Darrington 01 - Marriage Minded Lord (14 page)

“Let me worry about her. You enjoy the evening
as it’s specifically planned for you.”

Warmth slid through her insides at his thoughtfulness.
“But what about—”

“Clarice, stop.” He dropped the chunks of
chicken meat into the pan and moved everything about with a wooden spoon until they were in a single layer. “You are my guest. The others in the drawing room are being well taken care of by Samuel and the parlor maids. Olivia doesn’t want for male attention.” He turned and held her gaze. “Tonight, I dance attendance upon you in accordance to your station.”

“My station?” The man had to be mad. Why else would he do this?

“Yes, as the granddaughter of a French count. It’s just one of the many ways I plan to show you my affection.”

The heat invading her body
stole into her cheeks. “Thank you.” The respect and regard he showed nearly undid her. Yet cold fingers of fear clutched at her heart. It was merely lust and desire, and it was dangerous. No good could come from such things. Oh, but it made her feel so wonderful. She sucked in a shuddering breath and decided not to worry about it. For once in her life she’d let someone cater to her whims. “I appreciate the kindness.” She vowed to enjoy every second of it.

The scents of cooking meat and vegetables assailed her and caused her stomach to rumble, but it wasn’t until Felix added the
other vegetables, rice, spices and a measure of water and white wine that she began to look forward to dinner. The liquid in the pan turned a bright yellow from the saffron. “I cannot wait to taste it.”

“Shall I share the first spoonful with you?” he asked in a whispered voice as he sat across the table from her. “There’s nothing quite like that first bite.”

“Only time will tell.” Throwing caution to the wind, she winked. Just this once she would allow herself to flirt with him.

Felix smiled. It lit his eyes and took years from his face. “I have a feeling you’d be quite mischievous in the right circumstances.”

Clarice nodded. “My mother often teased me that if I forgot to be proper I’d be trouble and quite potent.” She shrugged. “No matter how hard she tried to make me into what she thought women of her class should be, I resisted.” Eventually, she’d need to tell Felix what her mother was, especially since Olivia kept hinting at it, but it wasn’t tonight.

“Perhaps she was correct. There are times when there is no place for proper behavior
no matter where we come from.”

“Unfortunately, my temper often gets the better of me and results me in being somewhat less than proper.”

He rested his intense gaze on her, and it heated her insides. “Clarice, what will you do if you ever meet your father? Will you tell him of your secret, mention your mother’s name? For you must know the probability is high Amherst will ignore you and deny your claim.”

The change in subject left her reeling.
“I do not know what I’ll do. Up until now, it’s only been a dream.” She shrugged. “Perhaps I merely wish to look at him and remind myself I’m not like him either. He is a Tory who cares nothing for the people around him.” Clarice forced a swallow past the lump in her throat. “Perhaps I want to see which parent I resemble most.” She caught his gaze again and fell deep into the blue depths. “It’s silly.”

“No. Nothing you do is silly.
You’re fascinating in everything.” He stirred the contents of the aromatic pan. “You have every right to see him.” When he turned back to her, his expression was serious. “Why do you not claim your French title?”

“My grandfather went into hiding almost eighteen years ago. By the time my mother fled to England
with Amherst, she’d still had no word of his whereabouts.” She traced the grain of the table with a fingertip. “Nobility and titles in my native land no longer hold the prominence they once did.”

“That doesn’t matter. Did your mother have brothers or
did your grandfather have brothers?”

“Grandfather was an only child. The
Comte de Auvergne
title will pass into obscurity or to a distant cousin no doubt.” Her chest tightened. It was a sad state of affairs indeed that political fervor and class divisions had torn apart France in recent years.

“Your mother would have been countess had your grandfather been confirmed dead, yes?”

“Yes.” She sighed. “Losing the title as well as everyone I’ve cared about is trying. It was something unique to my name. When my mother told me of my paternity, I suppose I wished for roots though my claim is tenuous at best. I need a connection.”

“Stranger things have happened. Do not discount everything right now.”

Clarice smiled, but it was a wobbly affair. “I appreciate your kindness, Felix. You have no idea how much it means.” If she wasn’t careful, she’d lose her whole heart to him and then where would she be? In much worse straits. At least now her heartbreak wasn’t deep as the only person she’d loved was her mother. If she were to fall for Lord Swandon, no good could come from such an affliction. It would be madness indeed to think his recent actions meant he wanted to court her.

“All of us want to belong, to mean something special to someone, to be cherished and know we matter.” His eyes darkened, and when he smiled, the slight indention in his chin grew more prominent. “This doesn’t stop regardless of birth or class. Tell the world you’re the granddaughter of
a
comte
, Clarice. Chances are high you will be the countess soon and people will celebrate you.”

“That secret is mine to keep, I’m afraid.” She shook her head. “A penniless countess
from a country torn apart by war. At least now I earn a living and have certain freedoms. I’ve never wished to hold myself better than anyone else.”

The faraway sound of Lady Drummond’s raucous laughter pierced the silence, yet she continued to hold his gaze.
“Please respect my wishes.”

Finally, he nodded. “You must do what makes you happy.”

“Yes.”
Am I happy now?
She glanced around the kitchen and back at Felix again. Flutters tickled her insides, even more so when he didn’t stop looking at her as if he wished to say much more than he had. The need to touch him grew strong. She wet her lower lip
.
For so long she’d worried about doing the proper thing, the right thing, and living for those whom she considered better than her for the mere reason of title or birth. Opportunities had passed her by. She’d been taken advantage of by people who should have known better.

