Dancing on the Wind

Chapter 12

The green room swarmed with exuberant actors, actresses, and their friends. The after-performance tumult always made Kit uneasy, so she held court with her back to the wall. A dozen men stood in a half circle in front of her, offering extravagant compliments and vying for her attention.

She had become adept at the suggestive banter that gentlemen enjoyed. When one admirer said, "You were like an angel tonight, Miss James," she replied mischievously, "If that's true, the angels had better reform."

The crowd around her laughed. A dandyish fellow said soulfully, "Are you sure you won't accept my carte blanche? I long to become your protector."

She eyed him thoughtfully. "Men are always trying to protect me. I can never figure out what from."

The group started offering boisterous suggestions of just which of them she most needed to be protected from. As they tossed names back and forth, she kept one eye on the rest of the green room, watching for surprise, or shock, or some other reaction that might be significant to her search.

Lord Ives had come, and he was now leaving the room with a smiling Cleo tucked under his arm. From what Cleo said, he was a decent young man. She saw no other Hellions. Those who were theatergoers must have long since seen The Gypsy Lass, so she was unlikely to learn much tonight.

She brought her attention back to her admirers when a sober young man tried to press a religious tract into her hand. "The theater is no life for a decent woman,"he said earnestly. "Read this, and you'll see the error of your ways."

Declining the tract, she said with a wicked smile, "To err is human-and it feels divine."

In the roar of laughter that followed, the earnest young man beat a hasty retreat. A dignified older man said, "Goodness, but you have a quick tongue."

She batted her lashes extravagantly. "Goodness has nothing to do with it."

More laughter. She glanced across the room to see if anyone new had come in, then stiffened in shock. Lord Strathmore was stalking through the crowd toward her with the single-minded intensity of a hungry leopard.

She gave an inward curse. She should have known her luck wouldn't last; Strathmore had an uncanny ability to locate her.

Her instinct was to bolt, but she quelled it. She would never be able to move quickly through the press of people. Besides, she was better off staying in the green room. He couldn't do anything too dreadful in such a public place.

She underestimated him.

While she was trying to gather her wits, Strathmore reached the inner circle of the group around her. He was in his Lucifer mode, radiating such an aura of menacing force that the other men instinctively drew back.

Yet his manner was unexceptionable when he spoke. "You were magnificent tonight, my sweet." He raised Kit's chin and gave her a light, possessive kiss, as if they were established lovers.

Impossible not to respond to his warm lips, but she distrusted his glittering smile. She flattened her spine against the wall and wondered what mischief he was planning. "I'm glad you enjoyed the show," she said warily.

"You are a continual astonishment, my dear," he said in a husky, intimate voice. "Every time I see you perform, I feel that I've just met a fascinating new woman."

While she was trying to think of a suitable response for his double-edged words, he opened the cloak that had been draped over his arm. The voluminous garment was large enough to wrap around her twice. In a flurry of swift movements, he did exactly that, pulling her away from the wall and swaddling her so tightly in the heavy folds that her arms were pinioned to her sides.

She sputtered, "What the devil are you doing?"

"You complained that I was becoming predictable," he said silkily, "so I decided to remedy that." He swept her up in his arms and brushed a kiss on her lips, deftly lifting his head away when she attempted to bite him. "Tonight, we recapture romance."

Outraged, Kit tried to struggle free, but she was helpless in the cocoon of dark fabric.

One of her admirers said jovially, "I knew a prime piece like Cassie must have a protector, but I had no idea you were the lucky man, Strathmore. No wonder she's refused the rest of us."

"I'm very aware of my good fortune." His tender tone was belied by the dangerous green light in his eyes as he gazed at her. "There's not another woman in England like Cassie James."

Their progress across the green room was accompanied by ribald suggestions for what his ladybird might find romantic. Kit tried to wriggle free, but his arms held her against his broad chest as securely as iron bands. She did manage to ram an elbow into his solar plexus, and he winced at the blow, but his smile never faltered.

Under his breath he said, "I wouldn't advise you to make a scene, my dear."

A quick glance at the laughing men around her made her realize that an appeal for help would do her no good. Any protest would be seen as part of a teasing game between lovers.

