The Wedding Runaway (6 page)

Keene wrapped his now-free arm around Sophie.

"
Oh, let him down
,
do. He has been confined too many hours. Where are his leading strings?
"
Sophie said as she leaned into her husband
,
but her watering eyes danced over the children.
"
We
'
ve had Regina visiting with us this past fortnight. Amelia is to retrieve her as soon as she and George arrive in town.
"

Before going deaf
,
Victor leaned over and set down the howling toddler. The youngster tore around the drawing room. Victor winced.

Sophie and Keene, with the obvious ease of long practice
,
moved breakables to higher ground. Victor reached for the bell pull and opened the connecting door to the rear drawing room
,
so the little terror could run the length of the house.

"
Please sit. I
'
ll have a maid take care of that and we should have sandwiches momentarily.
"
He walked over in front of the little girl and bent down.
"
What kind of sandwich would you like?
"

Regina looked at Keene for guidance before answering. Her uncertainty tore at Victor.

Sophie plopped down beside Regina.
"
Don
'
t be scared
,
darling. You remember Lord Wedmont. Did you know that your middle name
,
Victoria
,
is for him? I suppose you may call him—
"

The drawing room door opened at that moment and a stylish woman with dark hair wound on top of her head in a loose
,
yet elegant fashion entered the room.
"
No
,
don
'
t say it!
"

"
—Uncle Victor
,"
finished Sophie, rolling her eyes at the newcomer.

"
Mama
,"
cried the little girl and she slid off the sofa and then waited with far too much patience to be told she could approach her mother.

Amelia glided into the room
,
as slender as ever
,
as beautiful as ever
,
and Victor shuddered as if a sudden draft had left him cold. His attraction to this woman had nearly cost him his life four years earlier. It had certainly cost him one of his best friends
,
almost two of them.

The room became a flurry of activity as the butler and a footman arrived with trays from the kitchen and Amelia pressed a kiss on her daughter
'
s cheek
,
then greeted Sophie and Keene.

"
I came up early
,"
she said to their surprised faces.

Keene grabbed his running son on one of his passes and urged him with a sweetmeat to sit.

"
Oh
,
do give him a sandwich first
,
Keene
,"
said Sophie
,
her attention shifting to the children
'
s needs.

Amelia removed her gloves and laid her hand on Victor
'
s sleeve.
"
Might I have a brief word with you?
"
she whispered and inclined her head ever so slightly toward the rear drawing room.

As soon as they entered the room
,
she stepped behind the door
,
out of sight of the main drawing room.

"
Amelia
,"
he protested.

She glided toward him and slid her arms around his neck.
"
I was so horrified when I heard your news.
"

Victor resisted the urge to run.
"
So you expressed in your most kind letter.
"

She leaned up on tiptoes and threaded her bare fingers through his hair.
"
Are you all right? I have been so worried about you. I...
"
She closed her dark blue eyes
,
then opened them awash with tears.

Not again. He was the one who needed sympathy
,
especially with all these crying women. He thought of Leonard who had maddeningly seemed to tear up when he told the cub he didn
'
t like him. What was it about people becoming watering spouts around him lately? Even his father-in-law had blubbered for a good half-hour on Victor
'
s new black silk jacket.

"
I have thought of you so often
,
and well
,
George shall be in the country another month before he comes to town.
"

Amelia wasn
'
t going to offer...was she?

"
I don
'
t want you to be lonely.
"
She pressed herself against him from tip to toe
,
and he felt tips. He felt too much. Her lips curled up ever so slightly with that infamous sort of Mona Lisa smile.
"
I think of that night in the carriage often.
"

She was offering to become his mistress...again.

"
You
'
re married to George now
,"
he blurted.

She made a moue of distaste.
"
We
'
ve been married a long time
,
and we bore each other.
"

Distaste curled through him and repulsed him. He put his hands on her shoulders.
"
Amelia
,
I shall ever be fond of you
,
but loving you just that once
,
nearly cost me everything.
"

She trailed her hand down his shoulder.
"
I just want you to know
,
if you need me for
anything
,
I will come to you.
"

He was shocked. He was dismayed. He shoved Amelia away. He
'
d rather sleep with Leonard. Oh God.

He pulled Amelia back
,
kissed her and felt...nothing.

She smiled. His insides were shriveling. She patted his arm, then stepped back while pulling on her gloves.
"
We should return before our absence is noted.
"

"
I have gone to the kitchen to request more food
,"
he said.

She continued to smile and nod
,
while he stared in horror. Leonard
'
s big blue eyes swam before his mind
'
s eye. His dream had muddled his mind
,
or Mary Frances
'
s madness had been contagious.

Christ
,
he had sworn off wives
,
not women.

