The Bachelor Bargain (Secrets, Scandals, and Spies)

by Michaels, Maddison

  “Are you really that concerned over the possibility of losing two thousand pounds?” To a man with the sort of fortune he’d amassed, she would have thought that sort of sum would be like a drop in the ocean.

  He lifted his shoulder in a half shrug. “You’re forgetting where I’ve come from, love. There was a time when as a boy I probably would have killed for a pound. So, yes, any amount matters to me.” He was letting more of his cockney accent show. Slowly, he wandered over and picked up her cane from where it now lay after she’d dropped the thing when he’d been kissing her. Then, he brought it to her. “But money isn’t the reason I’m concerned about you. And that is saying something.”

  She took her cane from his hand and felt a shiver run up her arm from the contact. “It’s not?” Dare she ask him why else he was concerned? A part of her desperately yearned to hear that it was because he was starting to care for her, but the other part of her couldn’t stand the thought he’d make some sarcastic remark about why, and cut her feelings to shreds in the process.

  “No. It’s not.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “But before we go any further into it, you might want to do up those buttons of yours. At least before the duchess is shown in.” His gaze wandered down to her chest and lingered for a moment. “Wouldn’t want her to guess you’d very nearly just been ravaged by the Bastard of Baker Street, would we?”

  With a start, Livie glanced down and saw that, indeed, she’d completely forgotten her buttons were undone and one of her breasts was still partly uncovered from when Sebastian had been fondling it. Oh my goodness, how mortifying. A deep flush of crimson swept up her cheeks while she grabbed the edges of her jacket and began buttoning the little black buttons.

  “Your hands are a bit shaky there, love,” he had the gall to comment. “Want a hand?”

  “No, I do not!” she snapped at him. He seemed to create all sorts of havoc within her body while staying so calm and collected himself. Livie really had to strengthen her resolve against him. It was the only way she’d be able to get through the next few days with him, because goodness knows what liberties she’d allow him if she didn’t. And with a sinking heart, Livie realized what Alice must have felt.

  This all-consuming desire and passion. This want to experience more of these heady sensations. This need to be surrounded by the person and breathe in his scent. And look at what had happened to Alice… Seduced, left with child, and then possibly murdered by the man she believed she’d loved.

  Not that Livie thought for an instant Sebastian would ever resort to murdering her, even though he, more than anyone, could do so. No. He’d made it perfectly plain that he abhorred anyone committing any sort of violence against women.

  What Livie was more worried of was that the feelings he stirred inside her were enough to make her forget all good sense. And without good sense, she just might let him seduce her. Then, after he did, he’d probably never want to have another thing to do with her again. Especially after he saw her leg. Men wanted perfection, and she certainly wasn’t it. So, realistically, if she was to start any sort of illicit liaison with Sebastian, her heart probably would get broken.

  That was the part that scared her most of all.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Thirty minutes later, after Demelza had arrived in a flourish of drama, insisting on talking with Sebastian alone before she would agree to anything, they were all now ensconced in his luxuriously appointed private railway car, with the train steaming ahead to Cambridge.

  Livie was still in disbelief that her godmother had agreed to accompany them to Sebastian’s estate. It was almost as if Sebastian had put a spell over her normally fierce aunt, making the woman almost approachable.

  She was rather desperate to know what Sebastian had told her aunt to convince her to play chaperone. Especially, as her aunt was traveling minus her lady’s maid and retinue of servants.

  Livie didn’t think Demelza had ever done that before. Not that Livie had, either, come to think of it. She realized for the first time just what a privileged life she and her aunt led. It probably helped that Sebastian had obviously become accustomed to the sort of extravagant luxuries that her aunt was used to by the looks of his railway car.

  Livie had never seen anything so grand, and considering her father was a duke, though not an ostentatious one, that was still saying something. The carriage itself had been made to Sebastian’s exact specifications, and there was not an inch of it that had not been thought out and planned precisely. Everything screamed of wealth and luxury, though was restrained enough to not be gaudy. Just like the man himself.

