Rebel Temptress (Historical Romance) (32 page)

I believe that you and my sister still have strong feelings for one another. If I do not hear from you in New York, I will assume that your feelings for Honor have changed.

Honor knows nothing about this letter and would be very upset with me if she found out. We shall be staying at the Broadmore, if you should wish to contact us.

Meagan

Adam read the letter three times, then wadded it up and threw it into the now empty wastebasket. Today was July 27. Honor and Meagan would be leaving for Paris in five days, but it was nothing to him. Let Honor go to Paris or even hell for all he cared, because he would never humble himself to her again. It meant nothing to him that she was free of Jordan Daniels, he thought. Honor had said she loved him and then sent him away. The past few months he had worked hard at forgetting her. What right did Meagan have to open up old wounds? He would be a fool even to consider going to New York. He would not allow Honor to become so important to him again.

* * *

Honor looked out the hotel window at the street below. It seemed strange to be here in the North. The hustle and bustle of the big city could scarcely be heard from the suite for rooms she and Meagan occupied high up on the twelfth floor. Outside this room was a world such as she had never known.

Meagan was in her bedroom preparing for dinner. Yesterday they had gone shopping and Honor had procured two gowns, the first new clothes she had had in a very long time. They had cost much more than she had wanted to pay, but Meagan had insisted she buy them. One was a gray silk with black velvet trim and could be worn in the daytime as well as at night, she had thought. The other was completely frivolous. It was a green taffeta that fit high about her neck, fell to the floor in front and swept into a bustle with a long train in the back.

Honor was wearing the green gown now, and she did indeed feel properly dressed for the first time in a long time. Meagan had told Honor that she wanted her to be completely outfitted once they reached Paris. Honor questioned her good sense in allowing Meagan to talk her into accompanying her to Paris. What would she do with herself while Meagan and her count were on their honeymoon? Meagan had insisted that Honor would have a wonderful time and, after all, Meagan had pointed out, there was nothing to keep her in Virginia now.

It had been hard to say good-bye to Jordan. He had kissed her on the cheek, and in that moment she knew they were both letting go of each other. It had been harder to say good-bye to Maggie and Darcy. Maggie had cried and begged Honor not to go, and Darcy had hugged her tightly, telling her she was glad her baby was leaving and that it would be good for her. Honor had promised Darcy she would send for her as soon as she had enough money. She had very few funds, only what Jordan had given her for selling Landau, and she did not know what she would do when that ran out. Her French was good, though, and she thought she might teach English to some rich man's children if she decided to stay in France.

Meagan came out of the bedroom looking every bit like a countess should. Her blue dress shimmered in the soft light as she walked across the room and looked Honor over. "Lord, you are beautiful. If you were not my sister I would refuse to be seen in your company," she laughed.

Honor's hair had grown longer, and the front was arranged on top of her head while two long curls hung over her shoulders. The green gown fit her to perfection, showing off her body to its best advantage.

Meagan smiled slightly. Honor did not look her twenty-one years, even with her hair arranged in a sophisticated manner. She could easily pass for sixteen or seventeen because of the air of innocence about her, and Meagan thought her sister was most probably the loveliest woman she had ever seen.

Meagan had been aware of all the admiring glances they had received while traveling and here in New York. It was Honor whom the men could not tear their eyes away from. Meagan wondered if Adam would come. Had he received her letter in time?

"You will make a fantastic countess," Honor said. "I look forward to meeting the man who causes you to cross an ocean to get to him."

Meagan laughed. "You may find this hard to fathom, but in spite of the fact that I have received a proposal of marriage and any number of love letters, I find it hard to remember what Pierre actually looks like."

Honor laughed and shook her head. "You are incorrigible, Meagan. I could tell you that you are making a mistake, but you would not listen, would you?"

Meagan frowned. "I keep getting his face mixed up with an English marquis. To tell the truth, I am not sure even now which one he is. Oh, well, I will know when I see him, I suppose."

"Meagan, you are teasing me," Honor said, feeling lighthearted for the first time in many months.

As the two sisters walked into the hotel dining room, all eyes turned to stare at them.

Meagan looked about her, feeling perplexed. They were leaving in two days, and Adam had not yet made an appearance. Either he had not received her letter in time, or he did not wish to see Honor again.

21

The waiter led them to their table and smiled at them brightly. Meagan was aware that she and Honor were the center of attention. She was accustomed to receiving admiring glances, but Honor was feeling shy at some of the bold looks she was getting. A man at a nearby table stared at her so long that she blushed and looked away quickly.

"You will soon grow used to men making a fuss over you, Honor. I predict you will be a sensation in Paris," Meagan told her brightly, scanning the room for Adam as she had done each day they had been in New York.

"I do not wish to be a sensation. It frightens me the way some of the gentlemen stare at me."

"La, beauty is wasted on you. Most women would be thankful if they were blessed with your looks."

Meagan saw Adam first. He was weaving his way among the crowd to reach their table. He was accompanied by a very well-dressed, lovely lady. Honor had not yet seen him, since she was reading the menu, trying to decide what to order.

"Well, what a small world, ladies," a familiar voice drawled.

