In the Garden of Temptation (2 page)

The dowager countess sighed, and he could see
even now her tongue itched to broach the subject. He smiled to
himself. She would never learn. She always made the mistake of
assuming his easygoing exterior betrayed a lack of resolve, but
Adam had a will of iron and was not above displaying some
temper.

He now watched as she raised her eyes and
scanned the gathering.

Lady Ashworth came to an abrupt halt. “How
did he get in here?” She was staring across the room, a look of
horror altering her elegant features. “Adam, do something. We can’t
possibly allow that man to stay. I’ll never be able to hold my head
up in front of my friends again.”

Adam glanced in the direction she indicated
but didn’t detect anything or, rather, anyone out of the ordinary.
“Which gentleman, Mother? Can you be more specific?”

“
I can and he’s no
gentleman. That fellow, the uncommonly tall one, very thin. Do you
see?” She sounded flustered and that surprised him, for the
countess was usually the epitome of self-control.

“
Calm down. I see him. You
did not issue him an invitation?”

She gazed at Adam as though he had gone
witless. “That man is not received in any decent household in
London, possibly all of England. Don’t you know who he is?”

“
Can’t say I do. Enlighten
me before I go and forcibly eject him from the
premises.”

Lady Ashworth gave her son a look of
annoyance. “You are not taking this seriously.” She snapped open
her fan and began to wave it vigorously in front of her face. “He
is the Baron Bourgeault and his seat is near Bath. His family is
quite upstanding, but he has spent the better part of his adult
years sullying their name. It is said his brother took their mother
and fled to Cornwall to escape the sordid life the baron led. The
father died when his sons were still young. Just as well the old
baron did not live to see what became of his heir.”

“
Now you mention it, I do
believe I’ve heard of him, but the rumors are old. What has he
done?”

“
Yes, he is from my
generation so, of course, I would remember him more. I don’t
believe he has tried to socialize in town for at least twenty
years. Back then there was much conjecture and innuendo. Little of
it could one discuss with one’s son, but his drinking and gambling
escapades were legendary. Suffice it to say, he is not the sort of
guest one invites to a special occasion.”

“
Well, Mother, I can go and
enlist two or three footmen to remove this
persona non grata
, but I see no way
of doing so without drawing attention to our predicament. Let me
speak to Ames. The baron must have come through the front door. All
the other entrances are guarded. I’ll see what I can
discover.”

“
I know you are right,
Adam,” she said. “Just, please, see what can be done.”

The earl strolled casually through his guests
toward the entry, stopping to chat with those individuals who
hailed him and bestowing that special smile he saved for the fairer
sex on any lady who happened to catch his attention. There were
many of the latter, and so it took several minutes before he
reached the front door.

Ames stood at the entrance, back rigid, hands
clasped at his waist, nose held at a proper forty-five degree
angle. When Adam met the man’s gaze, the servant watched his
master’s progress but did not relax his position.

“
Ames?”

“
Yes, my lord?” the butler
responded.

“
Your mistress seems to
think we have an uninvited guest who has managed to find
admittance.”

Still Ames did not move, but his eyes bugged
in agitation. “My lord, that is impossible. No one was permitted to
enter who did not have the required invitation.”

“
I see. You’ve been standing
here for several hours. Could a footman have relieved you briefly
and admitted someone he shouldn’t have?”

Ames stiffened, quite a feat being as he
looked fairly stiff already. “No one has relieved me, my lord. I
have not left my post all night.” He sounded wounded.

Adam hid a smile. “Beg pardon, Ames. Didn’t
mean to suggest you weren’t doing your job. Would you help me
determine how this dastardly fellow sneaked past our best
defenses?”

“
Of course, my
lord.”

“
I’ve lost my quarry for the
moment. Station someone at the door and we’ll go look for
him.”

Ames motioned over the nearest footman and
whispered in the man’s ear. The footman nodded and the butler
turned to follow the earl.

Adam advanced slowly into the ballroom.
Again, he could not move through the press of people without being
accosted from all sides by his guests. He graciously acknowledged
everyone who spoke to him, but he strode purposefully toward the
dining hall. Ames followed in his wake at a discreet distance.

The earl stopped at each doorway and looked
over the crowd. Not until he reached the card room, however, did he
finally locate the object of his search. Of course—he should have
come here in the beginning. Didn’t his mother indicate the baron
had a reputation as a gambler? He gestured for Ames to join him,
and the butler came to his side.

“
Ames, over at the faro
table, do you see him? Unusually tall fellow, skeletal body, looks
to be in his mid-fifties.”

“
Oh…I had a feeling about
that one. I’m sorry, my lord, I should have used more
discretion.”

Adam turned to his butler. “Explain,
please.”

“
He arrived late. Used that
as an excuse for me not to announce him. Said he did not want Lady
Ashworth to know how tardy he was. That did seem odd to me, my
lord, because most people do not worry about being late. They are
more concerned about being too early.”

“
Did he have an
entree
?”

“
Absolutely. I would not
have allowed him to pass without that prerequisite.”

“
Mother swears she would
never have invited Lord Bourgeault, especially tonight with all her
friends in attendance. Though,” Adam mused, “I suppose it’s
possible to obtain an errant invitation if one is determined. There
were enough of them floating about.”

“
Indeed, my
lord.”

Lord Ashworth continued conversing with Ames
while he studied the intruder across the room. As if aware of the
earl’s scrutiny, the baron looked up and directly at his host. A
slow smile touched Lord Bourgeault’s lips. He nodded, apparently
conceding his game had been detected.

That’s odd, Adam thought. It would seem the
man, far from being afraid he might be caught, had counted on
it.

