"don't let him choose that thing. Do something. Change his
mind."
"Just how desperate are you to avoid being seen in it?" he
asked, suppressed laughter rippling through each and every
word.
She looked up at him and into green pools sparkling with
mischief. "That's blackmail," she accused, keeping her voice
low.
He grinned. "And that's really ugly. How desperate?"
The certainty overfilled her soul and flooded into the center
of her bones. At least he was a kind man; her dignity
would be intact when he walked away. "Name the price," she
said. knowing that the words were sealing her fate. "Within
reason, please."
"You'll call me Aiden."
Such a seemingly benign request. But clearly recognizable
as the first brick being taken from the wall he intended to
fully dismantle. "Only in private. There are standards to be
maintained for Mohan."
"Of course." His grin edged toward wicked. "And you'll
let me teach you to dance."
On a surge of panic, she retorted, "I don't want to learn to
dance."
He glanced toward Mohan's carriage and then smiled
down at her. "Do you not want to dance more than you don't
want to be seen in that?"
"You're ruthless."
"Absolutely. Is that a 'yes'?"
What would be would be. Whatever lesson there was to
be taught would have to be learned. Intentions and logic and
rationality were pointless exercises; destiny wasn't going to
be evaded or denied. "God help me," Alex whispered, closing
her eyes and putting herself in the powerful hand of fate.
It was as close to a "yes" as she was going to give him.
Aiden resisted the urge to plant a grateful kiss on her cheek.
Instead, he covered her hand with his. "You won't be sorry,"
he offered softly, sincerely. "I promise, Alex."
She managed a tremulous smile but didn't look at him.
Her obvious doubts gently tugged at his heartstrings and
added to his resolve. She wasn't going to regret letting him
past her reserve. He'd make sure of it. In the end, Alexandra
Radford was going to think he was the very best thing that
had ever happened to her.
"Why don't you have a seat?" he said, leading her to a
nearby carriage and depositing her on the running board. She
glanced up at him and he winked and added, "And watch a
master at work."
"Mohan!" he called, turning away. "Climb down from
there for a minute."
"Is it not perfect, Mr. Terrell?"
Alex leaned her back against the carriage door, waiting and
watching. A master? A master at what? she wondered.
"Well," Aiden drawled. "looks are only part of perfection,
Mohan. If it doesn't roll right and true, it doesn't matter
how pretty it is. It's always wise to inspect the structure
before you make a decision. Let's walk around and take a
careful look at it, shall we?”
They made a slow circuit, neither of them saying a word,
both of them seemingly intent on memorizing every hideous
turn, curve, and filigreed scroll.
"Oh, now this is troubling," Aiden said as they returned to
their starting point. He reached out and traced a fingertip
across the top of the wheel. "Look here, Mohan. See the dent
in the band?”
Mohan moved closer and ran his fingertip over the wheel,
too. ''There must have been an object in the road."
"It could be from that," Aiden agreed. nodding. "Or it
could be from something a bit more serious." He pointed to
the spokes of the same wheel. "Notice how the paint's a
slightly different color on some of those?"
"Yes. Does that mean something of great significance?"
"It could," Aiden replied, squatting down so that the wheel
was at eye level. He trailed his fingers over the length of the
spokes and shook his head. "Oh, that's not good. Not good at
all. Feel along this spoke, Mohan. And this one, too."
Mohan did as instructed. knitted his brows, and then examined
several others before saying, ''These three are
bumpy. These others are not. Why?"
''I can't say for certain, of course, but I suspect that they
were broken and not mended very well."
"It must have been a very large object in the road,"
Again Aiden nodded. "Let's crawl underneath and take a
look at the axles."
A master manipulator. That's what Aiden Terrell was.
Smooth and flawless, he chose his path and moved others
along to the destination he wanted to reach. Mohan was completely
unaware that the carriage was being pulled out from
beneath him inch by deliberate inch. Alex smiled, knowing
that by the time Aiden finished the inspection, Mohan would
abandon the notion of owning it and think that the decision
was his own. And that it had been freely made.
Yes, absolutely flawless. She considered the wheel and
the two of them rolling under the carriage to peer at its underside.
Odds were good that Aiden had noted the dent in
the wheel the instant they'd walked up to it. Which, of
course, meant that he'd negotiated terms with her knowing
full good and well that the carriage was unacceptable
whether she surrendered or not. She'd been manipulated,
too.
