A Lady Never Surrenders Part 27

If the tale he'd always believed about his father was even true. Jackson winced, remembering what Celia had said. ...

No, she was wrong. He didn't resemble his uncle. No one else had ever said so. His father was some d.a.m.ned n.o.bleman who'd ruined his mother. And Jackson wasn't going to follow in his footsteps by refusing to marry her.

But what if that's what Celia wants-freedom to marry whom she pleases?

His throat tightened. Now that she'd been saved the ignominy of being ruined, it might be exactly what she would want.

Even if she thought it wasn't, it might be best. The duke might marry her regardless-he only wanted a wife who wouldn't mind his family's madness. And though she said she didn't care about the money, how could she possibly understand the ramifications of losing her fortune? She had nothing to compare it to. Did he have the right to expect her to give it all up for him?

They entered his lordship's well-appointed study, with its Rembrandts and crystal brandy decanters and its mahogany and bra.s.s furnishings, and hopelessness swept over him. This was where she belonged, not in some cramped home in Cheapside, no matter how cheery and warm he found it.

"Now, Mr. Pinter," Mrs. Plumtree said, "please start at the beginning and tell us everything. Because if you did not set out to elope with my granddaughter, how the h.e.l.l did the two of you end up in a position to be shot at?"

Chapter Twenty-one.

The entire time Jackson was explaining the events of the past two days, Celia marveled at his calm. She was a wreck of confused feelings while he spoke in his usual investigator's voice, as if they hadn't spent the night in a wildly pa.s.sionate embrace, as if there were nothing between them.

How did he do it? Would she ever know the real him?

Coldly and unemotionally, he described Celia's dream and how she'd asked him to look into it, which had resulted in their traveling to High Wycombe together. But when he got to the part about Mama having an affair, both Minerva and Gran gasped.

"No," Minerva protested. "It can't be. I don't believe it."

"At first I didn't either," Celia admitted. "But I fear it might be true. It fits the circ.u.mstances in too many ways."

"Mrs. Plumtree," Jackson said, "have you any idea who might have been involved with your daughter?"

"I swear, this is the first I've heard anything of the sort." Gran looked visibly shaken. She paced to the fire, her cane coming down on the rug in choppy strokes, then returned to where Jackson stood. "But after Josiah died, I was struggling to keep the brewery going. I rarely spent time here. I wasn't aware that Lewis and Pru knew the Rawdons as well as all that. As for any other lover Pru might have had..." She trailed off with a sigh.

"You have no one to suspect," Jackson asked.

"No. I'm sorry."

"Perhaps Celia is mistaken," Minerva put in. "Perhaps it really was just a dream."

"Perhaps," Jackson said. "But given what your old nurse said, I doubt it."

"As soon as Oliver returns, we shall have to discuss this more," Gran said. "He may know more than he realizes. I will send for him-last I was told, he and Masters were at the town house hoping for word of your whereabouts." Her voice hardened. "But first, I want to hear about why you spent the night hiding out from killers in the forest."

Celia let out a shuddering breath. This would be sticky indeed.

With a terse nod, Jackson told a highly truncated version of what had happened. Celia expected nothing less-he was a gentleman, after all-yet it rankled that he could do it so easily. She was sure that if she'd told the tale, she'd be blushing to the tips of her ears.

His gaze locked with Gran's. "You understand, don't you, that we had no choice. We couldn't risk Lady Celia's safety by moving through the woods blindly at night, especially with no moon."

"Of course," Gran said. "You acted to protect her, and we are most grateful for that. Indeed, I am sure Oliver will compensate you most handsomely-"

"I don't want compensation for saving Celia's life," Jackson snapped, the only betrayal of his true feelings until now. Then he seemed to catch himself, and his tone turned more formal. "I behaved as any gentleman would."

"You certainly did," Minerva put in. "Gran didn't mean to insult you, I'm sure."

"In any case," Jackson said stiffly, "no matter what the circ.u.mstances, the only appropriate thing for me to do, having spent the night alone with her ladyship unchaperoned, is to offer marriage."

Appropriate? Marriage to her was the only appropriate thing to do?

Proper Pinter had arrived with a vengeance, and Celia was ready to strangle him. How could he propose a marriage to Gran as if it were merely some solution to a pesky problem? He wouldn't even look at her, for pity's sake!

"That is very good of you," Gran said. "Very gentlemanly, indeed. But I see no need for either of you to make such a precipitous decision right now." Her tone hardened. "Unless, of course, something more ... scandalous occurred during your sojourn in the cottage?"

A short, tense silence fell on the room before Jackson said, "Certainly not." His voice softened a fraction. "Her ladyship is incapable of behaving scandalously."

