Never Wager Against Love (Kellington Book Three)

by Driscoll, Maureen

  “Vanessa, if these villains infiltrate my ball, it will be the most talked-about event for years to come. It may even give the old biddies something to gossip about other than my political activities. And, really, I don’t care one whit for the formal trappings of my betrothal. All I want is to marry Marcus.” With that, she reached up and kissed him on the cheek.

  Hal groaned. “I say we go ahead with the plan, just so we can marry her off quicker.”

  “That’s another thing,” said Vanessa. “A ball takes months to plan. We must conclude this quickly.”

  “Not to worry,” said Lizzie. “Heskiss?” She looked over at the butler, who’d been standing by the door. “We can throw a ball in two days’ time, can we not?”

  Vanessa wasn’t sure, but it appeared the servant’s face blanched. “Of course, Lady Elizabeth, it would be our pleasure.” With that, he bowed himself out of the room. And, if Vanessa was not mistaken, she heard him running to the servants’ quarters.

  “But, even if the ball could be organized,” said Vanessa, “who would come on such short notice?”

  “Everyone,” said Lynwood.

  * * *

  That night, as Vanessa got into her extremely comfortable bed with the down comforter and silk sheets, she thought about the events of the evening. It was extraordinary how the Kellingtons came together to help each other. And they’d been so kind to her. While Vanessa originally had had no plans to attend the ball, thinking it would be better to lie in wait near the safe, Arthur had immediately said that would never do. They had invited Dumbarton, Sir Lawrence and Willingham. If any of the three saw she wasn’t in attendance, they would suspect a trap. Then, anticipating her second objection, Lizzie said that since Vanessa’s clothing had all been ripped to shreds, she would be happy to lend her a ball gown and arrange to have her modiste come around the next day to fit her. Lizzie must have realized that even if Vanessa’s clothing had not been destroyed, she wouldn’t have had anything nice enough to wear to the ball. Even the gowns Arthur had bought her would not be elegant enough for an occasion such as that.

  Vanessa turned over and tried to sleep. It was hard not to think of Arthur in the very next room. If their scheme somehow worked and they caught the thieves, her mission would draw to a close. There would be no legitimate reason for the two of them to see each other again.

  Of course there could be an illegitimate one. She could become his mistress. He hadn’t asked her, but he also hadn’t asked her again to marry him. They were certainly attracted to each other physically. But, even more importantly, they thought alike. It had been enjoyable to work with him on the mission. Not only had he saved her life, but his ideas had been quite helpful. Lord Arthur Kellington by all appearances might be a wastrel rake. But he was smart, loyal, dedicated and the man she loved with her heart and soul.

  How she longed for that not to be true.

  She turned over again. Then she heard it, her doorknob slowly turning. She had placed her pistols out of reach since there was a child in the house. She grabbed the candlestick, but before she could get to the door, Arthur stepped through it, then shut it behind him.

  “You’re not going to cosh me with that, are you?” he asked.

  He was there. As if summoned by her wishes. She didn’t trust her voice, so she simply put the candlestick down. It appeared he was in his dressing gown and nothing else. A moment later, her guess was confirmed as he removed the dressing gown and threw it over a chair. He slowly prowled to the bed. There was no other word for the way he moved. He had the sleek grace of a lion. And she was more than ready for his pounce.

  He pulled back the covers and joined her in bed. Then they attacked each other. Hands and mouths explored. Legs intertwined. Whereas before it had been slow and intense, this time it was as if they knew their time was limited and wanted to make the most of it. He tore her night rail from her.

  She rolled him to his back and he let her. She straddled him, rubbing her core against his hard cock. When she could take it no longer, she lifted up and he pressed himself into her. She was so wet, he slid in easily. As she began to move back and forth, they were both breathing hard, panting heavily. She was so wet they could hear the sound of him pounding inside her. The passion in her rose quickly as she rode him faster and faster. If she could not have him forever, she would make the most of that one night.

