Diamonds and Dreams (54 page)

He calmed when he finally saw Diggory
hurrying toward him. “Did you find a good way to get in?” he
demanded, taking a step away from the stinking ruffian. “Do you
foresee any problems?”

Diggory shook his huge head. “There ain’t
never no problems fer me, milord. The job’ll be easy an’ over real
quick.”

Satisfied, Dane reached up to smooth the
hair at the nape of his neck, then began to walk toward the coach
he’d rented and left down the street. But a sudden movement at an
upstairs window of the house stilled him. Though the room was dark,
the moon provided sufficient light for him to understand that
someone had opened the draperies. He strained to see the person,
but could make out little more than a shadowy form. In the next
instant the person moved away.

Dane smiled. Perhaps it had been Goldie Mae.
Even if it hadn’t been, he knew the bitch was living in the
house.

Tomorrow night she would die in it.

* * *

Saber sat in the corner of the drawing room,
watching Goldie. He felt sorry for her, but couldn’t think of a way
to help her out of her predicament. The aunties were explaining the
positions of servants this afternoon, and it was apparent to Saber
that Goldie couldn’t have cared less. Feeling a touch of deviltry,
he winked at her.

Goldie’s eyes widened. Her heart began to
flutter like a leaf in the wind.

“All right, Goldie,” Clara said. “Lucille
and I must be leaving for our engagement shortly, but we have a few
minutes to go over this once again. Now if you are living in a
country estate, tell me about the servants you would employ. Start
with the most important of those, and work your way down.”

Goldie twirled a curl around her finger,
then began fidgeting with the fragile lace at the cuff of her
sleeve. “Miss Clara,” she hedged, resisting the urge to look at
Saber, “I’m never gonna live in a country estate. Why do I have to
learn about the servants who—”

“Because it is something every proper young
lady should know,” Clara answered.

Her mention of a proper young lady made
Goldie think of last night. Daring to cast a shy glance at Saber,
she remembered all the improper things they’d done, wishing they
could do them again right now.

Saber read her thoughts and blew her a
kiss.

Goldie squirmed in her chair. Great day Miss
Agnes, if she didn’t stop looking at him, the aunties would surely
figure out what was going on between her and Saber.

Oh, but it was impossible not to watch him!
Lord, he was so handsome. And so naughty, too. He knew full well
what his crooked grins, sly winks, and sexy looks were doing to do
her.

The thought brought her a slight grin. If he
could do this to her, she could do it back. Slowly, as if she were
completely unaware of her actions, she lifted her hand to her
breast. Laying her palm lightly upon it, she ran her thumb over it,
then leisurely moved her hand down to her tiny waist. Finally, she
allowed it to rest on her upper thigh.

Seeing she had Saber’s full and undivided
attention, she lifted her other hand to her chin. With her index
finger, she touched her parted lips before smoothing her tongue
over them. She almost laughed out loud at the desire that leaped
suddenly into Saber’s wide eyes.

Clara clapped twice. “The butler,
housekeeper, and head cook lead the indoor staff, Goldie,” she
snapped, glowering at Saber, who was watching Goldie with eyes that
were far too hungry for Clara’s liking. “Under them are the
footmen, assistant cooks, parlormaids, housemaids, nurserymaids,
kitchenmaids, scullerymaids, dairymaids, laundresses, boot-boy, a
doorkeeper, and a watchman. Female domestics come under the
housekeeper’s authority, and the male servants are under the
butler’s.”

“And there is the lady’s maid, too,” Lucille
added, also glaring at Saber. “She is in charge of her mistress’
wardrobe. She lays out clothes and helps her mistress dress. She
washes, irons, mends, packs, and unpacks the clothes. Her other
duties include lighting fires in the dressing room and bedroom, and
also keeping those rooms tidy and well-swept. A lady’s maid should
have the talents of a milliner, dressmaker, and a hairdresser. And
it doesn’t hurt if she is a bit of a chemist. If she is, she can
prepare cosmetics and remedies.”

Goldie nodded without hearing a word.
I
love you, Saber
, she told him with a look.

