Leah gasped. Maura hadn’t shared the information with the others?
Taygete frowned. “I think I recognize some words. Perhaps you can say it again Maura? More slowly?”
“Why is she speaking in Spanish at all?” Sophia asked with a small thump on the table. “I want to hear it in English.”
“No.” Leah caught Maura’s eyes. “It is not your secret to tell.” It was Julius’.
“But somehow you’re involved?” Maura narrowed her eyes, and it was an expression Leah had never seen on the woman’s face. Was that possession?
Leah didn’t know what do but said the only thing that came to mind. “They deserve to tell you on your own. You shouldn’t hear it from me.”
“But—”
Leah cut Lorena off with a look. “You will want to hear this from your husbands.”
That made everyone silent.
Lorena leaned away and sighed. “I fear you are right.” But she didn’t look pleased with the matter.
“How do you know about it?” Maura asked.
“I can’t say,” Leah said. “And I’d rather not lie to you about it.”
The women watched her.
Sophia frowned. “It’s not fair.”
“Indeed.” Alice sipped her tea. “But perhaps I know another secret.” She smiled.
“What?” Genie asked anxiously.
Alice looked at everyone. “The men plan to tell us tomorrow night.”
Everyone sighed.
Lorena asked. “How do you know?”
Alice’s cheeks pinked as she put down her cup. “I have my way of drawing things out of Calvin.”
“And what ways would those be?” Sophia asked.
And to Leah’s slight mortification, Alice gave details with enough power to burn Leah’s flesh right off her bones. But then there was laughter and much of it. For the next hour, the women asked her not a single question; they simply allowed her to belong.
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CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
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Letter sent from Eton
March 1800
Tally,
My father says I can visit Julius again this summer, and though I hate his mother’s prune and currant pudding, it means we can play together. Unless you don’t wish to. I promise I’ll be gentle and never hurt you again. Will you forgive me? Please?
Your Liam
* * *
Reply from Quigley House
March 1800
Liam,
Come to my house upon your arrival, and I will decide whether I forgive you. Perhaps I’ll make you eat a whole bowl of prune and current pudding. Would you do it if I promised to forgive you?
Natalia
* * *
Letter sent from Eton
March 1800
My Queen,
Anything for you.
William
William was on his way to the breakfast room when his path became blocked by his sister, who seemed to enjoy catching him unaware. Naomi slipped from the sitting room with a ready smile, her white teeth stark against her bronze skin. “Are you on your way to get your Mrs. Wells? I truly wish to meet her.” Dark eyes held his anxiously. While William had managed to inherit many of their English father’s looks, Naomi was clearly Roma. Her skin and eyes were an exact reflection of his mother’s, giving her an exotic look compared to the English.
And while their family had been loved by the locals, outside of their village, Naomi had found the world not so kind. The Roma were known for trespassing and there was nothing an Englishman thought more secret than his land. William had protected her from the worst that Society had to offer and would have done so even if he had to do so for the rest of his life, but he’d been glad when, at nineteen, she’d found love. The man was English through and through and thought the world of his sister and the three children she’d borne him during the last six years of their marriage.
Naomi lived not far from here but had come over that morning to meet Leah after hearing about her from their grandmother.
That was a fact that William thought strange, since he’d made sure that any mention of Mrs. Wells in his letters home had been clear of any of the great emotions he felt for her. How Mercy had turned a simple interview into something more, he’d never know, or how she’d convince William’s mother, Regina, of the fact as well.
And last night, he’d been unable to refute their teasing when he’d met with his family. He’d not explained the depths of his heart to them where Leah was concerned, since he’d yet to explain them to Leah herself, but by the time he’d left the sitting room the Tift family had gathered in, they’d all been looking forward to meeting Leah.
At the thought of Leah being caught off guard by his family’s openness and Naomi’s need to know everything before anyone else, he’d smiled, believing it the best form of revenge for Leah’s trick with the collapsing chair and the water that had been dumped on his head.
Yet the woman in question had avoided breakfast, to his parents’ great despair. His father and mother had gone to the village to visit with friends and he had the feeling that his grandmother was lurking in the halls somewhere, but it didn’t surprise him at all that Naomi had decided to remain close. She clearly intended to be the first to meet Leah.
Naomi had met the Spinsters that morning and, as he’d expected, the women had welcomed her into their fold with open arms while gaining her expert advice on child rearing.
His thoughts returned to Leah as the door to the breakfast room was opened and the women poured out. He could barely hear what they were talking about, for his thoughts were focused on finding Leah. She emerged last and straight away her eyes found his. Their gazes held fast and, in a blink, William knew he was exposed. Open in a way that was dangerous. If any man had wished for his death in that instant, they could have taken him, for Leah had rendered him immobile.
She smiled and started in his direction, but her eyes moved to Naomi as his sister placed her arm in his.
