A Common Scandal

by Amanda Weaver

  “No one. Just Mr. Smythe so far. I think I hid too well. It’s been exceedingly tedious waiting for you all.”

  “I see. Well, won’t we be snug as we wait?”

  “Terribly snug,” Cheadle drawled. “How on earth did you find her, Smythe?”

  “I looked for her, as you did. I suppose I was quicker about it.”

  “Seems like you were.”

  Nate bristled at the implication in his tone that they’d been up to something, but if he commented on it, it would only make it seem true. Especially as it was true. It seemed impossible to believe now, with he and Cheadle stooping by the door and Amelia and Julia engaged in polite, whispered conversation in the corner, but moments ago, he’d nearly taken her. He’d been about to unbutton his trousers and show Amelia how to touch him. Where would it have stopped? It wouldn’t have. The way they’d been tearing at each other, they wouldn’t have stopped until it was done.

  He was appalled at his own behavior. It was exactly what all these noble toffs expected of him. And the kind of thing he could not, under any circumstances, ever indulge in again, no matter how dizzy with lust Amelia made him.

  Moments later, Kitty Ponsoy and Radwill found them and tumbled in.

  Radwill wasted no time squeezing himself into the corner with Julia and Amelia.

  “Miss Wheeler, you’re a genius!” Radwill exclaimed. “I thought we’d never find you. I confess we only managed because we were following Lady Julia’s voice and it cut off rather abruptly. I felt sure she must have secreted herself somewhere nearby.”

  “What remarkably clever thinking, Lord Radwill,” Amelia said. “I’d have never figured that out.”

  “You do yourself a disservice, Miss Wheeler. You’re quite intelligent. Anyone can see as much.”

  “You’re very kind,” she demurred. Nate wanted to stomp back there and drag her away from Radwill. How could she sound so pleasant and at ease when not ten minutes earlier, she’d been writhing in his arms? She hardly sounded like the same girl.

  He became distracted by her breathy giggle at some remark Radwill had made, and nearly missed Kitty sidling up to him in the dark.

  “My, we are all cramped, aren’t we?” she tittered.

  “I suppose that’s the idea.” Nate had lost all patience for this foolish game.

  “If anyone else finds us, I’m afraid we’ll have to squash right against each other, won’t we?” Kitty said with far too much glee.

  “Well, let’s hope the rest have joined together and find us all at once.”

  Evelyn arrived with Tony next. There was so much giggling and whispered admonitions to keep quiet, Nate wasn’t sure how the whole house hadn’t found them yet. And even though they weren’t required to stand so close, he found Kitty pressed against his chest in the dark.

  “Oh dear, how shocking,” she breathed, not sounding the least bit shocked or dismayed. All he needed was a curious young miss looking to experience a little danger with an inappropriate man. Lord, how he hated it when Society women treated him as some forbidden delight. He had no intention of giving Kitty Ponsoy a taste of seduction, no matter how the chit threw herself at him.

  “There, there, Miss Ponsoy,” he murmured, taking her by the shoulders and setting her away from him. “It’s not as bad as all that.”

  “Well,” she huffed, and he sensed her angry embarrassment even in the dark. “I do hope we won’t be trapped in here all night,” she said, loud enough for the others to hear her.

  It seemed to take forever, but finally the last hunters stumbled into the now-overheated little room under the stairs and the sardines stumbled out into the entryway amid general sighs of relief and titters of laughter. Noting the flushed cheeks and disordered hair of many, Nate suspected he and Amelia weren’t the only two guests who’d taken advantage of a dark house and a moment of solitude.

  Evelyn clapped her hands together. “Now, let’s go back to the parlor for a bit of dancing!”

  Many of the young people voiced their delight in the plan. Nate meant to hang back and speak with Amelia in the general rush back to the parlor, but in moments, Cheadle was back at her side. “Miss Wheeler, you must allow me to claim the first dance.”

  “I thank you, Mr. Cheadle, but I’m afraid being cooped up for such a long time in such a close space has given me the most frightful headache. Please give my apologies to Evelyn, but I’m going up to bed.”

