In the Garden of Temptation (21 page)

“
I think it’s all in how one
looks at it, don’t you?”

“
Pardon me?”

“
Dawn is that odd time of
day when it can be either very early or very late. I admit it is
early for me. Can the same be said for you?”

Judith continued to study him in that
peculiar, assessing manner, and Adam felt the color suffuse his
complexion.

“
You aren’t going to let me
wiggle free of this are you?” he asked.

She smiled at him gently and placed her hand
on his arm. “Is it serious?”

He licked his lips. “You want to get right to
it, I see.”

He crossed the room and plopped on the
settee, still warm from his sister’s tenure there. Adam ran his
fingers distractedly through his hair and emitted a weary sigh.

She followed him, her slippered feet moving
noiselessly across the carpet. Sitting down next to him, Judith
eased her hands through his crooked elbow, drawing him close.

“
I’m not looking for a
confession, dear,” she said. “But, of course, I’m worried about
you. Thing is…” she floundered then as if considering how best to
tell him something unpleasant. “Mother has heard the
rumors.”

“
My God,” Adam groaned,
“this is all I needed.”

Judith nodded. “She’s not happy, I can tell
you. And if ever the messenger came close to losing her precious
life, Lady Pennington was that person.”

“
Lady Pennington told
Mother?”

“
She did and rather
gleefully, I might add. Our dear parent looked as though she had
been chewing on chain mail by the time the talebearer finally
departed. You have no idea how frightening it was.”

Adam chuckled. “I think I can imagine well
enough. I assume this happened last evening?”

“
Just after I arrived,” she
concurred. “Walter immediately disappeared, leaving me to tend to
the situation. Can you believe he chose that moment to no longer be
protective? I told him if he loved me and our unborn child, he
would never have left me in the middle of such a bloody
battlefield.” She shuddered.

“
I’m sorry, it’s really my
fault.”

“
I’m not trying to make you
feel any worse than you already do, but I did think you ought to be
prepared for the evening to come.”

“
Are you saying Mother is
lying in wait for me?”

“
Like a Bengal tiger with
hunger pangs.”

Adam winced. “You do have a way of making
your point, dear heart.”

They sat for several minutes in comfortable
silence, the only sound disturbing the silence being the mantle
clock as it chimed the hour.

“
Six o’clock—I suppose we
should consider seeking out our respective beds for a quick nap
before the storm breaks,” the earl said while in the throes of a
mammoth yawn.

“
Don’t you want to tell me
about your lady?” Judith asked quietly.

He hesitated, unsure how to respond to the
question. “Not much to tell, really,” Adam admitted at last. “I
love her, simple as that.”

“
Is she married as I’ve
heard?” Judith queried in a horrified whisper.

“
Irretrievably.” He placed
his face into his hands, pressing his fingertips against his
eyelids. “Loving Catherine is the greatest of joys and the severest
of aches,” he stated in anguished accents.

“
My poor darling. What are
you going to do?”

“
I haven’t the slightest
idea. One moment I’m in the clouds and anything is possible—the
next I’m in total despair.” His voice cracked, and he lifted his
head to look at her. “I can’t continue on this way indefinitely, I
know that. But it’s as if I’m in a carriage barreling down the road
at great speed, headed in an unknown direction. I’m aware I must
get off the treacherous vehicle for my own sake, but it’s more than
my not wanting to end the thrilling ride—I don’t think I
can.”

“
I don’t believe I like this
woman,” Judith declared indignantly. “She’s caused you entirely too
much pain.”

“
She suffers
also.”

“
She cares for you as
well?”

“
She says she does. I trust
her.”

Judith stood up and stalked several feet
across the room before twirling about, looking remarkably like a
round, wooden top spinning on its pointed tip.

“
Who is this lady? I can’t
remember ever hearing of her before.”

“
I can hardly believe Lady
Pennington did not mention names. What would be the point of
repeating all that juicy gossip if the guilty parties could not be
identified?”

“
All right, she did mention
a name but I was so busy being nervous, I didn’t take note of
it.”

“
Sweetheart,” he began
patiently, “do you remember the ball Mother gave many weeks ago?”
When Judith nodded, he continued. “Do you also remember a very
strange gentleman who attended the party uninvited?”

Her eyes widened in sudden understanding.
“Lord Bourgeault? Your lady is married to that man? Oh my…”

“
Just so,” the earl
acknowledged wryly. And truthfully, what more could he say? A
reflective hush filled the room.

“
How did you meet
her?”

“
We met when I accepted the
baron’s invitation to visit his home.” He was exhausted now but
lack of sleep was not the cause. He exhaled audibly.

“
Perhaps Mother was right,”
she offered.

“
What do you
mean?”

“
She said visiting the baron
posed a danger to you. What she didn’t know was in what form the
danger hid.”

“
I would not change
anything,” her brother averred mulishly.

“
I know, dear. I wouldn’t
suggest otherwise.” She held out her hand to him. “Come. I think
some rest will keep the situation from appearing so
hopeless.”

He stood and, closing the distance between
Judith and himself, placed an arm around her. “I know you won’t
believe this, my being so full of self-pity and all, but you’ve
made me feel better.”

“
If that’s true, it is no
more than you deserve. I cannot count the times you let me weep my
heart out on your brotherly shoulder. Tit for tat and all
that.”

“
Seems a lifetime ago,” he
murmured with regret as he hugged her tightly.

She smiled. “Everything will be all right,
you’ll see.”

“
I don’t expect sleep to be
a panacea for what ails me, but the thought of facing Mother this
evening makes me wish I could hibernate with the bears for the
winter. It really ought to be against the law for a harridan to
give birth.”