Understanding her silent message, he
inclined his head, then shifted in his chair when the aunties gave
him another disapproving look. “I’m sorry,” he told them, “but can
you not see how terribly bored Goldie is? It’s almost five o’clock,
and the two of you have been at this for three hours already. Don’t
you think it’s time—”

“We’ve one more subject to cover, Saber, and
cover it we will,” Clara announced. “Why don’t you go—”

“I’m staying.” He looked at his watch,
seeing that it was almost time for him to leave for the jeweler’s.
Still, he had to think of some way to free Goldie from the
henhouse.

“Very well, Saber, but do behave yourself,”
Clara chided, then turned back to Goldie. “My dear, let us discuss
what is one of my favorite subjects—the Season. The Season, my
dear, begins in May and ends in July. Most of Society is in London
during the Season. People come for the gay round of social events,
and to see friends they have not seen in months.”

“One of the most important reasons for the
Season,” Lucille explained, “is to give young men and women an
opportunity to meet. It is quite exciting!”

“Of course the men and women are
strictly
chaperoned,” Clara went on. “Chaperones see to it
that a young man is allowed only to dance with a lady and escort
her to her carriage. Beyond that, there is no other physical
contact.” She gave Saber another well-aimed glare.

“Young ladies at balls should never dance
more than two dances with the same gentleman,” Lucille stressed.
“At private balls, a lady may
not
decline to dance with a
gentleman who has asked her, but at a public ball, it is considered
quite proper for her to dance only with those gentlemen she knows.
Is that clear to you, my dear?”

Goldie began to imagine how it would feel to
be in Saber’s arms while he whirled her across a ballroom floor.
She’d never learned to dance, but didn’t think it would be too
difficult if Saber led her to do the right steps. “What if you’re
at a dance with a man you love?” she asked, her gaze never leaving
Saber’s. “What if just the thought of bein’ held by another man
makes you sick to your stomach? What if—”

“Goldie!” Clara exclaimed, aghast.

“I think,” Saber began, standing, “that if a
young lady is in the situation you describe, poppet, she should
heed her instincts and pay not a speck of attention to any man
other than the one she loves.” With that, he strolled to her, and
picked up her hand. “Dance with me, Goldie love.”

“Saber, this is ridiculous,” Lucille flared.
“You—”

“Just put your arms around me, poppet, and
let me show you.”

“But—But there’s no music,” she responded,
mesmerized by the softness in his eyes.

“Ah, then let us make our own.” When she
slipped her arms around him, he held her in a slow waltz, dancing
her toward the drawing-room door.

“Saber!” Clara called angrily. “We are not
finished with the lessons!”

“Yes, Auntie, you are. I am rescuing Goldie
from your clutches.”

Clara stood. “And just where do you think
you are taking her, may I ask?”

Saber looked down into Goldie’s eyes. “I’m
going to dance her into the foyer. And there, aunties, I am going
to kiss her. If you don’t care to see such an immoral act, I
suggest you remain in this room.”

At his aunts’ astonished gasps, he waltzed
Goldie into the entryway, stopping at the front door. As he
promised he would, he bent to kiss her.

When his lips met hers, she quivered in his
arms. It was such a tender kiss, she thought. So sweet. It was as
if it were made of light, like the twinkle in a baby’s eye.

“I love you, Goldie,” he whispered,
spreading more kisses across her cheeks. Releasing her, he looked
at his watch, excitement charging through him when he saw it was
finally time to leave for the jeweler’s. “While I’m gone, I’ll miss
you. I have an errand to run, you must understand, and I have to go
right now. I’ll be back in a few hours.”

“But Saber, I—Saber, tonight is the
Chittin’don party. Please—”

“Goldie, I already told you that we will not
be attending.” He put on his coat and gloves.

“But you said you still wanted to go to
Hallensham and be Duke Marion. Saber, listen to me. Ever since last
night when you mentioned how disappointed the villagers will be if
they don’t see the duke, I’ve been thinkin’ about how right you
were. Some of those villagers are real mean, but other ones aren’t.
That farmer who tried to sell me his baby cow was real nice to
me.”