  The saloon carriage had been crafted with mahogany and satinwood inlaid panels, blue velvet drapes hung across the windows that lined the carriage, and matching blue velvet upholstered sofas and armchairs sat invitingly along the length of it. There was a matching mahogany desk in the far corner, where Livie imagined Sebastian would try to get some work done, along with several elegant crystal chandeliers hanging from the wood paneling above, and some matching lamps fitted along the walls.

  And the ride was so smooth. Rather than being jostled around in a horse-drawn carriage for hours on end, they could travel in comfort, sitting or standing as the mood struck them.

  “Does your father own one?” Sebastian walked over to where she was sitting and sat down next to her on the sofa.

  Livie suppressed a smile at the way Aunt Demelza’s eyes honed in on them from where she was sitting on an armchair located across the other end of the carriage. There was curiosity and decided speculation in her aunt’s astute gaze.

  “No, he doesn’t,” she replied, adjusting her skirts slightly to make more room for Sebastian. She’d thought the sofa had been extremely spacious, but now with him sitting there, his broad shoulders leaning back, it felt noticeably smaller with his large frame taking up a majority of its surface area.

  She felt every single inch of her skin prickling in awareness of him. He was so close, and the smell of sandalwood and soap that she’d come to associate with him was as refreshing to her senses as a cool summer breeze. Livie felt the absurd urge to lean her head into the crook of his shoulder and neck and just breath him in. But she managed to refrain, especially as her aunt was watching them like a hawk.

  “I shall have to convince him to order a personal one,” Livie said. “It’s absolutely marvelous.”

  Seb smiled. “It is, isn’t it.”

  “You do have your hands in many pies, Mr. Colver,” Demelza said, her voice like a whip as she stood with her cane and made her way over to them. “I imagine they must get quite dirty.”

  “I am involved in many things, Your Grace,” he answered, managing to give Livie a little wink before he turned and faced her godmother. “Though I manage to keep my hands clean. For the most part.”

  Livie’s stomach did a little somersault at his gesture, and she felt like slapping herself. She was far too mature and sensible to be getting weak at the knees from a wink. For goodness’ sake, Livie, get ahold of yourself!

  “I certainly hope you do, Colver,” her aunt replied. “In fact, I think you should keep them spotless over the next few days. Absolutely spotless.”

  “I intend to, Duchess,” Sebastian said with a wry smile.

  “See that you do. I think you understand my meaning, yes?”

  “Perfectly, Your Grace.” Seb winked at the duchess, who merely raised her brow at the gesture.

  “I do hope so.” Lady Calder pointed her cane at him. “Especially if you wish for me to sponsor your half sister in Society.”

  Livie gasped and Seb clenched his jaw.

  “You know Charlotte is his half sister?”

  “My eyes are working perfectly well, contrary to Miss Charlotte’s suggestion the other day.” Her aunt gave Livie one of the haughty looks she was so very good at. A look that conveyed just the right touch of annoyance and
reproof. “And you and your sister, Colver, have the same eyes. Obviously, though, with her father still alive and a doctor at that, and your bastard of a father six feet under, I reasoned she had to be your half sister.”

  “Quite the detective, Duchess,” Sebastian growled. “You should work for Scotland Yard.”

  “I should,” she said without hesitation. “I would solve many of their cases a great deal quicker than they do.” She turned to Livie. “I’m disappointed in you, goddaughter, for not telling me the truth of this information.”

  “I promised Mr. Colver I wouldn’t.” Livie folded her arms over her chest, feeling both guilty and defiant. “And I never lied to you. If you remember, I told you her brother was the one giving her the dowry and paying for her seasons, I just didn’t tell you his name.”

  “Humph,” was all Demelza said in reply.

  “Will you still sponsor her?” Sebastian asked, his eyes narrowing on the duchess.

