Just for a Night (5 page)

‘Y
OU
do look tired,' His Lordship said as he started his third cup of coffee. ‘And you've hardly eaten a bite.'

Marina gave him a wan smile across the six-seater circular table which was set as elegantly for breakfast as for a formal dinner party. The white tablecloth was starched linen, the cutlery silver, and the crockery fine white gold-rimmed china.

The whole room was not quite as formal as the rest of the house, however, and looked out onto the courtyard Marina had spotted from upstairs. Painted in creams and yellows, and with the sun shining through the tall windows, it would have been a bright and welcoming room if Marina had been in a bright and welcoming mood.

‘You're not hungry?' His Lordship asked.

Marina stared blankly down at the breakfast she herself had selected from the superb sideboard buffet, which offered a huge range of hot food not to mention a choice of cereals plus freshly squeezed orange juice.

She'd sat down with a glass of the orange juice and a plate on which she'd unthinkingly deposited two poached eggs, two strips of bacon, a sausage, one slice of grilled tomato and several mushrooms. So far she'd only managed the orange juice and half a slice of
bacon. The four slices of toast which Henry had placed on the table in a silver toast rack remained untouched, and she hadn't got round to the brewed pot of tea Henry had set before her.

Her appetite had totally deserted her, her earlier bout of irrational weeping leaving her feeling oddly fragile.

‘I do think I need a sleep,' she admitted. Sleep would mean she could not think. She didn't want to think any more, about Shane or about this man opposite her. She certainly didn't want to think about the youthfully sweet and undoubtedly beautiful Lady Tiffany Ravensbrook.

‘Are you sure you're up to being admitted to the hospital this afternoon?' His Lordship asked.

‘Yes, of course I am,' Marina practically snapped. ‘So, please, don't even
think
of putting it off. I don't want any delay in doing this. If I'm still asleep when you get back from the bank after lunch, just wake me up.'

He'd told her when she'd first sat down about his position as vice-president at one of London's largest merchant banks and how he had to go there after breakfast for a few hours. He also had a lunchtime appointment. ‘Or, better still, have Henry wake me beforehand so I'll be ready when you come home.'

Marina could see by his frown that he was puzzled by her shortness. She sighed, and tried to remember that none of this was his fault. He'd not let her think by word or deed that he felt anything for her but an understandable admiration and gratitude for what she
was doing for his great-niece. She was making a right fool of herself.

As for Henry…he was just a suspicious and dirty-minded old man!

‘I'm sorry, James,' she said, then blinked her astonishment at herself. ‘Oh—oh, I mean…Your Lordship.'

His grin was lopsided and heartstoppingly charming. ‘So you've cracked at last,' he said, blue eyes glittering with amusement. ‘I wondered how long it would take. From now on it will be James and nothing but James. And I will
not
take no for an answer.'

She couldn't help it. She smiled back at him, and melted all over. ‘Very well…James.'

Henry
would
walk in at that moment, with her smiling with fatuous helplessness at His Lordship. And,
worse
, James was smiling back at her and looking at her for all the world as though he found her the most desirable, delightful and interesting woman. He then topped off the awkward and easily misunderstood situation by looking up at Henry and saying, ‘Marina's finally consented to calling me James, Henry. For a minute there I thought I was going to have to put up with His Lordship for the next ten days or so.'

‘Ten days or so, My Lord?' Henry echoed stiffly, a frown gathering. ‘I booked Miss Marina's return flight for next weekend. I was assured by the hospital she would be ready to travel by then.'

‘Yes, yes, no doubt she will be,' James said as he scraped back his chair and stood up. ‘But I'm going to take her down to Winterborne Hall for a few days
before she goes back to Australia. Don't worry, I'll have my secretary change the booking.'

Henry frowned some more. ‘Have you forgotten, My Lord?'

‘Forgotten what?'

‘Lady Tiffany will be away in Italy around that time?'

James tossed his linen napkin down on the table. ‘No, Henry,' he returned, with a sharp edge in his voice. ‘I haven't forgotten. I am not taking Marina down to Winterborne Hall to visit with neighbours. I am taking her there to show her the countryside and Rebecca's home.'

