Bound by Love (6 page)

“Your Grace,” she murmured, refusing to glance down and ensure her white muslin gown with a black ribbon threaded through the bodice and seed pearls stitched along the hem was not wrinkled from her short journey. It was bad enough her hand had already lifted to touch her curls that had been twisted into a complicated knot on top her head.

“I wished to assure myself that you were settled. I hope the chambers suit you?”

“Very much, thank you.”

His gaze shifted over her shoulder, lingering on the dresser. “You appeared to be searching for something. If there is anything you need…”

“No, I was simply assuring myself that Sophy had packed all that I requested,” she interrupted, her voice rushed.

“Ah.” His expression was impossible to read. “And did she?”

“Yes, I believe so.”

“If not, you need only let me know and I shall send one of my servants to collect it for you.”

“That is very kind of you.”

A slow, tantalizing smile curved his lips. “I desire you to feel welcome at Meadowland.”

Her mouth went dry, reminding her that there was more than one danger in residing beneath the same roof as the Duke of Huntley.

“Where is Brianna?”

“Saying farewell to my brother.”

“I see. Perhaps I should say goodbye, as well.”

His wicked laugh brushed over her skin like a caress. “I doubt they would welcome the interruption at this precise moment.”

She bit her bottom lip. “Oh.”

“Hmm.” Without warning he reached to brush a finger down her cheek. “I wonder if that blush is real. Are you as innocent as you appear to be?”

She hastily backed away, not halting until her back was pressed against the carved post of the bed. A mere touch should not make her stomach clench with excitement.

“Your Grace.”

Prowling forward, the Duke did not halt until he was close enough for her to feel the heat of his body through her gown.

“My name is Stefan.” He reached to grasp the post just above her head, his brooding gaze trained on her lips. “Say it.”

A voice whispered in the back of her mind to slap his handsome face. It would be a disaster to allow this man to realize just how susceptible she was to his potent masculinity.

That voice, however, went unheeded as her body softened and her pulsed raced. How was she supposed to think when his spicy male scent was clouding her senses?

“Stefan,” she breathed.

His head dipped down to stroke his lips over the pulse fluttering at the base of her throat.

“Again.”

She trembled. “Stefan.”

“Beautiful.” He gently nipped her skin, his hand skimming up the curve of her waist. “You are so beautiful.”

Her knees went weak and Leonida was forced to grasp the lapels of his jacket to keep upright.

“Why are you doing this?” she asked huskily.

His fingers shifted to trace the edge of her bodice, the light touch making her stomach clench again with a thrilling sense of exhilaration.

“Because I must know.”

“Know what?”

His mouth traced a path of kisses up the line of her throat. “If your skin is as smooth as I have fantasized it to be.” He nuzzled the hollow beneath her ear. “If your hair smells of jasmine.” He explored the heated skin of her cheek before hovering just above her mouth. “If your lips taste as sweet as they appear.”

“You must not…”

Her words were halted as he covered her mouth in a fierce, shockingly brazen kiss.

Leonida’s breath tangled in her throat and her heart forgot to beat as her lips parted beneath his insistent demand. Over the years she had occasionally been kissed by hopeful gentlemen. A few had even been quite skilled. But never had such a simple caress seared through her, melting her resistance with a terrifying ease.

His lips tasted of brandy, as if he had sipped the spirit before entering her room, and his tongue teased hers in an oddly erotic dance. She felt dizzy, his male scent stirring
her senses as surely as the clever fingers that cupped her breast in a possessive gesture.

She shivered, her lips moving beneath his with a ready response she could not hide. This was precisely what she had desired from the moment she had laid eyes on the magnificent Duke of Huntley.

It was, at last, the achingly sweet excitement blooming in the pit of her stomach that sent up a shrill of alarm through her mind.

Mon Dieu.

She had devoted the entire morning to preparing herself to ignore Stefan’s intoxicating presence. Had she not paced her room at Hillside, listing all the reasons her attraction for the Duke was such a ghastly notion? Not the least of which was the risk of being distracted from her true reason for being in Meadowland.

And here she was, melting in his arms, just minutes after her bags had been unpacked.

Pressing her hands against his chest, Leonida turned her face from his devastating kiss.

“No…this is…”

“What?” he rasped, stroking his lips over the line of her jaw.

“Dangerous.”

He pulled back to regard her with smoldering eyes. “Are you afraid?”

Afraid? Her heart was pounding and her knees weak, but she knew that it was not from fear.

“I would be if I had any sense,” she muttered.

He searched her wide eyes, a stain of color splayed along his high cheekbones.

“Do you have a lover waiting for you in Russia?”

She stiffened at the harsh question. “Of course not.”

“It would not be so shocking, little dove. You are an exquisite temptation that few men could resist.”

