The Hellion and The Heartbreaker (16 page)

“Do you really have to go?”  Scarlett murmured
seductively, her warm breath tickling Alec’s ear as her lips moved from where
they’d been a moment before, planting feather light kisses along the line of
his jaw.

“Unfortunately I do, my insatiable vixen,” he replied with a
low chuckle, distracted from his musings.  It was near dawn and they both
should have been utterly sated and completely exhausted.

“Will you miss me?” she asked, her smile deliberately playful
as she propped herself up on Alec’s chest and met his gaze.  She was
determined to keep things light, unwilling to allow Alec to see how truly
devastated she was by his upcoming departure.

“Immeasurably,” he avowed, his own smile equally playful, yet
at the same time utterly sincere.

When Alec walked Scarlett to the door of his room a short
time later, they didn’t speak of the future.  Scarlett made no reference
to forthcoming expectations, and Alec, as always, made no false promises. 
They both knew they would see each other in a few short weeks, however what, if
anything, were to happen between them in London was deliberately left
unsaid.  Neither of them wanted to tarnish the extraordinary bliss of the
past few nights with speculation about the future.

After one last lingering kiss, Scarlett smiled to hide the
ache in her heart and slipped silently from Alec’s room.

The following morning, after bidding his farewells to each of
the McPhearson siblings, Alec descended the front steps with Colin at his side
and made his way to his waiting coach, where Brutus was tied restlessly
behind.  He had planned to ride, at least part of the way, but upon rising
from his warm bed he had quickly changed his mind.  Brutus required an
attentive rider with a firm hand, and quite frankly he could scarcely keep his
eyes open.

“Don’t forget, we’ll be kicking off Scarlett’s debut with a
small dinner party at our house two weeks from Saturday, and I will expect you
to be there.” 

“I wouldn’t miss it,” Alec assured him, for Colin was well
aware that he tended to avoid as many of the Season’s parties and routes as he
possibly could, much to the dismay of many a Society matron and eligible
debutante. 

“Good, I want Scarlett’s launch to be a brilliant success.”

“I’m sure it will be,” Alec assured him as he stepped up into
the coach.

 “I want Scarlett’s seventeenth birthday to be one
she’ll never forget.”  Waving aside the footman, Colin grasped the door of
the coach and swung it shut himself and then flipped up the steps.  “Safe
journey my friend,” he called as the driver flicked the horses’ reins.

As the faint, distinctive crunch of gravel sounded beneath
the carriage wheels, Colin’s parting words ricocheted like buckshot in Alec’s
head.  He dropped his head back against the padded velvet seat, his eyes
closed, his expression tormented. 
Scarlett’s seventeenth birthday
, her
seventeenth
birthday.
  Scarlett was only sixteen!  Jesus, he’d thought her
eighteen at the least.  Although it wasn’t unheard of for a woman to
become engaged or even to be married at sixteen, especially amongst the lower
classes, Alec felt like a boulder had just been dropped onto his chest. 
He’d bedded his best friend’s sister, a sixteen-year-old virgin no less. 
Guilt washed over him in waves.  Christ, there was no way around it; he
was going straight to hell.

As
Scarlett surveyed the busy streets of London from the windows of their coach, the
noise, the size, the unfamiliar smells and the sheer number of people that
inhabited the city overwhelmed her.  It was a far cry from the peaceful
serenity of Grey Oaks, and she found herself experiencing a strange combination
of exhilaration and trepidation as her brothers pointed out various sights and
landmarks.
 
Seated securely between Rory and Gavin, she glanced at
her two eldest brothers seated directly across from her.
 
Though Conner would be returning to Grey Oaks
at the end of the week, she was grateful that all four of her brothers would be
on hand for her first few days in the city, knowing their presence would help
give her the added confidence she so desperately needed. 

Now, as
their coach turned on to the fashionable street that housed many of the
country’s most prominent families, Scarlett caught her first true glimpse of
the tremendous wealth and privilege of the social elite.  Grandiose brick
buildings, visible through elaborate, intricately detailed wrought iron fences,
and fronted by equally elaborate and immaculately maintained courtyards, sat on
one side of the street, while a large, beautifully landscaped park, encompassed
the other.

When they
stopped in front of their own impressive four-story home, Scarlett felt the
slight sensation of butterflies in her stomach.  She had been surprised to
learn during their journey to the city that the Earl of Northam’s eldest son
and his family occupied the house to the right of their own, while the house on
the left was owned by none other than Alec Weston.  Apparently, their own
house, as well as Alec’s, had once been owned by members of the same
family.  When they had gone up for sale several years past, Alec had
purchased one and Colin had purchased the other.

As Gavin
assisted Scarlett from the coach, she glanced toward the house on the left,
wondering if Alec was inside.  It had been nearly three weeks since he’d
left Grey Oaks and the thought of seeing him again was what interested her more
than anything.  Her debut meant nothing next to that.  She had no
desire to collect suitors or to search for a husband.  She had already
found the man she wanted.  Though most girls her age would likely be
longing to attend parties and balls, to be presented at court, to visit the
theater and attend the opera, and to mingle with the beau monde, Scarlett cared
not a whit.  She was single-minded in her purpose, to tame her licentious
duke and capture his heart.  Entering the house a moment later, she was
delighted to see Georgie rushing toward her.  Her long chestnut-colored
hair was pinned atop her head into a neat chignon, her slim figure clad in a
simple, yet lovely gown of pale-blue, and as always her soft brown eyes were
full of warmth and kindness.

“Scarlett,
I’ve missed you so,” she said, enveloping her in a warm hug.

“I’ve
missed you too,” Scarlett replied, returning her hug with genuine fondness.