Marina's swift intake of breath heralded her realisation that the Earl of Winterborne had no intention of telling her he was on the verge of becoming engaged, or of letting her path cross with his intended. Her shock was only superseded by exciting flashes of wicked speculation. Was this deliberate on his part? Did Henry know his employer better than she did? Did the Earl of Winterborne have a secret passion for redheads?

Maybe his marriage was to be one of convenience on his part? Marina speculated some more. A merging of money, breeding and titles. Maybe he meant to have women on the side, ones he momentarily fancied, ones he would keep secret from his naive young bride. It wouldn't be the first time such things had happened in those circles. And what better choice of a passing bed-partner than a woman who would return
to a far-off land at the end of the affair—a woman committed to someone else…?

Marina stared up at James and wondered if his acutely observant mind had picked up on her unexpected but quite intense desire for him. Was he already planning her seduction? Plotting to have her while his fiancée was overseas?

It was obvious Henry feared as much. And he would know the nature of the beast better than herself.

Marina's emotions swung from a breathtakingly intoxicating excitement over such a prospect to an acute disappointment in the man she'd thought perfect. Perhaps she should not have put him on such a pedestal. After all, he was a human being, not a saint. A man, not a machine.

‘But surely Lady Tiffany would like to meet Miss Marina,' Henry persisted.

With this reminder of James's intended, Marina decided with more reluctance than she would have liked to admit that she could not possibly be a party to any potentially sordid sexual games, if that was what His Lordship had in mind.

‘Yes, and I'd like to meet
her
,' she tripped out brightly. ‘Henry tells me you and this Lady Tiffany are getting engaged shortly, James.'

There was no doubting that His Lordship glared at his valet at this piece of news. But only for a second. Just as swiftly he laughed, but when he looked back at Marina, his expression was wry.

‘You
did
say people liked to tell you things, didn't you? Believe me when I say it's not like Henry to
gossip so. What will you tell her next, I wonder?' This with another caustic glance the valet's way.

‘Possibly that you're the best Earl of Winterborne in a hundred years,' Henry volunteered, with a po-faced expression. ‘That you're a good man, with a great sense of responsibility, loyalty and tradition. And that you love your niece's child, Rebecca, as if she were your own daughter and would do anything to make her future a lot happier than her past.'

‘My, my, Henry. Do you think any mortal man could live up to such a glowing testimonial?'

‘I think you'll try, My Lord.'

James nodded slowly up and down, a rueful smile pulling at his mouth. ‘You are a sneaky old man, Henry. What alternative do I have in front of our guest but to agree with you?'

‘I know that, My Lord.'

‘You know too much, Henry.'

‘I have lived a long time, My Lord. Your brother would have said too long.'

‘My brother may have been right,' James muttered, before throwing Marina a parting smile. ‘See how he browbeats me into behaving myself? Have a good sleep, Marina. I'll be back with the car to pick you up at two-thirty. Henry, make sure Marina eats some lunch before that. We don't want her relying solely on hospital food, do we?'

‘Certainly not, My Lord.'

And then he was gone.

Marina stared at the empty doorway and wished her
heart was not beating so, despite feeling intolerably heavy.

‘You haven't eaten much of your breakfast, Miss Marina,' Henry said as he gathered James's coffee cup and pot onto a tray.

‘I…no, Henry. I'm sorry,' she said dully. ‘I seem to have lost my appetite for some reason.'

‘Perhaps you are nervous about what lies ahead of you in hospital, miss,' he said, with a gentleness in his voice she hadn't heard before.

‘Perhaps, Henry.'

‘Maybe you'll feel more like eating after a nap.'

‘Maybe.' Her chin began to quiver and tears filled her eyes anew. Panic that she was about to disgrace herself had her rising abruptly from her chair and, in doing so, bumping the valet's arm. The silver tray he was holding slipped from his grasp and crashed to the polished floor, smashing the coffee cup and spilling the remains of the coffee from the pot.

