Pleasures of a Tempted Lady

by Jennifer Haymore

  Serena gazed ruefully down at her coral-colored dress, now torn and stained beyond repair. “I suppose it earned its keep in another way, then, since I’ll have to throw it away after wearing it only once.”

  Jonathan, still holding Serena’s hand across the glossy wooden table, leaned forward. “Who was in the carriage with you?”

  “Jacob Caversham and two of his men.” She looked away, at a point somewhere beyond Jonathan’s shoulder. “He’s a sallow man… with dark hair and cold blue eyes. He smelled of pomade. He kept demanding I tell him what I’d done with Jake.”

  Briggs’s eyes widened. “He confused you with your sister.”

  “Apparently.”

  “But you’re so different from Meg,” Jessica exclaimed.

  Jonathan agreed, seemingly as surprised as Jessica, but Briggs shook his head. “No, ma’am. You and Miss Donovan look very similar indeed. I mistook you for her the first time I saw you. It’s true there are subtle differences, but I am not surprised he believed you were your sister.”

  “How did he happen to know you were shopping in Regent Street today?” Jonathan asked sharply.

  “Apparently, that happened only by chance. He said he and his men had been covertly watching the house and considered himself lucky when he saw Jessica and me walking out today. He followed us to Regent Street and took the first opportunity he could to grab me.”

  Jonathan’s eyes narrowed, and Jessica couldn’t blame him. The idea of someone spying on their house made her insides twist.

  “What did you say when he accused you of kidnapping Jake?” Jessica asked.

  “I told him I had no idea what he was talking about, that I knew no one named Jake. That I was the Countess of Stratford and my husband would be looking for me… And that was when he grew angry.”

  “What did he do?” Jessica asked breathlessly.

  Serena swallowed. Looking away from the men, she said, “He threatened me. He said if I didn’t tell him what I’d done with his son, he’d kill me. He said he knew I was Meg, and to stop lying to him.”

  Jessica pressed her hand to her mouth. “What then?”

  Serena took a moment to compose herself before she continued. “We drove for a long while. Then, we stopped, and they forced me onto the ship. They blindfolded me and locked me in a large area in the very bowels of the vessel—”

  “The hold,” Briggs supplied.

  Serena looked at him thoughtfully. “Yes, I suppose it was. I sat there for a few hours. Another man came in to question me.” She turned her gaze to Jonathan again. “I believe it was the Marquis of Millbridge—it was very dark and his voice was muffled, but he sounded familiar. Anyhow, he cut his questioning short when I insisted that I was Meg, the Countess of Stratford, and that I had no idea what he was talking about, that I knew nothing about this boy named Jake.”

  Jessica shuddered, remembering how she’d danced and flirted with the Marquis of Millbridge. The next time she saw him, she’d poke his eyes out.

  “He walked out, locking me back in the room, but I heard him arguing with Caversham outside. He called him an ‘idiot,’ said I was the Countess of Stratford, and told him to set me free. Caversham said he couldn’t, that it was too late. Their voices faded in and out, but from what I gathered, the marquis knew I was who I said I was, and he believed I knew nothing about the real Meg and Jake. He berated his brother for the debacle he’d begun by kidnapping me. Their voices faded as they went away, and then I heard and saw nothing. Not until you and your men appeared and freed me.”

  “How did you do it?” Jessica asked Briggs.

  “We rowed to the ship Twining pointed out to us and used ropes to climb on board,” he said.

  “The place was quieter than I’d expected,” Jonathan said.

  “Because I learned one thing about Caversham today, and that is that he is cocky,” Serena said in a shaky voice. “He didn’t expect anyone would have any idea about my whereabouts, and he didn’t think it’d be any problem to keep me. When he first brought me on board, I heard him dismiss the crew to go eat and drink their fill at the nearest tavern.”

  “There was only the one guard posted at your door,” Briggs said.

  Serena nodded. “And he only remained behind because Caversham was punishing him for losing a rope overboard yesterday, if I heard him correctly.”

