The Wisdom of Madness

by C. J. Archer

  Seth turned away from the window. "Because…because…Blaine and Markell don't have Alice's best interests at heart, only Wonderland's."

  "Blaine, maybe, but not Markell. Have you seen the way he looks at her? I reckon he'd follow her back to England if she wanted to go home."

  Seth had to agree. Markell wouldn't force Alice to rule if it wasn't what she wanted. He was almost sure of it.

  Gus clasped his hands behind his head. "That bother you?"

  "Not as much as it once would have." Seth picked up the tankard the maid had brought up earlier only to find it empty. Probably just as well. The brew here was strong and he preferred to keep his wits about him when his life was at stake. Getting drunk these days was reserved for special occasions, like Charlie's wedding, and drowning his misery after seeing his mother wink at Cook.

  "So you ain't in love with Alice no more?" Gus asked.

  "I doubt I ever was. Love doesn't just come and go, Gus. True love lasts forever."

  Gus snorted. "You sound like a poet."

  Seth sat and stretched out his legs. "Perhaps I should write a poetry book. I know a publisher who'd print it. It could sell a fortune based on my reputation alone.”

  Gus sat up. "You could make it known that you wrote about your past lovers. They'll all buy it to see if they recognize themselves in it. You'd make a bleeding fortune, Seth."

  Seth laughed. The idea was equal parts appalling and appealing.

  "You'd have to leave Lady Harcourt out of it." Gus pulled a face. "That wouldn't be love poetry anyway, more like a tragedy."

  Seth groaned. "You had to bring her up." Of all the women he'd been with, he regretted that affair the most. She had been a selfish creature who wanted to be the most exquisite woman at any party, and when she no longer was, she'd turned nasty.

  "'A wasp by any other name would…still sting?'" Gus offered.

  "Your poetry is as beautiful as your face." Seth smiled and Gus threw a pillow at him.

  Seth caught it and threw it back, glad to see his friend smiling too.

  "Do you think she loved Buchanan?" Gus asked.

  Seth shook his head. "She wasn't capable of love. He, however, was completely under her spell. I wonder how it would have worked out if they hadn't died."

  "The world's a better place without them. It gives you a position on the ministry committee and all."

  "Not that I can do much stuck here." Seth stood to look out the window again and saw only two figures remaining in the shadows by the roses. From their height, he knew they were Markell and Alice. Blaine was nowhere to be seen.

  Luckily Markell kept his hands to himself. Seth wasn't sure what he'd do if Markell tried to take advantage of Alice. On the one hand, he ought to defend her honor and dignity. On the other, she would probably welcome a kiss from the advisor.

  "What do you think everyone's doing at home right now?" Gus mused from the bed.

  Seth thought they'd probably be worrying about their friends in Wonderland but he didn't say. "I know what Charlie and Lincoln will be doing. As to the rest, my mother and Cook are probably flirting." Seth screwed up his nose and forced that image aside. "And Leisl will be peering into her crystal ball."

  "Do you think they miss us?"

  "Of course. Who wouldn't miss us? We're the life of the party."

  Gus chuckled. "I wish there was a way to get word to them that we're alive."

  "Leisl might be able to see something. Her children are here, after all."

  Gus rolled to his side, crooked his elbow, and propped his head up. "What do you think about Eva?"

  Seth leaned back against the window frame and crossed his arms. "Why?"

  "No need to glare at me like that." Gus rolled onto his back again.

  "I wasn't glaring."

  "You were."

  "Why would I glare?"

  "Because she's a woman and you haven't bedded her yet."

  Is that what Gus thought of him? As a scoundrel who had to have every woman who crossed his path? Is that what everyone thought of him?

  Gus sighed. "Sorry. I didn't mean it. You've changed, Seth. You ain't like that no more. I blame Lady H for putting you off bedding as many women as you can."

  Seth tried to think of a clever retort but nothing came to mind.

  "Charlie changed you too," Gus added.

  "I have not bedded Charlie, and do not start that rumor back at Lichfield unless you want to see my face ruined by one jealous husband."

