She turned another page, and her amusement slid away. There had been so much she wanted to know about seduction and pleasure. When Liam agreed to her daring proposal, she’d wanted to be prepared. She’d made a list and written down her questions.
And Liam had answered them.
In her notebook.
Chapter Twelve
Liam stalked down Totman Street in a terrible mood. He had pondered long and hard about what he ought to say to Bathsheba, but somehow he’d still made a hash of it. This was not what he had expected; normally his coolly rational approach achieved what he set out to do. Knowing Bathsheba as he did, he’d even though it would be best.
Did she really cling to secrecy because of her brother? It was hard to believe that. Daniel wasn’t likely to throw her out, not after the way Bathsheba had saved his life and business. And Bathsheba herself wasn’t cowed by much; she was eminently logical, unlike every other woman of Liam’s acquaintance. On the other hand, Liam’s interactions with Angus forced him to acknowledge that sibling relations were not always founded in logic and sense.
What was he to do now? Every day of the past three weeks had made the truth of Angus’s words evident: This could only end well if she married him. And he’d botched it.
He hadn’t made the decision to go see her lightly. It had been over three weeks since she spent the night with him in St. John’s Wood, her soft warm body curled up next to his. Three weeks was more than enough time to realize what he wanted and formulate a cogent argument that would persuade her. He’d thought she would be receptive; there had been that moment when she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him, for all the world as if she cared about him. That moment, Liam now recognized, had been his chance to tell her he hadn’t thought about that damned bargain in weeks, that he could only think of her and how much he wanted her.
But then his brother appeared and ruined the moment. Caught off guard, Liam had done the wrong thing, which was to send Bathsheba away and let Angus stay. More than once he had replayed the scene in his mind, wherein he ordered Angus away and swept Bathsheba back inside the house to explain at length why their affair ought to continue indefinitely, with a wedding thrown in for good measure.
So much for his plan to work gradually toward telling her he loved her. How could he be so decisive and bold in business, but second-guess every word when it came to a woman?
He reached Tottenham Court Road and scowled at the heavy traffic that blocked his way. He must regroup and try again. What would persuade her? He couldn’t get their conversation out of his mind, in the dark before dawn as she lay in his arms. She was clever and resilient and strong. In the face of heartbreak and trouble she had held herself together, caring for her brother and fighting to keep their business going. Liam admired all that tremendously, and yet it meant he had less to offer her. In fact, the only thing he had to offer…
Was the one thing she had asked of him. Passion.
Abruptly he spun on his heel, almost colliding with a plump matron behind him. He said a hasty apology as she squawked in protest, but his steps didn’t pause as he strode back the way he’d come.
He rapped loudly on the door of her house. It hadn’t been half an hour since he’d left, she must be still at home. When the wide-eyed maid opened the door, he pushed past her into the tiny hall. “Is Miss Crawford—?”
She appeared in the parlor doorway before he could even finish the question. Without hesitation he closed the distance in two steps and caught her in his arms as he kissed her, desperately, hungrily, longingly. She gave a startled squeak, but then her arms went around his neck and she kissed him back. Her mouth was soft and willing, and Liam promptly forgot everything else.
When he lifted his head, she blinked up at him as if dazed. “What—?”
“That’s what I meant to do before,” he said. Belatedly realizing the maid was standing behind him, watching avidly, he pulled Bathsheba back into the parlor and shut the door.
Her blush was beautiful. In fact, she was beautiful, her hair disarranged, her eyes soft, her mouth rosy from his kiss. Liam couldn’t think how he’d never seen it before.
“But you said…”
“That was my mistake. I spoke when I should have acted.”
She blushed deeper, but without any sign of disapproval. His confidence returned in full force. Now that he had her in his arms, everything felt right again. “We’re good together, you and I,” he said, cupping her cheek in one hand. “Always have been. Always will be, I suspect.”
“Liam,” she said, her face scarlet. “I… I…” With a great effort, she seemed to gather herself, pushing back a little and finally meeting his eyes. “You wrote in my book.”
He’d stared at those pages in her little book for hours. “I couldn’t help but notice it was full of unanswered questions.”
Her face grew very still. “And you decided to answer them.”
“Yes.” How had he never noticed the tiny cleft in her determined chin? It was entrancing.