Honor's head snapped up and she saw Adam smile at Meagan, ignoring her completely. Honor's heart seemed to be beating at twice its normal rate as Adam's cool blue eyes swept over her face.

"Do my eyes deceive me, or are these not the Landau sisters?" Adam said casually.

"Of all the people to run into, you would be the last one I would expect, Mr. O'Roarke," Meagan said, flashing him a tight smile.

The woman at Adam's side smiled at both sisters politely.

"I would like to present you to Lisa Maxwell. Lisa, may I present you to two old friends of mind, Mrs. Elderman and her sister, Mrs. Daniels, both of Virginia."

The lovely lady nodded politely, and Honor looked at her for the first time. Her hair was a dusky color and her blue eyes were lovely. She had the bearing of a lady, and Honor felt insignificant in her company.

"So you are from the South? Adam must have met you during the war," Lisa Maxwell said, making polite conversation.

Meagan smiled. "Would the two of you care to join us? We would be delighted if you say yes."

Adam looked at his companion for permission.

"I would be delighted," Lisa said. "There are many questions I would like to ask you about Virginia."

Adam summoned the waiter, who brought two more chairs and placed them at the table for the latecomers.

"I am glad you decided to join us. I confess to feeling out of place, our being two women alone," Meagan said.

Adam had not yet spoken directly to Honor, but she allowed her eyes to wander over to him as he spoke to Meagan. He was dressed in a black formal suit with a white silk shirt. He was even more handsome than she remembered. Seeing him was devastating to her. What was he doing here? And what was this woman to him? She wondered. Her heart cried out for him to acknowledge her, but she feared if he did she would not be able to hide the love she felt for him.

"Tell me, Mrs. Daniels, how does New York compare with your cities?" Lisa asked.

"There is no comparison," Honor said. "New York is very big and seems to have so many people from all walks of life, while most Virginia towns are small, and the signs of war are still very evident."

"Yes, the war was a nasty business. We are fortunate it is now over, is that not right, Adam?" Lisa asked.

"Yes, we are fortunate indeed," Adam said, still not looking at Honor.

Honor noticed the hand that Lisa placed on Adam's arm. Maybe Adam had found someone to take her place. After all, was that not what she had wanted him to do? She felt miserable, though, and could not bear the thought of spending the evening with Adam and this woman. Looking up, she saw that Adam was watching her. Honor swallowed a lump in her throat.

"What brings you to New York, Mrs. Daniels?" Adam asked.

"I—I am on my way to Paris with Meagan. It is merely a stopover."

"I see. You will love Paris. Did not Mr. Daniels come with you?"

"No, he . . . Jordan, I am not . . ."

Meagan cut in, coming to Honor's rescue. "What are you doing in New York, Adam? Can it be that Miss Maxwell has something to do with it?"

"Lisa and I are friends of long standing. I try to see her whenever I am in town."

"How nice," Meagan said icily.

The food was served, but Honor tasted very little, and when dessert was served, she pushed hers aside and stood up, unable to bear sitting at the table with Adam and the beautiful Lisa another moment.

"If you will excuse me, I will bid you all good night. It has been a long day, and I am exceptionally tired. Miss Maxwell, it has been a pleasure making your acquaintance. Mr. O'Roarke, it is always nice to see you."

Adam stood up. "Surely you will not deprive us of your company so early, Mrs. Daniels?"

Honor blinked at the sarcasm she heard in Adam's voice. "Please do not think me rude, but I have an excruciating headache."

"Would you and your sister consent to having dinner with Lisa and myself tomorrow night?" Adam asked coolly.

"I cannot speak for my sister," Honor said, "But I have so much packing to do. You will, of course, accept my apology." Her heart was breaking at his cold manner, and for the moment she wanted only to retreat to her room.

"If you cannot make it for dinner, we shall go dancing in the hotel ballroom, say about eight o'clock," Adam insisted.

"We would love to," Meagan intervened before

Honor could refuse. She did not know what game Adam was playing, but at least he had come to New York. That must mean he was still interested in Honor.

Honor wanted to refuse, but Meagan had left her little choice. If she refused now it would seem as if she was purposely trying to avoid Adam.

"Meagan, will you come upstairs with me?" Honor asked.

"I have not had dessert yet. You go on ahead, I will not be long," Meagan told her, determined to have a private word with Adam.

"Allow me to accompany you, Mrs. Daniels. It would not do for a beautiful lady such as yourself to go unescorted," Adam told her. His blue eyes looked dull as they stared into her green ones.

Again Honor wanted to refuse, but good manners forbade it. Adam took her arm and escorted her across the crowded room. She felt the pressure of his hand about her waist as he maneuvered her through the crowd. Once they were inside the lift Honor leaned against the wall for support and closed her eyes.

"You never did say why your husband did not accompany you. Had I a wife such as yourself I would not allow her to go anywhere without me."

Opening her eyes, Honor wondered how she would explain to him about herself and Jordan. "Adam, I am not married to Jordan. It is a long and complicated story, and I do not wish to go into it with you just now."

"I see. How unfortunate for Daniels," Adam said harshly.

