The Duke's Cinderella Bride (12 page)

Hawk shoulders stiffened as he exerted every effort of his considerable will over his own temper in order to prevent himself from responding to Arabella’s deliberately provocative taunt.

Knowing that he was responsible for leaving himself open to such comments in having brought Jane here at all in no way lessened the impatient anger he was feeling.

Why had Jane left the house?

Where could she have been going?

As far as he was aware, Jane was completely unfamiliar with her surroundings—so why would she have gone outside at all so soon after her arrival?

J
ane arched mocking brows as she stared down the length of the dining table at her host. ‘Do I take it that your interview with Lady Arabella did not go well this afternoon, Your Grace?’ There had been no opportunity for Jane to speak to him since his conversation with his sister, although she had seen him in conversation with the butler earlier, when she’d returned from her walk outside.

Still, her observation concerning his sister was a fairly accurate one to have made, considering the two of them were seated alone at the table in what Jenkins had informed Jane was ‘the family dining room’. Lady Arabella, and the Duke’s aunt, Lady Hammond, had both sent down their apologies.

That Jane and the Duke were seated at either end of a table that could have seated twelve only added to the feeling of distance that had been stretching further and further between the two of them since their arrival at Mulberry Hall earlier today.

The Duke looked as immaculate as ever tonight, in
black evening clothes and snowy white linen, but the impeccable formality of his dress only made Jane more aware of the inadequacy of the muslin gown she had worn on the day she’d left Markham Park, which was all she had to change into for dinner.

‘My conversation with Arabella, as you so rightly guess, Jane, did not go well,’ the Duke confirmed impatiently. ‘Were you ever such a contrary miss, Jane?’ he added with languid weariness.

Jane was very aware, even if the Duke was not, of the presence of the stiffly unreadable demeanour of Jenkins, as he quietly attended them by removing their empty fish plates from the table. She was also aware that this was definitely not one of those occasions when they were ‘not in the presence of others’—which meant that the Duke was being far too familiar with a woman he had supposedly engaged as companion to his young sister. Especially as that sister had not even had the good manners to join them!

‘Such behaviour would have been seen as self-indulgence, Your Grace,’ she answered him, somewhat distantly.

‘I suppose that it would,’ Hawk acknowledged ruefully, and he realised how ridiculous had been his question after the way in which Jane had been treated by her guardians. At the same time he could see, from Jane’s awkward glance in Jenkins’ direction, that she was not happy conducting this conversation in front of his butler.

‘That will be all, thank you, Jenkins.’ He dismissed the elderly man once the roast beef and vegetables had been served to them. ‘I will ring for you when we are in need of you again.’

If the butler saw anything unusual about this turn of events he did not show it by so much as a flicker of an eyebrow as he bowed formally before leaving the room.

Hawk sighed. ‘The unfortunate situation developing between Arabella and myself has shown me how little experience I have in dealing with the capriciousness of young ladies, Jane.’

‘You surprise me, Your Grace.’

Hawk could not fail to notice the mocking glint in her eyes. ‘Young ladies that are related to me, Jane!’

‘Of course, Your Grace.’ She nodded coolly. ‘But if that truly is the case, perhaps the answer might be to forget that Lady Arabella is related to you…?’

Hawk had far from forgotten Jane’s disappearance outside earlier this evening. Or the fact that she had returned to the house while he was in the process of questioning Jenkins as to whether or not he knew of her whereabouts—which he had not. No, Hawk certainly had not forgotten. He was simply awaiting the appropriate moment in which to introduce the subject…

He shook his head now. ‘I am not sure that I understand you, Jane. Arabella may not like me very much at this moment, but there is no doubting the fact that she is my sister!’

‘Assuredly not, Your Grace,’ Jane answered dryly.

He raised dark brows. ‘Now, why do I sense some sort of rebuke in that remark, Jane…?’

