The Viscount's Sweet Temptation (3 page)

“It’s all right.”

No, it wasn’t all right. There was nothing about the evening that was right, or about the thoughts stirring from her nearness. He wanted to kiss her. Merely a quick peck on those trembling lips to discover if she tasted as sweet as she smelled. Nothing untoward, nothing scandalous. A kiss.

He must try to distract himself. “When do you suppose your father will discover your absence?”

She yawned. “Not until morning. I placed the pillows under the bedding so my mother’s nurse will assume I am sleeping.”

He smiled. “I didn’t know that was a talent many young women required. The ability to slip out unnoticed late at night.”

“Why, those of us with brothers have the opportunity to learn the most intriguing skills. We simply must work harder at not being discovered in our studies.”

He considered his summers at home as a youth, and all the trouble he stirred up. “I shudder to think what my parents must suffer, if my sisters followed in my footsteps.”

“Ellie said—oh, I shouldn’t tell you. She didn’t swear me to secrecy, but I’m certain she never imagined I’d be talking to you.”

A thought struck him then that could explain this entire matter. “Did my sister put you up to this? Was she conspiring with my mother, perhaps?”

“What, hiding in your carriage? But I told you, I thought
she
was traveling to London, not you.”

“So you said. Why is it you were fleeing your family in the middle of the night? And in the middle of nowhere?”

“It’s Grandpapa’s fault. The Duke of Danby summoned us to his home. One might assume he is on his deathbed and wishes to spend his final Christmas with all of his grandchildren. But I know that isn’t true.”

Morley recalled Nick mentioning a similar summons recently. Perhaps the duke was a sickly man? “Has he been ill?”

“Not that I am aware. He claims to be dying rather often, but he has made a miraculous recovery each time we arrive.”

“Perhaps he’s lonely.”

“Ha! He could easily command an audience to attend him if that were all he required. No, I know why he demands our presence. He has chosen a man for me to marry.”

That explained everything. Morley imagined his sisters’ reaction to being told whom they would marry. They would not quietly slip away. Not Eleanor, at least. She would stand up to their father and refuse him outright.

And their father would comply with her wishes. While he gave no quarter where men were concerned, he had a soft heart for his daughters. All six of them.

The weight of the young woman at his side grew heavier, and his body responded as expected. He hardened uncomfortably and wished she were one of the widows of his acquaintance. How satisfying it would be to lift her onto his lap and ease inside her.

Bollocks! Not only was she a lady, she was his sister’s friend. He must do everything in his power to make certain she found her way back to her father untouched. Yet he couldn’t help looking down at her.

Wide-eyed, she watched him. Her innocence was painfully apparent. Did she fear he’d kiss her?

Would she kiss him back?

As he thought the words, he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. Her gasp was muffled and of short duration. She lifted herself to meet him. He caught her face in his hands, sweeping back the loose locks that had fallen free of their pins, while tasting her one more time.

Sweet. He was correct. And more temptation than a man should have to bear. But bear it he must.

He must
.

Looking into her eyes as he drew back, he wished for light to interpret her thoughts. “I am sorry, Lady Harriet. I should not have done that.”

“You shouldn’t?”

“Most certainly not. In the garden at a ball it might be permissible, or understandable, even if not advisable. But alone in a carriage…most certainly not.”

She pressed a hand to her lips. “I see.”

“Forgive me?”

“Yes, yes of course.”

He dreaded having to return his arm to her shoulders, but there was no other place for it. Still, he wore his coat and she her pelisse, so there was that hindrance between them. He must put his mind to other things until he fell asleep.
 

Lady Harriet yawned softly, her head coming to rest against his shoulder. Her breaths slowed. Morley couldn’t help himself; he buried his nose in her curls and filled his senses with her fragrance. His own lack of sleep was becoming apparent, but the warmth of the young woman had him wishing for a bed to share with her.

Before he could fight off that thought, he rested his head on hers, closed his eyes, and drifted off.

Chapter Five

The sound of an approaching carriage made Harriet stir, but only enough to snuggle closer to the warmth beside her. Her bed was so cold, so uncomfortable.