“Just because my mother…”

He frowned as she allowed her defensive words to trail away. “This has nothing to do with your mother.”

With a wiggle, she slipped from his arms, her hand pressed to her churning stomach as she regarded him with a wary gaze.

“Please, your Grace, Sophy might return at any moment.”

His expression hardened. “My name is Stefan.”

“Fine.” She blew out an exasperated sigh. “Stefan.”

“Until later.”

With a stiff bow, the Duke turned to make his way toward the door. Abruptly, Leonida realized she was about to allow a perfect opportunity to slip through her grasp.

“Your…” She swiftly corrected herself as Stefan turned to stab her with a warning frown. “Stefan.”

“Yes?”

“I hope you do not mind if I explore your beautiful home while I am here?”

Despite her determinedly casual tone he stilled at her request. He looked like…what? A predator that had spotted his prey?

“I will be pleased to take you on a tour before dinner.”

“No, I…” She halted to clear her throat. “I would not want to take you from your duties. I am quite capable of wandering around on my own.”

He offered a slow dip of his head. “As you wish.”

Waiting until he had left her chambers, Leonida moved to sink onto the edge of the bed, burying her face in her hands as her body trembled with frustrated need.

“Mother, what have you gotten me into?” she muttered.

L
EAVING THE IVORY CHAMBERS
, Stefan was forced to halt and battle the desire that raged through him like wildfire.

Damn.

He had deliberately gone into Leonida’s room to catch her off guard. Not a particularly admirable ploy, but it had succeeded. A mere glance at her rummaging through the
drawers of the dresser had proven she had been searching for something. Something she obviously thought was hidden at Meadowland.

Not that he could imagine what it might be.

And within a few moments in her company, he no longer gave a bloody hell.

At the mere sight of her standing next to the bed, her jasmine scent filling his senses, he had been lost.

If she had not pushed him away, he would have taken her then and there.

Christ, he wished that he had taken her. At least then his body would not be aroused to the point of pain.

“Sir.”

The familiar voice of his butler was nearly as good as being tossed in the middle of a freezing lake.

The savage need faded—although he suspected it would never be truly gone, at least not until he had Leonida spread beneath him—and he was able to turn to face his servant with a measure of composure.

“Yes, Goodson?”

“It may be nothing, but I thought you should know.”

“What is it?”

“Benjamin caught two ruffians in the copse of woods just south of the house.”

Stefan frowned. “Poachers?”

Goodson gave a lift of his hands. “They claimed they were staying in the local village and were merely admiring the grounds.”

“Were they armed?”

“Yes, and Benjamin claimed they spoke with a strange accent.” There was a deliberate pause. “He was certain it wasn’t French.”

Stefan clenched his hands. Foreigners. Were they connected to Leonida?

There was only one means to discover the truth.

“Have Benjamin travel to the village and see if he can
catch sight of the trespassers. I would be very interested to know where they are staying.”

Goodson nodded, his gaze shifting to the door that Stefan had so recently closed.

“What of Miss Karkoff?”

“You may leave Miss Karkoff to me.”

The butler sniffed his disapproval. “As you wish.”

T
WO DAYS LATER
, L
EONIDA
joined Brianna in a slow stroll through the Duchess’s formal garden.

It was a beautiful creation.

The main avenue was paved with a pale pink stone and lined by fountains topped with sirens on each side. At the end of the avenue a refectory pool was surrounded by marble benches and in the center of the pool was a large golden sculpture of Apollo surrounded by lions spewing water from their mouths.

Several smaller paths led to the flower beds that were framed by precisely cut hedges, and set just beyond the pool was a pretty domed grotto that offered a magnificent view of the surrounding countryside.

Soaking in the welcome warmth of the afternoon sun, Leonida slowly felt her tense muscles relax.

The past few days had been stressful, to say the least.

Lord, she had known that Stefan must employ a small battalion of servants, but she had not realized that it was impossible to step from her rooms without tripping over a half dozen of them. Chambermaids, under maids, footmen, pages, a housekeeper, a butler…

Even the one occasion she had attempted to slip toward the Duchess’s chamber in the middle of the night, she had nearly been caught by a uniformed servant who seemed to have no other task than keeping an eye on the candles burning along the corridor.

She might as well have been attempting to steal the Crown Jewels.

To make matters worse, there was no escaping the time she was forced to spend in Stefan’s company.

Oh, he was unfailingly polite, even charming. What else could he be when Brianna was always near? But Leonida was acutely aware of his brooding gaze that held a terrifying mixture of distrust and blatant sexual need.

Unaware that her feet had faltered to a halt, Leonida gave a sudden jerk as Brianna touched her arm.

“Well?”

Turning her head, Leonida regarded her companion’s expectant expression, belatedly realizing that Brianna assumed her bemused manner was due to their beautiful surroundings.

