over you."
Yes, I would, wouldn't I?"
Her tongue touched the corner of her
mouth. Are you admitting I can seduce
you at will?"
Madam, you can seduce me by merely
walking across the drawing room or serving
me a cup of tea. Every time I look
at my picture of Strelitzia reginae, I am
seduced."
Oh." Then she smiled slowly. Is this
another example of your skill at strategy,
Lucas?"
He did not answer that with words.
Instead, his mouth closed over hers, hot,
exciting and intoxicating. Victoria put her
arms around his neck, glorying in the heat
and strength of him.
He slid his hand down her side to her
thigh and lifted the thin stuff of her night
clothes up to her waist.
Lucas?"
Part your legs, sweetheart."
She moaned softly and, shivering delight
fully, did as he directed. His hand slipped
between her thighs.
Lucas."
Yes, sweetheart. That's it. That is what
I want from you. Call it a truce or call it
surrender. It does not signify."
She clutched at him as his tongue eased
into her mouth just as he eased a finger
into her moist heat. He began moving both
tongue and finger in and out of her in a
simultaneous rhythm. Victoria thought her
legs would collapse.
She retained just enough self mastery to
fumble with the opening of his dressing
gown. She found him hard and heavy
with his arousal. Her fingers circled him
gently.
Oh, God, Vicky."
He pulled her back toward the bed,
dragging her down onto it. Then he was
on top of her, kissing her breasts, her
silky stomach, and the soft skin of her
thighs. Without warning, his kiss became
even more intimate. Victoria gasped, first
in shock and then in wonder, as she felt his
mouth on the most secret part of her.
Lucas, this is outrageous. You cannot
mean to ." Her fingers clenched in his
dark hair and her whole body tightened
unbearably. Lucas."
She was still in the midst of her searing
climax when she felt him glide up the
length of her and surge deeply, heavily
into her body. Victoria's teeth sank into
the skin of his bare shoulder. She clung to
him as if she would never let him go as his
hoarse, exultant shout echoed in her ears.
I must say, you and Lucas have certainly
contrived to brush through the entire
incident quite nicely." Cleo raised her
watering pot to reach a fuchsia plant
that hung from a beam. You were a
great success at the Foxtons" last night.
It is obvious you do not even need Jessica
Atherton's public approval. The ton has
decided you are their favorite couple, and
the Season, one hopes, will be over before
you can do anything to ruin that status."
One hopes." Victoria grinned. I believe
Lucas is harboring the same sentiments.
You and he must get together and share
your concerns over my behavior."
We would no doubt have a great deal to
talk about, would we not?" Cleo smiled. I
did tell him once that one is seldom bored
around you."
Well, as far as I am concerned, it is not
Lucas and I who contrived to escape the
potential scandal, Aunt Cleo. You are the
one who accomplished that. With a little
help from Jessica Atherton, of course," she
added in regretful honesty as she studied
the half-finished painting of a cactus on the
easel before her. Cacti were a nuisance to
paint. All the little spines were something
of a bother.
Cleo moved on to the next pot but she
searched Victoria's face with concerned
eyes. I worried a great deal at first after
Lucas took you away to Yorkshire. I
could have strangled Jessica Atherton for
showing up the morning of your marriage
and causing such a stir."
I had a few thoughts along that line
myself. Lucas did, too."
Not surprising. I am certain he could
have done without her interference. The
whole situation bordered on disaster, but
I told myself that there was only one man
of your acquaintance who could deal with
such an imbroglio and you were with him.
When I got your first letter requesting
plants for his gardens, I knew the worst
was over," Cleo explained.
Tis true we have arrived at an
understanding of sorts, Lucas and I."
Cleo's head came up sharply. Her eyes
sparkled with laughter. An understanding?
Is that what you call it? You should see
yourself when you are anywhere near him,
my dear. You practically glow. I trust you
are no longer worrying about following in
your mother's sad footsteps?"
Victoria carefully mixed yellow with a
touch of blue to create just the right
shade of green she was seeking. Lucas
is no Samuel Whitlock."
Good heavens, I should say not. Just
as you are nothing like your mother,
dear Caroline, rest her soul. She truly
loved your father, you know. If he had
lived, everything would have been much
different. She would never have become
an easy target for Whitlock's charms. But
she was so hungry for love after your
father died that she fell immediately for
the illusion Whitlock was quick to offer."
