Beguiling the Earl Read online

  “I realize that,” he said, his tone sharp with annoyance that she wasn’t taking his warning seriously. “But it is an acquaintance you shouldn’t pursue. With familiarity, he will begin to take other liberties with you.” How could he not? he added silently.

  A spark of anger lit her eyes. “Is that the reason you brought me here?”

  “You need to be careful,” he said, not sure why she was taking offense when his intention was to safeguard her well-being.

  She took another step closer, and now she was near enough that he could see the tiny flecks of gold in her blue eyes. His throat went dry.

  “You are not my father,” she said, stabbing a finger against his chest in anger. “Nicholas and Louisa are doing a fine job of suffocating me and making sure no one comes too close. I don’t need you treating me like a child as well.” She gave him another little jab.

  Her cheeks were flushed now, her breasts rising and falling with her anger. His gaze flickered downward before he managed to drag his eyes back up to her face.

  “I do not see you as a child. And God only knows, I wouldn’t describe my feelings for you as fatherly.” The notion was the furthest thing from the truth.

  She took his admission as a challenge, raising her chin and taking another step closer. Instead of poking at him, she spread her fingers and pressed her whole hand against his chest, just over where his heart was now beating an unsteady rhythm. They were so close now it would take no effort at all to lean down and kiss her. His gaze was on her lips and he was imagining how their soft plumpness would feel under his when she spoke.

  “How would you characterize your feelings for me?” The words were low, almost breathless.

  She swayed toward him. He didn’t curb his curse as he moved away from her.

  Her hand dropped to her side and her shoulders stiffened. The softness he’d seen in her expression was gone. When she spoke, her words were laced with disappointment. “I should return before someone notices our absence and comes to the incorrect conclusion.”

  She turned to leave, and almost before he realized he’d moved, he reached out to stop her, wrapping his gloved hand around her bare arm. They both froze at the contact. Slowly, she turned to face him.

  “Was there something else you wished to discuss with me?”

  “Yes… No… damn it.”

  He was teetering on the very edge of sanity and Catherine was likely to push him over. He pulled her to him and took her mouth in a scorching kiss that held more than a hint of desperation.

  From the way she stiffened at first, he knew he’d surprised her, but he was unable to contain the sense of urgency driving him onward. Within moments, her arms came up to encircle his neck and she pressed herself against him. He couldn’t hold back his groan of desire at the feel of her seemingly delicate but surprisingly firm body molded against his. She opened her mouth wider, allowing him to explore its depths. It wasn’t long before she began to reciprocate in earnest.

  She threaded her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck, holding his head in place. When her tongue stroked against his, he almost came undone. He wanted… no, he needed more. His hands moved down to her bottom and he drew her firmly against him. A soft knock at the door intruded on the haze of desire clouding his mind.

  He pushed away from her. Her eyes were still closed and she swayed toward him, but he gave her shoulders a small shake. Her eyes opened with great slowness and she looked up at him in dazed wonder.

  He cursed silently, wanting nothing more than to draw her back into his arms. Instead, he stepped away from her completely. She frowned but rallied quickly when she heard the second knock. When the door opened and Louisa entered a few seconds later, Catherine was seated sedately on a chair and he was standing by the window.

  Kerrick started to speak, but Louisa lifted a hand to stop him.

  “I don’t want to know.” She turned to her sister. “You should return to the ballroom. And you should both consider yourselves fortunate that it is I and not my husband who found you alone in here.”

  Catherine chose, wisely in his estimation, to remain silent as she made her way from the room without a backward glance.

  Louisa followed but halted just inside the door. “I am moving forward on the assumption that you are the same man I knew last fall who wouldn’t take advantage of a young woman. And because you were so instrumental in helping my husband and me during that time, I won’t speak of this to Nicholas. Please don’t give me reason to regret my decision.”

  She exited from the room then, but her parting words left him feeling the worst sort of cad.

