Unrivalled Regency: A Gallant Gamble Part 10

"So you aim to cheat a win from us. How gallant of you, though considering your past I should not be surprised."

Rookwood smiled down at her as they tuned about the room once again.

"Not to cheat, no. Just adding a little incentive to ensure that your horse and rider either withdraw or retire from the race. If they don't, I can make sure that either or both of them don't finish. They might not even live to tell what happened." He added in an even lower tone.

Charlotte released her fingers from his sweaty palm as she stepped and curtseyed to yet another partner. When she faced Lord Rookwood again she frowned in confusion.

"But I don't understand you. You threaten my friend and my horse, but don't offer me a solution. I will never go to your bed, not if you were the last man on earth, and not even to save my friend. He would rather die than let me do it." She raised her chin as she looked him in the eye.

Rookwood leered down at her.

"Though having you in my bed would be an undeniable pleasure, I was thinking of something a little less mundane and worth an awful lot more. What is it worth to you for me to let them live and finish the race? Not to win, mind you," he added. "I could never let things go that far."

Charlotte shook her head.

"Your arrogance at your own skills is quite astounding. You a.s.sume an awful lot for one who has never ridden the Prince's horse before. Vanquish has never been tried over such a course or even entered into a race. Are you sure that you will be able to control a stallion such as he? With your thin shoulders and broken teeth, you have the air of a black rat. You do not appear to be over capable to me." She looked up and down his less than striking frame, clearly finding him wanting.

Rookwood took in a sharp breath. Her insult had stung but he shrugged it off a few moments later.

"You should be careful what you insinuate. My price for their guaranteed wellbeing may increase. At the moment all I have need of is the Caithwell diamond. I know that you have brought it to town with you in the hopes of selling it, but you could put it to far greater use. Depending on how much he and the horse are worth to you, of course, you could save both of their lives."

Charlottes nearly let out a huge laugh, but she managed to hold it back.

"A life for a diamond? You are even more crazed than I thought. Everyone knows that the diamond belongs to me. How on earth are you going to sell it without anyone thinking you stole it from me?"

But it seemed that Rookwood had even thought of a plan for that eventual outcome too.

"We can make it a bet. You place your diamond as a stake that Lightning wins the race against me. When your horse is withdrawn or loses and I come first, it will be a simple matter to hand it over to me."

Charlotte thought for a few seconds, her mind tumbling, reeling with horror at the thought of Geoffrey dying at this man's hands. She couldn't see any way out of it but to accept. She stilled her riotous thoughts and took the next turn on the dance floor to come up with a counter plan of her own, but there wasn't enough time for her to think of anything in her favour. All she could think of was a stalling tactic until she could fathom out something more viable. They came together again.

"For it to be official it would have to be written up and you would have to offer a stake of a similar value. Even though I privately know that your stake is Mr. Talbot's and Lightning's lives, it would have to be seen as something tangible with an equal value, if you want your plan to rob me to remain undiscovered. No one would believe that I would stake a priceless diamond if I there wasn't the possibility of gaining something of equal value in return. Do you have anything of any value? For it seems to me that you don't. Nothing at all, not even your word." The bitterness in her tone let him know exactly how angry she was, but he just sneered back at her.

"You can insult me all evening, but I am the one with the cards in my hands. The Prince's horse will win, with me on its back, but I can see your point about the stakes. Very well, I agree. It will be written up accordingly."

"So what do you offer as your stake? What item of value do you have to write down?"

Rookwood sighed.

"It's just as well that this is all a veil to cover my real reasons for I have only one thing of anywhere near equal value. My estate at Burnley is of ten thousand acres. The manor and grounds would look to be a suitable stake in exchange for your own. I will have it written up and we can sign the doc.u.ments to make it look legal..." The music came to an end and Rookwood bowed low over her hand. "Well, it has been a pleasure doing business with you, Lady Charlotte. I will see you and the diamond on the finish line next week." He stalked from the dance floor just as a furious Geoffrey reached her side.

