Rapturous Rakes Bundle (23 page)

not find me.’

‘Don’t try me. Do I have your word?’

Rebecca sighed. ‘Would you accept it if you did?’

‘Of course. Well?’

‘Then you have it.’

‘Thank you,’ Lucas said. There was a smile deep in

his eyes. Rebecca saw it and blushed. She hated that

she was still so susceptible to him. The thought that

he would be close to her, guarding her life, was well-

nigh intolerable. She deliberately turned her back and

walked over to the window, staring out over the neat,

green garden. Suddenly she felt very tired.

The door opened again and a girl of Rebecca’s age

entered the room. She had wide brown eyes and a

friendly expression. She came forward, smiling. ‘Miss

Raleigh? I thought that I would come and keep you

company. My name is Rachel Newlyn.’

Rebecca came away from the window with a sigh

and sat down on the sofa. ‘Did Lord Lucas not trust

me sufficiently to leave me on my own, Lady New-

lyn?’

Rachel’s eyes widened at Rebecca’s tone, but she

answered levelly enough, ‘I have no notion. It was my

own idea to join you, but if you prefer to be alone I

can leave.’

Rebecca immediately felt churlish. ‘I am sorry to be

so rude,’ she said. ‘I do not know what is wrong with

me today.’

‘I do.’ Rachel came and sat beside her and, to Re-

becca’s surprise, smiled warmly. ‘You have been de-

ceived by someone you trusted and snatched from

Nicola
Cornick

173

your home and delivered to a bunch of strangers. It is

quite enough to spoil one’s whole day!’

Rebecca was forced into a reluctant laugh. ‘When

you express it like that...’

Rachel made a slight gesture. ‘That is how it is. So

if there is anything I can do to make amends, Miss

Raleigh, then you must tell me.’

‘I do not believe that you are the one who should

be doing that, Lady Newlyn,’ Rebecca said bleakly.

Rachel sighed. ‘You mean Lucas, I suppose. I as-

sure you, Miss Raleigh, that he feels his betrayal very

keenly.’ She hesitated. ‘I have never seen Lucas quite

so irritable before. Usually he is the most even-

tempered of men. I think his conscience is giving him

trouble. He told my husband Cory a full week ago that

he knew he was behaving like a scoundrel.’

Rebecca felt slightly surprised. ‘Did he truly? I

thought he believed me a traitor!’

Rachel laughed. ‘I cannot believe that such a

thought would endure more than a minute in your

company, Miss Raleigh. It is manifestly absurd. I am

persuaded that Lucas knew you could not be directly

involved.’

Rebecca could feel a dangerous inclination to ask

more questions about Lucas but forced herself not to

do so. ‘He has acted very badly,’ she said coldly.

Rachel sighed again. ‘And yet he is the one arguing

for the others to trust you,’ she said, ‘which proves

that he has faith in you.’

Rebecca looked at her sharply. ‘Lord Lucas is
de-

fending
me?’

‘Certainly,’ Rachel said. ‘His brother the Duke is

174

The
Rake’s
Mistress

taking a little convincing that we should trust you

enough to take you with us to Midwinter, given the

damage done to his best carriage!’

Rebecca grimaced. ‘That was foolish,’ she admitted.

‘But understandable, given the provocation,’ Rachel

said.

Once again, Rebecca resisted the urge to confide. It

was easy to warm to Rachel Newlyn and her uncom-

plicated friendship, but it was too soon.

‘I cannot be surprised at the Duke’s reluctance,’ she

said. ‘There is no reason for him to believe that neither

I nor, I am convinced, my uncle knew that the work

he was doing was treasonable.’

‘No reason other than Lucas’s belief in you,’ Rachel

said smiling. She touched Rebecca’s hand lightly. ‘I

heard that your uncle and aunt died recently, Miss Ra-

leigh. I am sorry.’

Rebecca looked at her and realised that she meant

it. There was genuine sympathy in Rachel’s eyes. Re-

becca rubbed her forehead dispiritedly.

‘I have tried to keep the workshop going. I am per-

suaded that it is what my uncle would have wanted.

But it is very difficult and I am very tired.’ She rubbed

her eyes. ‘Excuse me. I do not normally complain like

this.’

‘Of course not,’ Rachel said. ‘You sound most

dauntless, Miss Raleigh.’ She squeezed Rebecca’s

hand. ‘Do you know, I have travelled all around the

world and gone to places and done things that others

would never dream, and yet I have never been alone?

I think that is the more difficult part.’

Rebecca looked at her. ‘All around the world?’

Nicola
Cornick

175

‘My parents are antiquarians—’ Rachel sighed

‘—and I travelled with them before I married.’

‘How wonderful,’ Rebecca said. ‘And now you are

married to Lord Newlyn, who is a most notable ex-

plorer.’

Rachel laughed. ‘Fortunately, Cory has shown no

inclination to travel farther than Cornwall of late,’ she

said. ‘Which suits me. Do not worry about going to

Midwinter, Miss Raleigh. We shall take care of you.’

‘You are going as well?’ Rebecca asked.

Rachel nodded. ‘My parents live in Midwinter

Royal. I have not seen them for several months. This

is a good opportunity for a visit.’ She smiled. ‘My

good friend Lady Marney also lives nearby. Her sister

is married to Lord Lucas’s brother Richard, but they

are on their honeymoon at present. Nevertheless you

will find a warm welcome in Midwinter, Miss Raleigh.

We shall strive to make you feel at home.’

Rebecca bit her lip. This kindly welcome was so far

removed from the cold isolation that gripped her heart.

It threatened to undermine her already, when she had

promised herself that she would go to Midwinter and

return as quickly as possible and let nothing, least of

all Lucas’s presence, touch her.

