How To Build The Perfect Rake (13 page)

‘I would be delighted.’

‘I’ll call around to see you.’

Olympia was looking at Carisse thoughtfully,
wondering if she had set her cap at her brother. The girl was
certainly eyeing Jasper Grayson with interest, although Olympia was
prepared to wager that she wasn’t the only hopeful female doing so.
She could hardly wait to hear his estimation of Miss Houghton.
Would he think her as divine as Luc apparently did? Much as she
wanted to prevent her friend from making an ass of himself the last
thing she wanted was Carisse as a sister-in-law. She could not
imagine her down at Pennimore Hall. Her family was a little
eccentric, perhaps, but it was a warm and loving eccentricity that
embraced rather than embarrassed. She tried to imagine Mrs.
Houghton sitting on one of the worn - but exceedingly comfortable –
divans in the family’s favorite drawing room while they all
prattled on, but it was too much to encompass and her mind
skittered away from the thought. Olympia’s mother was a delightful
woman, if somewhat vague. She simply could not imagine what the two
women would have to talk about.

As if sensing her thoughts, Jasper caught
her eye and gave her a quick wink and Olympia felt better
immediately. As glorious as Carisse was, she rather thought her
brother needed something more in a female than looks so it was good
to know he wasn’t taking the situation seriously. Although, she
thought wryly, she would have said the same thing about Luc a month
ago… Why did perfectly good men go to mush when it came to women
like Carisse Houghton? The minute they laid eyes on a lovely face
their wits seemed to go wandering, to be replaced by something she
did not care for at all.

‘Shall we dance?’ Jasper demanded, cocking
an eyebrow at Carisse.

‘That would be -’

Very nice,
Olympia supplied silently.

‘ –
lovely.’

Ooo, she must
really
like Jasper! She
and Luc, along with a gaggle of disappointed males, watched as
Jasper swept the Season’s Beauty away, stepping onto the floor of
the flower bower.

Olympia glanced up at
Luc’s crestfallen expression and nudged him sharply in ribs. ‘You
can always dance with
me
.’

‘Well of course I can,’ he returned quickly.
‘Would you care to dance?’

‘Certainly. I shall attempt to step on your
toes so many times that you will forget all about my brother
dancing with Carisse. It’s the least I can do.’

He led her onto the floor. ‘Your brother is
a damned nuisance.’

‘You can tell him so later.’

‘And so I shall. What does he mean, coming
here and queering my pitch?’

‘Much as it is Carisse’s duty to be
ridiculously beautiful, it is Jasper’s to flirt with her. He
doesn’t mean anything by it.’ She frowned up at him. ‘Is it a
certainty then, you winning the hand of the Houghton?’

‘An hour ago I would have said yes. Now I’m
not so sure. I was certain that she was beginning to like me a
little.’

‘Well, she probably does. Your new persona
is very appealing. To a certain sort of female.’

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ He sounded
suspicious.

Olympia grinned, managing a small shrug
without missing a step. ‘Girls such as Carisse are only interested
in men who appear unattainable or have an air of devilment about
them or sing peons to their wondrous beauty. I don’t actually think
they think about getting to know a gentleman to see if they like
them. In fact, I don’t suppose it even enters into their heads to
do so.’

‘And what are you
basing
that
on?’

‘Observation, my dear boy.’

‘I think you do poor Miss Houghton an
injustice.’

Olympia refrained from snorting, although
the word ‘poor’ in relation to Carisse was singularly
inappropriate. Unlike Luc, she had spent time with the girl. ‘You
really are bone brained, Lucien St James.’

‘Thank you. You know, she barely glanced at
me when Jasper was there.’

‘And what does that tell you?’

She heard him sigh. ‘I have no idea. Women
are the very devil when it comes to comprehensible behavior. Why
can’t they be all like you? At least you speak your mind. I know
where I stand with you.’