  "I didn't mean that. I meant she looks up to you and that made you clean up your act. You didn't want to disappoint her."

  Seth rolled his eyes. "So you're a philosopher now."

  "Always have been but you never listened. Let me tell you something else I philosophied about."

  "Philosophized."

  "You need a woman again. It's been a while."

  A light tap on the door interrupted Seth's laughter. "Don't lose that thought," he said, rising to answer it. "I want you to define need."

  Lady Oxana stood with her hand resting on the doorframe, her gown unlaced to reveal her cleavage, and her hair unbound. Heat banked in her eyes as she slowly raked her gaze over Seth. He wished he'd kept his shirt on.

  "Lady Oxana," he said. "Is there something we can do for you?" He winced. That sounded like an invitation.

  "There certainly is." Her fingers skimmed over the swell of her breasts.

  He tracked their progress, somewhat stunned at her brazenness.

  "Do you like what you see?" she murmured.

  She wasn't a voluptuous woman but she had a sensual figure. He'd remarked to Gus earlier that Lord Quellery and his sister looked nothing alike. She was slender where he was fat, her skin tight where his was loose. But that had never been something Seth cared about. Indeed, he never cared what his women looked like. He'd slept with all shapes and sizes, not preferring one over the other. He did have one important rule—that he liked them. That was why he stopped waiting for Julia to resume their affair. Her façade had slipped to the point where he saw the rotten foundations behind it

  Of course, that rule only mattered when he had a choice in his partner. In that strange time of his life when he would auction himself in the very private clubs and salons, he'd broken his rule on several occasions. Not that every winning bidder had been unlikeable, but he'd done things he hadn't enjoyed on occasion. That had, after all, been why the bids went so high.

  But those days were over. And this woman wasn't bidding.

  She planted both hands on his chest, curling her fingers inward, pricking him with her nails. Then she pushed him back into the room. "Do you want to touch me?"

  Gus cleared his throat. "Want me to go, Seth?"

  "Yes," Lady Oxana said.

  "Stay," Seth commanded.

  "You want him to watch?" Oxana's mouth curled at the edges. Her smile was as sharp as her fingernails. "Is that how it is in your world? Very well, let him stay. I don't mind, as long as he doesn't come near me." She cupped Seth between his legs. He backed away. He'd met brazen women before, but they'd all bought the wares before touching it.

  "Come now," she cooed, "you don't seem like the shy type. Come here and let's play. We don't have much time."

  "I think not," he said. "Please leave."

  "No."

  He was so taken aback, he didn't know what to say.

  "You're beautiful." She stroked a fingernail down his cheek. Seth swayed out of her reach but she simply stepped forward and clasped his arms. "So strong." She squeezed.

  He backed away again and appealed to Gus for help. Gus merely shrugged.

  Lady Oxana followed him until he smacked into the wall. She pressed herself against him, trapping him. The light from the candles flickered in her eyes, making it look as if she was on fire.

  "I want you." Her tongue darted across her lower lip and her breathing came in ragged gasps. "And I will have you."

  He shoved her away. "I don't want to offend, Lady Oxana, so please don't conti
nue."

  Her gown slipped off one shoulder, revealing more of her breast, but she did not rearrange herself. Indeed, she pushed her chest out ever so slightly. He focused on her mouth.

  She smiled. "I will have you."

  "I'm afraid not."

  "Think again. You see…" She stroked his chest from his collar bone to the band of his trousers. He did not back down, would not show weakness. Somehow he managed to suppress the shiver that threatened to give him away. "I want you, Seth, and you need me."

  Need. Seth was getting annoyed with everyone thinking he needed to always have a woman waiting for him. He could cope very well without one, particularly this one. She made Julia look like a mouse. "You're mistaken," he said.

  "I think not." Her smile was slick. "Your friend the princess needs my brother's army, and my brother adores me. He gives me whatever I want. If you deny me tonight then I will tell him that you offended me. He'll be furious and will withhold the army until you agree to spend the night with me." Her fingers walked up his chest to his chin. She tapped it. "So you'll do whatever I want you to do."