Leah stopped before them both, and William did the introductions before his sister thought to do them herself. “Mrs. Leah Wells, this is my sister, Mrs. Naomi Carman.”
“Welcome,” Naomi told her with a bright smile. “I know the Spinsters have many plans for the day, but I do so hope that you’ll make time for me.”
Leah’s eyes flickered wide before she softened them a moment later. “Oh, of course.” There was only the barest hint of a French accent now. He’d noticed it lessening over time and had begun to wonder if she’d been putting it on all along. But why would she have done such a thing? Was being French also part of her act? He’d never wondered at that part of the elaborate character she was playing until now. He was still stuck on finding out her true last name. Perhaps it wasn’t French at all. Perhaps it was something else. English?
“Excellent.” Naomi took her hand. “Our grandmother would like to meet you now as well.”
“Now? Your grand…” Leah looked at William with open fear as Naomi started down the hall with her.
William gave her no aid and instead, allowed his grin to widen. If she’d thought the interview the Spinster’s had given her brutal, she was not prepared for Mercy, who was known to have very little mercy for anyone but William.
Leah narrowed her eyes at William then turned forward.
He followed, anxious to see how this would play out. For weeks, he’d been unable to uncover any details about her, but hopefully, where he'd failed, Mercy would succeed.
Naomi was telling Leah about their childhood in another village not far from here when they started up the staircase in the west wing, the side where only family resided. “Our lives were vastly different from what they are now. William went to Eton and Oxford, because the town decided to sponsor him.”
Leah’s turned to him. “Is that so?”
He nodded and wondered why his sister was sharing this information, not that he found it humiliating in the least. That his town had thought so highly of him made him ever grateful, and he’d made her return the favor in full.
“He now sponsors boys from the village himself,” Naomi grinned. “The town, Society, and even the king thinks him a hero.”
Leah held his eyes, and she purposefully licked her lower lip. “Yes,” she whispered. “He’s quite heroic.”
William’s stomach tightened and he turned to Naomi. “Why are you telling her this?”
“Why not?” his sister asked meekly.
At the top, Leah finally asked, “Perhaps introductions to your grandmother can wait for dinner.”
“Oh, no,” Naomi said. “My grandmother wishes to meet you immediately.”
“Is there a particular reason for that?” Leah bravely asked.
“Because you’re important to my brother,” she replied in a way that said the answer was clear.
Leah stopped walking and turned to William again. “I am?” There was wonder and fear in her features.
In answer, he took her hand and placed it on his arm. “Come. My grandmother likely has a million questions for any woman I’ve felt inclined to bring around them.” And that was likely what this had been about from the beginning for him. Why had he chosen to bring her here when he could have successfully trapped Mrs. Wells anywhere else? The answer was clear. He didn’t plan on letting her go.
What man in his right mind would? Naomi had called him a hero, but it was Leah who was the true hero. Pride and self held no place where the needs of the unfortunate were concerned and, even still, Julius had somehow found her favor and she’d risked her life—and her reputation with her lies—all to bring Sarah Douglas’ game to an end.
She was smart, fascinating, playful, and the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. He didn’t even care if one day he learned there was little hair under that wig she wore. He’d never stop wanting her. He’d been won over with less than a smile. It was the vicious heart that beat inside this woman that sealed their fate.
But such things were meant to be discussed alone.
Leah swallowed, and her cheeks pinked, her hands tightened on his arm, but her gaze fell away. “William…”
He turned to Naomi. “Go and join our grandmother. I’ll be there in a moment.”
Naomi spun away and disappeared behind a door that was only a short distance away. Then William turned to Leah.
“Are you all right?” he asked her.
“I’m important to you?” she asked with far too much wonder in her golden eyes.
When he dipped his head, her lips lifted to his and the kiss quickly erupted into the need for more. Yet William felt fuller than ever before with this woman in his arms and complete in a way that was startling, new, and far too pleasant for words.
Her hands slipped behind his neck and into his hair.
His fingers spread on her lower back and pulled her close enough that he was certain she could feel the beating testament of his need for her, the very part of him that wanted to be buried deep inside her.
She came up like a drowning woman and pulled in air. Her fingers locked on his shoulders. “If I don’t have you again soon, I’ll go mad.”
William’s vision blurred even as his veins caught on fire. It felt as if some important barrier had been broken. Thoughts of her body under his, over his, her nails in his skin, her angry cries of pleasure… If she thought she would go mad if they didn’t bed soon, then William was certain he’d already gone mad. He’d been made for her from the very first. “Tonight.”
Leah leaned forward and kissed him gently, from his chin to his neck, before pulling away. “Perhaps…” She sighed.
He lifted her chin and caught her eyes. “Perhaps?” Those words did not seem encouraging.
