The Hellion and The Heartbreaker (42 page)

“Yes, I believe
you did.”  His features relaxed somewhat and when he spoke again his voice
was calm.  “Apology accepted.”

The two
men stood in silence for a moment, to all outward appearances seeming like
nothing more than two acquaintances sharing a drink.  However, William’s
next comment hit Alec like a blow to the gut.

“He has
your eyes.”

“Excuse
me?”

“Don’t
worry, she didn’t tell me.  I figured it out on my own.  And of
course, you have my assurance that I will never speak of it to anyone else.”

“What
exactly are you implying William?”  Alec asked, reeling from the offhand
comment, spoken with such calm certainty.

William
looked him squarely in the eye, his expression revealing his earnestness and
sincerity.  “Like I said before, you are a fortunate man Alec.  She
obviously loves you a great deal.  Most people don’t get second chances;
don’t take this one for granted.”

Before
Alec could respond, Colin approached, finally having broken away from his
discussion with Hatfield.

“Fordham,
how are you this evening?”

“I’m
drowning my sorrows,” he said affably, holding up his crystal tumbler. 
“Despite my interest, I fear your lovely sister has set her sights on Weston
here,” he said, slapping Alec good-naturedly on the shoulder.

Colin did
his best to hide his surprise at William’s astute observation.  Had Alec
said something, he wondered.  “Well, you may be right about that, but I
hope you know how much we all appreciate the kindness you’ve shown her this
past week.”  He looked at William in genuine appreciation.  “You helped
make Scarlett’s entrance back into Society a resounding success and we owe you
a great deal of gratitude for that.”

“I’m sure
she would have done just fine without me, but I appreciate the sentiment
nonetheless.”  Glancing back and forth between Colin and Alec, he smiled
genially.  “Now gentlemen, are we going to stand here all night, or shall
I attempt to lighten both of your pockets?”

“You can
certainly try,” Colin responded affably.

Over the
course of the next two weeks, Alec and Scarlett were seen together at the
theater, at the opera, in the company of the duke’s mother and grandmother, at
several dinner parties, two balls and even the races at Ascot.  No one
seemed to have the slightest doubt that an engagement would be announced any
day, and when the formal announcement finally appeared in the paper, the
upcoming nuptials quickly became the most highly anticipated event of the
season.

For
Scarlett, despite her outward display of happiness and excitement, the days
leading up to the engagement had been fraught with turmoil.  Though Alec
was as charming and attentive as ever, and seemingly at ease about their
upcoming marriage, she couldn’t help wondering what he was really
feeling.  He was obviously looking forward to furthering his relationship
with Oliver, but as to his feelings toward her, she wasn’t certain.  Ever
since that momentous night in the coach, following their visit to the National
Gallery, Alec had been acting the perfect gentleman.  He was obviously
still attracted to her, but  even so, he never made any reference to what
had happened between them that night, and from then on, had only touched her in
the most polite and courteous manner.

Though he did
an admiral job of disguising it, Alec was experiencing his own inner
turmoil.  The more time he and Scarlett spent with each other, the more he
seemed to be falling under her spell.  Their conversations had grown less
and less strained in the past weeks, and more often than naught, they found
themselves talking and laughing as they had in the past.  Scarlett was
like a breath of fresh air, and he was beginning to see just how much he wanted
her, how much he needed her, in his life.  Was he falling in love with
her?  The question seemed to enter his mind with increasing frequency,
though he tried his best not to think about it.

Despite
the sexual tension that was almost always present between them, they didn’t
speak of it, nor did they succumb to it as they had that night in the
coach.  It was almost as though by some mutual, unspoken agreement, they
had decided to wait for their wedding night to reacquaint themselves with the
overwhelming passion that seemed destined to consume them once again.

