He glanced over at her, as if he considered it, but then he shook his head. “I can’t. I don’t dare do anything he doesn’t want me to.”
She chuckled. “That’s silly. You can tell me. It’s not like I know him.”
He winced. “Lord Steinbeck warned me to do exactly as Evermont says. Lord Steinbeck doesn’t personally know him, but he’s heard about him. After meeting Evermont today, I can’t go against his wishes. He’s not someone who gives a person mercy.”
She’d gathered that much when Nick told her he’d bought up the entire debt. She thought about arguing that he could tell her since she really was good at keeping secrets, but he was too afraid to do it. Whoever Evermont was, he had successfully terrified Nick, which made it pointless to argue with him.
“All right,” she consented. “I can’t make you do something you aren’t comfortable doing. You’re going over there this evening to pay the debt off, correct?”
“Yes.” He turned to the cabinet and unlocked it. He took out the leather pouch, which contained the money she’d given him for the debt. “He told me to be at his townhouse at eight. I have no idea how long it’ll be until I return.”
“I’m sure he has something in mind to make the visit unpleasant.”
Nick slowly closed the cabinet and locked it. After slipping the key back into his pocket, he chanced a look in her direction. “Are you upset with me?”
“No, I’m not upset with you. I’m upset with Evermont. It’s ridiculous that one person should have so much power in London that everyone’s afraid of him. Obviously, he’s done something to earn the fear if even Lord Steinbeck is wary of him.”
“I don’t want to do his bidding.” Clasping the pouch in his hand, he walked over to her. “I don’t like the position he’s put me in, but I’m doing what I think is best.”
Noting the worried expression on his face, she offered him a smile. Nick was such a sweet gentleman. His father might have been horrible at managing money, but he was probably sweet in his own way, too, which explained why Nick wasn’t prepared to deal with someone like Evermont. If he’d grown up with someone like her brother, he would have been better prepared for this. Some people were impossible to deal with. Apparently, Evermont was one of them.
“Well,” she wrapped her arms around his neck, “at least once you pay him, all of this will be over. Then we can put this whole thing behind us.”
He drew her closer to him and kissed her. She thought he had the intention of making love to her before he went to see Evermont because there was a sense of longing and need in the kiss, but he ended the kiss and promised to return as soon as he could.
She watched in surprise as he left the bedchamber. There was something unnerving about the whole exchange. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but something wasn’t right about this. She tapped her foot on the floor. Under ordinary circumstances, she would follow him to find out where he was going. She wanted to know who Evermont was. What kind of gentleman could instill so much fear in people?
After a few seconds, she talked herself out of following him. Nick was her husband, and she needed to trust him. She needed to let him handle this situation. He needed to be the one to pay off his father’s debt. If word got out that she intervened, it would probably embarrass him. And who knew if others would find out and everyone would start laughing at him because he needed his wife to help him pay off some debt?
No. She would stay here and bide her time until he returned. This was just another drawback to being a lady, but it was one she’d have to contend with. With a sigh, she headed for the drawing room to spend the evening with his mother and sisters.
***
“I think you missed a spot,” Lord Maten called out two hours later.
Nick paused, the scrub brush in hand, and turned from the fireplace he’d been cleaning in the kitchen. He almost bumped into Lord Maten, who was hovering over him.
Nick shifted so that he wasn’t so close to him. “What did you say?”
Lord Maten took another drink of his brandy then pointed to a little soot Nick had missed. “You missed a spot. Right there.”
Hiding his frustration, Nick dumped the brush into the bucket, rinsed it out, and went back over the area he’d just cleaned. He’d only cleaned a third of the kitchen so far. If Lord Maten didn’t insist on bothering him every five minutes, he would have made better progress. Lord Maten probably did that on purpose. It gave him an excuse to keep Nick there longer.
Lord Maten took a sip of his drink. “I want this kitchen to look like new. I happen to believe that a clean kitchen will make for better meals.”
