The Deceptive Lady Darby (Lost Ladies of London Book 2) Read online

  While she waited patiently in her room, the little devil on her shoulder questioned whether it was right to add more weight to his troubles. Perhaps she should wait to hear his news, to offer advice and guidance in the hope of easing his burden.

  Thirty minutes passed.

  A light rap on her door brought the footman, Joseph. "His lordship has asked to see you in the study." He kept his expression impassive, but she wondered what he thought of the time she spent alone with his master. Did they gossip about her below stairs? Did they disapprove?

  “Thank you, Joseph.”

  She followed the footman to the study. To her surprise, Joseph knocked and informed Christian of her arrival, as if she were a distinguished guest come for a visit.

  Christian stood as she entered. He came around the desk, thanked Joseph, and promptly closed the door. The click of the key turning in the lock sent her nerves skittering.

  “You wanted to see me.”

  He came up behind her, his breath breezing across her neck. “I’ve wanted to see you alone since the moment we were disturbed in the woods.”

  Rose swallowed deeply as a shiver ran from her nape to her navel. “I-I think it’s fair to say we have many things to discuss.”

  “Discuss? I hadn’t planned on talking.” His hand settled on her elbow, hot and firm, and he swung her around to face him. “At least not just yet.”

  Her mind and body melted beneath the heat of his gaze. Clutching the blue book in one hand, she brought her other to his cheek and caressed the soft skin where he’d recently shaved. She loved seeing him like this … so playful and carefree.

  It broke her heart to think that he might not look at her in the same way once he’d discovered she’d lied to him. Tears threatened to fall, and so she pressed her lips to his because she had thought of nothing but him since that night, too.

  As always, a chaste kiss quickly turned into an explosion of passion. She threw the book onto the nearest chair, wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body into his.

  His warm, wet mouth moved so expertly over hers. The melding of tongues sent jolts of pure pleasure shooting through her. Her breasts ached. A similar ache between her thighs urged her to push against him. When his hands found a way up under her dress to settle on her bare buttocks, her heart almost leapt from her chest.

  “Oh, God, Rose.” He gripped her tightly, his muscular thighs pressing against hers, the solid evidence of his arousal pushing against her belly. “I’ve never wanted any woman the way I want you.”

  Sweet heaven above.

  Her head spun as he claimed her mouth. The unique scent that clung to his skin flooded her nostrils. Like a potent aphrodisiac, the essence of him flamed the fire between her thighs. She wanted him to touch her as he had done two nights ago. The way no other man had, and she hoped never would.

  On a gasp, Christian tore his mouth from hers. “Come upstairs with me, Rose. Let me lavish you with attention. Help me forget everything but the floral scent of your skin, the soft feel of you filling my palms.” He squeezed her buttocks gently, and a whimper left her lips.

  “We-we can’t,” she panted. She knew what he wanted. Heaven help her, she wanted him, too.

  A dark cloud of disappointment passed across his face. “You’re right. It was wrong of me to suggest it. But a man can dream.”

  Had this been a battle with swords, his last comment would have been the winning thrust.

  “Let’s stay here.” She gestured to the Persian rug. “I couldn’t … not in the room next to the children. Not when the servants are awake.”

  If one was going to commit sin in the name of love, one should try to hold on to a few principles.

  She caught herself. Was this love? Lust could be just as addictive, so she’d heard.

  With a tender caress of her cheek, Christian brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear. “You know I’m not one of those men who use women to satisfy their needs.” He snorted and chuckled at the same time. “Hell, I can’t tell you how many years it’s been since … well … I’ve never met anyone who excites me as you do.”

  This was a perfect opportunity to change her mind. She could sense a part of him pulling back, perhaps realising the folly of the situation. But she wanted the reckless man. The one willing to break all the rules to have her. The one who saw her as more than a trophy, more than a means to refill the family coffers.

  “I have only one request.” Her heart thumped wildly, with excitement, with nerves.