‘Oh, dear heaven!' she exclaimed, her face stricken. ‘I'm so sorry, Henry. I'm such an idiot!' She squatted down immediately to help clear up the mess, but the incident seemed to have opened the floodgates of her very mixed-up feelings and tears started to stream down her face.

‘Oh, God,' she choked out, when Henry's expression showed he was aghast at this display of emotion. ‘I…I'm just tired,' she tried to explain through sobs. ‘I'll be all right…in a…in a little while.'

Henry took the broken crockery from her shaking hands and placed it back on the floor, then he helped
her back upright. The arms he curved around her heaving shoulders were incredibly gentle. ‘You just need a good sleep, Miss Marina. Come. Let me help you upstairs.'

‘Th-thank you. You're…you're very sweet,' she said as he did so.

‘It's no trouble. And you're the one who's sweet, Miss Marina. I can see why His Lordship is so taken with you.'

She blinked up at him through blurred eyes, halting to dash away the remains of her tears and withdraw from the valet's steadying arms. They were halfway up the staircase and Marina leant against the mahogany balustrade, gripping it tightly with one hand.

‘Why do you say that, Henry?' she demanded to know, if a little shakily. ‘There's nothing between His Lordship and myself. Goodness, we only met this morning. He's getting engaged next month, and, as I said, I'm going to be married myself around the same time. If you think for one moment I would entertain the thought of some kind of illicit liaison with His Lordship while I'm over here, then you're very much mistaken!'

Henry seemed unfazed by her indignant outburst.

‘That's as may be, Miss Marina, but I know what I know and I see what I see. His Lordship
is
taken with you. Make no mistake about
that
. Experience has shown me that there are not many ladies who remain indifferent to him once he turns on the Winterborne charm.'

Marina didn't know what to say. She wasn't sure
if she was flattered by Henry's conviction or afraid of it. As for herself…it was pointless to deny the obvious: she was more than charmed by the Earl of Winterborne. It seemed crazy that such a thing could happen in such a short space of time. But it had. Her feelings for Shane seemed positively lukewarm in comparison to the feelings James could engender in her with just a look.

But that still didn't mean she was prepared to hop into bed with him.

‘I have met plenty of Australians in my time,' Henry went on. ‘I know they don't like people to…er…beat around the bush? So I hope you won't take offence over what I am about to say.'

Marina had a feeling she would. Henry might have met a good few Australians in his time, but he didn't seem to have much regard for the moral fibre of their women!

‘His Lordship is going through a difficult time at the moment. He is under stress with what is happening to Rebecca. As I said earlier, he adores that little girl. On top of that, his relationship with Lady Tiffany is not the sort of relationship he is used to with his lady-friends. As such, he may be extra vulnerable at the moment to an undoubtedly real but ultimately passing attraction. Do you know what I am saying?'

Marina wasn't sure she did—till she recalled Henry telling her earlier that Lady Tiffany always slept in the rose room when she stayed overnight. Since this modern young woman was on the verge of engage
ment to James, wouldn't it be more natural if she spent the night in
his
bed?

The realisation that James was not sleeping with his soon-to-be fiancée should not have thrilled Marina.

But it did.

‘I see you
do
understand what I'm saying,' the valet stated stiffly, his eyes not perfectly at peace with the pleased expression on her face. ‘Maybe I have said too much,' he muttered.

Marina swiftly wiped the hint of satisfaction from her lips. ‘No, no, Henry, you did the right thing,' she hastily assured the well-meaning valet. ‘And I will give you the benefit of an equally straight-talking reply to your concerns. I promise you I have no intention of doing anything to compromise His Lordship or his coming marriage while I am over here. I
like
James very much. Okay. I
more
than like him. I think he's bloody fantastic. How's that for a good old Aussie expression? But I'm no fool. Neither am I a woman of easy virtue.'

‘Miss Marina! I never meant to imply that—'

She waved him to silence. ‘No, I realise that. But you do seem to think I have no will of my own in this matter. You seem to think James would only have to proposition me and I would forget my own fiancé back home and jump into bed with him. Not so, I assure you,' she insisted, and hoped valiantly that it was so.