Kiss Me at Christmas--Playful Brides Read online

  Regain control of yourself, Regina Haversham, she mentally scolded. The butterflies winging through her belly, however, indicated it might be a bit before she was able to do so.

  Below, Mark entered the foyer and clapped Daffin on the shoulder. “Good to see you, Oakleaf. Thank you for coming on such short notice.” Two footmen hurried forth to claim Daffin’s trunk.

  Regina pressed her back against the wall again and closed her eyes. There was little chance Daffin had mentioned her unfortunate proposal to Mark. Mark would have canceled his trip to Northumbria and not allowed Daffin through the door if he realized the designs his cousin had on the man. She trusted Daffin’s promise not to tell, but the thought of Mark finding out made her nerves scatter again.

  Everything will be perfectly all right, she scolded herself again. You must stop being such a ninny.

  “He’s just a man, for heaven’s sake,” she whispered. “A perfectly gorgeous, finely made man with eyes the color of spring leaves and shoulders that make one’s mouth go dry.” She laughed at her own silliness. Oh, poor Daffin Oakleaf had no idea what he was getting into. She had to find some way to overcome her attraction to him and act as if he were merely a plain-looking chap for the next two weeks. Yes, that would be her plan.

  “Daffin!” came Nicole’s bright voice from the foyer. “It’s so good to see you. Thank you for coming. I cannot tell you how much we appreciate your assistance while Mark is away.”

  “It’s my pleasure,” Daffin replied.

  Regina bit her lip. She wanted to hear him say those words to her again. Instead, the words that kept repeating in her mind were, “It seems you’ve confused me with a prostitute.” They tortured her, along with the memory of the look on his face when he’d spoken them.

  Sucking in a quick breath and pressing her hand to her middle, she dared another glance around the corner. This time, Daffin was staring straight up at her. She froze. Her breath caught in her throat, her heart pounding madly.

  She closed her eyes tightly and winced. Oh, lovely. He’d caught her spying on him. Would she never stop embarrassing herself in front of this man?

  Very well. No being a ninny. It was time to go down and face him. Head-on.

  * * *

  During the ride to Grim’s house, Daffin had wondered how soon he would see her. Apparently, Regina wasn’t any more eager for their awkward reunion than he was, given that she was hovering upstairs, partially hiding behind a wall.

  When he caught her staring, panic flashed across her fine features. Then she closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she glanced to the side, looking as if she might turn and flee down the corridor. Then an expression of calm came over her, and she straightened her shoulders, lifted her chin, and came marching down the stairs like a queen descending to a throne.

  She wore a light green gown that was tight under her breasts and flowed down her body in billowy softness. Her décolletage—highlighting the pale, silken rises of her breasts—made his throat go dry, so he concentrated on her arresting face. Her features looked crafted from alabaster. Clear skin, pink cheeks, red lips, bright blue eyes with black brows softly winged above them. She never failed to have an intelligent demeanor, as if she were sizing up everything and everyone around her. At the same time she had a fun-loving air about her, a twinkle in her eye, as if she didn’t take herself too seriously. He liked that about her. Probably too much.

  Daffin stood silently as Regina crossed the expansive foyer in his direction. Her dark hair was piled atop her head and she carried herself gracefully, her face perfectly calm as if she were coming to greet any other guest. He couldn’t help but wonder what she would say when she reached him. The woman had arrived at his office and made him an indecent proposal. She was unpredictable. She kept him guessing. He liked that, too.

  He could tell what most women, most people, were thinking before they said it. With Regina, he never had any idea what she would say next. He was on perpetual tenterhooks waiting to hear.

  Daffin had accepted this position for two reasons: Nicole and Mark. The purse didn’t tempt him. He didn’t need it. He wanted to help his friends. The fact that Regina would be there after their awkward encounter was a fact he’d tried not to give much thought. Tried and failed, which was especially dangerous given that Grim had all but warned him to keep his hands to himself. Daffin had promised Regina he would not tell his friends about her proposal, and he intended to keep that promise. Would she?