Once the
engagement had been announced, Duchy and Olivia quickly appropriated the
majority of Scarlett’s time.  She saw less and less of Alec as wedding
plans seemed to occupy her nearly every waking minute.  Although she would
have been more than happy with a small, private ceremony, Duchy and Olivia had
been horrified at the thought.  Alec was a duke, a member of one of the
oldest and most prestigious families in England, and a small, simple wedding
was apparently out of the question.

With
Scarlett busied with wedding preparations, Alec took the opportunity to spend
more time with his son.  It pained him to know that Oliver was unaware
that he was his father, but he knew the boy was still too young to understand
the circumstances surrounding his birth.  In time, he would learn the
truth.  In the meantime, Alec had already begun the measures to formally
adopt Oliver and make him his legal heir.  He had also begun making amends
with Colin and his brothers.  Though he wasn’t sure their relationship
would ever be quite the same, at least they were no longer overtly hostile
toward him.

A week
before the wedding, Alec’s mother hosted a lavish engagement party at her
London home.  There were more than a hundred people in attendance, and watching
Scarlett move about the room, conversing with their guests with an inordinate
amount of grace and charm, Alec felt a tremendous sense of pride.  He also
felt the occasional spark of jealousy whenever he happened to notice the eyes
of another man lingering upon his intended for a moment too long.  
Over the course of the past several days, he had done a great deal of thinking
and soul-searching and the feelings he had for Scarlett were starting to
frighten him.  He didn’t want to fall in love.  He didn’t want to
risk the emotional devastation of surrendering his heart to something that
might well be destined for failure.  However, despite his fears, he was
afraid it might already be too late.  

From
across the room, Scarlett noticed the somewhat troubled look on Alec’s face and
couldn’t help wondering about its cause.  Was he having regrets?  Was
the thought of their upcoming marriage, now only a week away, causing him
increasing discontent?  Saddened by the thought, she deliberately pushed
it aside. 

Several
hours later, as the last of the guests had taken their leave, Duchy and Olivia
were chatting animatedly about the evening’s success, as Alec and her brothers
enjoyed a final round of the rare and expensive French champagne procured
especially for the party.  The event had gone off without a hitch and they
were all exceedingly pleased.  Only Scarlett stood alone, silently
contemplating the large, brilliant diamond surrounded by sparkling sapphires
that now resided on her left hand.  Alec had presented her with the ring
earlier that evening, only an hour before the first guests had arrived. 
Lost in thought, she failed to notice that he had come up beside her.

“Do you
like it?”  He’d asked her that earlier, but for some reason he felt
compelled to ask it again.  It wasn’t a family heirloom.  In fact,
he’d had the piece specially commissioned a week before.  Scarlett didn’t
know it, but he had spent an unwarranted amount of time with the jeweler, the
same one employed by the royal family, selecting just the right setting for her
delicate hand, and picking each and every one of the dazzling, perfectly cut
stones himself.

“It’s
beautiful Alec,” she said, turning toward him.  “I love it.”  I love
you
,
she thought to herself, wondering if she could ever hope to garner his love in
return.

“I’m
glad.”  When Scarlett looked at him as she did now, with her heart in her
eyes, Alec felt his resolve to keep her at an emotional distance, slowly
slipping away.

“Scarlett…”

“Alec…” 
They spoke in unison, but whatever they had been about to say was cut short by
Colin’s sudden approach.

“I don’t
know about you two, but I am exhausted.  Are you ready to head home
Scarlett?”

“Oh, yes I
suppose so,” she replied, forcing her gaze from Alec’s as she responded to
Colin’s question.  “If you will excuse me, I’ll just go and say goodbye to
Duchy and Olivia,” she said turning back to Alec, her expression slightly
regretful.  She couldn’t help wondering what he’d been about to say.

“Conner
and Julia are headed home, but Rory and Gavin are going out if you’d care to
join them Alec.”

“Actually,
I’m with you,” he said, shaking his head.  “I’ll spend a few minutes with
Duchy and mother, and then call it a night.”

