The Rejected Suitor (14 page)

 "Fennington,"
Jared mouthed to Roderick.

There,
in the corner of the shop, where muslin met silk, James Theodore Fennington
could be seen in a dark brown jacket and bright white cravat crooning over two
ladies, Lady Emily and Miss Jane Greenwell.

Jared
narrowed his gaze on the ladies. His nostrils flared at the sight of
Fennington's beady eyes fixed on the creamy expanse of skin where a golden
locket rested.

Jared
immediately excused himself from the ladies present and made his way past the
rows of lace and silk, his long strides unwavering as he knocked down a bolt of
blue brocade trim. He wondered how he should knock Fennington to the ground,
with one fist or two. It seemed that Roderick had already broken through the
swarm of ladies as well, but Jared was a yard ahead of him.

When
Emily looked up to find her brother and the earl barreling in her direction,
her pulse skittered alarmingly. The gaggle of surrounding ladies erupted into
low murmurs once again. Emily glanced back at the smiling but odious man in
front of her and felt a pang of regret for what was about to happen to him. He
was an insufferable pain, but he did not deserve both men at once.

"Mr.
Fennington," she said, touching his arm.

He bowed
to her, flashing a set of white teeth her way. "Your slightest wish is my
command, my lady. Just one word from those ruby red lips and I am yours
forever."

What a
peagoose! How could she ever have thought of wedding such a popinjay?

"Mr.
Fennington, I do implore you, if you have the slightest wish to see the sun
rise tomorrow, I suggest you exit by the back door before my brother kills
you."

Fennington
laughed. "His Grace is only jesting, my dear lady. He would never—"

Emily
grabbed the man's arm. "He would never give you another chance. Please, he
is only ten feet from your back.

Fennington
turned as white as the lace behind him. "Eh, ten feet, you say?"

"Five
feet," she replied as she pushed Fennington aside. "Stop, Roderick! I
beg you, do not harm him."

Boxes
and buttons rolled and thumped onto the floor as Fennington escaped through the
back door. To her shock, it was not Roderick, but Lord Stonebridge who was but
a step away from her brother, glaring at her.

"What
the devil do you think you are doing with that conniving snake?" he
snapped.

Roderick
obviously decided not to pursue the gentleman and, instead, stared at his
friend. "I appreciate your concern, Jared, but I will see to my own
affairs."

"This
is my affair," he growled.

Roderick
grimaced as he took in Jane's amused expression. "Indeed, your ward seems
to be rather fond of Fennington herself."

Jane's
blue eyes narrowed on the duke. "How would you recognize any fondness at
all, Your Grace. It seems to me that your heart is as cold as your kiss."

Surprised,
Emily stared back at her friend. Kiss?

"My
kiss, madam, is not cold."

Emily
watched in fascination as Jane and Roderick went back and forth muttering snide
remarks. But it was Jared who finally pulled Jane from the pressing crowd, back
through the bolts of muslin and silk to the front door. Roderick followed,
towing Emily past the buttons and lace, clattering everything in their path.

Voices
whispered as the foursome finally retreated from the shop. After the door
jingled, announcing their departure, the gossip about the Earl of Stonebridge,
the Duke of Elbourne, Miss Jane Greenwell, and Lady Emily began.

However,
in the small dressing room, off to the side, a certain Miss Susan Wimble stood,
glaring into the looking glass, her eyes glazed over with hatred. She slipped
off her wedding gown and turned to her maid.

"Find
out everything you know about that dark-haired lady speaking to Stonebridge, do
you hear? I will not have the chit taking my place! I will be a countess before
the Season is out, and no one is going to upset my plans!"

Outside
the shop, Jared dropped Jane's hand and scowled. "I am dismayed at your
manners, Jane. What is going on between the two of you?" He glared at the
duke.

Jane
looked up with tears glistening in her eyes. "I did nothing to offend you,
Cousin Jared. It was his fault." She, too, glared at the duke.

Roderick
frowned back, his eyes darkening.

Before
Jared could obtain an explanation, Jane flew into the duchess's carriage with a
heartfelt sob.

Emily
glared at Jared, then at Roderick. "I cannot believe you would speak to
Jane like that. It was not well done of either of you."

Roderick's
expression was cold and tight with strain. "You, little sister, have no
right to tell me what is well done and what is not. Fennington was to stay away
from you, and here I find the man slobbering all over you . . . and Miss
Greenwell."

"Good
gracious, the man followed me into the shop, but I have not set my cap for him,
if that is what you think. Besides, it was nothing but a chaste kiss on the
hand."

Jared
stepped between the two. "I beg to differ."