No more.
If she continued flirting, would that strengthen the bond she and Felix shared? Perhaps their situations truly didn’t matter after all, but she wanted to try, if only for herself.

“Oh, Felix.” Clarice left the relative safety of her stool, ran around the table and more or less hurled herself into his arms. “I cannot abide the suspense any longer. Please kiss me and do so swiftly. I
cannot sit here and watch you and know you’ve done this kindness for me without giving something to you.”

“Truly, and if I do, you won’t think the worst of me?”
He held her gaze. “Every other time I’ve kissed you, you’ve run away with fear in your gaze. It is crushing to my ego.” He smiled, but it didn’t light his eyes.

Poor man. Her actions were probably hard to read.
“No, no, for I want it too.” When he stood motionless, she sighed. “
Mon dieu
, kiss me. I want to know that I mean something more to a man than… well, it doesn’t matter.” She slipped her arms about his neck, tugged his head down and claimed his lips.

Clarice
fell into the heated wonder that was Felix. She threaded her fingers through the silky hair just over his collar at his nape and pressed closer to him until they were breast to chest, hips to hips and everywhere between. He overwhelmed her senses: hard, muscled torso and shoulders, the clean, slightly citrusy scent of him perfumed the air she breathed, the faint scratch of his stubble against her chin awakened her body, and still she kissed him.

He stroked his hands down her back then gripped her hips and pulled her closer. “I’ve waited so longer to
know you like this,” he whispered against her mouth.

Clarice licked and nibbled his bottom lip.
When he didn’t continue the embrace, she sighed then stepped away, putting space between them. “Why did you stop?”

“Oh,
ma petit innocente
.” He tugged her back into his embrace and brushed her lips with his. “If I don’t exert willpower now, I won’t be able to stop until I’ve claimed all of you.” A feather-weighted kiss followed. “And I refuse to do that.”

“Why?” She could barely think clearly
while her heart beat a frantic rhythm.

“Simple.” Felix grinned and the mirth danced in his eyes. “I respect you too much to sully what will be a beautiful expression of mutual trust and regard.
And, in case you wondered, you are worth more than a hurried toss in the sheets.”

Did that mean their coming together was a certainty?
A shuddering sigh escaped her throat. She couldn’t reconcile all of her feelings on the matter. “Thank you.” Tears welled in her eyes from the unexpected treasure. He was much different than any man she’d ever known. His actions alone put him above them all, but it had been his words she treasured in her heart.

As he turned away to tend to his paella, she pressed trembling fingers to her lips. Though she’d tried to resist, the unthinkable had happened anyway. She was in love with Felix Darrington.

Don’t fall in love, Clarice. Men leave once that abomination occurs.

A tingle slid down her spine and lodged between her thighs. For the moment, it was enough that she realized her folly. There’d be time enough to regret it later.

Her good feelings lasted throughout the meal. Though Felix conversed with his friends and with Lady Drummond, oftentimes his gaze remained on her and glittered with heated promise. He’d made certain the talk of the table included her, and the evening passed in a pleasantness she hadn’t known for a long time.

Everything shifted the second she and Lady Drummond entered their carriage. Olivia rounded on her as soon as the door closed behind
her.

“How dare you presume to steal Felix’s attention away from me
tonight? You knew how much I’d looked forward to furthering his acquaintance.”

“Perhaps you need to read the signs better, my lady. It doesn’t appear he shares your sentiments.” Clarice
uttered the response before she thought things through.

“Well, aren’t you a cheeky bit of baggage?” Lady Drummond shot across the carriage and slapped Clarice’s cheek. She sat on the bench next to her and slapped the same cheek again. “Do
not presume you’ve won him over.”

Hot pain radiated from Clarice’s cheek through her ear and the side of her head. Tears sprang to her eyes as she shrank back against the wall of the carriage. “I don’t think it’s my decision. He will go ahead with his plans regardless of what you want.”

Olivia’s cry of rage sent more terror into Clarice’s heart than her touch had. “You need to remember your place.” She grabbed a handful of Clarice’s hair and yanked her head backward. Pain screamed along her scalp. “You are the daughter of a whore. You have nothing to recommend you, regardless of who you think your father was. Women like you are only good for pleasuring a man’s prick.”

“You’re wrong.” Though it was difficult to force words out of her throat at the angle it was held in, she had to defend herself. “I deserve to be loved the same as any woman.” Her pulse beat out of control and she fought against the waves of panic washing over her.

Lady Drummond snarled. “You deserve to have your tongue cut out for all you back talk.” She released Clarice’s hair but delivered another slap, this time to her other cheek. “You think you can flaunt your French beauty in his face, and he’ll run to do your bidding. You’re nothing more than gutter trash, do you hear? Whatever you think his interest in you is, forget it. This is my last warning, do you understand?” She struck out again.

Clarice turned her face toward the wall in an effort to protect her
self. The blow fell on the back of her head which made her forehead bounce against the carriage’s side.

“Answer me, damn you!” Lady Drummond’s screech came in time to the dig of her knuckles into the small of Clarice’s back
as she delivered a punch. “If I find you alone with Felix again, there will be hell to pay.”