“Did you mean what you wrote?”
She’d read it. Even more, he belatedly realized it was clutched in her hand. His heart began a hard thudding in his chest, and a smile slowly curved his lips. He didn’t need to think of what to say; he’d already expressed himself. He plucked the book from her fingers. “Let me see…” He flipped through to the first page, titled Seduction. “Seduction is the art of making a woman fall in love with you, to bare her heart, to see her soul, to know her so deeply and intimately you would happily lose yourself in her and never want to be found. The seduction has succeeded when she wishes to do the same to you. It is the deepest sort of intimacy to bare one’s physical form as well as one’s heart to a lover, and there is also much pleasure to be gained in the removal of clothing by both.”
She was watching him, her eyes wary. He nodded. “All true.”
He turned the page to Timing. “Lovemaking should last until both have found their ultimate pleasure, whether this be accomplished at languorous length or in vigorously short order. After a lengthy separation, a man may hunger for his lover so desperately he would endure any inconvenience, risk any chance of scandal or condemnation, at one inviting glance from her. In other cases, it may better please both lovers to draw out the pleasure for hours. Sating this hunger in a variety of locales, and employing a variety of positions, will never fail to inspire a thrill of delight and prevent any trace of boredom. It is a firm fact, universally acknowledged, that any opportunity to please his lover, in any way he may, will be eagerly seized by a man caught in the coils of love.”
“The coils of love,” she whispered.
“It’s a very serious condition.” He turned another page and read what he’d written under Location. “There is no place on earth I would not want to make love to you.”
“Truly?”
“Can you doubt it?”
She hesitated, her eyes shadowed. Liam cast off all subtlety. “I want you,” he said. “I want you in my bed every night, with no thought of scurrying away in the morning.”
“Only because of the lo-lovemaking?” Color rose in her cheeks as she stumbled over the last word.
Gently he tapped the notebook. “You must not have read all.” He turned to the last page, the one he had written only that morning before he went to Totman Street, the answer to her question about kisses.
“A kiss is the communion of one soul with another,” he read. “A sharing of breath, of life, of love. At first I thought you would not welcome it; you only wanted knowledge, you said. I believed you did not love me, nor want to love me, so I avoided it. I did not want to fall in love with you, so I resisted.
“But I am helpless to change my own feelings, and finally I could not escape what I wanted most: to feel you were mine, as I have felt myself to be yours since the moment you removed your cloak and wore almost nothing underneath.” Her eyes were wide with wonder. Liam dropped the book to the floor; he didn’t need to read the rest, for he knew it
by heart. “You are like no other woman I’ve ever known. You are honorable, clever, sensible, and devoted, and since our affair began I have realized you are even more: passionate, wicked, and lovely…” She jerked in his arms, amazed, and he nodded once. “If you want nothing else from me, I will treasure the memory of our three nights together, and vow on my honor to keep them a secret between us, but you should know that I want more—your passion, your intelligence, your love.”
There was a long moment of silence. Bathsheba seemed struck dumb. Liam realized he was holding his breath, waiting for her response.
Her head came up. “Why didn’t you say any of this before?”
“It took me awhile to find the words.”
“Are you certain you mean them?” He scowled, and she blushed. “That is…”
“Yes. Every word.”
“But what about—”
“Bathsheba,” he interrupted, out of patience and burning to know, “will you marry me?”
She gave a quick laugh, startled. “Of course I will. I’ve been in love with you for ages. Why do you think I asked you to seduce me?”
That brought him up short. “That was the reason?”
Bathsheba lowered her eyes. “You thought it was because you’re so very handsome and have the devil’s own charm, didn’t you?”
He grinned. She’d said yes. Of course I will. No doubt or hesitation. And she was in love with him. “Naturally. And also… Because I wouldn’t think you immoral for asking.”
“That would be hypocritical,” she pointed out—his lovely, logical Bathsheba. “But I had to know if you truly meant what you wrote.”
Liam tipped up her face. “Is that any way to proclaim your deep and unwavering love for a man? By questioning his honesty?”
“I only wanted to hear you say it!”
“I love you,” he breathed, his mouth brushing hers. “Are you satisfied now?”
She blushed, and smiled, and opened her mouth to reply just as the door behind them burst open.