Emily's
eyes flashed with anger. "I beg to differ with you as well, your
lordship."

Jared's
face hardened into a mask of fury. "You are not in a position to argue
with me or your brother."

Roderick's
lips thinned. "Fennington is an idiot. It's obvious he followed you into
that shop, but you cannot let your heart be used by such a rogue. You are too
softhearted, Em."

Emily
shrugged, avoiding his gaze. Her brother was correct on one fact, she was too
softhearted. Jared was proof of that.

"You
must let men like Fennington know you are not interested," Roderick
snapped. "Give the fop the cut direct in no unlimited terms. No hands! No
kisses! Not even a gaze! That is how it is to be done! Do you understand
me?"

Emily
looked up at Roderick's hard expression and had a sudden urge to laugh. How had
she let her brothers push her around so? All she had to do was say no, and they
could do nothing about it. The thought was exhilarating. They would not dare to
touch her. If she did not put her foot down now, there was no telling what her
life would be like the next few months.

"I
understand you perfectly. Though you are my guardian, you are not my
conscience. I am not interested in Fennington, however, I will do as I see
fit."

Roderick's
face turned red. "Indeed you will not. In fact, you will not attend the
ball tonight, and that is final."

"I
agree," Jared said with a stern glare. "For once, Roderick, you are
doing something right."

Roderick
turned a scowl upon Jared. "I don't know whether to box your ears or thank
you."

Emily
tightened her hold on her reticule, trying to subdue the urge to box both their
ears. "I do believe that you two are the most pompous gentlemen I have
ever set eyes on. For my part, I will attend the ball. And you two can do
nothing to stop me. Besides," she smiled, "Mama would not allow
it."

With
those last words she tilted the brim of her hat over her eyes and entered the
carriage.

Jared
stared at the duke. "What have you done to her the past few days?"

"Me?"
Roderick asked incredulously. "She has not been the same after that
blasted fire, and what say have you about my sister anyway? Your duty is
done."

Jared
glared back. "I'm Jane's guardian. She has been traveling with Lady Emily.
It is my duty to watch the coming and going of her friends."

The
tense lines around Roderick's mouth loosened. "Daresay, thought for a
moment you had your sights on Em. Believe I am going mad."

Jared
stared at the shiny black hair that bobbed beyond the window of the carriage.
Mad indeed. He turned his gaze back to Roderick. And what the devil had Jane
said about a kiss?

Chapter
Nine

"C
layton and I have a small list of
suitors that meet our requirements." Marcus slapped the paper onto the
leather-topped table at White's.

Across
from him, Clayton sipped his wine. "Daresay, we have gone all out. Quite
hard to find a suitable husband for a sister, you know."

Roderick
glanced at the list, his eyebrows gathering into an intense "V."
"Small list indeed. I presume you have researched these men concerning
their suitability." A mocking twinkle appeared in his eyes. "And I
dearly pray that you do not have one with a monstrous quizzing glass stuck to
his brow."

A hint
of a smile tipped at the corner of Clayton's lips. "What do you take us
for? A bunch of addlepated nincompoops?"

"We
do not speak like that Clayton," Stephen said in a high-pitched voice as
he tugged at his cravat. "Pray now, you will do the right thing and wash
your mouth out with soap."

Clayton
laughed, tipping himself back in his chair. That gave Stephen the few precious
seconds he needed to wrap his Wellington boot around one of the chair legs and
dump his brother with one quick jerk.

Clayton
bounced to the floor with a thud. "What did you do that for?"

Stephen
raised a dark brow, shuffling a deck of cards for their game of whist.
"Felt like it."

Marcus
and Roderick burst into laughter.

As
Clayton staggered back to his seat, Roderick tilted a raised eyebrow toward
Stephen. "Where's your list?"

Stephen shrugged.
"Still working on it. What about yours?"

Roderick
sighed. "It's coming along quite nicely." He lowered his gaze to the
list of names given to him by Clayton and Marcus. After a few seconds, his eyes
widened in outrage. "What do you mean by including Lord Durham? The man's
a womanizer of the tenth degree."

Clayton's
jaw dropped as he turned a hardened glare on Marcus. "You were supposed to
check the man's background. How could you make a mistake like that?"

Marcus's
eyes fell into a pair of challenging slits. "Me, I daresay you were the
one who said you would have the man investigated. I already took the initiative
to look into Mr. Glover's background."

"Mr.
Glover?" The cards in Stephen's hands flew haphazardly into the air.
"Hell's bells! How can Emily marry a man with no title?"

Roderick
slapped a hand to the table. "Those two are out as are the rest of
these." His dark eyes drifted to the last name. "But wait. Lord
Bringston?"

