Regency Rakes 02 - Rescued By A Viscount Page 17

  “Your, aunt!” The countess declared clapping her hands together. “It has been so long since I saw her.”

  “I’m sorry but we are in a hurry, Countess, therefore we must be on our way. However she and my uncle will be visiting me in London soon. Perhaps you could call on her then.”

  Anyone listening to Simon would think he was discussing the weather, he sounded unruffled and composed. However it would take more than he to deter the countess when she believed there was a titillating story to be had, Claire thought with a sinking feeling. He was lying to a woman who cut her eye teeth on gossip. The countess liked to know everything about everyone and she would question them until she had the answers she desired, and if they were not forthcoming, she would simply make them up.

  “But to leave so early in the season, Lord Kelkirk… Where is it you and Miss Belmont travel with your aunt?”

  “And you, Countess? What has you here in Liverpool?”

  Claire watched the woman’s eyes narrow as Simon deflected the question. “We are visiting with Captain Withers as we do every year at this time, my lord.”

  The silence that followed made Claire’s toes curl inside her shoes.

  “I’m sure I overheard your mother saying you were visiting with the Duke and Duchess of Stratton at their estate, Miss Belmont.”

  “We had a change of plans,” Simon said calmly.

  “We?” The countess cooed. “I had not realized you were such friends, my lord.”

  This was bad, bad, bad. Claire felt the water close over her head as she struggled to come up with any excuse for why she was here with Simon.

  “It seems our secret is out, darling.”

  Shocked, Claire looked up at Simon, who, in turn, was smiling down at her. However the gesture did not reach his eyes.

  “Simon, no–”

  “Secret, Lord Kelkirk?”

  “Miss Belmont has consented to be my wife, and we are on our way back to London after visiting with my aunt and uncle, Countess. I would ask that you keep our little surprise for a few days, if you could.”

  Claire couldn’t speak. Her tongue seemed to have swollen, and her limbs felt suddenly heavy. Dear god, what was Simon thinking? She had to put a stop to it before the countess had a chance to tell anyone. “No, really, Lady Tinley–”

  “It’s all right, darling. We can rely on the earl and countess to keep our secret.” His tone was light, yet there was nothing gentle about the fingers that dug into her waist.

  “Congratulations, Kelkirk!” the earl boomed.

  “And the dear little child I saw with you, my lord? To whom does he belong?”

  “He is my driver’s child, Countess.” Simon said, looking at Merlin who was seated on the carriage behind him. “I let him come along when his father is going on long journeys, as his mother passed a few months ago.”

  More guilt piled onto Claire’s shoulders as Simon invented another lie on her behalf.

  “That is very sweet of you, my lord,” the countess said believing his every word. “But now we must away. Come, husband, we will leave the lovebirds to their journey. Congratulations to you both,” the countess gushed, kissing Claire’s cheek. “Of course your secret is safe with us.”

  Like hell it was.

  She watched the elderly couple leave before turning to face the man at her side. “Dear god, Simon, what have you done?”

  The hand on her back fell away. “And what would you have me say? That you are here to collect your dead brother’s illegitimate child and that you spent three nights in my arms, one of them doing things only a married woman should? Damn it, Claire, you have no maid or companion with you, had that woman decided to pursue the matter then she would have found that out. What else could I say?”

  “I won’t let this happen!”

  “Too late. Now get into the carriage before your nephew gets frightened over our absence.”

  His voice was cold and emotionless and the fingers on her wrist hard.

  “No, Simon, I won’t let this happen.” She tried to get his fingers off her wrist, but he just kept on walking and towing her with him.

  “It’s done. Now be quiet and get in the carriage.”

  “Don’t tell me to be quiet,” Claire snapped at him. She was horrified at what he had just done, especially as he had done it to save her. “I have every right to talk to you about this. You have no wish to marry me, just as I have no wish to marry you.”

  He stopped suddenly, spinning her around to face him. “What would you have had me do, Miss Belmont? It was not only your reputation at stake.”

  “You should have blamed me. I told you I would probably be retiring from society, anyway. Now it is going to be so much worse. My family will hear about this before I have a chance to clear things up.”

  “I have told the earl and countess we are to marry, so we will.”

  She had rarely seen that look on Simon’s face. It was closed and emotionless. There was none of the softness she had come to know so well. His eyes were cool grey pools as they looked down at her. He would do this because he was an honorable man, but Claire would not let him. “We could never marry. You would not be happy, nor would I.”

  The hands on her arms tightened briefly, and then he released her. “It’s done and there is one area in which we are compatible. The rest will follow.”

  “You’re being deliberately vulgar.”

  “I’m being honest. Believe me, it is a lot more than many marriages start with. Now get in the carriage.” And that, it seemed, was his final word, because he opened the door and bundled her inside.

  Louis was huddled in the corner when they entered. He looked at their hands and noticed they were empty and frowned.

  “I promise to get your food soon, Louis–have patience,” Simon stated, patting the boy’s head. The child nodded and then watched Claire take the seat opposite him.

  “I will fix this, Simon. I promise,” she said slowly.

