The Temptation of a Gentleman (4 page)

Their host stirred his tea slowly. “Lord Woodbury, I’ve heard you are about to make an offer of marriage to a young lady in London.”

Noah snapped his gaze to Lucas. The older man held his gaze with a clear message. That Marion was his. Noah held back a curse. He was being careless. Instead of encouraging trust and comfort in the man he was hunting, his bold observance of Marion was putting Lucas on the attack. The comment about his pursuit of Charlotte was meant to put him in his place, as well as let Marion know that he was already spoken for.

It worked. Marion drew in a short breath and her gaze dropped away from his.

“
I
have
been courting a young lady, yes.” He tried to maintain a smile, but it was difficult when he thought of being tied for the rest of his life to a woman he didn’t love.

Lucas smiled, but it was a clear challenge more than a friendly gesture. “More than just courting. My sources tell me she will soon be Lady Woodbury.”

Noah shifted uncomfortably in his seat as color flooded Marion’s cheeks. “That remains to be seen.” He rose. “And now I fear I have stayed far longer than I intended. I must be returning to the Green.”

He was surprised when Marion spoke next.

“
The Green?” she asked as brown eyes came up slowly. But unlike before, they weren’t open and inviting. Now that she knew he had found a potential bride, she had shut off a small part of herself.

“
My estate, Linton Green. I would actually like to extend an invitation to all of you to visit me there. Perhaps we could have tea tomorrow afternoon since the weather looks to be turning foul.” He stared at Marion evenly. “I wouldn’t want any of you to be trapped in the house all day.”

As he had hoped, her eyes went wide and her face filled with color and a smile. For some reason, Marion Hawthorne muttered to herself and now she knew he had not only heard the words she’d said on the stairway, but
listened
to them.

“
A good plan,” Josiah said with a nod.

“
Splendid, I shall see you all tomorrow afternoon,” Noah said as he moved for the door. Before he could bring himself to leave, he looked over his shoulder and allowed himself one last glance at Marion.

At temptation.

***

Marion attempted to appear interested in the conversation between her father and Lucas, but her mind kept turning on Noah Jordan. He had left a full half hour before, but still his image leapt to the forefront of her mind.

It was the epitome of foolishness. Now she knew Noah Jordan belonged to someone else. Some woman in London. No, a
lady
in London. Probably with breeding and style and grace. Not some merchant’s unwanted daughter who spoke too often and laughed too freely.

Marion frowned. There was no reason for her to feel disappointment. The Marquis was a rake, so of course he had flirted with her, but any connection she had sensed between them wasn’t real. By now he had probably forgotten all about her.

And so she had to try to forget about him.

“
Marion!”

She jumped at her father’s harsh bark, then shook away her thoughts and focused on the two men before her. “Yes, Papa. I’m sorry, I was woolgathering.”

“
Quite all right, my dear.” It was Josiah Lucas who answered. His gray eyes slid over her and he inched closer. Even though he was sitting in a chair and she was perched on the edge of the settee, she struggled to keep herself from sliding away. “Perhaps you will share your thoughts with us.”

She pursed her lips. Oh, yes. That would be wonderful. She could simply confess to her father and this stranger that she had been contemplating the deliciously handsome Marquis and how utterly out of her realm he was.

Instead she managed a smile and a more proper topic. “I was just thinking about how lovely your lands here are, Mr. Lucas. And how much I’m looking forward to exploring Toppleton Square and Woodbury during my stay.”

That elicited a smile from both men and the beginnings of yet another mind-numbing discussion of rivers and hills and valleys. Marion stared into her tea cup as she blocked out her father and Lucas.

Yes, a man like Noah Jordan was not meant for her. But she intended to enjoy his company when she found herself in it. And if she allowed herself a little daydream about him from time to time, it could bring no harm to anyone.

***

Noah strummed his fingers along the desktop. Though it was only just teatime and his guests could hardly be called late, a restlessness he hadn’t felt for years persisted. He welcomed it. It meant his head was in his case, not bored to tears by Society or expectations he wished he wasn’t forced to make.

Sliding his hand across the desk, he placed it over the small box of charcoal pencils perched there. He had picked them up in the village to give to Marion as a replacement for the ones Phantom had destroyed. It was the perfect excuse to be alone with her for a moment. And to warn her about his fears for her safety and future.

He liked Marion’s humor and couldn’t deny a strong attraction to her. Hell, he felt more for her ten minutes after meeting her than he had in all the months he’d courted Charlotte.

The warmth inside him faded. That was unfair. He had made a vow to the woman he intended to marry, and he would keep it. There would be no dalliances during his time at Woodbury. No matter how appealing the prospect.

“My lord?” Basil York, the butler at Linton Green for as long as Noah could remember, stood in the hallway awaiting his master’s orders.

“
Yes, Basil?”

“
Your guests have arrived. I put them in the West Salon as you asked and they await your appearance,” he said with a proper bow.

“
Thank you. I’m sure Mrs. York has prepared something sumptuous to go with tea.” Noah watched with a grin as the old man’s eyes lit up at the mention of his wife of thirty years.

“
I’m sure she has, my lord,” he answered with as close to a smile as the butler would allow himself before his master. Noah had heard the man laugh many a time below stairs, but above he was the picture of calm and composure.

“
Thank you, Basil.”

