Chapter 5

CHAPTER5

“You have a lady here to see you, Your Grace,” Leo was informed by Turlington, his ancient butler who was deaf in one ear and blind in one eye.

But Leo and his mother would not dream of looking for a replacement, simply because this man had given their family the best of his years, and it seemed unfair to leave him unemployed right at the end of his life journey. Instead, they hired a younger butler whom Turlington was to train over the course of the following year or so, and once Turlington himself decided it was time to retire, his substitute, William Morrison, would take his place. It only seemed fair, and Leo considered himself anything but unfair.

“A lady?” Leo looked up from his papers which was his usual morning routine during breakfast. His toast lay on the plate still untouched, but his tea was already half-drunk. “What lady?”

“She refused to give her name, You Grace,” Turlington said apologetically, sounding as confused as Leo was.

Then, a grin appeared on Leo’s face. “Well, I do like persistence and determination with a little bit of mystery. Do see her to the drawing room, Turlington. I shall be there shortly.”

“As you wish, Your Grace,” the butler bowed respectfully, leaving him alone.

Leo frowned to himself, still as amused. He wondered who the lady in question could be. He hadn’t had a dalliance with anyone recently, mostly because he had been planning the acquisition of the other brewery as well as the acquisition of a wife. He felt that a short period of celibacy was in order whether this would be a proper marriage or not.

He finished his tea in one thirsty gulp when the curiosity regarding the lady in the drawing room won over the curiosity regarding the newest happenings in London. He could read all about it later in the day. Now, he had a mysterious guest—a female one at that.

He found his way to the drawing room, and the moment he entered, he saw the lady with her back to him. Her head was hiding inside a huge hat, so all he could see was the curvature of her perfect body as the gown hugged her waist only to fall down her hips all the way to the floor. He drank in the sight of her, wondering who she could be. Did he have his hands on those luscious hips one night in the darkness? He could not tell.

“How may I help you, Madame?” he called out, realizing that she refused to turn around. Only upon hearing his words did she choose to do so. Immediately, he recognized her. “Lady Jane… are you here alone?”

“Yes,” she snarled at him instantly, and he could immediately tell why she was here. He doubted either her mother or her father knew she was here which made this situation delectably naughty. “I have come to speak to you regarding our future… marriage.”

It amused him the way she had to pause before saying the word. She obviously didn’t want to marry him. He supposed that he also wouldn’t wish to be forced into something like that. It only made sense. However, his plan had to be conducted in this exact same manner. First, the merger of the two breweries then the marriage.

“What is it you wish to discuss, my dear?” he asked, walking around her like a tiger circled around its prey. His eyes wanted to devour her. “The date?”

“Most certainly not!” she growled at him angrily. “And I implore you not to call me my dear.”

“Why not?” he asked, amused, tilting his head as he did so.

“Because we shall not be dears, and there shall not be any marriage to speak of,” she explained, her chest rising and lowering in that tight dress. At this point, she had taken off her hat, and he could see her entire face, those rosy, red cheeks becoming even rosier with each passing moment. He felt a sudden urge to pinch them.

“Need I remind you that your father and I have already agreed,” he said. “Has he changed his mind?” He already knew the answer to this question, but he wanted to have her say it. That made it all the more amusing.

“No,” she had to admit. “I am here on my own accord because it is my life that you two are deciding.”

“Do you hate me, Lady Jane?” he suddenly asked, that question lingering in his mind for far longer than he cared to admit.

She seemed taken aback by it but hastily regained her composure. “I do not,” she replied. He doubted that was the truth but allowed her to continue, nonetheless. “Although your behavior during my coming out was horrendous.”

“My behavior was horrendous?” he repeated, surprised that she accused him of such a thing when he remembered it differently.

“It most certainly was,” she bit back, a little venomously this time but still antagonistically.

“What did I do?” he asked, genuinely interested. “Did I offend you in any way?”

“You toyed with me,” she reminded him. At least, she believed that she was reminding him of this while in fact, he did no such thing. However, he did not wish to dissuade her just yet.

“How did I toy with you?” he asked.

She pressed her lips together so strongly that they turned into two slits on her beautiful face. He wanted to cup her cheeks and make her pout them back out, just so he could admire how plump and kissable they were. But he remained at a respectable distance, waiting for her response.

“You pretended that you didn’t know who I was when you spoke with me,” she continued, sounding almost breathless as she spoke. “While all the time, you knew exactly. You knew everything, but you continued with this twisted game where your only aim was to embarrass both me and my father.”

