Page 7 of The Lady in White
“Likewise, Mr. Blackwell,” she murmured softly.
Douglas found himself watching her closely, gauging her reaction. Terrence was handsome and charming. He had no qualms about seducing married women. And he didn’t seem overly concerned about the family curse and what it might do to any woman he entangled himself with. But Louisa seemed immune to his charm. She didn’t blush or stammer in his presence. Instead she leveled an assessing stare at him and kept close to Douglas’s side. He should not have been grateful for that, but he was. “Let us adjourn inside and enjoy some refreshment. I do believe a storm is coming in.”
*
Louisa tried tocontain her shudder. Terrence Blackwell was not a man to be trusted. Based on the tension she could feelemanating from her husband, he was well aware of the fact. What was the source of the enmity between them? Did it have something to do with the inheritance that had prompted their marriage? And, if so, did that mean Terrence also posed a threat to her? She had far more questions than answers, but it had been that way since her arrival at Rosehaven.
Ill at ease, she placed her hand on Douglas’s arm and allowed him to lead her into the house. Douglas. Only the day before, he’d been Mr. Blackwell. The day before that, he’d been a complete stranger. Then Louisa realized she’d have to write to Effie. She would be expecting word, and if she didn’t receive it, the Duchess of Clarenden would descend upon them in her very impressive fury.
The butler, with cool disapproval apparent in his tone, informed them that a meal of cold meats and cheese had been laid in the breakfast room for them. Miss Mary was awaiting them there.
“Did you stay in the village last night?” Douglas asked his cousin.
“No, I’m just down from London this morning. Left at first light and rode hard all the way,” Terrence replied.
Lies.Louisa didn’t even need her intuition to know that. His horse had been fresh and rested when he arrived. There was no way that horse had been ridden all the way from London just that morning. A glance at her husband, who was facing away from his cousin, showed that his jaw hardened considerably, tension and anger transforming his features. He knew. He knew that Terrence was lying. But what a thing to lie about. What purpose did it serve?
With her hand still on his arm, Louisa squeezed gently. He glanced over at her, but the look that passed between them was one of understanding.
“Terrence, what in heaven’s name are you doing here?” Aunt Mary asked. “After the last time, I would have thought you too ashamed to show your face here. I certainly would have been.”
Louisa glanced over her shoulder at Terrence. There was an almost imperceptible tightening of his features and a hardness in his gaze, but the cool smile never left his face.
“I’ve always had a quick temper, Aunt Mary,” the man answered. “It was a shock, of course, to discover the terms of Uncle James’s will and how I’d essentially been all but disinherited unless Douglas failed to do as he’d been told. But then, Douglas always does what he is told, doesn’t he?”
There was no disguising the bitterness that infused his words. But then he continued, “Alas, I wouldn’t be here if I could be in London. I’ve gotten into a bit of a bind with one of the gaming halls, scoundrel that I am. I’ll not be able to show my face in London until the next annuity from the estate is deposited.”
Not a lie, Louisa decided, but most definitely a half truth.
“Well, it is the family home, and to our eternal dismay, you are family,” Aunt Mary conceded.
The animosity between everyone in that room was palpable. It was exhausting. “I find I’m not very hungry, but with the excitement of the day, I am a bit tired. I think I’ll lie down for a bit.”
“Let me show you to your new room,” Douglas offered.
New room?She’d be moving into the master suite with her husband. While theirs wasn’t to be a lasting marriage, it was to be a real one for the duration of the year.
“Thank you, I confess to still being a bit lost here,” she replied with a smile that belied her nerves. Then they exited the room, leaving Mary and Terrence to verbally swipe at one another.
Chapter Six
As they enteredthe master suite, Douglas was furious. He’d wanted distance between them. He’d wanted to ensure that he was as far from temptation as possible. Yes, their marriage would have been consummated regardless, but they were practically strangers. It had never been his intent to pounce on her the very day of their wedding without the benefit of knowing one another better. But Terrence’s arrival had changed everything in an instant. Louisa would no longer be in her chamber down the hall until she was comfortable, but moved into the master suite with him until such time as Terrence left. And given what he’d said about not being able to return to London, that would not be for some time.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I hadn’t intended that we should share these chambers... yet.”
“I’m aware. I’m also very aware of why the plans must change. Your cousin is not to be trusted.”
He laughed bitterly. “You have no idea just how true that is. He is dangerous, Louisa. Whatever you do, do not let yourself be caught alone with him.”
She laughed, the musical sound slightly tinged with bitterness. “You do not know the full extent of my upbringing, sir.”
“Douglas. We are married. Addressing me so formally might raise questions that we do not want to answer.”
She nodded. “Douglas. You are quite right. But to allay your fears, I spent the earliest years of my life in St. Giles. My mother and I shared a room with another woman, her husband, and their two children. It was relatively warm and dry, but far from safe. I know only too well when a man has nefarious intentions. You develop a sense for those things after a while.”
Douglas couldn’t fathom that the delicately pretty creature before him, with her soft features and ivory skin, had not just come from such a place but managed to survive it by her wits. The realities of life in the rookeries—squalid, impoverished, crime- and disease-ridden—were beyond harsh.
“I am sorry you had to go through that,” he offered, uncertain what else to say.
