A Scandalous Situation

“Not a bit in the world, Miss Kethley. My only concern is for your comfort. This is a very awkward situation for you. I regret that I do not even have a housekeeper, let alone a maid, to assist you at present. I returned somewhat earlier than my agent expected, and he has not yet assembled a permanent staff. Fortunately, he had already ordered a thorough cleaning, so at least you will not be choked with dust, and there is food aplenty stored in the cellars.” He turned as the door opened. “Yes, Burnside?”

“I thought the lady might be the better for a cup of tea.” Burnside edged through the door and awkwardly set a large tray with teapot and cups on a table.

“Very well thought of. Thank you.” Lord Duncan swiveled to face his henchman, grinning. “And what is offered for dinner? I’m expecting at least three courses.”

Burnside winked at a very startled Iantha. “Me lord is only funning. He knows that from me he gets plain fare—good hearty north country cooking with a few Indian tricks added in.” He bowed to his employer, heading to the door. “The fire is made upstairs, me lord, and hot water on the hob when Miss Kethley is ready.”

“Thank you. We will wait a bit until the room warms.” Burnside departed and his lordship turned back to Iantha. “Burnside’s cooking is plain, as he said, but quite good. At least you won’t starve.” His lordship eyed the tea tray askance. “Would you do me the favor of pouring, Miss Kethley? I’d very likely make a mull of it.”

What a strange establishment! Feeling a bit bewildered, Iantha picked up the pot. “I’d be happy to. Milk?”

“No, thank you.”

She passed him the cup and poured one for herself. As they were treating the situation as a social occasion, and conversation was the inevitable accompaniment to tea, Iantha made a strong effort to marshal her thoughts. “How long did you live in India, my lord?”

“Thirteen years.”

“With the East India Company?”

“No, I went as a private merchant. The Armstrong fortunes had fallen on hard times, and my father felt even going into trade justified by the circumstances.”

“I see.” Iantha pondered this information as she sipped the warming tea. An unusual step for a nobleman, but better, no doubt, than genteel poverty. “Did you not care for it there?”

“Oh, aye. It suited me very well. So much to see, to hear, to smell and touch.” He smiled at her over his cup, eyes crinkling at the corners. He really had a very engaging smile. “The Orient is a veritable feast for the senses. New foods, new textures, bright colors. More new experiences every day than the English mind can conceive.”

“But you came home.”

He stared into the fire for a heartbeat before looking at her. “One always wants to come home.”

Finding nothing to add to that, Iantha sipped in silence. Lord Duncan drew a deep breath. “There were other reasons, also.” He paused, then went on, leaving Iantha with the impression that he had left something unsaid. “For one, profit has become too dependent on the opium trade with China. The East India Company holds the monopoly on cultivation only in Bengal, but I could not stomach selling it in any event. If you could but see the poor devils… Er, excuse my language, but enslavement to opium is indeed a damnable condition.” He set down his cup and stood. “But I can bore on forever about India. Have you finished your tea? I’ll escort you upstairs.”

Iantha followed his example, and after only a second’s hesitation, took the arm he offered, walking as far from his side as the arrangement allowed. His other hand closed over the sleeve of her dress. “I fear your gown is still wet. You will need a change of clothes.”

Iantha glanced down at the muddied hem of her white wool dress. “That would be a great relief, but I don’t see how it can be accomplished.”

“I believe there are some clothes in the bedchamber we are preparing for you, but they belonged to my grandmother.” He looked down at her and grinned as they made their way up two broad flights of stairs. “She was quite the fashionable lady in her day, but alas, that time is a long way in the past. She was also very thrifty—kept everything. You should find something clean and dry, but you will hardly be a model of mode.”

For the first time since the heap of snow had inundated her vehicle, Iantha chuckled, but then the full realization of her situation dawned. At all appearances she would be here for an extended stay.

Great God in heaven! How would she survive it? How could she tolerate a whole household of men—strangers—for so much time?

Control. She must rely on her control, her intellect.

