by Laura Landon
“And that includes her sister?”
“That especially includes her sister.”
“And you are not interested in finding that perfect male with whom you can settle into wedded bliss? Or have you already found him and he is not one of those begging for a dance?”
“No, Mr. Stillman. I am not interested in finding a man, perfect or not, who can control my every thought, word, and pound.”
“Oh, such a cynical view of marriage you have,” he said, unable to stifle a laugh.
“I simply prefer my independence, as well as my freedom.”
“Were I in your shoes, I would be loath to give up my freedom, too.”
Nick was surprised by the lift of her eyebrows. He’d surprised her. He held out his arm for her to take. “Would you care to stroll the gallery and peruse Lord Hagarty’s illustrious ancestors?”
Lady Winnifred hesitated, then placed her fingers on his arm.
“I’m surprised to see that you are here again tonight,” she said. “For someone who claims to dislike Society events, you have attended several in the past few months.”
“I’m attempting to humor my aunt and uncle.”
“They are pressuring you to attend?”
“In a manner of speaking,” Nick said, then stopped before a portrait of a Hagarty ancestor. “What kind of woman do you think she was?” he said, nodding toward the female in the painting. Her hair was streaked with gray, and her facial features seemed devoid of emotion.
Winnie studied the portrait for a few seconds, then said, “I think she might have been a kindly soul who kept mostly to herself. Beneath her shy, reserved exterior, there lived a vibrant woman, desperate for happiness and understanding.”
“You think then that she was not happy?”
“I think we will never know. She seems like the kind of person no one in her world considered interesting, or beautiful enough to write sonnets about, or make sure she was included in the annals of her time.”
“You make her sound quite pathetic.”
“Not pathetic. Simply overlooked. There are several such women in each generation.”
“And men, too?”
“Yes, and men, too.”
Nick continued down the long gallery. This time she stopped him. “What do you think of this fine-looking young man?” she asked, pointing to the portrait of a handsome man perhaps having reached his twenty-fifth year.
“He is no doubt the younger, overindulged heir to the Hagarty earldom. He has a glint in his eyes that most rakes possess. I’d venture the portrait was painted shortly after he returned from a London Season, and he’s remembering every bordello he visited while there.”
Winnie brought her hand up to cover the very unladylike giggle that echoed through the silent Hagarty portrait gallery. “You are terrible. Absolutely terrible.”
“What?” Nick said in mock surprise. “Isn’t that the first thing you thought of when you looked at that wicked expression on his face?”
She laughed again. “Yes, but…”
“Oh, no you don’t, Lady Winnifred. I refuse to allow you to go all naïve on me. I know what went on inside that pretty head of yours. You cannot pretend otherwise.”
“I simply think you are fortunate that Lord Hagarty didn’t overhear you malign his relative thusly.”
“Never fear. I would have asked his pardon, or agreed to meet him at dawn so he could have his satisfaction.”
“You’re incorrigible,” she said, turning to face him.
“And you are beautiful, my lady. Absolutely beautiful.”
The air charged with an emotion that was overpowering. The expression on her face gave way to thoughts that hung in an unsteady balance. The yearning he saw in her eyes was impossible to miss.
He couldn’t help himself. He couldn’t stop himself from doing the very thing he swore he’d never do again.
Nick clasped his fingers around Winnie’s arms and brought her closer to him. When she was pressed against him, he lowered his head and touched his mouth to hers.
She didn’t indicate she was averse to his attentions. But neither did she encourage him to continue. It was as if she knew how dangerous kissing him was, and questioned whether either of them could survive the experience.
Nick didn’t stop, though, He deepened his kisses, demanding more from her, and she answered his pleas, slowly at first, then with greater intensity.
He kissed her again and again, kissing her until their breathing came in rasping gasps. Then, his tongue reached out to beg entry.
The tip of his tongue skimmed the crease between her lips, asking for entrance into her honey-warm cavern. When she didn’t answer his request, he asked again. This time she accepted his request, and parted her lips to allow him to enter.
The emotions that soared inside him rocked him to his very core. The desires she awakened were more intense than he thought he could hold at bay. The passion that surged through him nearly brought him to his knees.
He pulled her closer, reluctant to allow even a hint of space to separate them. And when she wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him, the sky exploded in a million bursts of flames.
He ran his hands over her arms, up and down her back, then around her middle and upward. His fingers met the swell of her breasts and he forced himself to stop, and not cradle them in his palms.
Oh, how he wanted her. How desperately he wanted to hold her and touch her and make her his own. How desperately he wanted to continue holding her and touching her and kissing her. Yet, a voice from somewhere in his mind shouted how dangerous that would be. That voice warned him that he needed to stop before things went too far.
Yet another voice warned him that they already had.
Nick slowly lifted his head and separated his lips from hers. He wrapped his arms around her and brought her to him to steady her. He knew if she were even a fraction as weak from what they’d shared as he was, her legs would have difficulty supporting her.
With a huge gasp of air, she wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed the side of her face against his chest.