  “Oh, I am sorry, Miss Wheeler,” Radwill said, reaching out to touch her elbow. “Perhaps an early night is best.”

  “I think it may be. Thank you. I’ll see you in the morning?”

  “Without a doubt,” he said, giving her a warm smile.

  There was no chance to speak to her, and he had no idea yet what he’d say. Perhaps tomorrow he’d find a minute alone to apologize for what had happened. Her eyes caught his, but he couldn’t read anything in her expression. A moment later, she’d fled up the stairs to her room.

  Chapter Ten

  Amelia stopped outside the breakfast room to check her reflection in a hall mirror one more time. All her examinations upstairs had told her none of the preceding night’s events showed on her face, but it was hard to believe when everything inside her felt thoroughly shaken up.

  Every time she closed her eyes, she was back in the understairs storeroom, straddling Nate’s lap, kissing him, his hand under her skirt, her hand on his...

  Her eyes popped open. Her own shocked, slightly flushed face stared back from the glass. Good heavens. How on earth would she carry on as if everything was fine? Her eyes were bright, her skin suffused with pink, her lips still looked bitten. Surely everyone would know as soon as they set eyes on her. No wonder she never fit in with all these sweet Society misses. They’d no doubt be scandalized to know that last night she’d been astride a gentleman, letting him take obscene liberties with her body, about to take obscene liberties with his. She was only sorry they’d been interrupted, because it seemed like whatever came next promised to be even better. Incorrigible. Everyone was right about her.

  “Good morning, Amelia. Have you lost something?”

  She spun around to find Julia watching her from a few feet away.

  “Lost something? No, why?”

  “You looked puzzled.” Somewhere in the depths of Julia’s deep blue eyes, Amelia imagined she saw a hint of a smile, as if she was barely restraining a knowing little wink, which was ridiculous. What did Julia know about anything? She seemed quite uninvolved in the tiny dramas unfolding at this house party.

  “No, I haven’t lost anything.” Except nearly my virginity... “Have you had breakfast yet?”

  “No, I’m going in now. Would you care to join me?”

  Yes, some polite conversation with Julia—that was what she needed to cool her blood. They could discuss the weather over kippers and eggs. Surely it would banish Nate and his hands and that magnificent bulge in his trousers from her mind forever. It was worth a try, anyway.

  She braced herself to face Nate, but it proved unnecessary, as he hadn’t come down for breakfast yet. Unfortunately, Mr. Cheadle had, and he seemed to be lying in wait for her.

  “My dear Miss Wheeler, I hope you’re feeling improved this morning.”

  “Improved?”

  “Yes, the headache that robbed us of your presence for the rest of the evening yesterday?”

  “Oh right... I’m quite recovered, thank you.” She kept her eyes on the sideboard as she filled her plate with food she had no interest in eating.

  “What a great relief. What are your plans today?”

  “Yesterday, some of the ladies had discussed taking a walk and I thought I might join them.” When she reached the table, Cheadle pulled out her chair for her before a footman could, and settled into the vacant seat next to her.

 
“I was hoping you might wish to remain behind at the house here with me.” He leaned toward her and his voice dropped to what he must have thought was an intimate, suggestive register. The man’s persistence was astounding.

  “I don’t think—”

  “Mr. Cheadle?”

  They both turned to see the butler standing inside the door to the breakfast room.

  “A gentleman has arrived asking to see you.”

  Cheadle looked exasperated. “A gentleman to see me? Who? What’s his name?”

  “He said his name was Mr. Morley, sir. He said you would know him. Shall I see him in?”

  The change that overcame Mr. Cheadle was remarkable. His already wan complexion turned ghostly and gray, and his beady eyes went wide with shock. He clenched and unclenched his hands, his jaw working as he formulated a response. “Er... um, yes. I do know the gentleman. Please tell him I’ll be there in a moment.”

  “Very good, sir. I’ll show him into the green parlor.”

  “Thank you. I’ll be right in.”

