A Ballroom Temptation

by Kimberly Bell

  Jane turned her doorknob with excruciating slowness and crept into the room only to find she needn’t have bothered. Eugenia wasn’t there. Which meant Eugenia had woken up without Jane there. The ramifications of that only had a moment to sink in before the doorknob turned and the door pushed open.

  Lord Quincy stood in his dressing gown, carrying an unconscious Eugenia in his arms.

  “Close it, quick,” he hissed.

  Jane rushed to shut the door. Then she realized that was insane. Now she and Eugenia and Lord Quincy were all in their bedclothes in her bedroom.

  “What the devil, Quincy?”

  He laid Eugenia down on the bed with more gentleness than Jane would have expected from him. He set her glasses on the pillow a safe distance away.

  “She sleeps like the bloody dead. I’ve tried to wake her five times.”

  “What are you doing trying to wake her? What is she doing not in bed?”

  “I could ask the same of you,” Quincy accused, not buying her outrage in the slightest. “She woke up. You weren’t here. She went looking for you and found me instead.”

  “And?” If he hurt a single hair on her head . . .

  “And. How could you leave her alone last night? She’s never slept away from home. It’s her first house party, and it’s not like she has the kind of friends you stay over with.”

  Suddenly, Jane felt like the villain. “Was she terribly frightened?”

  “No,” he admitted. “Just homesick. We sat up in the library and talked about Bristol. We must have fallen asleep, and because she’s Ginny, I couldn’t get her to bloody wake up.”

  Ginny rolled over and hugged a pillow to her chest.

  “Thank Christ. I thought she was dead, or close to.” The relief in his voice brought a dopey smile to Jane’s face. Theodore Quincy was in love with Eugenia Davenport.

  He caught her staring. “What?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Come off it. I’m not sweet on Ginny. I just worry about her sometimes. And somebody ought to—she’s a bloody liability, and those parents of hers . . .”

  On the bed, Eugenia stretched her arms out and yawned.

  Quincy shook his head. “Unbelievable. Well, she’s your problem now.”

  He left before Jane could stop him.

  Eugenia opened her eyes and reached out. She found her glasses right where Lord Quincy put them. “You’re back!”

  “I’m back.”

  “How was your evening?”

  “I’m more interested in how yours was,” Jane admitted.

  Eugenia sat up, yawning. “What do you mean?”

  “Did anything interesting happen?”

  “Not really.”

  Either Eugenia was craftier than Jane had given her credit for, or something was amiss. “You didn’t spend your evening with a man?”

  “Oh.” She scrunched up her nose, shaking off the last bits of sleep. “Well, yes. Quincy and I stayed up in the library. But that’s not unusual.”

  “It’s not?” That was not how Lord Teddy had made it sound.

  She shook her head. “He stays with my family often. We usually stay up and talk in the library.”

  Theodore Quincy was completely, utterly head over heels in love with Eugenia Davenport. And now Jane was certain of it.

  “Well, shall we ring for your maid and go down for breakfast?”

  “I am very hungry.”

  Right. Hungry from all the late-night talks with the handsome young lord that was completely smitten with her. If only Lady Davenport knew. Probably better she didn’t, though—Jane could only imagine a courtship managed by Eugenia’s mother.

  • • •

  Breakfast was a madhouse. Between the bleary eyes of couples who had clearly not spent the evening getting much sleep and the overt flirtations of couples who had not yet reached an agreement to cross the halls in the dead of night, it was like being on a farm during breeding season. Adam had the unique perspective of being both bleary-eyed and unsatisfied—a set of circumstances he wouldn’t have traded for the world.

  He knew the moment Jane entered the breakfast room. Every nerve in his body jumped to attention. If he had closed his eyes, he still would have been able to tell anyone who asked her exact placement in the room. Even when she came over and sat next to him at the long table, his body still insisted on keeping very precise track of her movements.