They clung to each other while they struggled to catch their breaths, and for several moments, Nick didn’t think that would be possible.
How had something like this happened? How could a single kiss bring him to his knees like her kisses threatened to do? How could he have allowed her to affect him like this?
After what seemed an eternity, she loosened the hold she had around him and lifted her chin. Her gaze locked with his.
There wasn’t a great deal of light in the gallery, but what Nick saw attacked him with the force of a punch to the gut. Her eyes shimmered with a wetness that meant only one thing.
“Nothing’s changed,” she whispered as the first tear spilled from her eyes. “There can be nothing between us. You know that, don’t you?”
Nick wiped the wetness from her cheek with the pad of his thumb. “I know.”
She lowered her gaze. “I must go.”
She tried to pull from his arms but he stopped her. “I’m here if you need anything, Winnie.”
“I don’t need anything,” she answered, but her voice cried with need.
“But if you do.”
She lowered her gaze and nodded.
“Promise me,” he said, placing his forefinger beneath her chin and lifting until her gaze met his.
She closed her eyes, then stepped out of his grasp. “I have to get back. Father will wonder where I’ve been.”
She turned and left him, and Nick felt more alone than he’d ever felt in his life.
And more frightened.
. . .
Winnie left the Hagarty ball early, pleading a headache. Thankfully, her father didn’t question her malady. And in part, she hadn’t lied. Her head ached as well as every other part of her body. Especially her heart.
She couldn’t forget Nick’s kiss. Couldn’t forget how it felt to be held in his arms. How safe she’d felt. He possessed
more of her heart with each glance. With each kiss. And she knew loving him would only lead to heartache.
The secret she kept from him would destroy any feelings he had for her. She could never let him discover where she’d put her mother. Never allow him to hand her mother over to the authorities. That would destroy the lives of too many people she loved. That would cause a scandal from which their family would never recover.
Nor could she risk him discovering that she’d lied to him when she told him she wouldn’t return to The Soiled Dove. She didn’t have a choice.
There’d been another letter last night demanding more money. The demands were coming more frequently, the amounts larger. This one was the largest. It was an amount that even pawning most of her mother’s jewels wouldn’t cover. There wasn’t an option other than praying she could win the amount she needed at the gaming tables.
Winnie looked up from the stool she sat on in front of her dressing table and watched Tilly make the final touches to the blond wig on Winnie’s head.
“I can’t believe how this changes you,” Tilly said. Disbelief filled her eyes.
“Are you sure no one will recognize me?”
“Even your father wouldn’t recognize you, my lady.”
Winnie stood when Tilly finished and gave her appearance one last glance. The gown Tilly had chosen for her was something Winnie would never wear. It was a sickening olive green that lacked any distinguishing features. It was perfect to aid her in her attempt to avoid drawing attention to herself.
She wore no jewels, nothing that would attract notice. And Tilly had styled her hair in a simple look. The shape reminded Winnie more of the look a governess would wear, or perhaps a maid.
She perused her overall look and breathed a deep sigh. She was as ready as she’d ever be.
If she was fortunate, Nick Stillman wouldn’t be at The Dove tonight, and it wouldn’t take her overly long to win the amount she needed.
“Have Hodgekens bring the carriage to the back, Tilly. Tell him I’ll be right down.”
“Are you sure, my lady?”
Winnie shook her head. “What other choice do I have?”
Tilly didn’t answer, because there was no answer. There was no other choice.
CHAPTER 11
Nick walked through The Dove’s main level. He tried to concentrate on the reason he was here—to observe the running of the gaming hell, and discover what he could about Basil Ellsworth and Harvey Willard, but his mind kept reliving the kiss he and Winnie had shared. Then hearing her words as she told him that nothing had changed and that there could be nothing between them.
He knew she was right. Knew he was the last person she could love. But that didn’t change his feelings for her.
He’d never met anyone like her. Didn’t think he could care for anyone as much as he’d come to care for her. She had an inner strength that could battle any obstacle, even a problem as horrendous as the danger her mother presented. She was sacrificing everything for her family, as if the responsibility of being their guardian had fallen on her shoulders.
And she needed him. More than she would ever admit, a part of her was crying out for his help. And her silent pleas were ripping his heart from his chest.
Nick moved from one table to the next. Only when he bumped into one of The Dove’s security providers moving quickly through the room did he realize that something out of the ordinary was happening.
He stopped, and let his gaze take in his surroundings.
Several of The Dove’s hired security personnel stood beside Basil Ellsworth. Ellsworth’s gaze was focused on the three men and one female seated around one of the gaming tables.
Nick recognized the three men, at least he thought he did. He’d never seen the female before. He was sure he’d remember if he had. Her hair was a pale blond and the style nondescript, almost unflattering, as was her gown. She wore no jewelry that might attract attention. The only thing of note was the massive pile of chips in front of her. She’d obviously won most, if not all of the hands they’d played.
