“And you think I’m not refined?”
“I think many things about you, Tethys. Would you care to know the nature of those thoughts?”
Katrina detected a dangerous light in his eye and decided it would be better to live in ignorance. “I doubt that I’m sufficiently refined to understand them.”
He chuckled. “You can trust me. What will it take to persuade you?”
“Nothing that you can say, my lord.”
“I—”
“No, don’t say anything else. There’s no point. There’s nothing I can tell you.” She sighed. “I think you’d better leave.”
She swirled away from him and stared out the window. There was something about his tone that robbed her of her senses. It was as though he was caressing her with his voice, making it hard for her to assemble her disjointed thoughts. She was on the point of telling him everything when she’d given Julia her word that she wouldn’t reveal the deception to a soul. She didn’t intend to break her word, even if Julia was playing her false.
She was distracted by a figure wearing Lady Marshall’s livery standing directly below her window, staring up at her. It was Amos! She’d know that cocky grin anywhere. He raised a hand when he saw her, looking smug and extremely self-confident.
Katrina’s hand flew to her mouth. With an anguished cry she stepped out of his line of vision so quickly that she slammed into a solid male chest. Leo’s arms closed about her, his face hovering above hers, brooding and dangerous.
“What is it?”
“I?I thought someone was watching me.”
He released her and strode to the window. “I see no one.”
He returned to her side and scooped her back into his arms. “You’re trembling all over. Here, come and sit down.” He lifted her before she could protest, crossed the room and sat in a chair beside the fire, settling her on his lap.
“Now, enough of this,” he said. His lips brushed her ear every bit as seductively as the hand that stroked her back, soothing her as though she were a skittish colt. “You’re scared half out of your wits. Let me help you.”
She couldn’t look at him but could hear the smile in his voice when he uttered his next words.
“Please, Tethys! I hate to see you like this.”
She buried her face in his shoulder, revelling in its strength, in the reassuring solidity of his body. His neck smelled of the soap he favoured. It was already a perfume she associated solely with him and it gave her comfort. She felt herself falling under his thrall as the hypnotic cadence of his voice gradually soothed her.
God’s teeth, she was a hopeless case. Had she not just decided to stand up to Amos and yet at the first sight of him she fell to pieces. She was unaware that she was crying, until Leo’s finger scooped a tear from her cheek. He placed that finger in his mouth and sucked. It was unbearably erotic and Katrina was becoming aroused just through watching him.
“I can’t tell you,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “Not now. Just hold me.” Her breath hitched. “Just kiss me.”
“Now, that,” he said with a wolfish grin, “would be my pleasure.”
His hair tickled her forehead as he bent to claim her lips. He moved slowly, tantalizingly slowly, but Katrina was all out of patience and took matters into her own hands. She wrapped her arms round his neck and helped him cover the remaining distance still separating them, barely recognising herself. Wondering if she was dreaming. Here she was, initiating proceedings like a common trollop.
Their lips collided and she ceased to care. She opened her mouth wider, inviting the ingress of his tongue. At first he didn’t oblige, his lips merely played softly against hers. It wasn’t nearly enough. She was gripped with an urgent desire to blot out everything that had happened—that was still happening—during this interminable week. Leo was the only person qualified to help her, and she wasn’t about to let him hold back out of some misguided sense of honour. A fine tremor lanced through her and she took the initiative, crushing his mouth until he broke the kiss with a muttered oath.
“What the—”
“Shush, no talking. You said you would kiss me.”
His intimate smile was full of warmth. His eyes smouldered as he pulled her close and took control. His kiss turned the tremor into a desperate physical ache. His tongue tangled with hers, drugging her mind as sensation after heady sensation cascaded through her. Making her forget. This was something she’d never known and she was desperate for more.
The hand supporting her back swept across the thin fabric of her robe, making her burn. Then the robe wasn’t there anymore. She’d been too distracted to realise he’d released the belt and pushed it from her shoulders. She sat on his knee still, wearing only a thin silk chemise. He was looking at her as though he couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing.
“You’re beautiful,” he said, his voice echoing with an earthy vibrancy.
His lips descended, pushing her chemise aside and trailing a line of delicate kisses along their path. She gasped, tightening her hands round his neck and arching her back, instinctively pushing herself closer to his lips.
He chuckled. “Patience, my little Tethys. All in good time.”
He carried her to the bed and laid her on it. And then he stripped off his clothes, demonstrating none of the patience he’d just demanded of her. She watched him, embarrassed yet unable to tear her eyes away. He was beautiful. A strong, lean torso, muscled thighs and…oh my. An erection of mighty proportions sprang large and proud from the dark cluster of hairs on his groin. She dampened her lips, unsure.
“This is what you wanted?” He joined her on the bed but didn’t touch her. “Have you changed your mind?”
Having him not touching her was intolerable. She needed the comfort only he could provide. But she was scared. Scared that she’d displease him. Scared that he’d hurt her.
“It will be all right,” he said, as though reading her mind. “Besides,” he added, kissing the end of her nose. “The alternative is for you to talk to me.”
“That’s blackmail!”
