Lilac Temptress (35 page)

Blankly gazing at nothing with her
arms folded across her midriff, she stood completely perplexed
about what she should do next that wouldn’t make her situation more
difficult than it already was. Sierra welcomed the silence though
she still couldn’t shake her wound. She had not fathomed just how
much of her happiness had come to depend on Drake’s presence in her
life.

In truth, she knew she had been
enraptured with him from their first encounter. Her own thoughts
and feelings had deceived her. What feelings of warmth she might
have hoped for between herself and Drake never had the chance to
grow, and any opportunity to develop any sort of relationship,
other than the platonic one they now shared, was forever
past.

As the sun began to rise, she breathed
in a whiff of air—infused with moisture from the river, and found
it utterly invigorating. The faint stirring of the cool breeze
continued sweeping over her, delivering up the scent of
irises.

“
Are you well?”

Sierra heard his familiar voice. It
was the voice that still had the power to send warm chills up her
spine. It was the voice she had come to depend on. She turned to
face Drake, standing in knee length cotton drawers and a white
unbuttoned nightshirt, which partially exposed his well-sculpted
chest. His feet lie bare against the moist plush grass, and despite
his transgression, she wavered at the breathtaking sight of him.
She hoped he’d read her brief hesitation as a response to his
surprise ambush. He was so very appealing, standing there and
looking at her with heat in his eyes. Though she wanted to ignore
every bit of him, her body continued to betray her with subtle
vibrations.

“
I was told you were ill,”
Drake continued wearily with a sincere look of worry on his
face.

“
I am indeed very well
now.” Sierra turned her head toward the thorny budding rose bushes.
She needed a distraction, and looking at anything, so long as it
was not Drake, would do.

“
Are you certain?” Drake
asked placing his hand on her cheek. “You look flushed, your eyes
are red and swollen and you will surely catch cold standing out
here in just this thin gown.” Drake’s other hand felt the texture
of her sleeve.

Sierra touched his hand and slowly
pushed it away from her cheek.

“
I should have told you,”
Drake whispered. He knew he had disappointed her somehow, and
within he was off balance, out of sorts, and felt less than a
man.

“
It doesn’t matter now,”
Sierra replied with soft reserve. “We were not lovers.”

Drake’s regret of that fact, which she
so clearly pointed out, seized him. “No we were not... Is all well
between you and me? I don’t want you to think that because I am
betrothed, we cannot still be friends. I promised you that I would
take care of you and I intend to keep that promise.”

Trying to veil her injury, Sierra
fixed her eyes on him. He spoke of them as remaining friends, but
friendship was the last thing she wanted. She wanted his heart. She
wanted his love, but all she could muster up the courage for, was
to coolly ask him, “When do you marry?”

“
Soon, three weeks to be
exact.” Drake shamefully turned his head away from her. He couldn’t
handle her incisive eyes, exposing him, as if she could see deep
into his heart and mind.

“
I wish you two much
happiness,” Sierra lied, keeping her voice steady. She would rather
die than let Drake know that his pending marriage to Isadora had
such a disturbing effect on her, but it was not easy to be cordial
and act as if she were not despairing within.

“
Happiness?” Drake bit off
cynically.

Sierra raised her expressionless eyes
up at him unable to understand his mocking stare. His eyes flashed
anger back at her. The muscles in his jaw flexed, and his stony
face made him appear as if he were a complete stranger.

“
You are not who I thought
you were,” Sierra criticized him. She couldn’t hold back her
feelings any longer.

“
And who might you want me
to be?” Drake asked, studying her, his voice quick, sharp and
offended.

“
I... I don’t know,” Sierra
snapped, brushing past him. She could not keep up the pretense that
he hadn’t hurt her for another minute. She had to get away from him
before she collapsed into tears.

Drake’s hands caught her arm, holding
her in place, before she could take two full steps away from him.
He spun her around to face him. “Let me explain,” he pleaded
wholeheartedly, his voice filled with gravity and
remorse.

