An Earl to Enchant (13 page)

“You have to,” Blake said. “We just told you we are going away with our wives.”

Ah, the wives.

“And while they are understanding ladies most of the time, they will be disappointed if they don’t get to take this holiday we promised them.”

“Your wives?” Morgan said disgruntled.

“Yes,” Race said. “And I might add that it is your turn to handle Gibby.”

“My turn? No, you’re mistaken. It was not more than a few weeks ago that I handled that time machine debacle. Remember?”

“Sorry, Morgan, that was several months ago, not weeks,” Blake said. “And after that, I took care of his association with Mrs. Simpleton and her bloody balloon venture.”

Race held up his hand. “And I’m still not over trying to talk him out of that travesty of a boxing match with Mr. Prattle a couple of months ago. So you see, my dear cousin, it is your turn.”

“You both have known for almost three months now that I’ve had no intentions of going back to London in the foreseeable future.”

But as Morgan said that, another thought flashed through his mind. Arianna would be going to London soon.

Perhaps he should think about going to London and keeping an eye on Gibby—just until his cousins returned. It would give him an opportunity to check in with Arianna, too, to make sure she found a place to lease and settled into London properly.

“What are you thinking?” Blake asked. “Suddenly, it was as if you were miles away from us again.”

“Nothing,” Morgan said and started walking again.

“Yes, you were thinking about something. I could see that faraway look in your eyes for the third time since we’ve been here.”

“‘Fess up, you blackguard, and tell us why you are so pensive.”

“Damnation, Blake, don’t be ridiculous. I can see that marriage hasn’t changed a thing about either of you. I was just wondering what I would do if I found out I looked like someone other than my father. That is one hell of a situation to be in.”

“You are lying through your teeth,” Blake said good-naturedly.

Morgan grinned, hoping to throw them off guard. “If you are going to force a man to answer a question he doesn’t want to answer, you can’t be upset if he lies to you.”

“Did you just quote Lord Chesterfield?” Race asked, grinning.

“Bloody hell, I hope not,” Morgan mumbled. “And I hate to admit it, but you two might be right for a change. If it is my turn to take care of the old dandy, I will. I hadn’t planned to return to London, but as you said, perhaps I should go and do what I can to stop the flow of the gossip, and to be there for Gib should he need anything.”

“Something’s definitely wrong. That was too easy,” Race said.

“Yes, I agree,” Blake said, nodding. “There is a reason he wants to come back to London, and he’s not telling us.”

Morgan laughed. “I’m going to hate myself for admitting this, but I’ve missed you two jackanapes.”

Blake and Race laughed, too.

“But, we are not going to let you change the subject that easily,” Blake added. “You are suddenly too eager to return to London.”

“I’m not eager to do anything but enjoy the carefree life I have here.”

All of a sudden, Blake stopped dead in his tracks, a stunned look on his face.

“What is it?” Morgan asked and threw a glance toward Race as they stopped walking, too.

“I’m seeing the most amazing apparition,” Blake said in a husky voice.

“That is no vision,” Race said, looking in the same direction as Blake.

“Who is she?” Blake asked.

Morgan froze.

“And what is she wearing?” Race asked.

“How does she move her hips, her body like that?” Blake added on a whispery breath.

“And what is she doing in your house?” Race whispered hoarsely.

Morgan felt as if he were moving in slow motion as he turned and looked toward the side of his house where Blake and Race stood staring. From where the three of them were on the slope, they were at a perfect angle to stare straight into Arianna’s bedroom window on the first floor of the house.

Morgan’s heart jumped into his throat, and the air swooshed from his lungs. Arianna was dancing. She looked like an exotic goddess, dressed in a scandalously small, buttercup-colored tunic similar to the one she had worn to the stables, only this one glittered invitingly from the soft lamplight in her room. The skirt of the same color looked as if it had been sprinkled with gold. It swung low on her hips and appeared to be made of a sheer, gossamer-thin material that looked as if he could see right through it.

Her hips moved from side to side, and her stomach undulated in a way that instantly aroused him. She swayed gently, smoothly, as if she were intently listening to music only she could hear. Her outstretched arms moved sensuously, and her shoulders rolled suggestively, simultaneously with the rest of her body. She brought her hands together high over her head and clasped them as she continued her slow, sumptuous dance.

Since Morgan’s body was reacting to her intense movements, he knew Blake’s and Race’s were, too.

“Morgan?” Race and Blake somehow managed to say at the same time.

“Cousins,” Morgan said in a gravelly voice, “you picked a most inopportune time to visit.”

Ten

My Dearest Grandson Lucas,

While reading through his letters, I came across these wise words from Lord Chesterfield. “Should you be unfortunate enough to have vices, you may, to a certain degree even dignify them by a strict observance of decorum; at least they will lose something of their natural turpitude.”

