The Hellion and The Heartbreaker (41 page)

Now
however, as they made their way up the front walk to the duchess’ opulent
London residence, Scarlett’s nerves suddenly seemed to be getting the best of
her.

Noticing
Scarlett’s anxious expression, Alec took her hand in his and smiled
encouragingly.  “Don’t worry, they are relatively harmless,” he assured
her.

Though his
words were reassuring, it was the touch of his hand that gave her the most
comfort.

When they
were shown into the duchess’ front parlor a few minutes later, Alec no longer
held her hand, but his mere presence at her side gave her strength just the
same.  Despite whatever anger he still harbored toward her, she knew that
he wouldn’t feed her to the wolves, or in this case, to two very powerful women
who most assuredly held a very low opinion of her.

As it
turned out, she needn’t have worried.  Alec’s mother and grandmother were
surprisingly warm and welcoming as he made the introductions.  Though
Scarlett and Olivia had in fact met before, years earlier, it had been a brief
and uneventful encounter. 

“Well, I
see the rumors are true,” Alec’s grandmother said, grasping Scarlett’s hands in
an unexpected display of affection.
 
“You
are quite a beauty.  And I dare say,” she began, turning her eyes to
Oliver, “that this young lad is by far the handsomest little fellow I have seen
since Alec was a boy.”

“Thank
you, Your Grace, that is very kind of you,” Scarlett said, beginning to feel
slightly more relaxed, as the older woman led her to a richly upholstered
settee. 

“Oliver,
come and sit next to your mother,” Gwendolyn instructed, motioning to the empty
space between them.

Dutifully,
Oliver did as he was bid, and settled himself between his mother and the older
woman with the kind, violet hued eyes.

“I asked
cook to prepare a special treat for you,” she said to Oliver, motioning to a
silver tray laden with sweets on the table beside them.  “Would you care
for one?”

“Yes
please,” Oliver said, his eyes widening at the sight of the delicious looking
tidbits.

Handing
him one, she then looked fondly toward Alec, who had taken a seat next to his
mother in one of the two matching chairs set opposite them.  “Our Alec
always had a fondness for the sweets, didn’t he Olivia?” she said, glancing
toward Alec’s mother, who had been watching Oliver with a gentle smile on her
face.

“And still
does,” Olivia noted with amusement, as Alec grabbed a sweet from the tray and
popped it into his mouth, smiling as the scrumptious sugary delicacy connected
with his taste buds.

He gave
Oliver a conspiratorial wink.  “Nothing wrong with the occasional sweet
tooth is there, Oliver?”

Oli enthusiastically
nodded his agreement, his mouth full of the sugary confection.

Scarlett
couldn’t help smiling at their easy interaction.  They were so much alike,
not just in appearance, but in personality as well.  So many of the
qualities she had grown to love about Alec were already evident in her son,
their
son.

With
everyone aware that Oliver had yet to be told the truth of his relationship to
Alec, their ensuing conversation revolved primarily around safe, generic
topics, and of course Oliver’s favorite subject, horses.

During
that time, Scarlett found her gaze resting frequently on Alec’s sinfully
handsome features.  Occasionally he would catch her looking at him,
meeting her gaze with an intense, smoldering look of his own.  She had
hardly been able to sleep the night before; unable to keep her thoughts from
replaying what had happened between them in the coach.  To be honest, she
was a bit surprised at just how quickly their passion for one another had been
rekindled.  She told herself not to get her hopes up in regard to Alec’s
affection, but it was difficult not to.  Even if he forgave her for
deceiving him about Oli, she doubted that much had changed regarding his views
on love and marriage.  In fact, it was possible that the situation they
now found themselves in had made him even more cynical.  But, in the back
of her mind, she couldn’t help but hold out a small, secret hope that it
hadn’t.

Before
long, Oliver began to grow restless with the adult conversation and started
fidgeting in his seat.  Duchy, as she had instructed Scarlett and Oliver
to call her, soon noticed and promptly rang for one of the servants. 

Responding
to the summons, a pretty young girl with a kind smile and a head full of
riotous brown curls appeared at the threshold.

