To Tame a Highland Earl (8 page)

If he knew about the marriage contract her
father had drawn up would he be having this conversation with her?
Wouldn’t he simply tell her she had to marry him and that that was
that?

Eve shrugged. “I need worry only about
finding a way not to marry you. You, on the other hand, must find a
way to avoid marriage to two women. My father might prefer that I
marry you, but he will settle for your marriage to Grace.”

“
And the fact that I did
not even know his youngest daughter will not matter?” Lord Rushton
asked.

“
You forfeited your
innocence when you broke into my room.”

“
You may be right.” He gave
her an appraising look. “So you feel your adamant refusal will
force me to accept your sister?”

“
Your father visited my
father today and there has been an announcement in the paper. I
conclude that your father is in agreement that you marry one of
us.” Emotion flickered in his eyes and Eve knew that she’d hit the
mark. “I must say, my lord, I am surprised the marquess will allow
you to marry so far beneath your station.”

“
You underestimate your
worth, Miss Crenshaw. If my father thought you were beneath me, he
would not allow me to marry you. It is far more likely he
comprehends my good luck.”

“
Good luck?” she repeated,
then understanding dawned. “I see. He is glad for the opportunity
to force you into marriage—and I am to be the sacrificial
lamb.”

An unholy delight gleamed in his eyes. “Never
fear, my dear. You are not yet saddled with me. This is not the
first time my father has wanted me to marry.”

“
But this is the first time
he has chased you halfway across England with the effort,” she
pointed out.

His eyes widened in exaggerated horror. “Dear
God, never say you are one of those females who engages in
gossip.”

“
It is impossible not to
hear when a marquess arrives in town and goes directly to his son’s
hotel room. And I must add, sir, it is also impossible not to hear
when a gentleman’s paramours visit him in that same hotel
room.”

His humor vanished. “I advise you to beware
what rumors you attend to, madam. You of all people should know
that gossip seldom resembles the truth.”

Eve frowned. “What?” Then she realized that
he knew about her elopement with Blane. “I see you have engaged in
a bit of gossip mongering yourself.”

“
As you said, some things
are difficult not to hear. I, however, prefer to reserve
judgment.”

“
How kind of you,” she
said. “But I care nothing for your judgment.”

“
In that you are
wise.”

Eve was startled by his response and
regretted the censure that had been waiting for release since she’d
heard about Laura Greenwood visiting his hotel room. “Things may
not be as they seem,” she said, “but once you are married, visits
from women like Lady Greenwood will be devastating to your
wife.”

“
You will forgive me, Miss
Crenshaw, but it was only late last night that I was informed I was
to marry. I have had no time to put my, er, affairs in
order.”

She had turned into a shrew. “You are right.
My apologies.”

“
As to marriage, I regret
that I must continue to be disagreeable, but I am obliged to put to
rest any hopes you may have. I will not marry your
sister.”

“
My lord—”

He held up a hand. “Please, hear me out.”

She acquiesced with a nod.

“
I make no excuses for
breaking into your room. But I will not let one mistake dictate the
rest of my life. I fully understand that you do not wish to be the
victim of my folly, either, and I don’t blame you. Your father has
grounds to insist I marry you, but he has no grounds to insist I
marry your sister. As long as you remain steadfast in your refusal,
he will have to accept the situation.”

“
And where will you be, my
lord, if my father manages to convince me to marry you?”

“
Quite honestly, I will be
better off than if I marry your sister.”

Eve bristled. “My sister will make a fine
wife—far better than me.”

“
That is your opinion, not
mine, and as I am the one taking the wife, my opinion is the only
one that counts. But, Miss Crenshaw, if you truly have no wish to
marry me, then hold fast in your resolve and this will
pass.”

“
So the outcome rests on
me?”

“
If you know another
way…”

She knew of another way and, as Lord Rushton
was leaving matters in her hands, it seemed that was to be her only
salvation. If she didn’t get Grace married to the earl, her father
would have Eve’s marriage contract signed by tomorrow.

