A Heart's Masquerade (19 page)

But for now, Richard had no plans for socializing. His first matter of business was to gather information on Catherine Amberly and assess the situation, work that he would do quietly. Eventually, he would make himself known, but as yet he had no wish to be recognized.

He would tread carefully, for Duprey was no fool. But, then, neither was Richard.

Chapter Twelve

When she rose the next morning, Cat's shock at her wanton behavior had begun to fade, leaving in its place a vague yearning for the excitement and abandonment of those moments. She knew an unexpected emptiness, as if she had woken from a particularly pleasant dream she could never recapture during waking hours.

Shaking aside such fancies, Cat reminded herself that she was the wronged party. Ransom had tried to seduce her, right there in the grass like a common whore. He had the arrogance to lump all women together, yet it seemed Cat was no different from all the others who melted in his embrace, and the realization galled her.

She resolved to give him some of his own back today. Dressed in a silky pale pink gown dotted with roses, she was determined to look her best and avoided working in the gardens. Instead, she spent the afternoon in the parlor with a book.

Cat was so engrossed in reading that she started when the duke was announced. Although nothing in his demeanor or smile hinted at the intimacies they had shared, Cat frowned at his handsome face when he leaned over her hand. The memories were not far from her thoughts, and she flushed in embarrassment.

Barely glancing at him, Cat set her book aside while he took a seat next to her. He nodded toward the volume of Greek with apparent sincerity.

"Although you may not believe me, I'm impressed by your choice of reading material. You did not give me the chance to tell you when we discussed the matter before," he added wryly.

"I don't believe you," Cat said.

Ransom only shrugged in amusement. "You are a woman of many skills," he said.

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, my love. No innuendos or hidden messages in the words. I was simply complimenting you," Ransom said.

Cat's disgusted retort was cut off by the arrival of Amelia, bustling into the parlor wreathed in smiles.

"Oh, how delightful! I see you two are carrying the conversation without me," she said, practically rubbing her hands in glee. Not far behind her Isaac appeared with the heavily laden tea tray. "Catherine, please pour."

Cat found the visit a stilted affair, and she sat straight in her chair, sipping the liquid while saying little. Amelia appeared to take no notice of Cat's silence, while Ransom did his best to charm her. Listening to his deep voice, she realized that her plan wasn't going to be easy to execute, and she tried her best to harden her heart against the attraction that sizzled between them, hotter than the air itself.

"Catherine... Catherine." Amelia repeated her name until Cat looked up in surprise. "His grace has expressed an interest in our gardens. Would you be so kind as to give him a tour?"

"Of course," Cat said, knowing that a stroll alone with Ransom would provide her with the perfect opportunity to give him the setdown he deserved.

As Isaac cleared away the remains of the food and drink, Cat rose to take Ransom's arm. With Amelia waving them off gaily, she walked with him into the sunshine, where she immediately dropped his arm, ostensibly to pick a bloom from along the terrace.

Stiff and sullen, Cat led her captain along the paths beside her aunt's flowers, giving a recitation worthy of a botanist, while her mind ran riot on another topic entirely: how to rid herself of this man permanently.

"You might recognize the breadfruit," she said as she pointed to a tree with brownish-green round produce. "It was brought to-"

"Yes, a most noteworthy specimen, but I find that my interest in the gardens waning," Ransom said. "Perhaps we should stop for a rest? Those cream pastries your aunt forced on me at tea are weighing heavily on me."

Cat frowned. They were in a remote section, surrounded by trees, and Ransom obviously had noted a worn bench a few feet away. "Certainly," she said. "By all means sit, since your advanced years are wearing on you. I prefer to stand."

Ransom did not take comment on her sarcasm or take a seat, no doubt because of her refusal to join him. Instead, he leaned his tall frame against one of the trees, his brow raised curiously at her obvious discomfiture.

"Your grace," Cat began as she unconsciously began pacing.

"Ransom."

"Your grace," Cat repeated, walking back and forth along the pebbled path. Unfortunately, the speech she had rehearsed well into the wee hours of the morning had scattered like her thoughts. Finally, she halted and blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "I no longer wish to see you."

