The Elusive Lord Everhart: The Rakes of Fallow Hall Series (21 page)

“Everhart.”
Tears rushed down her cheeks before she was even aware of crying. “I’m so sorry. I should not have made you tell the story.” Until this moment, she’d had no idea how it would affect her. In such a short amount of time, she’d grown fond of that boy adventurer, yet never even knew him. She only knew the man before her. And if she wasn’t mistaken, she was fond of him as well. More than fond. Much more.

Everhart stood and pulled her to her feet. “I carry no handkerchiefs, Miss Croft, and the reason is likely that I never intend to make a woman cry in my presence.” He held her face in his hands and began wiping the tears away with the length of his thumbs. “Now, what am I to do with you, hmm?”

Kiss me
, she thought, lifting her gaze.

He seemed to read her thoughts easily and shook his head. “I would not be the man of honor you claimed I was mere moments ago if I kissed you. Because I’ve quickly realized how far removed we are from where the servants tread. I know very well that we would remain undisturbed for hours on end, here in our little nook. And I could make very good use of that amount of time.”

Calliope loved it when he said things like that. She had little doubt that she would enjoy all the ways he would make good use of the time. But he was right.

On a sigh of regret, she turned and faced the window again. Even before she could hope for such a thing, his arms settled around her middle and drew her back against him.

In that moment, Calliope knew—if she wasn’t careful—she was in danger of losing her heart completely again. The first time, she’d been taken unawares. This time, however, it was happening so gradually that she still felt as if she could stop it at any time and survive. She only hoped she wasn’t fooling herself.

“Had your mother been ill?”

He nodded, his cheek brushing against her temple. “I didn’t know it at the time, but she’d lost a child a month or two before. She’d lost several over the years. Apparently, the strain had taken its toll.”

“Perhaps she knew,” Calliope whispered, thinking of what it must have been like. She knew from her father’s weak heart that he tired easily. “Perhaps she hadn’t wanted to worry you with how tired and frail she’d become. So instead, she sent you on an adventure . . . ”

She couldn’t finish. Her voice cracked and another sob threatened, but she reined it in, holding steady for that little boy she saw in her mind’s eye.

“Oh, Calliope.” Everhart bent his forehead to her shoulder and held her tighter. “What are you doing to me?”

“Making you forget being about angry with your father?”

He lifted his head and pressed a kiss to her cheek before releasing her. “You’re making me forget a lot of things, and that is not in your best interest.”

When she turned around, she watched him incline his head and gesture for her to leave the room. It was not meant as an insult, she knew, but in that instant, she realized the importance of what had changed within her. For her own sake, she left him alone in the little nook, and sincerely hoped she was not falling in love with him.

But who was she fooling?

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

T
he next day, Gabriel wondered how one conversation with Calliope Croft could change so much within him. Yet it wasn’t just one conversation, was it? It was a collection of moments that had all started with that first glimpse of her.

Calliope had shed a different light on his life. She saw him as a man of honor. A man who kept his promises. A man who was honest and reliable. More than anything, he wanted to live up to those expectations.

The weight he carried with him suddenly lifted. Either that, or it didn’t feel quite so heavy after all. It certainly didn’t frighten him any longer—that much was true. In fact, shortly after he’d left the little nook they’d shared and had Fitzroy wrap his leg, he’d sought out his father. Meeting the duke’s austere gaze, Gabriel had apologized and then asked about the state of Briar Heath.

For hours, he and his father settled into a comfortable exchange. They’d spoken of the place that was once a happy home and the repairs needed in order for it to be inhabitable once again. While the caretakers had done an admirable job of managing the house and grounds, there were larger issues that needed to be addressed. Gabriel had made a mental note of all that his father mentioned from his correspondence with the steward, Mr. Elliott.

Now, early this morning, Gabriel wrote to the steward with an inquiry. He also sent a missive to the caretakers, Mr. and Mrs. Wicksom, with a friendly greeting and a desire to meet in the coming weeks. He was just applying his seal when Valentine appeared in the map room doorway.

“Everything is as you requested, my lord,” he said with a bow.

