The Secrets of Seduction (The Ladies of The Burling School Book 7)

by Elizabeth Lennox

  Ingrid blushed and waved. “Oh, I’m glad that you enjoyed it.”

  Ella smiled and left, waving to her father as she slipped into her car. Where should she go now? She was still focused on Malcolm, furious with him for not being there in the morning. Had she been completely wrong about him? Had she given herself to a man that only wanted to use her? Had she just committed the unforgiveable sin of becoming involved with a person she was investigating?

  “No!” she protested aloud, driving down the street. “No, he isn’t like that!”

  Ella wasn’t sure where she was going. But she knew that being with Malcolm last night hadn’t been a mistake. She had to believe that, otherwise, she might just fall apart.

  She considered her next move.

  Tular she thought suddenly, remembering the conversation in the bathroom last night. “What was the connection to Tular?” Tapping her thumb against her steering wheel, she tried to think, tried to remember what they’d discussed. Something about a dreary hotel in the capital and not having air conditioning? But was there more?

  She’d been bored out of her mind, but Ella suspected that the conversation might have been significant. Of course, the ladies themselves were significant as well! Ella might not agree with their life choices –she couldn’t imagine a career as a mistress to a stuffed shirt– but the ladies were important and wonderful and valuable. Pink Dress and Blue Dress…Ella really should have taken a moment to discover their names…were lovely women who simply needed validation. They needed to feel needed and maybe the men who paid their bills and...

  She was doing it again. Ella rolled her eyes and turned her car around, heading back to her apartment. Whenever she became overwhelmed, Ella’s mind wandered down an irrelevant rabbit hole. Something that she didn’t need to focus on because…because she couldn’t figure out the real issue.

  And the issue she was trying to avoid at this moment was Malcolm and how hurt she was…devastated really…that he had left her this morning.

  Wiping a tear from her cheek, she turned right, then left on the small, winding roads leading back to the village. She drove past his father’s estate and Ella wondered why the old Duke hadn’t been around lately. Even her father had mentioned that Edward hadn’t been to several of the village meetings. In the past, the old codger made a point of attending the meetings and dominated the discussion with his blustering demands. He was still under the impression that he was the primary employer for the village and, therefore, had the right to demand concessions from the villagers.

  Ella smiled, remembering the last time she’d come home several months ago. The villagers had just finished a town meeting. Some were grumbling about the duke’s interference and others were laughing at how ridiculous the man was.

  An issue for another day, she thought. But even as she dismissed the thought, she started considering the idea of doing a story about him. Maybe there were other villages who have the same problem? She loved her country and even loved the Royal Family. But….

  Ella sighed. She was doing it again!

  Turning right, she pulled into the small parking lot of her apartment and…Malcolm! He was coming out of her building and he didn’t look happy.

  For a long moment, she stared at him, her mind trying to interpret his expression. He looked angry but why would he be angry? He’s the one who left at some point in the night after making her whole body tingle with happiness. He was the one who snuck out. She’s the injured party here!

  She pulled into a parking space and he was right there, whipping the car door open as soon as she turned off the engine.

  “Where the hell have you been?” he demanded.

  Ella grabbed her bag and stepped out of the vehicle. She didn’t answer him for a long moment, which was probably the wrong thing to do because his temper visibly ramped up several notches.

  Then again, did she care if he was angry? She didn’t! He’s the one who snuck away! He’s the one that had made her feel special and loved and sexy and beautiful. Only to wake up feeling used. Like yesterday’s trash!

  “Ella, where were you this morning and why didn’t you call me?” he growled, leaning over her, placing a hand on either side of her, pinning her against her car.

  “Why would I call you?” she demanded, refusing to be cowed. She’d run up against brutal dictators, pirates, sex traffickers and other horrible human beings. Those people had been terrifying and she’d hidden her fear from them. Malcolm could not scare her!