Signing the entry book had been simple enough, but he had taken longer than he wanted due to several of his new friends asking why he had turned down the Prince. After explaining that he wanted to show what the Ormond bloodline stables could do rather than reach for glory with the Prince he noticed that some of the men appeared more than impressed.

"You have that much faith in Ormond's stables that you can turn down the Prince? By G.o.d, you have guts, I'll say that for you. I may even place a bet on you myself." Hubert Carruthers smiled at him.

Anthony Torrington grinned.

"You have something up your sleeve that you are not telling us. Come on man, you are our new friend. If there is money to be made you should share your knowledge." He rubbed his hands together greedily.

Geoffrey shook his head.

"Not inside knowledge, but I know my own mount better than the Prince's, that's all. The course is not an easy one and I know what Lightning can do over hedges. The Prince's horse, while huge and evidently strong, has never been tested over such obstacles. I see that the Prince has asked Lord Rookwood to ride Vanquish in my stead. Perhaps you know him better than I. If his skills in the saddle are good enough, he may stand a chance of controlling the Prince's animal, but if they are not..." He spoke no more letting the men come to their own conclusions.

Torrington snorted.

"Rookwood is as wild as Vanquish, that's all I can tell you about him. I prefer a steadier kind of fellow myself."

Carruthers nodded in agreement.

"Not a friend of mine either. He has a month's ban from Whites, did you know? Fighting with old Ledbetter. Would you believe that he punched the man for bringing him the wrong cigar? Quite rightly, Ledbetter punched him back. Nearly knocked out Rookwood's teeth. Most people think that the old boy is just a servant in the place, but I have it on good authority that he used to bare knuckle fight. Never lost a match according to my father. They keep him at Whites as a keeper of the peace as much as anything else. Tempers are raised on occasions. You know how it gets with that betting book. James Tillingham once thought it a brilliant idea to bet that he could remove Lady Ainsworth's garter without her knowing. As you can imagine, her husband wasn't so keen on the nature of the bet or how the young man would accomplish it. It all became more than heated, but Ledbetter parted the pair of them within minutes and chucked them both out of the door. I wish I had been there to see it."

Even Geoffrey laughed at the tale, liking the fact that Lord Ainsworth had a taste of his own medicine when it came to other men touching his wife. It was a pity he disregarded his own actions when it came to feeling Charlotte's leg beneath the dining table.

Geoffrey glanced around the crowded room and noticed Giles on the dance floor with Olivia. They separated and came back together, smiling as they spoke to one another. Geoffrey looked around further as he searched for Charlotte, becoming more and more anxious when he couldn't find her dancing blonde curls among the people around the room. He gave a quick bow to both of his companions and moved nearer the dancers remaining on the floor, pus.h.i.+ng past anyone in his way and ignoring the irate stares that they gave him.

It was only as the last group in front of him parted that he saw her. There were two pinpoints of pink on her cheeks, a sure sign that she was not happy about something. She turned with Charles Latham and her features softened in an instant and then her eye became icy as she returned to her original partner.

For a moment Geoffrey didn't recognize the man, his lean, dark features making him appear older than his years, but an instant later the man leaned his head backwards and laughed. He had two broken teeth, both already turning black in his jaw.

Rookwood! Geoffrey felt his insides clench as hatred rolled over him. Charlotte's angry features came into view again as the dance continued. Geoffrey glanced towards Giles. He hadn't appeared to notice Charlotte's partner, but Geoffrey couldn't let it go on. The thought of her even touching the man's hand was too much. Fury twisted around his heart when he noticed Charlotte flinch as Rookwood's hand tightened on her waist and wrist.

He was about to step forwards when the dancers closed in again and Charlotte was lost to view, but he didn't care. He wove between couples and ducked under outstretched arms as he made his way to where he had last seen her. The music suddenly stopped and the dancers bowed to one another before parting for the next set. Charlotte was left standing on the floor as Rookwood stalked away without seeing her back to her seat.