“It is as stunning as you promised,” Leonida said, happy to be distracted from her worrisome thoughts. “It reminds me of home.”

Brianna smiled, her hair shimmering like fire in the sunlight. If Leonida had been an envious sort of person, she would have hated the slender woman with her tilted green eyes and perfect features. Even simply attired in a morning gown of twilled French silk, she seemed to glow with feminine beauty. Leonida, on the other hand, knew she was pretty enough in her rose-and-ivory striped walking dress with satin flowers along the hem, but she would never possess Brianna’s dramatic appeal.

Thankfully, Leonida had never been petty and she found herself enchanted with Brianna’s artless charm.

“Yes, the Duchess was most insistent that it resemble the garden she had known when she was a girl in St. Petersburg,” Brianna explained. “She loved Meadowland, but she never forgot her devotion to Russia. No doubt that is why Edmond felt compelled to offer his services to the Emperor when he came of age.”

“The current Duke does not seem to possess his brother’s sense of dedication to Russia.”

“No, Stefan is very much an Englishman, as he should be,” Brianna readily agreed. “His duty is to his estates and to the British Crown. He has a great number of people who depend upon him.”

“So I have noticed,” Leonida said dryly, recalling the unwelcome servants who filled the house.

“He is a very fine duke. Just like his father.”

Leonida pretended an interest in a nearby rose bloom. She suspected that Brianna was aware of far more than she allowed others to believe.

“Did you know the previous Duke well?”

“Yes.” With a faint sigh, Brianna moved to settle on a nearby bench. “I was in London when he and the Duchess died, but I spent a great deal of my childhood here. My own parents…well, let us just say they were unsuited to wed and even more unsuited to have a child. My only solace was coming to Meadowland where I was welcomed as one of the family.” She glanced toward the sprawling mansion. “This was a place of great joy and great love.”

Leonida nodded. She had easily been able to sense the happiness that seemed to have seeped into the very stone of Meadowland, as if just waiting for an opportunity to fill the air once again.

“Did you know then that you would wed Edmond?”

“Good heavens, no.” Brianna’s chuckle filled the rose-scented air. “He terrified me. I was much closer to Stefan.”

Leonida felt a ridiculous pang. Not that she believed that Brianna was anything but devoted to Lord Summerville, but there was no denying that she held a special place in Stefan’s heart.

“I see.”

“He was like a brother to me,” Brianna said, an odd hint of amusement in her voice. “Now he is truly my brother. I could not be more delighted.”

Leonida stroked the velvet petal, considering Stefan and Edmond.

“I cannot claim your acquaintance with the brothers but I must admit that I find the Duke far more…” She searched for the proper word. “Intimidating than your husband.”

“You are very perceptive.”

Leonida turned to meet Brianna’s startled gaze. “Why do you say that?”

“Most people are fooled by Stefan’s quiet manner and dislike for the foolishness of society, but beneath his calm composure is a formidable intelligence and a ruthless will.” She deliberately paused. “I would not desire to cross him.”

Leonida could not halt her shiver. “No.”

“On the other hand, he is intensely loyal and would do anything in his power to protect those he loves.”

Leonida returned her attention to the roses, unable to dismiss her insatiable fascination with the Duke of Huntley.

“It is odd that he has not yet wed.”

“You must recall that Stefan and Edmond were raised by parents who were utterly devoted to one another. Neither could be satisfied with anything less in their marriage.”

Leonida’s heart sank at Brianna’s words. Stupid. Of course, a gentleman such as Stefan would choose a woman he could love without reservation. A woman of beauty and grace and charm. A woman of unshakable morals whom he could always trust.

She hastily quashed the dangerous thoughts. The next Duchess of Huntley was none of her concern.

None.

“Edmond certainly found such devotion,” she murmured.

“Yes, well, it might not be so simple for Stefan.” Brianna laughed wryly. “Not that Edmond’s and my courtship was without its difficulties, but Stefan is consumed with his duties as Duke. I think he always fears that he will somehow fail his father. A ludicrous notion, but…”

“But he feels the weight of his responsibilities?” Leonida finished for her companion.

“Too much. He never gives himself the opportunity to meet a woman who can win his heart. I worry for him.”

Leonida shrugged. “He is still young.”

“And extraordinarily attractive,” Brianna pointed out, as if Leonida was not already painfully aware of Stefan’s lethal allure. “It is grossly unfair that two men should possess such beauty. I always feel remarkably dowdy in their presence.”

Leonida snorted. “I know precisely how you feel.”

“Yes, perhaps you do.”

Leonida stiffened at Brianna’s soft words, sensing that the woman was far too aware of her potent awareness of Stefan.

Squaring her shoulders, she sternly reminded herself that she had a purpose in coming to Meadowland, and it was not to fantasize about the Duke of Huntley.

