Beyond A Wicked Kiss (14 page)

Ria wondered that she could be so befuddled, yet know without a doubt that she was
not
dreaming. She could not even find the wherewithal to be affronted or to offer a defense. Rising to her feet, she slipped into the flannel robe, belted it, and then made one point for clarification. "You do realize, don't you, that I did not invite you in?"

"You're rather late coming to that. You might have said something when I was still standing in the doorway."

It was difficult to argue that particular objection. "This way," Ria said, extending the invitation she had not made earlier. Taking up the candlestick, she led him back into the sitting room and lighted the candelabra on the mantelpiece. West assumed the duties of bringing the dying flames in the fireplace around to a full blaze. He stood in front of the hearth for some moments, seemingly in contemplation of his handiwork, while Ria placed his coat, hat, and gloves on a rack inside the door. She thought he had no notion any longer that she was in the room, yet the moment she sat on the sofa behind him, he pivoted on his heel to face her. Though he stood several feet away, she still had to look up at an uncomfortable angle.

"Is it your intention to keep the benefits of your labor to yourself?" she asked.

West frowned, trying to comprehend her meaning before he came to the realization that his presence squarely in front of the fire was blocking its heat.

Ria was grateful when he stepped aside. More important than the obstacle he presented to her, the light coming from behind him had thrust his features into deep shadow. When he had announced that she looked like the very devil, it was most definitely the pot calling the kettle black. "Thank you," she said. "Will you not sit? It is preferable to hovering, I think."

The suggestion of a smile played about his mouth. "Preferable for whom?"

"I can own that it is more to my liking."

West looked around and chose the chair with the emerald brocade seat and back and dark walnut trim. It was by far and away the least comfortable of the upholstered offerings, but at this late hour and after so long a journey, West was not desirous of comfort. He would retire to his room at the inn in Gillhollow for his sleep; he had no wish to nod off here.

"Would you like some refreshment?" Ria asked. "I can offer you tea or wine. I have not much else in the way of spirits."

"Nothing, thank you." His eyes narrowed faintly as he regarded her. "You have rather more than your fair share of aplomb, I'm thinking. No hysterics. No demands. Very little in the way of reaction, in fact."

Ria glanced at the mantel clock. It was gone eleven, even later than she had supposed. Little Amy had been swept away to bed more than an hour earlier. It did not seem possible she had stayed awake so long after, writing and making plans. "I will have a fit of the vapors directly if it will hurry your explanation along."

A ghost of a smile flitted across his features, acknowledging her wry riposte. "I do apologize for coming to you at this hour. I would not have let myself in if you had been abed, but I saw you pass in front of your window and knew you were awake."

"You were watching me?"

"Actually, I was observing the school. There must be a dozen ways an enterprising girl can come and go without attracting notice. A lattice is always a suitable ladder if it is sturdy enough. You will be pleased to know your lattices are solidly constructed. Downspouts can be shinnied in either direction if they are secured properly to the masonry. Yours are. There is also an easy exit from the attic windows, across the box gutters to the ladder propped against the east wall."

Ria's lower jaw sagged a fraction. "Roof repairs," she said on a thread of sound. "An ice dam lifted the slate."

"Yes, I thought that might be the way of it. Perhaps you will want to instruct the laborers to remove the ladder when they are finished for the day." He went on, ticking the points off on his fingers. "Inside, the doors swing on well-oiled hinges, which is invariably a good thing when one wishes to move in and out of the school or between rooms. The floors in your corridors do not creak overmuch and the stairs, while noisy in places, offer a wide, polished banister as a neat, speedy alternative. I assume all the windows can be latched, though this is only moderately effective for keeping intruders out. It does nothing to keep your girls in."

While Ria's mouth was no longer agape, her eyes had widened considerably. "It is a
school,
Your Grace, not a gaol. The young ladies here are students, not prisoners."

"Then you don't mind if they leave."

"No. Yes. Of course I mind if they leave unattended or without permission." She waved her hand impatiently. "That is not the point at all. I hope you mean to apprise me of your manner of entering the school."

If she had hoped to make him defensive, she was sadly mistaken. West said easily enough, "I used the front door."

"It was locked."

"It wasn't barred."

"I put the bar in place myself before vespers."

He shrugged. "That is my point, isn't it? A bar works to deter intruders; it does not present any obstacle at all for the inmates."

"It is a school," she said again,
"not
an asylum. You are pur—" Ria stopped considered what he was telling her in a different light, and began again. "What are you saying? That the door was no longer barred because someone here removed it?"

"Wasn't I clear?" he asked. "I thought I was clear. Yes. That's what I'm saying. One of your students slipped out the door and met a lad by that stand of beeches not a hundred yards from the school. She did not remain there long, though I should think there were some passionate words exchanged, oh yes, and I saw a note pass between them. You will not credit it, but there was no kissing. I believe your girl was all for it, but the lad had his wits about him and kept her at a distance. I cannot say why he did so, though one supposes he imagines himself in love with her and regards carnal denial as chivalrous. But then," West added his tone mildly ironic, "I am judged by my friends to be a romantic."