Geoffrey strode to her, taking her arm and he steering her towards the tall windows that led onto the terrace.

"What in G.o.d's name were you thinking of, dancing with that piece of flotsam." His angry tones left her in no doubt as to his feelings.

Charlotte had to take a skip to keep up with his pace.

"I had no choice. I was on the dance floor in a set before I even knew it. I couldn't possible leave anyone without a partner. This is Lord Davenport's ball. We would have been shown the cut direct if I had been so rude. I might even be shown it now what with the way you have dragged me out here."

Geoffrey blasted out onto the terrace, his chest heaving as he tried to hold in his anger.

"No choice! There's always a choice. He is a blackguard and a dangerous man or have you forgotten what he once did to you so soon? Or perhaps you have learned to enjoy the company of rakes and libertines in the last couple of weeks." He walked past the curved stone benches that made seats from which to view the serenity of the gardens and placed his shaking hands on the terrace wall. He stared out with unseeing eyes across the sea of fragrant roses, his breaths coming in hard pulls of fury.

Just as angry as he, Charlotte dragged him by the shoulder back around to face her and then fisted her hands in her skirts so that she wasn't tempted to slap his firmly clenched jaw. She stared up at him, craning her neck backwards to look him in the eye.

"How dare you! Who are you to speak to me like that? You are not my father or my brother. I was forced into dancing with the pig. Where were you while this was going on? You should have only been a moment signing the race book and then it might never have happened."

Geoffrey let out a grim laugh as his body appeared to swell with anger.

"I was only gone for a few moments, but you took only a second to disappear. You should have waited with Giles or the ladies. If you want to be preyed on by the likes of Rookwood, you only have to say and I can go home. It's not like I am needed anyway, now that your guardian is here."

Charlotte took a deep breath and narrowed her eyes as she glared upwards at the man in front of her. He was using his height and breadth to intimidate her, but she wasn't about to let him get away with those tactics ever again. She lifted the skirts of her dress, stepped up onto the stone bench that stood between them and looked him directly in the eye at last as she poked him square in the chest with her fingertip to emphasize her point.

"You only ever see what you want, but this time you are absolutely right. We don't need you at all, but we want you here all the same. I thought that you had removed that so firmly entrenched poker earlier on today, but I was obviously mistaken."

Knowing that she was right but still furious beyond reason at her words, Geoffrey grabbed her hand and shoved her prodding digit away from him. Charlotte stepped back instantly but had already forgotten that she was standing on the stone bench. She began to tumble and shrieked as she s.n.a.t.c.hed at the first thing she could to save her from a fall. Geoffrey tried to grab her as she clutched at his coat lapels, but his s.h.i.+ns. .h.i.t the stone seat and Charlotte's falling weight carried him over the rest of it.

Her soft layers of skirts billowed between them and time seemed to slow as he somehow managed to thread his fingers up through her thick hair to cradle the back of her head. His knuckles. .h.i.t the paving saving her skull, but he still felt a warm breath rush over the top of his hair as all the air was knocked out of her. His own head jolted forwards and his face landed right between two luscious cus.h.i.+ons of delight.

He drew in one breath of her beautiful scent before he lifted his face from her silk soft b.r.e.a.s.t.s and raised himself on his elbows to look down at her. She stared back up at him, blinking slowly as she caught her breath, and then her gaze dropped briefly down to his lips. Her dark brown lashes flickered for just a second before her astonis.h.i.+ng blue eyes captured his once again.

Time stood still as they feasted their eyes on each other. Geoffrey felt every curve of her body beneath him, felt her b.r.e.a.s.t.s rising and falling inches from his chin, saw her eyelids drift closed until her lashes brushed her cheeks as she lifted her chin just a fraction.

Did she want his kiss? Did she want him?

He wasn't entirely sure, but in that instant all the fight against his attraction to her left him. She was the most incredible, the most beautiful woman in the whole world and he wanted her more than he could contain any longer. He dipped his head and felt her take in a shallow breath as she waited for his lips to touch hers.

