Scarlet Kisses (9 page)

Robert crossed off all the married women.

“Are you sure?” Harry asked with a frown.

“Scarlet’s an innocent,” Robert replied.

Harry nodded then watched Robert cross off the matrons. They all sat back once the list was narrowed down.

“Now what?” Tucker asked.

“Now it gets a little trickier,” Harry answered.

“No, it won’t,” Robert said. “I know her body, her feel, her kiss. I’ll find her.” A smile then curved his lips and his heart leaped in excitement at finding Scarlet.

“Lady Jocelyn Williams,” Harry read from the list.

“She’s blonde,” Tucker said.

Robert put the quill to her name and slashed over it.

“
Lady
Pamela
Carrington,” Tucker read from the list, his voice drawling with his boredom. They had been doing this for the past half hour.

Robert tilted his head as he contemplated. “I don’t
think I remember her.”

“So it may be her,” Jackson said, rushing him. He was just as bored as Tucker.

“
She does have black hair,” Harry said as he leaned his cheek on his fist.

Robert nodded and then continued down the list. He smiled then read, “Lady Violet Rosewood.”

The men perked up at the familiar name.

“No,” Harry said firmly.

“Now wait a minute,” Jackson said with a grin. “Could she be Scarlet?”

“No,” Harry repeated.

Robert laughed. “Don’t worry, it’s not her. Violet has brown hair.” He slashed her name off the list. His pen then stopped and hovered over another familiar name.

“Alyssum.” He stared at her name neatly written on the page.

“Now it’s getting interesting.” Jackson leaned back in.

“Once again—” Harry glared at Jackson, “—no.”

“She does have black hair,” Tucker said. “She’s very beautiful.”

“Tread carefully.” Harry pointed to him in warning.

Jackson grinned. “What do you say, Robert?”

Robert looked up from the list. He slowly shook his head. “No.” He forced a laugh.

“You say you felt her body,” Jackson said. “Felt her kiss.”

Robert gave him the same glare Harry was giving him.

“Come on, you told me Scarlet was a handful.” He winked. “What size is Alyssum?”

Jackson grunted as he was hit from the side. He landed on the tavern floor with a thud and Harry got two good punches in before he was pulled away.

Jackson laughed and wiped the blood from his mouth. He sat up and found Robert and Tucker still sitting at the table. It was Duke holding Harry back.

“Good to see you again, Harry,” Duke said as he held Harry’s arm in case he went for Jackson again.

“You too, Duke.”

“Keeping the boys in line I see.” Duke smiled.

Alyssum stared at her closed bedroom door then looked back to the mirror before her.

Dressed in the scarlet gown, she ran her hands over the silk. With her long hair unbound, black curls ran down her back and over her chest. Closing her eyes, she felt herself back on the balcony and back in Robert’s arms. She sighed and opened her eyes.

What was she thinking?
You don’t want Robert
, she told herself sternly. Then why did she feel like crying at the thought of never kissing him again?

When a loud knock came to her door, she gasped and spun around, looking for an escape.

“Alyssum?” Harry called.

“Just a minute,” she called back as she pulled the gown from her body. Running over to her bed, she shoved the dress beneath it and grabbed her robe. As she walked to the door, she tied the robe tightly around her, hiding the fact that she was naked beneath it.

“Yes?” she asked Harry, slightly out of breath as she opened the door.

“Can I speak to you for a moment?”

“Ah,” She looked behind her. Seeing her room was clear of evidence linking her with Scarlet, she opened the door wide and waved him in. “What would you like to speak to me about?” She turned and faced him. She frowned as Harry looked to be lost for words.

“What’s wrong? Is Robert—?”

“He’s fine,” he waved her worry away. “Much better.”

“Good,” She nodded and became poised again.

“I wish to speak to you about Lady Brook’s masquerade.”

He knows.
“Really? Why?” She fought to act calm.

“Mother told me you only attended for a few minutes and then left with a headache.”

“Yes.”

“So you never saw this Scarlet woman?”

Stay calm.
“No. It was very crowded I could hardly find anyone in the crowd.”

“You didn’t see Lilly?”

Lilly. Perfect.
“Actually I did,” she said. “I spoke to her for moment before I left.”

“Ah.” Harry nodded. “So she saw you, wearing…?”

“A blue gown. Why are you asking me these questions?” she demanded.

Harry shook his head. “No reason. I just missed the most popular event of the year and wanted to know what happened that night.”

Alyssum nodded. “If that’s all?” she said after a moments silence.

“Yes.” Harry stepped past, heading for the door. “Sleep well,” he said before leaving the room and closing the door. Alyssum frowned after him and then turned her gaze to under her bed. She gave herself a mental note to visit Lilly tomorrow. She needed her friend to do a huge favor for her.

As Harry stood outside Alyssum’s bedroom door, he felt something wasn’t right. He and the others had gone over the list bit by bit and had eliminated most of the ladies. There were now only five ladies on the list. One of them was Scarlet. But what unsettled him was that Alyssum was on that list too. With a sigh Harry stepped away from Alyssum’s door and walked towards his own bedroom.

“I’m here to see Lilly.” Alyssum smiled at the Darrel’s butler.

“Come in, my lady. I will go inform Miss Darrel that you are here.”

“Thank you.” Alyssum walked past him and straight over to the parlor, not bothering to be escorted. She had visited often enough that she felt she didn’t need to live by the laws of society.

