Candace Camp - His Wicked Charm

“Of course you’re not shallow. But you are young, and you have been influenced by the romance of Sabrina’s wedding. But no one knows how that will end. You have seen only the excitement. There’s a great deal more to life than that. A marriage needs a strong foundation—a suitable match of name and bloodline. A similarity of spirit. A husband who can provide and protect you, who is steady and high-minded. One of irreproachable reputation.”

It sounded, Lilah thought, like a dull sort of marriage. But it was the kind her aunt herself had, so Lilah could hardly disparage it. She smiled and said teasingly, “Aunt Helena, you are going to make me think you want to get me off your hands.”

Helena smiled fondly. “You know I would keep you with me forever if I thought only of myself. Your uncle would say the same. But I want what’s best for you. I want you to have a good, happy life and a husband who can give you that.”

“I know. I love you for it.” Aunt Helena, having no children, looked upon Lilah as her own daughter, and she was the closest thing Lilah had to a mother, her own having died when Lilah was young.

Perhaps her aunt was right. Maybe it was foolish to hope to find love, to give a man her heart and hold the same from him. She wasn’t even sure that love was something she was capable of. She’d never felt even a twinge of it for any of the young men with whom she had danced and conversed.

Maybe she should be practical. Find a man who embodied the qualities she admired, who was, as Aunt Helena said, steady and like-minded. Surely that would be better than falling into the trap her father had, holding his sad obsessive love to his heart all his life. Her aunt and uncle were happy in their marriage. As one grew old, it might be nicer to have a man to sit with by the fire than one who had made your heart beat faster.

But then she thought of Sabrina’s face lighting up when Alex walked in. Or how Kyria and Rafe would look at each other across the room, as if no one else existed. The way the duke, after almost fifty years of marriage, still gazed at the duchess as if he’d just been given the most wonderful gift in the world. The thought of such love made her giddy. And terrified.

It was what she wanted. However fond of her aunt she was, Lilah was not going to marry anyone because it was appropriate or suitable. Still, she must be polite. Sorry that she had been irritated with Aunt Helena, Lilah decided that she would even do her best to see Sir Jasper’s worthy qualities.

For that reason, an hour later she was sitting in the parlor, wearing the dark russet gown with the wasp waist and the puffed sleeves, as her aunt greeted Sir Jasper.

Her distant cousin was a nice-looking gentleman, and if his figure was not an imposing one, at least he was taller than she, which was more than she could say for her other suitor, Mr. Tilden. It was, she supposed, shallow of her that she could not marry a man to whom she must look down to speak. If only Sir Jasper smiled more or didn’t talk in such a ponderous manner or if he made her laugh now and then, she might be able to think of him in a more romantic way.

“Sir Jasper.” Lilah rose and smiled in a carefully modulated way—polite, but not too friendly, not too glad to see him. She would give him a chance, but she didn’t want to encourage him.

“Please, you must call me Jasper. We are related after all.” He gave her a stiff smile and bowed.

And that, Lilah thought, was the extent of Sir Jasper’s sense of humor. Her own smile grew more forced. “Yes, of course, Cousin Jasper.”

He frowned faintly at this reminder of their kinship, however distant, but said only, “Cousin Delilah.”

Lilah’s worst fears were realized when, after a few minutes of polite conversation, Aunt Helena excused herself from the room and went in search of her missing needlework. Lilah knew she was clearing the way for Sir Jasper to propose.

Quickly, before her visitor could speak, Lilah said, “I hope the work on your house is proceeding well. I believe you said the banister was suffering from woodworms.”

Sir Jasper looked a trifle taken aback at her choice of topic but said, “Yes. I hope to show it to you one day.”

“I suppose it will be an extensive project.” She wondered how long she could keep a conversation going about the renovation of a house she had never seen and had no interest in.

“I am sure it will.” He cleared his throat. “Delilah. I believe you must be aware that I hold you in high esteem.”

“Thank you,” Lilah interrupted, desperately trying to think of a way to stave off his next words. With relief, she heard the sound of the front door opening and the butler’s voice. Perhaps she would be rescued by another caller; at this point, she would welcome Mr. Tilden.

There were footsteps and the butler appeared in the doorway, saying with great pride, “Lord Moreland.”

“Con!” Lilah jumped to her feet, smiling. There could be no greater disruption to any scene than Con Moreland.

CHAPTER TEN

LILAH REALIZED THAT her smile was too glad and her greeting too familiar. She pulled her face back into order as she went forward to greet Con. “Lord Moreland. It’s so good to see you again.” As if it had been ages since last they’d met.

Con’s eyes twinkled. Lilah had little doubt that he had immediately read the situation. He bowed over her hand and said in a syrupy voice, “Miss Holcutt. How could I stay away when all I can think about are a pair of sky blue eyes?” He all but fluttered his lashes.

Trust Con to overplay it. She shot him a stern glance, which only caused him to grin. She realized that he was still holding her hand. Jerking her hand back, she turned aside. “Allow me to introduce you. Sir Jasper, this is Constantine, Lord Moreland.”

The two men greeted each other, Sir Jasper stiffly and Con graciously.