So why the hell did kissing Amelia do nothing to stir his blood
,
but the thought of Leonard—

Bloody hell and the blaring bells of Satan
,
he needed a drink.

Chapter Three

Victor
'
s valet stood with a fresh neck cloth draped across his arm and a silly smile on his face.

"
What are you so happy about?
"
asked Victor
,
rather peevishly
,
he noted. He was unhappy that his dinner invitation to Sophie and Keene had been automatically extended to include Amelia. Then again, Victor rather regretted his forceful invitation to Leonard.

"
Nothing
,
milord
,"
said his valet. He erased the smile from his face.
"
Just glad to see you back among friends.
"

Friends
,
family
,
his female offspring
,
who was obviously scared of him. On the whole it had been a rather distressing morning. Regina had refused to let him close to her while daintily eating his biscuits.

Not that Regina wasn
'
t perfectly mannered for a five-year-old. Just that every time he approached, she would lean into Sophie or Keene or her mother with her quivering chin ducked down.

He
'
d felt like shouting at her
,
I
'
m your father
,
you darling girl. I adore every precious hair on your beautiful head
,
why in God
'
s name are you scared of me?
Which made him cross that anyone should think of yelling at her
,
let alone himself. And doubly cross that he could not claim her as his daughter.

Bloody hell
,
she was likely the only child he would ever have
,
and she reminded him of his childhood fear of his own father. A fear that hadn
'
t been so misplaced
,
or had it? Victor couldn
'
t really remember his father paying him any mind. He had just known that the previous earl had wounded his mother in both visible and invisible ways. He
'
d been helpless to save her or prevent her death from a broken heart.

A lesson that seemed to be repeated in his life. He
'
d ruined Amelia
,
yet his financial situation at the time had made it impossible for him to set things right for her. He hadn
'
t broken her heart
,
but her husband George
'
s. He
'
d been unable to rescue his own wife from her madness and broken her heart with his demands. Whatever made him think he could be of any use to an inexperienced American lad? He was more likely to destroy him.

"
Have any of my guests arrived yet?
"

"
I don
'
t believe so
,
milord. As soon as you are finished with me
,
I am off with the carriage to retrieve your young friend.
"

Victor turned and looked at his man. Had he told him to go with the carriage?
"
Did you find anything odd about Mr. Hall?
"

"
In what way
,
milord?
"
His valet fussed with Victor
'
s discarded morning clothes.

Victor loosened the knot he
'
d just tied on his cravat. It felt too tight and his face heated. He yanked the neck cloth out from under his collar.
"
Bloody hell
,
I need another.
"

How could he explain his unease about Leonard
,
without giving away his obscene interest?

"
Here you go
,
milord.
"
His valet handed him a fresh neck cloth and stood at the ready with a third.

Victor hadn
'
t needed a third attempt at tying a cravat since his shoulder had healed over four years ago. Damn
,
if Millars was whistling.

"
Lenny
,
Mr. Hall
,
that is
,
he just seems a little...off
,
don
'
t you think?
"
said Victor.

"
I
'
m sure I don
'
t know what you mean
,
sir.
"

"
Is it necessary that you retrieve him? Perhaps I should just send the coachman and carriage.
"
Good grief
,
had he just asked his valet
'
s advice about instructing his own servants? Had he lost his mind?
"
I wonder if I shouldn
'
t go myself.
"

"
You may trust me to bring the youth
,
milord. I am sure you should remain behind to greet the Davies and Mrs. Keeting when they arrive. I am sure my attention to the matter shall bring favorable results.
"

Victor wasn
'
t sure what would be favorable anymore.
"
He did not wish to dine with me
,
did he?
"
Was Leonard aware of Victor
'
s unhealthy prurient interest?

His valet turned to put away the spare neck cloth
,
but not before Victor had seen the smile.
"
Yes
,
there was some reluctance
,
but we quite overcame that. A previous engagement
,
I believe.
"

"
You find my interest in this boy amusing?
"

"
Lord Wedmont
,
I am most pleased to see you taking an interest in the welfare of another. If I may be so bold
,
I find the present circumstances of your state of mind much more encouraging than those of a month ago. So please forgive me if my joy at seeing you taking an interest in life
'
s matters overrides my usual forbearance. If we are done
,
milord
,
I shall see to my other duties?
"

Victor nodded. Had he been so maudlin that at the first spark of life
,
his valet was practically falling over with glee? It was true that after the funeral and the well-wishers had gone back to their own lives
,
and his father-in-law
'
s interest had turned to the rebuilding Victor wished wasn
'
t happening
,
he had sunk into despair.

He moved his household to his London house
,
the only house he owned now that was habitable
,
besides the dower house on his estate where he
'
d installed his father-in-law.