“MacGregor,” exclaimed Daniel Crawford. “What the devil?”
Liam looked around. Bathsheba’s brother stood in the doorway, a fierce frown on his face. “I’m here to see your sister—”
“I’m not certain I should allow that,” returned Crawford. “Let her go.”
“Because I want to marry her,” Liam finished. “You’re ruining my proposal.”
The other man’s jaw sagged. “Bathsheba,” he said in a tone of blank shock. “You? And this rogue?” Before either could speak, he said again, “Let her go, damn you. How long has this been going on?”
Liam let his arm fall, but Bathsheba didn’t step away. If anything she pressed closer, her palm on his chest, over his heart. “You’re a fine one to complain, Daniel Crawford,” she told her brother. “Not saying a word about Mrs. Brown until you were betrothed to her!” She looked up at Liam. “He’s marrying a widow from Greenwich. He told me she hired him to rebind her library—”
“What? No, she did!” protested Crawford.
“Just this morning he confided that he’s marrying her. He won’t need me to look after him anymore, though goodness knows, I hope Mrs. Brown understands what she’s getting into with him—” She broke off and shook her head, looking stern.
Liam had to bite back a laugh at the expression on the other man’s face as his sister dressed him down. “Felicitations, Crawford.”
Daniel was no fool; he knew when he was routed. His posture eased, but his frown lingered. “I suppose you’ve accepted him, Bathsheba?”
“I didn’t have a chance, before you burst in without invitation,” she said. She turned to Liam. “Yes, Mr. MacGregor, I accept your offer of marriage.” As if it were a business proposal they had negotiated.
“I’m delighted to hear it, Miss Crawford,” he replied politely, and then he kissed her, not caring what Crawford thought. Dimly he heard the sound of the door, and when he finally raised his head to smile into Bathsheba’s flushed, glowing face, they were alone. “This is not a business arrangement,” he told her.
“No?” She beamed at him. “What sort is it?”
“Obviously marital; possibly including children, who, I expect, will require your keen oversight if they take after me. But primarily…” He slid one hand around her nape as she gave a little laugh. “Primarily it’s one of love and passion.”
“That is the only sort of arrangement I want,” she whispered, and he kissed her again to seal the bargain. Not once, but several times.
End Notes
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This novella is a coda to the Scandals series, which featured the notorious 50 Ways to Sin stories that Bathsheba and Daniel printed. The novels in the series are Love and Other Scandals (book 1); It Takes a Scandal (book 2); Love in the Time of Scandal (book 3); and Six Degrees of Scandal (book 4), in which the mysterious Lady Constance, author of 50 Ways to Sin, is revealed. All’s Fair in Love and Scandal is a novella best read between books one and two. A Study in Scandal is also a novella, best read between books two and three. If you are wondering about 50 Ways to Sin, you can read more about it here, or read the first issue.
About Caroline
Caroline Linden was born a reader, not a writer. She earned a math degree from Harvard University and wrote computer software before turning to writing fiction. Since then the Boston Red Sox have won the World Series three times, which is not related but still worth mentioning. Her books have been translated into seventeen languages around the world, and have won the NEC Reader’s Choice Award, the NJRW Golden Leaf Award, the Daphne du Maurier Award, and RWA’s RITA Award. She lives in New England with her family and a veritable zoo of pets.
Books by Caroline
The Scandals Series
Love and Other Scandals
It Takes a Scandal
All's Fair in Love and Scandal, novella
Love in the Time of Scandal
A Study in Scandal, novella
Six Degrees of Scandal
The Secret of My Seduction, novella
The Truth About the Duke Series
I Love the Earl, novella
One Night in London
Blame It on Bath
The Way to a Duke’s Heart
The Reece Family Series
What a Gentleman Wants
What a Rogue Desires
A Rake’s Guide to Seduction
Other Novels
What a Woman Needs
Short Stories and Novellas
Like None Other
Written in my Heart
When I Met my Duchess, novella in At the Duke’s Wedding
A Fashionable Affair, novella in Dressed to Kiss
Will You Be My Wi-Fi?, novella in At the Billionaire’s Wedding
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
End Notes
About Caroline
Other Books by Caroline
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The Secret of My Seduction (Scandals Book 7) Page 10