‘I wish,’ she burst out with sudden fierceness, ‘that

matters had not fallen out this way! I would have

helped—of course I would—but now I feel deceived

and coerced against my will. When Lord Lucas came

to the studio today—’ She broke off. It was impossible

to tell Rachel what had happened the previous night

and how the pain of Lucas’s duplicity had been mag-

nified by what had happened between them.

176

The
Rake’s
Mistress

Rachel touched her hand. ‘I do not suppose that

Lucas dealt with the situation very well,’ she said

dolefully. ‘Men seldom do. He would not have thought

to apologise first and try to explain properly.’

Rebecca laughed. ‘No, indeed he did not.’

Rachel shook her head sadly. ‘I suppose that was

because he could not think about more than one thing

at once.’

‘I have observed that before in men,’ Rebecca

agreed. ‘It is very vexing.’

‘Lucas told us that it is his most ardent wish to

marry you,’ Rachel said, ‘but that you were not in-

clined to accept his suit. One cannot wonder at it.’ She

saw the look on Rebecca’s face and added quickly:

‘Have no fear—he told us none of the particulars, but

he wanted us to understand how matters stood.’ She

touched Rebecca’s hand. ‘I am sorry that everything

has fallen out so badly, Miss Raleigh. Is there any

chance that you might forgive Lucas in time?’

Rebecca was silent for a moment. ‘I do not believe

so, Lady Newlyn,’ she said reluctantly.

Rachel sighed. ‘I see. Well, you may count me your

friend if ever you need one, Miss Raleigh. And you

must call me Rachel since we
are
to be friends.’ She

smiled. ‘If I may call you Rebecca?’

‘Of course,’ Rebecca said, and she felt a little

warmer. It would be very easy to accept Rachel’s

friendship and to sink into this half-remembered op-

ulence of aristocratic living. Once, long ago, she had

taken such things for granted. If she were not careful

she would start to feel that she belonged, but then what

Nicola
Cornick

177

happened when it was all over? The empty studio in

Clerkenwell would feel all the more lonely...

The door opened and a fair-haired man stuck his

head into the room in a somewhat informal manner.

‘Rachel? Miss Raleigh—’ he gave Rebecca a warm

smile ‘—how do you do? I am Cory Newlyn. We are

ready now, if you would be so good as to come

through to the salon.’

Rebecca looked at Rachel, who stood up and held

out a hand. ‘Come along. As I said, we shall look after

you.’

Rebecca stood up and smoothed her skirts in a ner-

vous gesture. Her heart was suddenly racing so much

that it was difficult to breathe; it was not the prospect

of meeting the Duke of Kestrel that disturbed her, but

more the thought of facing Lucas again. For how was

she to resist him when she clutched at every small

suggestion that he was an honourable man? Yet in her

heart of hearts she knew that honourable or not, she

could not marry Lucas without an offer of love, and

that was the one thing he had not given her.

Lucas was standing by the window when they en-

tered the room. He turned to look at her, an indeci-

pherable look, then came forward to draw her into the

room. ‘Miss Raleigh, may I introduce my brother Jus-

tin, Duke of Kestrel. Justin, Miss Rebecca Raleigh. I

see that you have already met Lord and Lady Newlyn.’

Justin Kestrel had got to his feet as Rebecca entered

the room and now she found herself subjected to a

searching scrutiny from his very dark eyes. He was a

formidable man, in every way. An inch or two taller

178

The
Rake’s
Mistress

than Lucas, he was also broader and a good few years

older. His face was thin and bronzed, almost hawklike

in its predatory good looks, and the expression in his

eyes was very shrewd. Rebecca felt a
frisson
of ap-

prehension.

‘Good morning, Miss Raleigh,’ the Duke said. ‘I

understand from my brother that you are responsible

for a bullet hole in the upholstery of my best carriage.’

Rebecca raised her chin and held his gaze. ‘That is

correct, your Grace. I was aiming at your brother, but

unfortunately I missed.’

She heard Cory Newlyn stifle a laugh and saw Justin

Kestrel’s lips twitch. ‘Despite that,’ he murmured,

‘Lucas assures me that you have agreed to help us.’

Rebecca glanced at Lucas. His face was quite im-

passive. ‘I have, your Grace.’

Justin nodded. ‘Thank you, Miss Raleigh.’ He ges-

tured Rebecca to a seat. ‘We have been most remiss.

May I offer you some refreshment?’

Lucas passed her a cup of tea and the plate of bis-

cuits. Rebecca, for whom breakfast seemed a long

time ago, was surprised to discover she was ravenous.

‘Lucas will have told you the reason we are all here,

Miss Raleigh,’ Justin Kestrel said, smiling as he

watched her demolish five biscuits in succession. ‘I

will leave it up to him to brief you further on the

situation in Midwinter. We thought that for the pur-

poses of the visit to Suffolk, you should pose as Lu-

cas’s fianceé.’

Rebecca put the plate down with a clatter. She knew

that this had to be Lucas’s idea and she needed to

spike his guns immediately.

Nicola
Cornick

179

‘No!’ She flushed, and glanced at Lucas, who was

looking studiously blank. ‘I beg your pardon, your

Grace,’ she amended, ‘but I cannot agree to acting the

part of Lord Lucas’s betrothed. I should never be able

to convince anyone.’

Justin Kestrel raised his brows. ‘It would not be for

very long, Miss Raleigh.’

‘No,’ Rebecca said again. She felt panic rising in

her throat at the thought of acting out the role of Lu-

cas’s fianceé. That would bring him far too close. It

was too intimate. She had to keep him at arm’s length

now, at all costs, or she would never be able to resist

him.

Lucas came across to her chair. ‘We could make it

a marriage of convenience,’ he said. His tone was