An obliging visitor opened the door for Strathmore, who gave a nod of thanks and stepped into the hall. His footsteps echoed hollowly as he carried her from the empty theater. Even if she screamed, no one would hear her over the noise of the green room.

When they reached the side door, the porter made a deep bow. "Your carriage is waiting, my lord."

Strathmore inclined his head. "Thank you, Smithson."

Kit tried to struggle free, but with no more success than before. "Help me, Mr. Smithson," she said urgently. "This is no game-I'm being kidnapped."

The porter smiled indulgently as he let them out. "His lordship told me about his plans earlier, miss. Enjoy yourself. You work hard, and you deserve a bit of fun."

Strathmore's carriage stood directly outside, the horses' breath cloudy in the cold night air. Smithson opened the door and lowered the steps for them. After the earl lifted Kit into the carriage and deposited her on the leather seat, he tossed a gold coin to the porter.

Kit used the moment that his back was turned to try to free herself from the enveloping cloak, but before she could make any progress, Strathmore climbed in beside her and slammed the door. The carriage immediately began rolling along the rutted alley that led to the Strand.

As the motion pitched Kit against the side of the vehicle, her fear flared into sheer panic. Through all of their improbable encounters, she had not really believed that Strathmore would hurt her, but now she wondered if her judgment of him had been dead wrong. In a matter of moments, she had gone from safety to imprisonment. So swiftly, so easily. He could murder her tonight and throw her body in the Thames. If her disappearance were ever investigated, all he would have to do is say that they had had a splendid night and he had left her in perfect health. No one would ever doubt a fine, upstanding nobleman who could lie with such elegant ease.

Her hands clenched into fists underneath the cloak, and she bit her lip until she tasted blood. She had never felt so helpless, so much at a man's mercy. Frantically, she reached out to the source of strength that had never failed her.

When she found what she was seeking, a thread of calm began to twine through her terror. She was not alone. Her breathing deepened, and her fear subsided to where she could think again. She must be strong, the equal of the man who had captured her.

Closing her eyes, she created a new role for herself: that of a worldly, sophisticated actress who was afraid of nothing. When she thought she could be convincing, she opened her eyes and said coolly, "Do you make a habit of kidnapping women, my lord?"

"Not as a rule," he said with matching coolness, "but it seemed appropriate since the female in question is apparently incapable of telling the truth."

"My honesty or lack thereof are none of your business." Her tart words were undercut by a lurch of the carriage that caused her to roll against the seat. Without the use of her arms, it was impossible to maintain her balance.

Strathmore caught her shoulders and tucked her back into the corner, where she could brace herself against the vehicle's motion. "Remember that Lucifer is the Prince of Lies-surely that gives me dominion over you," he said as he settled back on his side of the seat. "You're one of my most devoted followers."

"In a pig's eye," she said inelegantly. "My most devout wish is to avoid you."

Her ongoing struggles finally paid off, and she freed herself of the cloak. As she pushed it away, he said, "I suggest you keep that on. The door on your side is locked, so you can't escape that way, and it's deucedly chilly tonight."

Plague the man, he was right; it was bitterly cold, and her Gypsy costume had not been designed for warmth. She wrapped the cloak around herself again. In the process she stealthily tested the door handle on her side, but it was indeed locked. With a sigh, she settled back into the corner and wrapped the cloak more tightly. The heavy "wool folds carried the faint, tangy scent of his cologne. "Where are you taking me?"

"To supper. Anyone who worked as hard as you did on that stage must have a fearsome appetite."

The answer was so prosaic she almost laughed. Her fear receded further. "You're right-after a performance, I'm always ravenous. But why didn't you simply ask me to go out with you? I do not appreciate being manhandled."

"No?" he said with biting sarcasm. "I understand that quite a lot of men have handled you."

She gasped, then retorted, "Again, what business is that of yours? You are not related to me by blood or marriage, and you have no right to censure my actions."

"I'm not censuring you," he said coolly. "In fact, I'm delighted to be free of the strictures of respectability. It was damned limiting to think you were virtuous. Now I can try more powerful persuasions."

"If seduction is your aim, you've set about it very badly, my lord," she said with awful formality.

Before he could answer, the carriage rumbled to a halt and a footman opened the door. Strathmore climbed out, then assisted her with as much courtliness as if she were an honored guest rather than a virtual prisoner.

