He wished that he could go home, burst through the door, and demand that she talk to him. He wanted to make her see—but no, he had promised her space.
He heard someone clearing his throat, so he turned to find that Gerard had approached him. His friend was dressed in a vibrantly hued frock coat. Gerard hesitated. Adam waited, for he had never before seen Gerard this way before.
“I’ve been trying to get in to see you, but your butler insists that he’s been ordered to keep everyone out.”
“On my instruction,” Adam admitted. “It was because I was working.”
“May I?” Gerard placed his hand on the back of the seat opposite Adam.
Adam nodded. His oldest friend settled himself into his seat. He folded his hands on the table, then studied him for a moment. Adam sipped his drink.
“You got angry when I mentioned my plans for a mistress.”
“Yes, I did.”
“You’ve never gotten upset about that before. You’ve disagreed openly, but you’ve never shut me out before.” Gerard was looking at him as though Adam were someone he didn’t recognize.
“I suppose they weren’t real to me,” Adam replied.
“What do you mean by that?” Gerard asked; he looked like something had clicked into place in his mind. “You’ve fallen for someone, then?”
“She’s an absolute angel,” Adam said, happy to confirm.
“Who is it?”
“At the moment, I can’t say,” Adam replied. “I don’t know if she’ll have me.”
“Well,” Gerard said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Then, to Adam’s surprise. “That’s a shame.”
“She knows that the odds are stacked against her, given the difference in our stations” Adam mused. “But I would marry her, anyway.”
“She’s not a peer?” Gerard’s eyes widened. Adam smiled and nodded. “You’re in love with her?”
Adam nodded, smiling. “Very much.”
Gerard smiled. “I’m happy for you then, and I hope that it works out as you want it to.”
Adam raised his glass. Gerard clinked his own against Adam’s. The two friends sat in silence for a few moments. Adam felt content. He was warm and dry, and he had a glass of good brandy. His best friend and he had come to some sort of a peace agreement.
Gerard was the first to break the silence. “How is the invention coming along? Or have you been too busy chasing your lady love?” Gerard quirked an eyebrow teasingly.
“I’ve finished it at last,” Adam said, pleased to give a good report. “I’ve just dropped it off with Mr. Hunt and Mr. Blanville this afternoon. They are going to start testing it immediately. I should know by the end of the week whether or not it will be a success.”
“This calls for some champagne!” Gerard said, beaming at him. He raised his hand, trying to get the attention of the barkeep.
Adam sat back in his seat. It was good to be back on friendly terms with Gerard. He wouldn’t admit it, but he’d missed him over the past few days.
Adam didn’t like fighting with his friends and family. He hated it. But in order to become the person that he wanted to be, he was going to have to stick to his principles.
Champagne was brought, and Gerard held up his glass. He was beaming at Adam proudly. A celebration was due.
“Here’s to you, my friend. The famous inventor!”
Adam clinked his glass against Gerard’s, then they both drank. The champagne was very good. It was sweet, with a little bit of a bite. It went down Adam’s throat as easily as water.
“Do you think that it will work in other industries, as well?” Gerard asked, curiously. “Like you said that it would?”
“It could, yes.” Adam knew what was coming next. He steeled himself. He knew that Gerard wouldn’t understand what he had already decided.
“Are you going to release your invention to the public, then?”
Adam thought for a moment, allowing himself to really consider it. “Not at the moment,” he said.
“Why? When it would make you so much money—” Gerard’s eyes were wide. Adam realized that this was the thing that Gerard wouldn’t understand.
“I want to be certain that it works before I do so.” He shrugged, smiling sadly.
“You have to.” Gerard was insistent. He drank down the rest of his champagne, setting the empty glass down. He quickly refilled it, and then topped off Adam’s.
“No. I don’t,” Adam explained, eying his overfilled glass. “That’s the thing. I don’t have to do a blessed thing, until I’m ready.”
Gerard stared at him. “You’ve lost your mind.”
“On the contrary, I understand myself much better now. I want to be absolutely certain.”
“Adam! Think of the money and the renown! You’ll be known as the gentleman who changed British manufacturing! Think of what you could do—you could start up a serious lab!”
Adam shook his head. “No. That’s not what I want.” He had his own lab, in his own home. He didn’t want to oversee anyone else. He didn’t want to be bothered.
“None of it?” Gerard was leaning forward. His mouth hung agape.
“None of it.” Adam made a slight shake of his head, then brought his glass to his lips. He took a small sip of the champagne.
“You’ve taken leave of your senses!” Gerard said, taking a large gulp. He was drinking his champagne very fast. It was almost unseemly.
