Lover's Gold (30 page)

Instead, he glanced away, unwilling to meet her golden gaze a moment longer. He had to leave her, join Melissa and Jacob, yet he could not force himself to take a step.

“You look lovely tonight, the most beautiful woman in the room,” he said. “But to me you looked just as beautiful in your simple lavender dress.”

He hadn't forgotten
. A hard lump swelled in her throat. She should go, find Chase, make him take her home on whatever pretense necessary, but she couldn’t tear herself away. Ren looked so handsome, so masculine. The black suit fit perfectly across his broad shoulders, down the line of his narrow hips. All too well Elaina remembered the feel of his hard male body pressing against her. Hot color stained her cheeks at the thought.

“I’d better find Chase,” she heard herself say, and watched Ren straighten. The rugged lines of his face became a mask of indifference.

“Yes, I suppose we’d both better go.”

She nodded and turned to move away, but Jacob Stanhope, approaching from behind, caught her arm.

“Well, I see you two have discovered each other again after all these years.”

“Actually,” Ren told him, “we saw each other briefly at the Lick House ball last week.”

She smiled tremulously. “Yes” was all she could manage as she noticed Jacob’s odd, speculative glance.

“She’s quite a treasure,” Jacob said. “I’m surprised you never spoke of her before.”

“Ah, but I did,” Ren corrected. “I told you once about the little girl who dug me out of the coal mine.”

Jacob grinned slyly, tugging at his tight white collar. “You did at that, my boy. I take it you were just as surprised as I to find the little girl had grown into a beautiful woman?” He seemed to regard Ren closely, and Elaina wondered at the quizzical look.

“Pleasantly surprised, Jacob. Pleasantly surprised. Now, if you two will excuse me, I’d better find Melissa.”

As always, the sound of the girl’s name twisted Elaina’s heart.

“Of course,” Jacob agreed. “You needn’t worry. I’ll take care of Miss McAllister. Besides, the longer I keep her away from that rogue, Cameron, the safer she’ll be.”

Ren bristled slightly, nodded, and left.

Relief washed over her, followed closely by sharp jabs of despair. She tried unsuccessfully to listen to Jacob’s conversation, but her mind kept wandering, her gaze straying to the handsome dark-haired man who was talking to Asbury Harpending and several other ladies and gentlemen she recognized from the ball last week. As gold eyes met compelling light blue, she was forced to look away.

A soft tinkling dinner bell sounded, and Jacob extended his arm. Chase stepped up behind them, and the three walked into the huge dining room. One long table, set with gold-rimmed china, gilded silver, and golden goblets, sparkled in the center of the room. A massive bouquet of hyacinths, gladiolas, and long-stemmed yellow roses sat in the middle of the table, filling the room with a potpourri of sweet scents.

Long tapered candles flickered above golden candelabra as Chase pulled out the chair Jacob indicated. As she sat down, Elaina glanced at the tall man seated beside her and felt her heartbeat quicken. Ren seemed as surprised as she to find her next to him. Chase took his seat at the opposite end of the table, his smile, as usual, amused.

“Well, I see Jacob hasn’t lost his sense of the dramatic,” Ren said, a sardonic curve to his mouth. “I’m beginning to wonder at his game.”

Elaina lifted her chin. “And just what game might that be, Mr. Daniels?”

“I’m not quite certain, Miss McAllister, but I intend to find out.” He pulled his crisp linen napkin from the ring beside his plate and laid it across his lap.

“Whatever reasons Mr. Stanhope may have had for these seating arrangements,” Elaina said with conviction, “I’m sure were quite innocent, and we’ll just have to make the best of it. Jacob Stanhope appears to be a fine man.”

“A fine man with a canny way of finding out whatever he wants to know. But I’m not complaining, Miss McAllister. There’s no one I’d rather dine with this evening.” He lowered his gaze to the curve of her breast above the glittering golden poppies. “No one.”

“Might I introduce myself?” the gentleman to her right politely inquired, and she was grateful for the intrusion. “I’m Joshua A. Norton, emperor of these United States and protector of Mexico.”

Elaina smiled brightly. So this was the famous Emperor Norton, San Francisco’s own self-appointed royalty. She’d been fascinated by the man all evening. Dressed in a navy blue regimental uniform with slightly tarnished epaulets, he seemed to be one of the most popular people at the party.