  Suddenly, the passion burst out of her as she came hard. It was everything she could do not to scream. He stilled as she rode out the last few tremors. She was about to collapse onto him, when suddenly he pressed her to the mattress and turned her over so her sensitive breasts were abraded against the silk sheets.

  He lay on her. She could feel his cock, so very hard, pressing against her bottom. He kissed her neck, nipping gently, then spread out to her shoulders, and back in to her spine. He was kissing and licking and nipping all the way down her back. He tongued the globes of her bottom, then spread her knees with his own, as he lifted her hips. Her arse was sticking in the air and he was knelt before it. He massaged the globes of her bottom, then positioned himself and slowly pressed his cock into her cunny.

  He was so long, so very hard. And the position made it all the more intense. He slowly slid in and out a few times, but then lost control. He began pounding into her, his hands gripping her hips, his ballocks bouncing against her. The heat in her began to rise once again, matching what she could feel coming from him. Faster and faster they pounded against each other. Until finally he released his seed inside her as she exploded with sensation.

  They both collapsed onto the bed. Sweating, barely able to breathe, he rolled them both over and he held her in his arms. “Marry me,” he said. “I need you in my life. I cannot let you go.”

  There was nothing she wanted more. But she loved him so much she couldn’t take him from the only world he’d ever known. “It would never work,” she said.

  “It would. Please say yes.”

  She lay there, wrapped in his arms, her body still shaking with her release. But she could not say yes. Finally, knowing he would not leave the subject alone if he didn’t get some concession from her, she said “I will think about it.”

  He tightened his arms and kissed her gently. “Thank you, sweetheart,” he mumbled. He was falling asleep. And even though she shouldn’t get used to being with him that way, she decided she would indulge for just a while longer.

  Until the fairy tale ended.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  For Vanessa, the next two days were a whirlwind of activity. In between strategy sessions with Stapleton and Arthur, she was subjected to endless fittings with the modiste who was remaking Lizzie’s gown for her. She didn’t think all the fuss was necessary. While she’d conceded that it was important for her to attend the ball so as to not throw off their suspects, she’d stated her desire to sit unobtrusively with the wallflowers. But it was the sometimes autocratic Duke of Lynwood who finally settled the matter.

  “Miss Gans,” he said in his calm voice of authority at dinner the night before the ball, “I do not allow my guests to be silent spectators at my entertainments. If you are a person I have let into my home, you are someone we shall introduce to our other guests.”

  “But your grace,” she responded, “my station is such that I should not be a guest in your home.”

  “Miss Gans, are you aware that Riverton and I count Inspector Stapleton as a friend? He has been a guest at many a dinner both here and at Riverton’s table. I believe you and he share a ‘station,’ as you put it. Surely, you cannot be accusing me of boorish behavior.”

  All eyes turned to Vanessa. Lizzie, she saw, had a bit of a smirk on her face.

  “Of course not, your grace. But even if the Inspector and I have a similar status because of our professions, there is something else you should know.” She looked at Arthur for a moment, then turned back to Lynwood and took a deep breath. It was best to get it all out now. “My parentage is irregular, your grace. I am illegitimate.
” She waited for the recriminations. She dreaded them, because she’d come to like these people. But she knew there were some lines that simply could not be crossed.

  But Lynwood simply shrugged elegantly. “I cannot see how it is a reflection of you. Heskiss, we are ready for our next course.”

  “Of course, your grace,” said the butler as he motioned for the footmen to begin serving.

  Vanessa was beginning to wonder if anyone was taking her seriously.

  “If I may,” said Jane with a smile. “It is no secret that Ned and I conceived Violet out of wedlock. Indeed, he and I have only been married these several months. What would have been a significant scandal was only a fairly minor source of gossip because of the actions of his grace, Lord Riverton and the members of this family. If they could smooth that over, I have no doubt you shall not feel ostracized at a ball.”

  Vanessa’s anxiety about the ball did ease. But she knew that it was one thing to have their support for a ball and quite another to ever entertain thoughts of marrying Arthur.

  Now that the day of the ball had arrived, she went over their plan in her head, while a maid helped her dress. She was so distracted that it wasn’t until she was completely dressed that she finally looked in a mirror.

