Midnight My Love (25 page)

"Yes there is. Sweep her off her feet."

"What?"

Garrett set down his glass. "You must sweep
Alex off her feet. Women are romantic. Ought to know that, Demon.
All my sisters are romantic."

Damien laughed derisively. "I've never been
romantic in my life."

"Never wanted to get married before," Garr
retorted. Damien sat up straighter, looking more hopeful. "You're
right. I've never wanted to marry anyone. I never thought I would
want to. Not after seeing my parents make such a farce of
matrimony."

"Not all marriages are like that," Garrett
said. "My father and mother have a good marriage. Don't believe
m'father's ever strayed."

Damien stared at his glass. "If Alex was my
wife, I'd have no desire to stray."

"Beautiful woman," agreed Garrett.

"Yes, she
is
beautiful. She's also
intelligent, spirited, charming, graceful, talented . .
."

"Been bit bad," Garrett said, shaking his
head.

"Don't I know it?" Damien grinned. "Quite a
turn about, isn't it?" The grin quickly vanished. "But what am I
going to do? I know Alex must feel something for me, even though
she despises my reputation."

"Must take matters into your own hands,"
Garrett advised. "Prove you love her, that you've changed, that she
can trust you."

"How will I do that?"

Garrett shrugged his exquisitely padded
shoulders. "Can't tell you that, old fellow. Wish I could. You'll
think of something though. I know you will."

Robert watched his two best friends race
down the lane toward Portsmouth. He'd never seen Demon in such a
fury before. Determined to get to the bottom of the mystery
surrounding Alexandra and Damien, he went in search of his
sister.

He found her in the library sitting in a
chair by the empty fireplace. Dressed in one of her oldest gowns,
Alexandra's face was pale and her eyes suspiciously red rimmed.

"Alex, I want to talk to you," he said, his
heart going out to her. Damn Demon for making her cry.

Alexandra seemed to hesitate before looking
at her brother. She tried to smile. "You don't have to tell me.
You've asked Jenny to be your wife. She told me early this morning.
Congratulations, Robert. I know you will both be very happy."

"Yes. Well, thank you," he said, momentarily
diverted. "Now that all of our guests have left, Jenny and I will
be leaving soon to visit her parents and tell them the news."

A flash of pain crossed Alex's face.
"Rochdale's gone?" she whispered.

Robert knelt beside her and clasped one icy
hand in his. "Tell me what's going on, Alex. Demon came thundering
out of the house and left for Portsmouth with Garr. He wasn't
planning to leave for another couple of days. I've never seen him
in such a rage."

Two large tears cascaded down Alexandra's
cheek. She wiped them away with a trembling hand. "He asked me to
marry him."

Robert stood abruptly.
"
What?
Demon
asked you to marry him? Jenny was right, then. He
must
love you. Do you
love him?"

"Yes, but it doesn't matter," she said with
a sniff. "He will never change. He spent the night with Marcella.
Just because he thought Carlisle was kissing me."

"
Was
Carlisle kissing you?" Robert
asked, taking a seat beside her.

"I was telling him we wouldn't suit, and he
kissed my cheek in farewell."

Robert stared at his sister. "Why were you
giving Carlisle his marching orders? I thought you were set on
marrying him."

Alexandra took a pillowcase from her mending
basket near her chair. "That was before I discovered I loved
Damien. I couldn't marry Carlisle, feeling the way I do."

Robert shook his head, trying to unravel the
problem. "You love Demon. He loves you. He asked you to marry him.
You refused. Am I missing something here, sister dear?"

She set the pillowcase on her lap. "I'm
sorry if I offend you, because I know he's your best friend, but
Damien's wicked and licentious, he's a libertine, and he hates
women. You say he loves me. I don't think he knows the meaning of
the word. I wouldn't be surprised if he asked me to marry him,
merely to get me into his bed."

Robert tried to defend his friend. "You
shouldn't be so cynical, my dear. Demon has many good qualities.
Look how he stood by me when I was down. He's loyal, trustworthy,
and honorable."

"To men, but not to women," interrupted
Alexandra.