Nick didn’t know if that was true or not, but at the moment, he didn’t care. He just wanted to get this over with. Two hours had already passed. Two. That meant it was ten. When he came here this evening, he was hoping to only stay for an hour. Two at the most. And now, it was ten, and he still had two-thirds of the way to go in the kitchen.
You’re doing this so that Tara can keep the rest of her money, and, more importantly, you’re doing this so that you can avoid prison so you can stay with Tara.
The reminder renewed his energy. He turned his attention to the remaining soot and began scrubbing it.
Lord Maten returned to his chair and sat down. He poured more brandy into his glass. “I’m beginning to believe you didn’t take my sister’s innocence before marrying her. For one, I would have heard she’s expecting by now. Two, you don’t strike me as an experienced gentleman.”
Nick gritted his teeth but kept his attention on cleaning the fireplace. The last thing he wanted to do was encourage Lord Maten to keep talking.
“I took the liberty of asking around about you,” Lord Maten continued. “I know certain ladies who are generous with who they take to bed, and not a single one even knew who you were. Granted, I don’t know you very well, but you don’t seem like the type who’s any good when it comes to the ladies. Not in private anyway. Sure, you do well in a large group. People said that you know what to say and when to say it. But anyone can learn that skill. You aren’t all that interesting when it comes to talking to someone on a more personal basis.”
Unfortunately, ignoring him didn’t have the desired effect. Up to now, Lord Maten had stuck to criticizing Nick’s cleaning. As annoying as that was, Nick preferred he’d go back to that. He dipped the brush in the bucket. He was almost done with the fireplace. That’s what he needed to concentrate on.
“I wonder how long it’ll take before my sister takes a lover,” Lord Maten said after he took another drink of his brandy. “The difference between virgins and married ladies is that married ladies aren’t innocent to what happens between a gentleman and a lady when they’re alone. Virgins don’t know if the gentleman she’s with is any good in bed or not, so you can fool them for a while. If my sister was a virgin, then you’re safe for the time being. But, once the newness wears off…” He took another drink. “Well, sooner or later, a lady wants to receive pleasure in the act.”
“That’s not a problem your sister has,” Nick snapped, glaring at his nemesis.
Lord Maten’s eyes grew wide as if he hadn’t expected Nick to respond. “Oh? And how many ladies did you have before you deflowered my little sister?”
“None.” Nick immediately wished he hadn’t answered him. Either way, he wasn’t going to win, and answering had only encouraged him to keep taunting him. Nick dumped the brush back in the bucket then turned back to his task, this time using more force than necessary as he scrubbed more soot.
Lord Maten clucked his tongue. “In that case, you’re not pleasing her. She’s only pretending she likes it in order to spare your feelings.”
No, she wasn’t. Nick might not have had any experience before his wedding night, but that book he’d studied was written by a someone who, in addition to giving clear instructions on how gentlemen could please their wives, had also disclosed how gentlemen could know they were pleasing them. The book went into detail about everything, and there was n
o doubt Tara received pleasure when she was with him. But Nick wasn’t going to explain this to Lord Maten.
“What happens between me and your sister is none of your business,” Nick finally said then went back to his chore.
“You’re right. It isn’t any of my business. What happens between you two doesn’t concern me.”
Lord Maten grew quiet, and Nick breathed a sigh of relief. Good. Maybe now Lord Maten would go back to pointing out things Nick hadn’t cleaned perfectly.
“I’m not a stranger to a lady’s bed,” Lord Maten said.
Nick made sure Lord Maten didn’t see him as he rolled his eyes. Of course, Lord Maten wasn’t a virgin. It was perfectly all right for him to be intimate with other gentlemen’s sisters, but it wasn’t all right for anyone to be intimate with his. He’d point out the hypocrisy Lord Maten was showing if he didn’t want to just get out of here. He finished up the fireplace then started scrubbing the wall.
