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London, May 1812
Birds were stirring in the trees and dew was still on the grass as dawn began to spread its watery grey light over the deserted park. Two men shrouded in long black cloaks rode towards the seclusion of a group of trees and dismounted.
Cursing at his own folly, Alexander Montgomery, the seventh Earl of Arlington and taller of the two, glanced irritably at Sir Nathan Beresford. The two men were as close as friends could be, and as different as night and day. Nathan, with his ash-blond hair and blue eyes, was well liked, good natured and easygoing, and he lacked the aura of authority and power that seemed to surround Alex. Nathan was to act as Alex's second, when the other party deigned to arrive for the duel.
Three inches over six feet tall, Alex was a man diverse and complex, and could be utterly ruthless when the need arose. There was a hard set to his firm jaw, and his wide, well-shaped mouth was held in a stern line. His face was clean shaven and one of arrogant handsomeness, dark brows slashed his forehead and his hair was thick and ebony black. In the midst of so much darkness his eyes were dove grey, striking and piercing. Hidden deep in them was a cynicism, watchful, mocking, as though he found the world a dubious place to be.
He possessed a haughty reserve that was not inviting and set him apart from others in society. There was an aggressive confidence and strength of purpose in his features, and he had an air of a man who succeeds in all he sets out to achieve. From the arrogant lift of his dark head and casual stance, he was a man with many shades to his nature, a man with a sense of his own infallibility.
'You've tied yourself into some knots in your time, Alex, but this is by far the tightest,' Nathan remarked, tethering his horse to a branch and scanning the park for the arrival of Alex's opponent. 'I only hope you can extricate yourself from this mess with some modicum of honour.'
'I agree. It's a damned unfortunate business, Nathan, and I bear the entire weight of this incident on my own conscience.'
'Surely Amelia Fairhurst must shoulder some of the blame.'
'The responsibility is all mine,' Alex replied curtly, dismissing Nathan's well-meaning attempt to absolve him. 'But if ever I am stupid enough to fall prey to another pretty face, remind me to scrutinise her credentials for hidden husbands.'
'Knowing how assiduous you are to detail, I am surprised you didn't vet her more carefully.'
'I must have taken leave of my senses,' Alex replied, contemplating the irony of the situation. Here he was, one of the most eligible bachelors in England, and yet he had made the fatal mistake of taking to bed a married woman. His stupidity galled him, and he cursed himself for being a dim-witted fool.
Nathan cast him an arch look. 'The delectable Amelia Fairhurst must be quite something for you to have overlooked the fact that she has an aging husband tucked conveniently out of the way in Yorkshire.'
Alex's firm lips curved in a slight smile when he remembered the stunningly vivacious brunette, who had taken no persuading to jump into his bed. 'She's certainly an interesting, unconventional female.'
Nathan chuckled, giving his friend a conspiratorial wink. 'And I seem to recall you saying on more than one occasion that unconventional women are always more exciting between the sheets.'
'Exactly,' Alex replied with a wry grin. 'Providing one doesn't happen to be married to one.'
His words were flippant, but Nathan heard an edge to his voice. Alex was a self-proclaimed single man. Past experiences had forged him into a hardened cynic, and he discarded all women as being dispensable and irrelevant. Age and experience had taught him that women couldn't be trusted, and the first lady to show him this had been his own mother. Her affairs had been notorious and had hurt him badly. They had also been the reason why his father had sought oblivion in alcohol before blowing out his brains. Alex's mother, the beautiful and immoral Margaret Montgomery, had married her Spanish lover soon after and had gone to live in Spain. Whether she lived or had died Alex neither knew nor cared.
'Thank God Fairhurst is in his dotage. With any luck his eyesight will be impaired and his brain addled. I am merely one in a long line of Amelia's lovers. Why the devil he's singled me out is quite beyond me.'
'Maybe it's because you're the only one he knows about.'
'I doubt it. But whatever the reason, remind me not to stray from Caroline from now on. She's more than enough to satisfy my needs.'
Alex was always careful to choose a mistress whose company he enjoyed. She had to be intelligent and sophisticated, who would not mistake lovemaking and desire with love, and, moreover, she had to be a woman who made no demands and expected no promises.