"Why?" Ransom asked, his features registering only mild interest.

"Because you do not treat me as a gentleman ought to treat a lady," she answered, wincing at her pious tone.

"You did not seem to find my treatment objectionable," he said, with a sardonic lift of one dark brow.

Ignoring the comment, Cat rushed on, irritated by his apparent calm while she felt extremely uncomfortable. "I'm asking you to no longer call at my home and to cease any attempts to see me. You must stop arranging 'coincidental' meetings in town and stop following me everywhere I go."

Finishing on a firm note, Cat was proud of her recitation until she glanced up. For instead of looking pained or outraged or even discouraged by her demands, Ransom threw back his head and laughed.

"What is so funny?" Cat asked, her eyes narrowing as he shook his head in amusement and stepped away from the tree.

"You are, my love, for accusing me of arranging our meetings, when I have done no such thing. Although I admit to seeing you out on a few occasions, your skill in tracking me down far exceeds my own."

Cat's hand twitched with her desire to wipe the smile off his face. "Are you accusing me of chasing after you?"

When Ransom made no answer, she whirled away from him, but he caught her arm.

"Don't rush off, my love, " he said. "I'm willing to concede that some of our meetings have been coincidental and leave it at that."

"Oh, I don't care what you think," Cat said, pulling her arm away. "I just want you to leave me alone. Do you understand? I don't wish to see you again," she said more softly, dismayed to feel the prick of tears behind her eyelids.

"And what have I done to deserve such punishment?" Ransom asked, his voice silky and cajoling.
Dangerous
. "How can you be so inhospitable as to consign me to such a cruel fate?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Do you hate me so that you would condemn me to spend my last few days on your island in the company of Lord Claremont?"

Cat was tempted to smile, but she pulled a face instead. "There are many other inhabitants of this island to keep you company, and I know that you have met some of them."

"Ah, yes, the ogre sisters," Ransom said. "The tall one would eat me alive in one bite."

"The Montrief sisters," Cat said her lips twitching. "And Elizabeth is not so bad. In fact, they are both quite kind. It is their Aunt Immaline who is ill-tempered."

"Surely, there are not more of them?" Ransom groaned. "There you have it. You would leave me in the clutches of an ill-tempered creature and an elderly gentleman prone to countless reminiscences."

Cat laughed, her resolve to cut Ransom from her life wavering. She told herself to remain firm even as he poured on the charm. And yet...

"Just when do you plan to leave?" she asked suspiciously.

"I'm committed to my host's ball, I'm afraid. Then I am free to go."

The ball was set for the day after next, and Cat felt her resolve slip another notch.

"You are coming to the ball?" he asked.

"Yes," Cat said, warily. When had he moved so close?

"Oh, there you are!"

Cat stepped back at the sound of Amelia's voice, turning just in time to see her aunt hurrying around a curve in the path. "I stepped outside and didn't see you, so I thought I'd catch up with the tour," she said brightly, her bonnet bouncing over her white curls.

"That would be lovely," Cat said, smiling with relief.

"I'm sure Catherine has been a wonderful guide, but I do know quite a bit more about my life's work." While Amelia chattered, Cat watched Ransom's tall, lean body tower over the elderly lady, his head cocked toward her in what appeared to be rapt attention.

Cat was forced to acknowledge the man's ability to both charm and get his own way far exceeded her own. And her mission had failed abysmally. But if he finally was leaving, then it made no matter, for what could happen in a day's time?

***

Richard Blakely accepted the tray that a maid had delivered without comment, turning his attention to his notes. William Montgomery's continued snubs didn't disturb Richard in the slightest, for the man had provided him with the desired invitation to Lord Claremont's ball.

His report on Catherine complete, Richard would soon be leaving Montgomery's house. He had only one task remaining, and the upcoming party would provide him the perfect opportunity.

It was simple, really. He would make an effort to enlist the girl to Devlin's cause, but if she accepted, it would merely be a bonus. The main thing was to make sure that he was seen talking with her by the only person who would care: Ransom Duprey.