  “Are you all right?” she asked.

  He couldn’t explain it if he wanted to. “Perfectly.”

  She beamed at him.

  Miss Davenport frowned down at her plate. “I forgot to get crumpets.”

  Lord Quincy dropped two on her plate as he slid silently into the seat next to her.

  Jane squeezed Adam’s knee. She was practically bursting with excitement as she looked at them.

  “What?”

  She leaned in, grinning like a loon. “I’ll tell you later, but it’s wonderful.”

  Adam suddenly—desperately—needed to know. He stood up. “Come on.”

  “I’m not done with breakfast.”

  “It will just take a moment.”

  She followed him into the sewing room he’d had his fight with Sebastian in.

  “What—”

  He kissed her. He made sure to keep his hands at his sides, but he couldn’t stop himself. He teased her lips, bit them, stroked her tongue with his. Everything he could do to communicate how much he wanted her without using his hands. When he pulled away, she was breathless.

  Better. Much better.

  “What was that all about?”

  Adam shrugged. “What had you grinning?”

  “Oh!” She related the story of her morning, completely unable to keep the grin from pushing her cheeks into adorable little lumps while she told it. “Isn’t it dear?”

  “I think you’re dear.”

  She cocked her eyebrow. “Is it later already?”

  Adam sighed. “No, it’s not.”

  “Then we’d better get back to breakfast.”

  “Before we go . . .” He raised his hands, palms out. “Can I touch you?”

  Jane shifted on her toes, her smile changing to something more sultry. “Yes.”

  He slowly formed the flat of his hand to her rib cage, just under the curve of her breast. She wasn’t wearing a corset with her morning dress, and he knew she felt every tiny shift of his fingers. “Tell me if you become afraid.”

  “I will.” She was already breathless.

  In the short time they’d been apart, Adam’s mind had gone wild with things he wanted to do with her. To her. He slid his palm up, cupping it over the breasts he’d already memorized with his mouth. He brushed his thumb across the nipple, pushing against the tiny flower print of her dress.

  Then he stepped back, taking his hand with him.

  Jane groaned.

  “You weren’t afraid?” He hadn’t felt her go stiff, but maybe she’d just hid it well.

  “No.”

  “Not even a little?”

  “Not at all.”

  Adam took a deep, satisfied breath. It hadn’t been for nothing. He hadn’t shamelessly corrupted her based on a falsity. The things they were doing were helping.

  “Adam?”

  “All right. Back to breakfast.”

  She shook her head, laughing. “One of these times . . .”

  “I’m looking forward to it.”

  • • •

  After breakfast, Lady Cavendish announced that they would be participating in a scavenger hunt. Partygoers would be paired up and given clues for items that they would then hunt for across the breadth of the estate. Items could be anywhere—inside or outside.

  The partnering for the scavenger hunt mimicked the dinner assignments from the p
revious evening. That meant Jane was paired with Sebastian.

  “Miss Bailey.”

  “Mr. Clairborne.”

  “Are you any good at these hunts?” he asked, staring at their first clue like it was ancient Sanskrit.

  Jane peered over his shoulder. “I’ve had some success in my time. I won’t claim to be unbeatable, but I put up a decent fight.”

  This clue, however, made absolutely no sense to her.

  “I can’t figure it,” Sebastian said at the same time.

  Jane saw the detailed lecture Eugenia was giving out of the corner of her eye. “Mr. Clairborne, if I make a below-board suggestion, will you think less of me?”

  “You want to cheat? How would we even do that?”

  Jane tilted her head in his brother’s direction. “Miss Davenport is brilliant. As we speak, the only reason their team hasn’t left to find the second clue is because she’s occupied explaining to your brother how simple he is for not seeing the answer.”

  Sebastian snuck a look. Adam was very clearly trying to hold on to his patience while Eugenia made explicit gestures with her hands. “What are you proposing?”