"Bit
older man," Marcus added. "Forty-five, I believe. Seems he decided to
marry after all these years. In the market now. The man is rich, too. Has some
plantation in Jamaica."

"Quite
a decent chap," Clayton said. "Older man might be just the thing for
Em. Heard he's brilliant. His appearance is quite acceptable as well. Handsome,
they say."

Roderick
pursed his lips in thought. "Looks like we have only one eligible suitor
so far. But the more I think about it, the more the idea of an older gentleman
might suit our needs perfectly."

Stephen
cocked his head to the side. "One eligible suitor? Have you seen the
betting books?"

All
three brothers looked his way, their expression curious. "Why the blazes
would the betting books have anything to do with Em?" Roderick asked.

Stephen
stared at Roderick. "I daresay, you should know. You were there they
say."

"Where?"

"Good
grief, Roderick. You were at Madame Claire's earlier today when Stonebridge
took Emily to task, were you not?"

Roderick
straightened, stretching his shoulders taut against his navy blue jacket.
"And what, pray tell, has that to do with the betting books?"

Stephen
rubbed his hand across his mouth in agitation. "Are you blind and deaf?
You do recall that the earl's marriage was on the books with a certain Miss
Susan Wimble?"

"Go
on," Roderick replied, his eyes fixed.

Stephen
shook his head. "Before you three entered the club, I wanted to place a
little bet on our friend myself."

Clayton
glared at his brother. "Confound it, Stephen. How much this time? I pray
it was not ten thousand pounds again."

"Certainly
not."

Roderick
cursed. "Never mind the money, what are you saying?"

Stephen
leaned forward. "It seems Miss Susan Wimble has dropped in the running,
and the odds are now two to one that Stonebridge will marry Emily before the Season
is out."

"What?"
All three siblings yelled in unison.

They did
not wait for Stephen's explanation before pushing back their chairs and
marching toward the betting books. A wave of curious gentlemen parted at the
sight of the three brawny men coming their way.

Meanwhile,
Lord Stonebridge was unfortunately entering White's at the same time, his mind
set on approaching the Duke of Elbourne about the man's intentions toward Miss
Jane Greenwell. Jared had been so fixed on Fennington's approach of Emily, he
had turned his anger on Jane when she began arguing with the duke. But after a
few hours of sorting out what had happened at the dressmaker's shop, Jared
began to assimilate the situation more clearly. Roderick had taken liberties
with Jane.

As soon
as one of the servants took the cloak from his back, Jared noted a large crowd
gathering in the room where the betting books were kept. He could see the four
brothers clearly, and his lips dipped into a foreboding scowl.

"By
Jove," Clayton said as he pulled at the famous betting book. "Look at
this, would you, Roderick? You are put in the books as well."

Roderick
grabbed the ledger, his gaze hardening like ice. "Miss Jane Greenwell and
me? Preposterous!"

Grinning
like a jester in the king's court, Clayton slapped his eldest brother on the
back. "Busy again? And we thought you were working on suitors for
Emily."

"Indeed,
Your Grace. You are a busy man." The soft, hushed tone of Lord
Stonebridge's voice cleared the floor.

Roderick
spun around, backed by his three siblings. "Ah, the man all of London is
betting about." He raised a right brow in challenge. "What say you of
the odds?"

"Not
here," Jared hissed and turned on his heels, proceeding into the next
room. He was not about to air their doings for all of London to see.

Four
grim-faced gentlemen followed Jared into a more private alcove, their footsteps
echoing from the paneled walls as the rumble of voices began once again.

Jared
casually leaned against the back wall. He glanced at Roderick and his three
brothers, who stood with hands on hips, their feet planted solidly on the
floor. "You asked me about the odds. The odds on you marrying Jane, Your
Grace?"

"No,"
Roderick growled. "The odds of you marrying Emily."

A muscle
twitched in Jared's jaw as he took in the chilling eyes glaring at him.
"Ah, have you put me on the barbaric list of suitors?"

"You
were her protector and nothing else," Roderick bit out. "You have
never been on the list."

"And
never will be," Clayton added curtly. "Our Emily—"

"Your
Emily?" Jared interrupted. He thought about the late duke, and anger began
to spurt from his veins. He could have pummeled all four brothers at once.
"How dare you make her your Emily. The lady in question has a mind of her
own. She does not need an arrogant foursome to make her decisions for her,
especially when it comes to finding a husband. Give her the credit for having
some brains."

"Indeed?"
Roderick said with a menacing sneer. "If it is not one of our choices,
whom should she marry? Fennington, perhaps? You heard her today. No telling
what she will do. She is a stubborn female set on her ways. Should she have her
money run dry after only one year of marriage? Is that what you suggest?"

