What A Rogue Wants (7 page)

“
You don’t call telling
her you’d see her thrown from Court a threat?”

She pressed her lips together. “I
suppose you could see it that way.”

“
I do. Things, I find, are
easy to see if one simply looks. You threatened my sister to gain a
recommendation from her to me. Consider yourself recommended and
dismissed.” He ran a finger down her cheek. “I am flattered. You’re
beautiful. But I’m not in the market to marry, as you so kindly
pointed out to Lady Madelaine. But if I were, I would choose a lady
who hadn’t already given herself willingly to half the men at
Court.”

“
You’re a
devil.”

He shrugged. “You’re correct, of
course. So don’t think for a moment you can threaten my sister. If
you so much as peep a word of her harmless girl talk with Lady
Madelaine, I’ll go straight to your father and make sure he knows
you lay with Lord Barrington not a week ago.”

“
You’ve no
proof.”

He didn’t have it at this moment, but
he knew how to get it. “You may take that chance if you wish. Some
have, but I’ll warn you they regretted it. I do not bluff, Lady
Grace.”

The woman blanched at his words. “Lord
Barrington is an imbecile. He’ll never rise far at
Court.”

“
Yes. It makes me wonder
why someone as scheming as you wasted your favors on
him.”

Color heightened her cheeks as her
eyes narrowed. “I’ve my reasons. My silence for yours?”

Grey nodded. “I do so love a
deal.”

“
A devil’s bargain,” she
hissed and stomped away.

Something nagged at Grey as he watched
her depart. His sister tugged on his arm. “Grey, you were
brilliant. She’ll never bother me again. But poor Lady Madelaine,
Lady Grace will―”

That was it! Lady Madelaine! “Hold
that thought, Liz.” He ran ahead until he reached Lady Grace. “One
more thing,” he said.

“
What is it?” She folded
her hands across her chest.

“
You will cease harassing
Lady Madelaine as well or I will forget our bargain and tell your
father.”

“
Why do you care about
her? The little fool wouldn’t know how to please you
if
you managed to get
her into your bed.”

Lady Madelaine’s discretion pleased
him. He much preferred to pursue a lady who chose her lovers with
care and managed to keep her bed sport secret. “It doesn’t matter
why I care, only that I do. So bite your pretty little tongue or
find yourself married to a man who will never rise to the heights
you hope to reach.”

“
Very well.” Her nostrils
flared, but she didn’t say more. He had to give her some credit.
She appeared smart enough to understand when she was beaten. She
swiveled on her heel and walked away.

Grey went quickly back to his sister
and took her arm. “I don’t have long. The king is expecting me, so
I have to hurry. But I’ll be here for at least the next week, so we
can visit. No more talk of the queen, even if you think you are
alone.”

“
I promise. But Grey, it
was harmless.”

“
To you. But the wrong
word could get you named traitor. You should know that, and so
should your new friend. Tell me about Lady Madelaine.”

Elizabeth’s eyes narrowed. “Why? She
is not some doxy for you to play with, Grey.”

“
You too?” He ran a hand
through his hair. “I coerce no lady into accepting my favors. They
do so of their own choosing.”

“
I imagine it’s hard to
make a rational decision when someone as handsome as you has turned
all his attention upon a lady.”

Wistfulness laced his sister’s words.
“Liz, you will meet the perfect man someday, have ten children, and
be utterly content just as Mother and Father are.”

“
And what of you?” She
touched her fingertips to his arm. “Will you take a wife
someday?”

“
We’re not talking about
me,” he said, neatly avoiding his sister’s question. She wouldn’t
like that he wanted no part of marriage or love, and he didn’t want
to fight about it. “We’re talking of you and your lovely friend.
Tell me of her.”

Liz shrugged. “There’s little to tell.
I’m ashamed to admit I’ve been too afraid of Grace to openly
befriend Lady Madelaine.”

“
Only
because of Lady Grace?” he prodded.

Liz’s eyebrows shot up. “You’re very
observant. If only Father understood this.”

“
Liz,” he warned, not
wanting to hear a word of how sorry she felt for him because of
their father.

“
Fine. Fine. Yes, the
queen too. She seems to have a virulent dislike of Lady
Madelaine.”

“
Is Aunt Helen
here?”

Liz smirked at him. “I already thought
of her.”

“
Really? Then why don’t
you know more of Lady Madelaine?”

“
Well, I only just thought
of Aunt Helen. And she only just returned to Court.”

“
Excellent. Seek her out.
Alone though. Aunt Helen will know what nettles the queen. She
knows all the Court secrets.”

“
I’m ahead of you for
once. I requested to see Aunt Helen after she refreshes from her
travels. I asked Lady Madelaine to meet me later in the hope I
could impart some information that might help her or at least
enlighten her.”

“
You’ve a kind heart,
poppet.”

She shook her head. “Not kind enough.”
Her voice trembled. “Or I wouldn’t have been too afraid to befriend
her. I feel so ashamed I’ve allowed her to be treated cruelly. How
lonely she must be, friendless here at Court.”

That would probably make Grey’s
intention of getting the lady into his bed easier, but somehow that
seemed like little accomplishment to win a woman because she was
desperate not to feel alone. Instead of feeling any lust, his blood
stirred toward anger. “There’s no shame having been scared, but now
you need to learn to be brave. It will serve you
better.”

“
As it serves
you?”

