Seduced Bride-To-Be (6 page)

‘There’s
a packet for you, Miss Benson.’

The
girl moved forward and passed Dinah the parcel. It was addressed in Captain
Legrant’s hand.

‘When
did it arrive?’ Dinah asked.

‘Must
have come with the letters but got left behind. Everything is in an uproar with
the guests, ball and all. ’

Betsy’s
fingers closed on a coin that she was given in exchange for delivering the
packet and not betraying who asked her to do it.

Dinah’s
heart was beating very fast. She was dying to tear the package open but could
not do it in front of the maid.

‘Thank
you, Betsy. Will you come in half an hour to do my hair?’

‘Yes,
ma’am.’ The girl curtsied. ‘Oh, and by the way, Lord Timsbury’s carriage
arrived and some of his servants. He’ll be coming later on a horseback’

What
condescension! thought Dinah coldly. She wondered if he would arrive early
enough to change before he met her. Perhaps he would not even make the opening
dance! Her father told her to keep this free for his lordship. Or maybe he
would not bother to come at all?  

When
Betsy closed the door behind her, Dinah inspected her package. Inside, there
was a small box and a letter. She opened the box and gasped. It contained two
magnificent emerald encrusted hair combs. They would go beautifully with her new
green dress! Dinah knew that it was not proper to accept them, not to mention
wear them at the ball, but she did not care.

Her
hand shook slightly when she reached for the letter, addressed in the already
familiar handwriting.

Dearest
Dinah,

Please,
accept this little gift, a token of my affection. I cannot express how much
meeting you means to me. I know that you are going to look so beautiful tonight
that even Lady Hornby will not be able to find any fault in you.

I
am looking forward to seeing you,

Alex.

Dinah
did not know what to make out of the letter. She expected Alex to give her some
directions to where and when they should meet. Instead, he sent her an
expensive gift and wrote that he was looking forward to seeing her. What could
that mean?

A
knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. The maid came in to dress her hair
and give finishing touches to her toilette. Soon the ball would commence.

‘Dearest
Dinah, you do look beautiful’ Amelia took Dinah’s arm and dragged her away from
approaching Lady Hornby, resplendent in deep burgundy.

‘So
do you! This must be the most beautiful dress I have ever seen!’

‘Why,
thank you. I got it especially for the occasion. I could not decide…’ suddenly
she interrupted, catching a glimpse of emerald in Dinah’s hair.

‘Your
hair combs…’ she said slowly. ‘I did not know that…’

But
she was interrupted again, as Aunt Grahams descended on them:

‘Here
you are, Dinah. Go, stand next to your father and greet your guests! I think
that Lord Timsbury has arrived.’

Dinah
felt her stomach clench. Slowly, she walked and took place next to her father.
She could hear footsteps in the corridor, getting closer and closer. Taking a
deep breath she turned to look at the approaching man and froze, letting her
fan drop from her hand.

For
there, dressed exquisitely in black tailcoat, light coloured breeches and
black, polished hessians, was Alex. His dark hair was combed back and his face
was clean shaven, exposing the cruel scarring as if he dared the world to stare
at him.

‘Alexander
Legrant, the Earl of Timsbury’ announced the butler.

For
a second, before Alex turned to talk to her father, he caught Dinah’s eye. She
hoped, in vain, that no one would notice her blush. She was aware of her
father’s booming voice and next moment Alex stood in front of her, her dropped
fan in his stretched hand. She noticed small marks that her teeth left on it
last night and as the circumstances of their last encounter stood in front of
her eyes she blushed even deeper.

‘My
daughter, Dinah, my lord’, she heard her father saying.

Alex
bowed in front of her and she dropped a curtsy, her eyes cast down. She knew
that everybody was looking at them. Then, he took her hand and lifted it to his
lips.

‘We
have met before, I believe, Miss Benson’ he said softly. ‘You look remarkably
beautiful tonight.’

His
eyes, black and hot, burned into hers, communicating more that she could take
in. There was approval in his eyes, as well as laughter, as if, again, they
shared a private joke, and also a challenge. But there was something more,
something that Dinah recalled seeing once before. Could that be… affection?

With
a deep breath she steadied her nerves and stepped into the role:

‘Thank
you, my lord. I do hope you do not disapprove of young ladies wearing emeralds?’

The
last sentence was whispered, so only he could hear it.

‘Quite
the contrary, Miss Benson. I think it sometimes might prove beneficial to allow
young ladies some freedom. Will you do me an honour of dancing the first two
dances with me?’

‘It
will be my pleasure, my lord. Thank you.’

When
he moved away and Dinah turned to greet Mr Ford, she was in turmoil. With great
effort she played a polite hostess, while inside she could feel a storm of
emotions with one building over and blocking all others. Cold, blinding fury.

As
Alex moved into the candlelit ballroom, he was aware of people looking at him
and then quickly averting their eyes. It usually irritated him, but tonight he
did not pay any notice to it. All he could think of was how to explain to Dinah
that he did not mean to deceive her. He realised that he had put her in a very
difficult position, confronting her in front of all these people. Apart from
the initial shock, she played her part really well.

And
she looked stunning! She wore a simple, but perfectly fitting, green dress. The
colour matched her sparkling eyes and the low neckline showed off her lovely
white breasts. Every time she turned her head, he could catch a flicker of
emerald in her glorious red hair. Alex wished he could take her somewhere where
they could be alone and make love to her all night.

Instead
he talked to Lady Hornby and to his sister, Amelia. He longed to ask Amelia how
she liked Dinah, but did not wish to start any intimate conversation in front
of his ever disapproving cousin. His nerves were strung as if he was going to the
battle. Perhaps he was. His life’s happiness depended on the outcome.

