An Unlikely Alliance (5 page)

"A gentleman never tells a lady she doesn't
look well."

He smirked. "Good thing I'm nothing of the
sort. Now let's take you home and get some whiskey into that
beautiful mouth of yours. Then we'll send you right to bed."

"I'm surprised you can say bed and whiskey
in the same sentence without trying to seduce me." Suddenly Evelyn
wasn't feeling very well at all. Maybe something was wrong with
her. She felt herself swaying and just had time to pull on Royce's
jacket before the blackness overtook her.

****

Blast! Royce cursed as Evelyn's limp body
fell into his arms. He called for the coach and lifted her inside,
careful not to ruin her pretty dress. He laid her across his lap.
"Love, can you hear me?"

Evelyn's eyes were still closed. God, she
was beautiful. He was a fool not to notice just how much until now.
Every part of her was lush, feminine. But her face—even sleeping,
she was aglow with warmth. Part of him still wanted to seduce her;
the other part wanted to stare and pretend he was good enough to be
sitting by her side, when he knew in his heart he wasn't even good
enough to breathe the same air.

"Wake up, love," he whispered again.

Her eyes fluttered open. A part of him, the
selfish vain part that he wasn't particularly fond of, died. In its
place was a desire to put her health, her ambitions, her needs
above his own. He was lost, and he hoped to stay lost forever.

"Can you speak?" His hands roamed over her
face as if to memorize the way her lips felt against his
fingertips, or the way her cheek fit into the palm of his hand.

"Wh-at happened?" Shaking, she tried to sit
up, but he firmly held her down.

"My handsome face was too much for you to
take. I can't say it's the first time a woman has fainted in my
presence," he teased, brushing an escaped tendril out of her face.
"But it seems you're all better now. Aren't you glad we are on our
way home?" After saying the words, he wished to God it were
actually their home they shared, not just her home he was taking
her to.

Nodding, her eyelids fluttered. "Thanks for
catching me."

He answered soberly, "I always will."

Chapter
Six

For being such a feisty little thing, she
was quite easy to manipulate when she was feeling ill. Somehow
Royce convinced her to wait for her father at the McArthur house
while he finished his evening at the theatre. She agreed and said
it was time for her father to have a little fun.

Now they were alone in his house late into
the evening. And oddly enough, he hadn't a thought about seduction,
only about her welfare, which was an entirely new experience for
him.

"Whiskey?" he offered once she was settled
in his study with a thick blanket.

"Please." Her eyebrow arched as she accepted
the glass. "I am feeling a lot better. I don't know what came over
me."

"You don't seem to be one to swoon," Royce
agreed, pacing in front of her. "Did you get any sleep last night?
Have you had enough water? Maybe you need more food. Oh God, I made
you eat your dinner in a rush!"

"Royce."

His mind exploded with possibilities. What
if the rat had gotten into the food, and he fed that same food to
her, and she was going to die and—

"Royce," the tiny woman yelled from the
couch. "Stop pacing, and for the love of God, sit down! I'm
fine!"

"Oh, right then." He sat, feeling rather
awkward that she had to yell to get him to calm down. In less than
twenty-four hours, this was what he had resorted to. Pacing,
panicking, drinking, and paranoia. Perfect.

"This is good."

"What?" He looked up and noticed her glass
was empty. The minx had actually drunk the entire thing in one
sitting. In less than a minute. Embarrassed, he looked down at his
full cup and threw it back, praying he wouldn't cough from the dry
alcohol as it drained slowly down his throat.

He pounded his chest to keep from choking.
Then smiled.

"It's strong." He coughed.

"I hadn't noticed." Evelyn stretched her
arms over her head like a little kitten. Or, on second thought, a
tame tiger. Or maybe…

He shook his head. "I'll get you
another."

"Yes, but only one. I can't go home foxed;
my daddy would throw a fit."

Bringing the glass to her, he sat and slowly
sipped. "You could always stay the night."

"Royce McArthur, that was the worse
seduction I've ever experienced."