Not exactly true. If she
told him what she truly thought, he probably wouldn’t speak to her
for weeks. But how could she
really
tell him that she thought he was making a
dreadful mistake about Carisse? He fancied himself in love (based
on what, she could not fathom) and nothing she said would make any
difference.

It was really very vexing
but at least she felt a great deal better about setting Jasper
after the Beauty. Perhaps Luc would see what a shallow creature his
silly Carisse was.
And perhaps you’re
chasing moonbeams
, a voice inside
retorted. But she couldn’t understand how her friend could not see
for himself how superficial the Houghton was. Both of them danced
for a time in introspective silence.

‘Forget about my feckless brother,’ Olympia
said, rousing herself. This would never do. ‘He shall be returning
to Warwickshire in no time, no doubt leaving a trail of broken
hearts behind him after only a few days work. Regale me instead
with your new persona. Be a rake for me.’

He gave her a startled look. ‘Pardon?’

‘Play the rake for me. You seem to be able
to do it with other females. I want to know what all the fuss is
about.’

He paused for a moment. ‘I don’t think I
could. Not with you. It only works on other people because they
don’t know me whereas you… well, you’re my best friend.’

This was very touching and for a moment,
Olympia felt emotion well up within her. She would like to think
that they would always be best friends but who knew what life had
to offer in the future? Tolerant wives were few and far between and
probably wouldn’t understand her relationship with Luc. Determined
to put aside these thoughts, she smiled up at him.

‘Try. Please? Consider it a challenge.’

He hesitated for a moment, then a subtle
change seemed to come over him. A small smile curved his mouth, his
eyelids seemed to droop a little and the body that was twirling her
around the floor became looser, more relaxed. It was all very
minute and yet it altered him completely.

‘My dear girl,’ he drawled, an undertone of
smoky amusement giving his words a husky purr. ‘Is that a new
hairstyle? It suits you. Has any man ever compared your eyes to the
night sky, Miss Grayson? They must have for your eyes have the same
velvet darkness of a moonless night. Oh yes,’ he murmured, the tone
dropping a little bit further, making the words more intimate.
More… sensual. ‘I am quite sure some poor fool has compared your
eyes to a night sky for you must have captured so many susceptible
men in them…’

Olympia stared up at him,
unnerved and… heavens, she did not know
what
she was. The words were just
words but when Luc said them in that voice they became so much more
and a strange shaft of something hot and sweet pieced her. She
moistened lips that suddenly felt parched.

Blue eyes – Luc’s eyes –
had taken on a smolder. They stared at her as if she were the only
woman in the world and suddenly she felt hot all the way
through.
What on earth was wrong with
her…

‘Well?’ he said, after a moment.

‘Well?’ she repeated blankly.

‘What do you think?’

What did she
think
? For a moment
longer, Olympia continued to look up at him while she collected her
scattered thoughts. Then she drew a deep breath. ‘Is that what
you’ve been doing to all the girls?’

‘I had to practice. I’ve been trying to hone
my skills.’

‘I see.’ She thought his skills were very
good. A great deal better than she had thought they would be,
anyway. She had felt quite peculiar when he had spoken to her in
that low, intense tone of voice. It was ridiculous – this was Luc,
after all – but it was true, none the less. He had taken a nonsense
compliment and he had made her shiver with it. ‘I think you have
done very well.’

He grinned and suddenly it was her Luc
again, the one she knew so well. ‘I must say, it works a great deal
better than I thought it would. I mean, it’s not as if I’m a
bone-a-fide rake, or anything but I’m carrying this whole thing of
rather well. At least, I think I am.’

Rather
too
well, perhaps. Olympia, suddenly
a great deal more understanding of how things had changed for her
friend and was forced to admit he had made a success of the whole
enterprise. The dance finished and he led her off the floor,
seemingly oblivious to the impression that he had left on her.
Olympia was happy to surrender him up to some bold girl who seemed
determined to secure herself a dance with Mr. St James. She wanted
time to think although, for once in away, she could not think what
it was that she should be thinking
about
. It was just Luc, after all.
He hadn’t changed, not really. Nothing had really changed except
that they were no longer given the freedom to climb trees or forage
for mushrooms in the grounds of their respective homes. They were
growing up, something that Olympia found a little
tedious.

