The Defiant Debutante
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‘Thank you.’
‘Now you may leave,’ she told him firmly, her smile deliberately cold and ungracious.
Alex calmly ignored her and looked about him for a moment, his eyes caught by Will’s skilful carving of Mr Boone, which Angelina had placed on a table beside the bed. Every night since leaving Boston it was the last thing she looked at, and as she closed her eyes and went to sleep it made her feel less wretched and alone. With genuine interest Alex moved towards it, looking at it with admiration and the eye of a connoisseur.
‘This is a fine, interesting piece of craftsmanship—lovingly carved. Yours, I presume?’ he asked, looking at her.
‘Of course it’s mine,’ she snapped, annoyed because he showed no inclination to leave. ‘I haven’t stolen it, if that’s what you mean.’
‘That was not what I meant. I was asking you if the dog was yours—a pet, perhaps.’
Angelina felt foolish for having misunderstood his meaning. ‘Yes. A very dear friend of mine carved his likeness. He carves animals and birds and sells them to make a living—along with his beaver pelts,’ she explained, captivated by Lord Montgomery’s strong, lean fingers as they caressed the wooden object. ‘He presented me with it before I left Boston.’
‘Do you miss him?’
‘Who?’
‘Your friend.’
‘Why—yes. Very much.’
‘What was the name of your friend?’
‘Will. Will Casper.’
‘And your dog?’
‘Mr Boone.’
A lazy smile spread over his face, which seemed softer now. ‘So named after Daniel Boone, the intrepid pioneer.’
Angelina was pleasantly surprised to learn that he knew something of America’s history. ‘Yes. You’ve heard of him.’
Alex nodded. ‘I’m a businessman. I make a point of keeping abreast of world news. It proves advantageous where investments are concerned. And did your dog live up to his namesake?’
‘Does. He’s a brave little thing with a heart as big as a lion.’
‘Is?’ Alex’s eyebrows snapped together as a sudden, decidedly unpleasant thought occurred to him. ‘You are not going to tell me you brought him with you—that the animal is here, in this house?’
Alex looked so horrified at the prospect of Mr Boone capering through his stately rooms that Angelina’s composure slipped a notch closer to laughter. She bit her lower lip to still the trembling as she caught his eyes. ‘You needn’t glower in that ferocious fashion, my lord. You will be relieved when I tell you that I left him in Boston with Will.’
His relief was evident. ‘Thank the Lord for that. The last thing I need right now is a dog disrupting the routine of things.’
Angelina made a pretence of looking offended. ‘I will have you know that Mr Boone is extremely well behaved and never disgraces himself. Have you an aversion to dogs, Lord Montgomery?’
‘I keep several of my own at Arlington. But they are used for hunting and well disciplined by their handlers. They are also kept outside in kennels where they belong.’
‘Yes, I expect they are,’ Angelina replied, with a cheeky impudence that Alex found utterly exhilarating. The ghost of a smile flickered across his face as his eyes locked on to hers in silent, amused communication, and he was quite entranced by the idea of sharing her humour.
He walked towards the fire where he stood, hands behind his back, staring down at the glowing heat. ‘How long did you live in Boston?’
‘About two years. We left Ohio when the Shawnee raided our settlement. They—they killed everyone—including my father,’ she told him softly, ‘and wounding my mother.’
Alex moved closer, looking down into the sensitive face before him, but, unable to meet his gaze, she lowered her head.
‘And you?’ he asked, placing a finger gently under her chin and tipping her face up to his, his eyes searching, probing, seeing something flicker in those dark, appealing depths: a secret grief, perhaps.
‘As you can see, I was more fortunate. I am alive and I’m grateful.’
Alex saw her eyes register an anguish and horror he couldn’t begin to comprehend, and observed the gallant struggle she made to bring herself under control.
There was silence, inhabited by the living presence of the fire. In spite of herself Angelina found her eyes captured and held by Lord Montgomery’s silver gaze. Then, aware of Lord Montgomery’s finger still poised beneath her chin, she suddenly recollected herself and recoiled with an instinctive fear that he might get too close.
‘Lord Montgomery,’ she said, her voice tight, ‘I have known you long enough to realise that you didn’t consider your manner towards me earlier as warranting an apology. Will you please come to the point and tell me the real reason for coming to my room? I am not so dim-witted as to believe it was your interest in my dog or my life before coming to England. I may have accepted your apology, but it doesn’t change anything, does it? You still don’t approve of me and think I’m out to hurt your uncle in some way.’
