Pleasures of a Tempted Lady

by Jennifer Haymore

  Will stiffened beside her. “You say he was a smuggler?”

  “A smuggler and a pirate,” she admitted, the misery thick in her voice.

  Will studied her, as if by staring hard at her he could somehow delve within her and absorb the answers he sought. “The Freedom’s mission was to capture a smuggler who’s been running rum into Cornwall this time of year for the past two years.”

  Meg looked away. She couldn’t tell him she was glad he hadn’t found Caversham. He wouldn’t understand. “No one told me that was why you were at sea,” she said softly. “I’ve kept you from your duties.”

  His hand, which still lay over her clasped ones, tightened, and his other hand moved up to cup her cheek, gently turning her head to face him. “It’s not important. Compared to returning you to your family, it’s nothing. In any case, Briggs will pull anchor tomorrow. He’ll head back to Cornwall to patrol the coast.”

  She hoped Mr. Briggs didn’t find Caversham. Caversham would crush the man under his boot heel.

  She’d seen it done. Caversham’s ships were vessels of war, first and foremost. She’d heard the boom of cannons and seen fiery ships slip below the ocean’s surface. She would never forget the screams of dying sailors.

  He’d always locked her, Sarah, and Jake in their quarters when they were pirating. In his arrogant way, he had assured them they’d be safest there, that his own ship was not in danger. And it never had been.

  She’d often gazed out the porthole at his victims, half hoping they would capture Caversham’s ship, even sink it. But no one had ever boarded one of Caversham’s vessels unless he was specifically invited by its captain—or captured.

  “Look at me,” Will said. There it was again—that soft command.

  She realized her eyelids had slipped shut. She forced them to open.

  His hand was soothing and warm on her cheek, and it didn’t move as he gazed deep into her eyes. “I know you’ve been taught to fear this man. I know eight years with him has made you distrustful and afraid. But you must remember, he’s only a man. Just like the rest of us, he cannot be infallible. You must trust me. Trust that I will help you, and trust that I will keep you safe.”

  She stared at him, unable to answer, unable to fathom how he could be so certain in his desire to help her. But then, he’d always been that way. Noble to a fault.

  “Please, Meg.”

  “But he’s not just a man. He has… allies…”

  He drew her closer. So close that his breath whispered over her lips as he said, “I’m not going to let him hurt you—or Jake—ever again.”

  And then he moved closer, and closer still, until his lips brushed against hers. The contact was electric, sending a jolt through her, bringing every single nerve ending in her body alive.

  It seemed to travel through him, too, because she felt him shudder. Then it was no longer a mere touch of lips. With a soft groan, he surrendered to it, opening to her, kissing her deeply, thoroughly. His hand slipped from her cheek behind her neck, bringing her into it with him, into a give and take that made her whole body reawaken and yearn for the touch it had once known. His touch.

  She slipped her arms behind his back. His muscles rippled beneath her hands. He tasted like salt and the sea, and like Will. His taste—sweet, musky, and all male—was something she’d never forget.

  Gently, he drew back, his breaths harsh in the quiet of the room, and touched his forehead to hers. “I still want you, Meg.” His voice was low and infused with wonder. “After all these years, after all that has happened, I still want you.”

  God, she wanted him, too. But she drew back, remembering Jake in the next room, her cheeks flooding with hot shame. She closed her teeth over her lower lip, then took a deep breath. “I must think of Jake. He comes first.”

  Will flexed his hands, then looked away from her.

  “Please understand. I’ll do anything—anything—to prevent Jake’s father from taking him away from me.”

  His chest rose and fell as he inhaled a deep breath. “I understand. If Jake’s safety is important to you, it’s important to me. We’ll keep him safe. Together.”

  The next day consisted of more long hours of travel. That night, they slept in a hotel at Southampton, and the following morning, the three of them were breakfasting when a loud screech assaulted Will’s ears. He plunked down his coffee cup to see a large, round woman bearing down on their table, her focus on Meg. She was clothed in an orange dress, which made her look rather like the citrus fruit.

  She blustered to a halt, her voluminous skirts swirling, and bent down until she was almost nose to nose with Meg before straightening again.