Chapter Two

A fter a prolonged struggle with the buttons up the back of her bodice, Iantha finally slipped out of the soiled dress with a sigh. Gratefully dipping a cloth into the warm water, she smoothed it over her arms, face and neck, relaxing the tense muscles. What a comfort to her chilled skin and somewhat battered body! A full, hot bath would have been heaven, but she could hardly request one under the circumstances. Lord Duncan had been more than courteous, and she did not want to create a problem for his small staff.

Or find herself completely naked in a house full of men. The bedchamber to which his lordship had conducted her, decorated in feminine pastels and smelling of old wood, had but two doors, both provided with working keys. After a quick peek into the adjoining sitting room, Iantha firmly locked both, imposing strict control on her uneasiness.

Her petticoats had fared no better than her gown, and she let them fall to the floor with it. Her tightly fitted boots presented more of a problem, but after a brief tussle, she got them and her stockings off. Never again would she take the services of a maid for granted. In fact, she would make it a point to give Molly a nice gift when she got home.

If she ever got home. The briefest glance at the window revealed nothing but blinding snow and the wind crying at the casement. They were extremely fortunate to have made the shelter of the stable when they had.

Calming her panic with a deep breath, Iantha opened the wardrobe and concentrated on its contents. It did, indeed, contain a welter of silks and satins. She pulled out a gown of pale blue brocade with falls of white lace and spread it out on the bed. Truly lovely. But of a style that required a large hoop. That wouldn’t do. She would never be able to get into it by herself, let alone manage hoops.

Iantha replaced it and drew out a soft lavender silk that would reflect her eyes and complement her delicate features and fair skin. Much better. The fitted bodice laced up the front, so she could fasten it herself, and the square neckline did not reveal as much bosom as current dinner gowns. Further search revealed enough petticoats to hold the full skirt out sufficiently so that she would not trip. Luckily, the former Lady Duncan seemed to have been a bit shorter than Iantha.

She donned the gown and replaced the hidden pistol under her skirts. A short session with the comb found on the old-fashioned dresser got the snarls out of her shining hair, and she arranged it simply, with her own silver combs holding part of it high on her head. The rest fell in soft curls. At least when it had lost its color, it had not lost its curl.

Feeling rather as she had as a child playing dress-up in her own grandmother’s clothes, Iantha opened the door and peered into the corridor. Seeing no one about, she set off down the hall in the direction she thought she had come with Lord Duncan. She had almost decided that she had come the wrong way when she turned a corner she did not remember and almost collided with the most astounding apparition.

Iantha gasped and jerked back.

The apparition did likewise.

And then it bowed.

“Forgive me, madam. I have startled you. I am Vijaya Sabara.”

Iantha found herself staring at a slender man of medium height, his head wrapped in an elaborate silk turban, and a neat black beard covering olive cheeks and chin. A huge sapphire fixed to his headdress dangled in the middle of his forehead. And his clothing… She could only gaze in wonder. So colorful. So rich. So…

So barbaric.

“I…uh… How—how do you do?” So utterly inept! The man would think her a fool. Iantha flushed.

“Very well, thank you.” His brow wrinkled in puzzlement. “I did not know we had a lady in residence.”

“Lord Duncan rescued me from the storm. I am Iantha Kethley. Can you direct me to the dining room?”

“Ah. Please allow me to guide you. You are going in quite the wrong direction.” The apparition did not offer his arm, but with a sweep of his hand indicated that she should retrace her steps. She turned and accompanied him back the way she had come. What a sight the two of them must make, she in her antique dress, he in his soft, jewel-adorned silks. Like guests at a masquerade.

Iantha’s head spun. She seemed to be losing her grip on reality, rather like the heroine in a penny dreadful. She felt the storm had swept her away from her own time and place to…to what? Would she next encounter a specter with its head under one arm?

Heaven forfend!

A sigh of relief escaped her as she beheld the stalwart frame of Lord Duncan coming up the staircase. At least he looked English and familiar and ordinary in buckskin trousers and a neat coat stretched across broad shoulders. Reality settled once more into place.

“There you are, Miss Kethley. I was just coming to escort you to dinner. One can easily lose one’s way in this great pile.” Just as he started to offer his arm, Iantha placed a hand on the banister, pretending not to notice.

“Yes. I had done just that.” She smiled. “I seem to require much rescuing today.”