His eyes became as hard as granite. ‘Contrary to what you may think, I sought you out because I could see that some form of atonement for my earlier behaviour was in order. However, since you are determined to harp on about it, I will remind you I am concerned about Uncle Henry’s happiness and well being. As you will know, having spent the past few weeks in his company, he does not always enjoy the best of health.’
‘That I do know, having seen how he is often plagued with rheumatic pains.’
‘Correct. So naturally I was concerned when I returned to London after an absence of several weeks in the country and discovered he’d taken off for America without discussing the matter with me first.’
‘I cannot for the life of me see why he should. Your uncle is of an age to act without your permission.’
As he rested his hands on his hips and looking down into her stormy eyes, Alex’s own were so cold that Angelina was sure they could annihilate a man.
‘My uncle is the finest, most generous man I have ever known, Miss Hamilton. What my opinions are concerning you has no bearing on the case, but because he and your mother were once close, and, as you correctly pointed out earlier, he is your next of kin, he will take his responsibilities where you are concerned seriously. If you hurt him in any way, I will personally make your life hell. Do you understand me?’
The look that passed between them crackled with hidden fire. Just for a moment Alex saw something savage and raw stir in the depths of Angelina’s eyes, before they blazed with outrage.
‘Perfectly,’ she replied. With her fists clenched and her chin raised, she faced Alex like a raging hurricane, while he took a step back before the onslaught of her fury. ‘Allow me to tell you a little about my background, Lord Montgomery. In Boston I was living with my mother in a two-roomed shack. Everything I owned I sold to pay for the doctor and her medicine. We had no money and the food we ate I provided. I do all manner of things a young lady ought not to do. I shoot, I fish, and I skin and gut whatever I kill. I dare say the properly reared young ladies of your acquaintance would be horrified and fall into a swoon at such behaviour and liken me to the savage you obviously think I am. I may seem gauche to you and lacking in social graces, but I am not ashamed of the way we lived.
‘When your uncle came to Boston he was courtesy and kindness itself—and I give you my word that I shall not abuse his kindness. When my mother died it was a great comfort to me having him there. In the short time we have been together I have come to love him dearly and would sooner end my life than cause him pain. Despite what you believe, I haven’t asked him for anything and I do not expect anything. I am simply grateful for a roof over my head wherever that happens to be. For this and his support at a time when I had nothing, I owe him much—much more than I can repay. Your uncle knows this and now you know it too, so if it’s not a problem for him it needn’t be a problem for you.’
Alex stared at the proud, tempestuous young woman in silent, icy composure. Her words reverberated round the room, ricocheting off the walls and hitting him with all the brutal impact of a battering ram, but it failed to pierce the armour of his wrath and not a flicker of emotion registered on his impassive features.
‘That, Miss Hamilton, was quite an outburst. Have you finished?’
Pausing to take an infuriated breath, Angelina finally said, ‘Far from it. You may have been born with blue blood in your veins and all the advantages that come with it, but you have a lot to learn. It isn’t where a person comes from that matters. It’s what a person is that counts. You are being vindictive without just cause, but if you want to carry on hating me then please do so. It does not matter one jot to me.’
Their minds and their eyes clashed in a battle of wills.
‘I do not hate you.’
‘No? Well, I hate you,’ she told him, glaring at him wrathfully.
‘I know you do,’ he replied quietly. Not only had he heard, but also he sensed it. Cool and remote, Alex studied her for a moment, as though trying to discern something, and then crossed towards the door and went out.
Angelina stood looking blindly at the closed door for a long time, her heart palpitating with a raging fury. A whole array of confusing emotions washed over her—anger, humiliation, and a piercing, agonizing loneliness she had not felt since she was fifteen years old in Ohio.
Chapter Three
Henry and Alex were partaking of a glass of wine while they waited for Angelina to join them. Whenever Henry looked at his nephew, he was overwhelmed with pride.
At best, Alex was a fiercely private man, guarded and solitary, accountable to no one. At worst, he was a man with a wide streak of ruthlessness and an iron control that was almost chilling. To those who knew him he was clever, with an almost mystical ability to see what motivated others. To his business partners it was a gift beyond value, because it provided insight into the guarded ambitions of his adversaries. He could be cold, calculating and unemotional, which was how his rivals saw him.
