The Hellion and The Heartbreaker (4 page)

When they
left her bedchamber a moment later, Scarlett felt as if an enormous weight had
just been lifted from her shoulders.  Though she hated to admit it, she
owed the Duke of Worthe a huge debt of gratitude.  Perhaps
Alec
Weston wasn’t so bad after all.  It was an unexpected notion.

Lost in
thought, Alec Weston idly rubbed his left thumb across the pliant flesh between
the thumb and index finger of his right hand, along the four, faint white scars
that permanently marred the top of his hand.  They were barely visible,
unnoticeable to anyone but himself really, but he had developed the unwitting
habit of rubbing his thumb over the tiny ridges, most often when he was
agitated.  Eyeing his hand with an irritated glance, the unconscious
movement of his thumb abruptly ceased.  Rising from the chair behind his
desk, he strode to the door of his study and summoned his butler.

“Have the
coach brought round,” he said, when Hensworth appeared.  “I’ll be ready to
depart within the hour.”

“Of
course, Your Grace,” his stoic butler replied with a sharp nod, before turning
to carry out the request.

He was
about to pay another visit to Grey Oaks.  He hadn’t been back since the
day he had acquired Brutus, two years earlier, the day Colin’s sister, or
the wretched little monster
as he had
dubbed her in his mind, had bitten him and kicked him in the shin for taking
her
horse.  It wasn’t because of that of course, though the memory still
rankled
him to this day, but rather because he never seemed
able to find the time.   He saw Colin often though, for like him,
Colin held a position in the House of Lords, which required his frequent visits
to London.  On his last visit, Colin had, like always, extended an
invitation for him to visit Grey Oaks, insisting that a few days in the country
would do him a world of good.  Despite his busy schedule and the
unpleasant thought of another encounter with Colin’s sister, this time he had
accepted.  He was long past due for a break.

Alec was
immensely relieved when the coach finally made its way up the graveled drive to
Grey Oaks’ front door.  He could have ridden and sent his luggage
separately, for he generally disliked being confined for long periods, but
instead he had decided to use the time to catch up on some much needed
rest.  Now, hours after his departure from London, his muscles were stiff
from the less than ideal sleeping arrangements within the vehicle and the
near-constant jostling from the weather-beaten roads.

Disembarking,
Alec ran his fingers through his tousled hair and did his best to smooth his
rumpled jacket.  Colin wouldn’t mind his slight dishevel of course, but
his valet would have been horrified.  Thankfully though, Thomas had
remained in London, and wasn’t on hand to witness the sorry state of his
appearance. 
Ahh
, he thought with pleasure, an entire week without
the tiresome ministrations of an exacting valet and the exceedingly stringent
dress requirements imposed by Society, just one of the many perks of country
life.

Leaving
the footmen to see to the unloading of his bags, he quickly made his way to the
house and moments later the McPhearson’s butler was ushering him inside.

“If you
would care to wait in the parlor, Your Grace,” he said courteously, “I shall
inform the earl of your arrival.”

He nodded,
feeling an odd sense of deja vu.  “I’ll see myself in,” he said, hesitating
for a moment as he watched the silver-haired butler turn and make his way down
the hall toward Colin’s study.

At
fourteen, Scarlett had long since moved past the crocodile tears and occasional
temper tantrums of preadolescence, but she was still very much accustomed to
getting her own way.  At present however, Colin was being annoyingly
unaccommodating and she was beginning to fear that the fiery temper she had
learned to control was about to ignite into full flame.

“You are
getting too old to continue dressing like a lad and gadding about with the
stable hands,” he said, frustration evident in every word as he continued the
lecture he had been delivering for the past quarter hour.

Scarlett
sat across from him in one of the large, overstuffed leather chairs that were
positioned in front of his desk, arms folded across her chest, long legs
jutting out in front of her, ankles crossed, the toe of her tall leather riding
boot twitching rapidly to and fro.  She was doing her best to remain calm,
but it was becoming increasingly difficult.  “They’re my friends,” she
countered indignantly, pointedly ignoring his remark about her choice of
attire.  She watched as her brother raked his fingers through his thick
red hair, clearly exasperated.

“I realize
that, Scarlett, but you are a young lady now and it’s time you started acting
like one.”

“Humph,”
she snorted, rolling her eyes.

Colin took
a deep breath, and then exhaled slowly.  “Briarwood is an excellent
finishing school.”

“I don’t
need
to go to some ridiculous finishing school,” Scarlett retorted obstinately.

“Think of
all the new friends you will make,” he said, his tone cajoling.

“I have
friends.”

“
Girls,
Scarlett!  You need
girl
friends.”

“Bethany’s
a girl.”  Bethany was the stable master’s daughter, and Scarlett’s one and
only female friend.

 “Yes,
Bethany
is
a girl,” Colin admitted.  “But she is hardly a proper
influence.  She spends nearly as much time in the stables as you do.”

Not for
the reason you’re thinking, she wanted to say, but didn’t.  Bethany, one
year older than Scarlett, had recently developed a keen interest in certain
members of the opposite sex, and thus an increased interest in the stables, the
hub of male activity on the estate.

“You need
to spend time with girls who, well… girls who do
girl
things.”

She opened
her mouth to argue, but Colin cut her off, abruptly changing tactics.

“Do you
honestly think mother and father would have allowed you to go about like this,
dressing and acting like a lad at your age?” he asked, gazing pointedly at her
breeches.

Scarlett
ground her teeth at the mention of their parents.  That was a low blow and
it hit its mark, but even so, it wasn’t going to change her feelings about
going to Briarwood.  She knew that her parents most likely wouldn’t have
approved of her unconventional behavior, but the fact was they were gone, and
now all she had left were her brothers.  In truth, that was the primary
reason for her fierce aversion to Colin’s proposal.  She loved her brothers
more than anything in the world and the thought of being sent away to school,
away from her family and away from her home, terrified her.  Her life was
perfect just the way it was and she didn’t want it to change, not ever.