The lift seemed to be taking its time to reach the twelfth floor. Honor thought the ride would never be over.

"You need not have accompanied me to my room. Will Miss Maxwell not mind?"

Adam smiled. "Lisa is very understanding."

The lift came to a stop and two more passengers got on. Honor felt Adam's arm go around her as he pulled her close to him to allow more room for the new passengers. She could feel the length of his body pressed against hers. His breath was warm on her face, and Honor began to tremble. She wanted to look at Adam and see if he felt the same way, but she dared not. When the door slid open she almost ran into the hallway.

"You need not come any further. I can go the rest of the way alone."

"Nonsense. I will see you safely to your door."

When they reached the door to her suite, Honor fumbled in her reticule, trying to find the key. When she found it she tried to open the door, but her trembling hands made it impossible. Adam took the key from her and inserted it into the lock. Then he handed the key to her, bowed, and walked away without a word.

Honor watched him for a moment then went into her bedroom where she threw herself down on the bed and cried hysterically. She loved Adam so much, and once he had professed his love for her. There was no evidence of that love tonight, and although she did not blame him for his cold treatment of her, her heart reached out to him and the perfect love she had destroyed.

Tonight she had overreacted to seeing him.  She wished she was already on board the ship and sailing for France, and she dreaded tomorrow night, when she would no doubt be forced to watch Adam dance with the lovely Miss Maxwell.

* * *

Meagan toyed with her dessert. She was trying to hide her anger from Adam's companion, but was only halfway successful. How dare Adam meet Honor in the company of another woman! It was insensitive and cruel. Meagan had seen the pain in her sister's eyes, and she intended to tell Adam just how angry she was.

"Your sister is very lovely. I can see now why Adam is in love with her," Lisa said softly.

"What! Adam told you about Honor?" Meagan asked in shocked surprise.

"He has not told me everything, but what he has left unsaid I can guess at."

"What are you and Adam to each other?" Meagan asked through stiff lips.

"I am flattered if you think we are more than friends. I have known him all his life as a friend of his sister's. I am now her sister-in-law, and I can assure you my husband Bill trusts me completely in Adam's company."

"But I thought . . ."

"I believe that is what Adam wanted your sister to think. He was terrified of seeing Honor again and he brought me along as moral support, and maybe to make Honor a little jealous. I wonder if he succeeded."

Meagan laughed. She enjoyed a good joke, and this one had completely taken her in. "I think it may have succeeded better than Adam dared hope."

Lisa smiled. "I am going to make myself scarce so you and Adam can talk. Tell Adam that I will be waiting for him in the lobby. It was a real pleasure meeting you, and I hope Adam can convince your lovely sister to marry him. He loves her a great deal, you know."

Meagan smiled. She did not usually like other women, but she found she liked Lisa Maxwell well enough. "Let us hope it will work out for the both of them."

Meagan did not have to wait very long for Adam to rejoin her. He sat down beside her and smiled slightly as she told him that Lisa had left her alone so they could talk privately.

"I was beginning to think you were not going to come, Adam. I feared if I took Honor to Paris the two of you would never see each other again."

"I damn near killed myself getting here. You knew I would come."

Meagan smiled. "You still love my sister, then?"

"How can you doubt it?"

"Adam, I want to talk to you on a personal level, and I hope you will not be offended, but I want to help you to better understand my sister. When you left this last time Honor was devastated, for she loves you a great deal. Even now I am afraid she will not marry you because she fears if anyone finds out about her background it will be detrimental to your career."

"My reputation will not suffer even if my friends and acquaintances know all there is to know about Honor. Is that why she refused to go away with me before?"

"Yes, partly."

"I should have known it would be something like that, knowing Honor as I do. But at the time I did not think. I was too upset, I suppose."

"Adam, there is more to it than that, much more. Honor is frightened of any kind of relationship with a man, and while I know she loves you, it will not be easy for you to get her to agree to marry you. Jordan just about destroyed her completely, and now she is frightened of all men, even you to a certain degree. Are you following me?"

"Yes, damn it! I know what Jordan did to her."

"Honor is frightened of a physical relationship. I pray that the damage done by Jordan is not a lasting one. If you were to convince Honor to become your wife, you would have to ... I would hope you would be very patient and understanding with her."

"Meagan, I understand better than you think I do, and I can assure you if I can convince Honor to become my bride I will be the most patient husband. Hell, I would marry her even if she never wanted to sleep with me."

Meagan laughed. "Something tells me that Honor will not only become your bride, she will soon become your willing bed partner."

Adam smiled down at her. "Do you know, Meagan Landau Elderman, I believe I like you better than any woman I know, with the exception of my sister and yours."

Meagan grinned. "If there is a compliment in there somewhere, it is hard to recognize."

Adam took her hand and raised it to his lips. "There is a compliment there, beautiful lady."

* * *

The next day was agony for Honor. The morning seemed to pass quickly, bringing the time closer when she would have to face Adam and Lisa Maxwell. She and Meagan had dinner served in their suite, and as the waiter cleared away the dishes, Honor became more nervous and unsure of herself.

"I do not believe I shall go tonight, Meagan. I am really not feeling at all well."