The Lady Seals Her Fate (The Langley Sisters #5) (8 page)

“It is a conundrum.” He closed his eyes, raising his face to the sun, and she studied his side profile; high cheekbones, perfect nose, and strong jaw. The man should be immortalized on canvas, if he hadn’t been already.

“Alex, you really should not have stood up for me with those women.”

“You have said ‘Alex you really should not,’ a great deal today, Hannah. And yes I should have; they were rude to not acknowledge you and I’m sorry you were subjected to that, and even more sorry that I had not understood the way society has been treating you.”

“Not all of society,” Hannah said as warmth filled her chest at his words. “Some are nice, but unfortunately most of them are the chaperones or elderly.”

“Can I read that note now, Hannah?” Before she could react, he had picked up her reticule and stood. “Give that back to me!” She jumped to her feet also.

“Tell me what the note says, because it must be serious, and I would rather you told me than read it myself.”

“I will not!” She followed him as he walked backward. “That is private, and I wish you to return it at once.”

He kept walking until they were behind some bushes and out of sight. Hannah was glad her maid Mary trailed behind them. If anyone should see them, her reputation was safe.

“Tell me what it says.” He held it high so she could not reach it. Hannah was not short, but he was taller by a goodly amount.

“No.” Hannah folded her arms, refusing to make a fool of herself by lunging at him. Alex was just teasing her; he was a gentleman and would never invade her privacy by reading her private correspondence.

“Hannah, I will read this if you do not tell me what it says.”

She watched in horror as he pulled the note out and began to unfold it.

“Alex!” She couldn’t think of a lie; her usually agile mind was suddenly blank. “Please don’t do this.”

“I don’t want to, Hannah, but—”

She launched herself at him, her hands reaching for the note. She grasped the paper and then felt them both falling. Alex twisted; she did not. Seconds later, she was in the water, her hand still clenched around the note.

“Hannah!”

“Miss Wooller!”

Mary’s shriek was the last sound Hannah heard as she went under. The cold robbed her breath. Arms flailing, she surged upward until her head cleared the water. “Stop!” she shrieked as Alex prepared to dive in. “I can swim!”

He stopped, arms flapping as he fought to keep his balance, looking like a large ungainly bird. Hannah screwed the note into a ball then released it into the water before she maneuvered herself toward the bank, which was only a few feet away.

“Give me your hand!”

She did, and Alex pulled her out seconds later, lowering her to the grass.

“What the hell is the matter with you!” he roared as she lay like a landed trout, gasping for air. Her skirts were stuck to her legs, her bonnet covering her eyes and her bodice molded to her body. “Of all the bloody, idiotic, stupid things to do!” He continued to rant at her, calling her a great many words; some she knew, others surprisingly she didn’t. “You could have drowned, woman!”

As he roared at her, Hannah attempted to remove her sodden gloves, then worked on the silk ribbons at her throat. She was cold, but the sun was high and she was in little danger of a chill. She feared if she were seen it would be the absolute last straw for her reputation, and she would never be able to walk in society again. The thought of those women who had wanted Alex to view the flowers seeing her made Hannah feel ill.

“Oh, Miss Wooller, what have you done?” Mary said from beside Alex. Her head was nodding as she agreed with his words. Hannah shut her up with a sharp glance, Alex needed no encouragement in his condemnation of her.

“Your father should simply lock you in your room and throw the bloody key away!” He slapped her hands aside and wrestled with the ribbons at her throat, removing her sodden bonnet and hurling it to the ground. Hannah retrieved it before he could stomp on it.

“Alex, I’m cold and humiliated; I have no wish to listen to you blistering my ears in my current state. Therefore, if you could refrain until I am once again dry, I should be grateful.”

She had never seen him this angry before. A muscle ticked in his jaw and his mouth opened and closed several times. He looked mean and capable of throttling her with his bare hands, however what he did was take off his jacket and place it around her shoulders.

“There is a gate there,” he snarled, pointing to a fence behind which deer grazed. “I will bring my carriage to there. If you can endeavor to stay out of harm’s way, I shall return shortly.”