Someone pounded hard on the door. “Hallo, inside.” The man’s voice was not one she recognized. She tried to pry open her eyelids and clear her head. Who would be beating on her bedroom door?

“Who’s out there?” came a masculine voice from her side.

The rumble of his chest beneath her cheek combined with the unfamiliar voice brought her fully awake. Where was she and what had she done? Pushing back the limp locks of hair that covered her eyes, she recognized Lord Morley. The previous night came back to her in a rush. The memory of their brief kiss brought instant heat to her face.

Daylight peered in around the carriage curtains, allowing her to see a very disheveled Lord Morley lean over and open the door. He barked at the man outside. “Yes, what is it?”

“Lord Alderford’s daughter was taken from the inn at Bloomingham during the night. He was told this carriage was the only one to leave the inn.”

Harriet gasped, hearing the words from the young man she now recognized as her father’s tiger. They thought she was kidnapped! Of course they would assume that. She had never done anything as foolish as this. She must do whatever was necessary to protect Archie from her father’s wrath.

Lord Morley’s hand motioned behind his back, and she assumed he wanted her to remain quiet. He cleared his throat before speaking. “We did stop there briefly. Perhaps I should speak to Lord Alderford. Is he back at the inn?”

“No, sir. He and Lady Alderford are in their carriage.” He motioned up the road.

“Yes, well, tell him I shall speak to him momentarily.”

“Yes, sir.”

Wet footsteps sounded from outside as the youth ran away. Harriet bit her knuckle in trepidation. Should she go to her parents now? Was there any way Archie could forestall the inevitable meeting?

He yanked the door closed and turned to face her, his countenance dark and threatening. Harriet pulled the blankets up even higher on her person and tried to sink back into the padded bench seat. “What will you say?”

“What else can I say but the truth? It’s what you will say that concerns me.”

“Me? Must I speak to him now? Can’t you take me to Bath with you? I will write to him from there and not even mention your name. I’ll just say I obtained a ride with a friend, whose family I’m staying with until Grandpapa’s ridiculous notion passes.”

The corner of Archie’s mouth twitched, and for a moment she thought he would smile. Then his eyebrows pulled together. “The duke’s ridiculous notion? And what notion is that? The expectation that his granddaughter will come when he bids her?”

She shrugged and answered, her voice sounding thin to her ears. “No, the one where he’ll have me marry against my wishes.”

“Lady Harriet, perhaps my sister has filled you with her own romantic imaginings, but very rarely are a young lady’s wishes considered in matters of marriage. Your father is an earl, your grandfather a duke. There are expectations about your future.”

“Precisely. That is why I can’t go to Yorkshire. Please. As Ellie’s brother, you must help me.”

“As Eleanor’s brother, I must return you to your father. Just as I would expect your brother to do for her, should she prove herself as ridiculous as you are behaving.”

Ridiculous? How could she have believed they had an understanding? She was certain he’d been planning to help her escape her fate. She had even dreamed they met again in a ballroom and he asked for two dances. She dreamed they shared a mad passion, and he had kissed her in the gardens at Vauxhall.

And such a kiss it had been!

With a heavy sigh, she admitted to herself she had been ridiculous, at least in her dreams. She felt for the pins remaining in her hair and attempted to straighten the wild mess. Her father was going to shout, she was certain, and her mother would probably faint. Would they believe Lord Morley the innocent victim of her scheme?

She stole a glance at Archie. In the light of dawn, his hair was a darker chestnut than his sister’s, and his eyes were a rich hazel. He was much more handsome than she had imagined him from Ellie’s stories and the miniature painting she’d seen. He continued to frown, probably anticipating her father’s ire. She must make certain Archie wasn’t forced to marry her. He did not deserve such a fate, no matter how much it appealed in her dreams.

Pushing the blankets aside, she rose and tugged at her pelisse. “I am ready.”

Archie descended the step and lifted a hand to her, helping her gain her footing in the slippery mud. Straightening his cravat, he led the way towards her father’s carriage. She hurried to remain close in his shadow, hiding as long as she could from what she faced. This was all her fault, and she must do whatever necessary to appease her father without involving Archie.

At Archie’s knock, the carriage door opened. Papa shouted, “What is it, man? We are in a hurry to be on our way.”