“I’ve spoken with a few married ladies who find their husbands rather,” Lord Maten paused, probably in an attempt to build up the suspense, “mediocre in bed. They pretend to enjoy themselves so they can get the deed over with. They need to have a child, so it’s not like they can refuse their husbands. But they’ve found if they pretend to enjoy the act, it makes the ordeal go faster. When they want to enjoy themselves, however, they seek lovers. A husband is for children, but a lover is for pleasure. That’s where I come in. I provide them the excitement they aren’t getting with their husbands.”
“And this makes you happy?” Nick blurted out before he could stop himself.
Lord Maten looked surprised by the question. “Of course, it makes me happy. I happen to enjoy the activity.” He shot Nick a pointed look. “Don’t you?”
Nick shook his head. He was a simpleton. He was engaging with Lord Maten, which was exactly what the gentleman wanted. And in doing so, he was spending less time with Tara. He turned back to the wall.
Lord Maten laughed. “I don’t know if that’s a no or a yes, but I can’t think of a single gentleman who doesn’t enjoy it. Anyway, I make sure these ladies get full enjoyment, too. You want to know how I know they enjoy it?”
No, but Nick was sure that wasn’t going to stop him from telling him.
“They come back,” Lord Maten continued. “A wife has to return to her husband’s bed. It’s a necessary evil. But a lady doesn’t have to return to her lover’s bed. Marriages in London aren’t often based on love. Tara didn’t marry you because she loves you. She married you for your looks and your charm. She married you to make her group appeal to the Ton. Those kinds of marriages bore ladies easily. Sooner or later, those ladies seek excitement in a lover’s arms. You’re on borrowed time, Nick. The question is, how much time do you have left before she grows bored of you?”
Don’t answer him. It’ll only keep him talking, and you’ll be here longer than you need to be. Nick had to repeat this a couple of times before he was able to calm himself enough to concentrate on the task in front of him.
Thankfully, mercifully, Lord Maten got up from the chair and left the room. Nick had no idea where Lord Maten was going, and quite frankly, he didn’t care. He was just glad to have Lord Maten out of the room.
The work went much faster, but even so, Nick didn’t finish cleaning the kitchen until almost two in the morning.
Lord Maten inspected the kitchen and after a few long moments, he said, “This will suffice. If you ever waste what remains of my sister’s money, I’ll be happy to put in a good word for you if you decide to become a maid.”
Nick bit his tongue. The whole thing was over. He should just be glad about that. Nick headed for the kitchen doorway when Lord Maten called out to him. Knowing he wasn’t going to like this, Nick directed his attention back to him.
“Tomorrow, you’ll clean my ballroom,” Lord Maten said. “Come by at seven.”
“I cleaned the kitchen,” Nick replied, his exhaustion causing him to raise his voice higher than he usually would have.
“Yes, and you did a decent job. Tomorrow, you’ll return and start cleaning my ballroom. It’s a much larger room, so I expect it to take three or four days.”
Nick couldn’t believe his ears. “Three or four days?”
“I want to make sure every crevice is sparkling clean when I host a ball next month. Don’t worry. I’ll invite you and my sister, so you can enjoy the fruit of your labor.”
Nick scowled at him. “How long do you expect me to clean your townhouse?”
“You’ll clean it until you work off four hundred and twenty-six pounds.”
“But that will take years.”
Lord Maten shrugged. “That depends on how good you are at cleaning. I will reward you for hard work. The better you clean, the more I’ll knock off the interest on your debt. As I see it, you worked off two pounds tonight. If you hadn’t done a good job, I would have only given you one. There’s no need to thank me for being so generous. As I said, I reward hard work.” Seeming very pleased with himself, he smiled. “I have some things I need to tend to. See yourself out.”
Nick clenched his fists as Lord Maten left the room. He didn’t dare pound his fists on something, especially not on Lord Maten’s smug face. That would only make things worse.