How sweet of him to defend her honor to her family, but why wouldn't he look at her? And why had he offered such a cold proposal of marriage?

Last night, she'd thought she knew him. He'd seemed so gloriously infatuated with her, if not in love. But then this morning he'd turned into a different creature entirely, more proud and arrogant than any lord she'd ever known, and seemingly determined to convince her that a marriage between them would never work. Did he honestly think she could never fit into his world?

His lackl.u.s.ter proposal certainly made it seem so. And in that case, she wasn't sure she wanted to marry him. She certainly didn't want to spend the rest of her life being lectured about her spoiled nature and flawed character, no matter how glorious the man was in bed.

"And you, Mr. Pinter?" Gran asked him. "What is your capacity for behaving scandalously?"

"He has none," Celia choked out. "Mr. Pinter is always the most proper of gentlemen, trust me."

Though he stiffened, he gave no other sign that he felt the barb.

"In that case," Gran said, "I believe we can hush the entire incident up. You and Celia need not marry at all. Don't you agree, Mr. Pinter?"

Some strange message seemed to pa.s.s between Gran and him, for when he turned his gaze to Celia, it held a hopelessness that chilled her blood. "If that is what her ladyship wants."

What her ladyship wanted was some indication that all his sweet words and caresses from last night hadn't been impulses of a moment. What her ladyship wanted was for him to declare his desire to marry her with enthusiasm, instead of letting Gran bully him into withdrawing, or whatever it was that was occurring between them.

But clearly her ladyship wasn't going to get what she wanted. And that made her want to strike out. He wasn't the only one who could be "proper," blast him.

She forced a cool smile. "Her ladyship would like a hot bath and a nice long sleep and something in the way of food." She swallowed the hurt welling in her throat. "As you so carefully reminded me this morning, Mr. Pinter-we fine ladies don't endure severe deprivation well at all."

For a moment anger flared in his eyes, telling her that her aim had been true. But then that blasted veil came down over his face once more, and no emotion showed in his features whatsoever.

His words last night rose unbidden: What I want is you. Just you.

Foolishly, she'd believed him. She'd thought she was finally seeing the real Jackson Pinter, the one for whom pa.s.sion and need swept away all other practical and societal considerations. But perhaps last night's Jackson was the aberration, and the real Jackson was the proud, proper, practical one.

"In that case, I should go," he clipped out. "While the trail is fresh, I must marshal officers to search the roads near High Wycombe and question any witnesses."

And just like that, he became the Bow Street Runner once more, entirely focused on matters far more important than a lady's silly hopes for a future with him.

He turned to Gran. "In the meantime, I don't think you should let Celia leave these walls until we've found whoever is determined to hurt her. And a guard should be placed on her door-"

"A guard!" Gran exclaimed. "Surely you do not think anyone inside Halstead Hall shot at you. They were all here yesterday afternoon while you two were gone."

"All?" he asked, one eyebrow raised. "All the suitors? The Plumtrees? The servants?"

"Yes," she snapped, "all. Minerva can attest to that."

"In truth, Mr. Pinter," Minerva said, "I can speak for all the guests. Indeed, we were hard-pressed to keep them entertained when they kept asking about how Celia was faring. As for the servants, surely you don't imagine that one of them would hurt her."

"Besides," Mrs. Plumtree said, "why would anyone here ride out to shoot at her in the woods when he could slip into her room and shoot her at his leisure?"

"All the same-" Jackson began.

"I'll be fine, Mr. Pinter," Celia put in. If he wasn't worried enough about her to stay and protect her himself, then she certainly wasn't going to put up with her family and half the servants hovering about trying to do so. Especially when all she wanted was to bury herself in her room alone and cry. "Please do not trouble yourself about my safety."

That got some reaction, but he masked it fairly quickly. "Very well. Since you all seem sure she will be safe here, I shall go search for Lady Celia's a.s.sailant elsewhere. If his lordship inquired about me in London, then my aunt has been informed I'm missing, so I'd be most grateful if one of you would send a message letting her know I'm well. Tell Stoneville that I'll return this evening, if I can, to report on what I've discovered." His voice grew rough. "And to make sure that Lady Celia is fine, of course."

Then he walked toward the door. Sudden tears burned Celia's eyes. Was he really going to act as if nothing had happened between them? How could he?

But just as he pa.s.sed near her, he halted and turned to cast her a long, speaking glance. "Before then, my lady, if you should need anything, anything at all..."

And for a moment, she thought she saw the Jackson of last night.

Then he flashed her a self-deprecating smile. "Ah, but you have your family and a duke who's eager to marry you. Why should you need anything from me?"

