Regency 09 - Redemption (18 page)

Glancing at his cousin’s
wife, he inquired, “Do you mind?” She indicated she didn’t so he
shrugged out of his loose jacket, tossing it halfway across the
room to land on the floor under the window.

Dare, perforce, sat on the
bed, swinging his feet up and crossing his ankles. He leaned
against the headboard, putting his arms up behind his head. He
exuded comfortable relaxation. He could almost see the envy on
Bri’s face.

“Oh, to be a man and able
to do whatever one damn well pleases,” she sighed, confirming his
thoughts.

“I doubt Adam would
appreciate you quite so well were you a man,” he commented wryly.
“And isn’t it obvious that even men must deal with the consequences
of their actions? I would have thought my example perfect in that
regard.”

She tipped her head to the
side in acknowledgment of his observation.

“I notice you’ve managed to
overcome your anger… for the moment, at least,” he remarked. “Kudos
to you.” He saluted her mockingly with one hand, replacing it
behind his head.

His comment succeeded in
raising her ire again, although, to her credit, Bri restrained the
worst of it.

“You didn’t answer my
question, Dare,” she reminded with dangerous softness.

“I did not,” he agreed
mildly.

“Are you going
to?”

He cocked his head in mock
contemplation. “No, I don’t think I will. An innocent lady like
yourself should not be subjected to such earthy matters as that.”
His tone was very dry.

Bri snorted. “I will assume
from that evasive reply that yes, she was worth all the hell we
currently find ourselves in.” She shook her head in remonstration.
“Selfish, selfish, Dare.”

“Am I to sit through yet
another listing of my shortcomings,” he asked in all seriousness.
“Because Miles has spelled them out most elaborately and I’m not
averse to finding other lodgings.”

“For your health, that
would not be wise,” Bri observed prosaically. “Con is sure to take
the first opportunity presented to murder you despite Miles’s
efforts on your behalf. You are probably safer here.”

Dare
shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. “If Northwicke succeeds, would
it not alleviate many problems? Firmly remove me from…uh,
your
misery?” He
chuckled.

“You do not take anything
seriously, do you?”

The question sobered him
instantly. “Untrue, my dear. I take Jenny very
seriously.”

The countess brightened.
“Indeed?” She paused for a long moment, her eyes intent on his
face. “Wonderful. Simply wonderful.” She rose to her feet,
apparently done haranguing him for the time being.

She moved to his side and
leaned close, patting his cheek a trifle sharply. He suspected she
wanted to slap him much harder but restrained her
impulse.

“Remember to treat her with
respect, Dare. I shouldn’t want to kill you. I rather like you. You
remind me of me.” She straightened and walked to the door. As she
passed through the portal, she added, “A very mild, staid version
of myself, mind you. But me, nonetheless.”

Events proceeded as
planned. Jenny stayed in Town long enough to scotch the rumors
being spread about her. She and Miles tried to present a happy—or
at least a mildly content—front for everyone to see.

Dare, by default, was
forced to go along with it. And he hated every second. A fact that,
surprisingly enough, was successfully hidden beneath his usual,
jocular manner.

He attended parties and
routs, danced and flirted, even charmed Lady Guinevere into an
occasional smile when he knew she’d have liked nothing better than
to have a good cry. Dare stood off to the side—in the ballroom with
which he currently graced his presence, and in the life of the
person he cared for most in the world.

And it was, honestly, no
less than he rightly deserved. He’d not yet had a chance to speak
to Jenny privately, a situation that vexed him terribly. He needed
to talk to her, find out…

But her brother was like a
dog with a bone. The man was never more than a few feet or dancers
away from his sister. It was something of a miracle that Dare was
even allowed to associate with Gwen. One would have thought they’d
guard this daughter with far more vigilance since she was still
unattached. Apparently, he was viewed only as a threat to Jenny’s
peace of mind.

He watched, amused, as Lady
Guinevere approached him for the third time that night. If she
angled for another dance and he accepted it would cause a mild
scandal. It would be tantamount to a proposal. He was feeling
self-destructive enough to seriously consider it.

Gwen did not coerce him
into standing up with her again. Instead, she begged a
favor…ostensibly on her sister’s behalf.

“Dare, would you be a dear
and fetch me some champagne. All this dancing has made me so
thirsty.” She fluttered her fan before her as if the cool night air
wafting in through the open window behind them was not enough to
refresh her.

But, when it benefited him,
Dare was a gentlemen. So, bowing politely, he departed on his
errand.

He had not taken two steps
into the room set aside for refreshments before he realized what
was going on. Jenny stood in one corner, nearly hidden behind a
potted plant. Her pale blue gown stood out in marked contrast to
the leaves that shielded her from view. Apparently, she’d had
enough of the ball and had sought out a little peace. Gwen must
have known her sister was hiding out there.

He approached her, ignoring
the request made of him by Gwen, not caring anymore that he should
fetch her something to drink no matter the reason for her entreaty.
All he could think about was Jenny, standing isolated in her little
corner, already a little bit shunned by the Society she loved…sort
of.

“Jenny-love.”