  “Is everything all right, Mr. Cheadle? You look rather unwell.”

  Cheadle gave her a sickly smile. “I’m quite well, Miss Wheeler. Only a bit of—”

  “Oh, Mr. Cheadle!” Evelyn sang as she entered the room. “There you are! Why didn’t you tell me you had a good friend visiting the neighborhood?”

  If possible, Cheadle looked worse. “I, ah—”

  “I’ve run into your Mr. Morley being shown in. I convinced Mother to invite him to stay.”

  “You invited him—”

  “The more, the merrier, right?” Evelyn chattered on, oblivious to Cheadle’s discomfort. “Plus, since Aunt Sylvia and Aunt Candace arrived, we’re a bit unbalanced at dinner. Another gentleman will even out our numbers.”

  “Oh, dear God....” Cheadle pushed past Evelyn and fled from the room.

  She turned back to Amelia. “I say, that was rather rude. I thought it was quite magnanimous on my part, getting Mother to invite his friend to stay.”

  “Indeed.” Amelia watched Cheadle disappear in confusion.

  Evelyn’s voice dropped to a stage whisper. “Especially as the gentleman didn’t seem precisely a gentleman, if you know what I mean.”

  Amelia didn’t reply. Cheadle’s abrupt departure was so odd. In her distraction, she nearly missed Nate coming into breakfast and seating himself in Cheadle’s abandoned chair.

  “Good morning, Miss Wheeler. Are you feeling better?”

  “What?”

  “Your headache. You went up early last night. Are you better today?”

  “Oh, that. Of course I am.”

  “Amelia,” he began, but Amelia was still too curious about Cheadle’s strange behavior.

  “Did you see Mr. Cheadle leave? It was so odd.”

  “I would have thought you’d be pleased to see him go.”

  “Oh, I am, but it was the most peculiar thing. The butler came to tell him a friend of his was here to see him, but you’d have thought Cheadle just heard the worst news of his life. He turned quite pale and nearly ran from the room.”

  Nate shrugged. “I suppose it’s his business.”

  “But aren’t you the least bit curious about who came to see him?”

  “It isn’t polite to pry.”

  Amelia rolled her eyes. “Well, it wasn’t exactly polite of him to accost me last night during blind man’s bluff, so he owes me.”

  “I’m sure you’ll be able to satisfy your curiosity soon enough. Didn’t I hear Evelyn say she’d invited the man to stay?”

  “Hmm, I suppose so.”

  “What are you up to today?”

  “I believe I’m walking to something called the Devil’s Kneading Trough with the ladies.”

  “What on earth is the Devil’s Kneading Trough?”

  “I have no idea but it sounds delicious, doesn’t it? Besides, I need to get as far away from this house as possible if Cheadle’s in it.” Amelia drew a deep breath before continuing. There was nothing to be done but proceed as if everything was normal. Time to stuff herself back into a facade of proper behavior for another day. “Julia’s coming. You might as well come, too.”

  Nate scowled. “Thank you for your concern, but I don’t need you arranging my affairs.”

  “Seeing as you managed to end up in the cupboard with me instead of her last night, I’m not so sure about that.” Well. She’d failed already. Mentioning it again was most certainly not proper.

  Nate’s mouth dropped open in momentary shock before he recovered himself. He smoothed one hand down his tie. “Listen, Amelia...”

  That sounded like the beginning of a speech. Probably something about how last night was a mistake and they shouldn’t have, etc., etc. Listening to him explain it all away would be ghastly. It was the most exciting, liberating thing she’d ever done. The last thing she wanted was to hear him tell her how wrong it had been, and how much he regretted it.

  She held up a hand to cut him off. “There’s no need, Nate. There’s nothing at all to discuss. Now come along on our walk and keep Julia company. And be a dear and invite Radwill for me, would you?” The words hurt a bit coming out, as did her flippant tone, but it was for the best.

  He stared at her a moment, his jaw tight. Then he let out a weary sigh. “Of course. It sounds like a delightful morning.”