  “Oh, Miss Gans,” said the girl, Cora, “you look like a princess you do.”

  As Vanessa looked at herself wearing Lizzie’s beautiful gown, she had to agree. Never before had she worn anything so elegant. The dark green gown set off her hair and the deep V of the neckline showed a shocking amount of bosom. She tried pulling it up a bit.

  “Oi! Don’t do that, miss,” said Cora, pulling it down again. “You don’t want to spoil the effect, do you? Just imagine what the gentlemen will think.”

  “That’s why I’m doing this,” said Vanessa, as she gave another futile tug.

  “Shall I do your hair now?” asked Cora in a bid to distract Vanessa from her neckline. “Lady Elizabeth told me to use these combs.”

  Vanessa looked at the delicate gold filigree combs Cora held out to her. Never before had she even dreamed she would wear such finery. At first she thought of refusing to use them, but since this was probably the only time she’d get a chance to indulge, she smiled at Cora and let the girl fix her hair.

  Thirty minutes later, there was a knock at her door. Arthur entered and his reaction upon seeing her was everything Vanessa could have hoped for.

  Cora bobbed a curtsey then left the room, closing the door behind her.

  “We should open the door,” said Vanessa, conscious of the proprieties and not trusting herself around Arthur and a bed, especially since he looked particularly handsome in his evening clothes.

  “We should leave it as it is,” he said as he pulled her into his arms and brought his lips down to hers. With everyone in residence, it had been difficult to find time alone. They’d made love the last two nights, but no matter how many hours they spent together, she knew the ones remaining were numbered.

  Arthur was finally able to lift his lips from hers then he took a step back, putting some distance between them. “You are perilously close to having your dress hopelessly crushed. Although I do look forward to peeling this delightful concoction off you later tonight.”

  “Is everything in place?” she asked, in part to keep from kissing him again.

  “Yes. Half a dozen heavily armed grooms are in the nursery with Vi. There’s no chance we’ll risk anything happening to her. Ned wanted to send Jane up there, as well. But she insisted on attending the ball, saying it would look odd if she didn’t put in an appearance.”

  “I still feel bad we could be ruining Lizzie’s betrothal ball,” said Vanessa.

  “She’s just concerned she’ll miss the action if the villains try to break into Lynwood’s safe while she’s stuck in the receiving line.”

  “I hope she stays away. I would not be able to live with myself if she were harmed.”

  “Riverton will not allow that to happen. We have Runners in the garden – although we told them to appear less than diligent in their duties – the footmen are all armed, Stapleton will be here and, of course, you and I are on the case.”

  He kissed her lightly then turned to leave. “Remember,” he said, calling over his shoulder. “We make a very good team.”

  “Yes, Arthur,” she said when he was gone, “we certainly do.”

  * * *

  The only other ton ball Vanessa had attended was when she’d posed as a maid in the home of a viscount suspected of financing a smuggling ring. She had found it hot and stuffy, the rooms filled with ill-mannered peers with cloying perfume and wandering hands. But tonight could not be more different. Lynwood House had an understated elegance not seen in many other homes in Mayfair. It had beautiful artwork and furniture, but there was a sense of purpose to the pieces, like they’d been selected because of functionality or pleasure, rather than as simply a way to show off the owner’s wealth.

  Likewise, the flowers and decorations for the ball were beautiful, but not overwhelming. The light pink roses, the greenery and the hundreds of beeswax candles set the tone, giving the proceedings a romantic touch. But maybe what was so different was Vanessa herself. She felt like a whole other person in her beautiful gown. She knew she was still the same on the inside, but for one night she enjoyed stepping into another world.

  Even if her primary mission that night was the apprehension of a villain, one she likely knew.

  The day before the ball, Willingham, Sir Lawrence and Professor Dumbarton had been invited to Lynwood House to see the layout of the study. They were told it was so they could give suggestions for security. In actuality, it was to enable one of them to make his plan for the theft.