After
politely greeting the four male McPhearsons, Georgie offered to show Scarlett
to her room so that she might refresh herself from the trip, and then promised
to fill all of them in later on the plans for Scarlett’s birthday dinner the
following evening.

As Georgie
chattered a mile a minute, there was little time for Scarlett to think about
Alec.  The older woman commanded her full attention as she began regaling
her with all of the particulars regarding the upcoming events they would be
attending, ranging from small afternoon teas to large formal balls.  She
was talking so fast and was clearly so excited that she was practically
dragging Scarlett along beside her as they made their way up the stairs to the
second floor.  “You are going to have such a marvelous time, dear,”
Georgie assured her.

Scarlett
didn’t have the heart to disappoint her with her own lack of enthusiasm, and
forced a bright smile for Georgie’s benefit.  Although, when Georgie
mentioned a trip to the theater, her smile did become a bit less forced. 
She had heard about several of the fabulous productions from Alec, and
attending the theater was something she was actually looking quite forward to.

However,
for the time being, Georgie’s primary focus was on the upcoming dinner party
she had organized.  The two of them spent the next several hours selecting
Scarlett’s clothing, going over the proper etiquette for the evening,
highlighting polite and acceptable points of conversation and everything else
Georgie felt Scarlett needed to focus on and prepare for.  By the end of
the night her head was spinning, and when Georgie finally wound down she wanted
nothing more than to close her eyes and collapse onto her comfortable bed.

Scarlett
spent the following morning in a combined state of anticipation and mild
apprehension.  She was exceedingly eager to see Alec again, but her
excitement was tempered by the somewhat daunting notion of being introduced
into Society.  She wanted desperately to make her brothers proud of her
and the fear of committing any sort of faux pas or social blunder was
nerve-wracking.  She was extremely thankful that Georgie would be by her
side to help guide her through the evening.

Alone in
her room, she walked over to the window that overlooked the back garden, and
stood so that she could see a portion of Alec’s property.  Colin had
mentioned that Alec would be in attendance that evening and she could scarcely
think about anything else.  In fact, he had occupied her nearly every
waking thought, as well as her dreams, since his departure from Grey
Oaks.  She couldn’t help wondering if he had been with any other women
since then, and secretly prayed that he hadn’t.  Though she had no
rightful claim on him, she couldn’t help thinking of him as hers, for their
nights at Grey Oaks had left her more in love with Alec than she could have
ever dreamed possible.  She knew that it would be much more difficult to
continue their relationship here in London, but she was determined to find a
way.  She wanted Alec Weston now more than ever, and she intended to have
him.  There was nothing she had ever wanted more than to spend the rest of
her life with the man she adored, to become his wife and the mother of his
children, and of course his one and only love.

As she
dressed for dinner that evening, she took extra time with her appearance. 
The gown she and Georgie had selected for her to wear was a deep burgundy that
perfectly complemented her auburn locks.  Georgie had originally wanted
Scarlett to wear a modest cream-colored gown that emphasized her youth and
innocence, however, Scarlett had balked and insisted on something more
sophisticated.  They had finally agreed on the burgundy silk creation she
was now wearing.  Though it left her shoulders bare and revealed the tops
of her creamy white breasts, the cut of the gown was elegant and alluring,
without being too provocative.

She had
decided to wear her hair up, the profusion of curls secured with brilliant
diamond and ruby pins that matched the stunning necklace she wore at her neck,
beautiful pieces that had belonged to her mother.  Despite Georgie’s
initial objection, Scarlett applied a hint of rouge to her full lips and dusted
a bit of color onto her delicate cheekbones.  Georgie of course, had no
idea that she wasn’t preparing herself for her first foray into Society’s
midst, but rather, for her reunion with the infamous Duke of Worthe.  If
she had, the poor woman would surely have been horrified.

An hour
later, Scarlett stood dutifully next to Colin in the midst of their mingling
guests.  She had been introduced to each person as they had arrived, and
so far, she was doing an admirable job of keeping all of the names and titles
straight.  Thankfully, Colin and Georgie had decided to keep the guest
list relatively small, and thus there were only about thirty people in
attendance.  However, amongst that number were some of the most prominent
and influential members of Society, and Scarlett felt the pressure as if there
were a hundred.
 
The Duke of Worthe had yet to be announced
however, and Scarlett knew that a portion of her anxiety could be attributed to
the anticipation of seeing Alec once again.  Despite being surrounded by a
half a dozen people, she couldn’t seem to keep her gaze from repeatedly
drifting toward the front entrance.

A small,
five-piece orchestra had been set up in the far corner of the room to provide
musical entertainment and servants circulated throughout, some with trays
bearing a variety of hors d'oeuvres and others bearing expensive crystal flutes
filled with the finest French champagne.  Everyone seemed to be enjoying
themselves, including Georgie, who had been conversing with a pleasant looking
gentleman for quite some time now.  If memory served, his name was Mr.
Daniel Brexton, and he was unmarried.  Scarlett couldn’t help noticing
that he looked rather smitten as he chatted with Georgie.  How lovely!

“His
Grace, Lord Weston, the Duke of Worthe.”

Scarlett’s
head whipped around as Alec was announced, as did several others.  As he
entered the room, those he passed greeted him warmly.  Alec was obviously
a popular figure within the
ton
and
was stopped repeatedly as he made his way toward Colin and Scarlett.

As she watched
his approach, Scarlett felt her breath catch.  He looked so handsome in
his black evening attire.  Was it only weeks ago that his hands had
caressed every inch of her body, his lips raining kisses all over her sensitive
flesh?  It seemed like an eternity.  Just looking at him now filled
her with a longing so intense that it nearly buckled her knees. 
Fortunately, by the time he reached them, she had managed for the most part to
bring her emotions under control.

“Hello
Colin, Scarlett,” he greeted.