Your loving Grandmother,

Lady Elder

Gray skies had darkness falling quickly, so Arianna lit the lamp in her bedroom after she had changed into her Indian dance costume. She knew Beabe would be below stairs for quite a while, helping Mrs. Post in the kitchen, so it was the perfect time for Arianna to see if she was now strong enough to move her stomach and hips the way she could before she had the fever. She had tried a couple of times before, but she had been too sore and too weak to do very much. But every day now, she felt stronger. And, as much as she hated to leave the earl and the contentment she had found in his home, she intended to tell Morgan tomorrow that she was well enough to travel on to London so that she could meet with Mr. Warburton and begin her work for her father. She didn’t want to wait any longer for Mrs. Pepperfield to arrive.

Arianna had discovered early on that it was always best to dance when Beabe wasn’t around. Her British maid had never approved of her learning any of the Indian
nritya
, but through the years, Beabe had remained loyal and never told her father that her
naukrani
was teaching her the beautiful dances of India.

The Indian maid had told her dancers always wore bells on their wrists and ankles when they danced, and sometimes bells were stitched to their costumes. Beabe hadn’t unpacked Arianna’s bracelets or anklets at the earl’s house, but when she had her dancing costume made, the seamstress had attached three rows of tiny bells to the hem of the skirt, and they jingled lightly every time she moved.

Arianna closed her eyes, and in her mind she played the music she’d often heard at the market in Bombay. As she swayed, she stepped and twirled in time with the music she heard in her head. At first, her movements felt awkward and stiff, but the more she moved, the easier it became to follow the steps and maneuvers of the dance she’d learned from the
naukrani
.

Lord Morgandale came to her mind. She imagined him watching her with his intense blue eyes. She moved as if she were dancing for him. As she moved her stomach muscles and arms the way she’d been taught, she remembered the taste of his kisses, the caress of his hands on her body, the sounds of his whispered sighs. She remembered the feel of the light rain falling on her passion-heated skin.

A loud knock sounded on the door, interrupting her dance and her wonderful thoughts.

“Bapre,
” she exclaimed to herself. She had thought it would take Beabe longer in the kitchen to get her evening tray.

Reluctantly, Arianna padded barefoot over to answer the door and opened it without inquiring as to who might be on the other side. She gasped when she saw a scowling earl standing before her, devouring her with his hot, angry gaze.

In that first horrifying second, she thought of slamming the door in his face or making a mad dash for a wrap to cover herself, but in the end, all she did was quickly fold her arms across her chest, trying unsuccessfully to hide as much of her bare skin as possible.

Looking at the very upset man, she said as calmly as if she were talking about the weather, “My lord, I didn’t expect you. I’m afraid you caught me at a very unfortunate time. I’m not properly dressed.”

“I’m quite aware of that,” he said tightly. “That is exactly why I am here.”

Arianna took in a deep breath and quickly assessed the situation. She was caught, and there was no use in trying to hide what she was wearing now that he had already seen her. There was nothing to do but explain and inquire as to why he was standing at her bedchamber door.

She lifted her shoulders, dropped her arms to her sides, swallowed the lump in her throat, and began, “Contrary to what you might be thinking, I heeded your words of yesterday, and I have not worn this costume outside of my bedchamber.”

“That is good to know,” he said too quietly.

His admission of that surprised her, but she continued. “And besides that, my lord, I have been here several days now, and you have never once come to my door. I had no reason to suspect you would be standing there this evening.”

“That is true.”

It struck her that he was being a bit too amiable, considering what she was wearing.

“And I had no cause to think that you might come to my door today and see me dressed like this.”

“I agree,” he said, pushing the door open wider and stepping inside. He closed the door, reached behind him, and turned the key in the lock.

Arianna’s breaths shortened, and she took a wary step back. “What are you doing?”

“Making sure that neither your maid nor anyone else comes in while I’m in here. So you are certain no one has seen you, dressed like this?”

“Absolutely. Like I said, I have not left this room today. No one could have possibly seen me dressed like this.”

“Really? Then how do you suppose I knew what you had on?”

Confusion clouded her mind. “I didn’t know that you did.”

Morgan walked over to her window on the right side of her dresser and then motioned for her to come to him.

She hesitated only a moment and then did as he beckoned and walked over to him, the bells on her skirt gently jingling as she went.

“What do you see when you look out of this window, Arianna?”

She stepped closer. Darkness lay on the air, but in the distance she saw lights at the stables, indicating workers were still there.

“I see the stables and the paddock, my lord, but they are so far away, I swear to you that no one there could see me here in my room.”

His intense blue eyes searched her face. “Do you know where I was late this afternoon?”

Her throat tightened, but not from fear, from his being so close that she wanted to reach out and touch him.

“No,” she said, her voice sounding softer than she would have liked.