And then someone coughed at their side. Charlotte's eyes shot open. She stared up at Geoffrey and blinked twice before they both turned their heads as one towards the sound.

Giles glared down at the pair of them. Olivia stood, open mouthed by his side. Behind them, it seemed that the whole of London's society peered out of the ballroom windows at them. Sly grins slid across the men's faces, while the ladies wafted their fans and whispered excitedly to their companions.

There was no elegant way out of their undignified position. Geoffrey struggled to his feet and pulled Charlotte up after him, pressing her behind him to spare her embarra.s.sment as Giles strode forwards, his hands fisted at his sides.

Geoffrey didn't flinch as the man paced closer. For some reason Giles didn't look as angry as Geoffrey thought he should, but he straightened his shoulders and braced himself for a facer at the very least. Giles took several breaths before speaking quietly through gritted teeth.

"You will marry her, of course. St. George's, tomorrow at twelve if we can gain an audience with the Bishop for the special licence." He paused before addressing his cousin who peered out from behind Geoffrey's shoulder. "Go with Olivia immediately. I will reside with your new fiance at St. George Street. I'll see you at the church tomorrow." He turned away from them, but Charlotte wrenched herself from Geoffrey's protecting stance and raced around him to grab Giles' arm.

"You have to be joking! You said that you would never force me to marry. You can't make me!"

Giles raised an eyebrow at her.

"That was before half the ton and I discovered you rolling around Lord Davenport's terrace with your skirts above your knees and Mr. Talbot lying between your thighs. I can only a.s.sume that you had both been overcome with desire after becoming engaged. I'll brook no argument on this, cousin. You'll marry him tomorrow at noon."

Charlotte glared up at him.

"I will not. I don't want to marry Geoffrey. You cannot force me, you cannot!" She brushed off Olivia's hand on her arm as she pleaded with her guardian.

Giles closed his eyes briefly.

"As your guardian I have every right to do anything that I feel is in your best interests and believe me, after this display tonight your best interests are to marry the man and have done with it. At least you will maintain a glimmer of decorum if you do as you are told for once in your life. Go with Olivia now and stop making the scandal even worse. I will see you tomorrow."

Charlotte had never heard her cousin sound so cold or threatening. Tears formed in her eyes as she dropped her gaze to the floor. Olivia took hold of her arm and steered her towards the side door from the terrace. At least she wouldn't have to face the d.a.m.ning eyes of the ton as she left the ball in disgrace.

Geoffrey remained where he stood as he spoke to Giles' back.

"I will marry her, of course, but you should know that it was an accident. She stepped up onto the bench to berate me and then over balanced, taking me down with her. I would never have compromised her; you do know that, don't you?" He could barely speak through the pain that lanced his heart. She would hate him forever for this.

Giles stopped and listened over his shoulder but he didn't turn back. He gave one nod and spoke softly.

"Yes, of course, but that's not how everyone else saw it. I cannot have her ridiculed and rejected for the rest of her life. The scandal will affect more than just you and she. I have to consider Anne and Marcus and any future children I have. You will marry her and somehow you will make her happy again, I don't care how, but you will do it." Giles waited for Geoffrey's response but his words seemed to be stuck in his throat.

He breathed in deeply. So he had his wish. He was marrying the girl he loved, but it was all too clear now that he had been mistaken in her desires. For a brief moment he had thought she had wanted his kiss but after her outburst it was clear that she didn't want him at all. His world crumbled around him as it felt as though an ice pick had been buried in his chest and his voice sounded as broken as his heart.

"I will do everything in my power though I don't hold out much hope. You know how much she wanted to keep her independence. She'll hate me for this for the rest of her life."

Giles nodded again.

"Maybe, but you're not getting out of it. Go through the garden and meet me at the side of the house. We can walk to St. George Street from here, but I must see that Callum brings the carriage around for the ladies first." Giles eyed Geoffrey at last. He drew in a deep breath and spoke an unnecessary warning. "Geoff, I know that this is not how you wanted things to turn out, but do not try to abscond. Hurting Charlotte is bad enough but ruining her is quite another. If you do, I will hunt you down."

