Scarlet Kisses (17 page)

“He’s not going to consider it, is he?” Duke muttered.

“There’s nothing to consider. Alyssum isn’t Scarlet,” Robert snapped angrily and walked back into the parlor as well.

On the carriage ride back home, Alyssum noticed Harry looking at her strangely. When they arrived back home and entered the foyer she noticed him frowning in thought. Worried he was about to ask her more questions or ask about her new haircut, she excused herself to her bedroom and walked up the stairs quickly.

After entering her bedroom, she sighed but then jumped as a knock came to her door. Taking a deep breath, she turned and opened it. She kept her face serene as she saw Harry standing outside the door.

“Can I speak to you?” he asked, his tone low and serious.

She nodded jerkily and opened the door wide. He walked in then looked around her room.

“What would you like to speak to me about?”

Harry took a deep breath before saying, “Lady Brook’s masquerade.” Alyssum made herself smile. “I must have missed quite a night.” She shook her head. “Everyone wants to know everything about that night.”

“No.” Harry stepped forward. “We want to know who the woman in scarlet was.”

Alyssum shrugged while her heart raced and her palms grew damp. “I don’t think I got to see her.”

“The blue dress you wore that night, may I see it?”

Alyssum frowned but nodded. “Of course.” She walked around him and opened her wardrobe. She reached in, pushed some dresses aside then pulled out a blue silk dress.

She held it up to him.

“It’s lovely.” He nodded.

“It’s a shame I didn’t get to wear it for longer.”

“What about the blue mask?”

“It’s somewhere in here.” She pointed into her full wardrobe. She watched as Harry rubbed his forehead with his palm.

“Are you all right, Harry?” she asked, worried about him. He was acting strangely.

“I like your new haircut,” he told her.

She smiled and touched her strategically placed fringe. “Thank you.”

“Did Meg do it?” he asked as he stepped towards her and moved to touch her hair.

“Yes,” she replied and stepped back. “It’s been a long night, Harry. I would like some sleep.”

Harry nodded and took a step back. “Good night.”

“Good night.”

She closed the door with a deep sigh after Harry left. After putting the blue dress back in the wardrobe, she pulled her own gown off and laid it over the chair in front of her dressing table.

Sitting on her bed in her undergarments, Alyssum frowned with worry. Harry was suspicious. She feared he would soon find out the truth that she was Scarlet.

Chapter Ten

He ran his smooth, soft lips over the sensitive skin at her neck. Her whole body shivered as his tongue licked the rim of her ear. Alyssum felt her body growing hotter by the second as Robert’s warm, naked body lowered over hers, pinning her to the mattress. She gasped as they touched skin to skin. He nudged her legs apart with his as he nibbled at her ear and smoothed his hands over her breasts. She arched and moaned into his touch. He held her breasts in his palms as he nudged his cock against her quivering entrance. She ached with need for him. Running her hands down his hard, muscled back, she moaned at the feel of him then gripped his buttocks in her greedy hands. Robert bit her ear then thrust his hips forward, plunging himself deep inside her wet, giving body. Alyssum groaned
…then cried out at the sudden pain she felt.

Sitting up in her bed, Alyssum looked around and found Violet standing beside her bed. The morning sun shone in through the open curtains. “What are you doing in here?” she demanded. “Did you pinch me?” Alyssum looked down to where her arm hurt.

“You wouldn’t wake up,” Violet answered. She then tilted her head and stared at Alyssum. “You look a fright.”

Alyssum sighed and pushed her fringe out of her eyes. Violet cringed at seeing the yellow bruise. “It’s fading,” she said as she inspected it. “But it still looks terrible. How hard did you crack him?”

“Hard enough,” Alyssum muttered and stood from the bed.

“How’s your finger?” Violet looked to her bandaged index finger.

“With the bruise giving me a constant headache I don’t really notice it.”

Violet nodded with a smile. “You’re running late.”

“How do you mean?” Alyssum turned as she stood before the water pitcher and basin, ready to wash her face.

“You slept through breakfast and we have a luncheon to attend at the Darrel’s.”

Alyssum nodded, remembering.

“Alyssum, why was Robert so angry with you last night?”

Alyssum was silent for a moment before answering. “I don’t know. Now please leave, I’ve got to get ready.”

“You have fifteen minutes,” Violet told her as she walked towards the door, already dressed and ready to go.

“All right. Send Meg up.”

“I will.” Violet shut the bedroom door behind her.

Walking through the Darrel’s townhouse, Alyssum couldn’t help but admire the richly furnished rooms. Alyssum looked at the white tables set out as she stepped onto the sunny terrace. She looked through the small gathering and smiled when she found Lilly surrounded by admirers while a stern-faced Rickton watched closely.

“I’m going to go talk to Lilly,” Alyssum told Violet. “Come with me.”

Violet shook her head quickly when she saw how many men were surrounding Lilly. “I’ll stay here.”

Alyssum smiled in understanding then left her side to go to Lilly.

Lilly spotted her walking towards her and smiled. “Excuse me.” She nudged her way through her admirers and reached Alyssum halfway across the terrace.

“What do you think?” Lilly looked around.

“You did a wonderful job.”

“Thank you.” Lilly beamed. “My parents are still waiting for some disaster to happen.”

At that moment, Lilly’s mother reached their side and whispered furiously to her daughter, “You invited
him
.” Lilly took after her mother in hair color, eye color and beauty. They were both short, petite woman.

Both Lilly and Alyssum looked over to the doorway to the terrace and saw Robert step out onto the terrace. Alyssum felt her lips tugging into a smile as she saw his cravat was askew. Her body also warmed as she remembered her dream.

“He will behave,” Lilly told her mother. “Plus, he is held very high in society.”