***

Cat held a melon in each hand, gingerly testing their weights, while all around her the voices of the marketplace filled the air with smooth Caribbean accents. A gentle breeze, tinged with salt and a blend of spices, wafted over her, and she smiled, enjoying the liveliness to be found here, surrounded by locals and servants. No doubt, her presence was an oddity, but Amelia was always interested in the latest produce.

"They look deliciously ripe," said a low voice close to her ear.

"Too ripe," Cat said, dismissing the items. Ignoring the leap of her pulse, she tried valiantly to recall her resolve. And without even glancing toward the man at her side, she looked for Isaac, only to find he was not standing in attendance.

"I sent your man home."

"What?" Cat turned to confront over six feet of finely dressed male.

"I told him I would escort you safely home." With a rakish grin, Ransom leaned toward her and took the market basket from her arms.

"How thoughtful," she said. "And who is to protect me from you?"

"You seem quite capable of performing that task yourself."

In exasperation, she let him lead her to the gig, taking a seat beside him as he took the reins. "You can hardly blame me for this meeting," she said, her tone accusatory.

"Can't I?"

"You're the one who sent Isaac away," Cat said, eyeing him askance.

He laughed. "Ah, but a smart man seizes opportunity where he may."

Cat shook her head, but the delightful sound of his laughter was like a balm to her senses. Leaning back against the seat, she took a deep breath and let herself enjoy the ride. Snow white clouds adorned the bluest of skies, but did not obscure a golden sun, and she tilted her head to feel its warmth on her face beneath her wide-brimmed bonnet.

Lowering her lashes, Cat surreptitiously glanced at Ransom, whose brown locks were tousled by the breeze as he watched the road ahead. He was leaning forward slightly, one glossy boot higher than the other, while his long, slim fingers loosely held the reins. Eyeing his firmly muscled thigh, Cat was thinking just how well his clothes fit him when he spoke.

"Do I meet with your approval, my love?"

How did he do that? Cat wondered, for his attention had never left the road. The man must have eyes where his ears should be, she thought, not for the first time.

Ignoring the question, she returned her gaze to the sky. The heat and the clip-clop of the horses' hooves combined to lull her into relaxing her guard. Falling back into an old habit, she began finding shapes in the clouds, and before long she was pointing them out to her companion.

"There's a unicorn," she said suddenly, gesturing to a puff of white.

Ransom cocked his head to the side. "Yes, but she's about to consumed by the lion."

"Oh! Yes, I see him," Cat said with a smile, then sat bolt upright in her seat.

What was she thinking of? This was a game Cat had played many times with her captain, and it was best not to jog his memory too much. Although she had begun to take for granted his failure to recognize her, this sort of negligence could result in her discovery. She shot him a worried glance, but he appeared not to have noticed anything unusual.

"Have I grown a snout?" he asked, and she breathed a sigh of relief. It was short-lived, however, as he directed the gig down a fork in the road that led away from her aunt's home.

"Stop this carriage immediately, and turn around, you... you..." Cat thought of several fitting epithets, all of them unseemly for a lady to utter.

"It's a beautiful day for a picnic, don't you agree?" Ransom asked. His smile was beguiling, but Cat would have none of it.

"What?"

"I'm so sorry that your hearing is failing... and at such a young age, too."

Cat did not acknowledge his teasing. "Take me home right now."

"Calm down, my love. What say you to a truce? I'll behave with the utmost propriety."

Cat tried to remain adamant in the face of his entreaty. But he must have sensed her weakening, for he played his trump card.

"And your aunt's gone to such trouble to make sure we have a delightful repast."

"Rubbish!" Cat said, practically snorting. "I hardly think even Aunt Amelia at her most vague would approve an unchaperoned picnic."

"Well..." His slow grin did something to Cat's insides. "Not possessing your naturally suspicious nature, she probably did not anticipate Isaac's departure."

"Which you arranged," Cat said. "You are incorrigible."

“Ah, here we are, my love," he said as the gig rolled into a locust grove. Ransom jumped down smoothly and reached up to help her, one eyebrow raised in challenge.