  “How did you get past him?” Jessica asked the men.

  “We took care of him.” Jonathan’s voice was brusque. “He was in possession of the key to the hold, so from there, it was easy to free your sister and slip away.”

  “Caversham will be angry,” Serena said. “He might come after me again.”

  “He might come after all of you,” Briggs said.

  “We’ll leave town,” Jonathan said. “I’d intended to stay so as not to draw attention to the family, but now I think it’ll be safer if we go. I’d rather you and your sisters were in a safe place before I bring that bastard to justice.”

  “Will we join Meg in Prescot?” Jessica asked.

  “No. We don’t want to draw any attention to her. We’ll go home to Sussex.”

  Jessica sighed. So much for her Season, for all the dancing she’d planned, for all the suitors she was amassing.

  Serena took her hand. “Jonathan’s right. It’s the safest option.”

  “What about Meg?”

  “He’ll certainly be looking for her now,” Serena said. “Along with the authorities. It’s probably a race to see who will find her first.”

  “We’ll dispatch a warning tonight,” Jonathan said. “They must leave Prescot as soon as possible.”

  Serena nodded. “But don’t tell her and Will what happened here, please, Jonathan. This is exactly what she didn’t want to happen. I know my sister. She’ll feel responsible. And, really, nothing happened. I’m quite all right.”

  Jessica frowned at her sister. For all her “it was nothing” comments, Serena’s hands were shaking and her eyes were unnaturally bright. Jessica was fairly certain the ordeal had affected Serena more than she was admitting.

  “We’ll talk about that,” Jonathan said quietly. “For now, we should get home and get you to bed.”

  Serena gave a tremulous laugh. “Well… I don’t feel tired. I doubt I’ll be able to sleep.”

  “You need to sleep,” Jonathan said softly. “For the babe, if nothing else.”

  She gave him a game smile. “I’ll try.”

  They rose, and Jonathan escorted his wife to the door and out onto the deck. Jessica lingered behind. She turned to Briggs, partially closing the door behind her.

  “Thank you for saving my sister, David.”

  She went right up to him, slipped her arms around his waist, and kissed him on the lips.

  She’d meant it to be a friendly, thank-you peck. But his lips were astonishingly warm and soft, and she lingered for one second, then two. When she did pull away, it took far more effort than she’d expected.

  “Good night,” she murmured.

  Leaving him staring after her with a dazed look, she slipped out the door and closed it behind her.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Meg spent her days racking her brain in the attempt to conjure up a way to ensure Will’s safety, but she came up empty.

  She was stuck in the middle of England, ostensibly with everything she could ever want or need except a way to escape. Ironically, the people she wanted to escape from—her family and Will—were the only people in the world she could trust.

  Every day, she stood in the doorway and watched the boys go off with the servants for their riding lessons, and every day she felt the truth pressing in on her. Caversham was coming for her, and she wasn’t prepared. If he found Jake and she wasn’t with him…

  The feeling grew daily, and it became more and more difficult to watch Jake ride away with Benson. She needed to keep him close, to protect him from Caversham in case he suddenly appeared.

  And then, one of Jonathan’s personal servants
arrived from London with two letters. One was a letter from Serena to her, and there was a companion letter from Jonathan to Will. Once they’d offered the rider—who said he’d left London under cover of darkness and had ridden without stopping—a meal and some rest, they sat down to read their letters.

  Dearest Sister,

  I miss you so much, and I wish you could be with us. But I have some news to impart—news that isn’t very good, though I know you were expecting it.

  J.C. is in London with his ship, which is docked in the Thames. The family has decided to head home, where it is believed we will all be safer. A few trusted agents will remain in London for the time being. They have gathered some additional evidence regarding J.C.’s illegal activities, but it still isn’t enough to prosecute.

  I am so worried about you. Although I don’t believe anyone has revealed your whereabouts to J.C., the man is, by all accounts, very intelligent, and I am concerned that he will eventually find you.