Sitting down on the white settee, she folded her hands in her pink gown and waited. Lilly walked in a moment later. Her black hair was bound, her white dress straight, not a wrinkle in place. Lilly and her parents had come from America with big money from her father’s perfume business. The ton had welcomed them, but still treated them like lower class behind their backs. It was why Lilly’s parents were strict with her. She always had to look perfect, was never allowed to have a hair out of place, never allowed to slouch, always had to hold her pinky out when drinking her tea. She had to act the perfect English miss. Only Alyssum knew how much she hated it.

“
I’m glad you’re here,” Lilly gushed before grabbing Alyssum’s hands and pulling her up off the settee. She led her out the room, down the hall and through the glass doors. They stepped out onto the terrace but Lilly didn’t stop there. She took them down the stairs, around a hedge before coming to a stop with a happy sigh.

“Are you well?” Alyssum asked with an amused smile as they stood in the quiet garden.

“I’m well, just suffocating under the watchful eye of Rickton.” Lilly shuddered.

Alyssum smiled, knowing the familiar name of Lilly’s chaperon. Old and strict, she was like a hawk watching its prey, and her prey was every man that approached Lilly.

With a loud sigh, Lilly dropped down onto the grass and sprawled out.

“Your parents would kill you if they saw what you were doing to that gown,” Alyssum said.

Lilly laughed then sat. She patted the grass beside her and Alyssum sat beside her.

“I need a favor.” Alyssum turned her head and looked at Lilly.

“Anything.” Lilly nodded, her brown eyes staring at Alyssum with love and loyalty.

“I have a feeling Harry may ask you a few questions about me and Lady Brook’s masquerade.”

“But you weren’t there. I looked for you.”

“I was there,” Alyssum admitted with a meek expression.

Lilly frowned.

“I was wearing a scarlet gown.”

Lilly’s eyes slowly widened. “You?” she breathed.

“Me.” Alyssum nodded.

Lilly squealed and shuffled closer. “You have to tell me everything,” she demanded with eager eyes. “Where did you get that gown? Why? How?”

Alyssum laughed at her excitement. “I bought it. Violet helped me. It was Jaz’s idea.”

Lilly shook her head. “Trusting that little demon.”

Alyssum gasped and nudged Lilly’s shoulder at Jaz’s defense.

“Alyssum, why?” Lilly asked seriously.

“I wanted to have fun.”

Lilly remained quiet then nodded. “I can understand that. Did you have fun?” Lilly laughed as Alyssum blushed. “My, my, what have you been up to, Alyssum?”

“I’ll tell you everything if you promise me something.”

“Done.” Lilly gave a curt nod.

“If Harry asks you anything about me and the masquerade tell him we spoke for a moment before I left with a headache.”

“Okay.”

“And I was wearing a blue gown.”

“Too easy. Now give me the gossip.” She leaned in.

Alyssum took a deep breath then announced, “I kissed Robert.”

“Pardon?”

“Robert, Viscount Lambert.”

“Holy hell,” Lilly breathed with widening eyes.

“Lilly!” Alyssum scolded her.

“You kissed Viscount Lambert?”

“Yes.”

“How was it?” Lilly whispered.

Alyssum’s blush burned brighter.

“I see.” Lilly nodded with a smile. “And what does he think of all this?”

“He doesn’t know.”

“Pardon?”

“He doesn’t know who I am. We were wearing masks.”

“Then how do you know it was he?”

“He took his off.”

“He didn’t want to know who you were?”

“Ah, yes, but…I stopped him.”

“How did you stop him?” Lilly asked curiously.

“I kneed him.”

“Kneed him? Where?”

Alyssum cleared her throat then looked down to Lilly’s lap.

Lilly looked down, then up and back down. With a gasp and wide eyes, she laughed. “You kicked his bollocks?”

“Lilly!” she covered her friend’s mouth with her hand.

Lilly brushed her hand away with a laugh. “He doesn’t know he kissed you?”

“No, and I want it to stay that way.”

“Your secret is safe with me.”

“I know.”

“People are talking about the woman who was wearing scarlet.”

“I know. I’ve heard the talk. It’ll die down soon.”

Lilly face twisted in thought. “So Viscount Lambert wanted to know who you were so much that you had to knee him?”

“Yes,” Alyssum slowly answered.

“Do you think he’ll look for you?”

Alyssum looked to her hands. “I think he’s already looking.”

Lilly’s eyes widened in excitement.

“And I think Harry is helping.” Alyssum looked up to her.

“Liss, you’ve gotten yourself into a pickle.”

Alyssum nodded in agreement. They were silent for a moment before Lilly asked, “Do you ever think of seeing him again?”

“How do you mean?”

“As the woman in scarlet.”

Alyssum began shaking her head. “It would be a bad, bad idea.”

“But lots of fun.” Lilly arched a brow with grin.

“It’s a bad idea.”

“Alyssum, do you want to kiss Robert again?”

Alyssum hesitated with her answer. “Yes,” she admitted.

“Then see him again. Just wear the mask.”

Alyssum couldn’t believe it, but she was contemplating Lilly’s idea.

Chapter Six

Lady Pamela Carrington.

Lady Lisa Knight.

Miss Lilly Darrel.

Lady Katherine Jenkins.

Lady Alyssum Rosewood.

Those were the names that rested in Robert’s breast pocket. One of them was Scarlet. She had to be. As he walked into the Earl of Hopehill’s
soirée
his thoughts ran to the earl’s daughter, Lady Pamela Carrington. As he reached the top of the line, he bowed his head to the earl’s wife then the earl himself.

“Good of you to come, Viscount Lambert,” Hopehill spoke.

“Thank you for the invitation into your lovely home.” He saw Hopehill’s conceited wife smile happily at his compliment.

He moved past them and into the gathering of people. He ambled around the room, looking for Harry. When he spotted his friend, he walked through the crowd, ignoring the people who tried to grab his attention.