“I thought to do a few more laps.” Hannah could not resist, but wished she had as he lowered his head and glared at her.

“Be warned, Hannah, you will push me only so far before you regret it.” The words were spoken softly before he was gone, and only then was Hannah able to breathe deeply.

“You will surely catch your death, Miss Wooller,” Mary said kneeling beside her.

“There is no need to be dramatic, Mary. The weather is warm, I am in no danger.”

Alex was extremely angry, and Hannah decided to apologize to him when he returned. It was only fair; after all, he was coming to her aid, and she was being ungrateful.

Her thoughts returned to the note. It had been from her blackmailer. Usually he wanted money, and not enough to tax Hannah as long as she was careful with the money she earned and whatever her father gave her, but this time he was asking to meet her, and would send word when and where. She wondered what he was about as she had never met with him before. She knew his identity, of course; he had made that clear from the outset when he approached her. She had no doubt as to his authenticity and that he could do exactly as he stated he could in regards to Bridgette and her father. So Hannah had paid the money to the boy he sent to the park across the road from her house, and the transactions, until now, had been effortless, if irksome. She loathed giving her hard-earned money to that man, yet she had done so to keep her sister safe.

“Help me up, Mary.”

Her maid quickly regained her feet, and then helped Hannah to hers.

When Alex returned his face was now set in a blank mask, wearing only his shirt and waistcoat, he looked large, dangerous, and incredibly disturbing. She was so used to seeing him immaculately groomed; it was a shock to see his hair standing on end and his necktie coming unfolded. He should look ill-kept, but he didn’t; in fact he looked handsome and more like a rogue than an affable nobleman. Hannah hurried to meet him, eager to get out of the park and her wet clothes. He didn’t speak when she reached him. Grabbing her arm, he simply turned and marched back to the gate. Hannah was not short, but she still had to trot to keep up with him.

“Could we not walk, Alex? I am struggling to keep up with these wet skirts tangled around my legs.”

“Thus far, by some miracle, we have not been seen; therefore you will have to continue to struggle. And as to your discomfort, as it is entirely your fault, you’ll understand if you do not have my sympathies.”

Bastard.
Of course, she did not say the word out loud, realizing that now was not the time to annoy him further. “I understand,” Hannah lied, attempting to pull her arm free, but his grip was firm. “However, I am hampered somewhat as I have explained.”

“Through no one’s fault but your own,” he reiterated.

Hannah bit her lip. Could she fault him if he turned his back on her? If he did, she had no one but herself to blame.

When they reached the carriage he hoisted her up on the seat before helping Mary, and then stomped around to climb up beside her. He shot a look behind them.

“We have not been seen.”

“Thank you, and I’m sorry, Alex. Please do not change your mind.”

“Tell me what was in the note.”

“It was nothing—”

“If it was nothing you would not now be seated beside me looking like a species of drowned rodent.”

She inhaled at that insult and sunk her teeth hard into her bottom lip. She would put a hole through it if this continued.

“If you will just continue on as my beau for a few weeks more, that’s all.” Hannah tried to talk to Alex on the journey home to her father’s house, but his jaw remained clenched and he did not reply to any of her attempts. When they arrived she hurried to climb down herself, but he caught her, his arms hard as they lowered her to the ground.

“I’m sorry, Alex, really. That note—”

He kissed her. It was swift and fierce, and when he released Hannah she was so stunned that she said nothing and he was able to climb back into his carriage and drive away before she found her voice.

“Well,” Mary said.

Well indeed, Hannah thought squelching her way into the house.

CHAPTER SIX

Anger still coursed through his body as Alex drove to his house. What the hell had that note said, if she was willing to drown to stop him from reading it? The contents had to be serious. In fairness, he doubted she had intended to fall in the river, but she had, and it showed she was desperate for him not to read it, which meant he desperately wanted to.

Was she in some kind of trouble? How had the note’s writer known they were in the park? Was she being followed, or was it purely innocent? “No.” Alex shook his head. Whatever the note said, it was not innocent; her reaction told him that.