For these reasons she would be kept in the lap of luxury. She could expect a smart town house, a beautiful carriage and horses, servants, gowns, furs and jewels that would be the envy of every other woman.
'Does Caroline know about your affair with Amelia?'
'Yes, but she understands not to ask for an explanation. However, I must admit that I've been unfair to her.'
Nathan quirked a brow, his blue eyes twinkling with light mockery. 'What's this? Are you becoming sentimental?'
'I am never sentimental,' Alex snapped. 'But for the life of me I can't understand why someone as stunning as Amelia married old Fairhurst in the first place. It's disgraceful that so much beauty is wasted on such a pathetic old man.'
Nathan regarded his friend with mild cynicism. 'Yes, you can. You know the type of woman she is. She's a scheming fortune-hunter who likes to drink the finest champagne and wear the most expensive jewels. She openly and shamelessly admits she married Fairhurst for his title and wealth and flaunts it with aplomb.'
'So she does, but you must admit she is more pleasing than those simpering young misses, who swoon at the merest hint of a stolen kiss, their mamas hovering over them like hawks, ready to latch on to me if I show any sign of compromising their precious daughters.'
Alex was aware that he was a fantastic matrimonial prize— top of the list of every ambitious matchmaking mama, whom he treated with amused condescension. They were women whose only ambition in life was to form an alliance with the powerful and illustrious Montgomery family. His ancestors on his mother's side had been rewarded for their loyalty to the crown through the ages with estates and riches enough to make him one of the wealthiest men in England.
Alex's attitude to the female sex was highly critical, his opinion low, but his own popularity among them was high. He was unattached, unattainable, and he would stay that way.
'Perhaps if you were to give marriage some serious thought it might put a stop to the hunt.'
Alex threw Nathan a look that would have stopped a racehorse in its tracks. 'When I want some of your logic, Nathan,' he retorted tersely, 'I'll ask for it.'
'Nevertheless, it would solve the problem,' Nathan went on imperturbably, ignoring Alex's black look. Nathan was one of the few people who could argue with him and escape unscathed.
'Marriage and love are for fools,' Alex stated caustically.
'I never mentioned love. Besides, where you are concerned, since when has love anything to do with marriage or anything else for that matter?' Nathan proclaimed.
'You're right. I despise the romantic ideal of love. I've seen enough of it in the past to know of its destructive effects. Desire I understand. It's a more honest emotion. Passion and desire are easily appeased—fleeting—and easily doused.'
'It's a good thing we're not all as cynical as you are,' Nathan chuckled. 'Not every woman is as ambitious and devious as you seem to think they are. I am fortunate to be married to one, don't forget.'
That was true. Twelve months ago Nathan had found wedded bliss with the lovely Verity Fortesque, a woman with whom even Alex had been unable to find fault. Alex and Verity were cousins, Verity being the only daughter of his Aunt Patience, Uncle Henry's younger sister. Patience's husband had died after just a few short yet happy years of marriage. She had never remarried and still lived in the house they had shared at Richmond.
'Verity is a sweet thing, I grant you. But she is the exception. However, unlike you, I do not find marriage a desirable institution.'
Nathan shot him an exasperated look. 'I agree it can be heaven or hell. Thankfully I chose my wife wisely. Our marriage will be long lasting, based on caring—and love. And you may scoff at that all you like.'
Alex looked at his friend, suddenly serious. 'I'm not scoffing, Nathan. In a way I envy you.'
'You do?'
Alex nodded and looked away.
'You know, Alex, you Montgomerys have become thin on the ground; if you want to continue the line, you really should give some thought to producing an heir. You don't have to marry for love—but I suspect that one day you will fall prey to what you consider to be a debilitating emotion, and it will come as the greatest shock in your life.'
Alex favoured him with a look of absolute disdain, but Nathan ignored it. 'I don't think so,' he answered coldly, his tone suggesting that the subject was closed. But as he turned away he frowned, his thoughts reverting to the matter of an heir. Nathan was right. He was heir to his uncle, the Duke of Mowbray, and Alex knew how anxious his uncle was for him to marry. If he didn't produce a legitimate heir, the title would become extinct. It troubled him more than anyone realised, and he knew he couldn't go on ignoring the issue.
