Scandals of Lustful Ladies: A Historical Regency Romance Collection

by Meghan Sloan

  Suddenly he froze, feeling like a deer that had just caught sight of a hunter. Marina was here, leaning against the mantelpiece, seemingly absorbed in conversation with Major Unwin. She hadn’t even noticed him.

  A wave of pure anger swept over him. Why was she here at all? He couldn’t imagine that Nicholas would have invited her. His friend loathed her and wasn’t at all shy about declaring it. This was a disaster. He had hoped to get a chance to speak to Alice privately, and now he would have to dodge Marina for the entire evening. To say that she had set the cat amongst the pigeons was an understatement.

  He felt his breath coming in sharp, shallow bursts. It was too late now. He would just have to try to avoid her as much as possible.

  He kept looking around the room. Where was Alice? He couldn’t see her. The butler had claimed she was here, and Charlotte certainly was. He backtracked before he could get embroiled in conversation, walking out of the room and following the trail of people. There seemed to be a congregation in the drawing room as well. He stood in the doorway, eagerly searching for her.

  His heart leapt. She was here, standing against a wall, chatting with Kenneth Yates, the painter, and his artist’s model, Miss Harriet Arnold, who had both been at the house party at Hill Lodge. He felt as if he had been struck by lightning as he gazed upon her.

  She looked beautiful in a simple gown of mint-green. The colour contrasted with her auburn hair and the milkiness of her skin. But she had not set out to dazzle in the gown, like Marina had with hers. The effect was understated but elegant.

  He felt his loins tighten. She was so infinitely desirable. He didn’t know how he was going to keep his hands off her for the entire evening.

  She must have felt his gaze upon her because suddenly she looked up, staring straight at him. He smiled. But strangely, she did not return it. Hastily, she ducked her head, turning back to the people she was talking with, almost turning her back on him.

  His mouth dropped open in astonishment. What was wrong with her? But then, it slowly dawned upon him. Marina was here, of course. She would naturally be out of sorts because of it. It must not be easy for her at all to deal with the presence of his former fiancée in a public setting. In fact, it would be awful for her, feeling as if people were comparing them.

  He took a deep breath, grabbing a flute of champagne from a passing servant. Then he made his way over to the small group, hovering around the edges.

  “Wilmington!” cried Kenneth Yates, holding out his hand, in greeting. “It is good to see you again. How have you been since Hill Lodge?”

  Silas smiled. “Tolerable, my friend. There has been quite a bit of drama since then.”

  Kenneth Yates coughed discreetly. “Of course. How could I have forgotten. The return of the exquisite Miss St. George from the dead.” He paused. “I was a little stunned to see her here this evening.”

  Miss Arnold’s eyes widened. “What? I have not heard of this!”

  Kenneth looked askance. “No, you probably would not have heard of it, Harriet, being from the north,” he said quickly. “Quite a scandal in Bath society. Miss Marina St. George, who used to be engaged to Wilmington, suddenly vanished, over seven months ago. She re-appeared only a few weeks ago, claiming that she has no memory of the entire time she was missing.”

  “How shocking,” said Harriet, her eyes as wide as saucers. “And the lady is quite well, despite her memory loss?”

  “Seemingly so,” said Silas, unable to keep a thread of bitterness out of his voice. “She is quite recovered and with her family again.” He paused. “Thank the Lord.”

  Alice was silent, merely listening to the conversation. Silas stared at her, willing her to look at him. But she kept her eyes firmly on Kenneth Yates and Miss Arnold, not even glancing at him. He thought he detected a slight tremor in her hand where she gripped her champagne flute.

  A wave of uneasiness swept over him. Why wouldn’t she even look at him?

  “Indeed,” said Harriet, taking a sip of her champagne. She turned to Alice. “It must be particularly difficult for you, Alice. The return of the former fiancée from the dead. I would not like it in the least.”

  There was a strained silence. Kenneth Yates coughed into his hand again. “Yes, well. I am sure that things shall settle down again.” He glared at Harriet. “Come, my dear. We should let these two catch up, and there are more people I would like to introduce you to. Important people who may commission a painting of you. You should try to be at your most charming.”

  Harriet glared back at him. “When am I ever not charming, Kenneth?”

  They drifted away, bickering quietly. Silas turned to Alice, gazing down at her.

  “I am sorry about that,” he said quietly. “People do like to gossip.”

  Alice’s eyes flashed. “I am very well aware of that,” she said crisply. “I was prepared for it.” She gazed past him, into the distance, a stony expression on her face.