She should be angry about it. She certainly had every reason
to be. And yet she wasn't. In fact, if anything, she admired
his ability to achieve his ends without being the least
bit heavy-handed. Where so many men were bullies, Aiden
was charming. Where so many would have smirked and decreed,
Aiden had smiled and cajoled. Yes, he was indeed a
master. She'd have to remember that in the future.
''That bend is not good, is it?" Mohan asked.
"No, I'm afraid it's not. It rather strongly suggests that
this carriage has been wrecked. And look along here. Do you
see this crack? That's not good, either."
She watched them climb out from under the carriage to
stand side by side, their arms folded across their chests,
studying it in silence.
"Can it be repaired?" Mohan finally asked. "Better than it
has been already?"
''Not without a great deal of expense," Aiden answered,
sounding ever so regretful. "And, quite frankly, it hasn't really
been repaired at all. They've done nothing more than try
to hide the problems in the hope the buyer won't notice the
damage until after the sale is done." .
Mohan's jaw slowly sagged and he looked up at Aiden,
his eyes huge. ''They hoped to cheat me?"
"Not necessarily you personally;' he qualified with a shrug.
“Anyone who comes along and doesn't look past the red paint
and the gilt will do."
"I will not be duped."
Alex grinned. Aiden was far more controlled in recognizing
his victory. He nodded solemnly. "A very good attitude
to have, I think. Perhaps we should look a bit further?"
"I shall go over this way," Mohan announced, moving
down the row, "and report what I
find."
Aiden turned to her, his smile broad and his eyes
sparkling, and bowed ceremoniously.
"Very well done, Mr. Terrell," she offered, clapping in
sincere appreciation of the performance. "Very well done."
''Aiden. Remember?"
"Aiden," she corrected, gaining her feet. He was instantly
in front of her, presenting his arm. "You've not only spared
me the embarrassment of being seen in a rolling monstrosity,
but given Mohan useful knowledge in the process. If
your career as an investigator doesn't go well, you might
consider teaching. You're very good at it."
"Well, the truth is that I'm not an investigator. And I'm a
temporary protector only because I owe Barrett a favor. A
rather large one, in fact. When the debt's paid ... " He
shrugged and snorted softly. "I'll probably have to go back
to sea."
"You don't sound too terribly excited about the prospect."
"It's a long story," he replied, his voice suddenly taut. His
smile was still in place but the brightness of it was gone and
it no longer reached his eyes. Looking over his shoulder, he
said, "I think he's found something that might actually be
worth a closer look. Shall we?"
Alex allowed him to guide her through the maze, sensing
that he'd opened a personal door without thinking. Then,
realizing what he'd done, neatly sidestepped the blunder and
slammed it closed again. It was an artful dodge, but certainly
not perfect. She decided it was rather nice to know that he
wasn't always in control. It made him decidedly human and
quite likable.
"I hope this next carriage is a bit more appropriate than
the last," she ventured. "As for stories ... I've always found
that longer ones are always so much more interesting than
shorter ones."
"Not in this instance."
Firm and final. He wasn't going to willingly share it with
her. Alex studied him askance, noting the hard line of his
jaw, the way the muscle at his temple pulsed in hard, steady
rhythm.
"Miss Alex! Look over there!" Mohan called.
She found him off to their right, perched in the driver's
box of an old-fashioned carriage. He was pointing off toward
a copse of trees and a little cottage tucked deep into the
shadows. .
“At the very far edge of the field!" he added, fairly jumping
up and down. "In the low growth! It is Preeya's peacocks!”
Peacocks? Alex let go of Aiden's arm and quickly stepped
around him, straining to see, trying to find amid the underbrush
the birds Mohan said were there. A quick movement, a
flash of bright, familiar color.
"Of all the places;' she whispered, her heart racing. She
whirled about and grabbed Aiden Terrell by his arms.
"Preeya wants a peacock in the worst sort of way. I have no
idea whether she intends to keep it for a sentry or to have it
for a main course one night. But she's asked me for ages to
find one for her and ... I have to have that pair of peacocks,
Aiden. I don't care what it takes. I don't care what it costs. I
have to have them. Today. Now."
