Authors: Cheryl Howe
“Then you shall earn it
.
You got off lightly last time
.
I shall expect more from you this go around.
”
Westhaven studied her beneath his bushy eyebrows
.
A twitch of his lips hinted that he might have more to lose than she.
“I disagree, but I am willing to hear your proposal.
”
Heat flushed her cheeks and a glance at the grate showed a low fire burning in the midst of summer
.
Strange, but a relief to know that her steeled nerves were not starting to soften
.
Yet
.
Ivy settled in the chair before Westhaven’s massive desk
.
“State your business
.
If you know I plan to visit Cornwall, you must know I still have much to do to complete my travel arrangements.”
He grinned and Ivy feared he toyed with her
.
What if he had known of Melody all along and waited like a vulture for Diana’s imminent demise to dispose of Melody with some distant acquaintance in Ireland
.
Westhaven was the type to provide for Melody’s
basic
needs while keeping her isolated,
dependent
and unloved
.
She’d want for nothing except a mother and a father
.
A family who might love her
.
“I think my son has other ideas,” Westhaven said, forcing Ivy back to the conversation
.
He was speaking of Darien, thank God
.
“He has been outside your town
house
all morning.”
“As I said, how much do you wish to pay for the breaking of our engagement a second time?
”
Ivy met his gaze with a blast of pure hatred
.
Westhaven had no idea of Melody’s existence or that his long-time lover had died a mere few hours ago
.
Though it worked to her advantage, the unfairness of it all galled her
.
“Thirty thousand pounds
.
Five thousand more than last time, which I feel is quite generous.
”
Westhaven
bowed
his head and rubbed his brow before he glanced back up at Ivy
.
“But this time you will agree to the engagement, at least until Arianna and I have married
.
After that, what you do is your business.”
“Darien does not love me, you know
.
He only wants to hurt you.
”
She shrugged, hating that betraying Darien to his father was the price of saving Melody
.
If she could, she would spit in his face and marry Darien just to spite the old bugger.
“I think we both know that is not true
.
About Darien
not
loving you, that is
.
But I am sure that minor inconvenience will not stop you from taking my money
.
You have done quite well for yourself, have you not?
”
“I had the best teacher
.
Diana sends her regards from Italy.”
He did not flinch
.
They might have been talking about a complete stranger
.
But he was always good at covering his sins
.
“She was splendid at making a man feel he was the only one in the world.
”
He almost sounded wistful until he furrowed his brow
.
“Though I knew otherwise
.
Darien is easier to fool
.
At least by you.”
“I cannot keep him away from you
.
I am sure of it.”
“But I am sure you can keep him distracted. Since Darien has invited the public’s scrutiny with his outburst, I have decided a sporting house party at Westhaven, culminating in a quiet ceremony is the best way to announce my union with Arianna Maddox
.
I won’t prohibit Darien from his family home, but you can prevent him from having too many opportunities to cause mischief
.
We will all pretend as if Darien’s happy announcement is nothing but the truth
.
We are a family united in our joy.”
“I could not agree more.” Ivy stood, anxious to attend to Melody
.
“Except that I will require fifty thousand pounds to humiliate your son instead of thirty
.
I’ll be awaiting notice from my banker that the funds have been delivered
.
I still use the account you were so gracious enough to open for me
.
Good day, my lord.
”
And the moment he deposited the fifty thousand pounds, she would be off to Italy with her daughter and would renegotiate from there
.
But you shall have your beloved Ivy by your side
,
Ivy almost sobbed at the
comforting
sight of the forest
-
green front door of her leased Chelsea Square home
.
Darien jumped down from the railing where he had been hidden from the street view by a black newel post
.
“You left the house early this morning
.
”
“I did not want to be hounded by reporters.
”
Ivy yanked off her wilted hat once in the privacy of her shrub-shrouded brick porch
.
Her spirit had faired no better
.
Not even fifty thousand pounds could dislodge the feeling that Westhaven had won again
.
“I think my father paid off
The Times
.
”
Darien held up a newspaper
.
“No
one
has been by this morning
.
Except for one of my father’s servants, who left his visiting card
.
I’m not sure if the threat was meant for you or me.”
Ivy found it difficult to look at Darien
.
Though she justified the
payoff
as owed Diana and Melody, she was sure she had lost another chunk of her soul by using Darien’s heart as ransom
.
She banged on the door with her palm
.
When dependable Samuel did not answer, Ivy laid her forehead on the locked door’s cool, lacquered front
.
“Did you get any sleep last night
?