  It sounded like anything but delightful, but Amelia resolutely kept her eyes away from Nate’s face and fixed on the door. She wanted to see Radwill as soon as he entered.

  It wasn’t Radwill who appeared next, but Tony Batchelder, along with Kitty. Kitty was laughing loudly at something Tony had said.

  “Oh, Tony, you’re such a card!”

  Evelyn glared daggers at Kitty for a moment before her expression cleared and she called out to them. “Oh, Tony, I’m so glad you’ve come down. I had another thought about our discussion last night. Come sit down and let me tell you.”

  Tony smiled and moved toward Evelyn like a cat on the prowl. Amelia hadn’t missed the marked attention Evelyn had been paying Tony, or the fact they were together and a bit flushed when they’d discovered her last night during sardines. It seemed as if Evelyn might be playing a dangerous game. But then again, she was the one who was nearly ruined in the understairs storeroom last night. Perhaps it wasn’t her place to judge. No doubt Evelyn could take care of herself.

  * * *

  She was still poking at a plate of eggs and kippers, waiting for Radwill to come down, not looking at Nate and Julia, when her father made his appearance in the breakfast room.

  “Amelia, a word in the parlor, please?”

  “Of course, Papa.” She rose to her feet and followed him out. He closed the door behind her as she entered the parlor.

  “What is it? Has something happened to Mother?”

  “No, no, she’s quite well. I’ve been called back to London to deal with some business that can’t wait. I’m afraid I need to catch the train this morning.”

  “Oh.” What an unexpected relief. She could avoid a betrothal for a little while longer through no fault of her own, and she was freed from this awful house party. There was only one thing to regret and that was the loss of Nate’s daily presence. “I’ll go up and have Fantine pack my things.”

  “No need. I’ve spoken to Lord Tewsbury and he and his wife are happy to act as your chaperones in my absence.”

  “They have?” Her sense of relief fled as quickly as it had come. Considering the rather risqué game of sardines their daughter had instigated the night before, she had her doubts about the efficacy of Lord and Lady Tewsbury as anybody’s chaperones. “How kind of them.”

  “It is, indeed. And I don’t think I need to explain to you the great honor they do you to extend such a courtesy.�
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  “Of course not, Papa.”

  “In return for such kindness, I expect you to behave with the utmost propriety, do you understand me?”

  “Haven’t I done well so far?” He didn’t know about her scandalous lapse last night under the stairs, but no one else did, either, so for all intents and purposes, it hadn’t happened. Besides, it wouldn’t happen again. She was resolved. And this time she meant it.

  “You have, you have.” Mr. Wheeler stroked one of his sideburns. “I’ve noticed Lord Radwill paying you some particular attention.”

  “Yes, I’ve noticed, too.”

  “It’s quite promising. He’s a man you should encourage, Amelia.”

  “I have been.”

  “Which is why I’m leaving you here alone, against my better judgment. It would be a shame to cut short anything that might be developing on that front.”

  “A terrible shame.”

  “But understand me, Amelia. I want no tales of reckless behavior to reach me in London.”

  “Of course not, Papa.”

  “And you’re to steer clear of that Smythe upstart.”

  She bit the inside of her lip to hold back a sharp retort. Nate was no more of an upstart than Josiah Wheeler himself. Her father was only a bit farther down the road than Nate.

  “Nate has no interest in me, Papa. He’s quite infatuated with Lady Julia Harrow.” It hurt to say it.

  Her father snorted in derision. “As if Lord Hyde would allow that dock rat anywhere near his daughter.”

  “He’s a respected businessman now. Julia’s quite impressed with him.”

  “He can’t possibly think to aspire to an earl’s daughter. He’s reaching too high.”

  She should have left it alone, but once her temper was stirred, it was impossible to hold her tongue. “Why not? I am.”

  “That’s a different thing and you know it.”

  “Because the fortune you earned is twenty years older than Nate’s? He’s got as much right to pursue Lady Julia as I’ve got to pursue Lord Radwill.” What perverse fit of pique had her championing Nate’s relationship with Julia? She wanted to tear out her own tongue.