“
What is there to explain,
Drake? You are to be married!” Sierra hollered, struggling to set
herself free of his grasp, but Drake held her firmly in
place.

“
I must do it. I have to!”
Drake raised his voice to match hers.

“
That is not a reason, only
an excuse. Why? Why marry, especially if you don’t want
to?”

Drake calmed himself. He
did not want to wake the entire house. “But I
do
want to. I always have wanted to.”
His voice trailed off—the affliction in her eyes tore at his
guilt-ridden heart. Drake continued, softly, “I shouldn’t have let
it go so far with us. I shouldn’t have lead you on; I needed to
protect you, but you and I are not meant for one
another.”

“
Protect me... from what,
from whom—Wil? Is this what you have been doing all along by
bringing me here? Is this what you’ve been telling yourself?”
Sierra searched his face looking for a sign that he might still
desire her. Seeing nothing but his obscurity, she jerked her arm
hard out of his hand, and at last free of him, turned toward the
house, eyeing her escape.

Drake grunted, catching sight of a
servant who rushed through the large veranda doors toward them,
momentarily distracting him from his urgent need to catch Sierra in
his grasp once more.

“
Master McCalister, the
servants are scouring the house for you, sir! You have a guest who
has just arrived. She demands your presence immediately!” A female
attendant called out, racing toward him until she was at his
feet.

“
Who is it that comes at so
early an hour?” Drake demanded. “I am not receiving any guests
right now.”

The woman immediately bowed her head,
making sure not to forget her place, “My Lady says she is Isadora
Marcos and she insists that you do come at once sir,” she spoke
with her eyes kept low, respectfully waiting on further
instructions.

Sierra observed Drake with large
paralyzed eyes. Drake returned her perplexed stare. He shook his
head from side-to-side, expressing his ignorance of Isadora’s
arrival—she was the last person on earth he wanted to see right
now. “Sierra—I’m sorry, I have to go.” He dismissed the maid and
hurried indoors.

Sierra wanted to run far away, but
instead her heavy curiosity got the better of her and she scurried
into the house keeping a safe distance behind Drake to avoid any
further wasted arguments with him.

* * *

“
Isadora.” Drake extended
his hand to the regal woman, helping her remove her black velvet
beaded cape. Her hair fell in dark loose curls to her waist. She
was dressed in a fine sky blue satin and lace day dress, and wore
enough jewels to rival the Queen of England—Isadora was an image of
perfection.

Drake’s servants were bringing
suitcases and bags into the foyer.

“
Your visit is unexpected.”
Drake greeted Isadora with a look of surprise and a kiss to her
hand. “You’ve caught me uninformed.” Drake removed her day coat one
arm at a time and handed it to the butler.

“
Do you not remember that I
have always told you that your estate is the perfect place for us
to wed? I have come here to start our preparations,” Isadora
responded delightfully, stepping closer to him. She clutched the
back of his neck, drawing him closer, before kissing his lips
shamelessly. Drake promptly pulled away, and lightly gripped her
shoulders to set her aside.

Isadora suspiciously glared at him. “I
take it you are not pleased to see me?”

“
It is not that. You are
most welcome—soon this will be your home. However, I wasn’t
expecting you to do the planning here, and you’ve called on me at a
very early hour. You mentioned nothing of your plans last night. As
you can see, I am not fully clad as yet.” Drake sighed wearily,
giving her a slight smile.

Sierra tiptoed as closely to the foyer
as possible, and glanced around the corner secretly watching. She
dared not enter. She was sure that Isadora was unaware of her
presence, however, she knew that Drake had seen her. He had given
her a brief glance of recognition.

“
Isadora—what brings you
here so early?” Rosaline sneered with surprise as she sauntered
into the foyer from the direction of the kitchen. She was wearing
her riding habit, and Kyle—fully dressed for riding as well,
accompanied her, biting into a flat cake.