  Chapter Five

  Several days had passed since Kerrick kissed her. Catherine had expected that moment to herald a change in their relationship, but if anything, he was more elusive than ever. He hadn’t come over to the house since that night and had declined another invitation to dinner.

  She was more than a little tempted to march to his town house and demand he tell her whether he had any feelings for her at all. She hated the uncertainty. One moment she was certain that he must care for her, even a little, but the next she remembered how close he and Louisa had been the previous fall. With the latter came the dark fear that when he’d kissed her, he’d seen her only as a substitute for the sister he couldn’t have.

  Maybe one day she’d have the bravado for such an action, but that day hadn’t yet arrived. That was why she’d made sure her sister accepted the invitation to the musicale the Worthingtons were hosting. If Kerrick was courting Rose Hardwick, as rumor would have her believe, he was certain to be there. And if the rumors were true, she needed to see it with her own eyes.

  It was with a mixture of determination and trepidation that Catherine stepped across the Worthingtons’ threshold that evening with her sister and brother-in-law. The house was overflowing with guests, but she saw Kerrick almost immediately. He stood next to Rose Hardwick and her mother, smiling down at the former. Catherine’s stomach clenched. She wanted to turn around and escape before he saw her, but Nicholas ushered Louisa toward the group and she had no recourse but to follow. She plastered a false smile on her face and greeted her hostess before turning her attention to Rose and finally to Kerrick. His smile was carefree as he greeted her with polite courtesy. He acted as though their kiss had never happened, and Catherine could feel the slim thread of hope to which she held begin to unravel.

  As the group continued to converse easily, Catherine made her excuses and turned to move away. Louisa’s expression held a hint of concern, but she didn’t try to stop her. Catherine didn’t care where she headed. She only knew that she needed to distance herself from the striking image of Kerrick standing next to the very beautiful Rose Hardwick as though he belonged at her side.

  She’d only moved a few feet, however, when the sound of her name being called brought her to a halt. She turned and stiffened when she saw that her rival for Kerrick’s affection had followed her.

  “I’m glad you came,” Rose said. “We haven’t had the chance to come to know one another, but I hope to change that.”

  If Rose had an ulterior motive for seeking her out, Catherine could detect no sign of it on her face. Instead of gloating, as she would have expected, she saw only honesty.

  “I would like that very much.” Catherine said the words automatically, as politeness dictated, but didn’t mean them. The very last thing she wanted was to befriend her rival for Kerrick’s affections.

  Rose must have seen her reticence, for her smile faded. She darted a glance over Catherine’s shoulder before saying, “I see someone I must speak to. Again, thank you for coming and perhaps we can speak later.”

  She moved off and Catherine released her breath with a relieved sigh. She couldn’t resist glancing back at Kerrick and saw his gaze shifting away from her. She realized he’d witnessed their brief exchange and wondered if he’d been watching her or Rose. The thought that he sought out the other woman when she wasn’t with him depressed
her even further.

  Time seemed to drag as she greeted people she’d met during her time in London and engaged in social niceties that meant very little. Louisa and Nicholas had found her again not long after she’d torn herself away from having to witness Kerrick fawning over another woman, and together they made their way to the modest-sized ballroom. The room had been converted into a small theater for the evening’s entertainment. Catherine shouldn’t have been surprised, but was at the number of chairs spread out in front of a grand pianoforte. She had no idea how Rose could perform in front of so many people.

  She was only human, and while she didn’t like the idea of anyone embarrassing themselves in front of such a large audience, she found herself hoping that the Worthingtons’ opinion of their only child’s talents were vastly overrated. But of course, that proved not to be the case. Catherine’s own musical talents were modest, but she recognized true talent when she heard it. And Rose Hardwick had talent in abundance. Her skill on the pianoforte was unquestionable. And her singing… Catherine really wanted to hate her, but her thoughts kept drifting back to Rose’s overture of friendship and instead of hate, what she felt was guilt.

