Thunder and Roses (2 page)

Yet she lingered a little longer, knowing that he would never see her in the cluster of trees from which she watched. He rode bareback, flaunting his wizardry with horses, dressed in black except for the scarlet scarf knotted around his throat. He was too far away for her to see his face. She wondered if he had changed, then decided that the real question was not if, but how much. Whatever the truth behind the violent events that had driven him away, it had to have been searing.

Would he remember her? Probably not. He’d only seen her a handful of times, and she had been a child then. Not only had he been Viscount
Tregar
, but he was four years older than she, and older children seldom paid much attention to younger ones.

The reverse was not true.

As she walked back to the
village
of
Penreith
, she reviewed her pleas and arguments. One way or another, she must persuade the Demon Earl to help. No one else could make a difference.

 
For a few brief minutes, while his stallion blazed across the estate like a mad wind, Nicholas was able to lose himself in the exhilaration of pure speed. But reality closed in again when the ride ended and he returned to the house.

In his years abroad he had often dreamed of Aberdare, torn between yearning and fear of what he would find there. The twenty-four hours since his return had proved that his fears had been justified. He’d been a fool to think that four years away could obliterate the past. Every room of the house, every acre of the valley, held memories. Some were happy ones, but they had been overlaid by more recent events, tainting what he had once loved. Perhaps, in the furious moments before he died, the old earl had laid a curse on the valley so that his despised grandson would never again know happiness here.

Nicholas walked to the window of his bedroom and stared out. The valley was as beautiful as ever— wild in the heights, lushly cultivated lower down. The delicate greens of spring were beginning to show. Soon there would be daffodils. As a boy, he had helped the gardeners plant drifts of bulbs under the trees, getting thoroughly muddy in the process. His grandfather had seen it as further proof of Nicholas’s low breeding.

He raised his eyes to the ruined castle that brooded over the valley. For centuries those immensely thick walls had been both fortress and home to the Davies family. More peaceful times had led Nicholas’s great-great-grandfather to build the mansion considered suitable for one of
Britain
‘s wealthiest families.

Among many other advantages, the house had plenty of bedrooms. Nicholas had been grateful for that the previous day. He never considered using the state apartment that had been his grandfather’s. Entering his own rooms proved to be a gut-wrenching experience, for it was impossible to see his old bed without imagining Caroline in it, her lush body naked and her eager arms beckoning. He had retreated immediately to a guest room that was safely anonymous, like an expensive hotel.

Yet even there, he slept poorly, haunted by bad dreams and worse memories. By morning, he had reached the harsh conclusion that he must sever all ties with Aberdare. He would never find peace of mind here, any more than he had in four years of constant, restless travel.

Might it be possible to break the entail so that the estate could be sold? He must ask his lawyer. The thought of selling made him ache with emptiness. It would be like cutting off an arm—yet if a limb was festering, there was no other choice.

Still, selling would not be wholly without compensations. It pleased Nicholas to know that getting rid of the place would give his grandfather the ghostly equivalent of apoplexy, wherever the hypocritical old bastard was now.

Abruptly he spun on his heel, stalked out of his bedroom, and headed downstairs to the library. How to live the rest of his life was a topic too dismal to contemplate, but he could certainly do something about the next few hours. With a little effort and a lot of brandy, they could be eliminated entirely.

 
Clare had never been inside Aberdare before. It was as grand as she had expected, but gloomy, with most of the furniture still concealed under
holland
covers. Four years of emptiness had made the place forlorn as well. The butler, Williams, was equally gloomy. He hadn’t wanted to take Clare to the earl without first announcing her, but he had grown up in the village, so she was able to persuade him. He escorted her down a long corridor, then opened the door to the library. “Miss Clare Morgan to see you, my lord. She said her business is urgent.”

Taking a firm grip on her courage, Clare walked past Williams into the library, not wanting to give the earl time to refuse her. If she failed today, she wouldn’t get another chance.

The earl stood by a window, staring out across the valley. His coat had been tossed over a chair, and his shirt-sleeved informality gave him a rakish air. Odd that he had been known as Old Nick; even now, he was scarcely thirty.

As the door closed behind Williams, the earl turned, his forbidding gaze going right to Clare. Though not unusually tall, he radiated power. She remembered that even at the age when most lads were gawky, he had moved with absolute physical mastery.

On the surface, he seemed much the same. If anything, he was even more handsome than he had been four years ago. She would not have thought that possible. But he had indeed changed; she saw it in his eyes. Once they had brimmed with teasing laughter that invited others to laugh with him. Now they were as impenetrable as polished Welsh flint. The duels and flagrant affairs and public scandals had left their mark.

As she hesitated, wondering if she should speak first, he asked, “Are you related to Reverend

Thomas Morgan?”
                  

“His daughter. I’m the schoolmistress in Penreith.”

His bored gaze flicked over her. “That’s right, sometimes he had a grubby brat in tow.”

Stung, she retorted, “I wasn’t half as grubby as you were.”

