[Victoria Alexander] The Virgin's Secret (Harringt(BookZZ.org) (23 page)

information one might acquire during a dance.” She glanced back at him. “And don‟t think I have forgiven you for your high-handed manner or the vile things you have said.”

“The truth is often vile.”

She ignored him. “I simply have other matters that concern me at the moment.”

“And my manner is in your best interest!”

“Hah.” She scoffed and stepped into the corridor.

He started after her and pulled up short. Damnation, he was too late.

“Miss Montini?” A tall, handsome man stood in her path.

“Yes?” she said coolly.

“I was afraid you had decided to leave before we had our dance,” he said. Bloody hell. He would have recognized that accent, if not the face, anywhere.

“Our dance?” She shook her head. “My apologies but I fear I don‟t remember promising you a dance.”

“Then my heart will surely break.” The American chuckled. “Last year we only danced once,

and you promised to save a dance for me this year. Unless, of course…” He paused. “You‟re not married, are you?”

She laughed. “No, I am most certainly not married.”

Not yet!

“Excellent.” He offered his arm. “Then shall we?”

“Yes, of course. But I am sorry. This has been a very long year and I‟m afraid I don‟t recall your name.”

“Yet another wound to my heart, but in truth, I‟m not surprised. I was only one of a multitude of partners you favored last year.” He tucked her hand into the crook of his arm, and Nate resisted the urge to leap after them and wrench the intruder from Gabriella‟s side. “Allow me then to introduce myself once again. I am Alistair McGowan.”

“Mr. McGowan.” Surprise sounded in her voice, and she cast a smug smile over her shoulder at Nate. “There is no one I would rather dance with.”

Nate clenched then relaxed his fists at his sides. He certainly wasn‟t jealous of Rathbourne, but the viscount‟s attentions to Gabriella were a cause of great concern. The man had enough money and power to do precisely as he pleased. The very idea of Gabriella going to his house alone, being in his employ, sent tremors of fear through him. There was little he could do to protect her there. Admittedly, there was probably little he could do to keep her away.

But Alistair McGowan was a different matter entirely. From what he knew of the man, and the few times they‟d crossed one another‟s path, he was a decent enough sort. For an American. He no more seriously considered McGowan a suspect in the theft of the seal than he did Quint. If McGowan had the seal, he probably came by it in a relatively honest manner.

He stared after Gabriella and McGowan. The American inclined his head toward her, and a faint ripple of laughter drifted back to him. He was making her laugh? Damned colonist.

Didn‟t McGowan realize she was taken? Didn‟t she realize she was taken?

Of course not. He had barely begun to realize it himself.

Fifteen

What in the name of all that‟s holy did you think you were doing?” Nate plastered a pleasant smile on his face, took Gabriella‟s elbow and firmly steered her toward the door.

“And what do you think you‟re doing?” She smiled at him through gritted teeth.

“I am getting you out of here so that we may talk privately.” He escorted her briskly through the door and across the corridor.

“Where are we going?”

“The courtyard,” he muttered.

It was not the most private place, since anyone could walk in on them at any time, but he was not familiar enough with the society‟s building to think of anywhere better. He directed her through the French doors, which had been thrown open to catch the breeze, and down three steps into the courtyard.

There were benches and potted trees, urns overflowing with flowers and a bit of ancient statuary artistically placed as if to remind visitors that this was a place dedicated to such things. It was a charming setting and, as the night was exceptionally mild, would have been the perfect place for a momentary assignation. Indeed, if he hadn‟t been so angry, that‟s precisely why he would have brought her here. Thankfully, the courtyard was empty.

She shook off his arm and glared at him. “Explain yourself, Nathanial.”

“Explain myself?” He fairly choked on the words. “You want me to explain myself?”

“I most certainly do.” She crossed her arms over her chest, a gesture that emphasized the full, ripe nature of her bosoms. It would have been most distracting if he wasn‟t so annoyed. “Go on.”

“Very well.” He clenched his jaw. “What were you doing with Lord Rathbourne?”

“I believe we were dancing.” She shrugged in an offhand manner. “He is an excellent dancer.”

