Then Came You (The Gamblers #1)(68)

“There’s no reason to pity her now,” Alex muttered. “The ‘poor girl’ is happily married to Viscount Stamford. They’ve eloped to Gretna Green.”

Ross looked startled, then whistled in surprise. “Good old Zachary. Did he really manage that by himself? No, he must have had help from someone.”

“He did,” Alex said wryly.

A long moment passed, while Ross considered the possibilities. He turned a laughing gaze to Alex. “Don’t say it was Lily? That must have been the reason for your performance at Craven’s last night, to even the account. Lex talionis.”

“That news isn’t for public consumption,” Alex warned quietly.

“By God, you’ve done the family proud!” Ross exclaimed. “I thought the old Alex was gone for good. But something’s happened…you’ve rejoined the ranks of the living, haven’t you? This proves my suspicion that Lily Lawson’s charms could wake the dead.”

Alex turned and leaned his weight on the stone sundial, crooking one leg slightly. A breeze rifled through his hair, lifting the lock on his forehead. He thought of Lily nestled in his arms, her lips pressed to his shoulder. Again, the absurd feeling of happiness and completeness swept over him. Staring at the ground, he felt one side of his mouth pulling upward in an irrepressible smile. “She’s a remarkable woman,” he admitted.

“Aha.” Ross’s blue eyes gleamed with a lively interest, quite different from his usual laconic boredom. “I intend to be the next to have her. What’s the opening bid?”

Alex’s smile vanished in a flash. He looked at his cousin with a threatening frown. “There’s no auction taking place.”

“Oh, really? For the past two years, every man under the age of eighty has wanted Lawless Lily, but everyone knew she was Derek Craven’s domain. After last night, it’s clear she’s on the market.”

Alex reacted without thinking. “She’s mine.”

“You’ll have to pay to keep her. Now that word of last night has been spread around London, she’ll be neck-deep in offers of jewelry, castles, whatever bait she’ll snap for.” Ross gave him a self-assured smile. “Personally, I think my promise of a string of Arabians will do the trick, though I might have to throw in a diamond tiara or two. And Alex, I would like you to put a word in her ear for me. If you want to maintain her for a while, that’s fine. But I’m going to be her next protector. There’s not a woman in the world like her, with that beauty and fire. Any man who’s ever seen her at a hunt in those legendary red breeches has imagined her riding on top of him, and that’s—”

“Pink,” Alex snapped, pushing away from the sundial and pacing around it edgily. “They’re pink. And I’ll be damned if I’ll let you or anyone else come sniffing at her heels.”

“You can’t stop it from happening.”

Alex’s gray eyes narrowed, his expression turning dark and ominous. “You think not?”

“My God,” Ross marveled, “you’re actually angry. Livid, in fact. Hot as a Tartar. Ruffled, roiled, bridling up like a—”

“Go to hell!”

Ross smiled in wondering amusement. “I’ve never seen this much emotion from you before. What in God’s name is going on?”

“What’s going on,” Alex snarled, “is that I’ll strangle any man who dares approach her with an offer.”

“You’ll have to do battle with half the population of London, then.”

It was only then that Alex saw the cool enjoyment in his cousin’s eyes, and realized Ross was intentionally baiting him. “Damn you!”

Ross spoke in a quieter, more thoughtful tone. “You’re beginning to worry me. Don’t tell me you’re beginning to have feelings for her. Lily’s not the kind of woman a man keeps forever. She’s hardly what one would call domesticated. Be reasonable. Don’t make this interlude into something it was never meant to be.”

Alex schooled his features into a pleasant, self-controlled expression. “Leave, before I kill you.”

“Lily is a mature, experienced woman. She’ll lead you a merry dance. I’m just warning you, Alex, because I saw what losing Caroline did to you. You’ve gone to hell and back—I shouldn’t think you’d care to make that journey again. I don’t think you understand what Lily Lawson really is.”

“Do you?” Alex asked softly. “Does anyone?”

“Why don’t we ask Derek Craven?” Ross suggested, watching closely to judge if the arrow had hit its mark.

Suddenly Alex astonished him with a slow, lazy grin. “Craven’s no part of this, Ross. At least not anymore. All you need to know is that if you make one advance to Lily, I’ll take your head off. Now come back to the house with me. Your visit’s drawing to a close.”

Ross strode after him quickly. “Just tell me how long you intend to keep her.”

Alex continued to smile, his stride unbroken. “Find your own woman, Ross. It will be a waste of time to wait for Lily.”

St. James Street was congested with a long line of carriages as people arrived for the masked assembly at Craven’s. The full moon shed its bright light on the street, causing the spangled costumes of the guests to glitter and their feathered, plumed masks to cast exotic shadows on the pavement. Music, ranging from sprightly polonaises to elegant waltzes, floated outward from the open windows down the length of St. James.