  For the first hour of the ball, the entire Kellington family and the Marquess of Riverton stood in the receiving line greeting their guests. As the rooms began to fill up, Vanessa walked around observing the guests. Stapleton found her and they agreed to split up the rooms, meeting back near the ballroom’s entrance every twenty minutes to report to each other. The footmen had been instructed to relay messages and get help if needed.

  Professor Dumbarton was one of the first guests to arrive. He spoke at length to Lynwood, mumbled a perfunctory congratulations to Lady Elizabeth, then went immediately to the refreshment table. Stapleton had said he would keep an eye on Dumbarton, leaving Sir Lawrence to Vanessa. He made his appearance a quarter hour after Dumbarton. He also took his time talking to the duke. Vanessa still couldn’t believe Sir Lawrence was the mastermind, but then she had a difficult time believing it was any of the three.

  Willingham had sent over a terse note earlier in the day saying he would be unable to attend the ball. The Kellingtons were evenly divided on whether that made him more suspect or less so. Arthur thought it pointed to his guilt. Vanessa was undecided.

  She was roused from her thoughts by Arthur, who’d managed to sneak up on her. “You are the most beautiful woman here,” he said, brushing his hand against hers.

  “I believe I am wearing the most beautiful gown,” she demurred, but couldn’t help smiling. “So far, neither the professor nor Sir Lawrence has made a move toward the study.”

  “We have a long evening ahead of us,” said Arthur. “Let us pass the time by dancing.”

  “I cannot possibly,” she said.

  “You can,” he replied, taking her hand in his as the strains of a waltz started. “Do you waltz?” he asked.

  “I learned the steps,” she said, afraid of what being in Arthur’s arms for the romantic dance would feel like.

  “You must have learned a great deal at that school of yours.”

  “Actually, it was a mission. We were searching for a murderess who preyed on young men.”

  “I should have guessed,” he said as he swept her into his arms before she could protest further. “You never cease to amaze and impress me, Vanessa. And when this is through…”

  “Please don’t talk about when this is through,” she sa
id.

  “Whyever not?”

  “I….I don’t want to lose focus on tonight,” she said. The truth was she couldn’t bear to think of not seeing him again. And she knew that day was coming.

  * * *

  Liam watched his brother dance with Miss Gans. It was obvious the two of them cared deeply for each other. They might even be in love. He wasn’t sure what Arthur was planning, but he’d like to find out.

  He looked around his ballroom, trying his damndest not to catch the eye of any matchmaking mamas. It was an advantage of being tall that he could avoid their eye line, although he wouldn’t put it past a few of them to climb on the furniture to attract his attention.

  Lizzie and Riverton waltzed by, oblivious to everyone else in the room. He couldn’t be more pleased about their match. Riverton was one of his closest friends and he knew Lizzie would be safe in his hands, just as she would look after him. They loved each other very much and it would be a happy union.

  Ned and Jane weren’t really dancing as much as they were holding each other and swaying in a corner. Jane was growing larger by the day and by the strictest standards shouldn’t even be at the ball. But this was a night for family and the occasion wouldn’t be the same without her.

  He caught sight of Hal flirting with three young matrons and one who was old enough to be his mother. He took almost nothing seriously and it was his ability to make others laugh that made him so popular with both the ladies and the gentlemen of the ton. But sometimes Liam saw a profound sadness in Hal. He hoped his youngest brother would soon find something to give his life more meaning than his current pursuit of pleasure.

  He scanned the room again and found who he’d been looking for, the Honorable Rosalind Carson, sister of the scapegrace Viscount Worthington and daughter of the Dowager Viscountess Worthington who’d just sold her in marriage to the Duke of Fallmoor, an old fool who wanted to sire a son off another young woman. Their engagement had just been announced. When they’d come through the receiving line, Lynwood had said all that was proper, but Rosalind would not meet his eyes. She was an especially good friend of Lizzie’s, only slightly older than his sister and half a dozen years his junior. He’d known her for years. But it had only been recently that he’d truly seen her. She wasn’t just a family friend. She was a woman he would’ve liked to have known better. Much better. But now she was engaged to be married and as an honorable man, there was nothing he could do about it.