  “You need only ask.”

  She couldn’t stop the seductive smile forming. “Make this a moment to remember.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  The significance of the moment weighed heavily on Christian’s mind. Not because he doubted his capability to love this woman as she deserved. On the contrary, a fiery passion burned in his chest, one long thought buried. But this amounted to more than dipping a toe in the pool of immorality. God damn, he was ready to strip naked and dive straight into the tempting waters.

  No longer could he deny the soul-deep connection they shared. Fate brought Rose to Everleigh. And Fate would see their relationship reach the natural conclusion.

  Offering her a sinful grin, he pushed thoughts of marriage from his mind — for now. “You’re in charge, Rose.” He tugged the front of her dress and pulled her closer. “Tell me what you want, and I shall happily oblige.”

  “Goodness, I wouldn’t know where to start.” Her nervous chuckle was endearing. “You take the lead.”

  “Then you must let me know you want this, too.” He looked for any sign of doubt. “There is a truth, a pure yet potent bond that exists between us. Don’t ever be afraid to say what you’re thinking.”

  With trembling fingers, she reached out to touch him. “Teach me to please you, Christian.” The hazy look of desire swam in her blue eyes as her hands drifted up over his chest, grazing his nipples. “Show me how you might please me, too.”

  Every drop of blood in his body rushed to his cock. The woman of his dreams moistened her lips, and he suddenly feared he would wake to find this was all a figment of his wild imagination. Instinctively, his gaze drifted to the window. Both times he’d kissed her they’d been interrupted. God help anyone who dared disturb them tonight.

  Rose glanced back over her shoulder. “Close the curtains. There’s nothing outside to interest you.”

  He crossed the room and yanked the curtains so hard he almost pulled down the pole. After working on the knot in his cravat, he threw it onto the desk, unbuttoned his waistcoat, and it ended up somewhere on the floor. His boots followed, and he came to stand in front of her.

  “With the awkward things out of the way, you can remove the rest.”

  She glanced at the door. “What if someone should knock?”

  “No one will disturb us.” If the gods were on their side, surely nothing disastrous would happen in the next hour. “I am completely at your mercy.”

  The comment must have bolstered her confidence for she straightened her shoulders and a coy smile touched her lips. “So this is to be a game of master and servant, only we’ve reversed the roles.”

  “You’re not my servant, Rose.” And therein lay the truth of it. Rose was his equal in every regard. In the space of a few short days, she’d become his friend, his confidante, soon to be lover.

  Ignoring the tightness in his chest, he took hold of her hand and placed it over his heart. It was a way of saying he cared without frightening her, without forcing her to commit.

  “It’s beating so hard I can feel it against my palm.” A look of wonder sparkled in her eyes, quickly replaced with one of curiosity. Her fingers traced a line down over the hard planes of his abdomen and lingered there. “I was right. You’re not one to overindulge.”

  “Only when kissing you.”

  With her eyes locked on his, she let her fingers fall to the waistband of his breeches. She grasped the front of his linen shirt, tugged the material free and pushed her
hands up over his bare chest. “Your skin is so hot.”

  Christian chuckled. The woman had no idea how deeply she affected him. “Perhaps that’s because there’s a fire raging within.”

  “Undress me.” The words tumbled from her mouth as her breathing grew shallow. In his youth, he’d seen the look of desire swim in many a woman’s eye, but on Rose it was spellbinding.

  The amused grin fell from his face as he pictured every curve, every contour. Rose turned around to show him the tiny row of buttons. Barely able to speak, he set to work, eventually pushing the plain garment off her shoulders until it pooled on the floor.

  She stepped out of it and turned to face him.

  Heaven help him.

  He couldn’t help but stare at the valley between her breasts, visible above the neckline of her chemise. He tugged on the ribbons of her stays and unthreaded them to leave her standing in nothing but the sheer undergarment.