“Oliver, this
is Lucy,” she said, motioning the girl forward.  “It just so happens, that
Lucy knows where Alec used to keep his toys when he was about your age. 
If you’d like, I am sure she could show them to you, and perhaps let you pick
some things out to play with and perhaps take home with you.”

“May I,
Mama?”

“Of course,
darling, you go on with Lucy,” she told him, smiling in gratitude at Duchy’s
thoughtfulness.

That being
all the encouragement he needed, Oliver practically leapt from his seat and
moved quickly to Lucy’s side.  Taking the young maid’s outstretched hand;
he eagerly followed her from the room.

Watching
his son, the pride on Alec’s face was evident.  However, taking a sip of
tea from the cup his mother had just handed him, he was quickly distracted, nearly
chocking on the warm liquid at his grandmother’s next words.

“As much
as I adore Oliver, do see to it that my next great-grandchild isn’t born until
at least nine months after the wedding, won’t you dear,” she said, pinning Alec
with a pointed stare.

While Alec
coughed and attempted to keep himself from choking to death, Scarlett blushed
to the roots of her elegantly upswept auburn tresses.  Alec’s mother
seemed to be the only one not completely surprised by Duchy’s offhand remark.

“Honestly,
Duchy, must you be so vulgar?”  Olivia queried, shaking her head at the
older woman’s coarse comment.

Gwendolyn
looked toward Olivia with a knowing smirk.  “You know you were thinking
the exact same thing, Olivia Weston, and don’t you deny it.  In fact, if
we were to leave the two of them alone I’d warrant they couldn’t keep their
hands off each other for more than five minutes.”

Mortified,
Scarlett silently prayed for a hole to open up in the floor and swallow her
whole.  Was their physical attraction to each other so obvious?

“Duchy
really!”  Olivia admonished, glowering at her mother-in-law, her own
cheeks turning a delicate shade of pink.  “You will have to excuse Alec’s
grandmother my dear,” she said, turning to Scarlett, her expression nearly as
mortified as Scarlett’s.  “She seems to think her age has given her
license to say whatever’s on her mind, be it appropriate or not.”

“Oh
twaddle,” Duchy said, looking not the least bit remorseful.

By that
time Alec had recovered from his choking ordeal and sent his grandmother a wry
glance.  “Truly Duchy,” he began, his tone more amused than anything,
“Scarlett’s not as accustomed to your candor as mother and I are.  If
you’re not careful you are going to send her running back to the countryside
before the banns are read.”

“Oh I
doubt that,” Duchy responded with a chuckle, turning to Scarlett.  “I
think our girl is made of sterner stuff than that.  Aren’t you dear?”

“Well, I
would certainly like to think so,” Scarlett replied, her tone light, though her
cheeks were still decidedly pink.

“That’s my
girl.”  She smiled and gave Scarlett an approving nod, then turned to her
daughter-in-law.  “Now as to the wedding, Olivia, have you completed the
guest list?”

Forty
minutes later, as Olivia and Gwendolyn stood at the front window watching
Alec’s curricle pull away from the curb; Olivia noted the self-satisfied smile
on her mother-in-law’s face.

“You seem
awfully pleased about something.”

Linking
her arm through Olivia’s, Duchy regarded her with a smug grin.  “Despite
the cynicism, that you my dear, had a hand in so foolishly imparting upon my
grandson, I believe our darling boy has landed himself in the midst of a love
match, whether he intended to or not.”

“What
makes you so certain?”  Olivia inquired dubiously.

“Because
my dear, not only do I have eyes, I have faith in my grandson.  Mark my
words, Olivia Weston,” she said with assertion.  “That young lady is going
to bring more joy to his life than he could have ever hoped for.  He may
fight it, but eventually he will succumb to the inevitable, and then our dear
boy will finally have all that he deserves.”

Later that
evening, Alec and Colin once again entered the lobby of White’s side by
side.  As on their previous outing with Conner, the sight of them together
was certain to illicit some good-natured ribbing from their peers, but now that
Alec and Scarlett were appearing together in public, it was more important than
ever for the two of them to act as if they were still the best of friends.