His lordship grinned. “Our pleasure. I see you have met my friend Prince Vijaya. He has come from India to England with me to learn more about our country on behalf of his father, who is a maharaja in the district of Orissa.”

At the door of a small dining parlor the Indian bowed again. “Your servant, Miss Kethley. If you will excuse me?”

With no further explanation he disappeared down the corridor. Iantha looked questioningly at his lordship.

“Vijaya prefers to eat alone.” Rob ushered her into the room and held a chair for her, then sat across from her. “Many Indians regard eating as something that should be done in private. Considering the table manners of some of our best people, one can see their point.”

A smile softened her delicate face. He had been correct in his earlier assessment. His distressed damsel was beautiful when she smiled. Extremely so. And the old-fashioned dress seemed to suit her. “That gown is very becoming to you. You make me think of the younger portraits of my grandmother with her powdered hair.” Her smile faded, and she looked down at her folded hands.

Hmm. Obviously he had erred. The lady must be sensitive about her hair. “Forgive me. I seem to have been less than tactful, but I think your hair is lovely. Do you dislike it?”

The lady wrinkled her dainty nose, but looked him in the eye. “One hardly wishes to appear so old at the age of four-and-twenty.”

“Old?” A bark of laugher escaped him. “My dear Miss Kethley, you could not look old if—” He broke off and shook his head. “Not under any circumstances whatsoever. You are much too beautiful.”

“Now you are flattering me.” She cocked her head and raised her eyebrows, but the smile hovered around the corners of her mouth.

Rob grinned. “Do you perceive me as a man who is skilled in flattery?”

She considered him thoughtfully. “No,” she said at last. “No, you seem rather to be a man given to plain speaking.”

“That I am, a plain man, and I am plainly stating that I find you unusually striking. May I serve you a glass of wine?”

“Thank you.” She nodded her acceptance of the wine, if not the compliment, but a small frown replaced her smile. “I know the storm is raging, but… Is there no way to get a message to Hill House, to my parents? They will be frantic with worry. I did not even tell them….”

“That you were going out? I wondered who allowed you to come up here alone.” Rob’s own smile faded. “I’m sorry, but I cannot set out into that blizzard. I would be dead in an hour.”

“Oh, no! I do not ask that. I only hoped…” She sighed. “I was being foolish. Forgive me.”

Rob started to reach across the table to clasp her hand, but just as the impulse struck, the slender hand slipped from the table into her lap. Hmm. It had not escaped his attention that when he had placed his hand on her back to guide her to her chair, she had quietly stepped away after the briefest contact. Nor had she taken his arm coming down the stairs. Apparently his rescued damsel remained a bit wary of her rescuer. And under the circumstances… Well, perhaps time and better acquaintance would cure that.

“Nay, not foolish—understandably concerned.” He poured himself a tankard of ale from a pitcher. “It is certainly a very bad situation, but I see no way to remedy it tonight—and possibly not tomorrow. So you reside with your parents? Since you answer to ‘miss,’ I collect that you are not married?”

“No. I am not.” She took an infinitesimal sip of wine. Little danger of this cautious lady becoming fuddled by strong drink. “I live with my family. My father is Viscount Rosley. I have two younger brothers and a sister still at home. I also have an older sister, who has married Lord Rochland, and an older brother in the cavalry.”

“A hopeful family, indeed. Do you often drive out alone?”

“Yes, frequently.”

“And your parents do not object?”

A slightly impish smile brightened her serious face. Charming. “I did not say they do not object. But they understand….” She sobered. “There are times when Isimply must be by myself. And I cannot bear to stay inside for long periods. So I take my paints and come into the fells and find something spacious and uplifting to paint. I had been driving for about an hour when the mishap occurred. I intended to paint the Eyrie in the snow.”

“Ah. Now I understand the paint case. So painting is your favorite pastime?”

“Yes. And I sometimes write a bit of poetry…and other things.”

At that moment Burnside appeared with a large tray. He set it carefully on the sideboard and began awkwardly to place dishes on the table. “You’ll have to excuse me, miss. I ain’t no dab hand at this. We’ve been eating in the kitchen till the butler shows his front.”