Love is a dangerous thing, rather like
electricity, I believe. I think it is better to
form a solid, working partnership with a
man. That is what I am doing with Lucas,
you know. We are making progress."
Cleo gave a start. I beg your pardon?
You are forming a business alliance with
stone vale?"
It is the logical thing to do, given
the circumstances under which we were
married. There is no denying that stone vale
itself is an excellent investment. It is good
land."
I see." Cleo looked dazed. How very
fascinating."
The arrangement works well, for the
most part, although Lucas does have the
lamentable habit of giving orders when he
cannot get his way through reason and
logic."
Vicky, dear, this is quite interesting.
stone vale is going along with this partner
ship notion?"
On the whole. I am meeting with some
resistance in certain areas."
Cleo's eyes widened. I can imagine.
What areas?"
He would still very much like to believe
that I am in love with him and he never
loses an opportunity to try to coax me into
admitting it."
Cleo put down the watering pot with a
small thud and
stared at her niece. Are
you not in love with him? Vicky, I assumed
from the start that your heart was charting
your course in all this. Otherwise, I would
never have insisted"
Of course I am in love with him. I
would never have gone to the inn that
first night with him if I hadn't been. But
I am not about to give him the satisfaction
of admitting it to him," Victoria declared.
Why ever not?"
Victoria looked up from the painting.
Because, to be blunt, he is not in love
with me."
Good heavens, Vicky, are you certain?
He seems inordinately fond of you."
He is fond of me. That is one of
the reasons the marriage is working. But
he feels he cannot allow himself to love
me because if he does, I will use the
knowledge to run roughshod over him.
He thinks I am something of a shrew,
you see. Too independent and headstrong
by half. Give me an inch and I will surely
take a mile."
Perhaps he is merely uncertain of you
and cannot admit his love until he knows
you love him," Cleo suggested.
Why should he be uncertain of me? The
man is married to me."
What does that signify? How many
married women of our acquaintance are
head over heels in love with their husbands?
More than one has resorted to a discreet
affair, as you well know. And women such
as Jessica Atherton, who would almost
certainly never indulge in an affair, are
testimonials to womanly duty, not womanly
love. The thought of being married out of
a sense of duty must give a man a few
chills."
Why should it? Lucas certainly had no
qualms about marrying me out of a sense
of duty. His goal from the start was to
save stone vale, not find a deep and abiding
love for himself." Victoria dashed the brush
fiercely across the paper and immediately
had to blot up a long smear of green.
Just because a man is forced to marry
for the sake of his responsibilities does not
mean he is not human enough to want to
be loved. Lucas told me the morning of
your marriage that he truly wished things
had progressed in a far different fashion.
He knows that because of that debacle at
the inn, he never had a chance to finish
the courtship properly."
He finished it, all right. He concluded
the matter with a special license, if you will
recall." Another smear of green appeared
on the paper.
My point is that he is only too well
aware of the fact that he did not have
a chance to win your love. You did
not marry him entirely of your own free
will and he knows that. Later, when you
found out he had begun his pursuit of
you because you were an heiress, his
position was further weakened. How can
he possibly be all that certain of you unless
you have assured him of your love?"
Victoria looked up, feeling pressed. Just
whose side are you on, Aunt Cleo?"
Cleo sighed. I am not on anyone's side.
I just want to see you happy, Vicky."
You think I would be happy if I simply
surrender completely to my husband?"
Surrender? What an odd term."
Tis the one he uses," Victoria muttered.
Except when he's trying to find euphem
isms such as negotiated truce."
Does he really? I expect tis because he
spent so much time in the military and then
devoted himself to gaming. Military men
and game sters have a somewhat similar
vocabulary, you know. They are always
thinking in terms of strategy and winning
and losing. There is very little middle
ground for them."
Yes, I have discovered that for myself."
Women, on the other hand, are capable
of more flexibility in their thinking," Cleo
continued.
That is undoubtedly a weakness when it
comes to dealing with men. It gives them
a license to indulge their own inflexibility.