  If he were truly being honest with himself, he’d also admit taking this assignment would keep his thoughts from the ghosts that haunted him at Christmastide. That particular thought was inaccurate. He’d be spending Christmas with a happy family … the last thing he wanted. Nevertheless, he’d agreed to help his friends, and help them he would. He would simply make himself scarce during their holiday celebrations. That shouldn’t prove too difficult.

  “Ah, Regina, there you are,” Nicole called as Regina joined them in the foyer. “You remember Daffin Oakleaf?”

  Daffin didn’t mistake Nicole’s slightly dry tone.

  “Yes, of course. Mr. Oakleaf, a pleasure to see you again.” Regina’s voice was light and airy. Her lips uttered the niceties any respectable lady would when greeting a guest in her cousins’ home. She obviously intended to act as if the encounter in his office hadn’t happened. Fine. He would, too. He respected her discretion.

  Nicole reached out and pulled Regina closer into their circle. Was it his imagination, or did Nicole give him a knowing glance? Bloody hell. If she knew, this assignment was certain to be more uncomfortable than he suspected. Nicole wasn’t the type to pretend away awkwardness. She was more likely to point it out and discuss it. He could only hope Regina had asked Nicole to keep her silence.

  “Lady Regina,” Daffin intoned, bowing at the waist to acknowledge her presence. “The last time we met, the circumstances were … unfortunate.”

  He’d meant their meeting in the country when they’d tracked down her cousin’s murderer, but the startled look in her eye told him she thought he was referring to their encounter on Bow Street. “Your cousin’s memorial,” he clarified quickly.

  Her face settled into calm again, and Nicole clasped her hand. “Yes, Regina’s been a dear the last few months. She’s come to London to stay with me during my confinement. Only, I haven’t quite begun the confinement part yet,” Nicole finished with a laugh.

  Grimaldi cleared his throat. “Shall we retire to the study to discuss everything more comfortably?”

  Daffin followed the three of them across the foyer and down the corridor to the study. He tried not to notice the graceful sway of Regina’s hips as she walked in front of him. Or the mouthwatering aroma of apples coming from her hair.

  Nicole ushered them into the room before turning to the butler and prettily requesting a tea tray. She shut the door behind their group. Daffin and Grimaldi waited for the ladies to take seats first, of course. Regina lowered herself into a chair next to the settee that occupied the center of the room. Nicole sat on the settee and her husband joined her, leaving Daffin to take the chair on the other side of the settee, directly facing Regina.

  “We all know why you’re here,” Grimaldi began, giving him a solemn stare. “I’ve asked the footmen to patrol the house round the clock. We aren’t taking any chances.” Grimaldi laid a protective hand over his wife’s much smaller one.

  The butler interrupted them by returning with the tea tray. “Thank you, Abbott.” Nicole motioned for him to set it on the table in front of them.

  Daffin waited for the servant to leave the room before he spoke. “Do the servants know what’s going on?” He leaned forward and braced his forearms on his thighs, his head bent.

  “Some of them do, of course,” Grimaldi replied. “The coachmen and the groomsmen for certain. I suspect the gossip has spread to the other servants.”

  “I’ve mentioned it to Susanna,” Nicole admitted, pouring tea for each of them.

  “I h
aven’t said anything to Genevieve,” Regina offered. She took her teacup from Nicole and sipped it. What must be going through that gorgeous head of hers? Was she embarrassed? Hoping he wouldn’t say anything? He couldn’t help but wonder if she would renew her offer. He cleared his throat and forced himself to return his thoughts to the matter at hand.

  “Good,” Daffin replied. “We should keep talk to a minimum until we have a better idea what’s going on.”

  “I agree,” Grimaldi added. “I’ll speak to the housekeeper and the butler about managing gossip.”

  “Excellent. Now…” Daffin’s gaze scanned the ladies’ faces. “Do either of you have any idea who might want to hurt you?”