He had kissed her to shut her up, and could still feel the softness of her lips as they’d clung to his. She responded to him, no matter how much she may deny it to herself, and Alex decided he liked kissing Hannah Wooller. Even knowing he was risking her wrath and consequently bodily harm each time he did so. She tasted sweet and tart, just like the woman she was.

Nodding to a passing rider, Alex ignored the strange looks. He was driving in his shirtsleeves, as Hannah still wore his jacket, but he cared nothing for that; what he cared about was what the bloody hell was going on with that woman. He thought back to the incident before she had flung herself into the lake. Those women had acted as if she did not exist, and she had stood silently at his side and let them. When had she begun to accept she was not good enough to hold her head high in society, and why hadn’t he noticed?

Arriving at his townhouse minutes later, he walked inside still contemplating the question, to find his twin had arrived before him. Tall and well-built like he, Ben had brown hair and eyes and was his other half. They had been inseparable since they were old enough to understand their bond, and often felt emotion that the other experienced. As children they had fought loudly, often using fists, and had tormented their older brother when he had stepped in at a young age to care for them when their mother would not.

“About time you arrived. I’m hungry.”

“Didn’t one of my staff let you in? Why did you not ask them for food?” Alex threw down his hat and fell into the chair opposite his brother.

“I wasn’t hungry then. Why are you half dressed?”

“It is a long and complicated story.”

Ben wriggled in his chair and placed his feet on the hearth. “I have nowhere else to be and love long and boring, so do tell.”

“Food please, Damson,” Alex said to his butler as he appeared in the doorway. “It’s a complicated situation, Ben; I don’t suppose you’d just be happy with that for an explanation?”

“If it involves you removing your jacket because you were in a fight, or for chivalrous reasons, then I want to know. Come to think of it, I want to know even if it’s neither of those reasons.”

“I need a drink.” Alex went to the sideboard and poured two glasses of whiskey. Handing one to his brother, he then reseated himself. He had never lied to Ben and was not about to start now.

“Did you hear about Woolly raising Hannah’s dowry?”

Ben nodded as he sipped his drink, his eyes steady on Alex. “The man has my respect in so many ways, but in this he’s an idiot, if you want my opinion.”

Alex grunted his agreement to that. “Hannah told me he wants her married because he believes his heart could stop at any time.”

“Finn told me about his health,” Ben said shaking his head. “Hard to believe anything about that man is not strong.”

“Hannah and he argued, because word spread like fire through society and she was pursued relentlessly last night by men now willing to overlook her less-stellar qualities. Her words, not mine,” Alex added.

“Yes, there is the matter of Hannah’s birth and Woolly coming into his title late after making his money in trade. Some in society turn up their noses at such things, plus…”

Ben stopped speaking as he looked at Alex.

“Plus what?”

“You’re angry, Alex. In fact I’d go so far as saying you’re bloody furious at what I’m telling you.”

“Of course I’m furious. How dare people treat Hannah that way because of her father? She does not deserve it.”

Ben smiled. “No, she does not.”

“I don’t like that smile, brother.”

“It’s interesting to see you so aggravated over this, Alex, when it has been happening since she entered society. Why now, I wonder?”

“I did not realize it was happening,” Alex snapped getting out of his chair again to pace around the room.

“You’re an idiot then, because everyone else did.”

“Ben,” Alex cautioned his brother. “I am not in the best of moods.”

“Shall I take off my jacket then?”

“Shut up and tell me what you were going to add when you said plus.”

“Plus Hannah does not grovel and feed the egos of those who think themselves better than her. Had she, she may have been accepted, is my opinion.”

“She should not need to!”

“Spoken like someone who has never known rejection a day in his life.”

Alex accepted his brother’s words with a grunt of acknowledgement. To his shame, he had not, yet Hannah had and he had done nothing to aid her.

“We accepted her, as did Finn, Phoebe, Will, and Livvy, Alex, and I believe that has helped her from being ostracized, but still, behind our backs, she is slighted.”

He thought about the ugly truth of his brother’s words. She had struggled to be accepted and he had known that, but chose to ignore it as she never appeared upset by the notion. In fact, she was always just Hannah, with her smart mouth and dry wit.