“I was at the stables, trying to ride Master Brute.”

Surprise lit her face. “Did you?”

He shrugged. “Not yet.” He turned and looked out the window again. “What do you think I saw a few minutes ago when I was walking down the slope that leads from the stables to the house?”

Arianna’s gaze followed his, and she cringed. Why hadn’t it dawned on her to close the draperies? On impulse, she had quickly donned the costume and started dancing without much thought. Certainly she had not considered that anyone might be able to see her through the window.

“There’s a point on the slope where you can look directly into this room. And the lamplight from your dresser makes everything in here very easy to see.”

She glanced down at her short buttercup-colored tunic, decorated with faux jewels sewn around the low neckline and the banded, low waist of the skirt. The sheer material was more revealing than the fabric of the sari she had on the day before.

She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment and then opened them and stared directly at him and whispered, “You saw me dancing.”

He nodded, reached over, freed the drapery panels from the brass holders, and let them come together.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get that image of you out of my mind, and neither will my cousins.”

Arianna gasped. “Your cousins? Lady Elder’s other two grandsons were with you?”

“Yes. Unfortunately, Race and Blake decided to pay me a surprise visit and were walking with me.”

Heat flamed in her cheeks. “I don’t know what to say, my lord. If there is any way I can apologize, I’m willing to try. They must have been horrified.”

“Take my word for it, Arianna, they were not horrified. Quite the contrary, they were mesmerized, as was I, to see so much of you doing that very provocative dance.”

“I am seldom at a loss for words, but I have no answer for this.”

“I can only assume you learned to do this when you were in India. Did your father approve of this?”

She wrinkled her brow. “Of course my father had no idea I learned the
nritya
of India or had a costume such as this made. He would never have permitted either. I caught one of our Indian
nauker
dancing one day and asked her about it.”

“Your what?”

“
Nauker.
Servant. I insisted she teach me and had her arrange to have the costume made for me. I have always danced only for my own pleasure. I swear to you, Morgan, my father never knew, and you and Beabe are the only people ever to see me dressed like this.”

“Make that four people, since my cousins saw you, too, but who is counting?”

“Well, as the old saying goes: there is nothing I can do now but face the music.”

“Arianna, if you knew how badly I hated the man, you would know this is not the time to start quoting Lord Chesterfield to me.”

She lifted her shoulders. “Did he say that? I believe I mentioned that I don’t know of Lord Chesterfield, but I feel sure if he said it, he had good reason, and that he bravely faced the consequences of whatever his actions were at the time. I intend to do the same.”

“From the moment you arrived, your bravery has never been in question, Arianna.”

It pained her to say it, but she swallowed and added, “I’m quite prepared to leave your home at once if that is what you desire.”

His blue eyes stared down into hers. “You know that is not what I desire. I think you know that you are what I desire right now.” He stepped in closer to her. “I love seeing your hair down like this, spilling over your shoulders and down your back. The lamplight makes it shimmer like the gold thread embroidered on your costume.”

Arianna’s heartbeat raced, but she remained still. He picked up a length of her hair and gently rubbed it between his fingers. He lifted it to his nose and inhaled deeply.

“I love the spicy scent of the perfumed water you wear,” he said, his gaze tracing down her face and lingering on her lips. “I find myself waking in the night and believing I smell you lying next to me.”

Arianna stared at him, not wanting to move as his hands caressed her hair and his words filled her senses with longing.

He bent his head until his lips brushed lightly, invitingly, across hers. It wasn’t nearly enough to fill her deep craving for his kiss. His touch was much too brief to savor as much of the sweet taste of him as she wanted. He smelled of leather, wet earth, and shaving soap. She yearned to be caught up in his arms and crushed against his broad chest.

Keeping his lips very close to hers, he whispered huskily, “You know, some say that Bathsheba knew King David went to his rooftop each evening, and that is why she chose that time of night to wash herself. She knew he would see her. Desire her. Defy heaven and move the earth to possess her.”

Arianna had imagined Morgan watched her. Had she somehow known he was where he could see her dancing in front of the window? She lifted her lashes and looked directly into his very blue eyes. They were filled with humor. He wasn’t judging. He was teasing.

She smiled. “You think I dressed like this and danced because I knew you and your cousins would be walking down the slope?”

“Not my cousins. Just me.”

“If so, it was planned for me by destiny, and destiny is very hard to change.”

“I’m beginning to believe that.”

Morgan chuckled softly as his tongue swept the outline of her lips before his mouth settled confidently over hers. Instinctively, she parted her lips, and his tongue darted inside and played, plundered, and teased hers. Tightness squeezed her chest, and warmth settled low in her abdomen.

His arms slipped around her, and he pulled her against his chest. This was what she had been waiting for since he entered her room. She melted into his embrace; her arms went over his strong shoulders, and her hands met at the back of his neck.