The Perfect Temptation (6 page)

Alex sat there, too stunned and
angry to do more than

blink.
Duchess?
And what
precisely was that wink supposed

to imply? That he was teasing?
That he hadn't. intended for

the barb to be as sharp as it
was? He was standing there, his

hand extended, obviously
expecting her to accept his assistance

out of the carriage.

'When hell's as cold as
London," she muttered, gathering

her skirts and disembarking on
her own. The snow crunched

under her boots and pelted down
onto her shoulders. She ignored

it just as studiously as she did
Terrell's cocked brow

and frown.

 
"JohnAiden!"

Alex lifted her gaze toward the
woman's voice, toward the

doorway of Emmaline's millinery
shop. Alex had never
met

the attractive brunette advancing
toward them; she did, however

recognize the maid toting boxes
and coming in her

wake
.
Alex met the
servant's gaze and knew in an instant that

there would be no public
acknowledgment of their association.

Which was as it should be. The
woman's employer-:Mrs.

Geoffrey Walker-Hines-would be
mortified to have It

known.

"I had heard rumors that you
were back in London!" the

other cried, extending her hands
to Terrell and smiling

brightly. As he took them, she
fluttered her lashes and cooed,

"How lovely it is to see you
again, Aiden."

"It's lovely to see you,
too, Rose," he replied with
what

Alex thought was a forced smile
and too-careful politeness.

"You
look
radiant as always. How is Geoffrey? And little

Geoffrey?"

The mention of her husband and
her
s
'
on
didn't
keep the

woman
from
all
but
abandoning propriety. Using Terrell's

bands for balance, she stretched
up
on
he
r
toes
and pressed a

kiss to his
cheek.
And
her breasts hard into
bis
chest

''Both are
-
exceedingly
well,"
she answered when
s
he
fi
nally

drew back. Still
bolding
a
blushing
Terrell's hands, she

added, 'We have a
daughter
now. Elizabeth was
born
almost

two
years
ago. You must come
by
the
house
for
d
inner
one

evening and meet
her
."

Alex watched
him
swallow,
saw his mental
wheels
spin
ning

at a furious pace. His smile
became
even more strained.

"I
promise
to
do
so at
my
first
opportunity."

"I’ll
tell
Geoffrey so
that be
can
be
sure
to
have your favorite

brandy
on
band for the
occasion.
Please feel free to

bring
your
companion."

And with that pronouncement Alex
found herself skewered

on
the woman's gaze. It
was direct, certainly,
but it
was

also
decidedly
hostile.
All
the conversations she'd
had
with

the woman's maid and
housekeeper
,
the
transactions
they'd

made, flashed through her mind.
No, there
was
no reason for

animosity
of
any
son.
Discretion
had
been their watchword.

"My
apologies,
ladies,"
Terrell said,
quickly
freeing
him
self

of her
grasp.
He took Alex's elbow
in one hand and,
gesturing

with the other, said, "Mrs.
Geoffrey
Walker
-Hi
nes

Miss Alexandra
Radford."

Rose
Walker-Hines
gave
her
a smile
that
only another

woman would
recognize
as
venomous.
"
If
you're with Aiden,

you must
have
the resilience
of a saint."

"Hardly,"
Alex
answered honestly
before
summoning
an

utter lie.
"It's
a pleasure
to
make your acquaintance
.”

'
'And I
yours,"
she
lied
in
return
before
turning
her
full
attention

back
to
Terrell.
"
The invitation is
open
and
standing,

Aiden. As always, at your
convenience. It's so nice to have

you back. We've missed you."

The smile that had been strained
was most definitely edging

toward brittle as he bowed
slightly. "Do give my regards

to Geoff."

"I
will,"
she
promised, turning and moving toward her

waiting carriage. Climbing in,
she paused to wave and call

out, ''Until then, Aiden
dear."

Terrell waved With his free hand.
His
stony smile didn't

falter and his lips didn't move
as he said quietly, "Just as a

point of information, Geoffrey
Walker-Hines is a waste of a

good suit."

"We agree on a second
issue," Alex admitted as the driver

closed the door on both the
carriage and the encounter. "I

never would have imagined the
possibility."

He looked down at her, his hand
still cradling her elbow.

"How is it that you know
him?”

"I don't personally. Their
servants have been selling off

heirloom silver pieces for the
last six months to pay
the

household bills."

"How do you know that?"

"I happen to
be
a
silver broker," she supplied, thinking

that he asked more questions than
most three-year-olds.

'That was half an answer,"
he observed with a slight

shrug. ''But I can deduce the
rest. It doesn't take any mental

prowess to know why the
Walker-Hinesesare in such unfortunate

circumstances. Geoffrey is a
miserable gambler. And

he's always had a fondness for
mistresses whose tastes he

can't afford."

Did John Aiden Terrell keep
mistresses or did he prefer

brief liaisons With married
women? Judging by the kiss Rose

Walker-Hines had planted on-Alex
mentally shook herself,

appalled at the nature of her
musing. Terrell's personal life

and proclivities were absolutely
none of her concern.

''One
can't
help but wonder why she married him," she

ventured.
hoping
to mask the
true
direction
of her thoughts.

"She
decided
that it was better being
Geoffrey's wife than

being a-"

He bit off the rest, but she knew
the words nonetheless.

She'd heard them countless times
before. "Spinster," Alex

finished for him, pointedly
drawing her arm from the

warmth and security of his grasp.
"On
that point, we will

never agree, Mr. Terrell. Better
no marriage than spending

eternity in a state of
misery."

His eyes instantly went dark and
the lines at the comers

of his mouth deepened as he
struggled to take a breath. His

voice
strained,
he retorted ever so quietly. ever so somberly,

"There are worse fates
to
endure
than
that
of
an unhappy

marriage, Miss Radford."
With a motion
of
his hand, he indicated

the shop door and asked.
"Shall we go in?"

Alex nodded and gathered her
skirts. She
didn
't
know

him, didn't much care for him,
but cruelty, whether
uninten
tional

or
not, was unacceptable.
Troubled by his
obvious

pain. she
ventured
to ease it, saying,
 
“Im
sorry
if
I
prodded

a
heartache
,
Mr.
Terrell. I didn't mean to."

His smile was weak but genuinely
appreciative as he took

her elbow back in hand and pulled
open the door. "Does Emmaline

know that Mohan's an heir
to
a
throne?" he whis
pered

as he guided her into the shop
ahead of him.

"She's the only one who
does," she supplied, pausing to

stamp the snow off her feet.
"I had no choice but to tell her.

Otherwise she wouldn't have known
how desperately I

needed the services of a socially
acceptable private investigator."

"So
you
have gone through all the others."

"I
didn't
say that."

From behind her he laughed
softly. The sound rolled over

her, bathing her in a gentle,
comforting warmth. Her body

relaxed as her mind
-
dully
warned that Aiden Terrell's ability

to
understand
her was a danger unlike any she'd ever encountered.