‘Angelina’s a lovely young thing, don’t you agree, Alex?’
Alex’s look darkened. ‘Lovely? She’s certainly out of the ordinary. The girl’s a hoyden. Good Lord, Uncle, what can you be thinking of? I’ve never seen you so taken with anyone as you are with this American girl.’
‘You’re quite right, but then I’ve never had a ward before, and so far I’m thoroughly enjoying the experience. Angelina’s a delight. She’s a thoroughly charming and engaging young woman with a remarkable intelligence. In the short time I’ve known her, I vow she’s lopped ten years off my life.’
Alex’s reply was a sardonic lift of his dark brows. ‘You may find her charming, Uncle, but it is not the kind that passes for charm in the ladies of my acquaintance. Miss Hamilton’s charm is more sinister and elusive than that. It is the kind that weaves spells and puts curses on people.’
An inexplicable smile traced its way across Henry’s face. ‘If that be the case, then take care she doesn’t put a spell on you, dear boy.’
‘I’m immune,’ Alex said, bestowing the kind of lazy smile on his uncle that turned female hearts to water. ‘Whatever she is, you’re going to have your hands full.’
‘Try and be more understanding towards her, Alex. Until she marries I am committed to her—and, as you know, I am not a man to shirk my duty. I’ve told you everything that I know of what happened to her in America—and the reasons why her grandmother’s existence must be kept from her, so you will bear with her, won’t you? I know how difficult you can be.’
Alex gave him a narrow look, deflecting his uncle’s question by answering it with another. ‘Did you tell her about me—listing all my transgressions?’
Henry chuckled, encouraged by his nephew’s lack of argument. ‘I did. I considered it wise to have her well prepared in every aspect of what her life would be like in England.’
‘And?’
‘When I told her I had all but despaired of seeing you suitably married, she asked me—with all the candid innocence of her youth—what was wrong with you.’
‘Really.’ Alex gave his uncle a mildly sardonic look. ‘Evidently she regarded me as being way past the age of eligibility for marriage at twenty-eight.’
‘No. I think she probably thought you were some fire-breathing monster with two horns and a tail. And when I told her you dealt with practically all my business affairs—’
‘Let me guess,’ Alex interrupted drolly. ‘Did she by any chance ask if you trusted me?’
‘She did.’
‘I see,’ he said drily, swearing that he’d not be bested by the dark-eyed witch.
‘So you will try to curb your temper when you are together and be gentle with her, won’t you?’ Henry asked, casting his nephew an anxious look of appeal.
Alex hesitated for an endless moment and then nodded, a reluctant smile lurking at the corners of his mouth. ‘Since I have no intention of laying a finger on her or being in her company for longer than I have to, I assure you, Uncle, that she will be perfectly safe from me. However, I feel I should warn you that I have already had a run-in with your ward; if that encounter is anything to go by, I cannot promise to be charm and graciousness personified where she is concerned. We may very well need a referee to keep us from murdering each other—which is where you will come in.’
Angelina swept into the dining room, intending to make a determined effort to be pleasant and agreeable to Lord Montgomery for Uncle Henry’s sake. A chandelier suspended above the table filled the room with flickering light, reflecting on the large, ornate silver pieces set on the mahogany sideboard, next to where the two gentlemen stood drinking wine.
Breaking off his discussion with Alex, Henry placed his glass on the sideboard and came to meet her, his eyes twinkling in admiration. ‘You look lovely, Angelina,’ he said, taking her hand and drawing her towards his nephew. ‘Alex tells me the two of you have already met.’
‘Yes—and as you can see, Uncle…’ she smiled with a hint of mischief dancing in her eyes ‘…I have survived the encounter without coming to grief.’
Henry lifted a brow to Angelina in a silent salute and smiled.
Angelina met Lord Montgomery’s sardonically mocking gaze. With his eyes as intense as a hunting falcon’s locked on hers, he moved forward, bowing his head with a studied degree of politeness, which to Angelina was a masterpiece of gracious arrogance.
Alex looked down at the tempestuous young woman in her lilac gown. Her face, which arrested and compelled his eyes, was both delicate and vibrant, and her large amethyst eyes still stormy.