  Needing to know if Rose’s performance was affecting him, Catherine’s gaze kept drifting to where Kerrick sat at the back of the room, off to her left. She wondered why he’d taken a seat so far away, and that curiosity only grew when she saw him stand and drift away from the room at precisely the same moment that the Earl of Brantford rose to make a request of Rose. Everyone’s attention was on the two of them at the front of the room, especially when the request appeared to throw Rose off-balance. The room itself seemed to hold its breath before releasing it again when Rose started the first strains of the piece Brantford had requested.

  Catherine was certain no one had noticed Kerrick’s departure. What really had her curiosity at a fever pitch, though, was the fact that he did not return until Rose’s performance was almost over a quarter of an hour later.

  Rose performed one last song—an ode to lost love that had Catherine gritting her teeth. The applause was enthusiastic and Catherine joined in. She wasn’t so stingy as not to give the other woman her due.

  Rose had performed for almost half an hour, and when she stepped away from the small dais on which the pianoforte stood, two of her cousins took her place. Their portion of the evening’s entertainment only lasted about ten minutes and left no one in doubt that the musicale had been organized to showcase Rose’s talent.

  She, Louisa, and Nicholas were waiting their turn to speak to Rose and her beaming parents before taking their leave for the night when Kerrick approached their group. He turned to her last. His eyes were warm when they met hers, and she felt the weight of that regard straight through to her toes.

  “Miss Evans,” he said simply, inclining his head in greeting. They were surrounded on all sides by a crush of people, but everyone seemed to fall away as their gazes locked.

  “Lord Kerrick,” she replied, looking away and breaking his spell. Conscious again of all the people around them, not the least of whom were her sister and brother-in-law, she tried to keep her own greeting formal. But she failed, and his name came out instead in a breathless whisper.

  “Miss Hardwick is very accomplished,” Louisa said, drawing his attention away from her.

  “Yes,” Nicholas added. “This was quite an endeavor, organized no doubt for your benefit.”

  Kerrick shrugged, the movement almost too casual. “Her talent is great. I find it difficult to choose a favorite piece.” He turned to her. “What say you, Catherine?”

  Catherine wondered at his comment since, as far as she could tell, he had been out of the room for much of the performance. Clearly, he didn’t want anyone else to know that, so she answered honestly. “They were all good, but my favorite was the last song. Unrequited love is always so tragic, and the emotion in her voice when she sang actually brought a tear to my eye.”

  An uncomfortable silence followed her pronouncement, and no one said anything for several long seconds. Kerrick’s eyes had narrowed on her as she spoke, an emotion in their depths that she found impossible to name.

  Louisa broke the silence again. “Well, my favorite was the Mozart.” She sighed. “I never imagined that playing with such proficiency could take such an emotional toll on someone. The poor girl looks quite wrung out.”

  Catherine followed her gaze and saw that the Earl of Brantford was speaking to the Worthingtons now. Rose did, indeed, look slightly ill. It was all the more startling because she was normally so vivacious. Perhaps she had been suffering with nerves before the performance after all, and the strain of keeping them under control was only now beginning to show. She felt another stab of guilt as she remembered how she’d rebuffed the other woman’s offer of friendship.

  Her eyes narrowed as they settled on Brantford. Louisa had told her that he was a spy, but it hardly seemed possible. The man looked to be about Kerrick’s age, perhaps a few years older. His hair was fair and cut very short. His demeanor, however, was that of someone who was extremely bored with his surroundings. Whereas Kerrick always seemed to be aware of everything and everyone around him, Brantford acted as though they were all beneath his notice.

  Her gaze moved from Brantford to Kerrick and back again as she tried to imagine the two men working together to uncover secrets others wished to keep hidden. As she did so, the pieces of a puzzled seemed to click together in her mind. Brantford and Kerrick were both spies. The former had provided a distraction while the latter slipped away when no one else was paying attention to him. That could only mean Kerrick had been looking for something that evening. Did it have to do with the Worthingtons or was the evening’s location merely incidental? Had Kerrick left the room to meet with someone while everyone else was occupied?

