Once a Mistress (23 page)

“I am most pleased to have you in my home,” Lady Rothstone said. “Please come in.”

“Thank you,” Diana murmured, stepping reluctantly through the door.
Miranda
, she thought, recalling Alex’s slip of the tongue back at the tavern.
He must have been about to say Miranda, but he caught himself. Was Rosana right? Does he love her? And if so, what part do I hold in his life
?

She resolved to watch the two closely in order to gauge their relationship for herself.

Alex scowled as he followed Diana into the house. Her flat tone of voice displayed a lack of enthusiasm about meeting his mother. He wanted to question her about her behavior, but the countess spoke first.

“I was just breaking my fast when you arrived. I hope you will both join me.”

The pointed look his mother sent him made the words not a request but a command.

“We would be honored,” he responded obediently.

“Excellent.” Giving them a regal nod, the countess led them through the house into an ornate dining room. Alex stood back at the door and allowed both his mother and Diana to precede him into the room. Then he followed. He stopped dead in the doorway.

“Good mornin tae ye, captain.” His mouth full of food, Birk saluted them with a piece of bread. “And tae you as well, lassie.”

Alex shot his mother a look of outraged anger as she seated herself at the head of the table, beside Birk. “What the devil is this?”

“Breakfast,” Birk answered. He turned to the countess on his left. “More chocolate, milady?” At her nod, he poured hot cocoa into her cup.

“How long have you been here?” Despite Diana’s presence, Alex placed his hands flat on the table across from Birk and leaned forward. His entire body vibrated with the urge to smash his fist into his best friend’s face.

Birk sipped at his glass of madeira and grinned. “Set yerself down, Alex. Have a bite tae eat.”

“My stomach turns at the thought,” Alex sneered. “Tell me, Birk, how long have you been here? Since last night, perhaps?”

“Alejandro!”

He ignored his mother’s shocked exclamation and focused on the man he considered his best friend. He of all people knew of Birk’s prowess in charming the fairer sex. He had thought, however, that his mother would be the one woman safe from Birk’s wenching ways!

Understanding dawned on Birk’s face. Slowly he stood, holding Alex’s gaze with his own. “Ye’re no thinkin’ that the countess and I—”
 

“What would you think, Birk? ‘Tis quite a cozy scene.” He gestured around him. “A beautiful, wealthy widow. A lavish breakfast. You, here, at an hour so early that even I hesitated to call.” He rested one hand on the hilt of his dagger. “Tell me I am wrong.”

“You are wrong.”

The words came not from Birk, but from the countess. Alex glanced at her. She stood proudly, her chin lifted.

“Be seated, Madame. This is a matter best handled between men.”

“I will not be seated! You forget to whom you are speaking, Alejandro.”

“My lady—” the Scotsman started.

“Silence, Birk. This is between Alejandro and myself.” She glared at Alex, making him feel as if he were a babe all over again. “How dare you enter this house and start flinging accusations! Even if Birk
had
been here since last night, even if we
were
lovers, it would not be your concern.”

“The hell it would not!”

Lady Rothstone closed her hand around the heavy gold crucifix she wore around her neck. “You dare speak such blasphemy in this house?”

Alex flushed. His mother was a devout Catholic and did not tolerate the slightest profanity to be uttered in her presence. “I apologize,” he said with true contrition. “But what am I to think?”

“Alex, were the countess tae look at me in such a manner, ye ken I would be truly flattered. But I wouldna betray ye like that.”

“I know that, Birk, and I apologize.” Alex released his dagger hilt to extend his hand and gave his friend a wry smile.

“Dinna apologize tae me,” Birk laughed, seating himself again. “It’s a compliment that ye thought me handsome enough tae catch the lady’s eye.”

Alex went over to his mother and took her hands in both of his. He kissed her fingers, then her cheek. “Forgive me,” he murmured. “I have a terrible temper, as you well know.”

“I know.” She lifted a hand to stroke his face.

He closed his eyes against her gentle touch. “I promise to control myself from now on.”

Her caress turned to a light slap, enough to admonish but not sting. “See that you do, Alejandro
mio
.”

The two exchanged smiles of understanding.

“Pardon me.”