  The floor shifted beneath Seth's feet and he reached behind him to grab hold of the window frame. It was happening again. He thought he'd escaped that life forever, left it behind when Lincoln employed him. But Lincoln couldn't save him now.

  "You're mad," he said. "You'd jeopardize the plans of revolution to lie with a man who doesn't want you?"

  "You'll want me. Just wait and see."

  He swallowed. "I don't believe your brother would ruin everything. Not for this."

  "Shall we put it to the test now?" She grabbed his hand.

  He snatched it away.

  Her lips hardened and her smile withered. "It'll be worse for you the longer you resist. I'll make sure of that. I'll speak to my brother tonight. I'm sure he'll want to hear how the princess's friend upset his dear sister." She turned to go. "I will have you, Seth."

  "You can't," Gus blurted out. Seth wasn't sure when his friend had got off the bed. He stood by the door, not blocking it, but looking very much like a dog guarding his territory.

  "Why not?" Lady Oxana asked mildly.

  "Because he's married."

  Seth's brows shot up. A pulse jumped in Lady Oxana's throat as she turned to Seth. He shrugged one shoulder. He wasn't sure Gus's trick would put her off, but Seth was more than willing to try. He needed to get out of the damned corner she'd backed him into.

  "In our world, if a man lies with another woman when he's already married, the law'll cut his bollocks off." Gus indicated his nether regions.

  "So?" Lady Oxana sniffed. "Who will tell his wife? Surely not you, his friend."

  "She'll just know," Gus said with a glance toward the door.

  Lady Oxana followed his gaze. "It's that dark haired girl, isn't it? Eva. Why didn't you say?" she asked Seth. "And why aren't you two in the same room?"

  "We thought it best if she stays with Alice," Seth said, without thinking it through. "For protection."

  "You think someone would harm the princess? Here?"

  "One can never be too careful. Anyway, Eva's a very capable bodyguard. She's excellent with knives. If the law back home didn't cut off my plums for sleeping with another woman, she certainly would. Since I rather like my parts where they are, and I adore my wife, then I'm afraid I'll have to decline your offer." He strode past her and opened the door. He stepped into the corridor to encourage her to follow. "Good night, Lady Oxana."

  She did indeed follow him into the corridor, but didn't leave. She stood toe to toe with him, the sickly floral scent she used sticking in his throat. It was hard to breathe. "You'd better not be lying, Seth. If I find you are, not only will my brother be furious, but you and pretty little Eva will see how I treat those who lie to me."

  She marched off, her gown snapping at her heels with each stride. Seth blew out a breath and was about to head inside when he caught sight of a movement in the opposite direction to the way Lady Oxana had gone. Eva stood there, her eyes wide. She wore a green dress that hugged her figure from shoulder to hip then fell loosely to the floor. He liked the way it revealed her feminine shape. Her usual attire smoothed out her curves, but this outfit enhanced them. It was very fetching on her.

  "Eva," he said as she turned to go. "Wait."

  She fixed her gaze on his cheek. It was hard and unwavering as if she was trying not to look elsewhere. Like his bare chest? He smiled and crossed his arms in a pose he knew showed off his muscles. Her cheeks flushed. He should lower his arms but decided against it for now. He rather liked how she seemed all hot and bothered by him.

  "Yes?" she said breathily.

  "I…" What had he been going to say? "I like that dress."

  "Oh. Thank you. What did Lady Oxana want?"

  So she had seen. The question was, how much? He opened his mouth to lie, to tell her she wanted nothing from him, that she was just seeing if they were settled. But he found he didn't want to. What did it matter if Eva knew the truth?

  "She wanted a liaison with me. I told her no."

  Her lips parted in a silent gasp. Was she surprised at Lady Oxana's brazenness, or that Seth revealed it? "Why did you refuse?"

  He hadn't expected that question. "She's of no interest to me." He searched her face, looking for any of the anger lingering from their discussion on the road to Quellery Castle. He still wasn't sure what it had been about, or why she was upset with him. He just knew he hadn't liked it. He'd spent the rest of the journey thinking of ways to get her to laugh again but he'd given up. She wouldn't even look at him.