Perhaps that was what had drawn Ellsworth’s awareness. Perhaps he suspected the female of cheating, or if not cheating, of having an abnormal run of good luck.
Nick stepped closer to the table. He kept Ellsworth in view, as well as the security around him. Nick told himself he should step away, and not concern himself with what was happening. That whatever it was, it didn’t involve him. The last thing he needed was to draw attention to himself.
But there was something about the female at the table that intrigued him. Something that he couldn’t explain.
Then, Ellsworth nodded at the security person standing closest to the blonde, and he leaned forward and whispered something in her ear.
Her reaction was unmistakable. Alarm. Concern. Fear.
Her shoulders stiffened and Nick noticed the slight trembling of her fingers when she reached to gather her chips.
She swiftly placed her winnings into her reticule, then rose to her feet.
The security guard placed his hand beneath the blonde’s elbow and escorted her away from the table.
All eyes focused on what was happening. Nick didn’t remember anything like this occurring before. There’d always been winners, some of them winning large amounts. But they’d never drawn Basil Ellsworth’s attention. Never been escorted from the Blue Room.
Nick maneuvered to the side of the room, near the stairs. They would have to pass close to him if their intention was to take the female to the second level. He wanted to be as close as he could to her. He wanted to make note of any characteristics she might have that would help him identify her, should he need to. He also intended to watch to see which room they took her to.
He hadn’t intended to show his hand yet, but if he heard any raised voices, or cries of distress, he had to do whatever he could so the female didn’t come to any harm.
Basil Ellsworth led the way, and two security personnel followed behind him, one on either side of the female.
They were close to where Nick stood near the stairs, would pass dangerously close to him in order to escort her to the rooms the owners used as offices―if that’s where they intended to go.
Nick didn’t move, but held his ground. He kept his eyes focused on the blonde as she approached, examining her for any distinguishing mark or mannerism that might identify her if it became necessary.
She was near enough to him now that he could make out the floral design in the unflattering gown she wore. She was taller than many of Society females, not overly tall, yet not short. About the same height as Winnie. And her build was about the same as Winnie’s.
The first wave of warning speared through him. The first wave of alarm. No, it couldn’t be her. Nothing about the woman walking toward him resembled Winnie. Not the hair. Not the style of gown nor the color. This was nothing she’d wear. And yet…
When she came close enough, he moved his hand. Nothing threatening that would draw the attention of the men walking beside her. Just enough that she would notice. And lift her gaze.
She did. Their gazes locked and a pummeling blow, thrown with the force of a dozen fighting giants punched him in the gut. The air left his body and he struggled to keep from reacting.
The female was Winnie. The hair wasn’t hers. The clothes weren’t hers. But the eyes were hers.
And the fear in her gaze when she looked at him terrified him.
. . .
Winnie followed Basil Ellsworth up the stairs. Her legs trembled more with each step she took. She wasn’t sure why he’d singled her out.
She hadn’t lost. Nor had she won an exorbitant amount from any one player. She’d taken care so that the amount she’d taken from each player wasn’t an amount that would be impossible for them to repay.
Nor had she stayed at the same table for an exceedingly long time. She’d moved from table to table, and had cashed in her winnings each time she moved. That way the chips she brought with her to each table wouldn
’t draw attention.
But something had. Something had made Basil Ellsworth or one of his employees notice her
From the moment the security person had whispered in her ear, everything had turned into a blur of confusion. She didn’t remember rising from the table, or following the man as he led her to the stairs, or anything else until now.
She climbed the stairs and followed Basil Ellsworth down the hall. He stopped in front of a door on the second level and knocked.
A voice from inside beckoned them to enter.
One of the security personnel opened the door, and Basil Ellsworth stepped to the side to allow her to enter.
Winnie hesitated, but a rough clamp at her elbow pushed her forward. She entered the room and looked to the man seated behind a massive oak desk. He rose when she entered.
“Please, my lady, have a seat,” he said, pointing to one of two chairs placed in front of the desk. Winnie chose the chair to the left. The door closed and the two guards who’d escorted her up the stairs stood as sentry on either side of the door. Basil Ellsworth came forward and took the empty chair to her right.
Winnie took a moment to study the man behind the desk. She’d never seen him before, but she doubted she’d ever forget him.
He was tall, but not overly tall, with a muscular build that reminded her of someone who’d spent a great deal of time fighting in the ring. He was dressed immaculately, as if he’d just come from a Society event. There was something striking about his features. Perhaps it was the sleek cut of his dark, almost midnight-black hair. Or the high arch of his cheekbones, or the angular cut of his jaw. Or, perhaps it was his thick black eyebrows that arched above ebony eyes and seemed to pierce through her.
But what might have been attractive characteristics on another person, gave this man a sinister look. He was all harsh lines and rigid features that didn’t seem to match. Winnie had always considered Basil Ellsworth frightening. But the unforgiving cruelty she sensed in Harvey Willard terrorized her.
“I’m sure you would be more comfortable without your mask, my lady. Why don’t you remove it?”