"I'm terribly out of practice," he admitted,
drinking the rest of his whiskey. "I doubt I even know how to kiss
a woman anymore."

Evelyn rolled her eyes. "That's more like
it."

"Why, whatever do you mean?" His hand went
across his chest. "I'll have you know it's been years since I've
properly kissed a woman."

"Now it's my turn to call your bluff."

"Very well, you're right, but at least I'm
honest." Their hands brushed as he took her glass and set it on the
table. "Since we're being honest, I think I should tell you
something."

She swallowed and looked at him nervously.
"What's that?"

"I desperately want to kiss you."

Royce hoped his declaration would pay off as
his gaze rested on her lips. Her hand came up to touch his face.
His eyes closed, and he grabbed her wrists, lifting her closer to
his face.

"There you two are!" his mother announced as
she glided into the room.

Royce cursed under his breath and released
his hold on Evelyn.

"Yes. Despite all my prayers heavenward, you
have found us." Royce went up to greet his mother with a kiss. It
was then he noticed another intruder, Evelyn's father, hopefully
sans pistols, because Royce didn't feel like being shot tonight. It
wasn't as if he had compromised the girl. He hadn't even kissed
her. Yet.

Mr. De Jarlias went to his daughter and
smiled. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Oh, much, Daddy. I'm so thankful for Mr.
McArthur."

Royce let out the breath he had been holding
and winked at his mother, who shook her head and rolled her eyes
all at the same time.

"Well, we should be off." Mr. De Jarlias
looked to Royce's mom and winked.

Wait, what just happened? Was his mother
blushing? Suspicious, he watched as Mr. De Jarlias bent to kiss his
mother's hand.

"Okay, Casanova, time to go," Royce said,
pushing them out. He blew a kiss towards Evelyn and watched as her
father packed her up into their carriage.

"Mother," he said, feeling her presence
behind him. "Tell me that wasn't what I think it was."

"Oh, honey, nobody would ever find you
guilty of logical thought."

With that, his minx of a mother walked up
the stairs without bidding him good night. Something was going on
between those two. And he was going to find out what. If only to
satisfy his own curiosity, and possibly to gain entrance into
Evelyn's house, since he was done with flowers, jewels, food, and
anything else of good use during courting.

Chapter
Seven

Royce knocked twice on Evelyn's door before
it opened. The butler, not one of Royce's many admirers, stared at
him as if he was a rat needing to be exterminated.

"Ah, how are you this fine morning?" Royce
patronized.

Awkward silence followed.

"Right then, is Evelyn home?"

The butler grunted, and then opened the door
a little wider, letting Royce in. He was actually being granted
entrance, and he had no gifts.

Evelyn appeared. "You look shocked. I told
him the only way he could let you in was if you were bleeding to
death, or if you ceased bringing gifts like you promised. Since I
can't see any blood, I can only assume you've brought me
nothing?"

"Your assumptions are correct. I have no
gifts, no pretty words, and no blood. I hate to disappoint your
butler. I think he'd rather I be bleeding."

"Nonsense."

Royce smiled. She cared. She had to.

"We just had the floors redone, and it would
be an awful stain to try to get out, wouldn't it?"

He deserved that after haughtily thinking he
could sweep her off her feet so easily upon their first meeting. At
least she was speaking to him now.

"There has been a development," he said,
taking a seat in the salon.

"A development?" Tea arrived as Evelyn took
her seat across from him. "And just what has developed in the past
twelve hours, Royce?"

It was hard for him to speak after hearing
his name so casually on her lips.

Shaking his head, he answered, "Our
parents."

"What about our parents?" She reached for a
biscuit.

"They are hiding something."

"And just when did you discover you had a
problem?" Evelyn answered.

"Problem?" Confusion made him look around
the room as if she was playing a joke. "What problem?"

"The drinking. You are drunk, aren't you?
It's the only explanation I can think of."

"No, I'm not." Frustrated, he raked his hand
through his hair. "I'll prove it to you!"

"Prove what?"

"The sneaking around, the hidden looks, the
winking!"

Evelyn looked at him like he was crazed.

