Heart of the Diamond Page 8

  After motioning for Mina to be seated, Angelica carefully arranged her peach skirts in order to have them fall perfectly around her as she sat upon the green, mauve and white striped settee. “Then you will find my children paragons. They take loyalty to unimaginable extremes.”

  He noted the slightest puckering of her brow as her gaze lingered on her skirts. Angelica Langley had ever been the forerunner of fashion, and every setting had been carefully manufactured to her every advantage. He smiled to himself. Obviously, she had been distracted this morning at the thought of his appearance, for her gown clashed with the furniture.

  She gave him a forced smile. “Please, Lord Diamond, be seated.”

  Blake glanced about for a chair, but a movement at the door caught his gaze and he paused, instantly forgetting what he was about. While rushing headlong from the staircase toward the sitting room, Nicole straightened her skirts and checked to see if her hair was in place. She skidded to a stop at the entrance and, when she saw Blake, a soft smile turned up the corners of her mouth. Instantly, Blake felt his own lips attempt the expression. He hadn't the faintest notion whether he succeeded. The only sound in the room was the crackling of the fire, and the quick little gasps as Nicole caught her breath—the breath she had obviously expended in running wildly to and from her bedchamber.

  “You look lovely,” Blake said.

  Angelica sat up straighter. “Nicole—please come inside. Emma will be bringing tea and you are blocking the door.”

  The invisible connection between Blake and Nicole shattered in the wake of Angelica's words and Nicole moved quickly to a mauve wing chair near her sister. Perching with a demureness he felt certain was not in her nature, she fastened her gaze on the weave of the expensive Persian carpet beneath her slippered feet.

  Blake took a seat on the settee next to Angelica, who adeptly maintained control of the conversation and how far to delve into each subject. He knew her ploy. She would not allow Blake to bring up incidents her girls would be better off not knowing about, and instead monopolized him. Control. He knew the tactic well.

  The visit momentarily came to a halt when a young maid carried in the tea tray, placed it on the side table nearest Angelica, and scurried away. Angelica chose the tea and set it to steep in the pot.

  Blake took the opportunity to look at Nicole, but she stubbornly refused to look his way. He wondered if he had done something to put her off, but knew he had not. No, he had been on his best behavior. Something else was wrong, and he thought it had much to do with the girl's relationship with her stepmother.

  He felt an odd sense of relief to know he was not the cause of her upset. Then he realized that very soon he would be. When she found out the secrets that lay in the past, and most certainly she must, she would have all the reason in the world to run from him and never once look back. That possibility was one he refused to contemplate at this point.

  . . .

  The afternoon dragged on. And on.

  Angelica exhausted every boring topic of conversation imaginable to Nicki. The weather, the weather in America, the weather during Blake's voyage from America, and the weather in London upon his arrival. One had only to look through the misty panes of the window to see that the weather was foul, and it had most likely been foul for some time. Weather tended to do that in the winter.

  The earl's soft voice drew Nicki's attention. The room had always been of an adequate size for entertaining a good number of guests, if need be. But Lord Diamond filled every space until the claw-footed furniture appeared to have been replaced by that belonging to Nicki and Mina's dollhouses, now stored away in the attic. She knew it was because he dwarfed everything with his size, with his presence.

  Nicki turned her gaze away to stare through the ornate brass screen into the flickering, hungry red and orange flames of the fire. She tuned her mind to ignore the drone of words and heard the whisk of a broom in the hallway as one of the servants swept away the remains of her outing with Blake.

  Such a lovely morning. Such a horrid afternoon.

  The rattle of a delicate teacup on an equally delicate saucer brought Nicki's gaze back to Blake and Angelica. The earl had risen and Nicki saw that it was he who had set the china on the spindle-legged table at his side.

  He meant to take his leave. Nicki looked up and caught her breath when she discovered that silver gaze pinned on her, probing, penetrating, intrusive. She looked away. But not before she noticed the slightest smile pull at his well-formed lips.