“I’m so very pleased to meet you, Your Highness,” she said with a tinge of humor. “I should have recognized you immediately. I humbly beg your pardon.”

The emperor smiled indulgently. “That’s quite all right, my dear. Quite all right. You’re new to the city, aren’t you?”

“Why, yes.” She’d already decided to keep her story as simple as possible, leaving out the part about her singing as Lainey Starr. “I’m from Pennsylvania originally.”

“Wasn’t there something about a gold mine?” he questioned.

“The Golden Duchess Mine near Central City, Colorado. I staked an old friend, and he struck it rich. We’re partners now.”

He patted her hand solicitously. “Why, that’s wonderful, my dear, wonderful. Quite a place, Colorado. I just accepted it as a state, you know. Had to prove itself worthy at first. But I’m glad to have it in my domain.”

She stifled a grin at his sincerity, but enjoyed the emperor’s wit. He’d proclaimed himself emperor almost twenty years ago, and Chase had explained how the city had grown to love him. Though he had no money and lived in a six-by-ten-foot room, reporters had written stories about him in every newspaper in the country, from the San Francisco
Bulletin
to the famous Virginia City
Territorial Enterprise
, where Mark Twain immortalized the old eccentric, along with his dog, Bummer.

A raven-haired woman on the emperor’s right seemed disturbed by his lack of attention. “Joshua, would you please explain to me again why you’ve dissolved the State Supreme Court?” The woman simpered on the graying man’s arm, so he excused himself and turned his attention in her direction.

Elaina took a sip of light Sancerre from her golden goblet and allowed herself a glance at Ren. His light blue eyes met hers, unreadable, yet unwilling to look away. Elaina swallowed hard.

A thin-faced waiter brought the first course, tiny quail eggs in aspic. Elaina feigned interest in the meal, but her stomach felt queasy, and she had trouble swallowing even the tiny bites she forced herself to take.

“How do you like our emperor?” Ren asked with forced lightness.

She brightened a little, enjoying the husky timbre of his voice. “He seems a most interesting man.”

“The people here love him. They provide his clothes; he attends the theater and the ballet, eats anywhere he pleases—and pays nothing. He’s quite a character.”

“So it would seem.”

The second course, cream of watercress soup laced with shallots and sherry, arrived at the table. Again Elaina ate only a few spoonfuls. She could see Melissa Stanhope seated near the opposite end of the table chatting pleasantly with a fair-haired man of about her same age. She seemed less tense than when Elaina first met her, more relaxed as she spoke animatedly with the young man beside her. She was lovely indeed, though delicate and a bit pale. Watching her now, Elaina noticed her cheeks seemed a bit pinker, her blue eyes a little brighter than before.

Ren broke off his conversation with the woman to his left. When he spoke to Elaina again, his voice sounded strained; the lines of his face seemed taut.

“Do you have any idea how difficult this is for me,” he whispered through clenched teeth, “sitting here beside you, wanting you, not being able to touch you?” In the din of laughter and gaiety surrounding them, the words carried only as far as her ears. He was becoming angry with her again.

This time her own anger flared in return. “San Francisco is going to be my home. You’re going to have to get used to my presence, because I most certainly don’t intend to stay home while you and your fiancée are out enjoying yourselves. I’m my own person now. I can do whatever I want, whenever I want, wherever I want.”

“Damn you, Lainey,” he warned, his voice gruff. “You’re making it harder on both of us.”

“Oh, really?” She lifted her chin. “I hadn’t noticed. You seem to be doing just fine. You have a lovely fiancée; you’ll be marrying into one of the richest families in California—I don’t see where that is hard on you at all.” She smiled at him, enjoying his discomfort.

A muscle flexed in his jaw. His eyes had narrowed and darkened, and a deep frown creased his brow. Reaching beneath the heavy lace tablecloth, he grabbed her hand and pulled it none to gently against his thigh. Her eyes widened in shock, and a tiny gasp escaped as she felt his hardened manhood.

“Now do you understand?” he ground out.

She jerked her hand away as if she’d been scalded, then glanced around the table, hoping none of them had noticed. Her face flamed red. How dare he! She’d never felt more humiliated in her life!

“You’ve got plenty of money, Elaina,” he was saying in a low, strained voice. “Do us both a favor. Find somewhere else to live—or by God you’ll wind up flat on your back beneath me one way or another!”

She shoved back her chair, shaken to the core. Tears welled in her eyes. “I’m afraid I’m not feeling well. Would you gentlemen please excuse me?”