Eager, Gabriel pushed away from the desk. He couldn’t wait to begin this day. Standing, he glanced down at the Hessian on one leg and a gardener’s boot on the other. But when one wanted to venture out of doors in the snow with a healing leg, one had to improvise. “And Miss Croft?”

“Waiting in the foyer, as per your instructions.” Stepping aside, Valentine waited for Gabriel to precede him down the hall.

Gabriel walked easier today, his leg less stiff but still sore above the ankle where it had been broken. In time, he knew, it would mend. “Did she ask many questions?”

“Several, my lord.”

He grinned. “And she still has no idea why?”

“Miss Croft concluded that her ‘errand,’ as she put it, consists of venturing out of doors since she was asked to wear her coat and hat.”

“No doubt she is cross with me for having her roused so early.” It was only an hour past dawn, but he hadn’t been able to wait a moment longer. Hopefully, she would quickly forgive him. In a few more steps, he would find out for himself.

Emerging from the hall, Gabriel saw Calliope standing at the foot of the stairs in her blue redingote with white fur trim and a bonnet to match. The annoyance he feared wasn’t there at all. Instead, he witnessed bright eyes and cheeks in the high color of excitement.

“Valentine,” he began, keeping his voice low as they neared, “you did tell her that it was
I
who sent the request, didn’t you?”

“Of course, my lord.”

Pleasure had him reeling. Last night they hadn’t spoken at dinner, not with her at such an inconvenient distance down the table. And afterward in the parlor, she’d kept his grandmother company after their game of Anagrams. There hadn’t been a chance to speak with her privately. That was when he’d come up with the idea of having her all to himself this morning, before anyone else awoke. He knew they would only have a short time before her brother sent a carriage for her. Gabriel was determined to make the most of each moment.

“Good morning, Miss Croft,” he said when at last he reached her side. “Are you ready for an outing?”

She gifted him with a warm smile and settled her hand in the crook of his proffered arm. “Surprisingly, yes.”

Taking his hat from Valentine at the open door, they crossed the threshold and headed out into the brisk winter morning air. He breathed in as if it were the first breath ever to fill his lungs. Beside him, Calliope gasped.

“Are you taking me on a sleigh ride?” She clutched his arm tighter, not taking her gaze away from the red painted sleigh awaiting them, along with a single dapple gray in the harness.

Even though he knew he was standing firmly on the ground, he felt that familiar plummeting sensation deep inside. It was like the moment when he’d first seen her at Almack’s, and he’d felt the earth slip from beneath his feet. This time, however, it did not frighten him. He merely held Calliope to his side and hoped she would fall with him. “Does that please you?”

She turned to him, tilting her face in a way that made the brims of their hats touch, and drew in a breath. “It does. Very much indeed.”

It took a force of will and a charging dog for Gabriel to resist kissing Calliope. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Duke run a path around the sleigh. The dog paused to sniff the horse and earned a small kick in response before he settled himself inside the sleigh with paws draped over the helm.

Gabriel grinned down at Calliope. “It appears we have our chaperone.”

“And our chaperone is as eager as I am,” she said with a laugh, eyes merry.

A moment later, they were settled side by side on the snug seat, a fringed blanket draped over their knees. The intimacy of it did not escape him. He was fully aware of every place her body pressed against his, as if they wore no coats at all. Or no clothes, for that matter.

“I’m ready to embark if you are, Everhart.”

He looked directly into her gaze and a rush of warmth coursed through him. “Yes. I am ready.”

Another layer of fresh snow had fallen overnight. It kicked up in the wake of the sleigh like dusting sugar sent to scatter along the paths they forged. His arm brushed hers as he handled the reins, and he noted with pleasure that she didn’t pull away. They neared the inner rim of the forest, farther away from the house.

Calliope slipped her hand free of the fur muff on her lap and linked her arm with his. “This is the best surprise of my life. I cannot imagine a better way to begin a morning.”

He angled his head so that his lips brushed against the soft, cool shell of her ear. “Our imaginations differ in that regard. I can think of a number of pleasurable ways to begin a morning.”
And each one of them with you
. “Though I am content to be right here.”

