Heaven Scent (26 page)

“What?” Patrick cried.

“It sounds as though your father didn‘t
die of illness,” Beau said from across the room, “but poisoned with
opium.”

######

Kent had fallen off the face of the
earth. Beau and Rafe had been looking for him for days, with no
break. His house was locked up, and no one had seen him.

Damned coward.

Knowing he wasn’t in Boston made Rafe
rest easier where Tarin’s safety was concerned. He didn’t have to
worry about Kent getting near her.

Then again, neither could
Rafe.

For three straight days, he went to see
her. She refused to accept him. By the end of the third day, Rafe
was so pissed he couldn’t see straight. He got rip-roaring drunk
that night, hitting every respectable club in town. He’d even been
propositioned by a whore who didn’t mind his facial scars. He’d
considered it - hell he hadn’t been laid in nearly a
year.

But she wasn’t Tarin.

By day five, he was kicking himself for
turning down the whore. It didn’t look like the wedding would take
place. Rafe had resigned himself to the fact that he needed to come
up with a new business plan and notify Henry of his
surrender.

By the morning of the sixth day, Rafe
woke to the realization that he loved Tarin Worthington.
Desperately.

He was a damned fool for doing so, was
pissed as hell at himself, but love her he did. No man worth his
weight in masculine pride fell in love with a woman that didn’t
love him back. But, experiencing life without Tarin had forced him
to face it. Beau had been right all along.

So, Rafe decided to end it. After all,
when he looked at it logically, he was doomed anyway. She didn’t
want him and he could do nothing about it. And even if he could,
she would reject him once she saw the monster beneath.

So, this had all been a waste of time.
In essence, he had known that all along. He’d given it his all -
for both of his families - but, it wasn’t meant to be.

After a long, hot bath and fresh change
of clothes, Rafe sat down at the writing desk in his room. He wrote
a missive to Henry cancelling their deal, with a promise to deliver
the ring to his office. He also agreed to see through the situation
with Kent. Rafe would not sleep well otherwise.

His stomach clenched into a tight knot
as he pulled out a fresh piece of paper. At a loss for words, his
fingers grew stiff and reluctant to form the letters, as though
they had a mind of their own. He knew, inside, that seeing them in
front of his eyes would make her loss real. And regardless of his
actions, he would never be ready to let her go.

Dearest
Tarin
,

I hope you are doing well
without me. In all honesty, I am not doing well without
you.

My days have passed at a
snail’s pace, waiting for you to receive me again. Peace has been
glaringly absent and laughter its companion.

But life goes on.

You have proven to be a
worthy adversary in my pursuit of your hand. Thus, I have decided
to abide your wishes and concede defeat. I only want happiness for
you and realize I cannot provide such.

Tarin, you have
won.

Please know that should you
find a change of heart, all you have to do is send word. I will
come for you post haste.

Always,

Rafe

Rafe’s bold scrawl blurred before
Tarin’s eyes. The bonnet in her hand dropped to the foyer floor.
Her throat constricted, her heart shattering like delicate
crystal.

“What is it?” Kitty asked, as she hung
her bonnet on the hook above the credenza.

Wordlessly, Tarin handed the note to
Kitty as she left the bonnet behind and slowly walked into the
parlor.

She heard Kit come up behind her. “Oh,
Tarin. Have you completely lost your mind?”

She whirled around. “What?
Why?”

“The man loves you, for goodness sake.
Can’t you read between the lines?”

Shaking her head, Tarin hugged her
middle. “You don’t know that. Besides, this is what I wanted.”
Contrary to Rafe’s note, she did not feel she had won at
all.

She felt as though she had lost --
everything.

“No, it isn’t what you want.” Kit came
up and hugged her shoulders. “You want a Rafe that doesn’t exist.
Yet, what you don’t realize is that the bravery you fear is one of
the qualities that drew you to him in the first place.” She went
around to face Tarin. “Was it not his rugged persona that attracted
you? Was it not what made him different from everyone else?” Kit
spoke softly. “I know the death of your mother has scarred you, but
you cannot live life afraid to love.”

Tarin winced. Her mother had told her
to live life on her own terms. Wasn’t she doing that? Standing her
ground by refusing to live life in fear of losing him?

“Lady Worthington.” Tarin turned to
find Hobbs holding out another note. “This just
arrived.”

Taking it, she recognized Dr. Gregory‘s
script on the envelope. She let out a breath.

It had arrived. The answer from the
legislature. This envelope contained her future.

Or, was it the previous one?

“Here, you read it,” Tarin said,
holding it out to Kitty as Hobbs left the room. “My nerves are
taut.”

Turning to gaze out the front window,
Tarin listened to Kit’s movements behind her, waiting, worrying
about the contents of that letter.

When no sound came, she had her
answer.

“Kit.” She turned back to her best
friend. Kit held the note in her limp hand, her mouth turned down
at the sides.

“Gregory has received word from a
reliable source that the legislature will not pass the college in
tomorrow’s session.”

Hanging her head, Tarin cursed Randall
Kent.

It had to have been he who influenced
the legislature. They’d had no good reason to deny them, otherwise.
Even with Dr. Gregory’s connections, they would be denied. What
kind of power did Dr. Kent have over the members to gain such a
feat?

“Oh, Kit. After all the work we have
done, only to have one of our own destroy our dream.”

Kit approached her and clutched her
arm. “Whatever do you mean?”

She sighed. “Dr. Kent. He is not the
man I thought him to be.” Tarin proceeded to tell her all that had
transpired at the Cabot ball.

Kit turned away from her, a hand to her
forehead. “I cannot believe this. What did Rafe say when you told
him?” She turned back to Tarin.

Tarin took a deep breath. “I did not
tell Rafe.”

