CHAPTER 4

"YOUR GRACE," INTONED the butler in his solemn voice. "The Earl of Brentworth has arrived."

Stanhope looked up in surprise. He had just sent his letter the day before last. He had not expected Gabriel to arrive until tomorrow at the earliest. It was obvious the boy had come post-haste after receiving his note. Such eagerness was encouraging. It boded well for his plans that Brentworth cared for him enough to abide by his requests with alacrity.

"Thank you, Boddle. Does the duchess know?"

"No, Her Grace is out riding."

That was strange. She usually rode in the mornings. Had she seen Brentworth arrive and left the house to avoid him? Was she having second thoughts?

"I trust Brentworth has been given the accommodations we discussed."

"Yes, Your Grace. We have placed him in the gold bedchamber."

"Good, good. Please ask our guest to join me in the library at five. And ask the duchess to visit me as soon as she returns."

The butler bowed and withdrew. Leaving the duke alone with his thoughts. His son had arrived. He was here, under his roof. It was not the first time he'd visited, but today was different. Today he would learn about his parentage. This would be the first time he'd be able to call Gabriel son , claim him as his own...even if only between them.

His heart sped up as sudden nervousness gripped him. The conversation with Hannah had been harder than he could have imagined. This conversation could be even more challenging.

He had vastly underestimated the difficulty of convincing Hannah to take what it was obvious she wanted. He expected no less from Brentworth. They were both so tiresomely honorable. He had sensed the attraction between them, and for the last five years, had been throwing them together every chance he got. Subtly encouraging their feelings.

They would be furious at him if they realized he had been trying to manipulate them this way. He was sure they were attracted to each other, just as he was sure they had not acted on that attraction. And that had brought them to this moment, this predicament.

The time for subtleties had passed. Circumstances forced him to take decisive action if the goals he sought were to be accomplished. He only hoped that he didn't end up hurting the people he loved most in this world.

SITTING ATOP HER HORSE , Hannah observed the house from the hill that overlooked it. When she'd seen the earl arrive, she had been glad for the impulse that had made her go out for a ride in the afternoon. Better to not have been there when he arrived. She was being a coward, and she knew it, but she just couldn't face him yet. A mixture of shame and humiliation warred with excitement inside her, creating a dangerous mix of emotional turmoil.

How would he take the duke's revelations? What would he think of this mad scheme? And most importantly, what would he think of her? Would he consider her a shameless woman of loose morals? An ambitious hussy? Or simply a pitiful charity case? So many questions without answers tormenting her! And why did she care so much about what he thought of her?

No longer could she deny it to herself. She did care about him. She valued his opinions; she sought his esteem. And that was because she admired him. Oh, how she admired him. His intelligence, his kindness, the hint of humor in his eyes, the promise of passion on his mouth. The core of honor and integrity she sensed in him. They had only interacted in the most proper and formal of ways, and yet she knew him to be a man capable of igniting dangerous passions in her.

The breeze rustled her loose hair, and it felt like a lover's caress. She shivered. She was terrified of being intimate with him. Terrified because the mere idea produced a glow of desire low in her belly. And what did that say about her? She was a woman who desired a man who was not her husband. One who was willing to lie with him for morally questionable reasons.

She was already plagued by guilt about this proposal. It would be easier for her conscience if it was a duty, an unemotional task she had to perform to accomplish an end. But it wouldn't be quite that simple with this man. Her emotions were already too involved, and she feared by the time this was through, she would be irredeemably lost.

Her horse stomped its hoof, showing its impatience, reminding Hannah she had stood dithering for too long. She needed to take a stand... make up her mind. Find a way to protect herself and her heart.

While she was fairly sure it would be easy for her to fall in love with the earl, she did not harbor any illusions that he would reciprocate her feelings. The earl didn't lack for female company. He was no rake, but she had heard flattering rumors about his liaisons. He was bound to feel only disdain for her after having had her in such a shameful manner.

She turned her restless mount and urged it into a gallop.

Oh, Harold. You cannot fathom what you have asked of me, what it will cost me. The price will be my dignity and my heart. And the worst part is that, even knowing that, I'm still willing to pay it.