“Probably not,” he agreed, a faint smile in his eyes. “I was a disgrace. During lessons, your father often referred to you as a model of saintly decorum. I hated you sight unseen.”

It shouldn’t have hurt, but it did. Hoping that it would irritate him, Clare said sweetly, “And to me, he said that you were the cleverest boy he had ever taught, and that you had a good heart in spite of your wildness.”

“Your father’s judgment leaves much to be desired,” the earl said, his momentary levity vanishing. “As the preacher’s daughter, I assume you are seeking funds for some boring, worthy cause. Apply to my steward in the future rather than bothering me. Good day, Miss Morgan.”

He was starting to turn away when she said quickly,

“What I wish to discuss is not a matter for your steward.”

His mobile lips twisted. “But you do want something, don’t you? Everyone does.”

He strolled to a decanter-covered cabinet and refilled a glass that he had been carrying. “Whatever it is, you won’t get it from me. Noblesse oblige was my grandfather’s province. Kindly leave while the atmosphere is still civil.”

She realized uneasily that he was well on his way to being drunk. Well, she had dealt with drunks before. “Lord Aberdare, people in Penreith are suffering, and you are the only man in a position to make a difference. It will cost you very little in time or money …”

“I don’t care how little is involved,” he said forcefully. “I don’t want anything to do with the village, or the people who live in it! Is that clear? Now get the hell out.”

Clare felt her stubbornness rising. “I am not asking for your help, my lord, I am demanding it,” she snapped. “Shall I explain now, or should I wait until you’re sober?”

He regarded her with amazement. “If anyone here is drunk, it would appear to be you.
    
If you think your sex will protect you from physical force, you’re wrong. Will you go quietly, or am I going to have to carry you out?” He moved toward her with purposeful strides, his white, open-throated shirt emphasizing the intimidating breadth of his shoulders.

Resisting the impulse to back away, Clare reached into the pocket of her cloak and pulled out the small book that was her only hope. Opening the volume to the handwritten inscription, she held it up for him to see. “Do you remember this?”

The message was a simple one. Reverend Morgan—I hope that some day I will be able to repay all you have done for me. Affectionately, Nicholas Davies.

The schoolboy scrawl stopped the earl as if he had been struck. His wintry gaze shifted from the book to Clare’s face. “You play to win, don’t you? However, you’re holding the wrong hand. Any obligation I might feel would be toward your father. If he wants favors, he should ask for them in person.”

“He can’t,” she said baldly. “He died two years ago.”

After an awkward silence, the earl said, “I’m sorry, Miss Morgan. Your father was probably the only truly good man I’ve ever known.”

“Your grandfather was also a good man. He did a great deal for the people of Penreith. The poor fund, the chapel …”

Before Clare could list other examples of the late earl’s charity, Nicholas interrupted her. “Spare me. I know that my grandfather dearly loved setting a moral example for the lower orders, but that holds no appeal for me.”

“At least he took his responsibilities seriously,” she retorted. “You haven’t done a thing for the estate or the village since you inherited.”

“A record I have every intention of maintaining.” He finished his drink and set the glass down with a clink. “Neither your father’s good example nor the old earl’s moralizing succeeded in transforming me into a gentleman. I don’t give a damn about anyone or anything, and I prefer it that way.”

She stared at him, shocked. “How can you say such a thing? No one is that callous.”

“Ah, Miss Morgan, your innocence is touching.” He leaned against the edge of the table and folded his arms across his broad chest, looking as diabolical as his nickname. “You had better leave before I shatter any more of your illusions.”

“Don’t you care that your neighbors are suffering?”

“In a word, no. The Bible says that the poor will always be with us, and if Jesus couldn’t change that, I certainly can’t.” He gave her a mocking smile. “With the possible exception of your father, I’ve never met a man of conspicuous charity who didn’t have base motives. Most who make a show of generosity do it because they crave the gratitude of their inferiors and the satisfactions of self-righteousness. At least I, in my honest selfishness, am not a hypocrite.”

“A hypocrite can do good even if his motives are unworthy, which makes him more valuable than someone with your brand of honesty,” she said dryly. “But as you wish. Since you don’t believe in charity, what do you care about? If money is what warms your heart, there is profit to be made in Penreith.”

He shook his head. “Sorry, I don’t care much about money, either. I already have more than I could spend in ten lifetimes.”

“How nice for you,” she muttered under her breath. She wished that she could turn and walk out, but to do so would be to admit defeat, and she had never been good at that. Thinking that there had to be some way to reach him, she asked, “What would it take to change your mind?”

“My help is not available for any price you would be willing or able to pay.”

“Try me.”

Attention caught, he scanned her from head to foot with insulting frankness. “Is that an offer?”

He had meant to shock her, and he had succeeded; she turned a hot, humiliated red. But she did not avert her eyes. “If I said yes, would that persuade you to help Penreith?”

He regarded her with astonishment. “My God, you would actually let me ruin you if that would advance your schemes?”

“If I was sure it would work, yes,” she said recklessly. “My virtue and a few minutes of suffering would be a small price to pay when set against starving families and the lives that will be lost when the Penreith mine explodes.”