Ria could not rouse sufficient breath just then to call him mad.

"No wind in your sails?" West asked. "Perhaps you would like a glass of wine yourself? You are markedly more peaked than you were moments ago. That does not bode well." He held up one hand to stop her from rising and got to his feet. "I shall get it. Do you keep the wine in the sideboard?"

She nodded.

West poured half a glass of red wine and carried it to her. "Here. It can do no harm."

Ria had difficulty not draining the glass. "Has she come inside?"

"Your young lady? Yes, she didn't tarry once her beau took his leave." West returned to his chair. "She hurried back, dutifully barred the door, and, I believe, went straightaway to her room. By then I was already inside, so replacing the bar was of no consequence."

"I see." She didn't, not entirely, but it seemed appropriate to report some understanding. It occurred to her that she should inquire as to the identify of her student, though she had a very good idea who it was. "Can you describe the girl? I shall speak to her in the morning."

"Certainly I can describe her, it is just that I have no intention of doing so. No harm has been done, and the boy looked to be a decent enough sort. I don't believe you will have any trouble from that quarter." Especially, West told himself, after he hunted down the lovestruck lad and had a few words with him. "It seems to me that your girl can be spared a lecture."

"Surely that is
my
decision. I am responsible, after all, and her actions had the lamentable consequence of opening the door to you."

"I believe I mentioned there were other means by which I could have entered the school."

"Yes, but at least you might have broken your neck using one of those."

"Ah," he said. "You would have preferred to find me lying sprawled in the hedgerow at morning light."

"I would have liked it better if you missed the hedgerow."

West laughed outright at that. "You, Miss Ashby, are decidedly coldhearted."

Ria pursed her lips to temper her smile. His easy laughter was its own invitation, and she found it hard not to join him. "It will have been Emma Blakely that you saw," she said. "She has been known to flirt with the village boys." Ria finished her wine and set the glass down. "What brings you to Gillhollow, Your Grace? You were careful to leave me with no expectation that I might depend upon your help, and indeed, I have not."

"That is true."

"Never say you have changed your mind."

"Let us say that what assistance I have determined to offer shall be offered on my terms."

"What do you mean?"

West leaned back, crossing his arms in front of him, the posture both relaxed and watchful. "I have set it in my mind to join the board of governors of Miss Weaver's Academy for Young Ladies."

Chapter 4

"You are serious," Ria said.

"You say that as if exactly the opposite were true. I assure, I
am
serious. The list of governors for the school is impressive. Why should I not lend them my name in this charitable enterprise?"

"My, but you have become full of yourself. And in so short a time. It really does give one pause." To press that point, she paused. "There, it is passed. Goodness, but it is a relief to have done with that."

He cocked one eyebrow. "You are not taken with the idea."

"Your Grace has a happy talent for understatement. I abhor the idea. Loathe it, in fact."

"Pray, do not mince words. You must say precisely what you think."

Ria did smile then, albeit softly and without the passion of humor behind it. "Forgive me. You are generous to tolerate my sharp tongue."

"Now you disappoint, Miss Ashby. It is not in my mind to punish you for speaking yours. Tell me why I should not apply to the board."

"What would be the purpose?" she asked. "You already enjoy considerable influence as my guardian. Must you hold sway in this aspect of my life as well? Your father was good enough not to interfere in this manner."

With some effort, West let this mention of his father pass. He could not very well encourage her to speak freely in one moment, then press her to be more cautious in the next. "My intention is not to exert my will on you. Am I wrong to suppose that you still desire my assistance? Miss Jane Petty has not returned to the school, has she? The last inquiries I made before leaving London indicated that she had not."

"You made inquiries? How? Of whom?"

"I believe you were the one who pointed out I must not be without connections in the foreign office."

"Yes, but—"

"I applied to them, Miss Ashby, on your behalf. I regret they were of no help in divining Jane's whereabouts, but some use might yet be made of them. What I learned was enough to bring me here."

Ria blinked. She felt strangely weepy of a sudden and hoped she would not embarrass herself or him by crying. "Thank you," she said, working the words past the lump in her throat. "Thank you for that."

"Save your thanks for when I announce I have accomplished something." He tilted his head slightly to one side as he continued to take her measure. "Apart from the control you feared I will inflict upon you, is there some other reason I should not apply to the board?"

"I suppose not, though I don't understand what can be accomplished by it."

"Humor me, Miss Ashby."

"I have not placed a knife at your throat, have I?"

He gave a shout of laughter and ignored her attempt to shush him. When he caught his breath, he said, "That is proof indeed of your charity toward me."

"You must lower your voice. Someone will hear you."

West shrugged. "It is just as well that I am your guardian, then. We will be acquitted of arranging a tryst in your apartments."

Ria regarded him skeptically. "You are not serious."

"Correct. I am not. But the thing of it is, it is vastly entertaining to watch you try to work it out." West wisely shifted subjects. Ria looked as if she might like to go searching for a blade. "It seems to me that I can be of most assistance by having unrestricted access to the school. While I could use my position as your guardian to do that, it is not a proper fit. I believe it will inspire comment, especially since the former duke did not deign to visit you here."