  Okay, so yeah, she was a little bit scared. She didn’t know what he would do when angry. But no way would she let him see how scared she was.

  “Why would you…?” He sighed, bowing his head slightly. “After last night?”

  She shrugged. “Apparently, last night didn’t mean much to you since you weren’t here when I woke up. So, last night must have been just…!”

  “Don’t!” he snapped, straightening up and taking her hands. “Ella, don’t belittle what happened last night. It wasn’t just a one night stand. Not for me. And,” he lowered his head, looking into her eyes, “I suspect that it wasn’t for you either.” He paused again, waiting for her response. “Was it?” he prompted when she pressed her lips together.

  Unfortunately, not speaking didn’t help because she teared up at his words. They revealed exactly how hurt she’d been this morning.

  Ella blew out a breath of air, irritated that she felt so pathetically hurt. Looking up at him, she refused to lower her guard because he was saying all the right words. Words were good. Her world revolved around words. Words were her life. But actions were much more important. She used words to describe actions. Right now, she was a wee bit speechless. Unfortunately. Because she’d love to blast him with words that would hurt him as deeply as she was hurting.

  “It was…” she started, but words failed her. Her expertise was words, but they weren’t coming to her now.

  Malcolm watched her, his chest aching when he noticed the tears. “I left you a note, honey.” He wanted to pull her into his arms. He wanted to feel her body melt against his, like she had last night. Hell, he wanted to pull her into his arms, carry her back up to her apartment and make love to her all over again. He wanted to feel that oblivion, that mind-blowing pleasure. Even now, seeing her long lashes lower over her beautiful cheeks, Malcolm ached to hold her.

  “Hell,” he muttered, reacting to the pain in her eyes. Instead of talking this out, figuring out what had gone wrong between last night when she was a passionate, beautiful woman sharing herself with him in the most amazing way, and this stiff, angry, hurt person…he pulled her into his arms and held her close.

  For a long moment, she stood stiffly in his arms. But as his hands moved over her back in a seemingly futile attempt to soothe her, she slowly relaxed. He sighed with relief, closing his eyes. “I don’t know what I did to mess up, Ella. Will you tell me what I did wrong?”

  That’s when the trembling began and he muttered several curses. “I’m sorry, Ella,” and he lifted her into his arms. “We need to figure this out.” He carried her over to his car and tucked her into the passenger seat. Malcolm practically jogged around to the driver’s seat, needing to get her alone and away from prying eyes. It was a small village and he was well known around these parts. Hell, his father was the village monster. Every person in this village loved gossip, and gossip about his family was a local favorite.

  He’d lived with the speculation about his life and his relationship with his father all his life. But Ella didn’t need to deal with that. She was special and more tender hearted than he’d realized. More tender than she let on to the world, apparently. Yeah, she was tough and hardcore when she was going after a story. But when her heart became involved…

  Malcolm smiled at the realization that Ella was hurt. He backed out of the parking lot and headed for London. The tension in him released at the realization that Ella’s heart was involved. That was good! Damn good! Because he had feelings for her as well. He wasn’t
exactly sure what those feelings were. He wasn’t used to having feelings for a woman. But Ella…she was different. Different special and different important. Important to him.

  Damn, he hadn’t meant for that to happen. He hadn’t meant for anything to happen with Ella. But after last night, he couldn’t hide from those feelings. Not when they felt this good.

  Okay, take that back, Malcolm thought as he turned right onto the highway. It didn’t feel good to hear Ella sniff. And he hated that she wouldn’t look at him. If he weren’t speeding down the highway, he’d take her into his arms right this moment and explain. But he needed to get her alone, and more than just alone, he needed her away from the prying eyes of the villagers.

  He hated going to that village, hated being so close to his father. It was as if there was an evil cloud around the man and, the closer Malcolm got to that old, dilapidated estate, the stronger that evil became.

  Even more, he could feel everyone’s eyes watching him. It wasn’t just his imagination either. When he walked into the village, curtains twitched. Outdoor sitting areas of the local pubs filled up and, literally, people turned in their seats to watch him.

