Delightfully Dangerous (Knights Without Armor Book 1) Read online

  Lydia looked at Rose sharply. Did she know? Her heart started racing.

  “The dowry that my brother shall give won’t be enough for Stoneleigh, and if he’s in need of a fortune that desperately, he would probably marry any woman with heavy enough coffers, no matter if he loved her or not.”

  “He’s pretty desperate to save his estate, I would say he’d even forfeit true love to marry a woman who would give him the means to save all that he holds so dear to his heart,” Rose said. “It’s quite a tidy sum. As for marrying someone he doesn’t at least care about, no…the Duke wouldn’t do that. He’d have to be at least fond of her. I can’t imagine Tobias marrying someone he couldn’t abide. He wants a partner to help him restore his estate to its former glory. He wouldn’t marry a chit of a girl who couldn’t at least embrace some of those dreams of his, and make them her own. Tobias craves love. He yearns for it in a way that most men do not. No. I don’t even know if he would forfeit true love for a hefty dowry. I expect that’s why he still hasn’t selected anyone from the marriage mart. None of them turned his head, and set his heart on fire.”

  Lydia groaned and flopped back onto the chaise longue. “But you did.”

  Rose sighed. “I might have done, but my heart always belonged to another, and I knew being trapped in a loveless marriage wasn’t the sort of life I could endure.”

  Lydia groaned. “I don’t know what I want.”

  “Don’t you? Men think that women don’t know what they want, and that they know what we want, but that’s not exactly right, is it? I have a fair bet that you know exactly what you want, Lydia. All you have to do is go out and seize it.”

  “As Lord Tisbury just happens to be your cousin, of course, you are advocating in his favor.”

  “Indeed. He’s a good man, and what’s more important, he’s worthy of you. He shall treat as you ought to be treated. Don’t you want a man who shall treat you as his partner in life?”

  “Mr. Newson might control the purse strings but I do believe he would regard me as his equal.”

  “Oh, aye, but will he still treat you as the woman he adores? Will he look upon you as if the sun rises and sets on you? Or, will he look at a horse with more affection? I’ve seen the way he looks at horseflesh, my dear. He loves his horses. He also regards himself with more affection than I ever see him regarding any of the ladies; the most important person in his life stares back at him in the mirror every morning. And, Lydia, he’d be no bargain.”

  Lydia groaned. They were each dancing around the subject, but she had a sneaky suspicion that Rose knew about said bargain. If she remained true to her word, she would have to marry the fool.

  “I…I don’t know,” she confessed. “Mr. Newson isn’t much of a romantic. We talk about horses and any kind of carriage you can think, of a lot, when we’re not talking about me becoming his wife. Upon my word, I think you are quite right. I am just a prize to him.”

  “Well, obviously, as that is the case,” Rose said softly, “There’s only one thing to be done, isn’t there?”

  “I’m quite intrigued. What one thing is to be done?” Lydia asked, completely baffled by the swift change within Rose. She had a determined—almost mischievous glint in her eyes. She looked like a playful little nymph. There was a dangerous air about her, and it almost frightened Lydia. The Lovett women were known to be quite formidable opponents, and right now, Rose looked quite daunting.

  “My cousin can’t ruin you. What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. It’s time to seize your happiness. It’s time to take control of your own destiny. We let the men have all of the entertainment usually. Now, now it’s time to play our hand. You, Lydia, shall simply have to ruin Richard,” Rose proposed devilishly.

  “Beg your pardon?”

  Rose’s visage was far too calm for what she had just proposed. “My dearest Lydia, sometimes we women have to take control. The men like to be indulged. They like to think that they are steering the course of our destinies, but sometimes, our only recourse is to take the wheel, and steer our ship toward the shining horizon of our choice, and right now, poor sweetly oblivious Richard is playing the part of the fool far too accurately. You need to smarten him up. So, as we have fair winds—take advantage of it.”

  “We are not sailors, Rose.”

  “Aye, but we can steer our ship into the harbor so to speak.”

  “Oh, Rose, you’re a conundrum. Am I supposed to sail into the sunset or come into port?”