  “Why, Lady Stratford, it is you! I mightn’t have recognized you in that dress, but I’d know your face anywhere. I told Mildred, ‘Look, there is Lady Stratford,’ and she said, ‘Of course it is not. Lady Stratford doesn’t wear pink, or…’ ” Here the woman hesitated, then glanced at Jake and quickly covered with, “ ‘… have a child.’ But I said, ‘Yes, indeed, Mildred, it is Lady Stratford, and I shall prove it.’ ”

  “You were right, Barbara.” A shorter, thinner lady wearing spectacles came up behind the woman. She inclined her head toward the table. “Good morning, Meg.”

  Oh, hell. These women were friends of Serena’s. The thin woman’s gaze rested on Jake for a second and then moved to Will. Fortunately he didn’t know either woman. Maybe he could get them out of this.

  The large woman clapped her hands to her voluminous bosom, making it jiggle. “What on earth are you doing in Southampton, my lady? Why, you just arrived in London two weeks ago, and you told me you planned to stay for the duration of the Season!”

  The lady paused, waiting for Meg to respond. Meg gazed up at her, blank eyed, pale faced, and speechless, her lips parted in shock.

  Patting his napkin to his lips, Will rose. “I’m so very sorry, ma’am, but I’m afraid we’ve no idea who you’re talking about. We’re not acquainted with any Meg or Lady Stratford.” He glanced outside and found their carriage parked at the curb waiting, thank God. He bowed toward the ladies. “Now if you’ll excuse us, our carriage awaits, and we must hurry away if we want to be in London before dark. Come along, lad.”

  He bustled Jake and Meg out of the hotel, leaving their breakfasts half eaten and the two ladies standing in place, gawping after them like a pair of hungry goldfish.

  Chapter Six

  At dusk, the carriage pulled in front of a tidy house in St. James’s Square. Meg didn’t move—she just stared bleakly out the carriage window. “I know this place.”

  Will hadn’t taken his eyes off her since they’d stopped. “Yes,” he said softly.

  She tightened her fingers around Jake’s hand. They’d stopped not directly in front of, but very near to Meg’s aunt Geraldine’s house. Aunt Geraldine was the one who’d forced Meg and Serena to leave London in disgrace. She’d said Serena was a slut, an embarrassment to the family, and she never wanted to see either of the twins again. She’d effectively shoved them onto the first ship back to Antigua.

  “I’m not taking you to your aunt’s house,” Will reminded her gently. “Stratford lives next door. It was his father’s house once, but it’s his now.”

  “Of course.” Meg tried to smile, but it emerged as a pathetic quiver of her lips.

  Will stepped out of the carriage, lifted Jake and set him onto the pavement, and then handed her down. The three of them hesitated before the steps leading toward the front door, Meg renewing her tight grip on Jake’s hand.

  Finally, Will looked down at her. “Are you ready for this?”

  She didn’t look at him. Staring at the house’s large front door, she nodded. “Yes.”

  It was a lie. She hadn’t seen her sisters in eight years. They’d thought she was dead for all that time.

  She’d never be ready for this moment, no matter how long she took to prepare for it. And it wasn’t any comfort to her to reflect on the fact that they were even less pre
pared for the reunion than she was.

  “Let’s go, then,” Will said.

  He led them to the front door, where he raised the knocker and let it fall. She heard the boom of it reverberating inside.

  “Ow!” Jake complained, trying to wiggle from her grip.

  “Oh, Jake, I’m sorry,” she breathed. Her fingers had wrapped around his in a tight squeeze. Forcibly, she relaxed her hand. “Is that better?”

  He didn’t have time to answer. The door swung open. A red-haired man dressed in fine livery stood before them. “Captain Langley!” he exclaimed. “Welcome home.”

  His gaze moved to Meg and he froze, then blinked. “My lady?” He glanced back into the house as if Meg had disappeared from some location inside and then magically reappeared before him.

  She flinched. First the incident in the hotel this morning, and now this. Perhaps she still looked as identical to Serena as she once had.

  The servant’s gaze moved to Jake, then Meg’s hand clasping Jake’s, and his confusion deepened. “Uhm…?”