  “Oh, do stop trying to intimidate me with that fierce look of yours. I will still sponsor her. I like the girl, she amuses me with her boldness and fearlessness. Reminds me of you, Colver. So, do stop fretting, I shall make her a diamond of the first water, and I will keep safe your secret that she is your half sister. Even with my clout, I don’t know if I would be able to make a brilliant match for her if that little fact was known.”

  Livie couldn’t contain the laughter that bubbled from her mouth at the suggestion of Sebastian being told to stop fretting.

  “How uncouth, dear Livie,” her aunt chastised. “Ladies should not laugh in public, nor—”

  “Should they show emotion,” Livie finished for her. “Yes, Aunt, I’m well aware of that edict of yours.”

  “Good,” Demelza replied. “Then heed it. Now, if you will both excuse me, my legs are weary from standing. I shall go back to my seat.”

  And with that, her aunt turned around and, using her cane, returned to her seat next to Charlotte.

  As soon as her aunt was out of earshot, Livie turned to Sebastian. “Why was my aunt so worried about you getting your hands dirty?”

  “She was warning me off,” Sebastian replied.

  “From what?”

  “From compromising you.”

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Two hours later, after disembarking from his train and getting the ladies into the awaiting carriage to travel the short distance to his estate, everyone was now settled in their individual rooms and presumably sleeping in bed, given that it was after three in the morning.

  Thank bloody goodness. Seb could finally relax.

  He took in a deep breath and sighed heavily as he leaned back on the leather upholstered lounge in his library, with a glass of his favorite whiskey nestled in his hand, his tie unknotted and hanging loosely around his neck. The flames from the hearth roaring away in front of him were strangely soothing and almost hypnotic.

  Just the thing he needed to help calm his busy thoughts. Because what an evening it had been. He hadn’t yet been able to fully process all of the events from it, considering he’d been so busy getting the ladies to the train station, all the while keeping an eye out for an ambush. Even then, once they’d boarded the train he still hadn’t been able to relax.

  Always at the back of his mind there’d been a million thoughts about everything that had been going on and how they were possibly connected. And now he could finally have a moment’s peace to think about them all and work out what needed to be done.

  For as much as he wanted to keep his sister and Livie here, safe and protected until the threat was gone, he was practical enough to realize that at best it could be for only a few days. He had far too many projects that needed his specific attention back in London to spend any more than about two, perhaps three, days here.

  And there’s no way Livie would stay if he said he had to go back to London to work. The woman was as stubborn as an ox and would insist she, too, had things to do for her gazette. For some reason something was nagging at the back of his mind about the gazette. But for the life of him he couldn’t place what. At least not yet, anyhow. Eventually, Seb remembered everything.

  He took a sip of his whiskey, letting the smooth liquid slide down his throat, warming him from the inside. And for a moment he could just be, and let all thoughts disappear from his head. He took in a deep breath and then another, letting his mind clear of all the clutter. But no matter how he tried, Livie’s face kept swimming into his mind’s eye, teasing and tempting him, always at the edge of his awareness.

  He’d let her get under his skin. And he didn’t quite know what to do about it now.

  When he thought back to being told she’d been captured, it had been like his whole world had stopped in that instant. Such fury. Such fear. Such all-consuming emotions, the likes of which he hadn’t felt since his mother had been taken and killed.

  If they’d found the Lads leader at the warehouse, Seb knew without a doubt that he would have been unable to control his rage, and probably would have torn the man limb from limb for daring to take Livie. It was probably lucky the man had already gone to ground. Though that in itself meant somebody had told him, or at least got word to him, which confirmed Seb had a traitor in his midst.

  “You’re still awake?” It was Livie’s gentle voice asking from the door to his library.

  Seb looked around and nearly dropped his whiskey glass. She was dressed in some nightclothes that the housekeeper had managed to rustle up, which looked to be a creamy white silk and lace concoction, though he couldn’t be entirely certain, as he could see only bits of the material underneath the cream lace nightgown covering them completely.