I came back later but the windows were dark and all was quiet
.
I didn’t want to wake you
.
I have a key.”
Ivy glanced at Darien and did not bother asking how he came into possession of the large brass key that he fit into the lock
.
No doubt Samuel gladly handed the responsibility over at Darien’s request
.
Lord Blackmore had never toppled from his list of potential heads of Ivy’s household.
“And how is Marcus?” Ivy asked.
“Splendid
.
He sends his regards.
”
Darien held open the front door
.
“No scrapes or contusions?
”
Ivy gave his clean-shaven face a thorough examination
.
Darien had changed from his evening wear and wore a simple yet well-cut ensemble that lent him the air of a proper country gentleman
.
Tan breeches, polished knee boots and a crisp white shirt covered by a simple
waistcoat
and
topped by a burgundy jacket that hugged his broad shoulders but had been tailored for his narrow waist
.
Since all things French had been snubbed in fear that the plebian revolt might find a foothold in England, Darien was in the height of fashion
.
Even Darien’s disgust for wigs worked to his advantage in his accidental imitation of London’s latest trend
.
He followed behind her
.
His lime soap scent toyed with Ivy’s weakened resistance
.
Another quick sniff let her easily imagine the musk of his body heated by her own
.
She had a wounded animal urge to drag him up to her bedroom and let him make love to her until she was too exhausted to think
.
“Just a scuffle between friends,” he said, prompting Ivy to turn a sharper gaze upon him
.
“You look like you fared well.
”
Ivy lightly touched his face, but the feel of his jawbone beneath her fingers forced her to drop her gaze so as not meet his own
.
The hint of his taut physique beneath the billowing of fine white linen heated Ivy’s cheeks
.
“I hit him when he didn’t expect the blow
.
He’s bigger than I am.”
Ivy grinned despite herself
.
She could never resist the mischievous glint in his almost black, unreadable eyes
.
“And did he clear up any misunderstanding you might be having about my tiny house guest?”
Their hushed voices echoed in the quiet house
.
Ivy assumed everyone must be sleeping
.
Even Melody
.
Instead of relief, a sobering chill chased away her warmth at Darien’s nearness
.
She suddenly needed to see Melody, assure herself her small chest rose and fell with steady rhythm. Hold her and let her know she was not alone in the world
.
Tears choked Ivy’s throat
.
Grief for Diana descended like a summer downpour
.
Ivy had paid the landlord her missed rent and promised even more when she had word that Diana was safely with a reputable undertaker. She would make the funeral arrangements before she left for Cornwall.
“Is the child better?” he asked, the concern clearly in his voice pulverizing Ivy’s last shred of control
.
It was all she could do not to throw herself in his arms and plead with him to hold her through a good cry
.
“Yes,” she heard the waver in her voice and quickly turned toward the steps
.
“I’m exhausted, Darien
.
If you’ll excuse
—
”
“Marcus said the child could not be his
.
I won’t bother you more on the subject if that’s your wish.”
She turned to find him still standing in the middle of her black and white tiled entry hall, making no move for the door.
“Thank you.”
“Let me help you
.
I don’t want you to be alone.”
She shook her head, unable to speak
.
All her bravado was slipping away
. T
he idea of her and Darien
…t
ogether
… T
hat dream had been tightly imprisoned in her heart for so long, the very notion of setting it free terrified her.
“My motives are not completely selfless if that’s what’s troubling you.
”
He pulled something out of his pocket and held it out to her
.
For a moment her blood went cold
.
She tightened her grip on the small velvet valise that matched her fitted mint-green jacket. The crinkle of paper echoed in her ears above her beating heart
.
Ivy took the folded letter with a quick glance at Darien’s unusually serious features
.
A single sentence was scrawled on the wrinkled piece of paper
.
Philip was murdered.
“Dear God.
”
For a moment, Ivy wished she had dropped her letter from Diana after all
.
“Where did this come from?”
“I received it in the post a week after the invitation to the ball.”
“Darien,” she shook her head, “I would not read too much into this
.
People are cruel.
”
Though Ivy could not contemplate such a sick joke, whispered speculation
had
circulated about Philip’s tragic death
for
several years afterwards
.
She tried to catch Darien’s gaze to silently plead with him for once in his life to abdicate to reason.
“It’s true
.
I know it is.
”
Darien tore his desperate gaze from hers, turned slightly away, and ran his finger through his black, shoulder-length hair
.
He ground his jaw, making the hollows of his sunken cheeks more pronounced.