“He is only regarded highly in society because of his scandals.”

“He has never harmed anyone. His scandals are riding his curricle too fast or…diving into the Thames half-naked.”

Lilly’s mother gasped in mortification.

“And at one time he climbed a very large tree to save a cat,” Lilly continued.

“Enough. Just have the servants keep close eyes on him.”

“I will.” Lilly smiled then gave her mother a kiss on the cheek.

“Good to see you, dear.” Lilly’s mother smiled at Alyssum.

“You too, Mrs. Darrel.”

Mrs. Darrel bustled around the terrace, making sure everything was in order.

“I invited him just for you,” Lilly whispered.

“Hush,” Alyssum whispered back but watched as Robert walked around the tables and stood with Harry, Tucker and Duke.

“I can’t believe the Duke of Linkinshire came,” Lilly said with excitement. “I thought he would reject the invite.”

“Well, now it’s a definite that today will be a great success for you.”

“It will.” Lilly smiled and relaxed.

Alyssum smiled back, but she found her gaze wandering back to Robert speaking to Tucker.

“You didn’t invite Mr. West?” Alyssum asked cautiously.

Lilly smile dropped into an annoyed frown. “He rejected the invite,” she grumbled.

“Well, that’s no matter, you have a duke here.”

“Precisely.” Lilly’s smile returned as she looked over the terrace and watched her guests enjoy themselves.

“Can’t you just try what your father asks?” Robert asked.

Tucker gaped. “Did you hear what he wants me to do?”

“Behave yourself?”

Tucker grumbled. “He wants me to turn into a pompous, plain gentleman.”

“Just stay out of trouble for a while and your father will loosen the purse strings.”

“Maybe,” Tucker grouched and took a sip of the punch he was holding.

“Where did you get that?” Robert asked.

“Over there.” He pointed back to the entrance of the terrace where a table stood with drinks.

“Ah.” Robert nodded to Tucker then made his way over to the table.

He nodded to the servant who stood behind the table, looked down to the drinks and stifled a sigh that there wasn’t anything stronger than punch. He jumped slightly as he felt someone grab his hand and pull him. When he looked up he found it was Alyssum tugging him back inside the house. She pulled him to a stop behind the doors inside the townhouse. Robert’s heart was already beating faster, but it pounded when her hands reached up and unraveled his cravat. He swallowed visibly as he found himself wanting her to take off more than his cravat.

“You’ll never do this right, will you?” she muttered as she straightened it to perfection.

“Not when I have you,” he found himself saying. He smiled as he saw her smiling.

When she looked up, he exhaled slowly, calming his heart’s reaction to the sight of her.

“Then get your valet to do it for you.”

Robert shook his head with a cringe. “There’s something about a grown man dressing me that doesn’t sit well with me.” He smiled brightly as Alyssum laughed.

“Much better.” Alyssum surveyed her work. “Now you look like a gentleman and not a rake.”

“Pity.” He grinned.

“If you hadn’t noticed,” Alyssum spoke quietly, “this was my way of apologizing for stomping on your foot last night.”

Robert nodded with a grin. “Apology accepted.” He tilted his head. “So what am I going to have to do for you to accept my apology for being rude?”

“So you did notice you were being rude?” She placed her hands on her hips.

Robert laughed softly. “I noticed.”

“Well, then you can just apologize with your words.”

“I would much rather do it with my hands like you did.” The look in her eyes made his temperature rise.

“N-no, you don’t have to do that,” she stuttered nervously.

Robert’s grin widened as he noticed her stutter. He found himself stepping closer to her. The chatter of the people outside was drowned out by the sight of Alyssum’s wide green eyes staring up at him. Mesmerized, he reached his hand out and brushed her fringe aside, moving her hair away from her gorgeous green eyes. He stilled his hand as she flinched. With a quick flick of his fingers, he swept her fringe aside and revealed a bruise on her forehead. He snapped out of his dazed trance as he saw the bruise.

“What happened?” he demanded in concern.

Alyssum smacked his hand away and pushed her fringe back in place. “I knocked it on a cupboard in the kitchen. It was clumsy of me and I would appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone.”

“You knocked it on a cupboard?” he repeated as his hand moved to see the bruise again.

“Yes.” She smacked his raised hand aside. “Now excuse me.” She stepped around the door, left the shadowed area and walked out onto the terrace.

Robert stared after her until he lost her in the crowd. His hand rose to his own forehead.

He had iced his bruise quickly and had been lucky that it had faded the next morning. Holding the spot Scarlet had hit, he thought of Alyssum’s bruise and found it was in the right spot. Their bruises matched. Not possible. She couldn’t be…could she? She would never kiss him or sneak into a tavern to see him. Would she? It was mad, but a part him craved it to be real. He was stunned by how much he yearned for it to be true. But it couldn’t be. He had seen it with his own eyes. Scarlet had come to the theatre. She had stood down in the pit while Alyssum had been sitting in her family’s box.

Shaking his head clear, he stepped around the door and walked back outside. He grabbed a drink as he passed the table and walked back to the edge of the terrace where Harry and Tucker stood.

“Is Duke already mingling?” Robert asked and leaned back on the railing like Tucker and Harry were doing.

“Yep,” Tucker answered, his eyes watching the crowd. “Look at them,” he muttered as he watched the laughing crowd. “Scavengers.”

Harry laughed and shook his head.

While Harry and Tucker talked, Robert’s eyes wandered over the gathering until he saw Alyssum.

It was as he stared at her that he knew he wanted her. It struck his heart like a punch. Watching her smile and laugh softly, his whole body came alive. He wanted her. He always had, always would.

“If everyone would take their seats,” Lilly called out and everyone moved for their assigned seats.