  He hated the possibility, the probability of anyone in that village talking about Ella like that, although someone had most likely seen him carry her off to his car. Tongues were probably wagging already and the story would hit Ella’s father’s ears before the end of the day.

  “Here,” he said, handing her his cell phone. “You need to call your dad and assure him that you weren’t kidnapped by me a few minutes ago.”

  She scoffed and shook her head. “My dad wouldn’t think that.”

  He grunted. “Trust me, he’s going to hear something along those lines. I’ve found that it’s better to be proactive about these things when it comes to the villagers.”

  She’d been looking out the window, trying to ignore him or maybe just going through things in her mind. But with his words, she turned her head and looked at his phone.

  “If he’s going to hear that you’ve done something horrible to me, then he’d believe it more if I called him from my cell phone.” And with that, she pulled her phone out of her messenger bag and dialed her dad.

  “Ella? Honey, are you okay?”

  Ella glanced over to Malcolm’s, confused. “Of course I’m okay, Dad. What have you heard?”

  Malcolm must have heard the concern in her father’s voice because his lips quirked up slightly. Some might call it a smile, but Ella knew that it wasn’t amusement. Cynicism?

  “Someone came over to tell me that you’d been abducted,” he announced. “You’re okay?”

  Ella looked away from Malcolm’s I-told-you-so glance. “I’m fine, Dad. I’m with Malcolm Reynolds.”

  “He’s not hurting you, is he? There were rumors, love. Rumors about bad things happening at his house when he was growing up. There are even rumors about how his mother died. Rumors that were never confirmed, but none were ever denied either.”

  Ella glanced up at Malcolm again. His face was stoic now. Good grief, what must he have gone through growing up?

  “I’m fine, Dad. Malcolm is actually helping me with something. He’s been the ultimate gentleman. And he’s never laid a finger on me in any sort of violent or evil way. So, you can rest assured that I’m not in shackles, about to be hacked to bits and fed to dogs.”

  Her father groaned and Ella smiled. “You don’t have to be so graphic, honey,” he chuckled. “But thank you for calling. Some people around here,” he paused and Ella could picture him shaking his head. “Well, suffice it to say that there are some people who need better hobbies to occupy their time.”

  Ella laughed, thinking about her father’s gardening. It was much more than a hobby to him, she knew. It was more of an obsession. His gardening took a great deal of his time and attention.

  “I think that would be a great idea, Dad,” she teased, looking out the window again. “Maybe you should suggest it at the next village meeting.”

  His only response was a grunt. Then he said, “But you’re okay?”

  Not completely okay, she thought. “I wasn’t kidnapped, Dad. Malcolm is a gentleman. He wouldn’t dream of treating me disrespectfully.”

  Her eyes once again moved to Malcom. Yes, he was concentrating on the traffic, but he still reacted to her words with a smirk.

  “Okay, honey. As long as you’re okay,” and he chuckled, “I’ll tell the tongue-waggers here that you’re not chopped up into little bits.”

  “Thanks Dad. I’ll talk to you later.”

  She ended the call and laid the phone down on her lap, her mind spinning with all of the questions. She didn’t want to ask, not wanting to invade his privacy. But her reporter’s mind was going a hundred miles a minute.

  There was a long silence as both of them considered that phone call. In the end, Ella couldn’t suppress the questions. “So…what were the rumors that were so horrible about your family that I never heard about them?” she finally blurted out.

  He laughed, shaking his head. “Other than the way my bastard father fired your mother?” he asked.

  “That wasn’t a rumor,” she snapped back, fury returning at the memory. She took a slow, deep breath and let it out again. “Do you know why your father fired my mother? Not that it matters. I was just wondering what his justification was.”

  Malcolm’s fingers tightened on the steering wheel. “My father fired your mother, who was a wonderful woman, by the way…”

  “I know that. You don’t need to tell me that because I know that.”

