Seduction on a Snowy Night Read online

  “I could kiss every inch of you, Caroline. Your mouth and neck, your breasts and stomach. Your thighs, high and pale. Everywhere. I could be with you the way I imagined all last night. In you.”

  She stared straight ahead, barely breathing. He might actually be doing those things now, from the way she felt.

  “Do not tell me it would be wrong, darling. It would be right in every way. If ever in our lives it would be right, it is—”

  His voice stopped abruptly. She glanced over to see him squinting into the distance. She set her attention there, too, and saw what he saw. Two horses came from the northwest, off the road that wound toward Carlisle.

  “Who is that?” he asked.

  “Jason.” She swallowed hard. “And Amelia.”

  * * *

  He took a deep breath, as if the longest sigh in history wanted to emerge from him. Instead he moved his horse forward.

  “Does she know I am here?” he asked.

  “She thinks she is coming home for Christmas. I asked Jason not to give her the particulars about your visit.”

  Visit, hell.

  They drew near the house. The other riders had gone around to the front. He stopped the horses and reached over to untie the pheasants and hare from her saddle. “I am going to bring these to Tom so he can clean them for dinner. I will join you shortly. Don’t tell her I am here. Let it be a surprise.”

  He rode off while she continued to the house. She would enter through the kitchen, he assumed. Amelia might use the main doors, but Caroline would be practical.

  He dropped the animals outside Tom’s door. The old man must have heard, because he came out. “Hunting, I see. Should last us a few days.”

  “Perhaps not. Miss Amelia has just returned. I expect Caroline will want to feed her well on her first day back.”

  Tom made a face. “Gave the girl airs, she did. That aunt of theirs made it worse, dressing the girl up like a doll. Nothing that can’t be changed, though. You go and see her and I’ll take care of these here and tell my wife the news.” He offered a man-to-man smile. “Been a while, eh? Eager to see her, no doubt.”

  “You have no idea.”

  He took his time making his way to the house. He went around to the front. He dismounted and tied his horse. He took a bundle from the saddle, then dawdled a few more minutes while he admired the snow-covered landscape. Finally he let himself in the big door and removed his greatcoat.

  Voices came from the sitting room. Caroline’s low, melodious one and another higher, younger one. He tucked the bundle behind a bench in the reception hall and approached the door.

  Caroline still wore her pantaloons. Beside her on a divan sat a younger, softer, less starkly contrasted version of herself. He judged Amelia to be nineteen at most. She wore a richly colored sapphire dress of high quality and recent fashion. On a chair nearby rested a deep scarlet mantle and elaborate bonnet.

  His gaze stopped for a five count on her hands. She wore scarlet gloves. Lambskin gloves that fit her delicate hands to perfection.

  She appeared the grand lady of the house and Caroline the faithful retainer. He resented that far more than he should.

  Caroline noticed him in the doorway. She touched her sister’s arm. “Look who is here, Amelia. See who has come to visit.”

  Amelia looked over at him. Her brow puckered in confusion. Then her expression fell and her eyes widened. “Oh. Oh, my.”

  Oh, my, indeed.

  He advanced on them. He bowed. He even smiled. She just stared at him.

  Up close he could see the bulge that revealed her pregnancy, even though the style of dress disguised it well. He made a point of noticing it in a way she could not ignore.

  Caroline began offering a story about his arrival that made it appear he had come of his own accord. He would have none of it.

  “Your sister is dissembling. In truth she and Jason abducted me, so you and I could marry. That is why I am here.”

  Amelia looked ready to faint. She even swooned a bit. A figure rushed out from a corner. Jason. Adam had not even seen him there, sitting to the side. Now Jason hovered over Amelia, worried. He glared back at Adam. “She’s a delicate sort and the journey was long. You should be more careful with her and not give her shocks like that.”

  “She is fine. Aren’t you, Amelia? Thank you for bringing her home, Jason. Miss Dunham, perhaps I could have a little time alone with my intended? She and I have much to discuss.”

  Caroline rose. “Of course. Come with me, Jason. Give them some privacy. Perhaps you would take care of the horses we were riding, while you deal with your own.”

  Jason left grudgingly, with many dark looks over his shoulder. The door closed on them both.

  Adam gazed down on Amelia. She in turn gazed down at her gloves.

  “Look at me, please.”

  She slowly raised her head.

  “There was always the slightest chance that your accusation against me was true. Now that I see you, I know it is not. You and I have never spoken before, nor even been in this close proximity. While we may have attended the same fete, we had nothing to do with each other. I know it, and you know it. So please explain to me why you told your sister that I am the father of your child.”

  She finally blinked. Long dark lashes fluttered over her robin’s-egg blue eyes. “Well, you are the sort to do such a thing, aren’t you? And as you are a peer, and usually in London, and not known for constancy, no one would expect you to do the right thing by me.”

  “You lied so that you would have a story regarding a man whom no one would openly accuse. Why not just name the real father?”

  “I couldn’t do that. No one would believe me, and even if they did nothing would be done about it. He is married, you see.”