  “God, you’re so beautiful.” He dragged his shirt over his head, threw it onto the floor and unbuttoned his breeches so they hung low on his hips. He was so damn hard there was no danger of them slipping.

  Rose’s gaze came to rest on his chest and followed the line of dark hair trailing from his navel down past the waistband. Watching her intently, he pushed the breeches to the floor to reveal his erection.

  She gulped, shifted from one foot to the other, and he imagined her growing hot and swollen between her legs. Perhaps feeling a sudden urge to join him in his nakedness, she drew her chemise over her head. But instead of throwing it to the floor, she clutched the cotton to her chest.

  Christian moved closer. “I’ll take that.” He pulled it from her grasp and placed it on the desk behind her. “We do not have to do this. Just say the word and—”

  She crushed her mouth to his in a move that shocked him as much as it excited him. The feel of her soft breasts pressed against him was his undoing.

  “I want this,” she whispered as she tore her lips away. “I want you.”

  Christian’s hands settled on her buttocks. He bent his knees a fraction, pushed his cock into the gap between her legs, rocked his hips back and forth while he lavished her nipple with his tongue.

  “Christian.” She moved with him, rubbed against his erection, as desperate as he to ease the ache building deep inside.

  “If only we had endless hours alone,” he said, kissing the column of her throat. “I want to taste you everywhere. I want to stay buried inside you until dawn.”

  “We cannot afford such luxury,” she panted. “It’s only a matter of time before someone knocks the door.”

  The sudden thought that this dream could be ripped from his grasp caused panic to flare.

  He took hold of her hand and brought her down to lie on the rug. He settled at her side, his fingers finding their way into the damp hair between her thighs. Lord, she was wet and ripe for the taking.

  It took but a few strokes for a moan of appreciation to leave her lips. Despite the urge to cover her body and drive home, he maintained a steady rhythm. Her rosy pink nipples were crying out for attention. A few flicks of his tongue had her arching her back and rubbing against his hand.

  “That’s it, love,” he whispered. “Trust me. Don’t hold back. Never hold anything back from me.”

  “Christian.” Her ragged breaths spurred him on. “I-I never want to hurt you.”

  Christian claimed her mouth, swallowed every moan and pant that burst from her lips. He knew she was close to release when her eyelids fluttered closed, and then her body shuddered as she cried out his name.

  Rose had barely caught her breath when he came up on his knees and settled between her thighs.

  “You’re sure you want to do this?”

  “Undoubtedly.”

  “Trust me,” he said as the tip of his manhood pushed against her entrance. A strange feeling gripped him, as if he’d been waiting for this moment his entire life.

  “I do.” She grabbed hold of his buttocks and urged him not to hesitate.

  Needing no inducement, he entered her slowly, withdrew and continued the motion again and again before pushing past her maidenhead to fill her full. God, she felt divine. Christian stilled and closed his eyes, waited for her to grow accustomed to the feel of him.

  “Don’t stop, Christian.”

  He wanted to lose himself in the moment, to forget about the world beyond his study. He opened his eyes and stared at her intently as he thrust deeper. A satisfied smile played on her lips. By God, the sight touched his soul.

  “Hmm … Rose.” Saints above, he would never grow tired of loving this woman.

  The words filled his head as he filled her body. She wrapped her legs tightly around him, hugged him close, gripped his back and rocked with him.

  He thrust hard and deep. The muscles in her core pulsed around his cock as, once again, she soared on the dizzying heights of her release.

  With a guttural growl he couldn’t suppress, Christian withdrew and spilt himself across her stomach. Reaching for his shirt, he wiped her clean and then collapsed at her side. Overcome with raw emotion, he gathered her into his arms and drew her close as his erratic breathing slowed.

  “You don’t know how glad I am that you lost your way in the woods.” He kissed her forehead and stroked her back. “You’ve been here such a short time and yet I daren’t think what it would be like without you.”

  Rose draped her leg across his thigh and cuddled into his chest. “I was supposed to find Everleigh that night. I was supposed to find you.”