  We have been considering other locations for you to reside until this is all over. J is sitting next to me right now, also writing a letter, and I’m sure he’s suggesting several potential places for you to go.

  Everyone is worried and concerned, and we miss you deeply, but we are all well. Your other sisters send their love.

  With Love,

  S.

  Her mouth dry, Meg looked up at Will, who’d finished reading his letter from Jonathan and was watching her.

  “He’s in London,” she croaked out.

  He laid the letter down and held out his arms to her. “Come here.”

  She went willingly, soaking up all the comfort she could from his embrace.

  “Stratford suggested that we go to my house in Northumberland,” he murmured.

  “Once Caversham discovers we’re together, that’ll be the first place he will search,” she said on a near moan.

  “That was my thought, too. But I have another idea. Somewhere even your family didn’t consider.”

  She looked up at him through shining eyes. “Where’s that?”

  “At sea.”

  She blinked at him, not responding right away. Of course. It made a lot of sense. She’d been on the Freedom—knew how fast the ship was. Caversham would never catch them, especially if the only ship he had on hand was the large and cumbersome Defiant.

  But…

  “Oh, Will, what are we going to do? Sail the seven seas, trying to avoid Caversham for the rest of our lives?”

  “No,” he said firmly. “It’s just a matter of time before Briggs and your brothers-in-law find the evidence that will prove, once and for all, the kind of men Caversham and Millbridge are.” He held her more tightly. “I just want to keep you safe, Meg. But this will end, eventually. And then you will be free from him.”

  It was then that the seed of an idea sprouted in her mind.

  “To get on the Freedom, we’d have to travel back to London. Won’t that be dangerous?”

  “Well, I wasn’t thinking we’d take the Freedom. I’ve another ship—a steamer—in a shipbuilding yard in Liverpool.”

  “A… steamer?” she repeated dumbly. Of course, she knew what steamships were—she saw them more and more in the various harbors she’d been in. But to her, Will would always be a sailor. She hadn’t predicted that he’d join the steam craze.

  “Yes.” He sighed and gently disentangled himself from her. “We started building the Endeavor almost two years ago, and we were planning to launch her in September.”

  “That’s months away yet!” By then, Caversham certainly would have found them.

  Will shrugged. “She can be launched early. The ship and engine are in working order now—they’re just making the finishing touches to the hull and the interior.”

  “A steamship, Will? I’d never have expected that of you.”

  “Steam is the future, Meg. My business won’t continue to be profitable if I stubbornly resist newer and better inventions.”

  “How sad to think of all our sleek, quiet, beautiful sailing vessels replaced by those ugly, noisy, dirty steamships,” Meg murmured.

  “I know.”

  Slowly, Meg nodded. “Well… Liverpool is close, isn’t it?”

  “Just over an hour away by carriage.”

  She breathed out, her idea sprouting into a thin vine that wrapped around her heart and squeezed.

  “When can we go?”

  Will thought for a moment. “Well, Stratford said Caversham has only recently arrived in London. Most likely, it’ll take him several days before he realizes you and Jake aren’t there, and another several before he learns where we’ve gone. I’ll need to get the Endeavor launched and provisioned with a crew and enough supplies for us to be at sea for some time. I will have to travel into Liverpool every day for a few days to make sure it is all done correctly.” He hesitated, his eyes narrowed as he calculated. “If we start preparing immediately, I believe we can be ready in ten days’ time.”

  “It’s risky,” she murmured. “If Caversham were to find us before we left…”

  Will shook his head, somber. “He won’t. It’s simply not enough time.”

  And she knew what she must do. Her plan had grown and blossomed in her mind, now fully mature. Will might hate her for it, but it was the only way she could keep him safe.

  Pain, regret, and love for him swirled within her, and she made no effort to resist any of it. She surged toward him, wrapped her hands around his neck, and pulled him down for a kiss. He kissed her back, then pulled away a little. “Meg—the boys,” he whispered against her lips.

