Page 75 of In the Prince's Bed
“What?”Mama leaped to her feet and began to pace, gesticulating wildly. “For a clever girl, you are sometimes exceedingly foolish. When a man proposes marriage, a girl in your position does not keep him dangling on a string. It would be one thing if men were clamoring for introductions, but they aren’t. Even Sir Sydney Lovelace has dropped you. And you put off the earl? Are you mad? It’s no wonder the man has abandoned you.”
“I hardly think—”
“Exactly—you don’t think at all! You’ve been so cool to him that Lord Iversley probably thought you meant to toy with his affections. Then you told him we weren’t invited to Lady Holland’s. Now he has second thoughts, no doubt, which is why he’s dallying at his estate or…wherever.”
“If you’re right, then we’re well rid of him.” Kathleen swallowed down the tears threatening to well up. “I don’t want to marry a man who’d be scared off by our low connections or by my wanting to do right by a friend.”
But if he was the sort of man she’d come to believe he was, he would be here. Or at the very least, would have sent a message. Instead of taking for granted that she would wait on his whim. Instead of hiding things from her and pretending to be other than he really was—whateverthathappened to be.
She squared her shoulders. “I’m going upstairs, Mama. Come fetch me if he should happen to appear.” Then she would give him a piece of her mind, and this time, no amount of kissing would distract her.
She’d actually let him persuade her that all his evasions were reasonable. That he’d kept his unorthodox past hidden for a legitimate reason, even though there’d been holes the size of caverns in his stories. But the past two days had given her plenty of time to ponder them.
Why had one childhood incident estranged him from his father? Why had his father allowed his only heir to work for a living in a country wracked by war, instead of coming home to do his duty? That was a rather profound estrangement, it seemed to her—Alec must have done something truly awful to warrant it.
And what did the uncle have to do with anything? Surely as Alec’s guardianhewould not have approved of Alec’s work with the cavalry. She would question Alec’s entire tale, except that she’d seen him ride and perform cavalry maneuvers. One didn’t learn that sort of thing overnight. But he was keeping something from her; she was sure of it. Aside from his mysterious evasions about the Stephens Hotel.
Entering her room, she tossed her reticule on the bed, and as she passed the mirror she caught sight of her reflection and the damascene brooch she’d worn especially for Alec.
A lump settled in her throat. What if he’d lied about the pin and had bought it for a woman other than his mother? That might explain his determination not to return to England—some Portuguese beauty might have captured his heart.
He might even have left his uncle’s house to be with her. That would explain why he’d had to make money. Though he was conscious enough of his obligations not to marry such a woman, hecouldmake her his mistress…and keep her at a place like the Stephens Hotel, while he looked for an acceptable English wife to bear his heir.
Katherine groaned. Yes, that would be more in keeping with the Alec she’d come to know. She couldn’t see him cavorting with some doxy as Papa had, but Alec in love with an unacceptable woman…that fit his character.
And was much more painful to contemplate. Alec loving another woman while he’d kissed and caressed Katherine…the very thought made her ill.
She rubbed her aching temples. This was ridiculous—she was letting her imagination run away with her. He would hardly have given Katherine a pin he’d bought for a Portuguese mistress he was still seeing. Besides, if he were leading such a duplicitous life, wouldn’t it behoove him to try even harder to allay Katherine’s suspicions, instead of not showing up when he was supposed to?
He’d probably just been delayed at his estate. But the fact remained that whatever the reason for his absence, it was tying her into knots, which waspreciselywhat she’d wanted to avoid by marrying Sydney. Did she really want a lifetime of emotional tumult with Alec?
Then again, what choice did she have? Sydney had disappeared and might never be coming back. And could she even find another husband to suit her?
She dropped onto her bed, then felt something dig into her bottom.The Rake’s Rhetorick.She’d been reading it earlier, during a bout of worry about the Stephens Hotel.
Tugging it out, she opened it to the chapter entitled “The Married Rakehell.” She couldn’t bring herself to read it before, but now one sentence leaped out at her: “If a rake knows he must eventually marry to fulfill his duty, he should hide his pursuit of pleasure from the world. The more discreet the rake, the better his chances of continuing his activities after his nuptials.”
A shudder wracked her. Was Alec trying to be discreet? Lulling her into believing he would be faithful? But then, why choose to courther?Why not fix on a less suspicious sort of female?
The sound of a carriage halting in front brought her to her feet. He was here after all! He would explain everything, and it would be all right.Ifshe could believe his explanations.
Grabbing her reticule, she hurried out so quickly that she was halfway down the stairs before she realized she still heldThe Rake’s Rhetorick.As she debated whether to return it to her room, a man appeared at the bottom of the stairs.
Sydney.
She froze. He must have received her note. But why come now? Cramming the chapbook into her reticule, she went warily down to meet him.
“When you didn’t show up, Lady Purefoy asked me to fetch you and your mother,” he said in a low voice as she approached. “I readily agreed, hoping I could speak with you. If you’ll allow it.”
“Why wouldn’t I? Didn’t you get my note?”
He frowned. “What note?”
“I sent a message to Lord Napier’s estate, asking you to come here. When I paid your mother a visit, she told me that’s where you’d gone.”
He flushed a deep scarlet, then glanced away. “Yes, I needed to think. And Ju—…Napier…said I could do so at his house.” His gaze swung back to her, dark and troubled. “But I left yesterday and returned to London. Mother didn’t mention your visit, and Napier…well…I left after we argued, so I suppose he was too petty to send your note on.”
Mama burst into the hall. “I thought I heard—” She stopped short, confusion flooding her face. “Oh, hello, Sir Sydney. What are you doing here?”