‘I have no idea, Your Grace,’ she came back innocently. ‘But from what I have observed of Lady Arabella I believe that at the age of eighteen she wishes to be treated as an adult rather than as a child. As a child in need of a companion, for instance…’

Hawk’s mouth tightened at the rebuke. ‘Arabella
is
still a child, Jane, and at the moment she is behaving like a spoilt, wilful one.’

‘Was it a child who received several marriage proposals only weeks ago? Was it for a child that you would have approved of her accepting one of those marriage proposals?’

‘You insult me if you think I would have been happy for her to accept a proposal of marriage just for the sake of it, Jane,’ Hawk defended coldly.

‘The nature of any marriage proposal and the suitability of the man involved are both irrelevant to this conversation, Your Grace,’ Jane reasoned softly. ‘What is pertinant is that you cannot expect Lady Arabella to receive proposals of marriage one day and be treated like a child again the next. Moreover, a child who is to be told what she may or may not do, and when she may do it.’

Hawk drew in a sharp breath as he bit back his icy retort. A part of him knew that he had invited Jane’s criticism by confiding in her in this way, and another part of him was surprised that he had done so…

In the years since he had assumed his role as head of the St Claire family, Hawk had expected his siblings to respect his wishes. That he did not appear to have achieved this as well as he might have wanted had been brought home to him not once but twice in recent weeks. First in Sebastian’s absolute refusal to contemplate the idea of any marriage—let alone one suggested by Hawk—and yet again today by Arabella’s stubbornness when it came to acceding to any of his demands.

He did not, however, appreciate having Jane, of all people, point out these failings to him! He looked down
his nose at her. ‘I refuse to believe I have ever been guilty of such arrogance with any of my siblings, Jane.’

‘Really?’ She gave an acknowledging inclination of her head. ‘Then I must assume it is only where “nuisances who disrupt your peaceful existence” are concerned…?’

Hawk picked up his glass of claret and took a much-needed drink, his gaze narrowing as he looked down the length of the highly polished table at the woman who had disrupted his peaceful existence from the moment they had first met.

Jane was looking particularly lovely this evening. Her gleaming red hair was arranged in an abundance of ringlets upon her crown, with several enticing tendrils brushing her nape and brow, her creamy throat was once again bare of any adornment—possibly because Jane had no jewellery with which to adorn it?—and the simple cut of her gown succeeding only in emphasising the curvaceous perfection of her body.

A warmly seductive body that Hawk could not deny he was totally aware of. ‘I believe you malign me in saying I have ever told you what you may do, Jane.’ His voice was harsh.

Her mouth thinned. ‘Only what I may not do, sir!’

‘You are referring, I presume, to the fact that I refused to allow you to run off to London in a reckless manner?’

‘I am referring, Your Grace, to the fact that at two and twenty I am perfectly old enough to make my own decisions!’ Her eyes glittered warningly.

It was a warning Hawk had no intention of heeding. ‘Even if those decisions are wrong?’

‘Even then!’

He eyed her consideringly. ‘Tell me, Jane, did you
accompany the Sulbys when they came to London for the Season?’

‘I did…yes,’ she answered, almost warily.

‘And did you meet someone whilst you were there? A young man, perhaps?’ He frowned. ‘Maybe that is why you are so set on returning there? In order that you might seek him out…?’

Jane gave him a pitying look. ‘I met no one whilst in London, Your Grace. My only excursions during that time were to the shops, and then simply so that I might carry Olivia’s purchases for her!’

Once again Hawk was reminded that Jane had been more servant than ward in the Sulby household. Her presence at the Sulbys’ dining table two nights ago had been the exception rather than the rule.

He sipped his wine. ‘Where did you go earlier this evening, Jane, when you decided to go outside?’

Jane stiffened. ‘I trust I am at liberty to walk in the grounds, at least, Your Grace?’

She was being overly defensive, Jane knew. Probably because she had
not
simply gone for a walk in the grounds of Mulberry Hall earlier, but had in fact made her way deliberately to the stables, with the intention of enquiring of one of the grooms exactly how far it was—and how long it would take—to get to her true destination of Somerset!

Which she had done—and in such a way, Jane hoped, that she had not aroused the groom’s suspicions as to the true purpose of her enquiries.

