Scandals of Lustful Ladies: A Historical Regency Romance Collection

by Meghan Sloan

Gabriel could feel the tension in the room. Several of the men were now shuffling in their seats, looking very uncomfortable. The men around Jackson’s table gave each other worried looks. One of them grabbed Jackson’s arm.

  “Just sit down, Evan. You don’t want to get thrown out.”

  “As if I’m going to get thrown out.”

  From the way his words were slurring together, he had to have been drinking more than just a few. Then Jackson lunged towards Cassandra, grabbing her around the waist. Gabriel heard a growl and realised it was coming from him. He was about to start across the room to wrench the man’s hands off Cassandra Seton.

  “What about you, then, Miss Cassie?” Jackson’s face was very close to Cassandra’s as she stiffened in his arms. “You fancy getting touchy-feely? I’m sure we can find somewhere quiet…”

  Cassandra’s knee came up, connecting between Jackson’s legs. Gabriel flinched, and so did the people around them who saw it. Jackson stopped abruptly, his eyes widening, and then he let out a low, long groan. He released Cassandra, trying to sag onto his chair while clutching onto his crotch. But he missed the chair and fell onto the floor, curling into a ball.

  There was a stunned silence. Cassandra stood over the man, breathing heavily. Her eyes were bright with anger, but there was a coolness about her that just seemed to make it burn even brighter. And Gabriel had never seen anything more beautiful in his life. Cassandra smoothed her dress down and checked that her hair was still in place.

  “You said you wanted to be touchy-feely, Mr. Jackson. Is that physical enough for you?”

  Jackson mumbled something from his position on the floor, at which Cassandra tittered at him.

  “I know I’m not exactly a lady in most circumstances, but there’s no need for language like that.” She looked over her shoulder at Williams. “Williams, would you kindly escort Mr. Jackson out? I think he’s going to struggle to walk on his own.”

  “Yes, Miss Cassie.”

  Gabriel watched as Cassandra turned to the maid, who was still trembling, and put her arms around the young woman, leading her towards a door at the far end of the room. Jackson was hauled off the floor by Williams, who half-walked, half-carried him towards the exit.

  As everything went back to relative normality, with the chatter going back up again, Gabriel found himself unable to stop looking at where Cassandra had gone. Any other woman would have shrieked and slapped his face, getting all flustered in the process. No woman wanted to look like a fool in front of a room full of people. Cassandra didn’t care. But she had remained cool and collected throughout, barely batting an eyelash.

  Norman was right. She was certainly something.

  Chapter 5

  “Will you be all right now, Ada?” Cassandra asked as she watched the maid huddle on the chair in the kitchen.

  “I will be.” Ada sipped at her glass of water, giving Cassandra a small smile. “Thank you, Miss Cassie. I do apologise for what happened.”

  “There’s no need to apologise for that, Ada.” Cassandra squeezed her shoulder. “You weren’t in the wrong. Just take a few deep breaths before you go back to work. If you want to go back to work, that is?”

  “I will,” Ada said quickly. “I need the money.”

  Cassandra bit back a sigh. It was a shame. When a few of her friends on lower incomes had lamented about how hard it was to find a job, she had been willing to suggest they worked at Seton Hall. Ernest was amicable to it as long as they knew that they were there to serve drinks and not do anything unsavoury. Cassandra vouched for each of the girls who came in to work, and they were hard-working and loyal.

  They were paid well also, which helped whenever they needed someone to cover an evening at the last minute. Word got around quickly. And Ada had been working for them for nearly two years. Even with the salary she was given, it still wasn’t quite enough for her big family.

  It was at times like this when Cassandra wished she could help with more than a job. But then she and her father would be facing bankruptcy. Her heart was far too big.

  “All right. But if you feel uncomfortable again, you can go home. We won’t dock your pay for it.”

  “Thank you.”

  Ada gave her a small smile. She was still trembling. Cassandra turned to the other maid who had joined them in the kitchen.

  “Make sure she’s all right before she goes back to work, Grace.”

  “I’ll keep an eye on her, Miss Cassie.”

  Cassandra nodded and headed back out into the hall. Everyone had gone back to their games, the brief interlude seeming to have been forgotten. It was wonderful how distracting card games could be even when something like a man accosting a servant made people look up. It certainly kept the men quiet when they were deep in thought.

  Apart from Jackson. He had pushed it far too many times. From what Cassandra had heard, he had been kicked out of Montgomery Hall with his drinking and his antics, but Ernest had said they should give him a second chance. Cassandra had planned to take this with a pinch of salt until she saw what Jackson was up to with Ada. He had been leering at the maids since he arrived to play regularly over a month ago, but this was the first time he openly laid his hands on them. And her. Cassandra wouldn’t tolerate it. One slip and they were out. She would handle her father’s bewilderment later.

