Page 20 of A Scandalous Proposition
‘Merely that there’s no occasion for your duchess to concern herself with the estate.’ He crossed one leg across his opposite knee and shifted his position so that his legs, at least, were a little farther away from the fire. ‘Especially when she’s in such a delicate condition. It wouldn’t do for her to tax her strength.’
‘Thankfully my wife is in fine fettle. And as to not concerning herself with the estate, you dashing off left her with little choice in that regard. Who else can I rely on not to rob me blind whilst I’m stuck in this blasted chair all day?’
‘Fowler knows his business.’
‘But still can’t be relied upon absolutely. You know that as well as anyone. Leave them to their own devices for too long and even the most faithful of servants give way to temptation. Damn it, Adam,’ James said, thumping the arm of his chair, ‘why did you have to leave? You knew you were needed here. You begged me to let you take over the running of the estate, but no sooner had I done so than you dropped it all and ran off to play at soldiers.’
‘I should hardly describe what I’ve just been through as child’s play.’
‘Well, I know nothing about that, and what’s more I ain’t interested. Your duty was here and you chose to turn your back on it. It’s only thanks to Philippa that things haven’t gone completely to pot in your absence.’
‘I see.’
And Adam rather thought that he did. Outwardly he remained the personification of calm but inside he was seething. Fowler was an honest, trustworthy estate manager and knew his business inside out. But Philippa had chosen to make her husband believe he was mismanaging things. Why? He was left with the disquieting feeling that it was all part of some intricate plan that involved him.
‘Philippa has invited a few acquaintances to dine tomorrow.’ James abruptly changed the subject when Adam didn’t rise to his bait. ‘Did she tell you?’
‘It must have slipped her mind.’
‘Can’t have the returning hero ignored, can we now.’ James was afflicted with another bout of coughing, so Adam permitted this snide comment also to pass unchallenged. He didn’t relish the prospect of being paraded in front of their neighbours. He would be unable to avoid the dinner if it was being held in his honour and wondered what Philippa hoped to achieve by it.
‘Are you up to such a gathering?’
‘Oh, don’t worry about me. They trot me out and prop me up at the head of the table whenever needs be, just to keep up appearances. I’ll retire early if it gets too much. No one will even notice I’m gone.’
‘Well, just so long as you’re sure.’
‘Perfectly. Philippa will see me right.’
Adam was cast into gloom by the confident assurance behind his brother’s words. There was no longer any doubt that Philippa had James precisely where she wanted him and wouldn’t scruple to use her dominance over him to get her way in everything.
Parker returned with James’s lunch and Adam took the opportunity to escape. If he was subjected to much more of his brother’s jealous spite he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from retaliating in a manner he was bound to later regret.
He’d not given any thought to his own luncheon but was fairly sure that Philippa would be lying in wait for him in the dining parlour. Having no intention of falling into that trap, he retired to his own chamber and had a meal delivered to him there. He then took Rochester out and rode the five miles to the adjoining estate of Lord and Lady Blake. He’d seen their son, an officer with an elite infantry division, just days before he left Spain and had carried letters home on his behalf.
He was greeted with great enthusiasm and invited to remain for dinner. Adam accepted, even though it meant having Blake’s pretty daughter thrust upon him for the duration of the meal. But anything was better than dining alone with Philippa, which, unlike luncheon, he’d have been unable to avoid if he’d remained at the Court.
Besides, he needed to fill the intervening hours before his assignation with Florentina somehow. In spite of the discouraging events of the day, his mind was still plagued with images of her flashing green eyes. The imperious manner in which she tossed her head when she was angry. Her lips curving into a capricious smile at some remark his mother addressed to her. The feel of her slender thigh as he prevented her from slipping from Rochester’s back. The manner in which her breasts…
Damn it, this wouldn’t do! The sooner he could put his temporary infatuation with Florentina Grantley behind him, the quicker he’d be able to get her out of his mind and concentrate upon the issues awaiting rectification at the Court.
*
‘Tina, my dear.’ The dowager looked up from her dinner and frowned. ‘Are you unwell? You look pale and have eaten almost nothing.’
‘No indeed, ma’am, I am perfectly well, thank you. Pray excuse me, I was woolgathering there for a moment.’ Florentina smiled in what she hoped was a reassuring manner, forced herself to take a mouthful of whatever was on her plate and swallowed it down. ‘You look exceedingly well tonight, your grace. I believe his lordship’s return has lifted your spirits.’
‘Oh, most assuredly! I rejoice in seeing him in such robust health. But you have expressed no opinion about my son.’ She made it sound as though that was a most unusual occurrence. ‘Is he not every bit as handsome as I warned you to expect?’
‘Yes, ma’am, his lordship is a very attractive gentleman indeed.’
It pained Florentina to make the admission but it was undeniable. Adam Fitzroy was quite the most self-assured, formidably smooth specimen of male beauty she’d ever had the misfortune to encounter. The prospect of being held in arms so muscular that they could control a galloping stallion and simultaneously prevent her from falling from its back was causing havoc with her equilibrium. She was desperately trying not to anticipate the feel of his marauding hands roaming across her body, as he removed the scandalously thin layer of silk from it in just a few short hours from now. It was a betrayal to her husband’s memory to harbour such thoughts about another man. For that reason, and many others besides, Florentina emphatically did not wish to be attracted to his lordship. But in spite of her best efforts to deny her feelings, she was deeply ashamed to concede that the prospect of the night to come had stolen her appetite and left her quaking. Not, as ought to be the case, with fear but with a deep sense of longing that made it seem as if time itself stood still.
‘I wonder how his reconciliation with Philippa went?’ The dowager glanced at the curtained window. ‘I had hoped he would call and put my mind at rest on that score. However, I dare say he’s too upset at seeing her to trust himself in company.’
‘It must have been very distressing for him if he loved her as much as you suggest.’
‘Oh yes, he was very much in love.’ The dowager frowned. ‘But he’s such a dear boy that he’s pretending not to be affected by it in order to protect my feelings.’