Isadora glanced sideways at Rosaline
and the handsome young man who stood next to her. She recognized
him from last night’s ball. “Rosaline, what impolite manners you
have. I would almost think that I am unwelcome by your tone of
voice,” Isadora scoffed while peeling off her pale blue gloves, and
then she held them in her hands.

“
I can’t imagine why you
would think such a thing,” Rosaline retorted with false
sincerity.

“
I spoke with your mother
last night, Rosaline. She does wish you would return. But now I see
why you choose not to. If you and your acquaintances were to stay
at Faircrest, then you would have to deal with spying.” Isadora
reproved her easily enough, her voice revealing a scornful warning.
“Really Drake, you should stop harboring her and send her home.”
Isadora gave Kyle a once over as the corner of her lips formed a
mocking smile.

Rosaline’s eyes narrowed with
bitterness. She would not let Isadora get the best of her. “I am
not running from my parents, Isadora, no matter what you may think.
I come here to ride,” Rosaline snapped.

“
I’m sure you do come to do
just that,” Isadora said accusingly, taking another quick look in
Kyle’s direction.

Kyle remained silently
uncomfortable.

“
Drake, you won’t send me
away, will you?” Rosaline implored with her lips protruding. Her
blazing blue eyes batted their long lashes while her hands clasped
prayerfully against her chest. She knew that if she left Newhaven,
Sierra and Kyle would be exposed for whom they really were. They
could not possibly stay with Drake for long without her there to
protect his secret from Isadora.

If Isadora found out the truth, she
would convince Drake to make them leave as soon as possible.
Rosaline knew that she was not prepared for Drake to send Kyle and
Sierra home. She’d already grown fond of them and she wanted Drake
to continue to help them.

“
Behave yourselves,
ladies,” Drake reprimanded gently. “You both should not start a
lovely day like this with such rancor. You are still welcome,
Rosaline. However, please do mind your manners. You’ve been
speaking to my fiancée with such impoliteness, and I
disapprove.”

Isadora grinned heartlessly while she
watched Rosaline’s face turn bright scarlet. She turned to face
Drake—Rosaline no longer held her interest. “I am here to plan our
wedding, and it will be easier for me to live here while I make the
arrangements. Three weeks is not a long time to prepare. Father
will hire the best coordinators and caterers and my planner will
meet with me here,” she said jovially. “It will be splendid,
Drake.” Isadora’s brilliant blue eyes flashed as she smiled up at
him demurely.

Drake, standing next to Isadora, was a
glorified figure of manhood, Sierra thought. But she wouldn’t allow
herself to think that Drake and Isadora were made for each other.
Instead she studied Isadora carefully. Isadora stood confident and
poised, and if it were at all possible, she was more beautiful than
she had been last night. She permeated the room with the superior
look of wealth that only the noble could exemplify. But there was a
deceitful callousness accenting her cherubic face, Sierra decided.
Isadora had a cold pretense in her eyes even though she genuinely
smiled.

“
Won’t you come out?”
Isadora urged, peering in the direction Sierra was hiding. “Or will
you continue at your pathetic attempt to keep yourself concealed,
eavesdropping from the shadows?” Isadora jeered, challenging
her.

Sierra awkwardly stepped from behind
the corner. “Forgive me. I did not mean to interrupt or intrude,”
she mumbled the words.

“
But you have managed to do
that nonetheless,” Isadora growled unkindly at Sierra, observing
her silhouette in her flimsy nightgown. “Do you not properly dress
before venturing out? You are not the mistress of this
house.”

Sierra lowered her head defenseless.
Kyle noticed the shame on his sister’s face, but decided to keep
his promise to not interfere in her personal affairs with
Drake.

“
She has been ill of late,
and had a need for fresh air, but she is better today,” Drake
countered, coming to Sierra’s aid.