Her head lifted from her
contemplation of the leafy green plant, blue eyes startled and
bewildered. Dare couldn’t blame her. He was just as surprised. The
endearment had just slipped out. He had meant to be calm,
collected, and completely withdrawn in his interrogation of her.
Emotions would not aid them in the pickle he’d landed them
in.

Ever one to plunge into
trouble with both feet, he found himself saying in a near whisper,
“You cannot possibly want to marry him, Jenny.”

“Why not?” she asked, her
tone nonchalant but approaching flippant. “He is as good as any
man, I suppose.”

“Ha! He is better than most
and that’s why you can’t want him. He would berate you until you
either killed him or yourself. Why did you accept him? Surely your
father would have given you a choice.”

“He did, Dare. I accepted
Miles because he cared enough to try to help even though it was not
his problem. And part of me hoped…” She paused, swallowing with
difficulty. “Part of me hoped that something would happen to change
everything.”

Like his return.

It was an unspoken thought
between them, something they both knew and were equally unwilling
to voice.

It stunned him that she’d
commit herself to another man, his brother, no less, just to make
him come back.

He took another step
closer. They were now a mere six inches or so away. He wanted very
much to drag her forward, into his arms, but the scandal would
surpass anything they’d done to date. Embracing in a public forum?
The two gossips just on the other side of the vast room would eat
out on that for weeks.

“Jenny, you can’t do this.
To yourself or Miles. He’s so bloody noble. He won’t back out so
you have to.”

She gazed up at him, blue
eyes guileless but pensive. “What are you saying, Dare?”

Another step closer. He was
almost touching her with the leaves of the plant still between
them. “If you marry him, you’ll be miserable. Break the betrothal,
Jenny-love.”

Jenny inwardly sighed. He
wanted her to jilt his brother but he said nothing about taking his
place. As much as she would love to tell Miles it was over, she had
come to realize that her life and the baby’s would be much easier
with a husband and father.

“I can’t break the
engagement, Dare. I’ve caused my family too much pain
already.”

“A broken betrothal is tame
in comparison.”

“Yes, but added to the rest
of my sins, it just makes everything worse.”

“Were you ever going to
tell me?” he asked suddenly, his voice uncolored, bored
even.

She sensed the hurt, deep
down, and knew he referred to the precious child she carried
beneath her heart. It was not an appropriate time to discuss it,
but she had seen how her brother made sure they were never alone
and supposed it was probably going to be the only time to talk
about it.

“It is a waltz. Dance with
me, Dare. We can speak more freely there.”

“And your brother? Will he
murder me for daring to speak to you?”

“He is tired of scandal. He
will not cause a scene.” She sounded more confident than she felt.
Con hated scandal, true, but he was obsessively protective when it
came to his sisters so she couldn’t actually be sure that he’d do
nothing.

Dare offered his arm. Jenny
placed her fingertips on the dark cloth of his jacket, trying not
to notice the firmly muscled flesh beneath.

Memories of their
lovemaking assailed her and she wanted nothing more than to drag
him off to some deserted room and show him just how much she had
missed him.

The force of her desire
shocked her. For several seconds, she couldn’t move. Dare glanced
down at her, dark brows furrowed in concern.

“All you all right? You
look a little flushed.”

Forcing a smile to her
lips, she nodded. “I am quite all right. Just a little overheated.”
She almost laughed at her little private jest.

He gave her a look that
said he doubted that and firmly led her back to the
ballroom.

Taking her hand in his and
placing his other at her waist, he pulled her closer than was
strictly proper. He didn’t care. As he moved them around the floor,
he gazed down at her, stunned at the feelings coursing through his
body.

She was as he remembered
and yet completely different. His memories were pale in comparison.
Her scent, wildflowers and jasmine, was even more subtly alluring
than before. Her face was classically beautiful as always but her
body had filled out a bit, her breasts straining against the fabric
of her gown. He had little doubt it was due to her
pregnancy.

Her eyes lifted to meet his
and he knew she could plainly see his desire in his eyes. Her own
flashed and darkened. He was only mildly surprised when she pulled
them even closer. His body tightened in response to her blatant
hunger.

This was wrong. No matter
how much he viewed her as his, she was engaged to his brother. If
they did anything to further the scandal surrounding them, it would
bring more shame to Miles, something that man did not
deserve.

Striving for sanity when
all he really wanted was to do strip her of her clothing and make
love to her right there, he brought to mind the subject that upset
him most.

“Were you going to tell me?
Or were you going to make me wait and count the months after your
wedding?”

Jenny blinked up at him,
confused in the face of his sudden anger. Her own ignited when she
realized exactly what he was accusing her of.

“How dare you? You left me
right after…you left me!” she snapped, not bothering to hide her
annoyance behind a social smile. “You told no one where you were
bound or how to contact you. I’d have told you right away were you
here to be told, you insensitive clod. Ooooh!” With that, she
turned her head away from his intense scrutiny and emitted what he
was quite sure was a growl.

Dare almost grinned. He
probably would have if he hadn’t at that moment noticed Lord Connor
making a beeline for his sister. It was apparent that he would risk
scandal to see her kept from distress.

“You were wrong,” he
remarked casually, moving them adroitly away from Lord Connor and
between more dancing couples. He then danced right out of the room
and out onto a long terrace where he promptly released
her.