  He took a step towards her. “Alice, what is wrong? Is it because Marina is here?”

  She shook her head slowly. “It is not because she is here. Rather, it is the things that she has said to me.” She paused, her bottom lip trembling. “Oh, I cannot speak of it.”

  To his astonishment she quickly walked away from him, out of the room, as if she could not bear to be near him.

  He caught up with her in the hallway, grabbing her arm, and spinning her around. She was breathing unevenly, and her skin was mottled with emotion.

  “I do not understand,” he whispered. “Please, will you speak with me? I know a private spot where we can talk without interruption.”

  For a moment he thought she was going to refuse him outright. But then she took a deep breath and nodded.

  “I suppose that I must,” she said in a quiet, pained voice. “It must happen, sooner or later.”

  His stomach was churning as he led her through the house to a window alcove overlooking the garden. It was set back, deep into the wall. No one would discern them, and besides, it was away from the main areas where the party was.

  They sat side-by-side for a moment. He reached for her hand, but she snatched it away. He could feel the anger burning in her, simmering just below the surface.

  “Alice,” he said, his face twisting, in pain. “Please, what is it?”

  She took another deep breath. “It is probably not the time or the place to say it,” she replied, her bottom lip trembling anew. “But you will insist. I think that we should break our engagement, Silas.”

  He stared at her, completely floored. Of all the things he had expected to come out of her mouth, this wasn’t one of them.

  “Why?” His voice was an anguished whisper. “Why do you wish to break our engagement?”

  She was silent for a moment, gazing out the window. He could see tears glimmering in her eyes.

  “I cannot do it myself, of course,” she said quietly. “But we can speak to our parents, and they can dissolve it for us. It would be the best thing, in the circumstances…”

  He swore underneath his breath, running a hand through his hair. “I simply do not understand. You were happy the other day when I called at your house and said that we should continue the engagement. Why are you having second thoughts now? What has Marina said to you?”

  She pressed her lips together firmly for a moment. Then she turned and stared at him, looking him directly in the eye for the first time that evening.

  “She has told me everything,” she whispered. “All of it, Silas. That she has been visiting you, and that…you still love each other.” She choked back a sob. “She says that the love between you was declared, but that you felt it your duty to continue our engagement, despite your own true feelings…”

  He shook his head vigorously. “It is a lie, Alice. You must believe me…”

  “Why should I?” she said, her eyes glittering fiercely. “You have not been honest with me! You assured me that you love me, and that your affection for her was in the past.” She p
aused, taking a deep, ragged breath. “She told me that you shared a passionate kiss, Silas.”

  He cursed underneath his breath again. Marina was obviously still on the war path, determined to sabotage his engagement in any way that she could. He should have known, that she would not take his rejection of her lying down.

  She had obviously retreated back to her home and planned this next line of attack. She must have known that Alice would be here this evening. She had done her best to win him over, trying to seduce him, and it hadn’t worked. Instead of accepting it, as she had claimed, it had only made her all the more determined.

  He shook his head in utter disgust. Where was the woman that he had once so passionately loved? He had defended her, to everyone. Nicholas detested her, as did his parents. They were all deeply suspicious of her and her motivations. And they had all been spot on in their assessment of her character.

  He felt like a fool. A complete and utter fool, that he had believed that she was a good person. He had given her the benefit of the doubt with everything. And she had repaid him by going behind his back and whispering lies to Alice, knowing that she was vulnerable to them.

  He had never been so angry in his life.

  He took a deep breath. This needed to stop, right now.

  “Alice, listen to me,” he said, trying to swallow his anger. “She did call on me, two times, out of the blue. The first time she said that she wanted to continue our engagement, that she still loved me. I told her as gently as I could that it wasn’t possible.” He paused. “The second time, she was more determined. She used every trick up her sleeve, to sway me. She threw herself on me, forcing me to kiss her. I rejected her – I swear I did not let it continue.”

  Alice was silent, gazing at him, a look of disbelief on her face.

  “She seemed to accept my rejection,” he said, controlling his anger with difficulty. “She said that she understood, but that I couldn’t blame her for trying.” He hesitated. “But it was obviously all a lie, again. She has carefully planned what she would say to you. She wants you to be the one to break the engagement, and obviously thinks she can swoop in on me once that happens…”

  Alice sobbed quietly into her hands. His heart flipped over in his chest. He wanted to grab her and pull her to him and whisper words of comfort to her. But he knew that it was too soon. She hadn’t yet accepted anything that he had said.