Geoffrey let out a grim laugh.

"Do you think that little of me? I have said that I will marry her. I've never gone back on my word and don't intend to start now." With those final words he walked down the terrace steps and off through the formal gardens towards the lamps that shone through the window next to the street.

Chapter Nine.

Wedding Bells & Wanton Women Charlotte stood in her prettiest day dress stubbornly refusing to look up at her cousin. Giles took hold of her hand and squeezed it gently before he placed it on his elbow.

"Come, do not be afraid. All will all be well. I believe that Olivia has laid on a breakfast for afterwards. She has also sent her own staff to St George Street to clean up at least a couple of the rooms before you move in. I will stay with Olivia at the Albany."

Charlotte sniffed and remained silent. Even though she had resigned herself to the inevitable, she still couldn't believe he was making her do this.

The night before had been awful. Having escaped the Davenport's ball, she had thought to rush straight to her room, pack her bags, and be away before dawn, but Olivia had scuppered that notion by following her into her room and insisting that she give Charlotte a talk on married life and what she could expect to happen on her wedding night.

It wasn't long before Charlotte was explaining to the older lady that she knew perfectly well what went on in a marriage bed. She already had a good idea having seen what went on between animals, and had gained further insights after she had taken a sneaky look at Olivia's own husband's fabled selection of erotic and explicit books while she had been staying at Ormond the year before. Olivia had turned a bright shade of pink before laughing girlishly and recommending pages seventeen and thirty two in the second book.

Charlotte had laughed with her for a few moments and then the tears had gathered. She slumped down on the bed.

"But he doesn't want to marry me, Olivia. He will hate me for doing this to him."

Olivia had sighed and sat beside her.

"He won't hate you. If he hadn't wanted to do this he could have fought Giles in a duel. I know they are not so common any longer, but it is a way out if he had really wanted it. Giles could have shot him and honour would have been restored."

Charlotte gasped and gulped audibly before she spoke in strained tones.

"Shoot Geoff! No! He wouldn't! Please don't let him, Olivia. Geoffrey has never shot more than the odd pheasant at Ormond. Giles had years of practice in France. Send Bottomley round immediately. Giles cannot shoot Geoffrey."

Olivia drew a breath and smiled gently.

"Be calm, child. No one is going to shoot anyone. Though I am sure that he would if pressed. Probably not a fatal wound, just a ball to the shoulder or upper arm, but still a nasty wound. It's the festering that normally kills a man, but I'm sure that a duel can still be arranged if that's what you really wish. Might have been better if Giles had still been in the cavalry. He's not had much practice himself recently so his aim could be off. It will have to be done quietly. Can't have the man gaoled for murder again. I doubt that he'll get away with it a second time, especially as his original rescuer will be dead and unable to save him."

The tears ran freely down Charlotte's cheeks. She knew that the older woman baited her but she couldn't stem the flow of water that leaked from her eyes at the thought of either her cousin or Geoffrey being harmed.

"But it was my fault. Geoffrey was so cross. He all but dragged me from the ballroom. I only stood up on the stone garden seat so that I could yell at the oaf properly. I was fed up with craning my neck every time we argued. We women are at such a disadvantage and I thought to even things up. Unfortunately when I angered him even more, I took a step back, forgetting that I was over a foot up. I grabbed hold of his coat to stop myself falling, but instead of standing firm like I expected him to, he tripped over the seat and fell right on top of me. It was all my doing. He shouldn't be punished for my stupid mistakes."

Olivia handed her a square of fine cotton to blow her nose.

"Come now, you are making this sound as though marriage is a fate worse than death for the pair of you. Look at it from a different perspective. You know that he is a good man. He is educated, handsome and loyal to his friends. He has excellent prospects and he doesn't appear to be too overbearing. I don't think that you could ask for too much more in a partner."

Charlotte sniffed miserably as she despaired.