  Ah. Caroline demanded a name, and the real name not only was of no use but also compounded the sin. So “Lord Thornhill” was a convenient lie with, to Amelia’s mind, no consequences. Amelia did not know her sister nearly well enough.

  “Give me his name now and I will see what I can do to make sure there is at least a settlement to care for the child.”

  She cocked her head. “I don’t think that will happen. He is not the sort to be impressed by such as you. Your being a baron would be of no consequence.”

  This man had truly turned her head if he had her believing that. There were few men who were not impressed by a lord.

  “His name, Amelia. I must insist that you share it, for the good of you, your child, and your family.”

  * * *

  Caroline kept her ear to the keyhole, for all the good it did. A muffled conversation reached her, but not the words. At least they both were talking, and she could not hear Amelia crying, so it must be going well.

  Thornhill had appeared more lordly than normal when he entered that room. His frock coat and waistcoat had been brushed at some point, by himself she assumed. She had no idea where he procured the clean and starched cravat. She had noticed none of this while they rode back.

  His manner had been less than gentle with Amelia, but then he would not be happy under the circumstances. Still, with time, they might make a good marriage. If that notion left her hollow, that was her own fault for allowing herself to think of him as something other than her own sister’s intended.

  The door abruptly opened. She almost fell forward. She looked up to see Thornhill gazing down.

  “Did you hear?”

  “I tried but could not make out the words. You should have spoken louder.”

  He smiled vaguely and stood aside. “Your sister has something to say to you.”

  She did not have to enter the room far to encounter Amelia. Subdued and docile, she met her sister a few feet from the door. “I made a mistake,” Amelia murmured. “It is not Lord Thornhill. I am going up to my chamber to rest now.”

  With that Amelia rushed past her.

  Caroline stood where she was, stunned. Thornhill closed the door again.

  “How . . . ?” br />
  “She made an error. Leave it at that. Come sit with me while we decide what to do next.”

  Caroline wandered around the chamber, her mind all mixed up. She sank back into the divan. “So who is it? That child is not a miracle. Some man—”

  “Do not press her for a name. I know who it is, and there will be no marriage. Her seducer already has a wife and family.”

  Caroline’s heart sank. “I have been most kind about this, but now I will scold her severely. Even a girl knows not to allow a married man to—”

  “She will need even more kindness now, Caroline.”

  She sighed heavily. “What is to be done? I suppose, if her condition was not noticed in Carlisle, that after the child is born she can return there and try to make a life for herself.”

  “It is unlikely her condition was not noticed. I saw it at once.”

  “Then what?”

  He shrugged. “She lives here, at her home, I suppose. She is not as delicate as you have led her to believe.”

  “I have led her to believe?”

  “You indulged her, then sent her to your aunt, who did so even more. Put her in some pantaloons and let her groom horses with you. If it is good enough for you, it is good enough for her.”

  “You are angry that you were abducted and accused in error, and to no purpose. I understand that. We will give you one of the horses and you can go. You will be at your cousin’s by Christmas, easily.”

  He turned his body so he faced her. “I think I would like to spend Christmas here. I went to the village this morning and sent a letter to my cousin explaining I would not be attending his celebrations. He will not miss me.”

  So that was where he had gone. Yet he could still go to his cousin’s now if he wanted to. Only he didn’t. The implications of that teased at her. She dared not hope he dallied for her sake, and yet... “If you had told me you were going to the village I would have asked you to bring back a few things.”

  It was a stupid thing to say but all she could summon short of spilling out her relief and gratitude that she would see him for a few more days at least.

  “Like salt and flour? Mrs. Hoover requested it. I also brought back sugar and a few other provisions.”

  The last of the sugar cone had been used months ago. Mrs. Hoover would be elated.

  It gave Caroline joy that he would remain with them a few more days. But Amelia . . . “I wish we had family down in the Midlands or somewhere else far away and Amelia could go there until the child is born. She might still have a reputation left afterward, and a life.”

  “That is one way such things are handled. Another is the girl marries a man who accepts he will raise another man’s child.”

  “That would take a handsome settlement, I assume.”

  “Very handsome.”

  “So that is not a choice either. Not that there is a convenient man about. I don’t think you are offering yourself.”

  “No.”

  She began to stand, but he pulled her back down and leaned toward her. “There will be no privacy on the floor with your chamber now. I assume Amelia will sleep up there. The attic, however, is still my kingdom. Come visit me tonight and we will find a solution to the problem that is Amelia.”

  She looked into his eyes and knew they would not only talk through her family’s problem if she went to him. He might not have seduced Amelia, but he had every intention of seducing the other Dunham sister.

  She could not agree. She did not disagree. She stood; then on impulse she bent down and kissed his lips. An inner debate waited in the hours ahead, but she already suspected how it would end.

  * * *

  Adam knew that kiss had not been a promise. It did give cause for optimism, so he spent the next hours in good humor.

  He set the sugar cone in the kitchen as a present for Mrs. Hoover. Then he wandered out to the stable. Jason was finishing up with the horses. “Do you need help bringing out the hay?”

  “It’s warmed up a bit and some snow has melted. They will find the grass now on the southern slope of the hill. No need to bring the hay.”

