Seduction on a Snowy Night Page 13

  But years on the battlefield had taught him to appreciate a woman who could stand at his side and hold her own with the enemy, who had some flesh on her bones and some fire in her eyes. Like Cass, actually.

  Except that Kitty had been the one who’d written the letters he had so enjoyed. That was the main reason he was interested in her. Besides, Cass had just made it clear she wasn’t an heiress. And he had to marry one if he was to stay in England and nurture the small, run-down estate Grandmother had bequeathed to Father and which he had left to him.

  Heywood was eager to give it all the work it needed. He was ready to leave the Hussars, to marry and start a family. Despite his success at soldiering, he didn’t actually like it. The pain and death seemed endless—Britain had been fighting the French for as long as he’d been in the army, which was going on eleven years now.

  Besides, it had been Father’s wish, not his, that he advance in the Hussars. Now that Father was gone . . . He shook off the pain of that.

  Cass released a heavy breath. “So your plan was to abduct Kitty yourself in order to avoid having Mr. Malet abduct Kitty? And I’m merely along for the ride?”

  When she put it like that, it did not sound like the best plan he had ever come up with. “Can we please stop calling it an abduction? It’s a rescue, an intervention. You were with her, so I had to take you both. Besides, I couldn’t travel with her alone without ruining her reputation. With two of you, the matter is less critical.”

  “You think so, do you?” Cass said, clearly irate. “Once my aunt realizes we’re gone, she’ll enlist people to find us, which in itself will ruin us.”

  “Yes, exactly!” Kitty cried. “I can’t be ruined . . . I just can’t be! What will Mama say? What will our friends say?”

  Great. Now Cass was stirring up her cousin’s ire. “Your mother won’t say anything to anyone until she knows for certain what happened. And I made sure Malet’s coachman knew my name, so she’ll hear the truth before anyone can alert the other guests.”

  “And what truth is that?” Cass asked.

  “That the two of you are with me. That Douglas sanctioned my intervention. That she has nothing to worry about. I’m sure she’ll recognize my name the moment the coachman tells her of it.”

  Cass rolled her eyes. “Then what’s to keep Malet from riding after us once he realizes that you’re behind this so-called intervention?”

  He ignored her obvious skepticism. “First of all, he won’t realize it right away. I gagged his coachman and tied him up. Then I found an unattended carriage near the end of the line and deposited the coachman inside. I figured the last to arrive at the ball would also be the last to leave.”

  “How quick-thinking of you,” Cass said with an arch smile. “Clearly you have experience at kidnapping women.”

  “Beginner’s luck.” He refused to correct her yet again on the subject of his rescuing Kitty. “My point is it could be hours before the coachman is found. By then we’ll be safe at Armitage Hall.”

  Kitty sat up straight. “You’re not taking us to Gretna Green?”

  “Of course not. I’m trying to prevent an elopement, not perform one.”

  “Oh, thank heaven!” the young heiress exclaimed. “Then that’s no skin off my back.”

  Cass murmured, “ ‘Off my nose,’ dearest.”

  “ ‘Nose,’ ‘back,’ ” Kitty said. “What difference does it make?”

  “It makes a big difference, especially when you’re using it incorr . . .” Cass paused when she spotted his raised eyebrow. “You’re right. It makes no difference.”

  “No, indeed,” Kitty said. “As long as the colonel isn’t carrying us off to Gretna Green, I don’t care.”

  Hmm. He was having a hard time reconciling this Kitty Nickman with the writer of all those entertaining letters. But perhaps she required a pen to be witty.

  “Glad you approve,” he said.

  “Well, I don’t approve, Colonel,” Cass put in. “Why didn’t you just give us Douglas’s letter and then threaten to trounce Mr. Malet if he came near us again?”

  “Because I know how seductive Malet can be. And I assumed Malet was having his carriage brought around because he’d already gained her cooperation.”

  Kitty huffed out a breath. “He had not, I assure you. I wasn’t party to any elopement plans he spun on his own.”

  “He called you his fiancée,” Heywood pointed out.