  “Your master and mistress will explain it all to you later, Patrick. For now, will you let them know that I am here? With… a surprise for them.”

  The man’s blue eyes went wide, but he managed to maintain his composure. “They’re at dinner, but they always welcome a visit from you, Captain. Please do come in.”

  He held open the door, and the three of them stepped into an elegantly tiled entry hall. On the wall in front of them was a recent portrait. Meg stared at the likeness, recognizing it right away. It was a painting of Serena and the earl gazing at each other, looking very much in love.

  Serena did still look just like her, if the artist’s rendition was accurate. Meg swallowed down the hard lump forming in her throat, and Jake started wiggling again. “Sorry, darling,” she murmured. “Sorry.”

  He’d be fine—better, probably—if she let him go. But she couldn’t.

  “Are you all right?” Will murmured.

  She jerked her head to him. “I don’t know,” she managed.

  He drew in a breath and said in an undertone, “I know this is difficult. But it’s a happy moment. Your appearance tonight is going to bring great joy to your sisters, especially Serena. I promise you.”

  She wanted to ask how that was possible. Serena had taken Meg’s identity, and now Meg had come back to reclaim it. Wouldn’t her reappearance ruin everything? If nothing else, it would surely throw Serena’s elegant countess’s life into chaos. How could that possibly make her happy?

  She didn’t have time to ask Will, however, because the butler returned with three people following him.

  Jessica was first. She’d been lovely at eleven years old, but now she was absolutely exquisite. Despite the fact that the little girl had turned into a woman—a beauty—Meg would have recognized her anywhere. She’d never forget the spark of mischief and the dash of stubbornness in those blue eyes. Meg stood absolutely still, gazing at her youngest sister, only mildly aware of the comforting presence of Will on one side of her and Jake on the other.

  Jessica was curvaceous but with no extra fat, with a perfect oval face and big, deep blue eyes fringed by dark lashes. Her hair had just a hint of red in it, but it was more brilliantly blond than red, piled in loose curls of shining gold with a dash of copper.

  She stepped into the entry hall and stopped short as her gaze fell on Meg, her mouth falling open.

  Serena jerked to a stop just behind Jessica, yanking Meg’s attention to her.

  It was true. They still looked the same. Serena probably weighed half a stone more than her, and her skin was a touch paler, but no doubt people would have just as much difficulty telling them apart as they always had.

  Pressure built in her lungs, and Meg realized she’d forgotten to breathe. She let out a slow, trembling breath as she stared at her twin. Serena’s chest fell at the exact same time. A man’s hands—they must be the Earl of Stratford’s, but Meg didn’t look at him—settled comfortingly over Serena’s shoulders.

  Everything seemed frozen, locked in a stare of surprise, a moment of dreamy disbelief.

  Will finally spoke, his voice seeming loud in the uncanny silence. “I found her and the boy in a disabled jolly boat halfway between England and Ireland.”

  Serena’s eyes flicked to Jake, but in a flash they were on Meg again. She blinked once, then blinked harder, as if she expected the vision of her sister to clear. And then she cried out, “Meg!”

  She ran to Meg, nearly toppling her before wrapping her in her arms and bursting into tears.

  Another person’s arms were around her, Jessica’s, Meg thought, and the tears welled in her throat and she was crying, too.

  Dinner forgotten, they gathered in Jonathan’s enormous drawing room. Jonathan and Captain Langley sat in opposing armchairs while Jessica and Serena took the sofa with Meg between them and the little boy sitting on her lap, gazing at Serena with a fascinated expression.

  Jessica stared at her older sister. She’d been so young when they’d lost Meg, and her memories of her older sister had begun to fade, but now they came rushing back to her in a torrent. When she was very little, it was always Meg who’d comforted her when she scraped her knee or had a bad dream. It was always Meg who’d told her she was smart and capable after Mother had yelled at her for being a hoyden.

  Jessica wiped a stray tear and laughed. “The three of us have turned into watering pots. We could keep Sherwood Forest green!”

  “No doubt,” Serena said shakily. She blew her nose again.

  Jessica couldn’t even begin to imagine what Serena was feeling right now. She’d never stopped mourning Meg. Not for one second since Meg had fallen overboard off that ship so long ago.