  “Delightful as you ladies are, I have neglected business at Rosewood for much too long. Good day, Your Grace, Miss Mina. Nicole.”

  Angelica stood, another of those stiff smiles pasted on her face. Whatever was the matter with her? “So nice of you to visit, Lord Diamond. Nicole, perhaps the earl would like you to show him to the door.”

  The corner of Blake's wide mouth flinched again. Just the tiniest bit. “I should like that very much. Nicole?”

  She stood, feeling as brittle as a frozen strand of grass. “This way, my lord.”

  Nicki moved out of the room and to her right. Several steps more and she reached the door. She sensed Blake behind her, though he moved with amazing silence for such a large man. The hair at the back of her neck stood up. Her gaze moved to the floor where all traces of leaves and dirt had been efficiently cleaned away.

  “Good bye, Blake.” She grasped the cool brass handle and pulled the door open.

  Chilled air swirled around her ankles as she waited for the earl to pass through.

  He retrieved his cloak from a peg on the wall behind the door and swept it over his shoulders. Then he grabbed Nicki's burgundy cloak as well. “Walk me to my carriage.”

  She bit her lower lip slightly, released the handle and presented her back. Blake placed the garment over her shoulders. His hands lingered to smooth the fabric beneath the voluminous hood. Instant heat radiated through to the skin of her neck and back. Nicki grasped the satin trimmed edging and pulled the garment close about her. She stepped quickly over the threshold onto the marble porch—and away from the earl's touch. As she hurried down the stairs, she heard Blake close the door.

  The brisk air blew in her face and got her eyes to tearing, while the slight drizzle brushed her cheeks with cool moisture. Grey, glowering clouds obliterated the sun, and stripped away any warmth left from the morning. Nicki could hear the distant sound of carriage wheels dancing over the cobbled surface of the courtyard grow louder as a vehicle approached the front of the house.

  Bone-chilling cold seeped through the thin soles of her fragile slippers as she moved along the stone path to the drive. Nicki hugged herself tightly as she turned to watch the arrival of a glossy black carriage with wheels rimmed in shining brass.

  A magnificent horse pranced nervously in the traces and Nicki admired its sleek golden body, long graceful legs, and the spirited arch of its neck. A beautiful animal. The earl had an eye for fine horseflesh.

  Tamm, one of the trainer’s sons, jumped from the carriage and tied off the reins. “Yer lordship, ‘e’s ready fer a good run.”

  Blake came up beside Nicki as Tamm jogged back toward the stables. “Thank you for an entertaining day, Nicole.”

  She went to the horse’s neck and reached out to stroke its delicately tapered muzzle. “I must apologize for my unrefined behavior. Angelica has tried her best to instill manners in me. You must have noticed her lack of success.”

  The earl swept past her to stand in front of the horse. When he cupped the horse's jaw, their hands touched and Nicki trembled at the feel of his skin against hers. “I do not recall Angelica as one who followed every rule,” he said softly.

  “You know Angelica?” Nicki snatched her hands away and tucked them beneath her cloak.

  The earl ignored her actions and continued to scratch the animal's broad forehead. “Long ago.”

  Nicki looked at him in surprise. “Before she married Papa?”

  Blake gave her a slightly disgusted gla
nce. “No, my dear. I may seem quite ancient to you, but I am only nine and twenty.”

  A rush of hot color flamed in Nicki's cheeks. “I meant no disrespect.”

  He grinned, gave the horse one last rub before he dusted off his hands and slipped them beneath the folds of his cloak. “Angelica was a vibrant, charming woman who flouted the confines of Society. I found her quite intriguing.”

  “Angelica?”

  “Perhaps motherhood has changed her.” Cheeks and nose pink from the cold, the earl moved around Nicki to the carriage where he unwrapped the reins from the brake.

  “Or I have driven her mad,” she offered, turning her body so she could follow his progress with her gaze.

  Another smile. “Now that is entirely plausible.”