  “They’ve gone riding. Didn’t you hear them?”

  “Mmm.” This time, he initiated the kiss, and she wrapped her fingers in the silky strands of his black hair and kissed him back. But in a matter of seconds, he pulled away again. “The servants?” he asked in a hoarse whisper.

  “Shhh.” Taking his hand, she led him out of the parlor. Molly and the cook were in the kitchen laughing about something, so Meg turned to go up the stairs. She steered him to his room this time because she knew Molly would never dare enter Will’s space without an explicit order to do so.

  She pulled him inside, then shut the door behind them with her foot. She leaned against the door, looking at him through her lashes, wanting him so badly—one more time—that her body vibrated with need.

  He was staring at her. “What are you doing, Meg?”

  “I want you,” she said simply.

  He blew out a breath. She could see the ridge of his erection behind his trousers and knew that he was as aroused as she. And yet he didn’t step toward her.

  She kicked off her shoes, then shimmied out of her drawers. Slowly, she lifted the hem of her dress over her stocking until she showed him her bare thigh. “I want you,” she repeated.

  He stared at her thigh for a long moment, his gaze raw with hunger, then he slowly dragged his head up to look at her. She saw something else in his eyes, however, something deeper than hunger. Pain.

  Her fingers loosened, and her skirt fell to the floor. Her heart swelled in her chest, on the verge of breaking apart. “What’s wrong?” Her voice was a croaking whisper.

  “I want you… God.” He pushed a harsh hand through his hair. “But not like this.” He took a deep breath, and when she was silent, he continued, “I’ve told you before—I don’t want a liaison. I want something more. I want a partnership. A wife. Someone who will offer me her love and trust without boundaries or conditions.”

  She gazed at him, her eyes burning.

  “I can’t accept a partner who doesn’t look at me as I look at her. Who won’t trust me, share her deepest thoughts and fears with me, and who won’t turn to me first when something is wrong.” He shook his head. “I cannot—I won’t—do it.”

  She pushed off the door with her elbows and went to him, wrapping her arms around him and pressing her lips to his chest. She peppered kisses to his coat, feeling his pectoral muscle clenching beneath her lips. “Y
ou don’t understand. I love you so much. So much.”

  “You might feel that way at this moment. But not forever.”

  She flinched, pulled away, and looked up at him, holding her hands flat against his chest. “I do want you forever,” she whispered. “I… just… Marriage… it seemed like too much, too soon. Not when I’m running from Caversham. Not now.”

  He stared at her for a long moment, his eyes dark. “And when it’s all over with Caversham?”

  She pressed her forehead against the hardness of his chest and closed her eyes. Her cynical side threatened to rear its ugly head, screaming, It’ll never be over! You’ll always be under Caversham’s control! You’ll always be running! But she refused to heed that voice right now. “We can try to build the partnership you’re talking about.”

  “There will always be a Caversham, Meg. There will always be something or someone trying to get between us. There are always challenges. But a real relationship succeeds when partners work together to overcome them.”

  “I didn’t mean to hurt you.” But she had. She’d kept everything to herself in a weak attempt to protect him. Why was it that she just seemed to cause more pain wherever she went, when her only goal was to save the people she loved from pain?

  She wanted to be with him. She wanted to have the kind of life they were pretending to live, and she wanted a partnership. But she couldn’t stop herself from thinking it was all one vast illusion, a pretense, a screen temporarily blocking her from the harshness of the real world.

  “I want the kind of marriage you’re talking about. I do.” Maybe, just for a moment, she could be a dreamer, like he was.

  He pulled away from her, took her by the shoulders, and stared down at her, his eyes dark as coal. “Is that the truth?”

  “Yes.” It was a simple word, and she wasn’t lying. One day, when all of this was over and Caversham was no longer a threat, maybe they could marry and have the kind of marriage he was talking about. That would be heaven. Bliss.