Scarlet Kisses (20 page)

“You could stay for one more week,” Caroline urged softly.

“I’ve had enough.” Harry spoke quietly and Caroline nodded in understanding. Her gaze drifted to her son’s cheek where a thin scar lay.

“I’ll come with you,” Alyssum said.

“What?” Their mother gasped. “You can’t.”

“I’m not finding a husband this season, Mother.”

“But you could, if you bothered to look.”

Violet chuckled.

“Don’t make me start on you, young lady. You need a husband too.”

Violet stopped laughing and looked horrified.

“What about Lord Avery?” Caroline asked Alyssum.

“I wouldn’t allow her to marry him,” Harry spoke firmly.

“Thank you,” Alyssum smiled at Harry while their mother huffed.

“I’ll join you two,” Violet spoke up and Caroline huffed louder.

“Fine.” She threw up her hands and stood. “Never get married. Never give me grandbabies.” She left the room in a storm.

“Harry, give Mother a grandbaby,” Violet told him.

“You give her a grandchild,” he snapped back.

”You’re older.”

“You’re female.”

“Oh, you’re going to draw that card?” Violet asked with fire in her eyes, a look only her family saw.

Alyssum smiled. “When will we leave?”

Harry turned his gaze slowly from a fuming Violet. “In the morning.”

“Early morning or late morning?” Violet asked.

Harry arched a brow and Violet smiled. “Late morning it is,” she said, pleased.

“Are you sure you want to leave, Alyssum?” Harry asked. “Lilly will not be pleased.”

“She’ll forgive me. Plus I’ve had enough too.”

Harry nodded then excused himself, leaving Alyssum alone with Violet. The servants came forward, took the plates and left.

“Are you running from a certain someone?” Violet placed her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her fists.

“No,” Alyssum retorted.

“He’ll follow you.”

“Who?”

Violet gave her a look that said do I look stupid?

“He knows.”

Violet raised her brows. “He knows.”

“He saw the bruise.”

“You bumped it in the kitchen.”

“He said I bumped it on his forehead.”

“More like slammed it,” Violet muttered. “Has Harry seen the bruise?”

“No.”

Violet looked at Alyssum’s wispy fringe. “Mother?” she asked.

“No,” Alyssum answered.

“We’ll have to wait and see.”

“For what?”

“To see if he’ll come after you.”

“Who—”

“Stop that. We both know of whom we are speaking.”

Alyssum sighed. “Do you think he’ll follow?” she asked, hesitant.

“I saw you two in the gazebo. He’ll follow,” announced Violet.

“You saw?” Alyssum gasped.

“I had my eye on that gazebo first.”

Alyssum shook her head, speechless. “What did you see?”

Violet arched a brow as her cheeks turned pinkish. Alyssum exhaled in mortification then dropped her head into her hands with a groan.

“It looked like fun,” Violet said quietly.

Alyssum laughed and kept her head in her hands.

“Was it?”

Alyssum raised her head. She stared at Violet for a moment before sighing. “Yes.”

“Thought so,” Violet muttered.

Robert took a deep breath before knocking on the Rosewood’s door. He turned his head to look at a carriage roll by. In the middle of the day the streets were bustling.

When no one answered the door, he knocked more loudly.

Hopefully Harry wouldn’t kill him when he announced he wanted to marry Alyssum. With any luck, it will only be one punch, perhaps two, then he could see Alyssum. But asking Alyssum to marry him terrified him more than facing Harry. He could take a punch to the face or the gut, but to the heart? That bruise might not fade. He would be strong and if she moved to run he would just pin her down and wait till she said yes. With that thought, he smiled.

When the front door opened, he took another a deep breath and announced to the butler that he wanted to speak to the Earl of Leighton.

“He’s not here,” the butler informed him.

“Is Lady Alyssum?”

“They left, sir.”

“What?” Robert snapped in confusion.

“They traveled back to the country estate this morning.”

“Why?” He took a quick step forward and the young butler jumped back in fright.

“Don’t know, sir.”

Robert growled in anger and hurried back to his own townhouse.

“Otis,” he yelled for his butler when he stormed inside.

“Yes, sir.” The old man scurried forward.

“Ready my horse and pack my bags. I want a light travel bag for my journey and send the rest of my things after me,” he snapped out orders.

“Where are you off to, sir?”

“My country estate,” he grumbled and strode up the stairs towards his room.

A knock on the door made him pause on the staircase and turn. He waited to see who it was as Otis opened the door. “Jackson.” He watched Jackson stride in to the foyer.

“Lambert.” Jackson grinned. His grin slipped as he saw the anger in Robert’s face.

“Didn’t go well, huh?” He knew Robert had been going to Harry’s to talk to him, but Robert hadn’t told him what it had been about.

“They weren’t there.”

“So wait.”

“Until they come back to town?” Robert snapped sarcastically.

“Pardon?”

“They left town. They went back to their country estate.”

“Oh.”

“Sir,” a maid called from the top of the stairs. Robert and Jackson both looked up. “Your traveling bag is ready,” she said, out of breath.

“Thank you.”

“Going somewhere?” Jackson asked.

“She thinks she can run from me.”

“Alyssum always seemed like a runner.”

Robert mumbled in agreement then frowned. He turned his gaze to Jackson and stared at him in question.

Jackson chuckled. “Took you long enough to figure it out.”

“You knew it was her?”

“I wasn’t sure until the night at the theatre.”

