Delilah's Flame (25 page)

“You’re very quiet tonight, Aunt Emily,” she said, taking her aunt’s hand.

Emily’s serious expression subsided, but a note of it remained in her voice. “Thinking of leaving you and Dinah and Clement saddens me,” she said. “The weeks have passed too quickly. I’ll miss my girls so very much. And, of course, I am disappointed you and Dinah won’t be accompanying me for a visit in London.”

“Perhaps we’ll come next summer,” Lilah said, disheartened to have caused Emily any sorrow. After her last season as Delilah she might like a visit to England. Or perhaps once she and Barrett were married, they might include London in their wedding trip.

“I’ll count on that,” Emily said softly, and smiled. “I think what really bothers me is the thought of making that long voyage with only my maid as company. Don’t you fret, though,” she went on. “I’ll find someone interesting on board.”

Wan interrupted at that moment, announcing the first of the guests. For the next hour people arrived and Clement personally introduced to Emily each guest she hadn’t met already during her stay. One of the last to reach Damon House was Barrett Fenton.

Lilah stunned him with her warm greeting. It wasn’t like her to kiss him publicly, but she did so freely when he entered the drawing room.

The exhibition wasn’t wasted on Tabor. He felt his blood warming and quickly found himself sizing up Lilah’s intended. Barrett Fenton was good-looking if a bit bookish. His evening clothes fit his slender frame to a tailor’s perfection and he wore them with much more ease than Tabor felt in his hastily purchased ensemble. Tabor knew from Clement’s comments that he thought highly of his assistant.

After what he thought was sufficient time alone for the dewy-eyed pair, Tabor strolled over to them. “Mr. Fenton,” he said with a smile when he realized Lilah didn’t intend to introduce him. “I’m Tabor Stanton, a friend of Clement’s.”

“He’s mentioned you, Stanton.” Barrett extended a hand. He needed only that quick look at the ruggedly handsome Stanton, only a glimpse of the gleam hidden in those sharp eyes, to realize he ought to keep a close watch on what he considered his property. “You’re the new wrangler he hired, aren’t you?”

Tabor noted the put-down. He glanced at Lilah and registered the satisfaction in the blue depths of her eyes. He shook his head. “Just doing a favor for a friend,” he said. “I only work for myself.”

“I understand you won’t be staying long,” Barrett continued, holding tightly to Lilah’s hand.

“No,” Tabor agreed. “I’ll be heading back to my ranch soon. I’m sure Miss Damon has told you she’s agreed to pay a visit to the Cooke spread.” The devilish smile Lilah despised curled his lips.

Barrett missed it. He cocked his head toward Lilah, his mouth thin-lipped. “What’s this? You haven’t mentioned going away.”

“I...I haven’t really made up my mind yet.” Lilah hooked her arm through Barrett’s, but behind his back she gave Tabor a look that would shatter glass. “Anyway, it’s not important.” Turning aside to Tabor, she lifted her chin. “Will you excuse us, Mr. Stanton,” she said acidly. As she and Barrett walked away Tabor heard her saying, “He invited me and I didn’t want to hurt his feelings. He is a friend of Papa’s. You don’t think I’d have any interest in a man like...”

Tabor could have kicked himself. Why the hell had he done a thing like that? It was uncalled-for. He was acting like a spurned lover. He had no quarrel with Fenton. And hadn’t he sworn he’d keep what he had at issue with Delilah from hurting anyone else? Disgusted with himself, Tabor milled through the crowded room, spotting the prettiest girl at the ball—after Lilah—and making a beeline for her.

After dinner the party moved to the ballroom. Tabor had no problem finding dance partners, but as charming as the young ladies were and as intent as they were on capturing his attention, his eyes kept straying to Lilah. Seeing her glide over the dance floor, most often in Barrett’s arms, hearing her soft but demure laughter, he couldn’t believe that the same woman bared her limbs and pranced in saloons like a strumpet for miners and cowboys.

She almost had a halo around her head. People old and young flocked to her. Everyone seemed to like Lilah. Not one of the girls he’d danced with had made a catty remark about her. Apparently she inspired friendship and not jealousy, an accomplishment for one who so easily outshone her girlfriends.

He got a queasy feeling in his belly, thinking he might be doing Lilah Damon a great wrong. Maybe what she really needed was someone to help her straighten out who she was. He laughed bitterly at his sentiments as he touched the spot on his head where she had once beaned him with a bottle. Make an honest woman of Delilah? He’d better stick to getting even.