No, I am married to a man who thinks
like a soldier, and I must either break him
of the habit or teach him to be content
with the partnership we have managed to
establish. The one thing I will not do is
risk everything by giving him the surrender
he wants."
Cleo considered her thoughtfully for a
long moment. What is it, precisely, that
you would be risking?"
My pride, for one thing."
Is that so very important?"
Of course it is."
Well, he is your husband, my dear. You
must do as you think best."
Relieved to be through with that topic
of conversation, Victoria hurriedly switched
to another. Perhaps you would care to go
shopping today? I mean to purchase some
books on gardening and horticulture to
take back to Yorkshire."
I would be delighted. Are these for your
library at stone vale?"
Some of them will go into the library
but the rest are to serve as a gift to our
local vicar and his wife. They have been
most helpful. The vicar is writing a book
on gardening." Victoria hesitated and then
added in a rush, And I am to do the
plates."
Cleo beamed. Vicky, how marvelous.
You are going to get your lovely botanical
work published. I am so pleased. How did
that arrangement come about?"
Lucas arranged it," Victoria admitted
softly.
Cleo's gaze sharpened. How did he
do that?"
Victoria flushed. He showed one of my
paintings to the vicar, who instantly asked
to meet the artist to see if she would
be interested in doing the plates for his
book. Lucas swears he did not influence
the vicar by telling him who the artist
was until after Reverend Worth admired
the picture. The vicar seems genuinely
delighted to have me do the plates. I
must confess, I am very excited about
it."
Cleo leaned forward and admired Vic
toria's painting, musing thoughtfully. Trust
stone vale to find a way to give his heiress
the one gift she could not have bought for
herself."
The amber yellow silk gown was stun
ning in its elegant simplicity. Victoria was
pleased with the effect. The skirt fell in a
narrow, graceful column to her ankles. The
high waistline, topped with a small, artfully
draped bodice, displayed a wide expanse
of white skin and emphasized the gentle
curves of her breasts. Her slippers were
embroidered in gold thread and matched
her long, elegant gloves.
The amber pendant hung in solitary
splendor around her throat. With a last
glance in th
e mirror, Victoria decided she
was as ready as she would ever be for
Jessica Atherton's reception. She picked
up her gilded fan.
I will take the black cloak, the one with
the hood lined in gold satin, Nan."
Ye do look wonderful tonight, ma'am,"
Nan breathed reverently as she carefully
draped the long, flowing cloak around
her mistress's shoulders. His lordship
will be ever so proud." She adjusted
the hood so that the gold satin formed
a deep, rich collar around Victoria's throat.
Wonderful."
Thank you, Nan. I must be off. His
lordship will be waiting in the hall. Pray
do not wait up for me. I will wake you
when I return if I need any help."
Yes, ma'am."
Lucas was pacing impatiently at the foot
of the stairs, but when he saw Victoria
draped in black velvet and gold, he halted
abruptly. His eyes were full of gleaming,
sensual admiration as he watched her come
slowly down the staircase.
Ready for battle, are we?" he murmured
as he took her arm.
Let's just say I do not want Jessica
Atherton feeling sorry for me."
He laughed as Griggs opened the door.
She is far more likely to feel sorry for
me."
Oh, really? And why is that, my lord?"
Lucas tightened his hold on Victoria's
arm. She will know I must be helpless
to resist my Amber Lady. She will
undoubtedly worry that you are already
in command of this marriage."
Victoria slid a sidelong glance at him as
he assisted her into the carriage. And are
you helpless to resist me?"
What do you think?" He climbed in
beside her.
I think you are teasing me again."
He reached for her hand and inclined
his head gallantly over her gloved fingers.
Madam, I assure you that I find you
utterly irresistible."
I shall bear that in mind."
The streets near the large Atherton
home were filled with carriages. Dozens
of elegantly dressed people clogged the
front steps. But Lucas and Victoria, as
guests of honor, were quickly ushered past
the crowds.
When Victoria handed over her cloak
in the wide, brilliantly lit hall, the amber
yellow gown was revealed in all its glory.
Lucas took one look at the graceful expanse
of his wife's throat, shoulders, and bosom
revealed by the small bodice and he set
his teeth.
No wonder you kept that cloak wrapped
around you, until we got here," he growled.
This will teach me to examine your
attire far more carefully before I take
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