  When she turned again to look at Lord Kerrick, his eyes were on her. He hadn’t missed her examination of Lord Brantford, and at that moment she would give almost anything to know what he was thinking. Did he realize she knew about the service he and Brantford performed for their country? Did he even know that Nicholas and Louisa had guessed he was a spy? Or perhaps he thought she found Brantford attractive. If the latter thought caused him any concern, she hoped it was the reason for his close scrutiny. She smiled brightly at Kerrick before turning back to make small talk with Louisa, but in the back of her mind she was formulating a plan.

  ooOoo

  His search that evening had proved fruitless. He wasn’t sure what he’d expected to find in Worthington’s study, but he’d hoped to stumble upon something—anything—that would bring him closer to ending this inconvenient investigation. Correspondence, perhaps, or even a name scribbled on a piece of paper. It had been risky slipping away from the performance to do a quick sweep of Worthington’s papers, but he’d had to chance it. He hadn’t had enough time to do a thorough search, however, and frustration had weighed heavily on him when he realized he’d already been away too long.

  Seeing Catherine again had renewed his determination to put this whole matter behind him. He’d been successful in avoiding her for the past few days, but that had also meant avoiding the various evening entertainments Rose Hardwick had attended. He’d sought out other opportunities to engage Worthington during that time. They were both members of White’s, but despite the fact he’d all but haunted the gentleman’s club on St. James Street, he hadn’t run into the man once.

  He’d hoped to accomplish much that night when he accepted the invitation to the musicale. As Nicholas had suggested, he had little doubt that it had been held for his benefit. An effort on her parents’ part to showcase Rose’s many talents. The way Worthington and his wife had fallen on him when he’d arrived, as though he were the answer to every last one of their prayers, had almost been more than he could bear. He’d accepted their fawning as a necessary evil, hoping to find an opportunity to investigate. Brantford had supplied the distraction that had allowed him to leave the room, and it had been an eas
y task to slip back in and join the group of men standing near the back of the room. But in the end, the only thing he’d accomplished that evening was to make Worthington believe that a union between Kerrick and his daughter was all but certain.

  How he’d ferret out Worthington’s guilt was anyone’s guess. He was beginning to think the man was innocent and his efforts an exercise in futility.

  Something in Catherine’s expression after the performance had concerned him when he’d seen her watching Brantford. He couldn’t help thinking that she’d somehow seen through the other man’s pretense. Of course, Kerrick had involved Brantford in that matter concerning Overlea the previous fall, but he’d been sure to tell her Brantford was merely a friend. It wasn’t possible that she’d discovered that the perpetually bored earl had a set of skills that made him very dangerous to his enemies.

  He forced his thoughts away from Catherine and back to the task at hand. His investigation had so far had turned up nothing, and he was no closer to ending it than when Brantford had approached him. And so, desperate to find something concrete either way about Worthington’s guilt or innocence, he left the man’s home as soon as politeness allowed and made a quick trip home. When he went out again, he was dressed appropriately for a visit to the more seedy parts of London. It was time for him to call in a favor and arrange to have Worthington followed.

  Chapter Six

  Catherine waited for Kerrick a few houses down the street from his town house, the shadow of a tree obscuring her cloaked figure. It hadn’t taken her long to find the address in Nicholas’s study after he and Louisa had gone to bed. She’d been relieved to discover that Kerrick’s house was but a few minutes’ walk away.

  She knew that what she was doing was foolish and more than a little dangerous, but she was no longer content to sit back and wonder where she stood with Kerrick. After he had kissed her, she’d been so certain he felt something for her, something that went beyond mere fondness. But when she’d seen him tonight, it wasn’t difficult to believe that the rumors about him and Rose Hardwick were true. Only… he’d slipped out during Rose’s performance and lied about it.