He
was almost relieved when it was finally time to start dancing and he bowed in
front of Dinah, who dropped him a graceful curtsy. Although she smiled demurely
at him, her eyes shone with suppressed anger. As Alex took her hand to lead her
to a dance floor his heart sank. He was in for a tough fight.

For
a moment they danced in silence and Alex realised that he would have to be the
first to break the tension.

‘I
know you are angry with me. I quite understand’ he started lamely.

‘Oh,
do you?’ Dinah’s voice was icy. ‘And, for God’s sake, lower your voice!’ she
hissed.

‘I
should have told you who I was when we met on Monday night’ he whispered.

‘Yes,
you should have. But, on the other hand, what difference would it have made?
All was settled between you and my father anyway. No wonder you wanted a taste
of the goods before the bargain was completed.’

As
the other dancers separated them for a moment, Alex had enough time for her
words to sink in. He was so sure that she would be angry with him for not
revealing his true identity, that he completely forgot the real reason of her
anger with Lord Timsbury. The alleged bargain, in which she was the most
attractive piece of goods. But in truth no bargain took place. He must make her
believe him.

‘Dinah’
he whispered when they were dancing together again. ‘I have not asked your
father for your hand, not yet.’

She
looked at him, her green eyes confused.

‘What
are you saying, Alex?’

‘That
there has been no bargain.’

The
music stopped and they stood facing each other, oblivious to the curious
glances of the other guests. The tension between them was unbearable when Alex
waited for her to say something. When the next dance started, she finally said:

‘We
cannot talk about it now. Let us walk in the garden after this dance is over. I
am not engaged for the next ones. And, for goodness sake, now talk to me about
the weather!’

‘There
has been a really violent storm lately…’ he said loudly in an indifferent tone.

For
Dinah the dance was a torture. She was dying to be alone with Alex and get the
answers to all of her questions. Her earlier fury turned into total confusion
when he said that he had never come to any understanding with her father
regarding her. So why did her father claimed otherwise? Why did he throw this
great ball and lead everybody to believe that it was to celebrate her engagement
to Lord Timsbury?

When
the music finally ended and Alex took her arm and slowly walked with her to the
garden, Dinah was aware of people looking at them. She caught her father’s
satisfied smile. No doubt, he was congratulating himself that all his scheming
was working out so well.

Once
hidden away from others, Alex took hold of her shoulders and turned her to face
him. Dinah, looking into his scared, now clearly tortured face, felt her heart
ache with love for him, but she was not willing to let her emotions rule her
now. She needed clear head to make sense of all what was happening to her.

‘Well,
my lord’ she emphasised the last two words ‘how can you explain to me the fact
that my father is informing me about your proposal if you did not ask for my
hand in marriage?’

‘That
I cannot explain for sure. You would need to ask your father. All I can say is
that I did not strike this kind of deal with him. A title marrying money! Lord,
Dinah, who do you think I am?’

‘I
don’t know who you really are! Are you trying to tell me that my father lied to
me? Why am I supposed to believe you and not him?’

‘Look,
I know that none of it seems to make sense to you, but, please, let me tell you
my part of the story. I think I have the right to ask for that.’

Dinah
nodded grimly and sat on a little stone bench. Although she still felt anger
bubbling inside her, a part of her wanted to be convinced that Alex did not
intend to mislead her.

‘Tell
me all’ she whispered.

‘I
will, starting from the very first time I saw you all those years ago. You were
standing alone in the crowded ballroom, so fragile, so beautiful and somehow so
different from all the laughing, flirting girls. I noticed you and was
intrigued by you. I approached your aunt and then went to talk to you and to ask
you to dance. But you refused me. You did not even look at me!’

‘I
thought you did it out of pity and felt so humiliated…’

‘I
know it now but did not see it like that at the time. I was used to girls
throwing themselves at me or rather, having their mothers push them in hope to
catch me. For I was a catch! Still would be, was it not for my face and the
rumours that my father’s gambling left me penniless. I saw you on few other
occasions but I do not think that you noticed me.’

‘I
did not take much notice of anyone then. I hated every minute of my season. All
those people who felt so superior to me! Despite all my aunt’s efforts I knew
they would never accept me. I suppose in my eyes you were just one of them. I
did not give you a chance…’

‘No’
he smiled. ‘But it doesn’t matter now. Soon you went back to the country and I
joined the army, as I had intended anyway. I did not think of you much, but
sometimes, in the midst of battles and bloodshed I dreamt about you, as if you
were my guardian angel. I know it sounds mad, but I suppose that a soldier
needs something beautiful and pure to cling to, something that would let him
forget the horrors around him.’

His
face, hidden in the shadows took a pained look that Dinah saw when he talked
about the war in the Old Mill. On impulse, she reached for his hand and kissed
it.

He
smiled at her and stroked her cheek.

‘After
my accident I came back home. I would have done so anyway, for my father was
dying. Soon I inherited his title and his estate, with all the mess he left it
in. But despite the rumours, the situation was not hopeless. I started doing
business with your father and the challenge of restoring something of the
Timsbury’s grandeur proved to be a great distraction. When my great uncle died
and left me his fortune, I knew I would be able to realise my ambition and see
my estate prospering again. Then, of course, I was nagged by my dear cousin to
get married. I was idly thinking about it and started to look around London’s
parlours, ballrooms and theatres, but none of the charming young ladies I could
find there  interested me in the least. Until I saw you riding in a park one
morning, not a girl but a full grown woman, a hundred times more beautiful than
I remembered. All my old fascination with you came back.’