  Now here she was, outside his room. Had she come looking for him?

  "Did you want to speak to me about something?" he asked.

  Her gaze lowered then snapped quickly back up to his face. He bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself smiling. "Alice went out and hasn't returned," she said.

  "She's outside with Markell."

  "Alone?"

  He nodded. "You think we should worry about them being alone together?"

  "Don't you?"

  He shook his head. "I trust Markell." He did, he realized. The man seemed very upstanding, and Seth was an excellent judge of character.

  "Oh," was all Eva said.

  "Good, you found her," whispered Gus from behind him. Seth hadn't heard his friend approach. "Come with us, Eva. We have to talk."

  Gus led Eva back to their room while Seth walked behind, admiring the way the fabric of her dress swayed with her hips. Gus shut the door and directed Eva to sit.

  She frowned. "You both look odd. What's wrong?"

  "Lady Oxana was just here," Gus said. "She wanted Seth to…" He whistled. "You know."

  "Seth just told me. I saw her walk away, so it seems she's given up."

  "It wasn't easy," Gus went on. "She was determined."

  "How did you convince her?"

  "We lied," Seth said. "And I'm sorry to say we dragged you into the lie." He held up his hands in surrender. "I'm not proud of it, but it was all we could think of at the time." She was looking at him with a very odd expression he couldn't quite decipher. "I could have agreed to her plan, but I didn't want to," he said in case that's what she was thinking. He supposed it's what most women would think. "I don't like to be manipulated by people like her. I've allowed it in the past but…no more."

  "Allowed it?" she echoed. She really did have the biggest eyes.

  He might as well tell her some of it, at least in part. He could trust her not to spread gossip or think less of him. She wasn't that kind of person. "Before I met Lincoln, I used to auction myself to raise money."

  Her mouth formed an O. "And women like Lady Oxana bid on you so they could…have you to themselves?"

  He hitched up his trouser legs and sat on the other chair. "Lady Oxana and her ilk think they can click their fingers and whatever they want will fall into their lap. Back when I was desperate for money, I played along. But not anymore." He watched her closely. She still didn't blu
sh or look away. She wasn't embarrassed.

  "I'm sorry," she said simply.

  "Don't be. It wasn't a terrible experience. Sometimes it was rather fun." He flashed her a grin and a bubble of laughter escaped her lips. "Most of the winning bidders didn't quite know what to do with me. Few were like the Lady Oxanas of this world. I learned how to handle them easily enough, but I also learned to play along. And that's all it was, just play."

  "Why are you telling me this?"

  Because he wanted her to know his secrets, although he couldn't really say why. He still held something back, however. There were certain things he needed to be sure she could hear without recoiling in shock. He didn't want her to think badly of him, yet he didn't regret telling her this much.

  "We're telling you because you need to know why we lied to Lady Oxana," Gus answered for him. "You need to know why Seth didn't want to be with her, or you might not agree to be part of the lie."

  "I understand," she said, looking at Seth. "Thank you for telling me. Now." She turned to Gus. "What is my role in this lie of yours?"

  "You're my wife." Seth reached for her hand and kissed the back of it. "We're madly in love and you'll gouge out the eyes of any woman who so much as looks at me. So? What do you think?"

  "I…I'm not sure."

  "Please say you'll agree to be my wife," he said, laughing at the way it sounded. They were going to have a lark playing their respective roles.

  He just had to convince Eva. She looked rather scandalized by the suggestion. He was about to reassure her that he wouldn't kiss her or touch her unless she kissed or touched first when she spoke.

  "Yes," she whispered. "Yes, I will marry you."

  Chapter 9

  Eva

  Eva considered herself to be open-minded. Her combined British and Romany upbringing had exposed her to all sorts of strange situations, and as a medical student, she'd seen and heard far more than most young ladies. Yet hearing Seth ask her to marry him, even in jest, turned her insides to jelly. Learning that he'd auctioned himself off to women of Lady Oxana's ilk hadn't shocked her as much as her own reaction to his false proposal. Perhaps it was because he'd laughed about it, as if marrying her was so unlikely as to be absurd.