“
Avoiding Grace may not be
as easy as you think,” Eve said. “She has decided to marry you and,
with both our parents in agreement, I do not see how you can avoid
it.”

He laughed. “She isn’t the first lady to set
her cap on me. As for our parents, they can only force me if I had
truly compromised her.”

A trip to Gretna Green certainly qualified as
a compromise. “The world thinks you did compromise her. As we know,
that is everything.”

“
You do not care what they
think.”

“
You and Grace live in
Society
. I do not.”

He flashed a breathtaking smile. “You were
spectacular in
Society
tonight.”

Despite the flutter in her stomach, Eve
rolled her eyes. “Flattery is lost on me, my lord. Save it for
Grace.” She gulped the last of her drink—Lord Rushton was right,
she did need fortification. She set the glass on the table beside
the couch. “We do not agree, but we understand one another. I
suggest you gird your loins, sir. The hunt is on.”

He lifted a brow. “I hunt you.”

“
More important,” she said,
“Grace hunts you.”

“
Will you be angry if I
successfully avoid your sister?”

“
I…I cannot imagine how you
can.”

He finished off his drink, set his glass on
the matching table at his end and looked at her. “But if I do?”

“
That is a trick. If you do
not accept Grace that means you have me instead.”

“
Perhaps…but that doesn’t
mean you must marry me.”

Eve frowned. “If I do not—” She suddenly
realized what he meant. “My lord!”

A woman’s muffled giggle in the hallway
caused them both to look toward the door.

Eve swung her gaze back to Lord Rushton.
“Someone is coming.”

He shoved to his feet and pulled her up.

“
The balcony.” She turned,
but he caught her arm.

“
Not the balcony. The door
is locked.”

“
What?” Eve
said.

“
Lady Grendall is terrified
of heights. That is why the curtain is closed. Over
here.”

The murmur of a deep voice neared to the door
as Lord Rushton hurried her toward the armoire.

“
We cannot fit in there,”
she protested.

A feminine squeal caused Eve to jump. They
reached the cabinet and Lord Rushton took another step right,
toward the room’s dark corner. He pressed a panel on the wall and
it sprang open. He yanked the secret door wider and shoved her
inside. Eve’s elbow struck a wall. She turned in the tiny space as
he stepped inside, pulling the door shut behind him—and pinning Eve
to the wall in pitch darkness.

Chapter Five

Eve’s heart leapt into a furious rhythm. The
hidey-hole was wide enough to accommodate Lord Rushton’s broad
shoulders, and long enough for them to squeeze in together. Nothing
more. Eve inhaled a breath, then stopped at his hiss of breath.

“
Miss Crenshaw, I will ask
you not to move,” he whispered.

Her pulse skipped a bit. “I-I do not hear
anything. Maybe they did not come into the room.”
Please,
God
, she prayed. But the moment the prayer passed from her
lips, a woman squealed on the other side of the panel.

Eve gasped. Lord Rushton clamped a hand over
her mouth. He bent slightly and she felt warm breath wash over her
temple as he whispered, “Careful.”

She nodded—as much in a fervent plea for him
to quit touching her as to indicate her understanding. His hand
dropped away. A male voice murmured something in the room and Eve
wanted to cry. Someone had chosen this room for an illicit
interlude. How long would they stay? If she and Lord Rushton were
caught, her father would personally escort them to Gretna Green for
a quick marriage. But almost worse than that, the heat that
radiated off Lord Rushton threatened to melt her on the spot.

The tension in her back was working its way
up her shoulders. She shifted. He seized her hips. She jerked and
banged her elbow against the wall. He cursed softly. Her heart
hammered harder. What was wrong with her? She wasn’t an untried
maiden. What she and Blane had done was far worse than being
squeezed into a hiding place the size of a rabbit hole. So why did
being wedged in with Lord Rushton have her ready to jump out of her
skin? The man’s muffled voice was followed by a woman’s moan.