  Ernest would understand.

  She cast her eye over the proceedings, and then it fell on the enigmatic man leaning against the bar, a glass in his hand. Gabriel Tattershall. Cassandra knew all about him and knew the story. She had just never met him. From the accounts she had heard, he was a very handsome man who could make any woman fall at his feet. Cassandra had rolled her eyes and laughed at this statement. That was such an arrogant statement. Now she had seen him, and she was revising her thought of that.

  He was more than handsome, certainly. Six feet of lean, solid muscle with dark hair and a dusting of a beard across his jaw. He walked with an arrogant confidence and leaned on the bar like he owned the place. And he was watching her. Even now, he was watching her from across the room.

  Cassandra felt heat start in her belly and spread throughout her body. Her pulse was picking up and she knew her face was going red. No man had made her acutely aware of who she was as a woman, and just with a simple look, Gabriel Tattershall made her weak at the knees.

  He was a dangerous man. Very dangerous. Cassandra knew she would need to be on her toes around him.

  Taking a deep breath, Cassandra made her way through the tables towards the bar. He was here for a reason, and Cassandra needed to find out why. Gabriel wasn’t here for gambling. There had to be another reason why he was in Seton Hall when he wasn’t here to play cards.

  She reached the bar, nodding at Adam behind the counter. Gabriel gave her a lazy smile, his eyes drifting over her body in a blatant perusal. His brief bewilderment seemed to have completely vanished from earlier when he had her in his arms.

  Don’t think about that. Focus.

  “Impressive, Miss Cassie,” Gabriel drawled. “I’ve never seen a woman handle herself so well.”

  “You get used to it after a while.” Cassandra sat on a stool, keeping her distance from him. “But not all our customers are like that. They’re normally respectable people with respect for our staff. It’s just a few people who think they can hold their liquor.”

  “Like Mr. Jackson?”

  Cassandra made a face.

  “He’s only been with us a month after Mr. Montgomery threw him out for drinking too much. If you don’t know your limit, he won’t have anything to do with you. Unfortunately, that means he comes here. Father refuses to cut him off with the drink as he’s a paying customer, but I won’t stand for our staff being accosted.”

  “As you shouldn’t.” Gabriel sipped at his drink. “Hopefully, your father will change his mind and just ban the man from Seton Hall.”

  Cassandra sighed. Even once he heard what happened to Ada, Ernest wouldn’t ban Jackson. He was too soft. />
  “He’s a tough but fair man, but…” Should she be saying this to the former heir to the viscount’s title? “He’s been getting softer since Mother died.”

  “I see.” Gabriel paused. “When did she die?”

  “During the influenza epidemic.”

  Gabriel winced.

  “My apologies, Miss Cassie. I didn’t know.”

  “You weren’t to know. I keep my private life private.” Cassandra arched an eyebrow at him, “Just as I’m sure you want your private life to be kept private.”

  “You mean it isn’t now?”

  “You know how society works, Mr. Tattershall. Rumours do go around very rapidly.” Cassandra grinned, “The one where your father caught you with a woman in bed when he was on his way to cut you off after going through your inheritance is a strong contender.”

  “I’m sure there was a rumour as to what position we were in as well.”

  “There were quite a few. Some of the positions I didn’t think were possible.”

  “Oh, really?” Gabriel arched an eyebrow at her with a slight smirk. “Not experienced them yourself, have you?”

  The look he gave her had Cassandra momentarily speechless. The heat in her belly built to a point it made her gasp. Whoa. She had never spoken like that with a man about something so intimate. Before, she would have been scandalised. But teasing Gabriel had been almost a natural reaction.

  She wanted the man on the back foot, to make herself feel less unbalanced. All it had done was to make her feel even more unbalanced, images floating through her head over the various sexual positions several of her friends had giggled over regarding Gabriel’s prowess in bed.

  Sexual positions involving the two of them. Cassandra gritted her teeth as a throbbing began between her legs, and she squeezed her thighs together. Hopefully, Gabriel wouldn’t notice the reaction her body was experiencing.

  What had she been thinking, talking like that? It was her own fault.

  Admit it. You wanted to talk like that. You wanted to think about it.

  “I…” Gabriel blinked. Then he cleared his throat and looked away. He actually looked ashamed. “Forgive me, Miss Cassie. I keep forgetting myself. The women I used to keep company with have fewer...morals. They’re not as refined as you.”