‘Miss Hamilton was looking for something to read,’ Alex told his uncle without taking his eyes from hers.
‘Then I hope you found something to your liking, Angelina.’
‘How could I not? There were so many interesting books to choose from. I had absolutely no idea that so much knowledge could exist in one place.’
‘Alex must take the credit for that.’
‘Yes, I thought he might,’ she replied ironically.
Handing Angelina a glass of wine, Alex’s lips curled with a hint of a smile. ‘Miss Hamilton selected two illustrated editions—one on birds and the other on horses. Perhaps you prefer looking at pictures to reading, Miss Hamilton.’
Angelina’s eyes narrowed when she took his meaning and bristled at the intended slight. ‘I don’t just look at the pictures, Lord Montgomery. Contrary to what you might think, I am not illiterate.’
Henry chuckled. ‘Don’t underestimate Angelina’s intelligence, Alex. She reads anything you care to name and is conversant in French, Greek and Latin.’
‘Perhaps if I had chosen Voltaire or Socrates you would have been more impressed. Usually I read for enlightenment, for knowledge, but yesterday I fancied something light. I cannot see why you should pour scorn on my choice of reading. It just so happens that I like birds and horses.’
‘You speak French and Greek?’ Alex asked incredulously, with surprise and doubt.
‘You seem surprised,’ said Angelina.
‘I confess that I am. There are few ladies of my acquaintance who are familiar with the classics—and I am hard pressed to think of any one of them who is conversant in any language other than their own native English, and perhaps a smattering of French.’
Now it was Angelina’s turn to be surprised. ‘Then I can only assume that your experience with the female sex is somewhat limited, Lord Montgomery.’
A gleam of suppressed laughter lit Alex’s eyes, and Angelina could only assume, correctly, that her remark about his inexperience with women had not been taken in the way she had intended.
‘Angelina also plays an excellent game of chess,’ Henry championed, giving Angelina a conspiratorial wink to remind her of all those times they had played together on board ship, when she had more often than not finished the victor. ‘She can swim like a fish, outshoot most men, and handle a horse better than any female I’ve ever seen.’
Alex arched a sleek black brow in mock amusement when his gaze met Angelina’s. ‘I’m impressed! And to add to all these admirable attributes the cut and thrust of her tongue is sharper and deadlier than any rapier,’ he drawled.
‘I’m glad you’ve noticed,’ Angelina replied with an impudent smile and a delicate lift to her brows, taking a sip of her wine.
Alex lost the battle to suppress his smile. The girl had spirit, he had to give her that. ‘As you can see, Uncle, Miss Hamilton’s opinion of me is far from favourable. Earlier she accused me of being rude, overbearing, dictatorial—and she told me that I have the manners of a barbarian.’
‘And I fear I have to agree with her.’
‘Really, Uncle! Where’s your loyalty?’ Alex demanded with mock severity.
‘Forgive me, Alex. But that’s a difficult dilemma.’
‘I can’t see why it should be.’
‘I find my loyalties torn asunder. You see, they lie with you both. You are both family. Angelina is my ward—my cousin’s daughter—and you are my nephew. Surely you can understand the pressure I am under.’
‘Lord Montgomery is the other half of your family, Uncle Henry. Not mine,’ Angelina pointed out forcefully.
‘Noted for our obstinacy,’ retorted Alex.
‘Much good may it do you, my lord. I am no less obstinate, I assure you.’ The smile Angelina turned on Henry was full of sweetness. ‘It’s a pity one can’t be more selective with one’s family as one can be with one’s friends, don’t you think?’
‘I couldn’t agree more, my dear. But I am going to ask you both to lower your swords as a favour to me—at least until after dinner so that we can do justice to Mrs Price’s excellent cooking. It wouldn’t do for all three of us to end up with indigestion, now, would it? However, I grant Alex can be a touch overbearing at times, Angelina.’
Angelina raised a sceptical brow, tempted to say that Lord Montgomery was a complete and total ass, but instead she said, ‘Only a touch, Uncle Henry?’
‘Well, perhaps a little more than a touch.’
Angelina caught Lord Montgomery’s silver gaze that seemed to slice the air between them, warning her not to overstep the mark. She met his gaze calmly, with a defiant lift of her chin. ‘And Lord Montgomery has no need of a sword, Uncle. He can accomplish as much with his eyes as he can with the point of a sword. I swear he could slay a man at twenty paces.’