You’re doing this so Tara gets to keep the rest of her money and so that you can stay with her instead of going to prison. Things could be worse.
Fighting back the tears, he headed out of the townhouse.
By the time he came home, Tara was curled up asleep in her bed. Good. He didn’t feel like trying to come up with an explanation as to why he’d stayed out so late. He would do that tomorrow if she asked.
He shrugged out of his clothes and dumped them on the floor. He would have put on a nightshirt if he had the energy, but he didn’t. He was exhausted. All he wanted to do was get into bed and go to sleep. The entire day had been a stressful one, and all the cleaning he’d done had only worn him out.
He quickly washed up and then slid into bed, careful he didn’t wake Tara as he did so. Once he was assured she was still asleep, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her back up against his chest. She was naked. Obviously, she had expected him to come back sooner. She had probably waited for him, thinking he might want to make love to her. He would have much rather been in bed with her than cleaning Lord Maten’s kitchen. But this was better than being sent to debtor’s prison or giving Lord Maten all of her money.
He closed his eyes and released his breath. He took in the sweet fragrance in her hair, and at once, he felt a familiar warmth tug at his heart. She was with him. They would always be together. He’d make this evening up to her. Tomorrow, he’d ask her if she wanted to take a walk or go on another hot air balloon ride. As long as they were together, it didn’t matter what they did. While he thought of the different activities they could do, he drifted off to sleep.
***
A couple of hours later, Nick woke up with the need to be close to Tara. He needed to be reassured that she loved him…and that she always would. Though she slept, he started kissing her, starting at her cheek and then going to her neck, and before long, he was kissing and caressing her breasts.
He didn’t know where this urgency was coming from. Never once since they married had she withheld her body from him, but for some reason, there was a sense of desperation welling up in him that compelled him to wake her up so she would accept him into her again. Whenever she allowed him to make love to her, he didn’t doubt whether or not she wanted to be with him. He just knew. And right now, that’s what he needed.
Fortunately, Tara woke up from her sleep and took him into her embrace. She returned his kisses and moaned in pleasure as he touched the more sensitive parts of her body. Knowing how much she enjoyed it when he stroked her core, he did so, taking the time necessary in order to get her to climax. It was very important she find her peak when they were together. He wanted to make sure she was satisfied with him. That was why he�
��d carefully studied that book Lord Edon had given him. Without it, he would have been stumbling around like an idiot as he tried to figure out what she wanted. But that book gave him the confidence he needed to know he could make her happy. And making her happy was what he most wanted.
Once she reached her peak, he settled between her legs and entered her. He groaned. He didn’t think he’d ever get over the initial pleasure he experienced when he entered her. It seemed as they were made for each other. From the first time they made love, he was aware of how well their bodies fit together.
Nick slid his hands under Tara’s bottom so that he could slide deeper into her. Her warm flesh wrapped around him and tightened in the most exquisite way as he proceeded to thrust in and out of her. He struggled to take things slow because doing so prolonged the sweet torment of their lovemaking, but it seemed that every time he entered her, he couldn’t hold back his urgency to reach that wonderful peak that was far better than anything else he’d ever experienced in his entire life.
And this time was no different. His orgasm swept over him with such force that all he could do was cry out as he filled her with his seed. She held him and kissed his cheek, once more reminding him that she did care for him. He relaxed and spent a few minutes kissing her before he settled next to her, pulled her close to him, and fell back to sleep.
Chapter Eighteen
“You’re going out again this evening?” Tara asked four days later as she and Nick were walking through the park.
Nick offered a shrug. “Lord Edon and the others like to play cards a lot.”
“I realize gentlemen like to play cards a lot, but this is the fifth night you’ll be gone.” And it was getting harder and harder to believe he was gone so much because he wanted to play cards with Lord Edon and his friends all the time. “I can see taking a couple of nights a week to play cards, but isn’t this a little much?”
The Perfect Duke Page 17