  He nodded, silent for a long moment. “She was good to me and my mother, Ella. She was a kind, decent person to everyone.”

  There was a mystery behind that comment. But one question at a time, she thought. “Back to why your father fired my mom?”

  He sighed and turned off of the highway. They exited into the Mayfair area and Ella groaned, not wanting to be here. This was the ritzy area. The houses were huge and hidden behind either tall brick walls or elaborate landscaping with enormous yards and massive trees that were centuries old.

  “My father fired your mother for the exact reason you suspect.”

  “He couldn’t be such a bastard to fire her because she was diagnosed with cancer, Malcolm. No one is that much of a monster, although I admit, that’s what I thought when it happened. And,” she was ashamed of this admission, “that’s what I’ve thought ever since. Although I’m sure the truth isn’t that bad.”

  Malcolm turned into the driveway of one of those big, beautiful houses. “Unfortunately, that’s the truth,” he told her and pressed button that opened the garage door in the back of the house. One of four garage doors, Ella noted. “He fired your mother because she was diagnosed with cancer. My father fired her the moment he discovered her illness. He wanted her out of his house that very day. I remember that afternoon. He was livid that your mother had dared to enter his domain with a sickness.”

  Ella was more horrified. “But it wasn’t her fault that she got cancer!” she exclaimed, the garage doors closing behind them. It was quiet and dark inside the garage. “Why would he do that?”

  “Because my father truly was, and is, a bastard of the first order, Ella,” he sighed, then stepped out of the car.

  Ella followed, still struggling to understand. “But…”

  “Ella,” he interrupted, stopping her next objection. “He’s done far worse. I don’t know everything he’s done, but I know enough. So yeah, he can be that big of a bastard.”

  She contemplated that as he led her into his house.

  Over the years, Malcolm had made a great deal of money. He’d enjoyed the places he’d lived during that time as well. The money he’d earned allowed him to live however he wanted. And he’d lived very comfortably. But now, leading Ella through his house, he wondered what she thought of it. He’d designed it with an award winning architect but…was it not to her taste? Did she find the layout soothing?

  He rememb
ered her apartment and the surprise that it was so small and…empty. She didn’t collect things. Nor did he, Malcolm supposed. But he preferred creature comforts at all of his homes. This one in London was his main residence and the one he’d put the most thought into.

  “This is lovely!” Ella gasped when she stepped into the two story great room with tall, black trimmed windows that looked out onto a stone patio surrounded by evergreen trees.

  Malcolm looked around, nodding. “Thank you,” he replied, surprised by the relief he felt. Why was he so relieved? He’d never cared what the women in his life thought of his residences.

  Then again, he’d never brought a woman into his home. Malcolm hadn’t really thought about that before, but…it was true. He didn’t allow the women that had come through his life to truly enter his life. He’d never had any feelings for the women in his past.

  But this morning when Ella hadn’t called, he’d cared. And the longer it had gone when she hadn’t called, the more irritated he’d become.

  “Is that a balcony on the second row of windows?” she asked, moving towards the windows that went up to the ceiling.

  “Yes. I had an architect design everything. I wanted to be able to sit out on the upper deck without it shadowing the light coming in through the windows of the great room. He figured out a way to tilt the flooring so that it brought in the light.”

  She peered up towards the balcony above while Malcolm continued to peer at her. His eyes traveled down over her jeans, then back up to the soft cotton of her sweater that molded to her breasts. The clothes weren’t particularly interesting. It was her body underneath the clothing that he found endlessly fascinating. And he wanted to peel all of those clothes off and make love to her. Right here in the sunshine!

  But she hadn’t called this morning. After the night they’d shared together, she’d ignored him all day long. Damn, but he hated being on this side of the relationship. How many times had he heard the women he’d been with say the same thing? Now here he was, wondering why she hadn’t called. Karma was a bitch!