“Oh, my. I am sorry to be putting you to so much trouble. I would have been happy to eat in the kitchen.”

“No lady is going to eat in the kitchen in my house,” Rob interjected firmly. “It is well enough for a rough fellow such as myself, but for you… No.”

“Rough? Not at all. In fact, you have been the epitome of a gentleman.” Blushing a little, the lady laughed. A quiet, pleasant laugh. “In spite of a rather inauspicious meeting.”

“I must admit I have never before been introduced to a lady at pistol point. A novel experience.” He grinned. “The experience has induced me to be on my best behavior, but that is bound to wear off.”

But not too rapidly, considering the second pistol she probably still wore under her petticoats. The pistol notwithstanding, he saw something sad in the lady’s twilight eyes. Something that made him want to gather her into his strong arms and comfort her. To shelter her.

But not tonight.

Considering the pistol.

He lifted the cover from a platter, revealing large rolls stuffed with sausage. “May I serve you some of Burnside’s excellent fare? And some stewed apples?”

“Yes, thank you. What is that in the tureen? It smells very interesting.” She leaned forward and took a deep breath.

“Lamb curry.” He lifted the cover. The aroma of meat and spices filled the room. “I am not sure you will care for it. It is very highly seasoned, I warn you.” He spooned some rice onto her plate and added a very small dollop of the curry. “I suggest you approach it carefully.” He ladled a large serving onto his own plate.

She picked up her fork and took an appropriately dainty nibble. “Mmm. It is very good… Oh, my.” She gasped and reached for her wine.

Rob hastily clasped her hand, stopping her from sipping. “The wine will only increase the effect of the peppers. Better you should have a bit of roll.”

She nodded and quickly followed this advice. “My goodness.” She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. “I have never tasted peppers so hot. But the dish has a delightful flavor. Perhaps it is an acquired taste.”

“One must certainly become accustomed to it.” Rob laughed. “Are you all right now?” He took a large bite of his own serving.

“Oh, yes. I was just taken by surprise.” She tried another minute morsel. A brave lady.

“Perhaps Burnside can mix some curry powder for you with less pepper. I don’t want my first guest to go away with a blistered mouth.”

“Nor do I.” She quickly took another bite of bread and very precisely blotted her lips with her napkin. “I believe that is enough for now, but I would like to try it again sometime—perhaps with less pepper.”

“You seem surprisingly adventurous. You look so…so fragile.”

She stared pensively at the fire. “Perhaps I would like adventure. Fragility can become very tiresome.”

Rob pondered that response for a moment. The lady was definitely involved in an adventure now, one from which she would not emerge unscathed. “Miss Kethley, I am afraid that this particular adventure is going to be very damaging to your reputation. I think we should discuss—”

She turned her clear violet gaze on him. “Lord Duncan, I assure you that damage to my reputation is not a problem at all.”

And try as he might, he could not persuade her to say one more word on the subject.

The storm rampaged through the night and into the morning, and although Iantha had a pleasant conversation with Lord Duncan over breakfast and spent some time with him in the library examining his books, she became aware of a growing tension in herself. The need to get away. To get out of the place.

To put some distance between herself and his lordship’s overwhelmingly masculine presence.

He had done nothing—nothing at all—to cause her alarm. He observed every courtesy. He took pains to provide her every comfort. He did not touch her. Yet he seemed to fill up the room with his big body and his big voice. And…and with something else. A robust energy emanated from him, taking form in his ready grin and his hearty laughter. His enthusiasm for his library. His wholehearted enjoyment of life.

Try as she might, she could not shut his lordship out.

She did so very successfully with most people. Her barriers, built of intellectual conversation and control of her emotions, were well constructed and well maintained. She kept even people whom she liked outside of them. But with Lord Duncan… Even while discussing old Hindu manuscripts and his study of the various languages in which he engaged with Vijaya, she found herself more aware of the man than of the subject.

She needed to go home.

Shortly after they had eaten a light nuncheon, the wind died and the clouds rolled themselves up behind the mountains, leaving a blinding brightness in their wake. Iantha peered out a window.

