Deceived

Martha curtsied and departed the room.

Well, the dowager thought gloomily, her new knowledge was nothing more than an irritant. Nothing had really been accomplished by confirming her suspicions. What a fool she had been! She had been so distraught by her James's death that she hadn't been thinking clearly. She should have sent for Mistress Kimberly and her charges to come to England. Perhaps then Aurora could have been convinced that marrying Valerian Hawkesworth was not a fate worse than death. But no. Cornered, the girl had created an ingenious scheme, and it had almost worked had it not been for her little stroll through the portrait gallery today. If Mistress Kimberly had come to England, perhaps the dowager would have seen the portrait sooner and discovered that they were in the process of being deceived. Now I shall have to live with this information, she considered irritably. What a coil!

At dinner, however, her mood was barely noticed because of the sparring between Valerian and St. John over Aurora. Dear God, the dowager thought, annoyed. They are like a pair of schoolboys, and there sits Aurora, encouraging them by her very jibes. The girl must be married, and as soon as possible, before she tempts Valerian and there is a scandal! It was obvious to her that Valerian was attracted to Aurora despite his marital state. And why not? The girl was clever and amusing. She held his interest with her intellect and not simply her beauty, unlike poor Calandra, who honestly believed that beauty counted for everything. Yes, Valerian was intrigued every bit as much as his cousin was. As for St. John, it was quite apparent he wanted the girl too, and sensing the duke's interest in Aurora, baited him as had always been his habit when the two fought over something. St. John had a very wicked sense of humor, unlike Valerian, but an equally strong will. Yes, there was going to be a scandal if the dowager could not prevent it.

The meal, she suddenly realized, was over. 'Take Aurora for a stroll through the gardens, St. John,' the dowager said, encouraging her young relative to action. She sent a fierce look toward her grandson.

'It has surely grown chill,' the duke replied, ignoring his grand-mama's silent warning. 'Perhaps Aurora does not want to stroll in the evening air.'

'I like the evening air,' Aurora spoke up. 'I will take a shawl and be quite cozy.' She arose from her seat.

'And I am quite capable of keeping Aurora warm should she grow cold,' St. John remarked, his amber eyes dancing with devilment.

'Behave yourself, boy!' The dowager playfully rapped his knuckles with her ivory fan. 'I'll have no naughtiness!' But she chuckled as she spoke. 'If your intentions are honorable, however, my dear St. John, that is an entirely different matter,' she finished. Then she watched with a smile as St. John escorted a blushed Aurora from the dining room. Her look was one of satisfaction.

'Hellfire and damnation, Grandmama,' the duke swore irritably. 'You would do well peddling maidenheads on the London bridge. Aurora is far too good for my cousin. Why do you encourage him?'

'Control yourself, sir,' she said sternly. 'Your interest in your sister-in- law becomes too obvious. You cannot have her, Valerian. You have a wife, and I know you would not disgrace the Hawkesworth name or dishonor Aurora by offering her a lesser position in your life than Calandra now holds.'

'I Iove her,' he said low, his face agonized.

'I know,' his grandmother responded. 'That is the tragedy, dear boy. You love her, and she would have made you a better wife than her sister, but fate had other plans for you both. Calandra, for all her faults, is expecting your heir, and Aurora must be married off as soon as is possible to prevent you from yourself, Valerian. St. John is an ideal candidate for her. He may not be titled, but he is a member of this family and a wealthy man. Aurora's dowry, while a good one, is not good enough for a title, I fear. If she weds St. John, she will be near her sister, and that, I believe, is to the good.'

'Calandra will leave Hawkes Hill as soon as she is recovered from the birth of our child,' he reminded the old lady. 'You know that is our bargain, and I will keep to it.'

'Perhaps she will not want to go if Aurora is near,' the dowager said hopefully. 'In any event, Aurora must be married whether her sister remains here or departs back to London.'

'I do not think I can bear to see her married to another man,' the duke admitted. 'What a weakling I am, Grandmama!'

'Then Aurora must return to St. Timothy with her brother and his bride when they leave in early November,' the dowager said firmly.

'No!' He shook his head vehemently. 'I would rather she be wed to St. John and here, where I could at least see her, than send her back to St. Timothy, where I would never see her again.'

'You will have your child, Valerian, my boy,' the dowager said softly. 'He will need you, for he will, I believe, have no mother. Let the child become your world. You will be happy, I promise you.

Valerian Hawkesworth sighed sadly, a sound so filled with pain that it almost broke his grandmother's heart, particularly that she knew the truth, thanks to the portrait in the family gallery and Martha's forced honesty. I will forget I ever knew about this deception, she decided silently. Then she turned her head to gaze out through the dining room windows onto the garden, where Aurora walked with Justin St. John. They were merely shadows in the twilight, and she hoped that St. John would press Aurora to marry him. She wished she could hear what they were saying, and then she smiled at herself for being a nosy old lady.

'Do you sense we are being watched?' Aurora said, her voice tinged with amusement. 'I can almost feel the dowager's eyes on the back of my neck.' She chuckled. 'I do like her so much!'

'She has come to love you,' St. John said, 'as have I.'

'Are you about to propose to me again?' she teased him. 'How many times will this make, St. John? Five? Six?'

'This will be the seventh time, Aurora, and seven has always been a fortunate number for me.' He stopped walking and drew her into the circle of his arms. 'This time I will not take no for an answer, my dear.' He ran a finger down the side of her face, and then caught her chin between his thumb and his forefinger. 'I want you, Aurora. Do you understand what I mean? I want you!' The amber eyes blazed at her.

This suddenly forceful St. John intrigued her. What had happened to the slightly bored sophisticate he had been until a moment before? This man had a dangerous edge to him, and she was fascinated. 'You want me? Do you mean you want to make love to me, St. John? What a naughty suggestion to make to a respectable maiden such as myself,' she answered him, her tone slightly mocking.

He laughed softly. 'You do not fool me, Miss Spencer-Kimberly. Beneath that elegant and respectable missishness lies a fierce passion that has never been stoked, but when it is, it will threaten to consume us both. I want to make love to you, Aurora, and you want me to make love to you.' His arms tightened about her. 'Don't you?'

Her heart was suddenly racing, and her knees were threatening to give way beneath her. His words. The intensity in his voice. It was very exciting. She had always been careful of her reputation, never allowing a gentleman to kiss her or hold her hand, and now she wondered why not. Were not women supposed to have feelings of sensuality? She certainly did. Raising her aquamarine eyes to his, she answered breathlessly, 'Yes! I do want you to make to love to me, St. John. Are you shocked?'

He shook his head. 'No,' he said. 'I can recognize a passionate virgin when I see one, Aurora.'

Instantly she was enraged. How dare he insult her in such a fashion. Pulling away from St. John, she slapped him. 'Cad!'

'Bitch!' he replied, yanking her roughly back into his arms. Then he kissed her, pinioning her arms back behind her so that her struggles were virtually useless.

Her first kiss. And she