"If you knew how his mother was, you would
understand him better. She led his father on, playing him false
time and time again. And she had absolutely no affection for her
brat, as she called Demon."

Alex plucked at a dangling thread on the
pillowcase and sighed. "I've tried taking all of that into
consideration. But Damien deliberately hurt me yesterday."

Robert nodded. "Love often makes people act
strangely. To a man like Demon, love is an undesirable emotion. It
can leave a person vulnerable and Demon needs to be in
control."

"What about his past?" she asked. "What kind
of husband do you think he would make?"

"Once Demon commits himself," Robert said,
"you should have nothing to worry about. If he loves you, and you
return his love and try to understand him better, Demon will be
yours forever. Reformed rakes make excellent husbands, my dear. God
help any daughters you may have. Demon will watch them like a
hawk."

"But what can I do? I flung his proposal in
his face. And now he's gone."

"He'll be back. For years, Demon's
mistrusted women. I'm sure he's been fighting a battle with himself
since he discovered he loves you. And since he proposed, he must've
won that battle. Once Demon makes up his mind, he rarely changes
it. If he wants you for his wife, he'll have you." Robert grinned
at his sister. "Give him a chance, Alex. Deep down, Damien is a
good man."

Alexandra blew her nose on a delicate
handkerchief. "I don't know if I can ever forgive him for
yesterday's conduct."

"When Demon finally showed up this morning,"
Robert said, "he was the happiest I've ever seen him. Maybe it took
a night with the Nugent to make him realize he really loves
you."

"So, I'm supposed to forgive and forget and
welcome him with open arms?" she asked. "I don't know if I can do
that."

"If you truly love him, you'll find it in
your heart to forgive him." Robert walked to the door, then paused
and turned back. "By the way, I've dismissed that new maid, Lucy.
She made some embarrassing overtures to me this morning when she
brought my laundered shirts to my room. I can't have a servant like
that working in the house. Jenny wouldn't like it. Matter of fact,
I didn't like it either."

****

Alexandra stood with Aunt Haygood at the top
of the steps and bid farewell to Jenny and Robert. The happy couple
was off to Dorset so Robert could formally ask Mr. Sedgewicke for
Jenny's hand.

Alex kissed Robert's cheek, then Jenny's.
"Give my love to your parents. Tell them we're looking forward to
the wedding."

Jenny threw her arms around her friend. "I
still have hopes for you and Rochdale," she whispered.

Biting her lip, Alexandra shook her head.
"Not all romances have happy endings. I'm delighted you and Robert
are making a match. You're perfect for one another." She squeezed
Jenny's small hand. "And we shall truly be sisters at last."

Jenny nodded and turned to say goodbye to
Aunt Haygood.

That good lady smothered her in a bear-like
hug. "Now, I told cook to include some chamomile in the basket. In
case of motion sickness, you know." She handed the large wicker
hamper to Jenny's maid. "Careful, girl. Mrs. Abernathy has packed
sandwiches and a bottle of wine in there."

"Yes, mum." The maid bobbed a curtsy before
climbing into the carriage with the hamper.

"Thank you," Robert said to Aunt Haygood.
"Your thoughtfulness will be much appreciated and delicious, I'm
sure." He smiled and kissed her and Alex one more time, before
helping his intended into the waiting coach. "I'll return within a
fortnight, Alex. Don't get into any trouble while I'm gone."

He entered the carriage and settled beside
Jenny, who waved from inside, her face radiant with happiness. Alex
was glad her friend's secret love for her brother was finally
reciprocated. Jenny was walking on air, and Robert was tenderly
attentive to all her needs.

The carriage rolled out of sight and Alex
and her aunt returned to the back parlor. Alex pored over the
accounts while Aunt Haygood occupied herself with her tatting. They
worked in companionable silence until Sterling brought in the tea
tray.

As Aunt Haygood served, Alex tried to shake
off the despondency which had descended upon her. Why couldn't she
and Rochdale simply admit their love for each other like Jenny and
Robert, and live happily ever after? It seemed unfair that she had
fallen in love with a man who held females in contempt--

"Alexandra! I asked you a question and
you're ignoring me."

