The Accidental Mistress (3 page)

Too late. The carriage started off with a lurch and the opportunity for escape passed. Sophie settled back, her mind a riot of panicky thoughts tumbling over themselves for attention. They were clearly going some distance for he had provided her with food and blankets. But where were they going? Surely he wouldn’t have planned to take Alice out of the country!

Sophie sat very still, listening as the landau hurried through the night. After a time, the paving beneath the wheels disappeared and they were on the well-packed earth of country roads as they left London behind.

What have I done
, Sophie thought, as the miles rolled by. There was no way she was going to be able to return to London with the money she’d brought. She wondered if she could throw herself on Roxburghe’s mercy but, under the circumstances, that seemed very unlikely.

After a while, cold made her take one of the heavy fur blankets and wrap it around her. It was warm and the rhythmic sway of the carriage was hypnotic. After a while, her eyelids began to drop.

Sophie fell asleep, her last thought conceding that there would likely be hell to pay for this night’s work.

And that Roxburghe was just the man to collect on the debt.

Chapter Two

Sophie awoke with a start, sure that something dreadful was about to happen.

Opening her eyes, she blinked in the light of a surly dawn, remembering where she was and how she’d come to be there and knew that her sleeping presentiment had been right. Something dreadful
was
about to happen for the landau had come to a stop.

‘Oh
dear
…’

It felt strange to be standing still after traveling for so long. Sophie dragged the hood upwards, concealing her face, just as the door was opened. ‘You’re awake.’ Roxburghe said cheerfully, ‘I thought you might have fallen asleep.’

‘I did.’ Sophie murmured, hoping that she sounded enough like her cousin to at least make it into the house, which stood twenty feet away up some broad stone steps. The weather helped; it was raining hard, the sound loud on the roof of the landau.

‘Come inside and we’ll take the chill of the road off you.’ He took her hand and helped her down from the carriage. They hurried up the steps and through a door that stood open in readiness. ‘Mrs. Chambers will show you upstairs. I’ll be with you shortly.’

To Sophie’s intense relief, his lordship turned and strode out into the rain again, leaving her with the housekeeper, a solid woman dressed in black bombazine who was eyeing her unenthusiastically.
She thinks I’m one of his light o’ loves and she doesn’t approve one little bit
, Sophie thought, repressing a mad urge to giggle. If only she knew…

‘This way.’ Mrs. Chambers grunted, turning and heading for the stairs, ‘I’ve had a fire burning for some time so you’ll be warm enough. And I’ve left a tray of food.’

‘Thank-you.’ Sophie said meekly, dropping the hood of her cloak. There was no need for concealment now.

The housekeeper showed Sophie into a large, luxurious bedchamber and she looked around her, taking note of the pretty nightgown laid out on the end of the bed. Suddenly she was glad that she’d taken Alice’s place. Clearly Roxburghe had only one thought in mind and that was to seduce her foolish cousin as quickly as possible. The enormous four-poster bed seemed to dominate the room and a ripple of anger made her forget her own situation. This was heartless! How could any gentleman think such a situation was acceptable? Quite apart from the impropriety, Alice was very young and absurdly innocent. As inexperienced as she was, a situation like this would be terrifying and Sophie’s small hands clenched into fists.

As promised, a fire burned merrily in the grate and it was pleasantly warm. Mrs. Chambers gave her a searching look before she took her leave. She seemed surprised at the sight of Sophie, as if she’d been expecting something entirely different. Obviously, Sophie reflected, she didn’t measure up to Roxburghe’s usual standards. The woman hesitated. ‘Is there anything else I can get for you Miss?’

Sophie smiled and shook her head. ‘This is lovely.’
And I probably won’t be staying long enough to enjoy any of it.

‘I’ll leave you then. Just ring if you need anything more.’

Sophie watched her go with regret. The most difficult part of her plan lay ahead and she was dreading the moment when Roxburghe discovered that he had been duped. How would he react? He would be angry, yes, that was inevitable but would he behave like a gentleman? It might, she reflected nervously, be a little too much to hope for under the circumstances. She could only pray he would be so disgusted with her that he left her alone. And then, when he had become rational once more, she could talk to him and ask to be returned to London.