Alex turned at the sound of Diana’s voice, suddenly realizing he had forgotten her presence. “Yes, Diana?”

“I do not feel well, Alex. Perhaps it would be best if I went back to the tavern.”

“Nonsense,” the countess said before Alex could answer. “You will not be going back to that nasty place. You are going to stay here with me. Has Alejandro not told you?”

Diana slanted a look at Alex. “It must have slipped his mind.”

“Diana—” Alex began.

“But you do look pale,” Lady Rothstone interrupted. “I shall have someone show you to your room. A little rest may help.”

“Thank you,” Diana murmured.

The countess picked up a small, silver bell from the table and rang it. Moments later, a young, pretty Spanish girl entered the room.

“Maria, please show this lady to the corner bedroom.”

Maria bobbed a curtsey and glanced at Diana. “This way,
señorita
.”

Diana nodded and followed the maid. She paused in the doorway and cast Alex one sharp, accusing look before she left the room.

Alex frowned as he watched her leave. He didn’t doubt her fatigue after the events of last night, but why had she looked at him with such pain in her eyes?

“Och, the poor lassie.”

He looked at Birk. “She’s just tired.”

Birk shook his head. “Alex, ye’re the blindest man I ever kent. The lass cares for ye, and she thinks ye’re in love wi’ the countess.”

“
What
?” Astounded, Alex demanded, “Why would she think that?”

“Because o’ what Rosana said last evenin’ in the tavern. Ye’ve heard the rumors, my friend. Most o’ the island thinks ye’re havin an affair wi’ Lady Rothstone.”

“Blast it!” Remembering his manners, he glanced at his mother. “My apologies, Mama.”

Graciously ignoring his profanity, she said, “You must go talk to her, Alejandro.”

“Aye, man. Go after her.” Birk toasted him with his madeira.

Alex wasted no time in following their advice. However, he had barely reached the door before his mother’s voice stopped him.

“Alejandro.” She paused until he met her gaze. “When you return, we will have words on the subject of ladies. Specifically, well-born ladies who duel with trollops in taverns.”

He nodded and left the room, not wanting to contemplate just what those words might be.

Diana dismissed the servant and looked around the ornately decorated bedroom. Some might have considered the airy room with its rich decor the very pinnacle of luxury. But to her it was a prison.

She spared a glance at the huge bed with its blue velvet hangings. It was the fashion for the wealthy to measure their affluence by the extravagance of their beds. The richer the person, the bigger and more ostentatious the bed. Though this particular bed was very large, it was tastefully decorated with blue velvet and gold trim. Diana’s educated eye picked out the high quality of the materials. Obviously the countess was a woman of means who preferred simplicity.

Diana sighed. She liked Lady Rothstone, despite the fact that Alex apparently loved her.

She turned her back on the bed and walked to the slatted, wooden doors opening out to the terrace. She had no interest in a resting place that she would no doubt occupy alone. Opening the doors, she stepped out to a breathtaking view of Besosa. But she didn’t see the cerulean sea or the bone-white sand. Instead all she could see was Alex…and the countess.

Her mind swam with images of Alex kissing Lady Rothstone’s fingers. Embracing her. The tender note in his voice when he spoke to her. Pain squeezed her heart. ‘Twas clear that Rosana’s words had been more than the ramblings of a woman scorned.

The emotional bond between Alex and the countess obviously ran very deep.

She let out a deep breath and stared up at the cloudless blue sky.
She
wanted to have such a bond with him. In fact, she thought they had begun to develop that sort of understanding. But his relationship with the countess appeared stronger and more intimate than the fragile affinity that grew between Alex and herself.

She could see why he loved her. Lady Rothstone was beautiful and gracious, and evidently cared for him a great deal. Diana felt like an awkward young girl beside the countess’s confident maturity. Yet she longed to be the woman to capture Alex’s heart.

What was her place in his life, she wondered, and did they have the future she had begun to imagine?

A footstep sounded behind her. She glanced over her shoulder just as Alex stepped out on to the terrace. Their gazes held for a long moment. Then Diana turned back to the vista before her.

“Diana.” Coming up behind her, he closed his hands over her shoulders. His warm touch ignited banked feelings of desire, and the glide of his sea-roughened fingers brought bittersweet pleasure as he caressed her collarbone just above the low neckline of her chemise. She didn’t dare face him, certain that her arousal would show in her expression. “Diana,” he said again. “What troubles you,
amada
?”