  “Go wherever it leads you to Richard. That foolish man needs to be brought to his senses. I know he is fond of you, and perhaps in the past, he’s sheered away from you because he realized you were not old enough. But the time has come, Lydia. You are a grown woman, and if he isn’t brought to his senses, you’re going to do something stupid you can’t take back, and then he’ll have lost you forever. Mark my words, he’ll be miserable without you in his life.”

  “I’m not in his life right now, Rose,” she said softly.

  “Aren’t you? He sees you quite frequently. He’s become quite used to having you around. He likes to think that no one notices the way he looks at you. I do believe he’s come out of the fog, and he’s now ready to fight for you.”

  “He was ready to marry Miss Duffy.” She knew she sounded like a stubborn petulant child but his betrayal still smarted. True, she’d had absolutely no claim on him at that point in time, and some would say she had no claim on him to this day; if only she could convince her heart of that. How had he never noticed that she’d cared for him deeply? That still smarted. It made her despair in a way that no other person in her life could ever touch her.

  “A pure moment of utter and complete madness on his part. He was never meant for Lady Chorley. She and Lord Chorley were always destined for each other, you’d have to be a blind not to see that. And while I can safely say that my cousin is the better man, you cannot make your heart change its course once love takes hold of it. Whether or not Lord and Lady Chorley will have a happy marriage remains to be seen, I know that she would have been happy with Richard, alas, I fear he would not have been happy with her. His joy would have faded once he saw you one too many times and came to his senses, realizing that he had made the biggest mistake of his life. Lady Chorley spared him that misery by accepting Lord Chorley’s proposal, and for that, she shall always have my admiration and respect. I suspect she knew all along that she couldn’t thwart the love the two of you shared.”

  “Apparently Lord Tisbury is a blind fool for not noticing what is right in front of him all along. I’ve always loved him, Rose. Did I not make my feelings clear enough?”

  “No. You did. We all saw it. You are quite right, he is the biggest Moonraker of them all. Admit it, you belong to him. You are meant for Richard. You are destined to become Lady Tisbury. I’ve known it for a long time. We could always go back to Wiltshire and see what the gypsies who stay on Lovett land think. They might cast your worries aside, and make you stand steadfast in your desire to have him as your husband.”

  Hope rose within Lydia’s breast. “Indeed, they might help, but they might confuse me even more. I yearn for the country and yet—I’m quite enjoying myself here in Town presently. But you don’t understand, Rose, I’m not like you Lovett lasses. I’m…I’m…me!” she said, gesturing to herself. “I want my independence and because of that I think I’m sometimes closer to a boy than a girl.”

  “Is that why you invented Jamie Poole?” she asked softly, catching Lydia completely off guard.

  “You know?” Lydia asked in a small voice.

  “Almost the whole household knows. I spied you in your disguise. We are going to have to do something about that. You don’t look at all in vogue—it’s just not befitting for a lady of your wealth and status.”

  “And you’re not disappointed in me?”

  “Why would I be disappointed? I’m actually impressed by your ingenuity. I don’t know if I would have created such a masterful disguise for myself, a
nd I certainly know I don’t have the talent to successfully play the part—I would have been found out on the first day.”

  “And Micah?”

  “Micah is amused. He thinks it a great diversion for you, but he does worry. However, he stopped fretting once he saw Richard take you under his wing.”

  Her heart sank again. “Richard doesn’t like it.”

  “Absolute twaddle. He is fascinated by it. He’s actually looking forward to your next adventure together.”

  “He told you that?”

  “Micah told me that. I haven’t discussed it with Richard yet. He’d probably be far too uncomfortable with it.”

  “He didn’t seem too impressed with it at the time, and we did have a bit of trouble at the match. Nothing that couldn’t be sorted but still…”

  “Did you enjoy yourself?”

  “Tremendously. I always do at those events, and my friends are there too.”

  “Your friends? As in a certain charming pugilist?”

  “You know about Alex Mandeville.”

  “Aye, Micah related that story to me as well. He believes Mandeville would also be a good man for you to set your cap on.”

  “Does he really?” she asked. Her brother had it all planned out, did he?

  “Aye, he says that Mandeville is a good man, and would make you a fine husband, though I must confess I still want to see you with Richard.”