Shortly
after arriving, they were waylaid by the Marquis of Hatfield, eager to get
Colin’s opinion on a well-known racehorse he was thinking of purchasing. 
Knowing Colin could easily talk horses all night, Alec excused himself after
only a few minutes, and went to procure himself a drink.  Eventually they
would end up in one of the card rooms, but until then, it appeared that he
would have to find another way to amuse himself.

Noticing
the Marquis of Fordham across the room, Alec grabbed his brandy and began
making his way through the throng of titled gentlemen milling about; stopping
occasionally to converse with those that beckoned his attention.  As he
did, he found himself the recipient of a great many questions involving Mrs.
Scarlett McKinnon.  Those who hadn’t seen them together at the National
Gallery with their own eyes, had clearly heard the rapidly spreading gossip,
and their curiosity had definitely been piqued.

By the
time he reached William Morton, he had alluded to several of his peers that he
was paying court to Scarlett with her brother’s blessing, without coming right
out and saying it.  Colin would of course affirm Alec’s insinuations, and
before long, everyone would know that he and Scarlett’s courtship was
official.  Then, in a few weeks’ time, they would be able to announce
their engagement.

“Good
evening William,” Alec said in greeting as he approached.  The gentleman
William had been speaking with just moments before had moved off, probably to
one of the card rooms and no one else was close enough to hear them, which was
for the best.  He intended to make it clear, in case the marquis hadn’t
gotten the message the night before, that Scarlett was no longer
available. 

“Worthe,”
William responded, nodding politely in response.

“Did you
enjoy the exhibit last night?” 

“Indeed. 
It was an impressive collection.”

“Scarlett
enjoyed it as well.  She seemed particularly fond of the landscapes.” 
No use beating around the bush, he decided.  William was no fool and his
expression told Alec that he knew exactly where the conversation was
leading.  The marquis’ next words caught him off guard however.

“Did
she?”  He took a sip of his drink, the motion slow and relaxed, before he
continued.  “We spoke this morning when I stopped by the McPhearson
residence, but the exhibit didn’t come up.”

“I
see.”  Though his outward appearance reflected nonchalance, on the inside
Alec felt anything but indifferent.  Why in the hell hadn’t Scarlett
mentioned anything to him about William’s visit?  Despite her willingness
in the coach, he suddenly couldn’t help wondering if Scarlett had developed
feelings for William Morton as well.

William
regarded him in casual observation.  “It would appear that congratulations
are in order.”

“Meaning?” 
Alec queried, certain that Scarlett wouldn’t have been so careless as to
mention their impending engagement.

“Meaning,
you are a fortunate man to have garnered the affections of someone like Scarlett. 
She is an amazing woman.”

Even as
the rational part of his brain told him he was being ridiculous, Alec couldn’t
help wondering if there was something more to William’s comment?  Was
there a reason Scarlett hadn’t mentioned Morton’s visit, and if so, exactly
which of Scarlett’s amazing qualities had the attractive and charming marquis
discovered?  “I am well aware of Scarlett’s attributes William. 
However, I can’t help wondering just how aware of them you’ve become.” 
The sudden tightening of his features, and the cold, steely glint in his eye,
clearly suggested that he was referring to more than just Scarlett’s
captivating beauty, and enchanting personality.

William’s
own features turned hard at Alec’s crass implication.  “I consider
Scarlett a
friend
, so rather than adding another bruise to that
disgustingly handsome face of yours, I am going to do you a favor and pretend
that you didn’t just say that.”

It was
fortunate timing when a passing attendant happened to stop in front of them to
take their empty glasses, handing each of them a full one in return. 
Silently, Alec cursed himself.  What had he been thinking to suggest such
a thing?  Just because he had crossed the line of propriety with Scarlett
on more than one occasion, didn’t mean William Morton was capable of the same
deplorable behavior.  Not only that, he had grossly and unjustly maligned
Scarlett’s character as well.  What the blazes was the matter with
him?  “Please accept my apology, William, I spoke without thinking,” he
said, his expression contrite.