She didn’t have the words to tell him of her confusion and doubt. Yet she couldn’t ignore him either. With a sigh, she leaned back against him.

He kissed her temple, then turned her around to look at him. Tilting her face up, he asked, “Would you care to explain what just happened in the dining room?”

She tried to step away from him, but he held her firmly. She raised pleading eyes to his. “Alex, let me go.”

She meant the words as more than a release from his touch. And he knew it.

“Nay, I cannot.” He took her in his arms and pressed a kiss to her lips. “Ask anything of me but that.”

“But I cannot stay here.” She rested her forehead against his chest, taking comfort from his embrace despite herself. “I cannot remain in this house and watch you with…her. Please take me back to the tavern.”

“Diana.” He stroked her hair back from her face. “Why would you wish to go back there, when you will be much more comfortable here?”

“Here? In the same house with the woman you….” She couldn’t finish the sentence. To her ears she sounded as bad as Rosana. “I am so confused,” she whispered.

Alex sighed. He looked pensive for a long moment, as if wrestling with a weighty decision. Finally, he spoke.
 

“Lady Rothstone is not now, nor ever has been, my lover.”

Hope sprang into her heart, yet doubt remained ever constant. “But Rosana said—”

“Rosana repeated one of the many rumors started by the people of Besosa,” he corrected. “She was jealous because I could not love her.”

“But there
is
something between you and Lady Rothstone.” She stepped out of his arms, and this time he let her go. “You kissed her. Embraced her. I heard how you speak to her.”

“Diana, I have known the countess all my life.” He took her hand. “She held me in her arms when I was but an infant. Of course I love her, but more like an aunt or a mother.
Not
in the way you were thinking.”

“But—” Doubt still lingered. “What about what just happened at the breakfast table? You acted more like a jealous suitor than a nephew, Alex.”

“She is not my lover, Diana.” He coaxed her back into his embrace. “You are.”

“I want to believe you, Alex.”

He sighed. “The countess is in just as much danger from Marcus as you are,” he admitted. As she rested her head against his chest, he caressed her nape with his fingers. “She is isolated from society, and I am protective of her. My quest is her quest.”

“Your quest is…?” Diana paused as a new idea took shape. She had seen no sign of passion between Alex and Lady Rothstone. A deep and meaningful bond, to be sure. Tenderness. But no sexual intimations whatsoever. “She loved your brother, didn’t she, Alex?”

His fingers stilled, then continued stroking. “She did.”

“So she, too, wants to see Marcus hang.”

“Aye, that she does.”

“And what is that name she calls you?”

Alex laughed. “You could give the Inquisitors lessons in interrogation, my love.”

She gave his shoulder a playful swipe. “Answer the question. What does that name mean?”

“Alejandro? ‘Tis merely the Spanish translation of Alexander.”

“Oh.” The more she thought about it, the more foolish she felt. She had let Rosana’s rantings cause trouble where there was none. Yet part of her still clung to the fears that had arisen within her. Compared to the sophisticated Lady Rothstone, Diana appeared an immature young girl, given to fits of temper. She made a silent vow to try and change that part of her. Alex needed a woman at his side, not a petulant child.

“Diana, trust me.” He stroked her hair.

“I do trust you.”

“Good.” He looked down at her and smiled. “You must rest. Lady Rothstone is right. You do look pale.”

“I am tired.”

“Then sleep.” He traced a finger over her parted lips. “For you will not get much rest tonight.”

Her cheeks warmed in reaction to his seductive teasing. She shoved him playfully. “Out with you. I cannot sleep with you here.”

He took her hand and pressed a kiss to the palm. “Indeed, when I return, you will not sleep at all,” he promised. With a wicked grin, he turned away.

Heart pounding, she watched him go, tingling at the knowledge that she would not be alone in that magnificent bed that night.

Alex stopped just inside the door to the dining room. He glanced at Birk’s empty chair before looking to his mother, who still sat at the table.

“Where is your suitor, Mama?” he teased. “Has that fickle Scot’s head already been turned by another pretty smile?”