“At last! Now I can return to my parents and relieve you of an unwanted guest, Lord Duncan.”

His lordship strolled to join her at the casement. “Never unwanted, Miss Kethley.”

Iantha smiled. “You are very gallant, my lord, but at the very best, I am an uninvited guest. Will you provide me with a horse? I fear I cannot leave the same way I arrived.”

“I fear you cannot leave at all, Miss Kethley. At least, not for a while. Nay, wait.” When she would have protested, he held up a restraining hand. “Just because the storm has abated does not mean the roads are open.”

“But I must get home. My poor parents—”

“I am sure they are extremely worried. But that will not clear the drifts. After a blizzard of this magnitude, they will be frozen in place.”

Iantha’s heart dropped to her slippers. She must go. He couldn’t make her stay. He wouldn’t. She drew herself up and bestowed a frosty glance on his lordship. “Nonetheless, I must attempt it. May I make use of a horse or not?”

His lordship snorted. “Something tells me that if I refuse, you will set out walking. Very well, Miss Kethley. Please get your coat and meet me in the entrance hall.”

Iantha raced up the stairs and struggled back into her own clothes and fur coat. In a very few minutes she rejoined Lord Duncan in the hall. He had donned his greatcoat and hat. Without a word he led her back into the old part of the castle.

But instead of continuing down to the stables, he turned and started up a spiral staircase of worn stone. Iantha stopped, scowling, and gazed up the aged steps. “My lord, where are you going?”

He returned her scowl. “To the battlements, Miss Kethley.”

Panic began in Iantha’s breast. “No! I am not going to the battlements. I am going home. With you or without you!”

Before she could dart through the old castle’s portal, he jumped down the last few steps and seized her arm. “Miss Kethley, you try my patience. If you are determined to leave, at least first look at the situation you face. Then if you still believe you can travel, I will accompany you.”

He turned and towed the unwilling Iantha up the first few stairs. After several steps she yanked her arm out of his grasp, glaring at him. “Very well. If you insist, I will go up.”

His lordship said nothing, but moved aside, gesturing for her to precede him. The old castle was bitterly cold. Iantha wished she might thrust her gloved hands into the pockets of her heavy coat, but had to use them to hold up her skirts. Her nose threatened to drip. She could only sniff as unobtrusively as possible. Finally they reached a heavy wooden door. Lord Duncan reached past her and pulled it open.

Iantha stepped out into a dazzling landscape. When her eyes had adjusted from the dark of the old keep, she gazed about her at a sparkling fairyland. Against the dark clouds, snow covered all but the highest wind-scoured peaks. From many of them, where springs near the summit had frozen in their leap into the valley, diamond cascades of ice glistened. Everywhere the sun struck the hills at an angle, rainbows sprang up.

Iantha stood transfixed.

Lord Duncan stood beside her silently, apparently captive to the beauty of the sight himself. Together they began to walk the battlements, where the parapets had shielded the path from snow, pausing occasionally to appreciate a particularly breathtaking view. When they had traversed three sides of the castle, they stopped at the foot of another stone staircase. Less than three feet wide, it rose in dizzying flight from the battlements to the top of the tallest tower. Neither handrail nor barricade protected the climber. The drop fell sheer into the valley. Today snow and ice festooned the steps.

Iantha moved toward them. “Oh, look! How beautiful. What is up there?”

His lordship seemed a bit alarmed. “Only the lookout tower. But please do not attempt the stairs, Miss Kethley. They are not safe at any time, let alone when covered in ice.”

“Yes, I can see that, but perhaps one day I may climb them. I have a very good head for heights.”

“Which is more than I do. I could not permit it.”

“Very well.” Iantha shrugged and gazed around her, brows puckered. “But where is the road?”

“Where, indeed?” His lordship turned in a full circle. “If I am not mistaken, it lies just below us there.” He pointed.

Iantha squinted down the hillside. “Where? I do not see it.”

“Neither do I. But if you believe you can find it, it will be my honor to escort you home.” His lordship folded his arms across his chest, looking insufferably smug. There was no kinder word for it; he looked smug.

Iantha bristled at this display of male arrogance. “Well, I won’t know until I look, will I?”