She didn’t say their father’s name,
and Grey was grateful for that. “Yes. As it serves me. Let’s go in
now, so you can see Aunt Helen. She won’t mind you arriving
early.”

“
Do you want to
come?”

“
I have to see the king.
But I’ll find you later and demand a full recounting.”

“
Perhaps I’ll tell
you.”

He grinned at his sister’s unusual
show of backbone. “Name your price.”

“
You must promise not to
hurt Lady Madelaine. She’s been hurt enough by her treatment here
at Court already.”

“
You wound me, Liz. I
swear to you, I have never hurt a single lady I give my attentions
to.” He went to great pains to make sure his bed partners
understood neither commitment nor love were part of what he
offered.

His sister pursed her lips, but said
nothing.

“
Come on.” Grey tugged on
Liz’s hand. “I need to go before I earn the king’s
displeasure.”

Madelaine couldn’t afford to be a
fool. And if the tales she’d been listening to for the last two
hours were true, Lord Grey was a man who wanted a willing wench in
his bed and most definitely not a wife―therefore he was a man for
fools. None of the ladies embroidering in the circle appeared to
see the situation that way, but Madelaine did. The ladies giggled,
whispered and placed wagers on who would win Lord Grey’s heart.
Madelaine doubted any of them would.

Madelaine glanced at Lady Elizabeth.
She was red-faced and tight-lipped, as she had been for the last
hour. But she had not denied a single word about her brother.
Finally the queen chimed in with a “tsk.” All grew blessedly silent
as the queen stood and glanced around her ladies-in-waiting. “Young
men have great appetites.”

As if that was an excuse for blatantly
using women!

The queen’s gaze rested on Madelaine,
and Madelaine forced herself to unclench her hands. “Lord Grey is a
man of honor,” the queen said.

Madelaine quickly pretended to study
her embroidery in case her thoughts showed on her face. She hardly
saw how bedding hordes of women was honorable. Lord Grey sounded
more like a depraved rake. Which made it all the more infuriating
that she kept picturing his wintery eyes and radiant smile. She
needed to forget him―not daydream about him. She already had Lord
Thorton trying to lead her to ruin. She certainly didn’t need to
add another rake to her troubles.

“
Come, Lady Elizabeth.
Help me prepare for dinner,” the queen commanded. The moment her
bedchamber door shut, the chatter erupted again. Madelaine forced
herself to sit through two more stories. That should be long enough
no one would comment that she was rushing away the minute the queen
departed.

She stuffed her embroidery into her
bag, longing for the chance to be alone for a moment before dinner.
She needed to clear her thoughts and raise her defenses for another
tedious meal where she spent more time blocking Lord Thorton’s
wandering hands than eating. At the rate she was going her clothes
would all be falling off her by Christmas.

She bent to gather the rest of her
embroidery thread and when she straightened Lady Elizabeth stood
before her. “Come with me,” Lady Elizabeth urged with a quick
glance at the other ladies.

She needn’t have bothered. They were
all still far too busy giggling over Lord Grey and which of them
would be the one to ensnare his heart and make him reform his ways.
Madelaine dismissed them and focused on Lady Elizabeth. A pink
flush still covered her skin and her eyes gleamed. “What are you up
to?”

Lady Elizabeth tilted her head toward
the hall and pressed her lips together as she grasped Madelaine’s
hand.

It took Madelaine a breath to decide
this was too intriguing to pass up. Excitement filled her. Lady
Elizabeth wanted to share a secret with her and treat her as a
friend. She followed Lady Elizabeth out of the queen’s drawing room
and down the hall.

“
Those women infuriate
me,” Lady Elizabeth said as she stopped.

A spark of hope filled Madelaine. Lord
Grey had been the first man at Court to truly capture her
attention. If the women had been wrong about him… “So Lord Grey is
not a rake?”

“
Oh, he is. Most
definitely. But they know nothing of him. They think the prettiest
face will win his heart and change his ways. But they’re
wrong.”

Madelaine was intrigued despite
knowing she should not be. “What do you think?”

“
I
know
what Grey needs is to feel
loved. Then he’ll change.”

Madelaine snorted. She couldn’t help
it. “Don’t you think your brother feels plenty of love from the
bosom of your family and the bosoms of all the women he has
apparently seduced?”

“
No.” Lady Elizabeth
smiled but then her mouth drew into a frown. “It’s a story for
another time, but Grey is an outsider with my father and our older
brother.”

“
I don’t understand.” How
did being an outsider make one a notorious rake? Feeling excluded
usually meant someone would feel little confidence. She ought to
know. Lord Grey exuded confidence.

“
Neither do I. But I vow
he’s like he is because he never had Father’s attention. He wants
to feel loved.” Lady Elizabeth’s words held a ringing note of
wistfulness. Madelaine’s heart fluttered with pity for the man,
even though her head was not sure he deserved it.

“
I find it hard to believe
your brother doesn’t feel loved when so many women apparently want
him.”

“
I’m told on very good
authority that there’s a marked difference between love and
lust.”

“
Whose authority?”
Madelaine scarcely believed she was having this conversation or
that it appeared she now had a definite friend. Whatever Lord Grey
might be, he seemed to be a good influence on his sister. The man
could not be
all
bad if he had indeed convinced his sister to be Madelaine’s
friend.

“
Madame Marmont’s pamphlet
on courting and marriage.”