  “We don’t have to beat them on this clue, or even any of the others. We just have to follow them, and then beat them on the last one.” It was a suggestion one of the Dalreochs would have made, and Jane was surprised to hear it coming from her own mouth.

  Sebastian looked around the dining room. Every other group looked just as lost as Jane and Sebastian. “Let’s do it.”

  “As an added bonus,” Jane told him, “you will get to watch Eugenia ridicule Adam for most of the day.”

  It brought a smile to his face, just like she knew it would.

  Adam and Eugenia finally left the dining room, and Jane and Sebastian followed them at a safe distance. They located the second clue in a suit of armor in the first-floor hallway, though by what logic Jane could not have said.

  The third clue was found back on the ground floor in the pot of a rather vicious-looking plant in the conservatory. Clue number four saw them outside. It was possible that at this point, Eugenia had caught on to the fact that they were being followed. As soon as Sebastian and Jane entered the forest, they lost all sight of their unwitting helpers.

  “What about that way, anything?”

  Sebastian looked in the direction she pointed. “Nothing.”

  “I can’t see where they would have gone.”

  A branch cracked to the left of Sebastian. They both turned. Instead of Adam and Eugenia, they found Geoffrey.

  The quiet of the forest amplified around Jane, picking out tiny sounds and making them loud. She refused to be afraid. She was a new Jane now. She wasn’t his Jane anymore.

  “Clairborne. Thank God. What clue are you on?”

  “Four,” Sebastian answered. “But it looks like we’re stuck now.”

  “You’re doing better than us. Drusilla is next to useless. Trade me partners?”

  Don’t do it. Don’t do it. Please, don’t do it.

  Sebastian took a half step to the side, effectively putting her behind him. “No, I think I want to keep Miss Bailey with me. She’s the only reason I stand a chance.”

  She almost cried with joy.

  Geoffrey was not as pleased—she could see the ticking muscle in his cheek. “Did you hear me? I said trade me partners.”

  Jane closed her hand around Sebastian’s forearm, holding on for dear life.

  “And I said no. Miss Bailey and I started the hunt together. We’ll finish it together.”

  He took a step forward.

  There was another crash in the brush to their other side. This time it was Lord Brandon and Lady Cavendish. She was laughing in a way that suggested intoxication.

  “I wrote these bloody clues,” she giggled. “You’d think I would know the answers.”

  “You’re not allowed to win anyway, love.”

  “What’s all this!” Lady Cavendish shouted when she saw them. “Lord Geoffrey, where is your partner?”

  “She’s in the parlor.”

  “Foul!” Lady Cavendish shouted. “You can’t go around without your partner.”

  The twitch in Geoffrey’s cheek doubled.

  “Go on,” she insisted. “And there’s no changing partners, if that’s what you’re thinking. I made the pairings, and it’s my birthday.”

  “And Lydia shall have everything exactly her way on her birthday,” Brandon said, squeezing her bottom.

  Geoffrey glared at all four of them and stomped back off through the woods.

  Lady Cavendish and Brandon didn’t notice. They’d devolved into leaning on each other and groping conspicuously.

  “Any chance you can give us a hint about the next clue?” Sebastian asked. “If we knew where it was we’d leave to go look for it,” he said unsubtly.

  “Pavilion,” Lady Cavendish said around a shrieking giggle. “On top of the molding.”

  Sebastian and Jane left at a brisk walk.

  When they were clear of the forest she stopped him. “Thank you.”

  “You’re my partner.”

  “Sebastian.” She wasn’t just going to let him shrug it off. “I don’t know what you just saved me from, but it was a great deal more than just losing a scavenger hunt.”

  “I . . .” He was having a hard time looking at her. “I didn’t know, before. About him. I don’t know that I know it now, but . . . it just didn’t feel right.”

  “Thank you.”

  “It doesn’t mean I believe Adam.”

  “I’m not asking you to.”