  “Fiancée!” Cass glanced at her cousin. “You agreed to marry him?”

  “Of course not. Mr. Malet is quite mistaken.” Kitty fiddled with her skirts. “I don’t know why he would say such a thing.”

  When Heywood snorted, Cass tipped up her chin. “If Kitty says Mr. Malet mistook her interest, then he did. That wouldn’t surprise me. The man is a snake in the grass.”

  “I thought it was ‘snake in the woods,’ ” Kitty said.

  “No, dearest,” Cass said, avoiding his gaze.

  “But snakes are bad no matter where they are,” Kitty persisted.

  “Excellent point,” Cass said with a thin smile.

  Something was odd here. The woman who’d written the letters he’d admired should have known such common turns of phrase.

  “Anyway,” Heywood said, “whether in woods or in grass, his snakelike nature is precisely why I had to act quickly. And it sounded as if Kitty had given him reason to believe she would welcome the abduction—”

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” Kitty said warily. “No one wants to be abducted.”

  “Well, something must have encouraged him to act,” Heywood said.

  Silence fell on the carriage. Then he heard a distinctly unladylike oath. It must be coming from Cass. Kitty didn’t seem the sort to make oaths.

  “I know what encouraged him,” Cass said. “Just this evening, I told him I’d oppose any attempt he made to marry Kitty, and that Aunt Virginia and Kitty would heed me. Perhaps that pushed him into taking reckless action.”

  Heywood crossed his arms over his chest. “Or perhaps Kitty had already agreed to run away with him.”

  “I told you, that’s absurd!” Kitty cried.

  “Sadly, I don’t believe you.” He fixed her with a hard look. “I know how convincing Malet can be with a lady.”

  “Oh?” Cass said. “Do you often come behind him to clean up his messes?”

  “Often enough to recognize when he’s about to create another one,” he snapped. “With your cousin, who is clearly hiding something.”

  “You are a very rude fellow,” Kitty said stoutly.

  “And to think that I liked you.” Cass sniffed. “You’re not the man I thought you were.”

  “A man of action? A soldier always prepared to battle the enemy?”

  “An arrogant lord.”

  He cast her a dry smile. “I am a duke’s son and a colonel. I’m entitled to a certain degree of arrogance, don’t you think?”

  “And how does that characteristic separate you from Malet?” Cass asked.

  The accusation grated on him. “My intentions are good. His are not.”

  “How can you be sure?” Kitty asked.

  “I know him and his antics,” Heywood said. “Trust me.”

  Cass shot him a long look. “All right, I’ll concede that, but still you could have consulted us or at least shown Douglas’s letter to my aunt.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “You said yourself that she ‘doesn’t like being pulled away from the whist table.’ The matter was urgent. I couldn’t wait for her cooperation.”

  “He has a point, Cass,” Kitty said. “Mama likes Mr. Malet. She would probably have ignored your warnings.”

  “I realize that!” Cass retorted. “Why do you think I felt the need to frighten the man off? I had no idea his response would be to attempt a kidnapping.”

  Heywood kept his gaze on Kitty. While protesting the idea that she’d encouraged Malet she acted as if she wished to give the man the benefit of a doubt. Something wasn’t right in her re
actions, if only he could put his finger on it.

  Cass, however, was perfectly straightforward—she detested Malet. Heywood felt an odd relief that Cass wasn’t the kind of woman to fall for that arse.

  Not that it mattered, since Malet wouldn’t dare to treat her as he had Valeria in Portugal, anyway. He’d only preyed on Valeria because she’d had no family to defend her. But Kitty had Douglas and her aunt and probably innumerable other relations.

  They rode a long while in silence . . . until the sound of snoring filled the carriage. It came from Kitty, the delicate debutante.

  “My cousin is quite tired,” Cass said, her tone apologetic.

  “I can tell.”

  That made Cass bristle. “You have the audacity to be snide that Kitty is exhausted when you’re whisking us off against our will?”

  Heywood wished he could see her better. Because he suspected that Cass in a temper would be quite a sight to behold—all passion and storm and biting wit. No doubt she was fighting to keep that storm at bay, to be a lady.