  Adam watched him move. The horses liked his handling, and one kept nibbling at his hair. “It was not me. She just told her sister.”

  Jason paused. Then he lifted a hoof and inspected it. “Who then?”

  “A married man. There will be no more abductions.”

  Jason cursed. “Not much life for her now. I was at that fete. I should have watched her better.”

  “Don’t blame yourself. She could have a good life if another man marries her. One who cares for her, and would not hold one mistake against her.”

  “If you find that man, you send him to me.”

  Adam strolled over to the horse while Jason went around the other side to inspect another hoof. “Why not you?”

  Silence. No sound. No movement. Then a blond head rose and looked over the horse. “She is a gentleman’s daughter. I am a servant. That is all we are in truth. We may all eat at that table together, but we are not of the same place in life.”

  “No one knows all the places better than I do. However, you are well spoken and hardly a typical servant. As this farm rebuilds you will have more responsibilities. I expect in five years you will be a steward. That is a servant, too, but of a different sort entirely. More like a solicitor is a servant.”

  He laughed, shook his head, and moved back to the horse’s rear hooves.

  “How did you come to be educated?” Adam asked.

  “Mr. Dunham had me take lessons with Caro—with Miss Dunham. We’re about the same age. He told my parents to send me over in the mornings when the tutor held lessons. I wasn’t the best student.”

  “Neither was I.”

  His head popped up again. “No? Well, we’ve something in common.”

  “Several things. That and horses. I have wondered about something. Would you have shot me that first day?”

  “I am sorry to say I probably would have. I was wanting to, so if you had given me the excuse—” He looked up again. “My apologies for all of that, seeing as how you were innocent.”

  “Jason, is there any other woman you have ever met for whom you would shoot a peer? Would you have done that for Caroline? For the girl you first kissed?”

  Jason smiled roguishly. “One and the same, ain’t they? Don’t tell her I told you. We were fifteen and curious. Wasn’t much to it. I couldn’t figure out what all the fuss was, but she is like my sister, ain’t she? Now Amelia—never kissed her. Wouldn’t dare even when she was old enough. I just knew it would have been different, though.”

  “If you are in love with her, perhaps you should consider what I said about a marriage. If you do not see her as a sister, she may not see you as a brother. Raise the possibility with her, and give her time to think about it.”

  Adam waited for Jason to deny being in love. When it did not come he patted the horse’s flank and left the stable.

  Chapter 10

  They had a feast that night with the hare and pheasant and even used the real dining room. Mrs. Hoover made a honey cake now that she had enough flour. Amelia ate sparingly. Most of the time she kept her gaze on her plate, although on occasion Caroline saw her send resentful glares at Thornhill. He noticed, too, but his spirits were so high he didn’t seem to care. He showed the humor of a man just spared from the gallows.

  “A gentleman would have married me anyway,” Amelia said that night while Caroline brushed out her hair. “Then I’d be a lady and live in London and go to grand balls. Now I’ll just be a fallen woman with a baby who has no father.”

  “Of course he has a father. You named the wrong man, but you know the right one. If you tell me—”

  “I can’t. Thornhill made me promise not to tell you.”

  “He did, did he? I’m your sister. If you can’t tell me, whom can you tell?”

  Amelia sealed her lips closed hard. Caroline guessed the answer. She could tell Thornhill, which she had. So he knew, bu
t her own sister did not. That would never do.

  After tucking Amelia into bed, Caroline marched to the stairway and went above to the attic chambers. Thornhill’s door stood open. She peered around the threshold to see him sliding something under the bed. His coats were off and his shirt sleeves rolled up. A pail of water warmed on the small fireplace hearthstone.

  He looked over and saw her. “Why do I think you did not come up here to give me a kiss?”

  She stayed at the threshold and crossed her arms. “I want to know his name.”

  He shook his head. “I will talk to him, but you will only get trouble for your time if you do.”

  “You know him, then.”

  “I probably know most of the men who were at that fete who might impress Amelia.”

  “It is your goal to vex me.”

  He walked right up to her. “Caroline, my only goal today, the single one that occupied my thoughts, was getting you to come up here tonight.” He reached around and closed the door behind her. “It appears vexing you was the path to success.”

  The sails of indignation deflated at once. She looked around his cell, thinking it had been unnecessary to force him to live like this, especially after he gave his parole. She could hardly have him in the chamber next to hers, however. Who knew what ideas he might get?

  He took her hand and stepped back, leading her farther into the chamber. The tiny creases at his eyes’ edges subtly deepened.

  “I amuse you,” she said.

  “No. You charm me. You are adorable and precious.”

  “I think, my lord, that your eloquence is the result of dishonorable intentions.”

  He sat in that one chair, still holding her hand. “Not too dishonorable. Sit here with me so I can hold you again.” He drew her closer, then down so she sat on his lap. “We have many things to talk about, Caroline.”

  “What things?”

  “My next few days here, mostly.”

  His last days here, he meant. She kept her expression steady, but that arm embracing her and that face so close to hers almost defeated her. The truth about Amelia had cut two ways. On one edge was relief that Caroline would not have to see the man she loved marry her sister. On the other edge was sadness that he had no reason to remain here now.