Robert shook his head, taking it all in. “But when—”

“Maybe we could talk on the way?” Jackson asked.

“On the way?” Robert frowned.

“I wouldn’t mind visiting the countryside, see what the fuss is about.” Jackson grinned.

Five minutes later, Robert and Jackson were galloping out of town, their horses leaving a dust cloud behind them.

“Alyssum?”

Alyssum looked up from her gardening.

“Are you being careful?” Violet asked as she approached Alyssum where she worked on the rose bush at the side of the house.

“Yes.” Alyssum smiled even though her finger still ached as it healed underneath her work gloves

“Mother said it’s time for you to come in. Dinner will be served soon and you should wash up.” Violet looked at Alyssum dirt-smudged face.

Alyssum sighed as she stood and picked up the basket of cut roses and her tools.

“How have you been?” Violet asked as they walked towards the back entrance of the house. “You’ve been quiet since our return yesterday.”

“I’ve just got a lot on my mind.”

“Like a certain viscount?”

Alyssum laughed quietly as they stepped into the house and closed the door behind them.

“We’ve been back for a whole day and…”

“And he’s not here,” Violet finished for her. “He may have wanted to give you some time.”

Alyssum shrugged and placed her basket of roses on the kitchen bench.

“I have to go get ready for dinner.” Alyssum walked by Violet and up the kitchen stairs.

That night during dinner, Harry, Violet, Alyssum and Caroline
 
kept turning their gazes
 
to the gossiping maids in the corner. They spoke quickly and quietly, sometimes giggling.

When they both suddenly giggled louder, Harry exhaled and turned his gaze to them.

“What is it?” he asked them.

When the maids saw it was Harry who had spoken, they both fell silent and stood straight against the wall.

“Speak!”

“Ladies, if you please,” Caroline said gently.

The short one out of the two stepped up and bobbed in a curtsey. “Ah, there was news from the Lambert estate.”

Alyssum and Violet both shared a glance across the table then looked back to the maid.

“What is it?” Harry asked now appearing concerned.

“Viscount Lambert was spotted by the gardener riding towards his estate. Another gentleman was with him, but what caught the gardener’s attention was how fast they were riding.” The maid became louder and more excited. “He said it was like they were running from the devil himself.”

“Thank you, Bethany.” Caroline nodded. “So Robert has returned to the country. Any ideas on why?”

Harry shook his head while a crease furrowed his brow.

Alyssum looked up to Violet and watched as she smiled at her brightly. She felt like she was going to faint. Maybe Robert just wanted to visit the countryside. Maybe there was something wrong with his estate and he had to return quickly. Or was he here for her? That thought made her belly flutter with nerves and her body warm.

“I hope nothing’s wrong,” Caroline said. “Harry, did Robert say anything that would cause worry?”

“Uh, no,” Harry muttered then concentrated on the food before him.

Caroline frowned then took a sip of wine from her glass.

The table was silent and even the maids held their tongues. Alyssum ate mechanically while her mind pulled her to her room and under her bed where a white box lay hidden, taunting her.

That night, after excusing herself, Alyssum lay in bed staring at the ceiling. She felt her whole world spinning. She saw her masked gentlemen kissing her on the balcony, Robert revealing himself. She remembered how she’d wanted to kiss him every time she’d seen him or spoken to him, then finally kissing him at the tavern. Out of all those events, what burned in her mind the most was the afternoon in the gazebo at Lilly’s luncheon. There had been no masks, no hiding. They had just kissed, as Alyssum and Robert.

Chapter Twelve

Back and forth
.
Back and forth.
Alyssum treaded over the soft grass beneath her feet in long strides. Her mind had been reeling but was now blank. All that her mind said was,
back and forth, back and forth. Don’t think of Robert, just think of the grass beneath your feet and walking over it.

It was now midday and there was still no sign of Robert.

“Harrumph.” Alyssum stomped her foot and stopped pacing. The house was out of sight from where she stood in the trees separating the Leighton estate and the Lambert’s. She faced the house and thought of going back. He may have come. But he usually rode or walked through his estate and onto theirs. He didn’t take the main road. She took a deep breath, hefting her chest then exhaling loudly.

“Something on your mind?”

A wave of warmth and lust washed over her body and settled low in her belly. Robert.

Taking another breath, she turned slowly and faced him. His usual rumpled appearance caused her cravings to spiral out of control. His cheeks were darkened with stubble and she yearned to kiss his soft lips.

“Good morning,” she managed to say.

A grin curved his lips. He looked down as he took a step forward then brought his gaze back to hers. The amusement in his eyes slipped away as he stared at her. “Why did you leave?”

Alyssum felt she couldn’t breathe under his dark gaze. His voice was low, alluring.

“Harry wanted to return,” she informed him.

“And you couldn’t stay with your mother and sister?”

“We all wanted to return.”

“Terrible liar,” he muttered as he dropped his gaze to the ground and took another step forward. As he raised his eyes and caught hers again, he asked, “Why…did you leave?”

He was getting too close. “I don’t like the city,” she answered.

“You should have come to me. I would have persuaded you to stay.”

“It was a sudden decision.”

“One that was made the same day you kissed me.”

“You kissed me,” she argued.

“You kissed me first.” His grin came back and he took another step forward. He now stood before her, the toes of his boots an inch from her walking boots. “Have you forgotten that?” he asked. “I haven’t. It was very sweet and not at all innocent.”