“Were you close to the Duchess?” she asked with artful innocence.

“She was always very kind to me.”

“As she was to my mother. They were great friends. In fact, she told me that she was so lonely that she wrote endless letters to the Duchess after she left Russia to travel to England.” She covertly glanced toward Brianna, watching her expression. “Did you ever happen across any of them?”

“Not that I can recall.” Brianna frowned. “Wait, it does seem…Oh, of course.”

“Yes?”

“I remember asking Edmond why he and Stefan held their cousin Howard Summerville in such contempt.” She grimaced. “He lived not far from here and I occasionally crossed his path, so I knew he was a petulant little snitch who delighted in spoiling the fun of others, but their violent hatred seemed a bit extreme.”

Leonida managed a smile, although she couldn’t imagine what Howard Summerville had to do with her mother’s letters.

“What did he say?”

“He said that Howard was always dunning them for money, and worse, they caught him more than once stealing objects from Meadowland that he could sell in London.”

Leonida blinked in shock.
“Mon Dieu.”

“Edmond said they were usually small things, snuff boxes or statuettes, but once Stefan caught Howard in the Duchess’s rooms trying to stuff packets of old letters into his pockets.”

“Letters?” Leonida’s fingers tightened on the rose, sending a shower of crimson petals across the path. Had Howard Summerville managed to read the letters? Was he the one behind her mother’s blackmail? “You are certain?”

“I believe that is what Edmond said. Why?”

“It seems an odd thing to steal.”

“A dangerous thing to try and steal as it turns out.” Brianna laughed. “Stefan had bloodied Howard’s nose and cracked three of his ribs before Edmond could pull him off.”

Leonida froze. “I…see.”

“I do not mean to imply that Stefan is a violent man, but he is intensely protective of his parents’ memories.”

The dread that had been growing with every passing day coiled through the pit of her stomach.

She did not believe Stefan would physically harm her if he learned the truth of her quest. He had been raised a gentleman. But he might very well hate her.

And she could not blame him for a moment.

“Quite understandable,” she muttered.

“Stefan never forgave his cousin,” Brianna continued, unaware of Leonida’s shiver of regret.

Struggling to concentrate on the realization that there had been letters in the Duchess’s rooms, even if she could not know for certain they were the ones she sought, Leonida blinked in astonishment as a large dog bounded through the nearby hedge, dancing around her with his tongue hanging out and his ears flopping.

“Oh.”

Brianna laughed. “Do not fear, Puck would not harm you, would you, old boy?”

“Puck?”

“Puck the second, actually,” a dark voice drawled, making Leonida jerk her head up to watch Stefan step from behind the fountain.

“Stefan, you are home early.” With a smile of welcome, Brianna rose to her feet. “We did not expect you until dinner.”

Stefan’s gaze never wavered from Leonida’s guarded expression. “I discovered I could not concentrate on drainage ditches when I had two such lovely guests staying beneath my roof.”

Brianna chuckled. “It must be your loveliness that has lured him from his beloved fields, Leonida, since he has on more than one occasion forgotten that he was to join me for tea at Hillside.”

Stefan’s lips twitched. “Only because I knew your annoying husband would be hovering about to ruin my appetite for sponge cake.”

“You are a terrible liar and it is time I lay down for a rest,” Brianna said, glancing from Stefan to Leonida with a hint of satisfaction. “It is excessively inconvenient to always feel so weary.”

Recalling his manners, Stefan moved to take Brianna’s hand and lift it to his lips.

“Inconvenient, but wondrous.”

“Yes.”

“If you have need do not hesitate to call for me.”

“All I need is rest. I shall see you both at dinner.”

Leonida watched Brianna follow the path back toward the house, only belatedly realizing she was being left alone with Stefan. Her heart fluttered in alarm. She had gone to great efforts to avoid this precise situation.

“Perhaps…”

Without warning, Stefan had moved to grasp her arms. “No.”

S
TEFAN GAZED DOWN AT THE FACE
that had haunted his nights. The clear, innocent blue eyes. The delicate features. The stubborn line of her jaw.

The lush lips that begged for his kiss.

Christ. He was tired of waiting for her to reveal her nefarious reasons for being at Meadowland, and even more tired of playing the role of proper host.

He wanted her in his bed. To hell with anything else.

As if sensing his smoldering tension, Leonida licked her lips, her eyes darkening with a need she could not entirely disguise.

“No?”

“You were about to suggest that you follow Brianna to ensure she is well or perhaps you have discovered a sudden need to change your gown or any of the other excuses you have used over the past two days to avoid being alone with me.”

Her lips thinned at his mocking tone. “If you are so confident I am attempting to avoid you then it would seem odd you would insist that I remain.”

Skimming his hands down her bare arms, he took her hand and firmly tugged her down the path.