falling in love with a man who refused to return her feelings. With a sigh, she opened her eyes as Declan reached around her to adjust the clasp on her chest.

Their eyes met in the mirror, and his hand stilled above her breast. The luminous pearls made even her drab practice gown appear elegant. But their glow paled in comparison to the desire turning his eyes a smoldering blue.

“Magnificent.” His hand trailed upward to caress the pearls, then slipped under them, rubbing the sensitive skin. She gave up trying to feign indifference. She dropped her arms and leaned back into his embrace. He brushed her hair aside, tracing a warm, moist path down her neck with his mouth.

Making a soft sound in her throat, she turned into his embrace. Just one more kiss. She deserved a good-bye kiss, didn’t she? This stolen moment would be a memory to cherish. It would help her through the bleak years ahead.

When he claimed her mouth, she tried to respond with all the love she felt. She wanted him to remember this moment, wanted it to be different from all the rest.

He reacted by drawing her tightly against his body, his desire for her all too apparent. The tips of his fingers massaged up and down her back as he started to move them in the direction of the bed. She knew what he intended, but it no longer mattered. Nothing mattered but the feel of his lips on hers and the heat burning her body wherever he touched.

She rubbed against him, the tips of her breasts stimulated through the thin material. Aching to get as close as possible, she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, then tentatively thrust her tongue into his mouth.

“Lady Lochsdale, do you think—? Oh.” Lady Anna made a strangled sound.

Alex tore herself out of Declan’s embrace. How could she have forgotten the open door?

“I’m sorry.” Lady Anna’s flushed face still showed surprise. She tried to look at anything but them. “I didn’t know. The door was open, so I...”

Declan seemed to find the whole thing amusing. “It’s fine, Anna. I was reminding Lady Lochsdale what she might expect with me as her husband.”

Poor Anna appeared even more flustered. Alex shook her head in exasperation. He was entirely too arrogant, yet she couldn’t help smiling to herself. “Actually, Lady Anna, Lord Worthington came to give me a necklace to wear this evening.”

The mention of the necklace had the desired effect. Anna immediately focused on the pearls she made a point of running between her fingers.

“I’ve never seen anything like them.” Anna’s eyes filled with curiosity. “Where did they come from? Has Mama seen them?”

Alex laughed. “They were Declan’s mother’s. I’m sure Lady Bradford has seen them before, but I suspect it’s been a very long time.” She glanced to Declan for confirmation, and he gave a slight nod.

As she suspected, the necklace was yet another part of his mother’s past he’d unearthed for her. At least she seemed to have helped him make peace with his mother’s memory. Hopefully, that would continue once she was gone.

She attempted to undo the pearls. “Here, help me get them off. You take them to show your mother.”

Anna rushed over, and between the two of them, they managed to open the intricate clasp. She didn’t dare let Declan help. Her body still pulsed from their brief interlude.

“I’ll bring them right back.” Anna bolted from the room, making sure to shut the door firmly behind her.

No sooner had Anna left, then Declan started toward her. Alex held up a hand to keep him at bay. “I think you’d better go. I need to get ready for tonight.”

He stopped and gave a slight bow. A devilish light played in his eyes, reminding her of a little boy with a secret. “As you wish. But it’s only a reprieve.” He headed for the door, but turned before passing through. “Alex, you will hold to our agreement, won’t you?”

She swallowed, sweat breaking out on her palms. Did he know about her plans? Was he toying with her? “Why do you ask?”

A slight frown marred his features. “I want to make sure you still intend to marry me, no matter when it happens.”

Now it was her turn to frown. What did he mean by
when it happens?
“I thought this marriage was a matter of necessity.”

“It is.” He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again. “Just remember that.”

There were guards at every door. Alex wanted to stamp her foot, but in these flimsy slippers and the way her luck was running tonight, she’d probably hurt herself. Why did Declan have every entrance watched? Luther wouldn’t dare show his face tonight. All these precautions were going to make her escape much more difficult.

Scanning the crowd for Declan, she readily found his standard black and white evening attire amid the myriad colors in the ballroom. He stood with Morgan and Adrian, their heads together in earnest debate. Good, whatever occupied him this evening meant he had less time for her. She’d seen him briefly before he’d been whisked away by Williams with some last minute details. Hopefully, she’d avoid him all together before she left.

“Are you enjoying yourself, Lady Lochsdale?” Lady Bradford opened her ostrich feather fan and waved it back and forth with languid strokes.

“Yes.” She didn’t have time for polite conversation. She needed to consider another escape route, and time was running out. But, she couldn’t be rude. Not after everything Lady Bradford had done for her. “Thank you for helping organize tonight. I hadn’t expected so many of the Ton to attend.”

Lady Bradford glanced around the crowded ballroom, an impish smile on her lips. “Gauging from the glum looks on several matron’s faces, word must be out about your engagement.”

That explained the cold glances she’d been getting from some of the older women. She wished she could tell them there wasn’t going to be an engagement, but unless she came up with another way out of the house, she’d have no choice.

“When do you think Declan will want to make the announcement?” She tapped her lace fan against her fingers with rapid little movements, her foot mimicking the rhythm.

“I overheard him ask the orchestra to play something special at midnight.” Lady Bradford gave her a warm smile and patted her arm. “I’m so glad you’ll be joining our family. I know your relationship with Declan hasn’t always been easy, but you’ll see, it will all work out.”

