To Pleasure a Lady

“You could always offer for one of them yourself,” Heath suggested, a wicked gleam in his eye.

“God forbid.” Marcus paused to shudder and was nearly skewered when Drew lunged with his foil.

Through much of their boyhood and all of their adulthood, the three of them-Marcus, Drew, and Heath-had been inseparable, having attended Eton and Oxford together and then come into their vast fortunes and illustrious titles the same year. And after being chased relentlessly by marriage-minded debutantes and barely eluding the traps of countless matchmaking mamas, all three shared grave reservations about the institution of matrimony. Most particularly the sort of cold, convenient union typical of the aristocracy.

Marcus had never encountered even one woman he might want to take for his wife. The thought of being shackled for life to a female he scarcely liked, much less loved, sent chills down his spine. Yet he owed it to his titles, both the new and the old, to carry on his bloodlines, so eventually he would have to marry.

The demise of his bachelorhood, however, would be a long time in coming, Marcus vowed.

Realizing his concentration had been shattered by all this unpalatable talk of matrimony, he stepped back and offered Drew a sardonic salute. “I had best withdraw before you slice me to ribbons, your grace. Heath, pray take your turn at practice.”

When the marquess replaced him on the floor, Marcus crossed the salon to a side table, where he set down his rapier and retrieved a towel to wipe his damp brow.

The clash of steel had just resumed when he heard a commotion out in the corridor, coming from the vicinity of his entrance hall. He could only make out every third word or so, but it was clear he had a female caller…and that his butler was denying his presence.

His curiosity piqued, Marcus moved closer to the salon door, the better to hear.

“I repeat, Lord Danvers is not at home, miss.”

“Not at home or not receiving callers?” the female voice asked pleasantly. “I have come a long distance in order to speak with him. I am willing to search the premises if I must.” Her voice was low and melodious but definitely determined. “Where may I find him?”

There followed sounds of a scuffle. Apparently Hobbs was attempting to prevent her from entering the house but losing the battle. A moment later his august servant actually yelped. “Madam, you cannot go abovestairs!”

Picturing the butler blocking the foot of the mansion’s sweeping staircase, Marcus found himself stifling a grin.

“Why not?” she queried. “Will I find his lordship abed or in a state of undress?”

Hobbs let out a shocked exclamation before muttering, “Very well, if you insist. I will inquire if his lordship is receiving.”

“Pray, don’t trouble yourself. Just tell me where he is, and I will announce myself.” The dulcet voice paused. “Never mind. I hear swordplay, so I expect I need only follow the sounds.”

Marcus braced himself as light footsteps approached along the corridor.

The woman who appeared in the doorway a moment later was striking in her loveliness. Although her tall, elegant figure was gowned modestly in a blue crepe carriage dress, she possessed an unmistakable confidence, a graceful presence, that compelled attention.

A beauty of substance, Marcus realized at once, captivated by the sight.

Despite her unusual height and slenderness, she was curvaceous enough to entice even a man of his jaded experience. Her pale red-gold hair was swept up beneath a bonnet, with curling tendrils spilling around her finely- boned face. He was mainly aware, however, of the pair of keen gray eyes surveying the room, the most intriguing he had ever seen. They were the hue of silver smoke and held an intelligence and warmth that instantly stirred his senses.

Her jaw was set with determination, yet when she spied him, she suddenly faltered. A slight blush rose to her cheeks, as if she realized the impropriety of barging in on three noblemen engaged in a fencing match, all dressed in shirtsleeves and breeches and boots, with no cravats or waistcoats or coats.

Her eyes traveled from Marcus’s bare throat to his linen shirt that hung partway open, exposing his chest. Then abruptly, she jerked her gaze back up to his face, as if knowing she’d been caught in a forbidden scrutiny. When he locked glances with her, the color mounted in her cheeks.

Marcus found himself enchanted.

An instant later she appeared to gather her wits and forged ahead with her mission. “Which of you gentlemen is Lord Danvers?” she asked sweetly.

He took a polite step toward her. “At your service, Miss…?”

A vexed Hobbs answered behind her, “Miss Arabella Loring to see you, my lord.”

“I take it you are my eldest ward,” Marcus observed, concealing his amusement.

Her lovely mouth tightened the slightest measure, but then she tendered him a charming smile. “Regrettably, yes, I am your ward.”

“Hobbs, take Miss Loring’s pelisse and bonnet-”

“Thank you, my lord, but I don’t intend to stay long. I only desire a brief interview…in private, if I may.”

By now his two friends had paused in their fencing match and were watching his unexpected visitor with avid curiosity. When she advanced into the room, Marcus saw Drew raise a quizzical eyebrow, expressing surprise at her stunning appearance.

Marcus was highly surprised himself. Based on his solicitor’s comments, he had expected his eldest ward to be something of a shrew, but the reports of her beauty didn’t do her justice. She was, to put it simply, magnificent.

He gave Drew and Heath an apologetic glance. “Would you excuse us?”

Both noblemen crossed the salon with their rapiers, and Heath flashed Marcus a slow grin as he passed, along with one of his habitually baiting remarks. “We will await you in the hall should you need defending.”

He saw Arabella stiffen at the quip, but then she laughed, a low melodious sound that once more fired his senses. “I promise not to do him bodily harm.”

A pity, was Marcus’s first thought; he might have appreciated seeing what she could do to his body.

When they were alone, however, Marcus fixed his ward with a level gaze. He admired her boldness in coming here but knew he should make some show of disapproval if he intended to keep the upper hand with her. “My solicitors warned me about your determination, Miss Loring, but I didn’t expect you to flout propriety by visiting me at my home.”

She gave a shrug of her elegant shoulders. “You left me little choice, my lord, since you refused to reply to my letters. We have an important matter to discuss.”

“I agree, we need to settle the issue of your and your sisters’ futures.”

Her hesitation was followed by another proffered smile. “I am certain you are a man of reason, Lord Danvers…”

Marcus’s eyebrow shot up at her obvious attempt to charm him. She was undoubtedly accustomed to twisting men around her fingers, and he felt the effect down to his loins-an effect he instinctively resisted. “Oh, I am quite reasonable ordinarily.”

“Then you will understand our reluctance to acknowledge you as our guardian. I know you mean well, but we don’t require your assistance.”

“Certainly I mean well,” he said affably. “You and your sisters are now my responsibility.”

A flash of impatience showed in her gray eyes. “Which is patently absurd. We are all past the usual legal age of dependency. Most guardianships end at twenty-one. And we have no fortune to supervise, so there can be no financial justification for your management.”

“No,” Marcus concurred. “Your step-uncle left you without a penny to your names.”

Taking a deep breath, she made an obvious effort at civility. “We don’t desire your charity, my lord.”

“It is not charity, Miss Loring. It’s my legal obligation. You are three vulnerable females in need of a man’s protection.”

“We do not need protecting,” she replied emphatically.

“No?” Marcus gave her a penetrating look. “My solicitors are of the opinion that someone ought to take you and your sisters in hand.”

Her eyes kindled. “Is that so? Well, I hardly think you are qualified to ‘take us in hand,’ as you term it. You have no experience playing guardian.”