  “Let it be, Claire.” He sounded so tired suddenly, as if the last few minutes had aged him, and the effort of talking was beyond him. She had done this to him– stepped into his well-ordered life and disrupted it, and only she could change it back. She had to, or she would never be able to live with the consequences.

  “I’m so sorry, Simon.”

  One big hand rested briefly over hers, and then he knocked on the roof, and soon the carriage was on its way. After getting Louis his food, they traveled until it was dark. The boy slept for a while, his head resting in Claire’s lap, but woke when they stopped at another inn for the night. Simon explained to the proprietor that they were a family and needed lodgings. A supper was brought to their rooms, and after they washed their faces and hands, Simon told her he would see to Merlin and Ben and that she and Louis should sleep on the bed whilst he slept on the floor. Before she could reply, he left the room. With a heavy heart, Claire found Louis’s nightshirt and helped him into it. She then tucked him into bed and sat down beside him.

  “Will you sleep now, Louis?” Claire said in French.

  “Oui.”

  His eyes looked at her, solemn and expressionless, yet she knew he must be scared. How could she soothe those fears? He had been wrenched from everything he had known in his short life–taken to England and left with strangers. Claire could not begin to comprehend how he must feel. “Did you know, Louis, that your papa was my brother?”

  He shook his head, but his eyes remained on hers. “He was the very best of men, Louis, and he would have loved you very much.” She pushed the hair back from his forehead. “And you look so much like him. It is as if he is here with me now.”

  Claire talked to Louis of Anthony and her family–now his family, she hoped– until his eyes grew heavy, and finally, he slept. He was so small and vulnerable lying in the big bed, and she felt the weight of responsibility upon her. She was all he had now, especially if her brother did not back down from the stand he had taken. She rubbed her chest in a futile attempt to ease t
he ache inside. He was hers to love, and love him she would, for as long as he needed her. Leaving the bed, Claire then changed into her nightdress and lay down beside him. She left the candle burning for Simon and closed her eyes to rest. There would be no sleep, not with her thoughts so full. She had Louis to think of now, and she also needed to figure out a way to break her engagement to Simon without his reputation being harmed.

  She heard Simon enter but kept her eyes closed. He walked around the room, and she heard him remove his boots and clothing. She imagined him down to his breeches and remembered the wonderful feelings he had created in her last night. She could feel his hard, pulsing flesh beneath her hands as she’d stroked him and hear his hoarse cries as he’d found his release. Last night, they had been lovers; tonight they were strangers.

  She felt him beside her, and then the brief brush of his fingers on the back of her hand had her looking up at him.

  “Rest, Claire, everything will be alright.

  “I’m so sorry Simon,” she whispered. He didn’t answer and she heard him settle on the floor, and in minutes the sound of his deep regular breathing told her he was asleep. Staring into the darkness, Claire was surprised to find her own eyes growing heavy, and her last thought was for Simon and what he had scarified for her this day.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  By the third day, Louis had realized neither Claire nor Simon meant him any harm and had unbent enough to talk a little. He had no brothers or sisters, and his mother had been an angel, and he missed the town he came from because there, he could fish every day.

  “But you can fish here, too, Louis,” Simon said, his face softening when he addressed the child. With Claire, he was polite, yet there was now a distance between them and she missed him. She yearned for his arms around her, but most of all, she wanted her friend to return, the one who challenged her and made her laugh. She tried to talk to him, raise the subject of what was to be done, but he just shook his head and told her they would talk later, however they were to marry and she needed to accept that.

  “We are stopping for the night at my estate, Claire, and tomorrow we will reach London, as it is a short drive.”

  “Will your aunt and uncle be present?”

  He nodded and then turned away to say something to Louis, and that, she guessed, was the end to the conversation. She became nervous when the carriage began to drive into Simon’s estate. The light was fading, but Claire could still see how vast it was; the grass edging the narrow roadway seemed to roll for many miles. Then the horses clattered over a stone bridge and swept into a circular driveway. “What will we tell them about Louis, Simon? Your aunt and uncle will need to know why he is with us and why I am alone with you.”

  He looked at her briefly. “My aunt and uncle do not go out in society, Claire. Therefore, we will tell them the truth.”

  “I don’t think we–”

  “I have never lied to them, nor will I start now.”

  Claire placed her hand on his arm as he prepared to open the carriage. “I am merely trying to protect Louis, Simon. There will be enough people throughout his life willing to hurt him. I have no wish for it to start now.”

  “They are good people, Claire. You have my word he will be safe here.”

  She nodded and then followed him from the carriage. She held out her arms to Louis and was surprised when he went into them willingly and settled his head on her shoulder. She often had this warm feeling inside her when she held Georgia; now she had Louis, she would have it more, as it would be she who cared for him from this day forwards.

  “You are safe here with me and Simon, Louis,” she whispered as his two thin arms wrapped about her neck.

  “Come,” Simon said, waving for her to follow him. She missed the feel of his hand wrapped around hers, but one look at his closed expression told her that was not likely to happen ever again.

  She found strength in the small body in her arms as they walked up the stairs and into the huge entranceway.

  “Good evening, Lord Kelkirk.”