"I'm sorry, Aunt. I was woolgathering. What
was it you asked me?"

Aunt Haygood handed her a cup of tea. "Lady
Penelope Penderley has invited me to spend a couple of weeks with
her, and I was wondering if you minded my going, seeing that Robert
will also be gone. I hate leaving you alone for so long."

"I don't mind at all. I'll enjoy the
solitude." Alexandra smiled. "Besides, I have a lot of work to do
in the observatory. I was thinking I would be poor company for you
over the next fortnight or so. Visiting Lady Penderley will be a
welcome diversion for you."

"Well, then," Aunt Haygood said, stirring
her tea, "I shall send a note round to dear Penelope, accepting her
kind invitation. She wants me to bring my special lemon verbena
tea. We shall have a wonderful time catching up on old news. We
were at school together, you know."

Alex nodded. "I believe you've mentioned her
to me. Her husband died last year, did he not?"

"Yes, poor dear. She's been moping about
ever since. Lemon verbena will be just the thing to perk her up."
Aunt Haygood set down her cup and stood. "If you don't mind, I'll
just run upstairs and pen that note to Penelope. And I must see to
the packing of my teas. I'll tell Sterling to call for the carriage
immediately after breakfast tomorrow morning. I want to get an
early start." She bustled out of the room.

Alex finished her tea and went slowly up to
her bedchamber. Her head ached, and she felt listless. Maybe she
would lie down a while before dinner.

Robert's announcement about Lucy had been a
shock. She remembered the hurt in Damien's eyes when she'd accused
him of seducing the little maid. Now she understood. He'd been
innocent. He'd told the truth.

Alex threw herself across
the bed and pounded her fists on the pillows.
Damn him!
What was she supposed to
think?
Lucy was young and pretty; Damien's
reputation was black and tarnished. Would she ever be able to trust
him?

Why had she refused
Damien's proposal?
Because he'd spent the
night in Marcella's arms.
But that wasn't
the only reason. She was afraid to offer her heart, only to have it
coldly rejected--just as he'd rejected their friendship all those
years ago. Would she ever know the reason for that
rejection?

And how could he spend the night with his
mistress, then propose to the woman he supposedly loved the next
morning? Had Robert been right? Had that been the turning point for
Damien?

It was a baffling puzzle.

Alex rolled over and stared at the lace
canopy above. Hot tears trickled down her cheeks. Her mind told her
she had done the right thing in refusing Damien's proposal, but her
heart cried out for the man she loved.

****

After Aunt Haygood left for Penderley Hall,
the days stretched out endlessly. Alexandra tried to keep busy with
her nightly perusals of the heavens and making copious notes of the
George's erratic orbit in her journals. She searched the
observatory high and low for her thesis, but to no avail--it was
gone. She would have to start over, but had little hope of
successfully reproducing the original.

Sitting at her workbench, Alex sipped her
chocolate and read over her calculations from the night before. How
she wished Damien were still here to help her. She'd enjoyed the
nights they had worked on her paper, the long hours spent side by
side. She smiled when she remembered how he'd sat sprawled on the
hard backed chair, his long legs extended, his gleaming Hessians
crossed at the ankles.

More often than not, Damien would throw off
his coat, tossing it carelessly across the sofa. He would sit
holding her journal, reading it closely, absent-mindedly untying
his cravat with one tanned hand and unbuttoning the top of his
shirt, making himself comfortable and settling in for the long
haul.

Even now, Alexandra's breath caught when she
thought about the exposed sandy-colored hair on his muscular chest.
With his shirt sleeves rolled above his elbows and his golden eyes
fixed on the page, Damien was attractive beyond her girlish
imagination.

On those nights they'd worked together, Alex
had covertly studied the man by her side. She had always thought
him handsome, but after being constantly in his company, the
viscount had become appealingly familiar again. And yet, he was as
dangerous as ever.

She began to feel special and dear to
him--the way she used to feel when he was near. Except now, there
was an underlying current between them. Many times she caught his
golden eyes on her with an intensity that made her stomach tumble.
When their eyes met, he would drop his gaze and resume his
work.