  Nicki sidled along the traces until she stood beside Blake, then reached out to lightly run her fingers over the polished gold trim lining the carriage entrance. She could hear the creak of leather as the carriage moved with each nervous stomping of the horse in its harness. The wind surrounded her. Its icy fingers probed her clothing to find entrance to the warmth within.

  She thought how the ruddiness in Blake's cheeks caused by the cold air made him look younger, less aloof, so she hazarded bringing up a sensitive subject. “Then you must have known Papa as well.”

  “Yes.” The single word came out clipped.

  Nicki hurried on before she could take a breath and change her mind. “Did the two of you have some sort of . . . disagreement, then?” The question uttered, she went one step further and looked up at him.

  Blake climbed into the carriage. Now he refused to meet her gaze. “You should go inside before you catch your death out here.”

  “I am not cold, really. Did the two of you argue?”

  “That is a subject I will not discuss with you.”

  She leaned closer, inches inside the carriage, and watched as Blake jerked dark leather gloves over his long, tapering fingers and large palms.

  “But should I not know what happened? Your behavior . . . purposefully leading me to believe I would be meeting Teddy, and then arranging for Papa to arrive—well, it was quite odd. Why would you do such a thing?”

  The muscle along his left jaw flinched and his fists tightened on the reins, as though he would slap them against the horse's back and make his escape. Instead, he tossed her a teasing smile. “Perhaps fate called me to your side.”

  She shook her head in disgust. “I do not believe for one moment that you trust any force but your own when making decisions. You shall have to do better than that, my lord.”

  “Would you believe I am saving you from fortune hunters?”

  Nicki eyed him dubiously. “Hardly, since I have no fortune to be saved.”

  “Then I am out of suppositions. You tell me why I am here.”

  Her temper flared at his obstinance. “Keep your secrets, then. I do not care.”

  His laughter rumbled like rich warm cocoa from his chest. “You do care. But believe me when I say that it is best that you remain outside the maelstrom, my dear. It is much safer there.”

  He slapped the reins lightly and Nicki jumped back as his horse and carriage surged forward as one. Blake gave her a brief nod. She watched the vehicle move smartly down the drive, then disappear amongst the tall poplars that lined the lane leading to the main road.

  A sense of overwhelming sadness touched her heart and pressed in upon her thoughts. She drew her cloak closer against the chill of the dismal afternoon. The icy wind gusted against her, pulling moisture from her eyes to send it tunneling along her temples into her hair.

  “But you've purposefully drawn me into the center of your storm, my Lord Diamond. And now I am set adrift with no defenses. Why? What have you to gain?”

  . . .

  Nicki entered the house and removed her cloak. With a deep sigh, she hung the garment on a peg. Angelica would expect her to return to the sitting room, but what Nicki wanted now was solitude before a briskly crackling fire. Warmth to take away the chill—both inside and out.

  “Nicole, come in here, please,” called Angelica from the sitting room.

  She dropped her head back to stare at the elegantly papered ceiling high overhead. “I would like to rest, Angelica.”

  “This will only take a moment.”

  A moment to chastise her for getting dirty this morning and for running in the foyer. Nicki stepped to the doorway. “I am sorry for anything I may have done to displease you, Angelica.”

  A slight frown appeared, but Angelica patted the settee beside her. “Sit here. I wish to discuss your forthcoming marriage.”

  Though still expecting a tongue-lashing, Nicki came into the room and sat at the opposite end of the settee from her stepmother. She cast Mina a swift glance, but her sister had her head bent over her sewing and did not look up.

  “I am certain you have noticed there is some tension between our family and the earl.”

  Nicki thought surely she had heard incorrectly. “Papa says Lord Diamond hates him.”

  Angelica placed both hands on her knees, and Nicki saw her knuckles had gone white. “My hope is that the past can be set aside now that we are to become family.”

  “Blake refused to tell me what he and Papa argued about. Surely the misunderstanding can be rectified.”

  Angelica smoothed her skirts, a sure sign that she considered her words carefully before speaking. “It has gone slightly further than a misunderstanding.” She cleared her throat, took a quick sip of tea, and continued. “You see, your father and Lord Diamond had a falling out of sorts.”