  “It matters not.”

  “Oh?”

  “Aye, Mandeville and Pip…well, they think, they think…”

  “You are Jaimie Poole.”

  “Aye. It’s all rather confusing—and in a way, I’m starting to feel guilty. They’re such good chums, and the fact that I’m deceiving them doesn’t always sit well with me.”

  “And I have heard that Jamie Poole has quite the reputation. Something about you engaging in fisticuffs with Lord Longworth’s son?”

  “You know about that too? Is there anything my brother doesn’t know?”

  “Oh, I wager he’s in the dark about a few things, but he does like to keep himself well informed when it comes to you. He’s responsible for you, isn’t he?”

  “That’s what Lord Tisbury kept saying. He also said that Micah would kill him if he let something happen to me.”

  “Quite right. Though I doubt Micah would actually kill Richard. Still, he’d be…well, he’d be hurting.”

  “I think I made a mull of it all. I should have. Oh, there’s a much better prospect that I could have enlisted for help in my quest to claim Lord Tisbury.”

  “I expect that there are many potential suitors who would have played the part better than Mr. Newson can. Mr. Mandeville is a wonderful prospect. As the younger son of Lord Ravensbourne, he’d be quite a good catch.”

  Lydia jumped up. “That’s who he is. I thought he looked familiar. I do believe I’ve seen him in passing but we’ve never been formally introduced. How silly I feel now. Do you think he knows who I am?”

  “I do not. Though I wager he might have more than a sneaking suspicion that you are no lad.”

  “Oh, no.” She hung her head in her heads. “How shall I proceed now? Confess all or stay quiet.”

  “Do as you like,” Rose muttered, “I think that’s how you normally proceed anyway.”

  They both laughed. “Indeed, Alex is quite charming, but I do not think he and I would row well together. I believe he needs a different kind of girl as his wife. He carries a lot of pain with him—he tries to hide it, but I see it bubbling just under the surface. This changes everything.” Lydia sat back onto the chaise longue, and clapped her hands over her face. “I can’t go back out as Jamie now.”

  “And why not?”

  “It’s not as much…well, I shan’t…”

  “Enjoy yourself quite so much?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, that’s completely ridiculous. You might not be sneaking about anymore, but you still have pleasure of being witness to Richard’s antics as he watches you play the part of Jamie, and I’d say that I would pay money to see it.”

  Lydia laughed. “He is rather entertaining, isn’t he?”

  “Why don’t you spend most of the evening in Richard’s company, and debut Jamie in secret right after the ball? I’m quite certain he eagerly anticipates it.”

  “I never thought you would encourage my bad behavior.”

  “I’ve grown weary of the two of you dancing around each other but never coming together. I want a wedding, and I want to see you safe within your own happiness.”

  “What if he decides I’m not worth all the trouble?”

  “My dear, you are an absolute prize. He would be a fool to think that. I’ve seen him looking at you longingly. I’ve studied him when you’ve been completely oblivious. He’s left the fog, he’s ready to claim your heart. Let him. Let him show you his heart, and it won’t hurt to enjoy yourself along the way.”

  “So…lead him on a merry chase, aye?”

  “Aye. Richard delights in strong females. He is attracted to them like a bee to a flower. You’ve been the wallflower long enough, dear. It’s time to throw off that demure façade, and embrace your inner hoyden at all times. You act like a little spitfire for your family, but you become a different person when you’re at balls and when you’re around Richard. So…perhaps it’s time to go a little wild, aye, make Jamie and Lydia one?”

  “My mother won’t allow it. She already forbade it. If I did any of what you propose, she would certainly need smelling salts. I can sneak about as Jamie, but if I tried anything as Lady Lydia—she would die from the sheer shock of it.”

  “Fiddlesticks. Your mother will have to look beyond it, and I think she will. She’s also grown weary of watching you and Richard make a mull of everything. She wants you to marry him. She wants you to marry a man who is worthy of you, and we all know that Mr. Newson isn’t that man, but Richard is. He will do everything in his power to discredit Mr. Newson’s character. Be prepared, my dearest. Richard isn’t as meek and mild as you believe.”