“Goldie—”

“And before I left, lots of people were
gettin’ together and plannin’ a homecomin’ festival. Hell, they’ve
probably got the whole thing ready to go by now. And I bet they’ve
spent their lifes’ savin’s on it, too. It’d be so ugly of us to let
’em down. Your bein’ the duke will be the last time they ever set
eyes on their precious Marion, because the real duke’s not ever
goin’ back there. It would mean so much to those people to see you.
I owe ’em a duke, Saber, and you’re him. You’re gonna be everything
they’re hopin’ to see. This Chittin’don thing is the best chance
we’ve ever had to do the final part of the duke research! We’re
gonna go, and that’s it.”

“No, we aren’t, and that’s it.”

“But—”

“I can’t take you, poppet,” he said, tugging
one of her curls. “I’ve something very important to do right now.
However, when I return you and I will do something special
together. I could arrange for us to have our own private party here
if you like. It can be as elegant as you want it to be, and you may
wear your new finery. Would you like that?”

“Saber,
please
take me to the—”

“We are
not
going to the
Chittingdons’ tonight.”

Frustration and fury fairly smothered her
until a new thought came to mind. It so thrilled her, she was
hard-pressed to keep Saber from seeing her excitement.

“Is that the beginning of a smile I see?” he
asked.

Her grin grew broader by the second. “I—It’s
all right, Saber,” she reassured him, swiping a speck of lint from
the collar of his coat. “You go on and do your errand.”

“So you truly don’t mind missing the
get-together?” he asked, confused by her sudden pliability.

She realized the necessity of acting upset
and tried to cry. No tears came. Dammit, she usually cried at the
drop of a hat, and now that she really needed some tears, she
couldn’t find any! “I—Well, ‘course I mind,” she said, casting her
eyes downward. “And I’m really mad at you, too. Mad as mad can be.
But—But maybe I can get us invited to another party before we leave
for Hallensham. Promise me here and now that if I can, you’ll go to
it.”

“We’ll see. Now, why don’t you get ready for
our special night? Fern can be your lady’s maid. I’ll be back in
about two hours.”

She nodded and waved good-bye to him when he
left. Grinning, she raced back to the drawing room. “Saber’s gone,”
she informed the aunties. “And don’t go gettin’ all upset over the
kiss he gave me. It was a
sweet
kiss, not the other kind.
Well, I’m gonna go upstairs now. Have a good time at your
engagement. ‘Bye!”

With that, she tore into the foyer and
bounded up the staircase. Once in her room, she closed her door,
hurried to her closet, and began rummaging through her new gowns.
“I’ll get ready all right, Saber West,” she mumbled to herself.
“For
my
special night.”

With a contented sigh, she brought forth a
gorgeous gown of rich, honey-colored satin and russet lace. She
thought it perfect for the Chittingdon dinner-dance.

And since Saber wouldn’t be there to smile
at her, she was positive she wouldn’t spill any food on it.

As his coach stopped in front of the house,
Saber took one last look at the gorgeous ring encased in the black
velvet box. The jeweler had outdone himself. The ring exceeded
Saber’s expectations, and he knew in his heart Goldie would adore
it. Snapping the box closed, he slipped it into his waistcoat
pocket, and quickly alighted from the carriage. Such excitement
pounded through him that he could barely contain himself.

Bennett met him at the door. “Good evening,
sir,” he said, taking Saber’s coat.

“Bennett, I want the fire stoked and lamps
and tapers lit in the drawing room. See to it that there is a
bottle of wine—No,
champagne.
Yes, bring champagne in there
also. Miss Mae and I will be celebrating tonight, and I want no
interruptions once I have escorted her into the parlor. Is that
understood?”

Bennett scowled. “Quite understood, sir,
but...I—Was Miss Mae aware of the celebration?”

Saber didn’t like the uncomfortable look on
the butler’s face. “Why do you ask?”

“Well—She’s not here, sir.”

“What?”

“No, sir. She left a little over an hour
ago.”

Instant fury left Saber speechless for a
moment. “Where did she go?” he asked in a very low voice, already
knowing full well where the wayward minx was.

Bennett realized something was amiss, and
wished he didn’t have to tattle on Goldie. “She said you could meet
her there, sir,” he replied helplessly.

Saber shuddered with rage. “She went to the
Chittingdons’, didn’t she, Bennett?”

“I—Yes, sir. She did. And allow me to tell
you how beautiful she looked!”

Saber closed his eyes, fighting
foreboding.