Clayton
took a threatening step forward. "Yes, and were you not the one who was to
guard our sister while we were in London?"

Jared's
eyes darted toward Roderick. "I have come to speak of Miss Jane Greenwell,
not your sister. What about that kiss a few days past, Roderick? You do remember,
do you not? The day you left Hemmingly and stopped at the posting inn to
dine?"

Stephen,
Clayton, and Marcus turned their bewildered gazes upon their eldest brother.

Roderick
glowered at Jared. "We need to talk."

"Talk?"
Jared said with a sardonic smirk, his annoyance evident. It grated on him the
way these four barbarians battered Emily's life about as if it were a ball in a
cricket game. And now it was Jane's life as well. "We need to do more than
talk."

Roderick's
challenging gaze did not go unnoticed. "Indeed?"

"I
will meet you at Gentleman Jackson's in one hour."

"One
hour," Roderick snapped as his brothers gave each other a broadened smile.
A boxing match was something they would never miss, not between the two best
fighters from Oxford.

Minutes
after the departure of the Earl of Stonebridge and the Duke of Elbourne from
White's, the rustle of voices in the club escalated to mounting proportions,
especially at the betting books.

Emily
stood in her bedchambers and glanced at the letter from Headquarters one more
time. Excitement flowed through her. The coded message conveyed that she was to
meet with her two secret contacts in the conservatory during the Garrick Ball.
The objective—to finally be introduced to one another.

She
stepped toward the hearth, threw the missive into the fire, and walked across
the room to peer at herself in the looking glass. The light green gown fell
against her curves in a gentle wave of silk and lace. It held a daringly
low-scooped neck that Jane insisted was quite proper. Her dark hair was piled
on top of her head in a nest of springy curls that brought attention to her
violet-blue eyes.

She
turned at the scratch on the door.

"Come
in."

Jane
entered, smiling. "You look splendid, Emily."

"And
you, Jane. You are beautiful." Jane's pale blue gown brought out the color
of her sapphire eyes, which were matched by a silk ribbon intertwined through
her golden curls.

"No,
these are beautiful, dearest." A grin spread across Jane's face as she
pulled out a strand of snow-white pearls from her reticule. "Your
grandmother's, I believe. Your mother would have brought them herself, but the
maid is still dressing her hair and I promised I would come here straight away."

"Oh,
Jane. My grandmother's? Truly?"

Jane
nodded and rested the pearls against Emily's skin, clasping the hook behind her
neck. "They are beautiful, are they not?"

"Beautiful."
Emily brought her hand up to her neck, and her throat ached. Jared had promised
her a similar set when they wed. Oh, why could she not forget him?

Jane
placed a hand on Emily's and peered at her reflection in the mirror. "Do
you love him so very much?"

The
question took Emily by surprise, and she blinked, turning away from the mirror.
"Him?"

Jane
crossed her arms over the lace bodice of her dress. "Do not play with me,
Emily. I am no fool. You have been acting oddly since you came to Hemmingly. I
believe Cousin Jared is the reason, am I correct?"

Emily
turned to her friend and sighed. "He ... is impossible."

"Well,
now we are getting somewhere. Come sit down and tell your best friend
everything." Jane pulled Emily toward the bed, her grip determined.
"And I mean everything."

Emily
gave a nervous laugh. It was suddenly all too much for her, and she finally let
down her guard, telling Jane about her relationship with Jared and how he had
left her for another woman.

Jane sat
wide-eyed, her expression changing from surprise to utter fascination.
"And then your brothers had him serve as protector for you at
Hemmingly?"

Emily
nodded.

Jane's
face glowed with indignation. "Of all the barbaric things to do! It must
have been dreadful, since you are still in love with him."

Emily
clamped a pillow to her stomach. "I am not in love with him, Jane."

Jane
patted Emily's hands affectionately. "Of course you are, dearest. Though
it does not mean the man has not been an idiot."

Emily
paused, then burst out laughing. "Oh, Jane. What in the world am I to do?
How can I avoid him when he is living under the same roof as I?"

Jane
sighed. "You cannot avoid your feelings, dearest"

Emily
frowned. Yes, she could. The last time she had paid attention to her feelings,
she had lived to regret it, and she never would be placed in that position
again.

Jared
found his ward in the hallway of the Elbourne townhouse an hour before he was
to leave for the Garrick Ball. His protective instincts plunged into full alert
at the sight of Jane wrapped in a confection of blue satin with ribbon
trimmings, looking like some dazzling gift to be unwrapped.