She whirled by in Barrett’s arms, shooting icicles at him as she passed. When the music ended, he heard Barrett explain he owed the next dance to Dinah. Before Lilah could leave the floor, Tabor appeared and swept her into his arms.

“This is my dance, I believe.”

“Believe what you like, you vulgar...” Lilah choked on her words and tried to pull herself free.

“Easy,” he whispered. “You’re turning heads.”

She saw that he was right, and quickly affected a smile for those who were looking. The music started an instant later and Tabor soon had her busy keeping step to a spirited waltz.

“I detest you,” she whispered from behind her smile.

Tabor pulled her closer, eliciting a startled gasp from her lips. “Such sweet words,” he teased. “I believe Delilah’s getting through that sugar facade you have her in.”

Lilah met his eyes without flinching. “Don’t flatter yourself that you know me so well, Tabor.”

He chuckled. “I don’t know you nearly as well as I’m going to.”

Unable to take any more, Lilah stopped abruptly in the middle of the waltz. Before she could slip from his arms, Tabor clamped his hand around her wrist and led her through the open French doors and into the garden. Other couples who had stepped out for cool air strolled in the torchlight. Tabor pulled Lilah past them and toward a bench in a corner where they could be alone.

“You are an absolute brute!” she cried, anger sharpening her voice.

“You’d be wise not to forget it,” Tabor warned. “The dance isn’t over until the music stops.”

“Barrett will be looking for me.”

“Barrett is being polite to your sister, which is no difficult job.”

Lilah’s eyes froze on him. “What are you saying, you barbarian? I warn you, keep away from Dinah.”

Tabor’s laugh raked her. “Jealous, Lilah?” She had missed his meaning completely. Hadn’t she noticed her sister was honey-eyed over her fiancé?

“Don’t be a fool!” She snatched her arm back but Tabor refused to let go of her wrist. “No power on earth could make me jealous of you.”

The devilish smile appeared on his lips. The music had stopped, but with her back to the doors and her temper up, Lilah hadn’t noticed. Tabor, however, could see another surge of dancers coming out for air. Among them were Barrett and Dinah. They moved past the crowd, but not completely away from it. Dinah, he was sure, had spotted him and Lilah on the corner bench.

“How about one from heaven?” he asked smoothly.

“Not one from heaven or hell,” she snapped back.

Tabor leaned close. Lilah felt her heart lurch. “I guess you’re pretty sure of yourself,” he whispered.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she remarked tersely, seeing deep lights of desire in his dark eyes, like lightning flashing behind storm clouds.

Her tattling shiver beneath his hand warned Tabor what his nearness was doing to her. Pleased, he shook his head in mock disbelief of her denial. “I think you know I wouldn’t look at another woman with you around.”

Lilah’s senses deserted her when he leaned nearer. “You wouldn’t?” Her voice faded to a whisper.

“How could I?” He edged even closer. “Not another woman in the world is as beautiful, as desirable, as kissable as you are.”

“Kissable?”

“Very,” he whispered, touching his lips to hers as his hands grazed her bare shoulders.

Lilah shuddered and her tawny lashes flickered down. Where was the desire to free herself from his embrace? Gone. Flown away like a night bird at dawn. Her arms, which ought to be holding him back, stretched around his neck. Her lips, which should be protesting his insolence, parted to meet the cloud-light touch of his. Slowly, maddeningly, he deepened the kiss, and the whole world spun crazily away.

She felt a sudden emptiness when he broke the bond. “Tabor?” she questioned, desiring an explanation for what she felt.

“Delilah,” he answered huskily. “Sweet, sweet Delilah. You’re the kind of mystery that drives a man out of his head.” His dark eyes flashed a threat. “I won’t be satisfied until I know all your secrets.”

Delilah. Delilah again. The name brought her careening back to the present moment and sent a flush of shame into her cheeks.

“You’re a devil,” she hissed. Quickly Lilah looked around to assure herself no one had witnessed her lapse of sanity. She was horrified to see she hadn’t been so lucky. Halfway across the garden, Barrett, with Dinah at his side, stood and stared. Lilah jumped to her feet, but Barrett whirled and rushed into the ballroom, Dinah right behind him.