Kit groaned.

“I did not want to ruin our
evening.”

Letter in hand, Kit lifted an arm in
frustration. “You must go to him. Tonight. Perhaps, he can sway
them.”

Tarin‘s heart stopped. “Oh, Kit. I
don’t know…” She turned away. “We are not on the best of
terms.”

“Tarin! We are on the verge of losing
our dream. We must explore every avenue before we forfeit.” She
lowered her voice. “You must forego your pride and go see Rafe
Sutherland.”

#####

“Master Rafe, Lady Tarin Worthington to
see you, sir.”

Stilling, Rafe glanced up from the
cards in his hand to stare at Jacobs. He had to have heard wrong.
Looking around the table at Tim, George and Beau, he sought their
confirmation.

Beau smirked around his cigar. “You
heard correctly.”

Hot damn. Jumping up from his seat,
Rafe put out his cigar and excused himself from the draw poker
game. Making his way across the room, he shut the door behind
him.

He couldn’t believe she had come to
him. Thank, God. Had his note really made the difference? Or had
the words they’d shared in her bedroom finally hit their mark?
Regardless, he had to take it slow. He didn’t want to spook
her.

Striding towards the parlor, Rafe
passed the mirror by the stairs. Doing a double take, he cursed
under his breath. He looked like hell. He hadn’t shaved today and
he wore jeans and his dirty boots. Sniffing his shirt sleeve, he
pulled his head back. He reeked of bourbon and cigar
smoke.

Damn. No time to bathe and change now.
Oh well, if they were going to marry, she would have to get used to
seeing him this way.

Stopping in front of the
parlor door, Rafe lifted his shoulders and took a deep
breath.
Remember Sutherland, take it
slow.

When he opened the door and saw her
standing at the window, the urge to scoop her in his arms and kiss
the life out of her overwhelmed him. She was the most beautiful
thing he had ever seen and he was going to hold onto her with
everything he had.

“Tarin.”

She whirled to face him. Her eyes
widened before scanning him from dirty leather boot to long,
unkempt hair. Shocked to see appreciation in her exotic green eyes,
Rafe glanced down at his clothes again.

Hell, he would never figure her
out.

“Rafe.” She gave a brief nod. “I hope
you are well.”

Oh, no. He didn’t like this. She wasn’t
holding her arms out in welcome and she sure as hell wasn‘t
smiling. As a matter of fact, her tone sounded very formal and
distant.

“Is Jacobs bringing you some tea?” He
motioned for her to sit on the sofa.

Shaking her head, she sat down. “No,
I‘m fine.” Rafe sat at the opposite end, hands on his thighs. The
scent of roses assaulted his nostrils once again. So, she wore
roses during the day and lavender at night. Interesting.

She sat facing him, eyes wide and
apprehensive, her hands fisted in her skirts. “This afternoon, I
received word from Dr. Gregory that the legislature is going to
deny the college at tomorrow’s session.”

He sat up. “Is that so? I thought
Gregory and Kent had connections.”

Her gaze lowered to her lap. “I suspect
it is Dr. Kent who has conspired against us.”

A sharp sting hit his gut. He leaned
towards her. “What?”

Lifting her chin, she took a deep
breath. “The night of the Cabot ball, after you left me with
Isabel, Dr. Kent asked to court me. When I refused, he became very
hostile. He told me not to be surprised if the college was denied.
He also said he allowed no one to interfere with his
plans.”

Rafe’s head threatened to explode. He
clutched her arm in a tight grip. “He threatened you?! Good God
Tarin, why didn’t you tell me?”

She snatched her arm away. “Because I
did not want to spoil our evening!” She lowered her voice. “Even as
father made the announcement, he stood across the room, shaking his
head at me.”

Jumping up from the sofa, Rafe paced in
front of her. He rubbed his forehead with his hand. “Tarin, I do
not want you near that man, do you understand me?” He stopped and
stared at her.

She nodded. “Yes, of course. I have no
intention of speaking to him again. I cannot believe he would do
such a thing.”

Sitting next to her, Rafe grabbed her
shoulders. “Tarin, Kent hired that man in the park to kill
me.”

Her eyes widened. “What? No!” She moved
to touch his cheek but pulled her hand away.

“Yes. And he is involved in other
criminal activity. Beau and I are working with your father and the
police to build a case against him. He is a dangerous man.” He
released her.

She grabbed his hand. “My father? Why,
my father? What has he to do with this?”

Though tense, her touch calmed him. He
turned his hand over and curled his fingers around hers. “He is
using your father’s shipments to deliver opium abroad.”

She gasped. “Opium?! My father must be
furious. Is there no limit to Kent’s escapades?”

Rafe shook his head. “No. None. That’s
what you must remember. He is capable of anything.”

Pulling her hand from his, she went to
the window again. “Good God, he has fooled us all, hasn‘t
he?”

Rafe stood as he stared at her profile
in the evening sun. “What I told you today must not leave this
room.” She turned to him. “Kent cannot know we are aware of his
activities.”

She nodded. “What of the man from the
park?”

“As far as everyone is concerned, he is
not talking.”

Sighing, she crossed her arms over her
middle. “And you… are taking precautions?” She swallowed
hard.

Easy, Sutherland. Tell her
what she needs to hear.
“I am. Beau is a
bit of insurance, too. We are used to looking out for each
other.”

She gave him a slight smile. The first
he had seen all evening.

“I suppose you are wondering why I am
here.”

He sauntered towards her. “Tarin, you
need no reason to be here. I am just glad you are.” He reached out
to touch her cheek.

Staring at his mouth, she leaned
towards him. His heart rate kicked up. Taking that as an
invitation, he closed the distance between them.