“Were you a friend of Miss Holcutt’s father?” Con asked with great innocence. “How good of you to pay a visit to his daughter.”

Sir Jasper looked as if he were about to swallow his tongue. Lilah jumped into the silence. “Sir Jasper is related to me.”

“Ah, I understand. At first I feared you were unchaperoned. But with your uncle here, it is quite appropriate.”

“I’m a very distant relation,” Sir Jasper said with a forced levity that made him sound as avuncular as Con had suggested.

“You must have had the pleasure of knowing Miss Holcutt since she was in pigtails and pinafores,” Con said as Sir Jasper and Lilah took their seats.

Instead of sitting in the vacant chair beside Sir Jasper, Con chose to sit on a nearby hassock, only a foot away from Lilah. Lounging there, athletically graceful and utterly at ease, in contrast to Sir Jasper’s increasing stiffness, Con proceeded to flirt with Lilah so outrageously that it was difficult for her not to burst into laughter.

It became obvious that neither man was going to give up any ground. After a few minutes of paying Lilah ever more fulsome compliments, Con let out a dramatic sigh and said, “Alas, Miss Holcutt, I can see that you have forgotten your promise.”

“My promise?” Lilah asked warily.

“Why, yes, you told my nieces you would accompany us for ices at Gunter’s and a walk in the park.” He adopted a doleful expression. “Poor Brigid and Athena, they will be sorely disappointed.”

“Oh, my goodness,” Lilah exclaimed in equally stagy tones, one hand to her heart. Clearly her aunt was right: Con Moreland was a bad influence. “We cannot have that, now, can we? Of course, we must go. I am so sorry to have forgotten.” She stood up and turned to Sir Jasper. “I do hope you will forgive me, Cousin Jasper. I must leave. Brigid and Athena are such adorable little moppets.” They were also wild as March hares, but Lilah saw no reason to mention that. She barely waited for Sir Jasper’s polite agreement before turning to Con. “Just let me fetch my hat and give the butler a message for my aunt.”

She hurried out the door, the men trailing after her. Sir Jasper walked with them to the street, and Lilah feared that he might decide to stroll along with them. She turned to him, holding out her hand and saying, “Goodbye, Cousin Jasper. It was good to speak with you.”

He could do little but take his leave of them. “Good day. I am sure I will see you again soon, Cousin Delilah.”

Blast the man. He had called her by her full name. She sneaked a sideways glance at Con. Of course he would catch that. Lilah pivoted and started off at a quick pace, but Con kept up with her easily. His eyes brimming with laughter, his tone rich with wicked delight, he said, “ Delilah? Your name is Delilah?”

Lilah let out a huff of annoyance. “Yes. It is. You’re a fine one to talk… Constantine .”

He chuckled. “I rather like being an emperor.”

“It’s a good deal less embarrassing than being a…a…”

“Temptress?” He grinned. “Seductress?”

She gave him a freezing look, her former good humor with him gone. “Deceiver. Liar. Betrayer.”

“You’re none of those things. Though I imagine you could bring a man to his knees.” When she made no answer, he went on meditatively, “I should probably be afraid of you. But I believe I’ll risk it.”

“You are a perfectly annoying man.”

“So you’ve told me. It’s a wonder you’re willing to go anywhere with me.”

“I was in desperate straits.”

He laughed. “I could tell. Was he about to ask for your hand?”

Lilah let out a gusty sigh, and the knot she hadn’t even realized was in her chest loosened. She slowed her steps. “I didn’t want to risk it.”

“I should think not. I’m surprised you didn’t ward him off with a chaperone. There are several old ladies in my family whom I would be happy to lend you.”

“Thank you, but that’s not necessary. Ordinarily my aunt is there. But I believe she hoped Sir Jasper would make an offer.”

“She favors his suit.”

“Yes. She thinks it would be a most appropriate marriage.”

“Egad.”

“Just so. It would be convenient.”

“I can’t see how. He seemed a dead bore.”

“He inherited my father’s title. But Father left the main house to me. It’s the family seat—the Holcutts have owned it for ages. So marrying him would reunite the estate and the title. Everything would be in the direct line once again.”

“That scarcely seems a reason to marry.”

“Not in my opinion. Though perhaps he is less stiff once one gets to know him.”

Con frowned. “Don’t let them talk you into accepting him. It would be a terrible waste,” he said, his voice unaccustomedly serious.

Lilah glanced at him, surprised. “I would have thought you’d say the two of us were well matched.”

“Lord, no. You are aggravating but never boring.” He grinned. “I am always available to chase off suitors, should you need me.”

A laugh bubbled up out of her throat. “You seemed quite adept at it. Though I must say you overdid it. Eyes as blue as the sky?”

“In my defense, I was unprepared. But you are right, your eyes are more the color of the ocean.” His irrepressible grin flashed. “A stormy ocean.”

“Nor are they like stars in the velvet sky. And hair like the sunset? Really, now…”

“But that is the truth.” His eyes went to her hair, his expression changing subtly. “Your hair is beautiful. It’s what first drew my eye.”

“I thought that was my lilac stockings,” Lilah said drily, struggling to ignore the hot, jittery feeling the look on his face evoked in her.