When she and
Colin arrived home, Scarlett immediately went to check on Oliver. 
Entering her son’s room, she sat down on the side of his bed, simply gazing
upon his sleeping face, so utterly pure and innocent in slumber.  She
realized in that moment, that she needed to be completely honest with
Alec.  If they had any chance at happiness, there could be no more lies,
no more deception between them.  She had to tell him the truth about Ian
McKinnon, her pride be dammed. 

Walking
into her own room, she moved to her small writing desk and pulled a sheet of
paper from the drawer.  Penning a brief note, she sealed it and then rang
for her maid.

As Alec
sat behind the desk in his study, staring pensively at the exquisitely painted
landscape that was currently propped against the far wall, the very same
painting Scarlett had taken such a liking to at the National Gallery, he
couldn’t stop thinking about her and their upcoming marriage.  He intended
to give her the painting on their wedding night.  He could no longer deny
the truth.  He was falling in love with Scarlett, and lord help him, there
wasn’t a damned thing he could do about it.

While the
reality of that stunning admission ricocheted through his brain, a soft knock
sounded upon the door to his study.  Looking up, he glanced toward the
heavy wooden panel.  “Come in.”

“Excuse
me, Your Grace,” his butler said, entering the room.  “This was just
delivered for you.”  Handing Alec the sealed missive, he then exited the
room, pulling the door closed behind him.

Curious,
Alec broke the wax seal and quickly scanned the brief missive.

At half
past twelve, Scarlett silently made her way to the old iron gate.  As she
had hoped, Alec was waiting for her on the other side.  Without speaking,
they made their way toward the house and entered Alec’s study.

Once he’d
closed the doors and drawn the curtains, Alec turned to Scarlett, his
expression questioning.  “Your note said you needed to speak to me about
something.  Is anything wrong?” he asked, concern evident in his voice.

“There’s
something I need to tell you Alec, something I have been keeping from
you.” 

Her voice
was barely audible, the look on her face apprehensive.  Warning bells
instantly rang within his head.  “Perhaps we should sit down,” he said,
motioning toward the sofa.

Once they
were seated, Scarlett summoned her courage and looked Alec squarely in the
eye.  “It’s about Ian, Ian McKinnon.”

“You’re
first husband?”  It wasn’t what he was expecting to hear.

“Yes, well
no, actually.”  She took a deep, steadying breath and then told him the
truth.  “Alec, there is no Ian McKinnon.  There never was.  Ian
McKinnon only exists on paper.”

Alec was
stunned.  As he looked into Scarlett’s eyes, he felt as if a load of
bricks had suddenly been dropped upon his head. 
There was no Ian
McKinnon!
  Scarlett hadn’t married another man; she hadn’t fallen in
love with someone else.  It was a staggering revelation.  “You’re
serious?”

“When I
discovered that I was expecting, I had already returned to Grey Oaks.  I
knew you didn’t want to marry me, and I couldn’t bear the thought of having my
child labeled a bastard, not to mention the disgrace it would have brought upon
my family.  So, Colin had the documents falsified, the wedding license,
the marriage certificate, Oliver’s birth certificate, everything.”  She
stood up and walked a short distance away, nervously wringing her hands as she
continued.  “I had to do whatever I could to protect my family and my
child.  I hope you can understand that.”

“Why
didn’t you tell me this before?”

“I’m not
sure,” she began.  “I guess maybe a part of me wanted you to think that,
well, that I
had
fallen in love with someone else.”

Alec
looked at her in confusion.  What she was saying made no sense.

Scarlett
realized that Alec didn’t understand, he didn’t understand at all.  She
knew she had to tell him everything.  When she was finished, she wouldn’t
have even an ounce of pride left, but if they had any hope of making their
marriage a success, she had to be totally honest with him.  Turning away,
she walked to the window.  Parting the drapes, she peered out in the
night, and then softly began to speak.  “Do you remember the time you came
to Grey Oaks, when I was fourteen?  The time we went riding and I told you
about my fears of being sent away to school?”