Page 69 of In the Prince's Bed
Alec raised an eyebrow. “For your information, Iborroweda carriage from my…er…business associate.”
Emson still saw him as a sixteen-year-old rough-and-tumble ne’er-do-well. It would take time to change the old servant’s opinion, and Alec had only been master for a few weeks.
“I needed the carriage to court my heiress,” Alec went on. “I only hope Lord Draker doesn’t hear how far I took it from town.”
That shook even Emson’s composure. “You borrowed a carriage from the Dragon Viscount? Oh, dear.”
Alec cast Emson a rueful smile. “These are desperate times.” He gestured toward the stables. “Give me a minute to throw some clothes in a bag and leave a note for my betrothed. Then I’ll be ready.”
Emson nodded. “I shall see to the horses.”
As soon as Alec reentered the lobby, he called for paper. He scribbled an explanation for Katherine, then handed it to one of the footboys. “Make sure you take this directly to the address marked on the front, all right?”
“Yes, milord.”
“Hand it to the manservant who answers the door, say it’s for Miss Merivale, and then leave. Don’t tarry.” He paused. “Better yet, go in the afternoon, when ladies pay their social calls. She won’t even be home then.”
“Yes, milord,” the boy answered, though he seemed perplexed by Alec’s conditions.
“You mustn’t tell anyone in the household where you came from. Just leave the note with the servant and go. The man won’t think to ask about me at the door, and if by some chance Miss Merivale or Mrs. Merivaleisat home, they can’t question you if you’re gone. Is that clear?”
“Yes, milord, I understand.”
“Good.” The last thing Alec needed was Katherine—or worse yet, Mrs. Merivale—learning he was forced to live in a hotel. That would certainly rouse their suspicions.
And he must avoid that at all cost now that success finally lay within his reach.
Chapter Seventeen
If you wish to be a successful rake, you must learn the art of deception. ’Tis better to be the deceiver than the deceived.
—Anonymous,A Rake’s Rhetorick
Katherine’s visit to Lady Lovelace the next morning went as well as could be expected. At first, her ladyship insisted upon being the one to send any message from Katherine to Sydney. But Katherine remained steadfast in her determination to send it herself, and finally the woman revealed that Sydney was indeed at Lord Napier’s estate. It took more coaxing to gain the address from her, but Katherine finally came away from the Lovelace town house successful.
After she returned home and sent her message to Sydney, however, she found herself at loose ends. She started half a dozen volumes of poetry before tossing them aside to pace the parlor restlessly.
What on earth was wrong with her? Poetry generally took her mind off her troubles, but not today. Any overly flowery passage reminded her of Alec’s witty comments and made her laugh. And the love poems, with their talk of ruby lips and sweet kisses, sent her imagination into wild fancies about touching Alec—
She cursed under her breath. This was all his fault. The things he’d done last night, the things he’d made her hope for, had thrown all her emotions into confusion. Her feelings had never vacillated so wildly, and it frightened her. This was the whirlwind she’d sought to avoid, this heady excitement one minute and fearful anxiety the next.
Yet she couldn’t regret her agreement to marry him. By altering all her perceptions of him, he’d made her believe that a life of passion might not be so terrible. Perhaps a woman reallycouldhave a husband who was both passionate and responsible, exciting and reliable.
The idea of marrying him grew more appealing by the moment. She couldn’t wait for his next kiss, for their next encounter, for the day when they would say their vows and the night when he would—
“Let go of me—I told you, he don’t need me to stay for no answer!” squeaked an unfamiliar voice from the hall.
She hurried out to find Thomas dragging a liveried footboy toward her, lecturing him all the way. “Now see here, you little whelp, you’ll do this proper-like, the way your master would want, and not be shirking your duties so you can stroll through the park on your way back—”
“I ain’t shirking nothin’! His lordship told me…” He trailed off as he caught sight of Katherine watching the curious byplay.
“What’s going on here?” she asked.
Thomas yanked the boy to a halt. “This lad has brought a letter for you from his lordship.” As her foolish heart began to pound, Thomas cast the boy a stern glance. “But he’stryingto scurry off without delivering it proper-like.”
Katherine bit back a smile. Being an older man from the country, Thomas had often expressed his disapproval of the lax ways of city servants.
The boy gave a quick bow. “Begging your pardon, miss, but I promised his lordship I’d give the note to your servant, so as not to…er…disturb you.” He scowled up at Thomas.