Eve became suddenly aware of the steely bulge
pressing against her belly. Her legs weakened and she felt her
knees give way. Lord Rushton jammed an arm behind her and caught
her by her buttocks. Eve squeaked and batted at his shoulder. He
gave her a shake. She understood the rebuke and buried her face in
his chest. The thump of his powerful heart against her chest made
her head spin all the faster and she seriously feared she would
swoon.

His free arm slid around her shoulders and he
stroked her back. Her heartbeat slowed. Despite the pressure of his
fingers gripping her buttocks, her panic lowered to a simmer. Then
she became aware of his chin resting on her head. The hand beneath
her derriere slid upward over the curve of her buttocks in what she
almost swore was a caress. A shiver ran up her back. Eve drew in a
stuttered breath, and released it when his embrace relaxed. The
woman moaned louder and Lord Rushton’s arms tensed. Another moan
followed. The man said something indistinguishable.

“
More,” came the woman’s
hoarse plea.

Eve swallowed against a dry throat. The bulge
digging into her stomach seemed to thicken. Was that possible? A
grunt sounded from the room. The man? Eve fisted Lord Rushton’s
lapel. Her stomach tightened and an ache began to thrum between her
legs. The woman grunted—or had it been the man? Eve’s breath
quickened, but it seemed Lord Rushton had become a statue. Then he
shifted. Eve instinctually lifted her head. Her head brushed his
jaw.

Soft female cries filtered into the hidey
hole. Lord Rushton moved and Eve realized he was looking down at
her. She became aware of a tiny displacement of air near her face,
then his lips nuzzled her temple. A languid shiver slid down her
spine. He pressed his warm lips against her cheek and she realized
he was going to kiss her. As the thought formed, his mouth covered
hers.

Eve’s head swam. She was vaguely aware of the
woman’s murmured pleas. Lord Rushton touched his tongue to her
lips. Eve gave a small gasp of surprise and his tongue slid inside.
His hand skimmed down the curve of her buttocks, then his long
fingers cupped her bottom again as he flicked his tongue against
her tongue. The rhythm was strange…erotic, and she was startled by
the thought of his hips thrusting against hers in tandem with his
tongue.

He moved his mouth on hers and she couldn’t
repress a tentative thrust of her tongue against his. His fingers
squeezed her buttocks and she jerked, digging his member deeper
into her flesh. He groaned, the sound deep and masculine. Heat
coiled in Eve’s stomach and radiated downward. Lord Rushton’s grasp
on her derrière tightened as he undulated his hips and rubbed his
rod against her.

It hadn’t been like this with Blane. He had
made her feel cared for, feminine, but he hadn’t lit a fire that
centered—Eve pushed at Lord Rushton’s chest. His mouth froze on
hers. Her heart thrummed in unison with the beat that had taken up
residence at the intimate point between her thighs. She had to
stop, had to think…

Lord Rushton drew back. Eve collapsed against
his chest, and he once again rested his chin on her head. They
stood, unmoving, until his heartbeat slowed and Eve became aware of
the silence in the room beyond. Had the couple departed? She leaned
away from the earl and he straightened. She lifted on tiptoes and
pressed her lips to his jaw. He shuddered and she froze. Holy God,
she couldn’t reach his ear.

“
Are they gone?” she
whispered.

For a moment he didn’t move and Eve thought
perhaps he was listening, but then she realized she was still
pressed against his erection. She shifted her hips so that her
stomach didn’t touch him. He made an indistinguishable sound, but
before Eve could interpret it, he leaned toward the door and a soft
click followed, then the panel sprung open. He didn’t move and she
knew he was listening this time. He scooted toward the panel and
slowly peered around the edge of the door. After a few seconds, he
stepped from the secret place and reached to pull her out.

The coals had burned down significantly, but
enough light remained for them to maneuver their way to the door.
Eve waited while he checked the hallway, then he grasped her hand
and didn’t bother to close the door, but strode down the corridor
back toward the ballroom. Thankfully, they didn’t encounter anyone
and, when they passed the refreshments room, Lord Rushton
immediately turned back and led her inside.