Her cheeks were now flaming, and usually, that would make a woman look all distraught and unkempt, but with her, it had exactly the opposite effect. She looked lovelier than ever with that fire oozing through her every pore and her every word. Suddenly, he wondered what it would be like to kiss her while she was in this fiery mood. He quickly banished the thought, focusing on the discussion at hand. There were a few things he wished to clarify.

“I never toyed with you as you put it,” he said calmly. “Also, despite what you may think, I didn’t know who you were. I saw a beautiful young lady and approached her to speak with her because she was mesmerizing. Nothing else. There was no hidden agenda, nothing. It was pure attraction.”

He was this bold on purpose. She shocked him by coming here alone. Now, he would shock her back by admitting that he was absolutely captivated by her from the first moment he saw her. It was not something he usually admitted, but at the same time, he knew that this admission would catch her off guard. It would make her feel uncomfortable. For some reason, he wanted her blushing and confused, enraged and without control of her emotions.

“Then, after a while during that very night, I did figure out who you were,” he admitted.

“And you didn’t tell me,” she retorted angrily.

“I didn’t tell you who you were?” He couldn’t resist laughing, but he stopped quickly. Despite everything, the last thing he wanted was to offend her. “What you are looking for is my knowledge regarding your identity. The truth is I didn’t know who you were when I approached you, but later during the night we were talking, and I found out then I knew that whatever we could have had was doomed from the onset.”

“Well…” she said, wanting to add so much more, but the words just wouldn’t come. “You weren’t a gentleman!”

He nodded. “I probably wasn’t. I apologize.”

“Your apology means nothing to me,” she snarled, heat oozing off of her, drawing him madly towards her. He wasn’t even trying to fight this attraction. He simply allowed it to take over him. “Unless you cancel this wedding and tell my father that you will still pay off his debt along with the merger.”

He frowned. She certainly was bold to come to his home and demand something like this of him. He was still entertained. “I cannot agree to that.”

“Don’t you have a lady friend you truly wish to marry?” She was obviously trying every trick in the book, the book he liked to think he wrote himself. She would not beat him at his own game.

“No,” he shrugged. “I am as free as a bird in the sky.”

Her brows furrowed, making her appear to be a little imp, disgruntled that she was not getting her way. He was actually having much more fun than he would have admitted if pressured to answer.

“So, you will not cancel the wedding?” she demanded, still sounding angry but much less confident that she would win this case.

“No, my dear.” He found mouthwatering joy in adding that my dear part, especially because she asked him not to.

“Ugh!” There was nothing else she could add, so all she could do was release a sound that only seemed to add to her utter preciousness. She turned on her heels and headed out of the drawing room.

“Send my regards to your father!” he shouted after her, listening to the sound of her angry footsteps until they died down some time after hearing the slamming of the front door.

Leo was still smiling, standing in the middle of the drawing room, raking his fingers through his hair, wondering what exactly just happened. She demanded he go back on his word. She didn’t want to marry him. That much was more than obvious. He would even dare to say that she found him utterly obnoxious. The thought made him even more amused, so much so that he burst out into an engrossed chuckle.

He knew so little of Lady Jane, the daughter of his late father’s sworn enemy. So little, and yet, he wanted to know so much more. He wanted to know everything. But the question was whether she would allow him. He was yet to meet a woman who was indifferent to his charms. However, it seemed, Lady Jane was fighting hard.

He smiled to himself once more, cupping his chin pensively. The marriage would need to take place as soon as possible, of course. There would be no delay of either the merger of the marriage. He would visit his future father-in-law as soon as tomorrow and arrange everything. He was certain that the Earl would welcome such a quick solution to all his financial woes. As for the woes of his daughter… Leo liked to think that she would also be unburdened by anything. He would make sure it was so.

If she decided that their marriage would be in paper alone, then he would respect her decision, despite the fact that he was desperate to find out what her lips tasted like. As his wife, she would be entitled to all of his respect, and in return, he would demand the same. Perhaps theirs would not be a marriage of the usual sort, but it would be a good marriage. And good marriages came in all shapes and sizes.

He inhaled deeply, feeling relief wash over him. Lady Jane was indeed a truly fascinating creature. The way she dared to come to him alone, against the wishes of her parents, proved to him that she had a good head on her shoulders. He would love to sit one evening and ask for her opinions regarding certain things. He was almost completely certain that he would find her responses intriguing.

With those thoughts in mind, he returned to the dining room and continued with his interrupted breakfast, only the newspapers held nothing of interest for him. His entire mind was focused solely on his unexpected guest and her demands of him.

Fortunately, he had demands of his own, and he would be happy to share them soon.