 
“I’m Lord Morley, my lord. My sister has an acquaintance with Lady Harriet. It’s rather cold out here, might we come inside?” Archie stepped aside, allowing her father to see her. “There is much to explain.”

“Harriet!” Papa’s booming, angry voice rattled the windows.

“Hello, Papa. Mama. I’m quite safe, as you see.” Somehow she kept her smile from wavering. Her entire person shook, but she maneuvered the step. When she went to sit by her mother, she was roughly guided from behind to sit beside her father.

With an awkward head nod, Lord Morley squeezed between her mother and their maid. “Forgive the lack of introduction, Lady Alderford. I am Archibald Napier, Viscount Morley. I believe you have met my sister, Lady Eleanor.”

Harriet watched relief erase the lines on her mother’s brow. Mama practically glowed at Archie. “Oh, I am so relieved! We were certain Harriet had been kidnapped, yet she was with your sister all this time.”

She frowned at Harriet. “My dear girl, you should have told me you were leaving. No, what am I saying? You know your grandpapa insists on seeing you. Whatever were you thinking?”

A band tightened around Harriet’s middle. She hated confrontations more than anything in the world, except perhaps gruel. Yet there was no one to stand up for her but herself. “Mama, don’t you understand? I can’t marry yet. I don’t care who Grandpapa has chosen, I must have another Season before I make my decision.”

“Your decision?” Papa sputtered. “It is not yours to make. Where did this foolish notion come from?”

Harriet ignored the annoyingly knowing nod from Archie. “Papa, please—”

“Enough. I will hear no more of this.”

Archie moved to rise. “Now that she is safe with you, I shall return to my carriage. My driver should be returning with a new wheel shortly.”

“Not so quickly, young man.”

Archie sank back onto the bench.

Chapter Six

Morley swallowed the burning in his gut. He’d not corrected Lady Alderford when she assumed his sister was traveling with him, and was grateful Lady Harriet had kept her tongue. He’d thought for a moment he would escape without consequences, but apparently that was not to be.

He met Alderford’s stern gaze. “Sir?”

“Your sisters can be trusted to keep this incident quiet?”

Coughing into his hand, Morley looked down at his feet. He prided himself on his honesty, but honesty would benefit no one at this point. “Of course, my lord. It will be as if they never learned of the event.”

Lady Harriet made a peep, but he refused to look her way.

“Very good. I’ll send a note along with a few coins to the inn, and I’m certain no one of consequence will hear of our daughter’s foolishness. I appreciate your discretion in the matter.”

“Of course, sir.” Relief washed over him, making his legs weak, but he rose quickly to escape before anything could go wrong. “Having four unmarried sisters, I fully understand foolish young ladies.”

Lady Alderford grabbed his sleeve. “You cannot leave your sister in that broken carriage. Go and fetch Lady Eleanor, and you both may wait here for your driver to make the repairs. Burney, you may wait with Lady Eleanor’s maid.”

Morley closed his eyes and prayed he would waken from this nightmare. “My sister is not in the carriage, my lady.”

“I don’t understand. Did you leave her behind at the inn?”

Alderford barked, sounding as if he’d swallowed a bug. “Just where were you taking my daughter?”

Unwilling to cower before the man even as he stooped inside the carriage, Morley met Alderford’s gaze. Lady Alderford spoke before he could. “But your other sisters travel with you?”

He shook his head. “I travel alone, my lady.” He turned back to Harriet’s father and waited for the blow he felt sure to come.

“What’s this about?” Alderford looked from his daughter to Morley as if uncertain whom to question. “Had you and my daughter arranged this elopement? But you are traveling in the wrong direction for Gretna Green.”

Morley wouldn’t throw blame at Harriet, no matter how deserving she was. But he couldn’t conceive a believable explanation for traveling alone with a young woman. “There was no arrangement between us, my lord, merely a misunderstanding.”

A small squeak from Harriet’s corner made him stiffen, and however irrational, a wave of guilt passed through him. If he’d learned of Eleanor or the other girls doing something foolish, he would keep his sisters’ foibles under wraps, wouldn’t he? And Eleanor would expect him to do the same for her bosom bow?
Think, man
.