She lifted a brow. “Oh, it’s hard to know when I’ve a meeting with your grandmother to worry about.” Her eyes made her meaning very clear. This was her own wicked revenge. “This was all so very unplanned.” She turned to move away.
He spun her and pressed her chest against the wall. She gasped with her hands braced at her sides, and William stepped forward, pressing his chest into her back and nuzzling his cock between the lovely cheeks of her bottom. She shivered, and he placed his hands on her hips to keep himself upright. The pleasure of just that touch almost sent him over the edge.
The primal part of him, the wild and savage thing that lived inside him, threatened to take hold, and William knew if he shifted just right, he’d find bliss in seconds. Without even touching her skin, William was sure that Leah could undo him.
But he did love her skin. Leaning closer, he bit and kissed her ear.
She stifled a moan and had the audacity to rub herself back against him in the most erotic way.
He cursed and flew to the other side of the hall. Another moment of that and he’d have come in his breeches. “Devil woman.”
She turned and smiled at him. “I think your grandmother has been waiting long enough, don’t you?” She started off again, but he caught her hand and waited for their eyes to meet once more before he spoke.
“You’re important to me.”
Leah closed her eyes, but when they opened again, William wasn’t sure what he was seeing. He hoped it was the offering of her heart.
For now, he would accept her hand in his as he led her to meet his grandmother.
They entered the room together, and Leah tightened her hold on him before she began to let him go, but his hand on hers stopped her from retreating as they faced Mercy.
His grandmother’s skin was the color of fresh wheat, a golden hue that grew warmer in the sun, but her eyes were dark and endless and seemed all-knowing as she sat in the center of the room positioned in a bright green wingback chair as though it were a throne. She was dressed in a gray gown so pale that it should have muted her skin tone, but instead, Mercy was as vivid a creature as always.
Lean and strong, she offered them both a soft smile before turning her eyes to Leah.
“Mrs. Mercy Padureani,” William began. “I would like to intro—”
“Let her introduce herself to me.” Mercy’s voice cut like a knife, and her ever-sharp gaze remained on Leah. No custom or English curtsey stood a chance with Mercy, a Roma woman who often told William that his wealth had caged her. Like their ancestors, she’d been a wanderer, but she had stopped when William had procured the house. He and his mother had begged her to stay with the family and she had.
From where William’s hand rested on Leah, he could feel her pulse race.
And like everyone else in the room, he silently waited for her reply.
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CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
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How many times in the last year had Leah been asked this simple question? And yet, with William’s grandmother, Leah felt like lying to this woman would damn her soul forever. Which was ridiculous, since she’d been lying for years.
Though, more recently, she’d begun to think that Natalia Hext was dead. She’d died eighteen years ago, for that was the last time she’d ever used the name. After that, she’d become Leah Morel. She, her mother, and brother had all taken on a common English name and used what funds they’d had to gain documents that fit.
But when Sarah’s blackmailing had pulled her from France, she’d known how strict the English could be about a single woman and decided to fabricate a husband. And once she’d decided to move into the Spinster’s Home, it had been easy to craft her tale to whatever would benefit her most.
But none of it seemed right where this Roma woman was concerned, and part of Leah thought that even if she did lie, the woman would know. Why did that bother Leah more than ever before?
Because every day she spent with Wi
lliam made it hard for her to imagine a day without him. And she’d decided that if she could have him, she would take him.
She’d have to discuss this decision with her brother, of course, who had also come on the trip, but who she still hadn’t spoken to since that night at Sarah’s, though she’d readily forgiven him that same night. She just hadn’t told him yet. Still, Lorenzo’s future would be changed by her decision as well, so it was only fair to speak to him.
Leah turned to Mercy and gave her the only answer she could, “I’m Mrs. Leah Wells.” She curtsied. “It’s lovely to meet you.”
“Is it?’ Mercy asked with a cool arched brow.
Leah’s stomach flipped.
“Grandmother,” William said with a slight growl, but it was gentle, like that of a cub speaking to its mother. He, too, seemed to humble himself before this woman, and that worried Leah even more.
Mercy smiled. “Come and sit. Tell me about yourself.”
William opened his mouth to speak, but his grandmother cut him off.
“Liam may remain, but if you intend to continue to interrupt our discussion, you’ll be asked to leave. Am I understood?”
He bowed his head as he sat with Leah. “Yes, Grandmother.” A small smile played on his irresistible mouth. Leah was suddenly flooded with the memory of what that mouth had done to her just a few minutes ago. She blinked and turned away before she could be caught.
Too late, it seemed. Not only was Mercy watching, but so was Naomi, who’d taken a seat opposite her and William.
Leah started speaking immediately and told the same version of her story that she’d have told anyone else. The words came easy, but her pulse and stomach would not settle. Her mouth became dry when she came to the part about living in the Spinster Home.
Natalia’s Secret Spinster’s Society (The Spinster’s Society) (A Regency Romance Book) Page 18