  Nicole handed Daffin a cup of tea. “I’ve been thinking about that. It seems to me that Regina may be the target. She’s the one who was in the coach the second time, not me.”

  Daffin met Regina’s gaze. “You had the feeling you were being watched as well, correct?”

  Regina nodded and took another sip of tea. “Yes, but I cannot think of anyone who would want to do me harm.”

  “You didn’t recognize the coach?” Daffin asked.

  “Neither time,” Regina replied.

  “The coachman told me he didn’t recognize it, either,” Grimaldi added. “And he couldn’t be certain it was the same one both times.”

  “If Regina is the target,” Daffin said, “whoever it is must have been watching to know where the coach was coming from. He would have known who was in it.”

  “I don’t want to discard the possibility that Nicole is the target, yet, however,” Grimaldi added, his jaw turning rock hard. “We can’t be certain he knew.”

  “That’s true,” Nicole conceded. “We are usually together when we go out.”

  “If Nicole is the target, it may well be because of the babe,” Daffin said.

  Grimaldi nodded. “My thoughts exactly.”

  “If Nicole is the target, the first place to look is with the next-in-line again. I assume it’s still Mr. Cartwright.” Daffin had met Mr. Cartwright last summer in Surrey. Cartwright stood to inherit the dukedom had a unique codicil not granted it to Grimaldi as a male heir on his mother’s side. Grimaldi’s mother had been the daughter of the former duke.

  Cartwright hadn’t struck either Daffin or Grimaldi as a killer, and his name had been cleared.

  “Cartwright is employed at one of my residences in the north,” Grimaldi said. “I intend to visit him while I’m there. I seriously doubt he has anything to do with this, but it cannot hurt to speak to him. I pay him a hefty sum, but who knows? Perhaps he’s looking to make more.”

  “If that were the case, you’d be in danger, too,” Daffin replied.

  Nicole reached over and clasped her husband’s hand.

  “Yes,” Grimaldi replied. “If the intention is to murder Colchester’s heirs, it would make sense to start by taking out the future heir and setting your sights on the future duke later.”

  Daffin’s gut told him Cartwright had nothing to do with this. “Less suspicious, perhaps, but we also shouldn’t rule out another motive.”

  Nicole cocked her head to the side. “Such as?”

  “Revenge?” Daffin met her startled gaze. “You were a Bow Street Runner and a spy, Nic. I can tell you from experience at least one of those positions generates a great deal of anger … from the people I’ve put away. No doubt you’ve made your share of enemies.”

  “And I can tell you the same is true for the other position,” Grimaldi added.

  Nicole nodded slowly. “And if Regina is the target?”

  Daffin met Regina’s gaze again. “Then I must ask, who are your enemies, Lady Regina?”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Daffin awoke early the next morning to see Grimaldi off. He then proceeded to inspect every inch of the outside of the marquess’s town house to check for safety. Besides the front door, there was a back door, a servant’s entrance, and the coal chute. He set a team of footmen to work ensuring all of the lower-floor windows were properly secure. He intended to test them himself later.

  Next, he sat down with the housekeeper and wrote out a list of every servant, tradesman, and delivery person who came in and out of the house. He wanted the names of anyone who was allowed into the residence or who might have the opportunity to sneak inside. He would inspect the locks on the ladies’ bedchamber doors after they awoke.

  Both Regina and Nicole were still abed when Daffin finally took a moment to get some food in the bright, airy breakfast room. An overly friendly housemaid named Louise served him his breakfast. She returned often to see if he needed anything else. As he ate, the same questions rolled over and over in his mind: Who would want to hurt Regina or Nicole? Was Nicole’s baby the target? Was Grimaldi in danger, too? If Regina was the target, what possible motive was there? When he’d asked her last night, Regina had steadfastly denied having made any enemies other than perhaps the family of John’s murderer.

  Daffin was still contemplating it when Regina entered the room. She wore a white cotton day dress and looked as beautiful as always. This morning her cheeks were flushed. Daffin glanced up in surprise as she came to a stop in front of him.