  “Over what?”

  “Business. The reason is not . . . I believe you should know the result of that falling out.” Angelica took another sip of tea and Nicki noticed with amazement that her stepmother's hands trembled.

  “Yes?”

  Angelica sighed. “Blake Dylan is the reason for the failure of your father's business ventures. He has sabotaged every project Papa undertook over the past six years.”

  Nicki waited for the words to take a new form inside her mind. She heard ‘sabotaged’ and ‘Papa.’ And ‘Blake.’ No. “No! Someone would have told me sooner than this!”

  “It is not something we wanted you to deal with, Nicole. Your father and I . . . ”

  “What about Blake? He plotted to become engaged to me. Why? Why would he do such a thing? To hurt Papa by hurting me? I cannot believe it.”

  A glossy sheen covered Angelica's green eyes. She reached out, then dropped her hand. “I do not know what his intentions are, but he and your father discussed matters. You know your father would not have agreed to the marriage if he believed your well being to be at risk.”

  Hot, scalding tears formed in Nicki's eyes, then spilled onto her cheeks. “My well being? A man who has ruined my father financially has my well being in mind?”

  Angelica took Nicki's hand. “You must understand, my dear, that your father is confined by the strict dictates of Society. There are procedures that must be followed in order to protect daughters from being taken advantage of by worldly men.”

  Nicki withdrew her hand and stiffened her spine. “I do not feel protected. I feel entrapped.”

  “Please, Nicole, do not make more out of this than is necessary. I merely felt you should know this fact before going forward with your relationship with the earl.” Angelica sighed and pressed her palms together. “If you love your father you will overcome your reservations and make the best of this marriage, Nicole. He feels as trapped as you and if he sees your unhappiness, he may do something foolish, something that will destroy his reputation completely—and yours as well.”

  The pain that roiled through Nicki ended in a sickening knot in her stomach. Blake had not only tricked her into marriage, he had kept from her a devastating fact. He had allowed her to explain to him that her family had no money and begged him to provide Mina with a Season. While all along he had known of their financial difficulties—because he had caused them. />
  “Nicole, Lord Diamond seems to be making an effort to be pleasant.”

  She could not stay here and listen to Angelica's attempt at prettying-up a bleak picture. “Why should he not be as charming as a prince? He is getting everything he wants.”

  Nicki stood. Her hand unconsciously swiped at a curl that clung to the moisture on her cheek. She looked down into Angelica's pale face and the pity she saw there wrenched the knot in her stomach into an almost physical pain. “You and Papa are giving in to him—and you expect me to do the same. How can I? How can I go willingly to the sacrificial table?”

  Angelica lowered her gaze. “The earl asks for nothing—nothing but that your father release any claim to your inheritance from Grandmama.”

  “My inheritance?” Alarm pounded through Nicki with each beat of her heart. “Papa has no designs on my inheritance.”

  “Apparently the earl thought he did and demanded the stipulation in the marital contract.”

  Nicki clenched her hands at her side, her fists hidden within the fabric of her taffeta skirt. Obviously Blake Dylan did not know her family at all. He could strip from them every belonging, every ounce of money, and they would still have each other. Even Angelica had accepted their retirement to the country without complaint. They still had Langley Hall, their ancestral home, they had the money from the farms, and she and her father had done quite well in building up their stables and selling the horses bred there.

  She fought her anger and humiliation. Certainly Blake Dylan had held all the strings up to now, and he had forced them to dance and cavort at his command.

  “This should be of no great surprise to you, Nicole. Surely you did not believe the earl arranged for you to be compromised because—”

  A bitter laugh rose from Nicki's chest. “Because he wanted me? No, Angelica, I have no misconceptions as to my own appeal. Perhaps I should be grateful to have been duped by a titled man.”

  “You know very well that is not what I meant to say. Your father and I have allowed you more freedom that most girls, Nicole. You should be married, with children, but we thought to give you time to make your own choice. You did not. So it was left to us.”