Turning to the window, Sophie saw that morning had truly arrived, the grey light growing stronger through the partially curtained window. She had concluded, from their extended journey, that he had brought her to his country house. Through the window she glimpsed a forest some way off and fields and hedgerows before it. There wasn’t another building in sight, just a view of rain soaked meadows and the forest shrouded in mist. Which county was this? Sophie racked her brain, trying to remember where the Roxburghe’s countryseat was. Was it Surrey? Essex? She only hoped that it wasn’t
too
far away from London for the problem of her return loomed large.

She had to wait another ten anxious minutes before he came and she occupied the time by pacing the floor, too nervous to sit down. Unable to bring herself to face him immediately, she’d pulled the hood of her cloak up once again and was half turned towards the fire when he entered, delaying the inevitable. The time had arrived. This was Sophie’s opportunity to divert Roxburghe away from her cousin once and for all and she would be a fool to waste it.

It was time to seize the moment.

She swallowed heavily.

He opened the door, pausing at the threshold when he saw her, eyebrow rising. Sophie’s heart gave a small lurch; Roxburghe was dressed in his usual reckless style, with no more than a nod to the sartorial niceties. He had shed his greatcoat and hat and was dressed in the black that he seemed to favor – black coat, black breeches and knee length black riding boots. His hair was in disarray and sprinkled with drops of rain that caught the light. He looked, Sophie thought with dismay, disturbingly dangerous.

‘Still in your cloak?’ he drawled, catching sight of her. Closing the door behind him, he strolled towards her. ‘What a little pea-goose you are, my love! There is nobody here who will recognize you and even if they did, they would not breath a word. My servants are very discreet.’

I’ll wager they are
, Sophie thought with another swift flare of outrage. Girls like herself might be in no danger from the likes of his lordship but what about the poor creatures who believed themselves in love with him? For even from a distance Sophie had always felt the force of his charm when he had elected to switch it on. Few were immune, including the crusty old dowagers who pretended to disapprove of him. Up close, that charm must be lethal! He came to stand in front of her, expression amused. ‘Come now… yours is not a face that should ever be concealed…’

Raising his hands, he went to push back the hood but Sophie took a hasty step backwards. She hesitated, then pushed it back herself, watching as shocked disbelief replaced the amusement on his face.

‘As you see, this face has every reason to be concealed from you.’ She said with creditable coolness, considering that she felt quite sick with anxiety.

The dark eyes narrowed. ‘Who the
devil
are you?’

‘Not who you were expecting, clearly. Did you really think to trick Alice into seduction my Lord? I swear, she’s not such a fool.’

‘Is that so?’ Roxburghe’s was suddenly white lipped with fury. There was no sign of his charm now! ‘So Alice put you up to this? Is that it?’

Sophie hesitated. What she said next would determine how Roxburghe approached Alice over the weeks to come. Sophie wanted him to be so disgusted with his failure to compromise her that he avoided her completely. ‘She didn’t want me to do it, of course. She is convinced that you mean to offer marriage. I didn’t think so and so I persuaded her to let me come in her stead. To prove your worth. If you truly love her then you will return and ask her father for her hand. And if you don’t…’ Sophie shrugged, feigning an airy insouciance that she was far from feeling, ‘then her virtue remains intact and she can look for a more suitable match. Your reputation goes before you, my Lord. Could you blame us for mistrusting your motives?’

He certainly
looked
like he blamed her. Sophie had never seen anybody angrier than Roxburghe was now. He took a quick step towards her and her pulses leapt with fear. Was he going to murder her? He certainly had the look of a man who was barely in control. ‘Who
are
you?’ he demanded savagely, ‘What are you to Alice?’

‘Her cousin,’ Sophie said, trying to maintain the same calm demeanor. She knew of his temper; he was famous for it. It had led him into all kinds of scrapes in the past. She just hoped it would not make him forget that attacking young ladies in his own home was a great deal more than impolite. She hadn’t considered violence, not for a moment and now knew that oversight had been foolish. His servants were
very
discreet, he’d said. Were they so loyal that they’d allow their master to harm somebody?