  What was she like when she was not being a lady?

  He shook off that line of thought, or tried to. What the devil was wrong with him? Given his circumstances, his attraction to Cass didn’t matter. He must concentrate his efforts on Kitty. Yet he couldn’t keep from asking, “Why did you say earlier, ‘And to think that I liked you’? You hardly know me.”

  Rubbing condensation from a portion of the window, she stared out. “I-I knew you from your letters.”

  “The ones Kitty read to you.”

  “We share everything,” she said warily.

  “Then tell me, how does Kitty really feel about Malet?”

  For a moment, Kitty’s snoring seemed to diminish, but perhaps he only imagined it.

  “I wish I knew,” Cass said. “But she doesn’t confide in me about him. Or about any man, really.”

  “So why did you say you never liked him? Did he ever try to court you?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not the sort of woman Mr. Malet notices.”

  “Then he’s a fool.”

  Damn. He hadn’t meant to say that. He wished they could escape the stagnant air of the carriage, to where the frosty temperatures could clear his mind.

  A long silence ensued. She gazed out the window, and the glow of moonlight on snow turned her profile into a study in alabaster and ivory.

  Alabaster and ivory . . . what maudlin nonsense. What was next, the sun turning her profile into fire opals and rubies? It was Kitty he should be gazing at, if he meant to live up to his responsibilities. But his eyes stayed on Cass’s silhouette.

  “Anyway,” she said after a moment, “it wouldn’t matter if he was interested in me. I’d never choose him.”

  “I’m glad to hear it. A woman of your caliber would be wasted on Malet.”

  Judging from her sharp intake of breath, that was another remark he should not have made. But he wouldn’t take it back.

  She cleared her throat. “Is your family at Armitage Hall?”

  “My mother, brother, and sister are, at the very least. So you needn’t worry about you and Kitty not being properly chaperoned.”

  “Thank you. I wouldn’t want to see Kitty ruined.”

  He stared hard at Cass. “You’re not worried about your own ruin?”

  “I learned long ago how to keep myself out of the line of fire.”

  Her uneasy laugh gave him pause. “Interesting choice of words.”

  She shrugged. “I’m a soldier’s cousin. Besides, no one cares enough about a poor relation to attempt her ruin.” Her eyes glimmered in the dark. “Even you, sir.”

  That told him all he needed to know. Cass wasn’t nearly as immune to him as she pretended. It shouldn’t affect him, but it did. Because he wasn’t remotely immune to her.

  Damnation. She was a complication he did not need.

  She folded her hands at her waist. “At least we don’t have to worry about Mr. Malet for the moment,” she said in a throaty voice.

  “What do you mean?”

  She nodded toward the window. “The weather outside is frightful. If he doesn’t depart until later, he’ll have trouble following us.”

  Heywood frowned as he looked out. “Or even leaving Welbourne Place at all. It’s a good thing we’re headed south.”

  “Indeed it is,” she said. “Though if we don’t reach Armitage Hall before long, we may yet find ourselves stranded on the road.”

  “I doubt it. Let it snow. The horses are equipped with frost nails, and the estate isn’t far. Besides, Malet thinks I headed north to Gretna Green, so he’ll go in that direction first.”

  “Why on earth would he think that?”

  “Because that’s what I told his coachman I was doing. I figured it would buy us some time before we have to deal with the man again. The weather will be far worse up north. And when he finally does show up at my brother’s estate, we’ll be ready for him.”

  “That’s assuming your mother will give refuge to two unannounced and unmarried ladies in our situation.”

  He’d already considered that. “You can trust me to handle my mother’s questions to our mutual satisfaction.”

  Cass tipped up her chin. “In other words, you intend to lie.”

  “Would you rather I reveal all to Mother and risk being overheard by our servants? I’ve already had to buy our coachman’s silence—the fewer people who know the truth, the better. Once the gossip gets out, you’ll never repair the damage to your reputations.”

  A heavy sigh escaped her. “In any case, I’m more worried about my aunt. I hate to think of her frantic over not knowing why Kitty and I have disappeared.”