  “Nicole isn’t down here, is she?” she asked.

  He looked over both shoulders. “I don’t see her,” he replied with a grin.

  Regina nodded and lowered herself into the seat directly across from him. “I think she’s still abed. She’s been sleeping later recently.”

  “Stands to reason,” Daffin replied.

  Regina cracked the hint of a smile. “I hope you don’t mind my coming in here like this, but I wasn’t certain when we’d have another chance to speak alone.”

  He met her gaze. “What’s on your mind?”

  “Daffin.” Regina lowered her voice further. It was breathy and rushed and sexy as hell. “I want to sincerely apologize. Again. For my inappropriate and shameful behavior in your offices last week. I was quite overcome by your handsomeness and my own nerves, but neither is an excuse to behave in the manner I did. I do hope you can forgive me.”

  He tried not to smile. He did not want her to think he was laughing at her heartfelt apology. It was possibly the most endearing one he’d ever heard. “No further apology is necessary, my lady. I’ve all but forgotten our, ahem, meeting. I’m willing to forget it ever happened.”

  He couldn’t hide his amusement at the look of utter relief that washed over her face. The poor woman had obviously been dragging around a great deal of guilt since their encounter. Confessing that part of the reason she’d been so rash was because she’d been flustered by his looks certainly didn’t hurt. It was slightly adorable, actually. He’d already guessed she was quite green and uninformed about the ways of the world. She’d made a clumsy attempt at a pass at him. No damage done. Of course he had no intention of sleeping with her, even still. She was all but engaged and Grimaldi would kill him.

  “Thank you.” She smiled at him, looking young and fresh and pretty. It would be cruel to hold her mistake against her. She’d apologized, twice by his count. Now he could get about the business of protecting her. Do his job. That was all he was here for. Even if the smell of apples was making him hard.

  “It will make it much easier for us to work together,” she added.

  “Work together?” He arched a brow.

  “To keep Nicole safe,” Regina replied.

  “Are you certain you’re not the target then?”

  “I don’t have the past that Nicole and Mark do. Why would anyone want to hurt me?”

  “In my line of work, I’ve seen a great many motives. I refuse to discard the possibility until we’re certain.”

  “Very well,” she conceded. “I’m willing to do whatever I can to help you catch this man.”

  “Thank you.” Daffin inclined his head. He liked that Regina was willing to help protect Nicole. It was brave and decent of her. He also liked that contrary to his first thought upon seeing her last night,
she did not intend to act as if nothing had happened between the two of them. She took responsibility for her actions and had summoned the nerve to apologize again. That showed character.

  A few moments of silence passed before she said, “Nicole tells me you don’t like Christmas.” Her voice sounded melancholy, as if she were disappointed to know it.

  His fork arrested halfway to his mouth. How the hell did Nicole know that? Had he been that transparent?

  “It’s not my favorite season, no,” he replied, hoping Regina inferred he didn’t want to talk about it. They’d just cleared up their issue. He didn’t want another one.

  Thankfully, Louise came into the room, keeping Regina from asking another question. The maid stopped short when she saw Regina. “My lady,” she said, looking slightly perturbed. “I didn’t realize you were here.”

  “I’d love some tea and toast if it’s not a bother,” Regina replied.

  “Not at all.” Louise moved over to Daffin. Hovering too close, she leaned forward and displayed the tops of her breasts to him. “Can I get you anything else, Mr. Oakleaf?”

  “Not at the moment, thank you,” he replied, his gaze trained on Regina. This was awkward.

  Louise left to fetch the tea, and Regina crossed her arms over her chest, her brows arched, the hint of a smile resting on her inviting lips. “Hmm. Seems you have an admirer.”

  “The maid?” He poked out his cheek with his tongue and shrugged. “Perhaps.”

  Regina rolled her pretty blue eyes. “Perhaps, nothing. She nearly swooned over you.”

  Daffin took another sip of coffee. “I must admit ever since the stories about me came out in the paper, I’ve noticed an increase in … female attention.”