Although that might not be the case if the Duke of Stourbridge were to question the other man!

‘Did I say otherwise?’ the Duke prompted softly now.

‘You implied it!’ she snapped agitatedly.

Hawk looked at her wordlessly for several long seconds as the anger inside him grew. This situation, with both a wilfully defiant Arabella and a stubbornly determined Jane, was not only trying his impatience in the extreme, it was becoming unendurable!

‘Do you find my concern for you so unacceptable, then, Jane?’ The icy softness of his tone was in no way indicative of his inner frustration at this situation.

‘Yes!’

Hawk drew in a sharp breath before rising to his feet. ‘Then I must give you leave to put yourself in the path of danger at any time you so choose! Just so long as you accept that I will no longer be in a position to save you from your own reckless folly!’ He picked up the decanter of brandy and a glass from the dresser before turning sharply on his heel to stride forcefully towards the door, very much aware that if he did not leave now he would resort to either kissing her or spanking her!

‘Hawk…?’

He would not—could not—allow himself to be deterred from his resolve, his immediate need to get as far away from Jane as was possible. Neither by the uncertainty to be heard in her tone nor the fact that she had at last once again called him by his first name. He was very aware that if he did not leave this room now—right now!—he was definitely going to do something Jane would find even more unacceptable than the arrogance she complained of so bitterly.

He paused only long enough in the doorway to turn and inform her, ‘I have forgotten to tell you of the dinner
party my sister has arranged for three evenings hence, Jane.’ His mouth twisted derisively as he added, ‘The same sister with whom, according to you, I have the seemingly annoying habit of saying what she may do and when she may do it!’

Jane swallowed convulsively, never having seen the Duke in quite such a towering rage as this, and knowing, although Arabella had obviously caused him some irritation earlier, that it was
she
who had provoked this chilling anger.

She moistened dry lips. ‘I—’

‘I will inform that same sister,’ the Duke continued icily, ‘that you are in need of a new gown for the evening. And I implore you, Jane, do not say another word to contradict me!’ The fierceness of his warning came through gritted teeth.

‘But—’

‘Will you not, just for once in our acquaintance, accept that I am doing this for your comfort rather than my own?’ His mouth had thinned ominously.

Her chin rose determinedly. ‘That is the argument of all dictators, I believe.’

Hawk’s gaze flared, and then glittered coldly. ‘One day, Jane—one day you will go too far!’ he finally managed to grind out. ‘And I give you fair warning that on that day you will discover exactly what I am capable of!’

He turned and left the room before he could no longer control the urge he had to commence teaching Jane that lesson forthwith.

Leaving Jane with the uncomfortable knowledge that her plans to make her way to Somerset at the first op
portunity, would probably arrive rather sooner than the Duke could ever have imagined…

‘Is it the horses you are so fond of visiting, Jane, or do you have some other reason for haunting my stables in this way…?’

Jane gave a guilty start at the sound of the Duke’s voice behind her, turning so sharply to face him that her slippered foot lost its purchase on the thick layer of straw that covered the floor, causing her to lose her balance completely.

She barely had time to register how handsome the Duke looked in his work clothes—a tight-fitting brown jacket and thigh-hugging breeches above highly polished brown boots—before the world tilted on its axis and she toppled over backwards.

Luckily the stall she was in had been cleaned earlier that morning and laid with fresh straw, and this sweet-smelling mattress cushioned Jane’s fall. She lay sprawled on her back, slightly winded, as she stared up at the dumbfounded Duke of Stourbridge.

He did not stay dumb for long, however. ‘Are you making me an invitation, Jane? Or is it that you suddenly felt a need to lie down?’ He moved farther into the confines of the stall to look down at her, heavy lids lowered to shield the expression in his eyes.

So giving Jane no idea whether the Duke was just being his normally mocking self, or if he actually meant her to take his first question seriously…

Considering the impatient manner in which he had deserted the dinner table the previous evening, Jane decided that he was being his normal mocking self!