  “So…so you think he will fight for me?”

  “You may depend upon it.” Rose looked over at the clock. “Goodness. I must away, and allow you to dress for the ball. Take heart, Lydia. Your prince is about to steal you away.”

  ichard pulled at his starched cravat, and impatiently untied it.

  He didn’t like the bloody knot, and it felt as if it were choking the life right out of him. He didn’t fancy it at all. He’d have to call his valet back or just bloody well retie it himself. He groaned. He hated this part of being a lord. He wasn’t that much of a dandy. He preferred comfort over style. Although he did have his Savile Row tailor keep him in the latest fashions.

  His uncle had it right, spending most of his time at his country estate dressed in nice relaxing banyans. That’s what he needed to do. Become an old eccentric, stay in the country all the time, and traipse about his estate wearing his banyan and cap with two large loveable dogs trailing behind him. Yes, that would suit him quite nicely. Of course, he wouldn’t return to a loving wife and a houseful of children who adored him. A knot formed in the pit of his stomach. Perhaps, perhaps, he’d been complacent for far too long. He had to take charge of his destiny and ensure that he had that beautiful and adoring wife, and children who would carry on his legacy.

  Richard regarded his handiwork in the mirror. He might not think like a dandy, but he looked like one at the moment. He was dressed for the ball and looking quite smart, but he wasn’t looking forward to it. As much as he wanted to prove to Lydia that Newson wasn’t the man she thought he was, he knew it would hurt her, and hurting Lydia was never something he’d intended.

  Just thinking about it made him revile himself. No. There had to be another way. Mayhap he could bribe James Newson, and give him a fortune just to give up on Lydia, and go quietly. Newson was known as a skinflint and a pinchpenny within the ton. Surely he would jump at any monetary gain dangling in front of him? Hell, he could probably
offer him two fine racehorses to leave Lydia alone.

  No. That wouldn’t work either. Newson was a man of honor, and no honorable man could be bought. There was no dishonor in what Newson was planning to do. Men married women for their dowries all the time.

  Richard had already dismissed his valet, but now he was tempted to call him back. He didn’t know if he liked what he was wearing or not. He looked at it. It would have to do. The time was slipping away, and if he was late for this particular ball, he would receive a scolding that he’d rather avoid. Ruining Lydia would come with less heartache on her part. Showing her what Newson was—that he only cared about her dowry and nothing else—would hurt her even more.

  He walked to his dressing room door and halted. Proceeding would bring on the night, and he didn’t exactly know if he was ready to do what he’d agreed to. He wanted Lydia. He wanted her with a desire burning deep within him. He wanted her more than anything else and he would have her.

  As her brother said, she needed a good taming. No more would he allow her to go out and recklessly race her curricle against the likes of James Newson. Her tomboyish ways would have to be cast aside and replaced with the gentility befitting her station. All the work his sister had done with Lydia would have to be undone. Some would argue that Lydia had a wild streak that had only been tempered by her mother and before that her father because she thought she had to be what they wanted her to be. Mayhap she had believed that no vicar’s daughter could be a woman who thrived in the middle of an adventure. But whatever she thought, whatever she believed, would have to be rewritten. Her reckless attitude was going to going to put her into a perilous situation she would be hard pressed to navigate out of.

  Adventures used to be his spice in life, and at times they still were. How would he explain away his sometimes long absences to a wife? She’d be worse than a mother. She’d want him to account for all his actions of every minute of his days. True, his cousins and his sister were not like that with their husbands, or so he heard from their husbands, but he had heard his other chums’ accounts of married life. Men who had once seen danger during their time in the wars were now cowed by their wives who needed to know where they spent every hour of every day. They were in short, henpecked, and he couldn’t follow in those undesirable footsteps. He couldn’t live like that. He preferred his freedom—and after already suffering one mishap when he’d decided to marry, he preferred not suffering another humiliation. When he retired to the country, he liked his idle and peaceful life. A wife could help him secure that. Surely his mother would stop nagging him then, and he brightened. Then she would be the Dowager Countess and be obliged to move to the dower house. Even a better reason to take Lydia as his wife. His mother was quite fond of Lydia. She certainly approved of her as a match.