“Oh no.” He shook his head. “You weren‟t merely dancing. You were questioning him.”

“Have you ever met Lord Rathbourne?”

“No.”

“He is not the type of man one questions.”

“Regardless, I have known you long enough to recognize that look on your face.”

Her brow arched upward. “And what look is that?”

“You know the look.”

“I‟m afraid I have no idea what you‟re talking about,” she said in a lofty manner.

“This is not a game, Gabriella.” He lowered his voice and leaned closer to her. “Lord Rathbourne is a dangerous man.”

“I think his reputation is…” She raised her chin defiantly. “…exaggerated.”

“Have you no sense whatsoever?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Lord Rathbourne is the kind of man who gets what he wants.”

“And?”

“And I saw the way he was looking at you. What he wanted on that dance floor was you.”

A blush washed up her face. She stared at him for a moment, then laughed. “That‟s absurd.”

“Is it?” He narrowed his eyes. “Do you have any idea how delicious you look in that dress? How the fire of your passion lights up your eyes? How you appear both vulnerable and determined at the same time? Completely irresistible and somehow out of reach?”

“Do you really think—” Her eyes widened. “You‟re jealous!”

“I most certainly am not.” He couldn‟t possibly be jealous. Jealousy would mean all sorts of things he wasn‟t prepared to admit. Or perhaps all sorts of things he was afraid to admit. In spite of Quint‟s comments, it was too soon. Even so, he‟d never had his heart broken, but if he knew nothing else, he knew that this was a woman who could do exactly that. “I am concerned for you.

For your safety.”

“My safety is not your concern.”

“It most certainly is.” He grabbed her arm and glared down at her. “I have promised to help you find your brother‟s seal. That promise extends to making certain you come to no harm in the process.”

“I shall do exactly what I determine is necessary,” she snapped.

“You cannot go off doing precisely as you please without concern for the consequences.”

“I danced with him, Nathanial.” She shook off his arm. “There is nothing more to it than that.”

She hesitated. “For the moment.”

Apprehension caught at his throat. “What do you mean?”

“Lord Rathbourne has offered to let me see his collections.”

“To my knowledge, that is an offer he makes rarely if ever, and never lightly. Don‟t you find that suspicious?”

“Not at all.” She tossed her head back. “It makes perfect sense. He wishes to employ me—”

He drew his brows together. “To do what?”

“To catalogue his collections.” A determined light shone in her eye.

“Alone? In his house?”

“I imagine there will be servants about. And Lady Rathbourne.”

“Absolutely not. I forbid it.”

“You what?”

He glared at her. “I cannot allow you to do something so reckless, so potentially perilous—”

“Nonsense. I know Lord Rathbourne has a certain reputation but I can‟t imagine I‟d be in any real peril. Besides,” her eyes narrowed dangerously, “you cannot forbid me to do anything.”

“And yet…” He crossed his arms over his chest. He knew she would not take this well but it scarcely mattered. Injuring her sensibilities was well worth it to ensure her safety. “…I am.”

“You have no right. Or are you going to threaten to have me arrested again?”

“If necessary to keep you safe…” He nodded. “…I would do exactly that.”

“I see. So now you show your true colors.”

“My true colors?” Anger raised his voice. “Let us speak of truth for a moment.” This was

treacherous ground but right now he didn‟t care. “The truth is that no matter what plans you may have had for your life, no man in his right mind who did what your brother did would let you assist him in his work. Go to the places he went. The truth is that while you are brilliant and knowledgeable, you are still a woman. A beautiful woman, which would only be more of a

problem, headstrong and stubborn and independent as well, but a mere woman nonetheless, and it‟s past time you understood that.”

She stared at him. “I thought my independent nature was one of the things you loved about me?”

“I was wrong!”

“I suspected as much.” She sniffed. “A man like you has no understanding of the word love.

You‟ve probably said it hundreds of times to dozens of different women.”

He clenched his jaw. “Hundreds.”

“What?”

“Hundreds of different women. Why not say that? You barely know me at all but that‟s what you think of me.”