  He fell silent for a moment. “We have a lot to discuss.”

  “Oh yes. You had important news to impart.”

  “I was referring to what has just occurred.” He gave a satisfied sigh. It had been so long since he’d felt at peace.

  “Oh, I see. I thought you were talking about your reason for going to Abberton today.”

  “I went to see Dr Taylor.”

  “Was he home?”

  “No. That’s why I called.”

  Rose pulled away and looked up at him, puzzled. “If you’re trying to confuse me, you’re doing an excellent job.”

  A rush of cold air breezed over them, and Rose shivered.

  “Come.” He stood and brought her to her feet. Lord, her breasts were deliciously soft and round, and his desire for her ignited again. “As much as I’d like to lie here for hours, I’d hate for you to catch a chill.”

  “Everything always comes back to the dreaded sickness,” she said with a hint of amusement.

  “That’s exactly why I called at Dr Taylor’s house.” He walked over to the desk and grabbed her chemise, suppressed a grin when he noticed her staring at his bare buttocks. “I wanted to speak to his housekeeper, to ask who makes the tonics and tinctures he provides.”

  “And what did you learn? With the doctor’s hectic schedule I doubt he has time to make them himself.”

  “Reverend Wilmslow’s wife provides the herbs and plants used in the potions.” He helped Rose into her chemise, his fingers grazing her breasts just to tease her a little more. “By all accounts, she is a keen botanist who once tried to convince Mr Watson that natural remedies were by far a better means of treating the mentally challenged.”

  “Well, that explains the reverend’s theory about the illness. Although I can see why he didn’t mention it, few men would admit to their wives being so knowledgeable. What do you propose to do?”

  “I’ve told every member of the household that they are not to drink the tonics.” He held up her stays, and she pushed her arms through the straps. Christian tugged on the ties, kissed the soft swell of her breasts bulging up from her chemise, before stepping back. “Mrs Hibbet will take control of all medicine brought into the house.”

  Rose’s gaze flicked briefly to his manhood. “Before you hand me my dress would you mind slipping into your breeches?”

  He gave a mischievous wink. “Why? Is the sight proving somewhat of a distraction?”

&n
bsp; “You know it is.” Moistening her lips, she watched him dress. “You were gone all day. Where else did your curious mind take you?”

  “To London.”

  “London?”

  “I took a bottle of the tincture to an apothecary and asked for an analysis. He will write with his findings.” He helped her into her dress and fought the urge to strip her naked again. “For the first time in years, my mind is clear. Indeed, I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before.”

  “Why would you? Who can one trust if not a doctor or a man of God?”

  “That’s what I’m struggling to understand.” He believed most people were capable of deceit to a certain extent. “Being married to Cassandra taught me to recognise the traits of a liar. But why would I suspect them? What would either man have to gain?”

  She blinked rapidly. Perhaps it was uncouth to mention his wife after what had just occurred.

  “You do pay Dr Taylor for his visits.”

  He shrugged. “Taylor is a wealthy enough man in his own right. He received a surprise inheritance a couple of years ago.”

  “And yet he still works as a doctor?”

  “He does it for the love of the work as well as the money.”

  “One cannot deny that Dr Taylor has a caring, approachable manner when dealing with his patients. Indeed, that was my initial assessment of his character. But I admit to finding him a little arrogant.”

  “Arrogant? That surprises me.” He didn’t see Taylor the same way, although that could have something to do with Christian’s status in society. “And what of Reverend Wilmslow? Do you find him arrogant, too?”

  “After what Mrs Hibbet told me, I think the man is a serpent in the Garden of Eden — out to deceive, out to make an immoral act seem like a caring gesture.”

  “You speak of the misunderstanding with Jane.”

  “Was it a misunderstanding?”

  “Wilmslow argued he uses a hands-on approach when it comes to healing.” Jane had expressed doubt as to whether the reverend meant anything inappropriate. “There was no evidence to suggest otherwise.”