Lilah spun around and cast a look of fury at Tabor. He shrugged it away. She could think of nothing tame enough to say to him without drawing half the guests in dismay. With an angry swish of her skirts and blood in her eye, Lilah stormed inside. She found Barrett in the drawing room waiting for his hat. Thankfully Dinah wasn’t with him.

“Barrett,” she cried, rushing up to him. “Please don’t go.”

Barrett turned toward her, his face drawn with hurt and anger. “What choice do you give me? Every man and woman here knows you and I will announce our engagement soon. Am I supposed to look the other way while some cowboy fondles you in the garden?”

“Barrett,” Lilah pleaded. “It wasn’t like that at all. It was a mistake. I’m sorry.”

“Lilah, I love you. You’ve let me think you love me. Dinah and I weren’t the only ones who saw you kissing Stanton. The others were just polite enough to look away. They won’t be polite enough not to spread the news to everyone here. Do you expect me to go back into that ballroom and smile as if nothing happened?”

“It didn’t mean a thing.” Frantically Lilah caught his hands.

“To you or to him? Lilah, a man doesn’t kiss a woman without it meaning something. Listen,” he said, the harshness lessening in his voice, “your father’s offered me the opportunity to take care of some business in London for him. I turned him down to begin with because I didn’t want to be away from you. I’ve now decided to go.”

“Barrett! You can’t run away because of this.”

“Lilah,” he said indulgently, “I’m no physical match for Stanton. If you want someone to fight over you, I’m not the man to do it. I’m not running away. I’m giving you room to make up your mind about what you want. If you marry me, it’s got to be because you love me. When I get back I hope you’ll know if you do.”

“Barrett! No!”

Barrett gripped her shoulders stiffly and kissed her on the forehead. “I’ll be sailing with your aunt,” he said. “I won’t see you again before I go.”

Wan arrived with Barrett’s hat. Without another word he turned and left her. Lilah gritted her teeth and felt her temper rise and pound in her brain like an angry surf. If she had a knife, she believed she could cut out Tabor Stanton’s heart. Damn him! How dare he place himself between her and Barrett? How dare he! Flushed with anger, Lilah would have liked to retreat to the sanctum of her room, but instead masked her wrath behind a shaky smile and returned to the ballroom.

“Where’s Barrett?” her father asked. “I wanted to discuss a few things with him.”

Lilah glanced anxiously at Dinah, who stood at her father’s side. Her sister’s face betrayed nothing of what she might be thinking. Lilah, however, felt sure she wouldn’t have told Papa about the incident.

“He left, Papa,” she said calmly. “He said he’d changed his mind about going to London and needed to begin getting ready.”

Clement’s brows shot up. “In the middle of the night?”

Lilah took a deep breath and went on, hoping she wouldn’t lose track of all the lies she was telling. “You know how conscientious Barrett is, Papa. He won’t leave until he’s finished up everything here. If he has paperwork to do, he’ll stay up all night getting it done.”

“Yes, he would,” Clement agreed. “Well, Emily will be delighted to know she won’t be making the voyage alone. I’ll go over and tell her.”

As her father wheeled himself away, Lilah decided she would go to her room just for a few minutes, thinking that some cool water on her wrists might soothe her nerves. Dinah declined to join her. Neither Lilah nor her father noticed, as they left Dinah in the ballroom, that she looked exactly like a cat eyeing the milk pail.

Lilah slumped in the chair at her dressing table. The cool water hadn’t helped. She wondered why she had thought anything so simple could ease her mind. Barrett was terribly hurt by what he’d seen. She couldn’t blame him. Nor could she fathom how she had allowed Tabor to kiss her again. One minute she wanted to claw out Tabor’s eyes and the next she was mindlessly entwined in his arms. She hadn’t resisted that embrace. Poor Barrett. He deserved better.

Still chiding herself for having hurt Barrett, Lilah left her bedroom. She did have an obligation as hostess of Damon House. Papa expected her to attend their guests. She hurried along, knowing she wouldn’t be able to stand herself if she disappointed anyone else tonight. Somberly she stepped through the doorway, but paused as, up the hall, she saw Tabor descending the staircase from the third floor. Lilah hurriedly slipped back into her room and waited for him to pass.

A few minutes later she again left her room, descended the stairs, and rejoined the party. She found Emily breathless from dancing and thirsty for champagne. Emily excused herself from a silver-haired gentleman who had taken most of her dances, by promising him more once she had caught her breath. Lilah sent a servant for two glasses of champagne.

“Are you enjoying the ball, Aunt Emily?”