Both Ren and the emperor rose while she left the table. Ren caught Chase Cameron’s amused expression as he also excused himself and followed Elaina from the room.

Ren breathed a deep, controlled sigh. Dammit, why did he feel so rotten? He’d done the girl a favor. Told her the truth. There was an undeniable attraction between them, something neither of them was strong enough to resist. If she stayed in San Francisco, she’d wind up being his mistress. He knew it, even if she was too young and blind to see.

Watching Chase Cameron follow Elaina through the door, Ren fought down a sudden vision of the roguish southerner in Elaina’s bed. Would she turn to him tonight seeking comfort for the way Ren had treated her? The thought tightened his gut. When the waiter set a plate of delicate smoked salmon dressed with lemon and capers before him, he thought he might be sick. He picked at the food and glanced toward his fiancée. Melissa was engrossed in lively conversation with Stewart Pickman, heir to the Pickman fortune and a bright, well-educated lad just a few years older than she.

Ren had rarely seen Melissa smile so brightly and had never seen such radiance in her cheeks. He wondered what they were discussing so animatedly. He and Melissa rarely spoke to each other at all. Whenever he tried to initiate a conversation, she only became more reticent, fearful, it seemed, he might disapprove of what she had to say. Each of his efforts to encourage their closeness had ended in failure. Tonight was no exception. She’d avoided him at every opportunity, hiding behind her father’s protective coattails.

He thought of their wedding, a scant two weeks away. She would never willingly accept him in her bed. He’d have to force himself on her, and though some men were excited by that sort of violence, Ren would much rather have a willing bride beneath him.

He shoved at the food on his plate and made strained conversation with the woman to his left. He was glad when the meal ended. Chairs scraped against the parquet floor as the women retired to the salon for sherry and the men to the drawing room for brandy and cigars.

Melissa was safe from him again tonight. He dreaded their wedding night, when she would be forced to accept his advances, whether she was willing or not.

Chapter 21

T
HE DRIVE IN
the open carriage through the streets of San Francisco refreshed her.

The sky was clear, the stars bright, the air brisk and tinged with a salty sea breeze. Chase had said little since they left the mansion but had ordered his driver to take them along the shoreline. Elaina was glad for the distractions beside the bay. Fishing boats bobbed at the docks, and several large silver fish broke the surface of the water, sending shimmering circles to reflect in the light of the moon. Chinese vendors jogged beside the carriage hawking their wares, though the hour was late. One held up a lovely silk wrapper, and Chase told the driver to pull up the horses.

“Do you like it?” he asked.

“It’s beautiful. I’ve never seen such fine workmanship.” Embroidered flowers of dark pink and silver covered most of the pale pink wrapper. Chase handed the man a coin and gave the robe to Elaina.

“It’s yours.”

She smiled at him, accepting the gift graciously. “Thank you.”

They drove along the bay a minute more, the clatter of hooves on the cobblestone streets soothing her frayed nerves. Then Chase instructed the driver to head for the hotel. The massive structure on Nob Hill wasn’t far from the Stanhope estate. The thought of Ren and Melissa enjoying a laugh at her expense set Elaina’s blood to boiling all over again. She felt tense and edgy, and furious at Ren’s audacity.

Chase helped her from the carriage, escorted her through the ornate lobby, handsomely furnished in red velvet and gold, and up to her rooms on the top floor.

“May I come in?” he asked.

Noticing his heated look for the first time, Elaina grew pensive. “Why not?” she finally said. It was high time she ended this madness Ren stirred every time he came near. Chase was handsome, wealthy, charming—and he wanted her in his bed. Well, it was high time. High time indeed.

The champagne Chase opened was the best money could buy, but the cold bubbling liquid tasted sour against her tongue. They were sitting on the settee, Elaina desperately trying to enjoy Chase’s kiss, the gentle touch of his hand.

His mouth moved along her throat to nuzzle the back of her neck, his lips warm and firm. She felt a slight tremor as his hand unfastened the buttons at the back of her gown, but knew it as fear, not passion. She felt nothing as he pulled the dress down to her waist, nothing as his hands caressed her breasts through the thin fabric of her chemise. When he dipped his head to kiss the rounded swell of her breast, she heard his soft groan of pleasure, felt the hardness of his manhood pressing against the front of his trousers. Tears welled in her eyes and slipped down her cheeks.