  “I wouldn’t call myself refined.” Cassandra squared her shoulders, “But I do draw the line at some conversations. And you, sir, were going a little too far.”

  “You started it.”

  She had, but that wasn’t the point. Cassandra swallowed and fixed him with a cool stare.

  “Are you always this argumentative, Mr. Tattershall?”

  “I have to be good at something.” Gabriel sipped his drink, his eyes never leaving hers. “And I am. Just not with the things that are useful, according to Father.”

  “I’m inclined to agree with his assessment.”

  “Ouch,” Gabriel clasped at his chest. “My heart hurts now, Miss Cassie.”

  “Serves you right.”

  Cassandra found herself liking the twinkle in his eye as he looked her over. There was more to him than just being a rake. She mentally shook herself. She needed to remember who he was and that Gabriel was dangerous to be even associating with, considering his reputation. She needed to keep him at arm’s length.

  But for the life of her, she couldn’t leave. Not yet. Just a little longer…

  “Just so you know, I’m not going to hold your current situation against you. As long as you respect my father’s business and the other customers, you’ll be fine.”

  “That’s good to know.” Gabriel tilted his head to the side as he regarded her. “It’s interesting to see you here. I wouldn’t have thought women other than a select few would work here.”

  “Ada, Grace and Christina help out where they can because they need the money. We make sure they’re not out in the cold.”

  “And what about you?”

  Was he trying to feel out her position here? Cassandra narrowed her eyes.

  “We have a close relationship. He entrusts me with a lot of things.”

  “On your own?” Gabriel looked bewildered. “I’m sure people will question where the chaperone is.”

  “I’m in my father’s building. Everyone who works here is a chaperone. Besides, my Aunt Alice comes with me.” Cassandra gestured at the handsome middle-aged woman sitting at the end of the bar, almost out of sight of everyone else. “She’s sitting right there. I’ll never be alone.”

  “That’s a good thing.” Gabriel looked at her over the rim of his glass. “You don’t want anyone worrying about you, do you?”

  He was up to something. Feeling her out, for certain.

  “Why would anyone worry about me? Are you concerned that people will worry that I’m talking to a man known for seducing women at the drop of a hat?”

  “I wouldn’t say at the drop of a hat…” Gabriel began, but Cassandra cut him off.

  “I would.” She slid off the stool, glad that her legs didn’t give way. “If you’ll excuse me, Mr. Tattershall? I’ve got to make sure everything’s back to relative normality.”

  “Of course.” Gabriel gave her a nod, his eyes twinkling as they drifted over her face. “I won’t keep you.”

  Somehow, Cassandra managed to turn around and walk away without falling over. Her stomach felt like she was housing butterflies, and her body was a lot warmer. Just by being in his company. That wasn’t a good thing, was it?

  Whatever it was, Cassandra hoped it was just a passing thing. She couldn’t afford to be distracted right now. Her father needed her, and she certainly shouldn’t be spending her time with a man known for his roguish ways. Definitely the type of man she needed to keep away from.

  She could do that. Couldn’t she?

  #

  “Mr. Gabriel?”

  Gabriel looked up. Allen was standing in the doorway to the living room. He could barely make out the man in the shadows, his face half-illuminated by the candle he was holding. Gabriel sat up.

  “What is it, Allen?”

  “I’m just going to retire for the night.” Allen regarded his master, “Are you going to sleep yourself?”

  “Not just yet. I can get myself sorted.” Gabriel fought back a yawn. “Just have my clothes laid out for the morning, will you?”

  “Very good, Mr. Gabriel.”

  Gabriel had only returned half an hour before. Somehow, he had managed to get a carriage back to his home for the cheapest of prices. It hadn’t been the most comfortable, especially in the rain while grasping onto the seat on top of the carriage with the footman, but it had been better than walking back. He was cold and wet, but his clothes were drying now and Gabriel had had two more brandies to warm him up.

  Besides, he wouldn’t be able to sleep with his mind going over everything that had happened that evening. It had been a lot, and Gabriel knew he had done too much. But he was glad he had made a head start. Although he had a feeling that seducing Cassandra Seton was going to be a lot harder than he anticipated.

  She was beautiful and clever, quick-witted with a kind heart. Nothing like any other woman Gabriel had come across. She was a remarkable woman. Gabriel had spent most of the evening sitting at the bar watching her as she made her way through the tables. The customers who weren’t Jackson with a drinking problem talked to her, and treated her with respect. There was also some admiration in their eyes as they looked at her.