“I know men of your nature.” She shrugged. “I have seen any number of men exactly like you.

Men who use women as playthings. You are just like—”

“Your brother?”

Shock washed across her face.

“Understand this, Gabriella, there have been any number of women in my life, but none that didn‟t want from me exactly what I wanted from them.” He grabbed her and pulled her into his arms. “And I have never before used the word „love‟ in any manner whatsoever with any of

them.”

She glared up at him. “Oh?”

“Furthermore, I am not anything like your brother in any number of ways I will refrain from mentioning now. But know this, Gabriella, I would never abandon you.”

She gasped. “He didn‟t—”

“And I would give up my own life before I would allow you to come to any harm.” His gaze

locked with hers and he watched as her anger faded to acceptance, to belief, and then to

something warmer, deeper, more important. His heart thudded in his chest. What had this woman done to him? Damn it all if he didn‟t indeed love her.

“Gabriella,” he moaned, and lowered his mouth to hers.

“He said you could come,” she whispered against his lips.

“Now is not the time,” he murmured. He had no idea what she meant, nor did he care. All he wanted was to press—

“Lord Rathbourne.” She pulled away from him. “He said you could come. To see his collections.”

“Excellent…” He drew a steadying breath. The last thing he wanted was to talk, but apparently he had no choice. “As I had no intention of allowing you to go alone. As for this alleged

position—”

“He told me…” She paused as if choosing her words. “He told me he had arranged to have my

brother‟s seal stolen.”

“He told you that?” The admission caught him unawares. Obviously Rathbourne would never

have admitted such a thing if he had the seal.

She nodded.

“By Javier Gutierrez?”

“He didn‟t mention a name.” Her brows drew together. “But something went awry and he did not get the seal.”

“Which doesn‟t mean Gutierrez didn‟t steal it.”

“Do you know where he is?”

“No idea whatsoever.”

“But, as everyone else is in London,” she began, excitement in her voice, “it stands to reason that Gutierrez—”

“No.” He shook his head. “Gutierrez has no legitimate standing with the society or anyone else.

He masquerades as an archeologist but he is a thief, nothing more than that. Admittedly, he is knowledgeable about the artifacts he procures for whoever will pay his price, but he will not show his face here. He is far too clever for that.”

“Nathanial.” Her forehead furrowed. “Why would my brother show the seal to a man like that in the first place?”

Because they were two of a kind. Because he was already touched by madness. Which only

begged the question, then, of why he had shown it to Nate and Quint.

“I don‟t know,” he said simply.

She paused. “Have you considered the possibility that perhaps my brother was mistaken about those he suspected? That the seal might have been taken by someone unknown to him? By

someone whose name we might never know?”

His gaze searched hers. She wanted reassurance that their efforts would not be for nothing. He couldn‟t give her that. He drew a deep breath. “Are you prepared to end it, then? To put this behind you and go on with your life? To admit defeat?”

“No.” She shook her head. “Not yet.”

He smiled. “Well, then.”

“I should be getting back.” Renewed determination sparked in her eyes and she started toward the courtyard door.

“Where are you going?”

“I am returning to the ballroom. I don‟t often have the chance to dance, and it is one of the few things I have always done simply for the joy of it. Besides, one never knows what kind of

information one might acquire during a dance.” She glanced back at him. “And don‟t think I have forgiven you for your high-handed manner or the vile things you have said.”

“The truth is often vile.”

She ignored him. “I simply have other matters that concern me at the moment.”

“And my manner is in your best interest!”

“Hah.” She scoffed and stepped into the corridor.

He started after her and pulled up short. Damnation, he was too late.

“Miss Montini?” A tall, handsome man stood in her path.

“Yes?” she said coolly.

“I was afraid you had decided to leave before we had our dance,” he said. Bloody hell. He would have recognized that accent, if not the face, anywhere.

“Our dance?” She shook her head. “My apologies but I fear I don‟t remember promising you a dance.”

“Then my heart will surely break.” The American chuckled. “Last year we only danced once,

and you promised to save a dance for me this year. Unless, of course…” He paused. “You‟re not married, are you?”