“As a matter-of-fact, I think I’ve only just found them.” Adam couldn’t understand why Gerard—who had known him for his entire life—was so surprised. Adam had never wanted any of it. They had spoken of their ambitions on many occasions.
“Listen,” Gerard urged, lowering his voice and leaning in. “Percival Sullyard has approached me. He says that if you will release the plans to the public, then he will pay you a hefty sum.”
Adam wondered when and why Gerard had been talking to Mr. Sullyard. Gerard knew how much Adam disliked him.
“Then that’s even better,” Adam said. “I’ll be keeping my hard work out of Mr. Sullyard’s hands. That, I call a success.”
Gerard made a strangled-sounding laugh. He looked away from Adam. He shook his head, his eyes travelling the room.
Adam glanced at his watch. He needed to be off—Susannah would be going up to the lab, soon. He couldn’t bear another moment agonizing over whether she wanted him or not. He needed to know for certain.
“I have to go.” Adam stood up.
“Please consider what I’ve said,” Gerard implored him.
“I will,” he replied. “But I highly doubt that I’ll change my mind.” He placed his hat on his head and walked across the room. He paused at the bar where he paid his tab. As he did so, he could feel Gerard, watching him from across the room.
He left, walking out to where his carriage waited. His mind was already on Susannah.
Chapter 20
Susannah was cleaning the lab; she was alone. The worktable was empty for the first time in a long while. She scrubbed at its scarred and stained surface with renewed vigor. Her arm moved in circles, attempting to get it at least somewhat clean.
She had been cleaning the lab alone for the past few nights. Lord Malmore, as promised, had left her be. Without Lord Malmore in the lab, she was very aware of his absence. It was so quiet. The atmosphere of the room was calm, entirely lacking in that electric pulse that appeared whenever he was there. She cleaned quickly, focused on getting the task done, so she could get into bed. Emotionally and physically, she was spent.
She heard the sound of footsteps in the hall. She thought nothing of it until they stopped just outside of the door. There was a soft tap, as whomever it was knocked.
She looked up to find Lord Malmore there. She straightened, curtsying to him. She raised her eyes, daring to meet his gaze. She had missed him over the past few days. She waited for him to say something. As the servant, she needed to wait until spoken to, although she didn’t know what she would say otherwise.
“Lord Malmore,” she murmured; her voice barely audible. Her heart was racing. She couldn’t think of what to say after all that had passed between them. He had said that he would leave her alone, yet here he was.
Her eyes went to his lips as she recalled their kiss. She could feel a blush creeping into her cheeks. In spite of herself, she wanted him to kiss her again. The silence stretched between them. It was charged with emotion. Their eyes locked.
“Are you well?” he asked, hesitantly as he finally broke their silence.
“As well as can be expected.” She didn’t want to talk about that day, what Lucy had told her. She wished that she could forget all of it.
“What happened?” he asked, as always, discerning that something was wrong.
“People talk,” she said, keeping it vague on purpose. She wouldn’t be the one to reveal Mr. Fort for what he truly was. “Sometimes, they say things that aren’t kind.”
He nodded and sighed heavily. “I’m sorry to hear that.” He stood there, his eyes on the floor. He seemed unsure of himself. He ran his fingers through his hair. She detected a furrow in his brow. Her heart beat faster, as she wondered what was the matter.
“Is something wrong, My Lord?” she asked, changing the conversation. He, too, seemed upset. She would much rather discuss what ailed him. She didn’t know if she could bear it if she cried in front of him.
“I just got back from my gentlemen’s club,” he explained. “Ger—Lord Wrentbour and I were talking about my invention, and how I can help companies boost their production if I release it to the public. He was telling me that my rival, Mr. Percival Sullyard, has approached him.”
“You’ve never mentioned Mr. Sullyard before, My Lord,” she said.
He looked at her, and she felt that electric force, pulling her toward him. “I haven’t?”
She shook her head, leaning back against the counter. He sighed, entering the lab at last. He closed the door after him, and then crossed to the other side of the room. She noted that he was keeping his distance from her, as promised and she relaxed a little.
“He’s been my rival, ever since we were at Oxford,” he explained. “He once completely destroyed my lab at All Souls.” He shook his head, running his fingers through his hair in agitation. “Recently, Mr. Sullyard approached Lord Wrentbour and asked him to persuade me to sell my invention—make it available to everyone as soon as possible.”
“You’ve already decided not to, though?” she asked, knowing the answer before he even said it.
“Yes. After all, I don’t need the money or the renown. I’m not yet ready to send my invention out into the world. It’s only just gone into the first stage of testing. I want nothing more than to help others, but it’s simply not time.”