"I'm being serious; stop laughing at
me."

Obviously, she couldn't help it, for it was
a good five minutes before she wiped the tears from her eyes. "Are
you making this up so you can spend time with me?"

"Although my behavior in the past would
point you to that obvious conclusion, no. I'm not making it up, and
my mother didn't even deny it! Like I said, I'll prove it."

"When?" she asked, looking more amused than
she should.

"Tonight!" He pointed into the air with
triumph. "I overheard the butler, who was talking to the kitchen
staff, who were preparing a private dinner for my mother and a
guest this evening!"

"And you overheard it from the butler, who
heard it from the kitchen staff?"

Royce's brow furrowed. "Well, when you
repeat it like that, it doesn't sound as impressive. Let's just for
one minute say I'm right. Wouldn't you want to know if your daddy
was cavorting with a woman?"

"Fine, you've made your point. But if you're
lying, Royce McArthur, I might find that knife again."

"Impossible. I've hidden all sharp objects.
For my personal safety, you understand."

Rolling her eyes, she took another sip of
tea. "Where shall I meet you?"

He looked appalled. "Meet me? We can't have
you meet me anywhere! Just think! A young girl walking the streets
like a common—"

Her eyebrows lifted ever so slightly.

So he finished, "—person. I'm going to come
fetch you at seven tonight. We will then make our way to my house,
where we will sneak into the back via the servants' entrance."

"Perfect."

She sounded less than enthused.

"You could sound a bit more excited about
our secret rendezvous." He pouted, crossing his arms.

"First off, it's not a lovers' rendezvous.
If you're tricking me, I'm finding the closest weapon and using it.
Second." She held up her tiny hand, trying to be threatening. "It's
not technically a secret, because everyone involved knows about
it."

"Our parents don't know."

"Ah, but they don't know we know, so it's
different."

Royce felt confused. "Wait. That still means
it's a secret."

"It's not a secret!" she snapped, nearly
dropping her teacup.

Carefully, as to not scare the girl, he took
the teacup from her hands and started talking in soft tones. "Okay,
you win. It's not a secret. Have you by, uh, any chance eaten more
than the biscuits here today? I think you're hungry. It's probably
why you were so weak yesterday. You're spending all your energy
fighting your feelings. Maybe you should just give in to your basic
needs."

"Royce." Evelyn placed her finger over her
temple as if she were trying to conjure up some semblance of
patience. "I'm not hungry, for either type of food."

"But you're grumpy, and last time you were
grumpy—last time being the ball, you were grumpy. At least
somewhat. You wouldn't even let me seduce you in the gardens. Next
time I plan a seduction, I do intend to feed you first, so your
body is so busy digesting your food, you won't even notice my sneak
attack."

Evelyn smiled. "None of what you just said
had even a hint of romance. You do realize that, don't you?"

Royce shrugged. "I've lost my touch. At
least that's how it's been ever since we've been keeping
company."

"Correction. You've been trying to keep
company; I've been trying to elude said company."

He laughed, pushing himself off of the sofa.
"Oh is that right?"

The air in the room became ripe with tension
as he braced both sides of her chair with his hands and leaned
down. "Admit it. You kind of like me."

She met his gaze and swallowed. "Lying is a
sin."

"So give an honest answer." His breath
fanned over her face as he whispered into her ear. "I'm
waiting."

Another long pause.

He decided it was as good a time as any to
let her know what she was missing by constantly rejecting him, and
then he saw her face. It looked … oh, no. It looked vulnerable
and—dare he hope—willing. He couldn't seduce her, not when she
looked so pure and innocent—and perfect.

As he looked down at her perfect lips, he
couldn't remember why he was arguing with himself over seducing
her. That was the intended purpose. Without any more thought, he
brought his lips to hers in a chaste kiss, fully expecting to be
rejected. Instead, she moaned and wrapped her arms around his neck,
pulling him almost into her lap.

Not one to ever say no to a beautiful woman
he desired, Royce deepened the kiss. Slipping past the defense of
her lips, using his tongue to draw her more and more into his haze
of seduction.