“Desperate men will stop at nothing,” he said, his voice a seductive purr as he ran one finger lightly across her breasts.
“I’m not very good at this.”
He laughed, a deep throaty sound that echoed round the otherwise quiet room. “Allow me to be the judge of that.”
She looked into the handsome planes of his face and saw sincerity etched deep in his features. Passion swirled in the depths of his eyes. She was responsible for engendering that passion, she reminded herself. And it was enough. Quite suddenly she knew he was right. This was what she wanted and she had no intention of depriving herself. With all doubts quelled, she offered him a tremulous smile.
“Very well,” she said.
She reached out a hand and touched his chest. His own hand descended upon hers, guiding it, persuading her to touch him in the way that he liked to be touched. His pleasure communicated itself and she was almost ashamed of her deep awareness, her acute sense of oneness with him. He rolled over, his body hovering mere inches above hers as he supported his weight on his elbows.
And then it started. He stripped off her chemise and kissed every inch of her. Slowly. Seemingly immune to her pleas, he examined her from head to toe, placing kisses and delicate nips on the soles of her feet, on her ankles, the inside of her thighs, her belly. Then he worked his way up to her breasts, ignoring the place she most wanted his lips to awaken. Heady passion gripped her when he took one swollen nipple between his teeth. Neither of them had spoken since she’d agreed to go forward with this but words were hardly necessary. He clearly sensed her need and knew precisely how to satisfy it.
By the time he parted her thighs and entered her, she was more than ready, all doubts about her ability to accommodate him dispelled. She lifted her hips to meet him, thrashing her head from side to side as he plundered her body, picking up the pace until she’d taken him all and they were moving in perfect h
armony. It felt heavenly.
Nothing could have prepared her for such exquisite bliss. Something that wouldn’t even have occurred if she’d had time to think about it rationally. Katrina was suddenly very glad that the ability to think had deserted her as soon as Leo knocked on her door.
Something had changed. Leo had picked up the tenor. His thrusts were almost primeval. She could see the muscles standing out on his forehead and understood that he was struggling to remain in control, waiting for her. Waiting for what though? Katrina had never achieved sexual gratification and was unsure what came next. Until Leo drove even deeper still. Her eyes flew open as sensations assailed her and she fragmented. Ecstasy gripped her, and she was aware of him watching her reaction before he too reached his peak, sweat peppering his brow as he convulsed wildly inside her.
Afterwards she lay wrapped in his arms, incapable of movement, feeling as though every bone in her body had melted.
Leo picked up her hand and kissed the back of it, his tongue lingering. Which brought her back to earth with a resounding thump. She snatched her hand away, shrinking from his touch. What in the world had she done? Feeling defenceless in her nakedness, she pulled the covers up to her chin, wondering what to say. How to explain her lapse. How to make him leave.
“What is it?” he asked, seeming genuinely bewildered by her abrupt withdrawal. Hardly surprising since she was the one who’d instigated matters, all but throwing herself at him.
“We shouldn’t have done that.” She spoke with her face turned away from him.
“You found it disappointing?”
It would be so easy to lie. “No, you know I didn’t, but it’s not something I usually do.” She curled into a defensive ball, her back to him. “Please leave.”
“Not until you tell me what this is all about.” He placed a gentle hand on her hip but she shook it off. “You owe me an explanation.”
“I owe you nothing.”
He cupped her face in his hand and looked at her intently. “Don’t shut me out, Tethys.”
“You’ve had your fun, my lord,” she said, shaking her head to dislodge his hand. “Now, just leave me be.”
A sharp intake of breath. “Very well, mystery lady. If that’s what you really wish.”
“Thank you.”
She felt his weight shift as he sat up, and had to quell a ridiculous desire to beg him to stay. To apologise for insulting him, tell him everything and have him make her problems go away, as she was sure he’d be able to do.
“You do realise, of course, that I’m not the only person here who knows you’re a fraud.”
He spoke in an annoyingly casual drawl. She didn’t believe him. He was merely saying that because he wasn’t used to being so summarily dismissed. Even so, she reacted instinctively. With a gasp she sat bolt upright and dropped the covers, no longer caring about her nakedness.
“Who else knows?” she asked.
“I’d be surprised if Gower hasn’t rumbled you. I get the impression that he and Julia are rather more than mere acquaintances.” He spoke with bitterness, causing Katrina to wonder about his true feelings for Julia.
“She sent him a note saying she would be here without the marquess,” she blurted out.
“Even though she knew you would be here in her place?”
“I assumed she’d sent the note before we agreed to swap places, but Gower implied when he spoke to me yesterday that the note was sent just a couple of days ago.”
“After you arrived?”
“Apparently.”
“Why?” He was pacing the room, apparently unconcerned by the fact that he was still as naked as the day he was born. Well, he was probably used to parading himself in front of women he barely knew. Katrina didn’t want to be impressed by his physique but didn’t seem able to pull her eyes away. “What did she hope to gain by it?”
“I know not.” She shook her head. “I wish I did.”
“Where is she?”
Katrina shrugged. “I don’t know.”