  “I do not know what to believe,” she sobbed, as tears ran down her face. “I cannot compete with her. She is so beautiful, and charming, and confident. Everything that I am not…”

  He swore again, breaking his own rule, and pulled her to him. “How can you say such a thing?” he whispered fiercely into her hair. “You are the most beautiful creature that ever walked the earth. I am drowning in desire and love for you.”

  She pulled back, gazing at him. “You are only saying that to be kind,” she whispered. “Out of a sense of duty, as she said.” She paused, a woebegone expression on her face. “I want you to be happy, Silas. And if I cannot make you happy and she can, then I shall walk away.”

  “You do make me happy,” he insisted, itching to touch her again. “You make me happier than I have ever felt before. Please, do not let her come between us! I swear to you that it is you who I love, Alice. Only you.”

  She was silent for a moment, wiping away her tears with a handkerchief. “Is it true?” she whispered, staring at him entreatingly. “I so want it to be true, but I just do not know, anymore.”

  “She is lying,” he said in a low voice. “I swear to you, there has been no declaration of love between us. I have told her, right from the start, when I first saw her again, that my heart belonged to you now. But she obviously cannot accept it and let us just live our lives the way that we wish to. She is a poor loser.”

  “She obviously desperately wants to save your engagement,” she said slowly. “And for that, I suppose I cannot blame her. It must have been so very hard, returning to Bath to discover that you are now engaged to another. I do have sympathy for her.”

  “You believe me, then?” he whispered, his heart soaring, pulling her to him once again. “You believe that she is lying, and that it is only you that I love and desire to marry?”

  She bit her lip, obviously in an agony of doubt. Anger simmered in his chest, that Marina had done this, made Alice question everything.

  “I believe you,” she whispered. “For I surely do not understand why you would not just admit your love for her, now that I have given you the opportunity, that you can leave me, with a clear conscience…”

  His heart soared again. He kissed the top of her head, breathing in her unique scent that he would recognise instantly, even in a crowded room.

  There were voices in the distance. People were coming. He grabbed her hand, pulling her to her feet.

  “Come,” he said, his eyes darkening. “I know another place where we can be truly alone, before we re-join the party.”

  She hesitated for a moment. He felt as if he couldn’t breathe at all as he waited for her response.

  She nodded. Without another word, he led her through the house, his heart hammering in his chest, the very air around them thick and heavy with desire.

  Chapter 23

  Alice let him lead her through the house, up a twisting staircase, until they arrived at a room. He opened the door without a word.

  She gazed around. It was obviously a spare bedchamber that no one was using. There was no fire burning in the fireplace, nor candles flickering for light. The four-poster mahogany bed was neatly made. The whole room looked like it was sleeping.

  He let go of her hand, lighting a candle that sputtered as it leapt to life, casting a small pool of light around them. He picked it up, placing it on a bedside table before turning to her.

  “We will not be disturbed here,” he said in a low voice, sitting down on the bed and gazing at her expectantly. He reached out a hand, beckoning her.

  She hesitated for a moment. This was another level of privacy that her mother would not approve of. But they needed to talk further, and they were engaged, after all. At least, she thought they still were. So much was still hanging in the balance after what Marina had told her.

  She sat beside him, a little gingerly, not daring to look at him. She could sense the desire thrumming through him. Her own blood leapt in response. She felt almost as if a glow were surrounding them, faint but impenetrable.

  He claimed that Marina had lied, that he had never declared love for her. He claimed that he wanted to marry her, and not the other woman. She never wanted to believe anything more in her life, but her insecurities still nagged at her, like a dull toothache.

  He could be the one lying, of course. But no matter how she looked at it and turned it over in her mind, she could not see why he would do so. She had given him a way out of their engagement, if that was what he truly wanted. She would have thought he would have taken it with alacrity if he really wanted to still be with Marina. He could have walked away from her without a backward glance.

  But he had not done so.

  He didn’t make a move to touch her. He didn’t even try to take her hand. He simply gazed at her, almost beseechingly.

  “I do not understand Marina anymore,” he said eventually. “She is not the woman that I thought I knew and loved.” He paused. “My heart wants to believe that perhaps she has been changed by all that she has been through, even though she claims not to remember it. But my mind tells me something different entirely.”

  Alice felt like she couldn’t breathe for a moment. “How so?”

  He sighed heavily. “Nicholas has never liked her,” he said in a low voice. “He has always claimed that she is manipulative, and that opinion is stronger now. He questions everything about her.” He paused. “He does not believe that her memory is lost. He thinks everything she does is for a reason, and for her own benefit.”