‘And you, my dear, have the unique distinction of putting his back up.’
Henry smiled indulgently and pulled out a chair for her at the table. Alex would sit opposite her and he would sit at the end—to act as referee if they were to continue sparring with each other. The air crackled and sparked between his nephew and his ward, and their looks and conversation were like daggers being hurled back and forth. It was better than he could have hoped for.
‘But you must forgive Alex,’ he continued. ‘The ladies of his acquaintance are usually more languishing. He can be quite charming.’
Angelina favoured Lord Montgomery with a look of pure mockery as he took his seat across from her. ‘Is that so?’
‘Most ladies do find me charming and pleasant—and some actually enjoy my company.’
‘And no doubt live to regret it,’ she bit back.
With a mixture of languor and self-assurance, Alex started to relax and lounged back in his chair, absently fingering the stem of his wineglass as his gaze swept over her in an appraising, contemplative way.
His instinct detected untapped depths of passion in the alluring young woman across from him that sent silent signals instantly recognisable to a lusty, hot-blooded male like himself. The impact of these signals brought a smouldering glow to his eyes. So much innocence excited him, made him imagine those pleasures and sensations Miss Hamilton could never have experienced being aroused by him. The lazy, dazzling smile he bestowed on her transformed his face.
Angelina found herself staring at him, momentarily captivated by it, unaware of the lascivious thoughts that had induced it. It was the most wonderful smile she had ever seen and full of provocative charm. Oh, yes, she thought, feeling her heart do a little somersault, when he smiled like that and spoke in a soft-as-honey voice and looked at a woman from under those drooping lids, he could make a feral cat lie down and purr.
Angelina found hot colour washing her cheeks under his close scrutiny and she hated herself for that betrayal. Alex saw it and smiled infuriatingly. His strategy had worked. Little Angelina Hamilton was just like all the rest of her sex when it came to the matter of seduction. It would not be too difficult a task demolishing her pride and cold resentment and have her melting with desire in his arms, and the idea of conquering her appealed to his sardonic sense of humour—if that was what he had a mind to do, for he must remember that, for him, she was untouchable, being his uncle’s ward.
‘I’m sorry. Do I unsettle you, Miss Hamilton?’ he asked with a slight lift to his sleek eyebrows.
‘You don’t unsettle me in the least.’
‘Come now, you’re blushing,’ he taunted gently, being well schooled in the way women’s minds worked.
‘I am not.’ Her unease was growing by the second, but she tried not to show it, attempting to maintain a façade of uninterest and indifference.
‘Yes, you are. Your cheeks are as pink as those roses,’ he said, indicating the lovely bowl of deep blush-coloured roses on the table between them.
‘Good gracious.’ Angelina laughed. ‘If that’s the kind of melodramatic rubbish you engage in with the ladies of your acquaintance, I’m surprised they don’t vomit.’
‘I assure you they don’t.’
‘No—well—perhaps if they’re all vacuous peahens unable to see further than your impeccable credentials, they wouldn’t, would they?’
Alex was so astounded by her reply that he almost threw back his head and burst out laughing. ‘No,’ he replied his smile widening. ‘They wouldn’t dare. Now,’ he said when a footman came in carrying platters of food, ‘shall we accede to our uncle’s request by lowering our weapons and agree to a truce while we eat?’
‘Very well—but only while we eat,’ she agreed. ‘I’ve never tasted such wonderful food as Mrs Price turns out and have no intention of letting you spoil it. However,’ she murmured, looking at him from beneath the thick fringe of her lashes, ‘my sword may be sheathed, Lord Montgomery, but please remember that it is still there and every bit as sharp and lethal.’
Alex’s eyes narrowed. ‘I do not doubt that for one moment,’ he replied—and, he thought with wry amusement, it will make the play between us all the more exciting.
Angelina bestowed a smile on him that was utterly devastating, and she was certain she glimpsed approval lurking in those inscrutable silver eyes.
A footman under the stern eye of Bramwell served the delicious meal. Angelina did full justice to the food and tried not to feel intimidated by Lord Montgomery when his eyes settled on her now and then, his lids hooded like those of a hawk. Just the cold pupils peered out from his closed face, but throughout the meal she could feel him tugging at her from across the table. It really was most unsettling.