  “Good evening, Morgan. I fear we are about to trouble you and the staff. You see, I need three rooms prepared, with baths and meals, please.”

  “No trouble at all, my lord.”

  The floors were polished marble and the stairs huge and sweeping with banisters that shone. Paintings hung on the walls and statues stood in alcoves. It was the home of a man with substantial wealth, and whilst she had known Simon’s was a comfortable fortune, she had not known just how comfortable.

  “Where are my aunt and uncle, Morgan?”

  “In the conservatory, my lord.”

  “Is he too heavy, Claire?”

  Shaking her head in answer to Simon’s query, Claire followed him down a long hallway that branched to the left beneath the staircase. She saw more paintings and a glass-fronted cabinet filled with pretty little knickknacks before they reached a door Simon opened. After descending several steps, they arrived in the conservatory.

  Tall, leafy plants and bright blooms filled the room, and the combined scents were wonderful. They walked down a white stone path, and Louis lifted his head as he heard the sound of water coming from a small indoor fountain up ahead. His eyes, like hers, moved from left to right as they studied each new sight. She wanted to ask Simon questions but was too nervous to do so. Claire heard the sound of voices and then saw two people sitting in comfortable chairs with a tray of tea on the table before them. At their backs, the soft sunlight of early evening streamed through the big windows.

  The woman was dressed elegantly in a high-necked emerald gown. Her grey hair was pulled into a soft knot on top of her head. The man, too, was dressed immaculately and it was he who saw them first.

  “Simon!”

  The delight on their faces as they saw their nephew was genuine and quickly changed to concern when they saw his bruises. Claire stood back as Simon greeted his family. She heard his deep voice speaking softly for several minutes and then felt the eyes of his uncle and aunt upon her. What were they thinking? Simon had said they were good people, yet surely they would be shocked over her behavior, and the fact that their nephew had gained his injuries because of her.

  As if sensing her tension, Louis tightened his arms around her neck. “I have you,” Claire whispered, hugging him close.

  “Miss Belmont, please come and sit down. You must be tired.” Simon’s aunt walked forward, holding out her hands to Claire. “And this is Louis, I believe. Hello, young man.”

  Claire sat and turned Louis in her arms so he could look at the other people.

  “You may relax here, dear. Simon’s friends will always be safe and welcome in our home. We understand you have had quite an adventure and now must return to London to face your family.”

  She sent Simon a brief look. Had he told them of the betrothal?

  “Yes, it has been a difficult time,” Claire said, feeling her way. “I would like to thank you very much for opening your home to me and Louis and on such short acquaintance, especially considering the circumstances.”

  “This is Simon’s home, my dear. We merely look after it for him.”

  Of course she’d known that but wasn’t sure what to say.

  “It is your home as much as mine, aunt, as I have told you both many times.” Simon’s words made his elderly relations smile, and he smiled in return. She remembered smiles like those being bestowed upon her in the home she’d grown up in. That wasn’t likely to happen again.

  More tea was brought, and Simon talked with his family, who, in turn, tried to coax her into conversation. Claire was good at social chatter, yet the art seemed to be failing her now.

  “And how is the season going for you, my dear?”

  “Uh…I…very well, thank you.”

  “Do you like fish, Louis?” Simon’s uncle asked the boy, who nodded. “Well then, come with me, and I will show you something.”

  Claire watched in surprise as her nephew climbed off her lap, took the man’s hand, and allo
wed him to lead him deeper into the conservatory.

  “If you will excuse me, there are things that need my attention.” Simon rose and gave them a bow without meeting Claire’s eyes, and then he, too, was gone.

  “He is preoccupied, Claire, but it is not with you that he is angry. It is for the circumstances that were thrust upon you.” Claire saw no censure in the woman’s eyes.

  “Yes, he has much on his mind, and I’m afraid I have contributed to his concerns.”

  “I understand that Louis is your late brother’s child?”

  Claire nodded, unsure how much Simon had said.

  “And that you must return to London tomorrow to tell your family of his existence?”

  Not true, strictly speaking, as her family already knew about Louis. However she would have to tell Mathew that she had defied him and now had Louis in her care. Nodding again, Claire said yes, that was the case.

  “It will not be an easy interview, from what I gather, and I would like to offer to look after Louis for you here until you return.”

  “Oh no, I could not impose. Nor would I like Louis to think I have abandoned him so soon.”

  Eyes like Simon’s offered her a soft smile. “My husband and I have a great deal of experience with wounded young boys, Claire, and we will ensure he is both safe and happy until you are in a position to return for him.”

  “I could not impose upon you like that.”

  Her smile was genuine. “It would be no imposition. In fact, my husband and I would be glad of the company.”

  “How much did Simon tell you about my situation?”

  “That you now have your nephew in your care and need to inform your family of that fact, and no more.”

  She was not lying. Claire could see the honesty. At least he had not mentioned what he had been forced to do in Liverpool.

  “If Louis is happy with that arrangement, then I would be grateful, as it will not be for long. I will return in a few days, and we will retire to my brother’s estate.” Hopefully, Claire added silently. She hoped Mathew did not turn his back on her and Louis entirely.