Perhaps
…

‘Her…cousin.’ Roxburghe said each word through clenched teeth. Before she could take herself out of harms way, he reached out a long arm and seized her by the throat, pulling her close, fingers squeezing with the force of his rage. ‘The little fool thought I intend
marriage
?’ he said through clenched teeth, ‘Marriage to a foolish doxy whose only recommendation is her face? You are quite right! Chits like Alice are only fit to be bedded. You’ve merely delayed the inevitable.’

The hand was like a vice around her throat and Sophie gasped, struggling to breathe. She had badly miscalculated this moment and terror gripped her, along with the Marquis’ strong hand. She’d thought he’d be angry but she hadn’t realized he would be murderous! The room was beginning to spin as his fingers briefly tightened one last time and then he released her with a curse. Sophie swayed on her feet as the room began to fade to grey around her, closing her eyes with nauseous shock. She heard another savage curse and hands seized her shoulders, pushing her roughly down so that she fell heavily into a chair.

Sophie sat gasping, hands moving to her throat, which was throbbing painfully. She opened her eyes and stared up at Roxburghe, who was looming over her like an avenging demon, his rage a palpable thing. For a long moment he just stood there, a dreadful blackness staining the very air around him. Then abruptly he turned on his heel and left the room, slamming the door behind him as he went.

For a long time, Sophie could not move. She was crying, tears slipping unchecked down her face as shock and fear made her body shudder. After some time, when it became clear that his lordship did not mean to return, she climbed to her feet and walked towards the door on unsteady legs. There was a key in the lock and she turned it, leaning her head on the smooth wooden panels as she waited for the hiccupping gasps to subside. After some moments, she drew in a long, shaky draught of air, fighting for calm. He was gone now. She was going to be all right.

And surely that outburst had been the worst of it. He had left and with a little time and a lot of reflection he would grow calmer. He would think about the situation and realize that he had behaved rashly and he would take her home. Or at least, he would arrange to have her taken home.

Please God, he would.

Sophie chose not to think about the vicious things he’d said about Alice. Yes, her cousin was a fool, but she only wanted what every other girl who was participating in the mad whirl of the London Season wanted, playing ‘catch a husband’ as they tried to look their best and simpered prettily, all to snare a promising future.

Alice was no better and no worse than any of them. She was just a foolish girl of eighteen who did not know any better. And now Roxburghe would be done with her once and for all.

Suddenly overcome by exhaustion, Sophie half staggered back to the bed, her legs still refusing to support her with any confidence. She had been sorely abused by his lordship, there was no doubt but it was done now.

It was over.

Sophie undid the fastening on her cloak, pushing it off her shoulders so that it fell to the floor. She climbed onto the bed and dragged the rug that was draped across the end of the bed over her. She knew she should be making plans, thinking of a way out of her current predicament but she’d experienced several nights with scant sleep and the shock of Roxburghe’s attack had left her craving oblivion.

Her last thought before exhaustion overtook her was that, even caught up in the savagery of fury, the Marquis had still managed to look as beautiful as a fallen angel.

Sophie awoke to a darkening room, the fire dead in the grate and a sharp chill in the air. Suddenly terrified, she sat up quickly, searching the shadows, but it was clear that she was alone. The dull throbbing of her bruised throat was a reminder of what had taken place and she shivered, wondering where Roxburghe was now.

Sliding off the bed, she walked across to the window. Dawn had been replaced by a rapidly growing dusk… she must have slept the day away! It was vexing because the longer she was absent, the more her aunt would worry. But there was no way to get a missive to her and even if she could, Sophie doubted the wisdom of doing so. What would she say? What
could
she say, when her actions would only serve to convince Alice that she had ruined her chances with Roxburghe and her dreams of becoming a marchioness? It had been a lucky escape. His scathing and unflattering view of her cousin told her just how wicked his intentions had been. If he had displayed the slightest hint of remorse, or even of distress that Alice was not there with him…