He turned to look at her, clearly not believing her. “If I am to help you, you must be honest with me, Tethys.” His words were underlined with an infinite gentleness that almost robbed her of her resolve. “You may be assured of my discretion.”
“Don’t interfere, Leo. You’ll only make matters worse. I can handle this. I don’t need you to fight my battles.”
“Like you handled Dupont?” There was now a chilling cast to his expression. “By sharing Gower’s bed, as well?”
She glowered at him. “Is that what you think of me?”
“What else is there to think?”
“You might credit me with more moral fibre and a little ingenuity. Men are easily gulled, especially when they’re foxed.”
“I might believe you had you not been so ready to jump into bed with me.”
“Get out!” She picked up Jeb’s hateful tankard, still full of wilting flowers, and threw it at him. It caught the side of his arm and clattered to the floor, rolling off into a corner and coming to stop against the wall. “Just go!”
He shot a scathing glance her way as he picked up his clothes. “With pleasure.”
Chapter Seventeen
Leo resisted the childish impulse to slam the door behind him and was still pulling on his clothes when he gained the corridor. No one was about. Just as well because he’d been too consumed with anger to check that the coast was clear before leaving Katrina’s room half-dressed. He cut through the empty passageways. Most of the guests would be resting before the ball. All to the good since in spite of his diplomatic training, he doubted whether he’d have been able to address a civil word to anyone in his present turbulent frame of mind.
What the devil did this woman think she was about? He employed some colourful language. She’d thrown herself at him, calmly claiming afterwards that it had been a mistake and taking umbrage when he pointed out the incongruities in her behaviour. His intentions had been noble for once. He’d only gone to her room because no one had seen her all day. She was out of her depth with this deception and he was concerned about her. Gower did suspect her. He was a dangerous predator, and she needed to be warned.
Leo flung open the door to his own chamber and this time did allow it to slam closed behind him without thought for the people resting in the chambers to either side.
In spite of her enthusiasm for their coupling, he really didn’t think she was a jade. She’d been terrified when she looked out the window and saw someone watching her. She’d just wanted him to hold her. And then she’d wanted more.
Or was it him? He honestly couldn’t say for sure. All he knew was that he’d never desired a woman more. The attraction between them had been gaining momentum all week. He’d be a fool to pretend otherwise. Had he really supposed that nothing of an intimate nature would pass between them if they were alone in a bedchamber?
Leo blew air through his lips. He was to blame for the events that had occurred. How could he have treated her with such discourtesy afterwards when it was clear she was in need of reassurance, not censure?
She’d been hurt by some brute of a man, presumably her husband. She wasn’t the sort to climb into bed with any man who took her fancy. But she had enjoyed it, Leo would bet his fortune on that. She probably felt guilt now, which would partly explain her reaction. He should have taken more time to talk to her and get to the bottom of her problems.
Julia had persuaded her to take her place but now seemed to be deliberately setting obstacles in her path. Someone about the place was watching her window, scaring her half out of her wits. It wouldn’t be Gower. He wasn’t given to lurking beneath windows and would take a more direct approach. Anyway, Leo didn’t think he’d scare her as much as she had been that afternoon.
She would now be the main attraction at tonight’s ball, auctioned off like a prize heifer to the highest bidder for the privilege of a waltz. And he himself had suggested it, even knowing she wasn’t the real Julia. Was it any wonder she’d
taken to her bed for the entire day? Feeling entirely responsible for her predicament, he vowed to do whatever he could to help her.
Even if she didn’t want his help.
The door opened to admit Boscombe. He took one look at Leo and stopped dead. “What you been up to then?” He smirked. “No, don’t bother to answer that. It’s obvious. Who’s the lucky lady then?”
“An ageing dowager with rotting teeth and sickly constitution.”
Boscombe chuckled. “Mind my own business, in other words.”
“Precisely.”
“Fair enough. The water’s on its way up for your bath. Looks like you need one.”
“Any strange servants hanging around the place, Boscombe?”
“Of course there are. What a bloody daft question. The house is full to the rafters and all the guests bring their retainers with them. Can’t manage without ’em even for a few days, the helpless sods.” Boscombe rolled his eyes. “God knows where they’re all going to sleep. It’s bedlam below stairs, I can tell you.” He paused. “Not only that but Dawkins has taken on some extra local help for the week so no one really knows precisely who everyone is. Not even Dawkins, although he pretends he does, of course.”
“So someone intent upon making trouble could easily mingle?”
“I’d say so.” Boscombe scowled. “Is that how they do it then? The thieves, I mean. Make the most of the mayhem to do their dirty deeds and slip out undetected.”
“Possibly.”
But Leo wasn’t convinced that the person watching his Tethys had anything to do with the thefts. The water arrived and he stripped off his clothes for the second time in the space of an hour and attended to his ablutions. “Anything to report about the activities of our suspects’ servants?” he asked.
“Not yet, but like I said, it’s hard to keep track of them all amongst the chaos. The chit who cares for Mrs. Nugent hasn’t done anything untoward though, that much I do know.” He chuckled. “Well, nothing that would interest you anyway.”
The Perfect Impostor Page 19