As Kit stepped down, she discovered that they were in front of the Clarendon Hotel. At least he had been serious about feeding her. Hastily she rearranged the cloak so that it made a high cowl around her neck, obscuring her face. The last thing she needed was to be recognized by someone else.

A firm hand on her elbow, Strathmore escorted her up the steps. Inside, he said to the deeply bowing mattre d'hotel, "A private dining room, Robecque, and a swiftly served meal suitable for a hungry lady. With champagne."

Robecque hesitated, distress on his mobile face. "I am most sorry, Lord Strathmore, but I believe that all of the private rooms are reserved," he said in a heavy French accent.

Strathmore arched his brows. "Oh?"

The Frenchman reacted to that single, softly uttered syllable as if a knife had been laid against his throat. "This way, my lord, my lady," he said instantly. "I have just recalled a room that is available."

He led the way along a private corridor to a small, lavishly furnished chamber. "Champagne and a suitable repast shall be brought directly."

After Robecque had bowed and left, Kit said ironically, "I presume that you just bullied the poor man out of a room that a lesser mortal had reserved for tonight."

"Very likely." Unperturbed, Strathmore removed the cloak, his fingers grazing her bare forearms for an instant.

She shivered and stepped away.

"My need was greater," the earl explained as he hung the garment on a hook in the corner.

"And your purse deeper." Feeling that taking a seat would put her at a disadvantage, she prowled around the room, her full Gypsy skirts swishing around her ankles as the thick carpet soundlessly absorbed the impressions of her light slippers. She had dined at the Clarendon once or twice on special occasions, but had never visited a private parlor. It was a world of winter roses, sparkling crystal, and the soft sheen of waxed wood.

Her gaze went to the velvet-covered chaise longue tucked in a corner, then shifted away. Nothing was missing for those who had come for a luxurious assignation.

The door opened and a platoon of servants entered. While one lowered the small chandelier and lit the candles, another built up the coal fire. A third opened a bottle of champagne and the last rolled in a heavily laden cart with wisps of steam trickling out from under silver covered dishes. The food smelled heavenly, and it had arrived so quickly that Kit suspected they had received someone else's dinner.

Strathmore said to the waiter in charge, "Thank you, Petain. You may go now. We shall serve ourselves, so your presence will not be needed for the rest of the evening."

The waiter bowed, then led his troops from the room. When they were alone, Kit said, "Considering the service you receive, I'm beginning to wonder if you own this place."

He shrugged. "I was once able to do a small service for the maitre d'hotel. He has not forgotten."

"I assume that means he lost a fortune to you at the card table and you generously chose not to send him to debtor's prison."

"Something of the sort." He pulled a chair from the table and made a gesture of invitation. "Shall we begin?"

Deciding that she might as well make herself comfortable, she tugged out the hairpins that secured her black wig. After removing the wig and hanging it on a hook beside the cloak, she shook out her own hair, then ran her fingers through it to loosen the flattened tresses. She guessed that she must look like a dandelion that had gone to seed. Yet there was admiration in the earl's eyes when she took her seat.

He poured champagne for them both, then raised his glass to her. "To the most talented, devious female I've ever met."

"Is that a compliment or an insult?"

He smiled a little. "A mere statement of fact." He looked civilized and heart-stoppingly handsome. She would have believed him to be a complete gentleman, if not for the chancy light in his green-gold eyes.

Uneasily aware of the sexual tension between them, she tried her own champagne. Bubbles danced across her tongue, then tingled into her blood, relaxing her tense muscles. Feeling more at ease, she turned her attention to the food. It tasted even better than it smelled. After sole with sage and artichoke, braised leeks, chicken in apricot sauce, and pistachio cream, she felt better prepared to face her adversary.

He had eaten very little and was leaning back in his chair, one leg crossed over the other, his hair gleaming in the candlelight like spun gold. Now that she had recovered from the strains of performing, she was intensely, physically aware of him. Every time they met, their interaction was more profound, and she wondered uneasily what this evening would bring.

Hoping to keep the mood lightly social, she said, "Thank you for an excellent dinner."

"I've always found that it's more productive to question someone who isn't hungry." He sipped at his champagne. "And I have quite a quantity of questions to ask you."

She took a deep breath, then laid her knife and fork neatly across her plate.

The battle was joined.