“
Adam!”

“
You disagree, sister
dear?”

“
Of course not.” Giggling
nervously, Judith glanced over her shoulder. “But I should be very
careful not to let the harridan overhear my views on the
matter.”

The earl’s booming laughter preceded them up
the stairs.

*****

CHAPTER 8

Perhaps anticipation can be blamed for the
inevitable outcome of a circumstance approached with foreboding and
distaste, Adam thought twenty-four hours later. Certainly, his
expectations for the evening were grim and, sad to say, he was not
disappointed.

The dinner hour began pleasantly enough. Adam
felt well rested and his spirits were much improved. He had dressed
carefully and despite his angst was determined to pretend nothing
ominous hung in the air. Of course, he was under no illusion that
simply because he wished it, his parent would cooperate.

He entered the salon as the hour stuck eight,
seemingly oblivious to the discontent that awaited him. Strolling
casually across the room, he greeted his family.

“
Good evening, Mother.” He
dropped a chaste kiss on the cheek the countess presented to
him.

“
Good evening, Adam,” she
returned in a cool voice from her seat on the sofa. “As you see,
your sister and her husband have come to visit.”

“
Yes indeed,” Adam stated
heartily as he grabbed his brother-in-law’s hand. “It’s wonderful
to see you, Walter. Hope all goes well with you?”

Walter looked taken aback by Adam’s
enthusiasm, but he answered in kind. “Couldn’t be better, old man.
I’m just working on this father thing, you know. Judith insists
it’s not nearly as easy as it appears.”

At the mention of his sister’s name, the earl
turned in Judith’s direction. “It’s been much too long.” He gave
her a conspiratorial wink.

“
And you, dear brother, I’ve
missed you as well.”

Lady Ashworth’s displeasure was pronounced.
“If this little charade is being played out for my benefit, I
suggest you both end it now. The boisterous laughter billowing
through the halls this morning was enough to wake the dead. I had
no idea my children were so inconsiderate.”

“
Now, Mother,” Judith said,
“we were having a bit of fun. Nothing wrong with that.”

“
I recommend you two find a
more appropriate way to amuse yourselves. It does not escape my
attention that you two have been sharing secrets.” She took a
delicate sip of her
ratafia
. “What is to be said will be
said.”

“
Naturally, Mother,” Adam
stated dryly. “You have some spleen to vent. Over the supper table
is as good a time as any.”

“
Flippancy does not become
you, Adam,” the countess said severely. She rose from her seat and,
clucking in disapproval, led her reluctant family to the
table.

“
Don’t incite her,” Judith
whispered furiously to Adam as she settled into her
chair.

He smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry if it
makes you uncomfortable, but she will have her say. I’m not good at
waiting to be ambushed, and I’d like to have it done with. Forgive
me?”

“
Always, you know that, but
you’ll appreciate my wish that I didn’t have to witness this
battle.”

Adam patted her hand while glancing across
the table at his brother-in-law. The usually tepid Walter wore an
expression of misgiving as he surveyed his wife’s comely features.
His regard shifted to the earl, and the two men shared an unspoken
moment of concern.

“
If we have finished our
private dialogue, perhaps we can commence our meal,” the countess
offered.

That effectively put an end to all idle
chatter, and the first course was accompanied by an uneasy silence.
Only the countess appeared unmoved by the tension, her steely-eyed
inspection slipping from one individual to another as she slowly
and very deliberately chewed her food.

The second remove complete, Lady Ashworth set
down her fork and cleared her throat. Had she trumpeted her
intentions, she could not have been more obvious.

“
Adam,” she began, “certain
rumors are circulating through society which, if true, are very
disturbing.”

“
Perhaps you would like to
be more specific, Mother,” Adam answered her tightly. “I dislike
innuendo. It is difficult to give a clear answer when the question
is not clear.”

Lady Ashworth stared at her son for several
moments, obviously deciding how best to continue.

“
I see. You wish for the
unvarnished truth.”

“
That would be refreshing,
yes.”

“
Then you shall have it,”
the countess stated emphatically. “It seems a young married woman,
quite beautiful I’m told, has come to town and created quite a
stir.” She paused as if to emphasize her next words. “A certain
well-known nobleman has begun courting this unsuitable lady openly
and in a most unseemly manner.”

“
I see nothing harmful in an
innocent flirtation,” Adam drawled.

“
Adam, refined people do not
act out their love affairs under the noses of a prurient public.
Have you no shame?”

“
I have done nothing for
which I need be ashamed.”

“
If that is true, all you
have to do is reassure me that the talk is grossly exaggerated.
Then I will advise a little discretion, and the subject will be
dropped.”

Adam had a choice at this point to make it
easy on himself. He could simply lie and repudiate the
scandalmongers, but an intrinsic need to be honest robbed him of
the opportunity to put the matter to rest. Somehow it seemed, if he
negated the gossip, he negated Catherine. This he would not do.

He glanced at his sister and Walter, both of
whom were watching him in what appeared to be dreaded anticipation.
Judith shook her head imperceptibly, her eyes begging him to
reconsider. He ignored her appeal, but he did suffer a pang of
remorse when her face fell in disappointment.

Adam turned to his parent. “I suppose I could
tell you what you want to hear, Mother, but that would be a
cowardly response and, frankly, I don’t want to compound our
difficulties with a falsehood. My feelings for Lady Bourgeault are
very sincere.”

At this direct announcement, Lady Ashworth’s
temper flared. “Do you have any idea the pain and disillusionment
that awaits you if you persist in pursing this course of action?
Only a fool allows himself to care for an individual who is out of
reach.”

“
Sometimes rational
consideration has little to do with it.”