With a pat on the other man’s shoulder, Noah strode down the hallway. As he paused for a moment at the West Salon door, his heart pounded with excitement at this continuation of the chase. The chase of Lucas, of course. Marion had nothing to do with it.

With a deep breath, he pushed the door open and gave the guests within a welcoming smile. “Good afternoon, my friends. Thank you for braving this weather to join me here at Linton Green.”

He wasn’t surprised that Lucas answered him first. The man obviously saw himself as an important fellow. Overly important.

“
Good afternoon, my lord. What an honor it is to be invited to your home. Will your mother be joining us for tea this afternoon?”

Noah stiffened as his thoughts turned to Tabitha. His mother was still deep in mourning for his late father, weighed down by days when she could do naught but cry. She claimed to feel better since his arrival, but he had seen no change in her melancholy to support that statement.

“
My mother is still grieving,” he explained with a sigh. “I have extended the invitation to her, of course, but receiving guests is still too much for her at this time.”

He looked over to find Marion’s eyes on him. “I’m so sorry for her loss, Lord Woodbury,” she said softly.

“
Thank you.” He was struck by her sincerity. Though her words were the same as a dozen other well-wishers had used, none of them had ever seemed to feel the sentiment behind them so fully. “Perhaps you will meet her before you depart. I’m sure she would appreciate your sympathy, as well.”

And he realized he meant the offer. Not only did he feel his mother would take comfort in Marion’s genuine sympathy, somehow he wanted Tabitha to approve of her.

Folly. It was absolute folly. And if he wanted to solve his case, he would put it aside forever.

***

The tea was perfect. But how could it not be?
Everything
at Linton Green was perfect from the food to the efficient servants to their host. Noah’s house felt like a home, despite its elegant exterior. It was a place where she could imagine a family laughing or children running through the hallways with wild abandon. Children with bright blue eyes.

“
Miss Marion?”

She jumped at Noah’s voice, embarrassed he’d interrupted her little fantasy.

“
Marion!” her father spit out with venom. “Answer the Marquis! Don’t just sit there as if you’re daft, girl!”

Marion flinched. “Yes, my lord?”

“
Yesterday your pencils were, er,
eaten
. Today I’d like to remedy that destruction. Would you accompany me to the library for a moment?” Noah turned to her father with a decidedly aristocratic glare. “If you have no objection, Mr. Hawthorne.”

For a moment, Marion’s father looked at Noah without answering, then glanced from at Josiah Lucas. Strange, it seemed to Marion he was trying to determine which of the men was a greater threat. She could have told him it was Noah he should try to please.

Finally, her father answered, “I don’t see the harm. Though Marion wastes too much time on her silly sketches. If her pencils got ruined, I say all the better.”

With effort, Marion held her tongue. Her father had never encouraged her to educate herself, and that only made her crave art and learning all the more.

“
Hmm…” Noah pursed his lips with displeasure. “We shall only be a moment.”

Marion rose, wondering why her hands shook just the slightest bit when she took the arm Noah offered her. As they left the room, she threw a glance over her shoulder and saw the anger in Josiah Lucas’s eyes.

Refusing to allow the two men ruin this moment, she said, “You really do have a lovely home.”

“
Thank you. It was my father’s pride and joy. I grew up here.” Noah paused and his face turned solemn, just as it had earlier in the parlor. “And he died here.”

Marion slowed her pace. “Yes, I can see you’re still pained by that loss. I’m sorry to see that.”

Noah looked at her sharply. “I beg your pardon?”

It was the first time he had taken that arrogant tone with her. The one that said he was a peer of the realm and not to forget it. She stopped walking, forcing him up short at her side.

“
I’m only trying to tell you I understand. I lost my mother at a very young age. The loss of a parent is something you cannot help but carry with you. I’m sure you must still feel that heartbreak, just as your mother does. Only you can’t show it because you’re a man with responsibilities.”

His face softened as he reached out to her, but his large hand stopped just short of touching her cheek. Her heart skipped to a faster beat as she felt the warmth radiating from his skin. Suddenly he drew back as if burned.

“
You are a fascinating woman, Marion Hawthorne.” He hardened his face as he took her arm again. “And here is the library.”

She stepped away from him to look up at the tall bookshelves, brimming with books of all kinds and years. She spun in a small circle, craning her neck to see higher and higher up the endless shelves.

“
Oh my,” she breathed.

He didn’t answer for a moment and she tore her gaze away to find him staring at her with a strange expression. One that made a thread of heat curl low in her belly.

Finally, he cleared his throat. “I see you approve.”

She shoved away her body’s strange reactions and nodded vigorously. “Approve? I’m envious to my very core! It’s magnificent. I could lose myself here with no trouble.”

Suddenly she had a very clear image of herself curled up in the window seat with a book, very much at home here because it was her home. The image was troubling and completely inappropriate.

He laughed and the sound warmed her. “I often think that, but I always find my way out.”

He crossed to a small table and picked up a small box of pencils. “And
these
belong to you.” He held it out to her. “With my most sincere apologies. And Phantom’s.”

Her eyes grew wide at his offering. There weren’t the inexpensive ones she’d lost. They were of the highest quality. “Oh no, these are too much. I couldn’t take them.”

“
I insist.”

She looked with greedy eyes at the pencils. Things like books and supplies were a luxury she had to fight to afford and keep in her father’s strict home. These were a treasure, and not just for their finery. What she drew with them would forever be linked to Noah and the stolen moments she had found here in his home.