  “Aren’t you?” He paced restlessly. “I see what you’re trying to do. But Geoff being a villain doesn’t make Adam a hero. Not to me.”

  “All right.”

  “Is it?”

  Jane put a hand on his shoulder so he would look at her. “I don’t have many friends, Sebastian. Certainly not enough be exclusionary. If you don’t mind that I do like him, I don’t mind if you don’t.”

  It took a long moment, but eventually he said, “I don’t mind.”

  “Good. Now where’s this pavilion?”

  • • •

  Even after Adam and Eugenia had been awarded their prize—a laden picnic basket and a lovely bottle of wine—Miss Davenport was still ranting about all the groups that had tried to cheat off of her hard work. Hunting clues with her had been extremely educational, but Adam was ready to spend a few hours without being enlightened.

  “Miss Davenport. Why don’t you and Lord Quincy go enjoy our winnings by the lake?”

  “Me? You don’t want to share it with Jane?”

  Adam had a number of things he planned to share with Jane, but they didn’t involve any of the things in that basket. “How could we share with Jane when she tried to cheat?”

  Eugenia’s face clouded over again. “She did.”

  “In fact,” Adam was digging deep now, “I think Lord Quincy’s team is the only one that didn’t try to follow us during the hunt.”

  “Because he refused to play. He just stayed in the billiards room the entire time.”

  “But he didn’t cheat.”

  “That’s true.” She hefted their basket and went in search of Lord Quincy.

  Adam knew exactly where Jane was. He went to the drawing room where she was laughing with Sebastian and one of Lady Cavendish’s cousins. When she saw him, she waved.

  Sebastian scowled, but it held less ire than it had yesterday.

  “Miss Bailey,” he called. “I have a quick question, if you don’t mind.”

  “Oh?” She excused herself, coming over to where he waited in the doorway.

  “I wondered if it felt late to you.”

  “Late?”

  “Perhaps even later.”

  Her lips par
ted. A pink tinge flushed over her chest. “You know, I think it does.”

  “I’m so glad you agree. Would you follow me, please?”

  They left the drawing room behind.

  “Where are we going?” she asked.

  “Clue number nine.”

  “My team didn’t get that far.”

  “None of them did, except mine. Which is why I’m certain it’s an excellent place for later.”

  “Which is now,” she clarified.

  “Correct.”

  “Just checking. I’ve been put off before.”

  Down the hallway that led to the conservatory, an unassuming door sat off to the side. Adam looked to make sure no one was behind them and ushered her in. “Not this time.”

  Inside, a hundred competing smells hit them like a wall. Flower petals of every color sat in barrels. Herbs hung from hooks that were affixed to the ceiling.

  “A stillroom?”

  “A stillroom.” Adam inhaled deep, letting the earthy plant smell seep into his bones. “Not quite the drying sheds at home, but it will do.”

  “And you brought many women back to the drying sheds in the colonies?”

  “Not a one.” He picked her up by the waist and sat her on the counter than ran the length of the room. “But I always wanted to.”

  Jane laughed—it was a musical sound that bounced off the walls and buried itself in the flower barrels. “So this later is mostly for you.”

  “Oh no,” Adam said, dipping his head down for a kiss. “It’s for both of us.”

  She started unbuttoning his jacket. He didn’t protest. It hit the floor, quickly followed by his waistcoat.

  Adam slanted his mouth, telling her he wanted more without telling her. Jane pushed the shirt from his shoulders and buried her fingers in his hair as she devoured him. He played his fingers against the round bones on her ankles.

  “Mmmm.”

  They traveled up her calves, behind her knees . . .

  She jumped, laughing again. “That tickles.”

  Up over her kneecaps. Past the top edge of her stockings. His thumbs traced a line from her kneecaps up her inner thighs.

  There wasn’t any laughter when she shifted, leaning back against the wall and sliding her thighs wider.

  Adam dropped his hands, starting again at her ankle bones.