“Then don’t do it.” She understood. His goals weren’t to gain anything. It was simply enough to make certain that his invention was successful.
He smiled at her, his eyes softening. “I knew you’d understand.”
She looked down at the floor. She could feel his eyes on her. Her cheeks warmed as she blushed. Susannah tried to think of something to say, but she could come up with nothing. She ached to be in his arms, but she was also very aware that she could never have that.
“I have to tell you something,” he said. She glanced up at him, her heart beginning to race as their eyes met. That electric charge between them made her skin tingle. “I can’t stop thinking about you. And our kiss the other night.”
I can’t stop thinking about it, either.
She didn’t know what to say. She froze as he crossed the room and then got down on his knee, taking her hands in both of his. For a second, she was afraid, but when she looked into his eyes, they were soft.
“I want to marry you, Susannah,” he said. “If you’ll have me, then I will spend the rest of my life endeavoring to make you happy.”
“What about—everyone else? Society? The ton?” She didn’t think she had it in her to fight all of them. Things would never be so simple. There would always be her lesser status standing in the way of their happiness.
“They don’t matter. I could live the rest of my life without them.” He was still holding both of her hands in his. His skin was warm against hers. His palms were calloused. She wanted to say yes. More than anything. But she had to think reasonably.
“They’ll try to stop us.”
“Let them try,” he said, pressing her hands in his. She wanted to say yes. Susannah wanted to marry him. There would be a fight, of course. His parents would be angry. And for what? She wasn’t anyone special. She was merely a maid…a vicar’s daughter from Lidcote…and he was an Earl. They were from two different worlds. She could never hope to ascend to his level.
Is it really so simple as he believes? Can he really just marry me?
* * *
I wish I knew what she’s thinking right now.
Adam remained there on bended knee. She was thinking, considering it. He knew that she thought that there was something wrong about all of this. But it wasn’t. It was all simple. He had enough money that he could do as he pleased.
“Please, Susannah. I love you,” he said, meaning every word. “Will you marry me?”
A slow smile spread across her face, causing her eyes to light up. “You love me? Truly?” He could see tears, welling up in her eyes.
“Truly, I do.” He had never said the words to anyone before. They were both beaming at each other. He knew, even before she said it.
“Then, yes. I will marry you, Lord Malmore.”
“Lord Malmore! Surely, you won’t call me that all our lives!” Lord Malmore wouldn’t do. He couldn’t bear it. Not from Susannah. “Please, my dear, call me Adam.”
“Adam.” His name on her lips was the sweetest sound he’d ever heard. He stood, pulling her to him. He pressed his lips to hers. The kiss was searching, then it deepened. He placed his hand on her cheek.
This time, she didn’t run from him. She stayed, kissing him back with as much fervor as he kissed her. It was perfect in every way. Adam’s heart raced. His whole body was alive with her touch. Her hand rested on his chest, just over his heart. Gently, he placed a hand on her waist, drawing her closer to him.
When he finally pulled away, she was smiling up at him. She wasn’t going to run away this time. There was no fear in her eyes. She was his Susannah. Forever.
“When—when?” she asked breathlessly. Her cheeks were bright red, her lips swollen from his kiss.
“Soon. Very soon,” he promised. “I at least owe it to my parents to tell them before it happens.” She nodded, though she looked terrified. “Not to worry. They’ll love you.” He was sure of it. As soon as they got over the shock that she was his maid. He would have to break the news gently, of course.
“When will you tell them?” she asked.
“From the tone of their letters, they’re on their way here for the Season. They mean to have me find a wife.” He laughed. She looked horrified, so he quickly reassured her. “How surprised they’ll be when I assure them that I’ve already found one.”
She smiled at him. She seemed to remember herself. She glanced around at the lab, toward the worktable, where her cleaning rag still sat. “I have—have to finish cleaning.”
“Leave it,” he said, his fingers under her chin, lifting her lips to his. He placed his other hand on her back, pulling her to him. His lips drank her in. His mind was full of her—her smile, her taste, the soft moan that she made when he kissed her so thoroughly. It was everything that he had wanted, for the past few weeks.
Her lips parted, and he dipped his tongue into her mouth, running it along her teeth. Desire flashed through the pit of his stomach. As he kissed her, he placed his hands on her hips, picking her up off her feet, then setting her on the counter. As he did so, he pushed his papers out of the way. She grinned at him. He wrapped his arms around her, then kissed her again.
He pulled away, opening his eyes to look at her. Her hair was mussed, and he gently pushed it back with a finger. She leaned into his touch. Even that movement was perfect to him, it felt new.
Lured Into Sin By The Wicked Earl (Steamy Historical Regency Romance) Page 16