Colin eyed
her curiously for a long moment.  “Scarlett, you know I don’t
want
to send you away, don’t you?”

She raised
an eyebrow, her expression dubious.

“You know
how much we all love you, Minx.”  His voice softened.  “This isn’t a
punishment, it’s an opportunity.”

She eyed
him skeptically.  “An opportunity for what?”

“Well…an
opportunity to…improve yourself.”

“What’s
wrong with the way I am now?”

“There is
nothing
wrong
with you, Minx,” he said emphatically.  “That is not
what I meant at all.  What I meant, is that it is an opportunity for you
to enhance and refine the wonderful qualities you already possess.  You
are one of the kindest, most loving people I have ever known Scarlett. 
You’re smart as a whip, you’re spirited and courageous and you work just as
hard at Grey Oaks as any us, probably harder in fact.  But the fact
remains, you
are
a young
lady
, and I have been far too lax in
your upbringing.”  He placed his hands flat on the desk, his expression
earnest.  “You have so much potential Scarlett, and Briarwood will teach you
the skills you need to make the most of your future.”

Her
future
!  She
snorted in disgust, her temper flaring to life once again.  “You mean that
they will teach me how to dance and pour tea, to paint watercolors and make
polite meaningless conversation.”  She rolled her eyes in revulsion. 
“And for what, all so that I can enter into Society and snare myself a suitable
husband?”

“You are
the granddaughter of an earl, Scarlett.  You were born a lady, whether you
like it or not.”  The frustration was back in his voice.

They
glared at one another for several seconds, the air growing fraught with
tension.

“You’re
going, Scarlett,” he said, finally breaking the tense silence.

Never
, she vowed mentally.  Rising
angrily from her chair, she turned and marched to the door.  Grasping the
handle, she turned back to her brother, her eyes flashing with fury.

Colin
visibly braced himself.

Scarlett
stood on the threshold glaring mutinously at her brother.  “I am
not
going, Colin,” she declared, her voice rising loudly.  “Not
now,
and not ever!”

Storming
out of the room like a rolling thundercloud, she failed to notice the flustered
butler who stood to the side, frozen in place.  Mumbling under her breath,
she stomped loudly down the hall and into the foyer, heading for the front
door, her long fiery curls flying in her wake.

As she
neared the door, she looked up and saw with surprise that someone was standing
directly in her path.  The sight stopped her dead in her tracks. She
recognized him instantly.  Her former nemesis had returned.  Colin
had mentioned his upcoming visit, but with the threat of Briarwood hanging over
her head she’d forgotten that he was due to arrive today.  She stood now,
rooted in place, staring mouth agape as he silently looked her up and down, his
expression full of disdain.

Alec could
see that the little monster recognized him.  “Hello brat,” he said, his
voice caustic.

Brat!
  She stiffened, and for a
moment they simply glared at one another in silence, taking each other’s
measure.  Considering their previous encounter, she supposed she couldn’t
really blame him for his present attitude.  Truth be told, she deserved
his contempt, but his flagrant dislike stung her pride nonetheless and she was
already in a foul mood.

“This
discussion is not over, Scarlett!”

She
started.  Apparently, Colin had followed her into the foyer, and the sound
of his angry voice coming from behind quickly snapped her back to the matter at
hand.

“Alec,” Colin
said in obvious surprise, halting in mid-stride as he noted his friend’s
unexpected presence.  “Forgive me.  I didn’t realize you had
arrived.”

Scarlett
grimaced as Colin quickly resumed his stride, the sound of his boot heels
thudding loudly against the marble floor as he came to stand directly behind
her.

She turned
toward him warily.  His expression was far from pleased.

“Scarlett,
you may go to your room,” he instructed firmly.
 
“We will finish our conversation later.”

She bit
her lip, struggling to control her temper.  She longed to shove past the
duke and dash out the front door, but she knew better than to disobey her
brother in front of a guest.  Colin would never forgive her.  But oh
how it rankled, being sent to her room like an errant child.  It was
infuriating and utterly humiliating!

She
glanced back toward the duke and caught his self-satisfied smirk.  She
felt the sudden sting of tears, but fought them back.  Clenching her fists
in exasperation, she turned on her heel and then marched up the stairs with as
much dignity as she could muster under the circumstances.

When she
reached her bedchamber, Scarlett cast herself onto her bed.
 
Lying there alone in the quiet of her room,
she began to think.  She soon realized that the Duke of Worthe’s visit
might just afford her with the perfect opportunity to prove to Colin that she
was entirely capable of displaying “proper” and “conventional” behavior when
necessary.  Considering her present options, she had little to lose, and
so she began to devise a plan.

Hesitating
for a moment at the threshold of the dining room, Scarlett knew that her
appearance would come as a surprise to her brothers, for she never joined them
for dinner when they had guests.  Colin refused to let her dine in her
breeches when visitors were at Grey Oaks, so on those occasions she ate in her
room or in the kitchen with Tess and the staff.

She felt
awkward and unsure in the pale green gown, one of the half-dozen dresses Tess
insisted on having made for her each year, though until now not a single one of
them had ever been worn.  In fact, she couldn’t even remember the last
time she had worn a dress.  Apparently neither could Tess, for the poor
woman had nearly fainted when she’d informed her that she intended to don a
gown and join her brothers and their guest for the evening meal.  Once
she’d gotten over her astonishment, her governess had been beside herself with
joy and had nearly sprinted across the room to the armoire that held Scarlett’s
dresses, all resting pristine and untouched on their individual velvet hangers.