Perhaps it was fortunate that she was not
given the opportunity to dwell on things overly much for she was
asked to dance every dance and after an hour found herself, flushed
and breathless, at her Aunt Flora’s side. Her aunt gave her an
indulgent look.

‘Enjoying yourself?’

‘Indeed I am.’

‘I see that brother of yours is up to his
usual tricks.’

‘Is he still charming Miss Houghton?’

‘Among others. It’s quite scandalous how
charming that young man is. I believe a law should be passed
against it.’ As if summoned by the mention of his name, the young
man in question appeared before them. His aunt looked him over with
the same indulgent expression as she had given her niece, tapping
him on the arm with her fan. ‘La, speak of the devil! What have you
been up to, you naughty boy?’

Jasper gave his aunt a melting glance. It
had always proved singularly efficacious in the past and was
guaranteed to work on females of all ages and most four legged
animals. ‘Endearing myself to the populace.’

‘Yes, that is what I am afraid of. I don’t
suppose you have come up to town to find yourself a suitable
match?’ There was a hopeful note in Aunt Flora’s voice.

He held up a hand, warding off this alarming
suggestion. ‘Oh dear me no! While I would be delighted to find the
love of my life, there are so many glorious young ladies about I
simply cannot decide on one. Besides,’ he grinned at his aunt
wickedly, ‘how can I possibly surrender my heart when you hold such
a large part of it, dear Aunt Flora?’

Olympia laughed at this
outrageous comment. ‘You wretch, Jas. Don’t tease poor Aunt Flora.
And do
not
go
tumbling into some scandal or other. Our aunt’s poor nerves cannot
take it.’

‘I do not know where you get your ideas
from,’ her brother said cheerfully. ‘As if I would do any such
thing. Your young man is more likely to do that. He really has got
the hang of this man about town business. I will allow that I’m
impressed.’

Olympia frowned. She did not want to be
reminded of how successful Luc was proving to the female of the
species. ‘He’s an ass.’

‘Never said he wasn’t. That Carisse is
glorious but she’s not exactly setting the world alight with her
intellect. Devilish dull when you get past the delightful exterior.
Anyway, I’ve come to watch the fireworks with you both. I believe
they’re about to start.’

Much cheered by this assessment of the
Houghton, Olympia tucked her hand into her brother’s arm and they
wandered down to the riverbank where others were gathered for word
had spread that the fireworks display – always a popular spectacle
– was about to begin. It wanted but a few minutes to midnight,
usually the witching hour for such stuff. Olympia glanced around
her and she caught sight of Luc, not fifteen feet away, his head
bent towards Carisse who was smiling at something he said. A shaft
of unhappiness pierced her, so sharp that she drew a quick breath,
unconsciously bracing herself as if she had just received a blow.
Which she had, in a way, for it suddenly became unpleasantly clear
to her why she held Luc’s desire to wed Miss Houghton in such
distaste.

It came like a bolt out of the blue and for
a moment it froze her where she stood, reeling inwardly while her
world was shaken about violently, thoughts scattering like feathers
from one of the goose down pillows she and her brothers used to
fight with. She took a breath, a deep one and tried to orientate
herself. And then another because rearranging thoughts and feelings
that had been embedded for years took some doing.

Then finally, she had it.

She did not want Luc to
marry Carisse because… because she did not want
anybody
to marry him. She did not
want some nice girl who would make him happy, not unless
she
was the nice girl in
question.

‘Well… damn!’ she said on a note of wonder,
softly but not so softly that her brother’s sharp ear did not hear
her. He turned his head and arched an eyebrow.

‘My dear sister… really?’

Olympia gave him a smile. It probably wasn’t
a very good one but it was the best she could come up with under
the circumstances because somehow, her entire world had been turned
on its ear. ‘Sorry.’