God, she was beautiful. Such excitement, such open happiness
and hope. Her eyes were bright blue with it "Peacocks;'
he said, moistening his lips. Catching the birds; trussing them,
and getting them into the rented hack and back to the house
was going to take some time. Time he'd planned to use for
finding and buying horses. But if Alex wanted peacocks and
getting them for her made her happy, then he'd make what
adjustments were necessary. He'd get to the horses tomorrow.
It was a small thing compared to having accomplished
his most important goal of the day. Alex had not only come
to trust him, but she had just thrown herself and a heartfelt
desire on his good nature.
It was good to know that life could still offer the pleasures
of a game well played. It was even better to realize that, despite
having been to hell and back, he hadn't lost his touch.
"All right, Alex," he said. "If Preeya wants peacocks, we'll
get her peacocks."
Chapter 8
Ah, Alex groggily thought, rolling over and burying her face
in her pillow. The unmistakable notes of outraged peacocks
at dawn. It was like being back in India. Except in India, of
course, one of the servants would be bringing her breakfast
in bed. Here, she was going to have to get up, dress herself,
Preeya might well be thrilled beyond words to have peacocks,
but she wasn't going to let the raucous reminder of
home sweep away her common sense.
Flopping onto her back. Alex sighed and stretched, then
sat up, struggling to keep her eyes open. She stretched again,
long and slowly, trying to draw herself from the edges of one
of the deepest sleeps she could ever remember. She smiled
and let her arms drop into her lap. A day with Aiden Terrell
would make anyone sleep like the dead.
The man simply didn't sit idle for a single second. He and
Mohan had been playing a spirited game of Parcheesi last
night when she'd had to put down her needlepoint and admit
that she couldn't keep her eyes open another minute. What a
day it had been. Hopefully, today would be a bit less frenetic.
No, she amended, pushing the coverlet down and sliding to
the edge of the mattress, a lot less frenetic.
The knock at the door gave her pause. She arched a brow,
wondering if perhaps Preeya was even more grateful ~an
she'd known. "Yes?" she called out.
The door opened and, without the slightest preamble or
apology, Mohan marched in, jauntily saying, "Good morning,
Miss Alex."
Right behind him came Aiden Terrell. "Good morning,
Miss Radford."
Mohan, dressed in a clean, crisply pressed suit. was carrying
a secretary's portable desk, the quill pen tucked behind
his ear. Aiden was without his suit coat. his shirt sleeves
rolled up to his elbows, and carrying a folded wooden tape.
He smiled at her and winked.
"Excuse me!" she gasped, snatching up the coverlet and
using it as a shield. ''What are you-"
''Oh, it's no problem at all," Aiden assured her, grinning
as he followed Mohan to the windows. ''As long as you keep
that coverlet in place."
Scrambling back into the bed and well under the covers,
she asked, "What are you two doing?"
"Is it not apparent?" Mohan asked, making a notation on
his paper as Aiden unfolded the tape. ''We are measuring the
windows."
''Why?''
"Mr. Terrell and I will take our numbers to a blacksmith
this morning and commission iron covers for each and every
window:' he supplied, leaning forward to note the numbers
as Aiden held the measure flush against the window frame.
As they continued to work in tandem, her ward went on,
saying, "Mr. Terrell has designed a most attractive pattern.
You will like it immensely. And when that task has been
completed, we will begin our search for horses. Two for the
carriage I selected and three for riding. And when that task is
completed we will bring them home and then construct a
more substantial pen for Preeya's peacocks. They have destroyed
the one Mr. Terrell attempted to make last night."
"I'll remind you that it was dark and cold and I was under
attack," Aiden retorted good-naturedly, refolding his tape as
Mohan made further notes.
"How is your leg this morning?" Alex asked, struggling
to contain her laughter, amusement overriding her embarrassment.
"Sore. He took out a couple of good-sized chunks."
Good-sized? Ha! He'd barely been nipped. "Perhaps
you'll have scars to share with the other boys."
He was biting back a rejoinder; she could see it in the
devilish twinkle in his eyes. He had to look away and gain
control of his smile before he could say, "With what we have
to do, I'm guessing we'll be gone all day. I'll tell Preeya before
we leave so she doesn't cook for an army at lunch."
"Am I not invited to go along?" Please, dear God, have
mercy on me.
He looked a little startled and he sounded apologetic