  Seeing her dressed for bed seemed too intimate, even though she was probably wearing the same number of layers of material she normally would when properly dressed. But without her corset or bustle, she looked remarkably undressed, even with the nightgown covering her from the top of her neck all the way to her toes.

  He gulped, unable to shift his eyes away from her. If he’d thought she’d had a delectable figure in the dress, it was nothing compared to Livie as close to naked as he’d ever get her. She was simply spectacular. “I tend to find that sleep eludes me when I have a lot on my mind.” Her, and how to keep her safe, being at the forefront.

  She wandered farther into the room, cane in hand, following the rows of books stacked on the bookshelves lining the walls of the room. His eyes tracked her every move, helpless to look anywhere else.

  “Yes, I too have a lot on my mind,” she replied, trailing the fingers of her free hand across the spines of several books as she made her way closer to where he sat.

  “Couldn’t sleep, either?” he asked.

  She paused in her perusal and turned back to smile at him. “Not a wink, I’m afraid. I thought perhaps a musty old tome might assist. You don’t mind if I borrow a book from your collection? I shall take it back to my room and leave you in privacy.”

  “No, not at all. And please, there’s no need to go, you’re welcome to stay here and read.” Seb was annoyed to find his voice sounded rough and croaky. He cleared his throat. “The others aren’t still up, are they?”

  Livie shook her head as she pulled out a small volume from the shelf. “No. Not as far as I’m aware. Most everyone was half asleep when we arrived.”

  “But not you?”

  “Not the both of us, it would seem,” she pertly replied, before replacing the book and allowing her eyes to wander around the massive room, flicking over the elegant crystal chandeliers he’d had imported from Italy, the custom-made mahogany bookshelves lining the walls from floor to ceiling, and then back to meet his gaze. “You’ve changed the place a great deal from what I remember it being as a child. It looks much improved.”

  “It was falling to pieces when I took ownership of it.”

  She was silent for a moment, and it seemed as if she was h
esitant to say something.

  “Can I ask you something?” she eventually said. “Considering this estate used to belong to your father, why would you want it? Especially after what he did to your mother and the sort of man he was. I can’t quite understand why you would want to own something of his.”

  He’d often wondered that himself. “I doubt it will shock you to know that before my father died, I was on a mission to destroy him. And I do mean destroy him completely.” Seb paused for a moment as the feelings of frustration rose once again to the surface. “I wanted to take everything that he had until he had nothing. To erase any wretched mark he’d had on the world.”

  “No. I can’t say that shocks me at all. I would have been surprised if you hadn’t been seeking revenge.” She walked over, her limp always slightly present, and sat down in the armchair next to him, leaning her cane to the side. “If it had been my mother, I would have wanted to do the same thing.”

  “The bastard died before I could fully enact my plans.” Seb took another sip of his whiskey as memories of the past assailed him. “I’d already started to financially ruin him, though he didn’t realize I was behind the financial misfortunes he’d suffered. He thought he’d just had a run of terrible luck with his investments. He had no idea I was systematically bankrupting him. And then the goddamn day before I’d planned to reveal to him I was the one who had orchestrated his downfall, and call in all of his debts, the bastard visited his mistress and died in her bed.”

  “Oh…”

  “Oh, indeed.” Seb finished what was left of his whiskey in one sip and placed the glass on the side table with slightly more force than necessary.

  “I had heard some rumors hinting at such a thing, but I didn’t know if there was any credence to them or not.” Livie shrugged her shoulders.

  “Yes, there was credence,” Seb replied, leaning forward and gazing into the flames of the hearth, resting his elbows on his knees with his fingers steepled. “The bastard’s heart gave out on him right in the middle of coitus. Well, at least that’s what the doctor concluded must have happened. The wretch died happy.”