“We are in view of the west wing. It will appear as though you are kissing me if you continue to tilt your head.” Her attempt at scolding was undermined by the way she squeezed his arm tighter and slid closer.

“Then I will drive around to the south,” he answered, with a cluck of his tongue to the horse and a snap of the reins.

She let out a laugh as the sleigh jolted. “And have the kitchen staff staring after us? I don’t know about you, but I should not enjoy burnt porridge.”

“Why, Miss Croft, are you attempting to lure me away from the house and prying eyes?”

“Of course not. Although aside from Duke”—she reached forward to pet their companion, who answered with a low appreciative
woof
—“we are here without a chaperone. I would not want your father or grandmother to entertain the wrong idea about my intentions toward you.”

He grinned. “Do you have intentions toward me?”

“I fully
intend
to enjoy this sleigh ride with my friend, for it may be the last I have with such good company. I’m certain my brother will have sent a carriage by now and that I will be leaving in a day or two.”

The reminder caused his stomach to knot. He didn’t want her to go. Not ever. “And you will be glad, no doubt, to see the last of Fallow Hall?”

“Not
all
of Fallow Hall,” she said with a smile. “Only the reclusive curmudgeon who holes up in the map room.”

“Why, Miss Croft, you are quite deadly with your parry.”

“Those who tease without mercy deserve retribution in kind.” She looked straight ahead. “Surely, you must know that I will be sad to leave.”

Was there a wistful gleam in her gaze just now, or had he imagined it? “Then I shall make this day one to remember.”

“You already have, Everhart,” she whispered.

Gabriel decided, then and there, that he needed to speak with Griffin Croft about old business. Snapping on the reins, he urged the dapple gray into a canter. Behind them, the snow plumed like waves rising from the sea, and he could easily imagine them sailing off together. “Give a wave to our little window nook as we pass.”

Calliope waved merrily and then abruptly lowered her hand. “What if your grandmother is awake and believes I’m waving at her?”

“Then she will know we have nothing to hide.”

“At last I feel as if you’ve forgiven me,” she said, turning back to him, her cheeks rosy. “We are able to have fun in the same manner you do with all your friends.”

He laughed at her incorrect assumptions. “I believe your only fault is your horrendous memory. Need I remind you again that I do not have women friends? And I certainly have never taken anyone on a sleigh ride first thing in the morning.”

She stared at him for a moment with a grin, as if she believed this was part of a joke to make her laugh. Then she must have seen something in his expression that told her the truth. Her eyes widened.

He wondered if she would allow herself to believe what she saw.

“Are you still trying to seduce me, Everhart?”

Reaching the path beyond the Grecian folly in the east, he headed north and slowed the horse. Taking the reins in one hand, he angled toward her. “Not this time.”

C
alliope’s breath came out in a cloud of vapor. Since yesterday, and perhaps even before that, Everhart had acted differently toward her. How was it possible for him to look at her with such intensity and somehow seem tender at the same time? The two descriptions felt oceans apart to her, and she could not reconcile them.

This close proximity kept her far too distracted to think clearly. A flurry of emotions and sensations stirred within her with such force that she could barely contain them. Restless, she shifted beside him. “Why not?”

One corner of his mouth lifted in a rakish smirk, even while he tsked at her. “That is the wrong question to ask.”

Not to her. Not right now. Not with his lips mere inches from hers.

She squeezed his arm tighter and leaned into him—

Just then, the dog barked, startling her as he leapt out of the sleigh. A group of cardinals suddenly took flight, their red wings standing out in sharp contrast against the snowy landscape. Strangely, Calliope wasn’t even aware that the sleigh had stopped.

Other than kissing, only one thought came to mind. “Phoenix feathers,” she whispered.

“What?”

“Over there.” Her gaze reconnected with his, her vision clearing enough to see that she’d surprised him. With no vapor forming in front of his nose or mouth, it appeared he was holding his breath. She wondered if she should not have mentioned anything from their private conversation. And now she was holding
her
breath. “The gardener harvested the sunflower seeds from the hothouse. The cardinals were enjoying a feast a moment ago. We could look for red feathers . . . if you like.”