Stranger in My Arms(24)

“I told you I don’t want her,” he said flatly.

Lara struggled against a senseless feeling of gladness at the information. Her mind pointed out that it was to her benefit if Hunter renewed his affair with Lady Carlysle, thus sparing her from his unwanted attentions. “It is only to be expected that you would pay her a visit after having been gone for so long,” she said. “At one time you cared for each other very much.”.”

Hunter scowled and pushed back from the table.

“If this is the direction of your breakfast conversation, I believe I’ll occupy myself elsewhere.”

As he stood up, there was a respectful tap on the door, and the senior footman’s impassive face appeared. “Lord Hawksworth, there is a caller.” At Hunter’s nod, the footman brought a card on a silver tray.

Hunter read the card with an impassive expression. “Send him in,” he said. “I’ll receive him here.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Who is it?” Lara asked as the footman departed.

“Lonsdale.”

Rachel’s husband. Lara stared at Hunter curiously, wondering why his reaction should be so matter-of-fact, even unenthusiastic. For years Terrell, Lord Lonsdale, had been one of Hunter’s best friends, and yet Hunter’s face was that of a man confronted with an unwanted duty.

Hunter watched the door, and as soon as the sound of footsteps approached, a smile appeared on his lips… but it wasn’t natural.

It was the expression of an actor preparing himself for a performance.

Lord Lonsdale entered the room, his face glowing with anticipation and happiness-unusual for Lonsdale, who was known for his moodiness. There was no doubt of his genuine gladness to see Hunter again.

“Hawksworth!” he exclaimed, striding forward to seize him in a brief, bearlike embrace.

The two men laughed and pulled apart to survey each other. Although Lord Lonsdale was above average height, he didn’t quite reach Hunter’s towering build. He was robust and muscular, though, and had a love of riding and sporting that rivaled Hunter’s.

Dark-haired and fair-skinned, with deep blue eyes inherited from an Irish grandmother, Lonsdale was a handsome and engaging man-when he wished to be. Other times he allowed his famous temper to explode out of control, frequently with unpleasant results. He always apologized afterward with a charm and sincerity that made everyone forgive him.

Lara would have liked him much more if he were not married to her sister.

“My God, man, you’re half the size you were!”

Lonsdale exclaimed, laughing. “And as dark as a savage.”

“And you’re the same,” Hunter replied with a grin. “Exactly the same.”

“I should have known you’d cheat the devil his due.” Lonsdale stared at him with open fascination.

“You’re so altered. I’m not certain. I would have recognized you, except that Rachel told me what to expect.”

“It’s good to see you, old friend.” Lonsdale responded with a smile, but his penetrating stare did not waver from Hunter’s face. Lara could understand the reason Lonsdale’s pleasure suddenly seemed to dim.

Lonsdale was no fool, and he was confronted with the same dilemma that everyone else faced. If this man was indeed Hunter, he was greatly changed… and if he was a stranger, he was an astonishingly convincing replica.

“Old friend,” Lonsdale repeated cautiously.

As if sensing the man’s anxious desire for proof, Hunter let out a coarse laugh that made Lara flinch.

“Let’s have a drink,” he said to Lonsdale. “I don’t care what the hour is. I wonder if there’s a bottle of Martell ‘ninety-seven left, or if my damned thieving uncle finished every drop.”

Lonsdale was instantly reassured. “Yes, the Martell,” he said with a bark of happy relief. “You remembered my liking for the stuff.”

“I remember a certain evening at the Running Footman when your liking for the stuff nearly got us beaten senseless.”

Lonsdale was nearly overcome with laughter. “I was as drunk as a mop!

With quite an itch for that whore in the red gown-” Hunter interrupted with a warning cough. “Let’s save that reminiscence for a time when my wife isn’t present.”

Just then noticing Lara’s presence, Lonsdale sputtered an apology.

“Forgive me, Larissa… I was so shocked by the sight of Hawksworth, I’m afraid I took no notice of anything else around me.”

“That is quite understandable,” Lara said with a failed attempt at a smile. Witnessing the two men together recalled a host of unhappy memories. It seemed that they encouraged each other’s worst traits: selfishness and a sense of masculine superiority that she found insufferable. She glanced uneasily at Hunter. If he wasn’t her husband, he possessed a chameleon-like ability to become whatever others expected him to be.

Lonsdale gave her a deceptively solicitous smile.

“My dear sister-in-law… tell me, how is it to have your dear departed come back home?” There was a mocking gleam in his blue eyes. He had, of course, known about their loveless marriage, and he had encouraged Hunter’s infidelities.

Lara answered without looking at either of them.

“I’m very pleased, of course.”