“I’m sure it will.” She squirmed with guilt. She would miss Lady Bradford and Anna. Strange as it seemed, she’d actually begun to feel she could fit in here, but that had been before her visit with Catrina. “If you’ll excuse me, the heat is unbearable tonight. I think I’ll get some air.”

Escaping Lady Bradford with an apologetic smile, she made her way through the crush of people, her oversized panniers hindering her progress.

Thank God Paddy’s note said to meet him at eleven. Now Declan would be saved the embarrassment of explaining why his betrothed had left him.

Even without the engagement, she knew he would still try to find her. Shuddering at the consequences should he succeed, she tried to picture him in a rage. It wasn’t something she would want to witness, especially if it were aimed at her. Her best defense was not to get caught.

French doors loomed ahead, opening onto the garden terrace. Two men dressed as footmen lurked nearby, their gazes on those coming and going.

She passed through the doors and gingerly crossed the flagstone terrace, trying not to stub her toe on the occasional uneven stone. Japanese lanterns created pools of light with flickering darkness between them.

It became a challenge to avoid the random couples occupying the benches as she made her way to the farthest end of the terrace, near the back of the building. She leaned out over the stone railing, studying the back of the townhouse.

There didn’t appear to be any activity in this area, as the gardens didn’t surround the side of the house to the back. Layers of darkness stretched before her, obscuring all but the largest objects. Good, she’d never be seen. The trellis appeared to be her only option.

Confident once again, now that she had a plan, she retraced her steps and entered the ballroom. Her gaze immediately sought Declan, standing perhaps twenty feet away. As if he could feel her presence, he looked at her and smiled.

Her heart constricted. She wanted to remember him like this. That devilish grin of his stealing her breath. His smoldering look brought every aspect of their recent kiss into sharp focus, causing her body to tingle. She reached up and ran her fingers over the pearls, coming to rest on the cold metal lions.

Declan excused himself from the knot of men he’d been conversing with and headed her direction. Her gaze was locked on his, or she would have seen Catrina approaching.

Resplendent in white, her nemesis took Declan’s arm, propelling him in a different direction. He appeared unwilling to accompany her, but Catrina said something to him she couldn’t hear over the din of music and voices. Catrina rested a hand on his chest, a slight pout on her lips, her look imploring.

He glanced back at Alex, giving her an apologetic smile, before allowing Catrina to lead him into the throng. His gaze remained locked on her until he was swallowed by the swirl of dancing couples.

She watched the spot where he had disappeared for several minutes, feeling as if she were frozen in place. She could picture years of that moment, watching on the fringes, as Catrina led him away. Despair welled up, but she squelched it, preferring anger. What right did he have to play with her emotions? She had a choice.

He didn’t love her.

She needed to accept that and go on.

As if a spell had been lifted, she turned and headed toward the hallway. Nodding to acquaintances along the way, she managed to make it to the corridor. The main staircase for the third floor was to the right, so she went left. It wouldn’t do for anyone to see her go to her room. If Declan found out, he might come to see what was wrong.

She turned a corner and came to the end of the hallway. A meager candle in a sconce lit a small servant’s staircase. It was deserted with the ball in progress.

After she removed the candle from its holder, she looked both directions then turned the latch at her waist. Her wooden panniers collapsed with a small clicking noise, like the rattle of sticks in the wind. Thank God she’d insisted on these with Colettee. With one last look around, she gathered the extra material to her skirt over one arm and headed up the narrow stairs.

It felt like hours before she successfully reached her room. She sheltered the candle’s flame from drafts with her hand as she lit her lamp on the nightstand, then checked the time on the mantle clock. Ten thirty. She’d better hurry if she was going to meet Paddy. The longer he had to wait, the greater the likelihood they’d be caught.

Unwilling to waste time, she reached for the knife in her boot. With a little maneuvering, she managed to slice the laces up the back of her gown and tug the garment off until it pooled on the floor. She stepped out of the peach silk circle and untied the panniers, which joined the pile of clothing. She ran to her wardrobe, her chemise fluttering about her legs.

With unsteady hands, she dressed in her breeches, shirt, and boots. Her neck sheath chaffed a bit when she rolled her shoulders, but she didn’t care. Two weapons would be better than one. She knew from experience that the docks could be a dangerous place.

She crossed to the bed and slid her bundle out from under the mattress. The top of the sack was secured with rope, and she used the excess to tie it around her waist, then slid her belongings around behind her so they wouldn’t get in her way.

Now, to get out of the house unseen. She went to her window, unhooked the latch and peered out. The spicy smell of roses wafted upward from the trellis that climbed the brick wall.

The garden paths were located on the left, sparsely lit by lanterns. To the right, about even with her window, were several rows of trees, randomly spaced to create the illusion of a forest.

No one from the garden would see her in the dark, but someone might be close enough to hear her. With luck, she’d avoid any trysting lovers who found the lure of the trees too irresistible.

She swung one leg over the windowsill and straddled the wall. With a last look around her room, she tried not to think about Declan, but the image of an angelic Catrina leading him away fixed itself in her mind.

On a deep breath, she reached out, grasped the trellis, then yanked on it with all her might. Relief washed over her when the framework didn’t move. She’d counted on the lattice being securely anchored to the building.