  “That will teach her to pay her daughter more mind. If I had not stepped in when I did, Malet would be off with Kitty and you and your aunt both would be frantic to know what had happened to her.”

  “I realize that.” She yawned, quickly covering it with her hand. “Still, I don’t approve of your high-handed methods for forcing the issue. Nor, I suspect, would your mother if she knew of them.”

  “Feel free to tell her. There’s no going back for us now. The road to your home will already be impassable. We have no choice but to take shelter at Armitage Hall until the snow melts. Look, why don’t you stop worrying and try to sleep a little?” He grinned at her. “I swear I won’t ravish you or Kitty until we reach Armitage Hall.”

  She glared at him. “That isn’t remotely amusing.”

  “I suppose not, under the circumstances,” he drawled.

  A big yawn escaped her. “My goodness. Clearly I shouldn’t have had that last glass of negus at the ball.”

  If he remembered correctly, negus was made of watered-down port with lemon juice and sugar. Who in God’s creation got drunk on that?

  Apparently Cass did.

  He chuckled. “No matter.” Covering her and Kitty with his greatcoat, he murmured, “Just sleep. It will be a few hours before we arrive.”

  She laid her head against the squabs. It wasn’t long before he could hear her even breaths between Kitty’s snores.

  He shook his head. The two women were so different. Kitty, on the one hand, was as insubstantial as champagne. Hard to believe she could have written all those clever and witty letters.

  Cass, on the other hand, was as bracing as brandy, an interesting woman he couldn’t help liking.

  He sighed. A pity she had no money. If he couldn’t marry an heiress whose dowry would help him save the estate his father had left him, he’d have to sell it for a song, then continue in the army for however long it took him to make enough to support a family.

  Those were the simple facts. He could not afford to marry for love.

  Chapter 4

  When the carriage turned onto the gravel drive, Cass awoke. Her foggy brain struggled to take in where she was and why she and Kitty were covered with a voluminous greatcoat that smelled of cheroots and bay rum.

  Then Heywood said, “We’re here,” and everyt
hing came flooding back. They’d been abducted by the only man who’d ever really interested Cass, at least on paper.

  And apparently he’d carried them off to fairyland, because the snow-dusted mansion at the end of the drive bore all the marks of an enchanted castle. Twice as large as Welbourne Place and probably four times as large as Aunt Virginia’s manor, it had turrets and towers crowned with cupolas and windows that reflected the waning moon in ever-changing slices of light. Good heavens.

  As soon as the coach halted in front of a massive ornamental door, Kitty jolted up in her seat. “Where are we? What are we doing? What’s wrong?”

  When Heywood chuckled, Cass rolled her eyes at him and took Kitty’s hand. “Nothing’s wrong, dearest. We’ve merely arrived at Armitage Hall.”

  Kitty blinked twice, then looked out. “Oh. I see.”

  A footman had already come running out to put the step down and open the carriage door. Heywood reached under his seat and handed them pattens to buckle around their ballroom slippers, thus protecting them from the snow.

  “How considerate!” Kitty exclaimed.

  “And fortuitous,” Cass added, eyeing Heywood closely.

  “My sister and mother use them regularly. That’s why they’re always in the coach.” He climbed down and turned to help each of the ladies out in turn. “Truly, Cass, you seem to be suspicious by nature.”

  “She is,” Kitty said. “Let’s not beat around the brush—Cass always assumes the worst about gentlemen.”

  Cass threw her shoulders back. “Are we going to stand out here in the cold discussing my faults or are we heading inside where it’s warm?”

  With a laugh, he offered each lady an arm. “Shall we?”

  The carriage pulled away, and Cass glanced back toward the drive. She caught her breath to see the snow already coming down in sheets of white. “It appears we made it here in the nick of time. It doesn’t show signs of stopping.”

  “Yes.” His rumbling voice resonated clear to her toes. “We should be cut off from Malet for a few days at least.”

  Thank goodness. Perhaps Mr. Malet would finally realize he’d picked the wrong heiress to intimidate.