The baron stood his ground, neither advancing
toward the earl nor retreating in a more cowardly fashion. Clearly,
the first move belonged to the earl.

Adam closed the distance between himself and
the baron in a half dozen easy steps. He never took his gaze from
the man’s face and, though he managed to appear civil, his bearing
purposely lacked any kind of warmth or welcome.

“
Bourgeault? It is the Baron
Bourgeault, is it not?”

“
I see you’ve heard of
me.”

“
By reputation, but it was
my mother who recognized you.”

“
Ah yes, the eminent Lady
Ashworth, a formidable societal institution even a quarter of a
century ago.”

The words were complimentary, but Adam
detected sarcasm as well. He took in the rest of the occupants of
the room. His conversation with the baron was garnering unwanted
attention from those guests nearest them, and the earl decided to
take their talk to a more private locale.

“
If you will follow me,
Bourgeault, I think we can find a place where we won’t be
disturbed.”

Adam led the way out into the hallway and
down the passage to a small parlor at the back of the house from
where French doors opened onto a small garden. As he passed through
the parlor doorway, he stepped aside so the baron could follow him
into the room. He left the door slightly ajar, aware Ames had noted
their departure from the card room. Within moments a servant would
be stationed outside in the hall in case the earl encountered any
difficulties with his “guest.”

He turned to face the baron. “Now,
Bourgeault, what can I do for you?”

The baron grinned. “Here is a man after my
own heart. Forget the niceties and move right on to the meat of the
matter.”

This time Adam made no effort to hide his
grim expression. “I observe the niceties when they are warranted,
but I see no reason to hedge. You entered my home without license,
and rather brazenly, I might add. You must have had a reason, and I
prefer you get to your point.”

“
Horses, sir.”

“
What?”

“
I wish to sell my
horses.”

The earl was astounded and he made no effort
to hide it. “Good lord, man, make some sense. You went to all this
subterfuge because you wish to sell me a few horses?”

“
Two horses,
actually.”

“
Why didn’t you approach me
at one of the clubs? It would have been easier—and more
appropriate, if I do say so—than this ridiculous ruse.”

“
I doubt you and I frequent
the same clubs,” the baron said in a dry voice. “It has been so
long since I have been on the town, I have neither the required
memberships nor the acquaintances needed to acquire
them.”

“
You’re not hoping I will
help you with that, are you?”

For the first time the baron’s composure
seemed to slip. Adam sensed he might have trod on an old wound, for
something shifted in the man’s strange black eyes, something
altogether unpleasant. He appeared to give himself a mental shake
and, with that, his facile expression returned.

“
You need not worry, sir,”
Bourgeault said. “I have no need of your sponsorship.”

“
If you have horses to sell,
why not take them to auction at
Tattersall’s
? Surely, that’s the
easiest way to accomplish your mission. I attend several times each
month. I’ll keep a lookout for your horseflesh.” Adam deliberately
made his tone dismissing.

“
I have no intention of
allowing the bidder to decide how much to pay for my horses. I will
set the price and it is firm. These are not just any horses.” The
baron’s voice took on a fervency that betrayed his passion for his
animals. “They are possibly the most beautiful pair of matched
grays in all of England. They are too special to send to
auction.”

Despite himself Adam was intrigued. “What
makes them so special?”

The baron grinned hugely. “Twins, my lord,
born at the same time, both male—identical in every way, right down
to the last spot on their lovely hides. They are my pride and joy.
I couldn’t sell them to just anyone. It’s my understanding you run
a first-rate stable, and that is what I wish for them—a
knowledgeable owner, someone who will care for them as I
would.”

“
That still doesn’t explain
why you have come to me. There is any number of individuals with
fine stables who would be pleased to purchase animals as remarkable
as you describe.”

“
But there are not many
people who are as plump in the pocket as you are. These horses are
rare and they demand a rare price.”

“
Why are you selling
them?”

The baron’s eyes took on a hooded look,
making him appear almost serpentine. “Money. I have a young wife,
and she has expensive tastes. I try to mollify her where I am able.
An older man and a younger woman, well, you catch my meaning. I
don’t want to lose her.”

Adam rubbed his index finger slowly back and
forth across his lower lip as he watched Lord Bourgeault. What the
baron had to say was not unreasonable. The man buys a young wife
and then finds himself in financial difficulties—he would do what
he must to keep her. It wasn’t the story that didn’t ring true, but
the baron who raised suspicion.

“
How much do you want for
the pair?”

Here the baron hesitated. “I would prefer you
saw them first. In all honesty, you are not the first person I have
approached. I’ve had two serious buyers, and both were unable to
meet my price. That is why I’ve come to you. Your known interest in
horseflesh and your wealth make you a prime candidate for
purchasing my beauties.”

“
Maybe you want too much for
them. As magnificent as you say they are, maybe they are not worth
your asking price.”

“
Come look,” the baron said,
his attitude now insinuating. “See for yourself. You won’t be
disappointed. My estate is off the road to Bath about twenty miles
before you reach the city.” He reached inside his coat and produced
a business card. “Plan to stay a day or two. I will give you ample
opportunity to inspect my special ponies.”

“
Can’t you bring them to the
London? It would be more expedient.”

“
I can’t risk injury to my
beasts to meet expediency. A broken foreleg on an extended trip
would be a financial disaster. It is a chance I am unwilling to
take.”

Adam took the card, aware he had been neatly
maneuvered into a corner. Of course, he could say he wasn’t
interested and end the interview at that point. But he was
interested. He wanted to know what had brought the baron to him,
for he believed there was more to it than the sale of horses. And
if he were wrong, at least he would have the chance to examine the
“most beautiful pair of matched grays in all of England.”