Celia's heart broke as she watched him go. How could he throw the duke in her face when he knew she would never marry the man? Oh, that really took the cake! Jackson had inherited more of his n.o.ble sire's blood than he would admit.

My father was apparently quite the dashing young fellow, but he was a spoiled lord. ...

Her throat grew raw. His father, her family, her-they were all of a piece to him. He wouldn't even give her a chance!

She wished she could curse the day that she'd ever met him, but she couldn't. She loved him. And there wasn't a thing she could do about it.

Her tears spilled down her cheeks, and Minerva saw them. "Oh, dearest," she said as she came to Celia's side. "Do you want me to fetch him back?"

"Don't you dare," Gran snapped. "Surely you do not want your sister to be forced into a marriage because of what is essentially an accident, do you?"

Celia shot her grandmother a wounded glance. "No, I would much prefer being forced into marriage because of some silly ultimatum."

Gran frowned. "I told you before, I only want-"

"For me to marry for love. For me to marry my choice." She jabbed her finger at the door. "Well, my choice just walked out because he thinks I can't manage in his world. Meanwhile, you seem to think I can't manage in mine, either. So where does that leave me?"

"What?" Gran said. "I never said you couldn't manage-"

"Didn't you? The only thing expected of a lady is to marry well. And since you obviously thought I couldn't succeed at that without some prodding-that none of us could-you concocted your stupid ultimatum."

As Gran stood there aghast, Celia added, "Well, I have a surprise for you. I'm not playing your game anymore. I'm not marrying anyone. And if you want to disinherit the lot of us, go ahead. I'd rather live in a ditch alone than marry a man I don't love just to meet your demands."

She rushed out the door. She'd had enough of Gran's machinations and Jackson's lack of faith in her. She'd had enough of her siblings' acquiescence with their grandmother's mad demand. It was time someone stood up to Gran.

And she was the only one left who could.

HETTY SCOWLED. SHE had done what she must, and she refused to feel guilty about it, no matter what Celia said.

"Congratulations, Gran," Minerva said coldly. "You just destroyed her chance for happiness. Well done."

"Do not be a fool. Mr. Pinter is not her chance for happiness. Did you hear his lackl.u.s.ter proposal?"

"Then you'd better hope that she doesn't end up enceinte. Because I don't believe a word either of them said about how they spent last night together."

Hetty paled. "You don't think Mr. Pinter would-"

"I think Mr. Pinter is as much in love with her as she is with him, and two people in love don't always restrain themselves. Even if they're both too foolish to admit it to you."

"No, you are wrong about that," Hetty said firmly. "If he had been in love with her, he would have insisted on a marriage. But he made only a halfhearted attempt because he thought that if he married her, I would-"

Too late, she caught herself.

"Would what?" Eyes narrowing, Minerva stalked toward her. "What did you threaten him with, Gran?"

Hetty drew herself up stiffly. "I did what I should have done with Pru. I acted to be sure that Mr. Pinter was not after her fortune. And I do not regret-"

"What did you tell him?" Minerva demanded.

Hetty could have ordered the girl not to be impudent and to stay out of it. But she did not want Minerva running off to Celia, making wild speculations. Better that Minerva knew the truth. Then she would understand.

"I told him I would cut Celia off if she married beneath her."

"Oh, Gran..." Minerva said in a disgusted voice.

"I was right to do it, too. Did you not see how he withdrew the moment I said that she need not marry him? Obviously, he thought there was no point in pursuing the marriage if he could not have her fortune!"

Minerva scowled at her. "I daresay he couldn't bear to see the woman he loved grow to hate him for being the cause of her losing her fortune!"

Isaac had said something similar, but Hetty had seen no sign that Mr. Pinter loved so deeply. "You are attributing very n.o.ble motives to our Mr. Pinter. How can you even be sure that he loves her? He was very cool today."

"According to Celia, he is very cool most of the time ... except when he's kissing her with wild pa.s.sion."

Oh, yes. She'd forgotten about all those kisses Minerva had mentioned yesterday. Nonetheless ... "Perhaps he desires her, but-"

"While you were manipulating matters to your satisfaction, I was watching him. After you said they need not marry, he looked at Celia with such despair ... Oh, Gran, you don't know what you've done. She loves him. And I truly believe he loves her. But each is convinced that the other doesn't care enough, and you're not helping. So now..."

"Now he needs to fight for her." Hetty considered their conversation in light of all that Minerva was telling her. "You heard what Celia said-'my choice just walked out that door because he thinks I can't manage in his world.'"

"He only thinks it because you told him she will lose everything if she marries him!"