He had stayed a bachelor far longer than most of his contemporaries, and the truth of it was that he was beginning to tire of courtesans and mistresses, and all the jealousies and petty tantrums they brought with them. This latest affair with Amelia Fairhurst had made him see that he was susceptible to women of a certain type, and a wave of disgust swept over him. There had to be an easier way of satisfying his physical needs. Perhaps Nathan was right and a marriage of convenience was the answer after all. In fact, it might have much to offer, and, further, the ideal woman was waiting in the wings.
Lavinia Howard was the eldest daughter of Lord Howard of Springfield Hall in Kent. She was eminently suitable and available. He would dwell on the prospect and invite her—along with a party of friends—to Arlington, his estate in Hertfordshire. If he offered for her, marriage would be a comfortable arrangement that would suit them both. A union between two civilised people who knew what to expect from each other might be just what he needed. He could still enjoy pleasant intrigues, providing he had a compliant wife.
Cursing softly under his breath, impatiently he moved away and began pacing to and fro. 'Fairhurst's late. Where the devil is the man?' Annoyed, Alex thought of the impending duel with distaste. He hoped Fairhurst would achieve satisfaction by merely wounding him—or preferably missing him completely. Alex would fire into the air, and, in so doing, would be admitting his guilt—then the affair would be ended. This was how duels were usually settled between gentlemen. If a death should occur, it would draw the attention of the law, and neither of them wanted that.
'Tell me, Alex. Does your uncle know that Fairhurst has challenged you to a duel?'
Alex's mouth narrowed into a thin line of annoyance. 'No. At this very moment my uncle is en route to America.'
'Really?' Nathan expressed profound surprise. 'I say! That's a bit sudden—and reckless, considering the present situation. It's highly probably that America will declare war on us very soon.'
Alex knew this to be true and his irritation about the situation had increased considerably. 'I know it's only a matter of time before the situation ignites. His decision to go was all rather sudden. He has a cousin, Lydia Hamilton, in Boston who is dying. Her husband is dead and she's fallen on hard times. It appears she has appealed to my uncle to make her daughter his ward. The girl is a minor and Lydia wants him to bring her to England and offer her a home.'
'And you're not pleased, I can see that,' Nathan stated.
'No. When I returned to London from Arlington and read his note, my first impulse was to take the next ship and go after him to bring him back.'
'Thank God common sense prevailed. Do you think your uncle will bring the girl back with him?'
'Uncle Henry is far too sensible to do anything irrational, but from what I recall, his feelings for Lydia were far stronger than just cousinly fondness. Their mothers were sisters, and Henry and Lydia created a scandal that embroiled both families at the time. I believe she is the reason why my uncle never married. I don't know the gist of it, but what I do know makes me decidedly reluctant and uneasy about admitting that woman's daughter into our lives.'
'Why did she go to America?'
'Against her father's wishes, Lydia married an adventurer by the name of Richard Hamilton with undue haste and went with him to Boston. I believe they went west and settled in Ohio. Apparently, her father was outraged and cut her off without a penny. As far as I am aware, nothing has been heard of her since—until my uncle received a letter from her three weeks ago.'
'And no doubt you're afraid he'll be taken in.'
'Yes. He is not a man who shirks his responsibilities, and he obviously thinks of his cousin's daughter as just that, otherwise he would not have gone tearing halfway across the world without discussing the matter with me first. But why go at all? He could have written or sent someone to escort the girl to England.'
'It occurs to me that this grand gesture might be your uncle's way of telling Lydia Hamilton that where she is concerned his feelings are no different to what they were all those years ago.'
It was a possibility that Alex refused to dwell upon.
'Alex, your uncle may have a soft heart, but, contrary to what you believe, he is no fool.'
'You're right. But to saddle himself with a ward at his time of life could be disastrous.'
Nathan arched a sceptical brow. 'For whom? Him or you?'
Alex shot him an icy glance. 'All right, damn you. Me,' he answered curtly.