  Meg wrapped her arms around the little boy, looking happy but mildly uncomfortable. Jessica supposed she couldn’t blame her. All this was so overwhelming—for all of them.

  “Captured by a pirate,” Jessica mused out loud. Captain Langley had just finished a brief retelling of where Meg had been all these years. “It sounds terribly romantic, but I imagine it must have been awful for you.”

  “At times,” Meg said. Each time she spoke, her gentle voice brought back more memories. She’d always been good at soothing people—and animals, too. She and Serena had kept Father’s stables clean and the animals happy, even as they were sold off one by one. Jessica remembered running between their legs in the stables, jumping on hay bales, daring them to catch her.

  They’d laughed back then. Far more than they’d laughed after Serena had returned—alone—from England.

  “Sometimes it wasn’t so bad,” Meg said. “I had a friend. Her name was Sarah, and she was Jake’s mama.”

  Jessica glanced at Serena, then at Jonathan, wondering if they’d thought what she had—that the little boy was Meg’s. If they did, they showed no sign of it.

  “His mama is gone, so I am his mama now,” Meg said.

  Finally, the child turned his gaze from Serena to Meg. “You’re not Mama. You’re Meg.”

  “Of course you’re correct, Jake darling. But now that your mama is no longer here to care for you, it’s my job. You needn’t call me mama, though. You can call me Meg forever, if you like.”

  “I’d like,” Jake said. Apparently finished with that conversation, he fixed his attention on Serena again.

  The child was a bit on the odd side, Jessica decided.

  “What is the pirate’s name?” Jonathan asked. “We’ll find him. Langley has the ships and I have the resources. We’ll prosecute him to the full extent of the law.”

  Meg didn’t respond. She simply looked down at Jake, shaking her head.

  “She won’t reveal his name,” Captain Langley explained. “She feels it’s too dangerous.”

  “Of course.” Serena squeezed Meg’s hand, then awkwardly drew away when Meg showed no response. “None of us can possibly comprehend how afraid you must be of that awful man.”

  At that, Meg looked up, her gray ey
es shining. “I’m so happy for you, Serena. So happy. I never believed you’d love anyone like you loved Jonathan Dane.” She smiled at Jonathan. “And thank you for coming to your senses, even after too many years had passed, and marrying my sister. I know you never really believed she was below you. That was your father putting you in an untenable position.”

  “That it was,” Jonathan said softly. “When I thought Serena had died I could never forgive him… or myself. The way I’d behaved toward her was inexcusable.”

  Serena gave a dismissive wave of her hand. “All that’s in the past. All that matters is that we’re together now, and I thought nothing could be better… until today. Oh, Meg”—and she was crying again—“I’m so glad you’ve come back to us.”

  Jessica was certain that in the history of the world, there had never been a tearful reunion quite like this one.

  “The goal now,” Captain Langley said, “is to keep the boy and Miss Donovan safe.”

  “Oh, surely you cannot still be in danger,” Jessica exclaimed. “You’re safe here with us now.”

  Meg grimaced.

  “She is in grave danger,” the captain said, his voice grim. “The pirate will undoubtedly want his son back.”

  The boy made a strange, choking sound and clung to Meg, who wrapped her arms around him and tucked his head under her chin. “Don’t worry,” she said, speaking to him in a soothing tone. “I’ll never let him touch you, Jake. Never again.”

  She flashed a warning look at Captain Langley, and he abandoned the subject, instead looking to Jonathan. “For now, it’s important that no one discovers they’re here. We need to devise a plan to keep her—both of them—safe.”

  For the next fortnight, Meg remained within the shelter of her brother-in-law’s house in St. James’s Square. She had no intention of going outside—not until she devised a solution to her dilemma. If she left the house, one of two things could happen. The first, and less worrisome, possibility was that people might mistake her for Serena. She was less adept than her sister at pretending to be someone she was not. Meg simply couldn’t pretend to be Serena. As a countess married to the man she adored, Serena had become a mature, confident woman, and she glowed with happiness. Meg was only being honest with herself when she gazed into the looking glass and saw a frightened mouse there. The years with Jacob Caversham hadn’t been kind to her confidence.