by Amelia Grey
“What is his problem?”
“The doctor says his heart is weak. He has very little energy to do the smallest tasks. Even though he has been ill, he has looked forward to your return with great anticipation.”
“Something you failed to do.”
She stiffened a little, but tried not to show it. “I didn’t give up on you, my lord, until after years of futile hope had passed.”
“Perhaps now you know that one must never give up hope.”
“If ever again I think I might, rest assured I will remember your unexpected return and renew my expectation with vigor.”
He lifted his drink in a toast to her and took a sip as their eyes met again and held. Lord Stonehurst was such a powerful looking man dressed in fawn-colored riding breeches, casually-styled cravat and black coat. Even though his words were a bit harsh, the sparkle never left his dark brown eyes. Mirabella felt an unexpected sense of loss, knowing she would never really be able to have a relationship of any significance with this gentleman.
He would surely be an easy man to get to know and banter with if fate hadn’t stepped in their way. She put aside thoughts of what might have been. The die had been cast, and she couldn’t go back and change her damaged reputation. Her only course was to go forward with her plans.
Mirabella cleared her throat. He kept leading her off the subject at hand. She had to focus. “This afternoon when I went up to visit with my father, I told him you had returned, but that I didn’t want to marry you. He refused to listen to any of my arguments about why we shouldn’t marry.”
“I assume not a one of your arguments was the truth.”
“All were truthful, sir, but none of them hinted at what you witnessed last night.”
“I’m sure.”
“My father was absolutely exuberant about the news of your arrival. I have not seen him this happy in years. He laughed out loud for the first time in many months.”
“I can see how much that pleased you by the glow that has lighted in your eyes.”
“Oh, yes.” She smiled at Camden. “It’s as if your returning has given my father a new lease on life. He now has reason to fight this weakness that grips him. I’m sure my father will live many more happy years, but he had convinced himself that his days were short. If you are still willing, I would like to continue the engagement until my father is well and better able to handle the truth of why we can’t possibly marry.”
“I see.”
“I hoped you would understand.”
He placed his glass on the table in front of him and asked, “What would you say if I told you that my offer was no longer available?”
Her smile slowly faded, her shoulders slumped ever so slightly. “I would be gravely disappointed.”
“And?”
“I would be forced to tell my father the truth of my recent actions and admit that you don’t want to marry me because of them.” A new urgency bolted inside her. Mirabella rose from her chair and seated herself on the settee beside him. “I would rather not put either of us through this unnecessary ruse, my lord. I have no great desire to falsely portray ourselves as something we’re not, an engaged couple. That is the main reason I declined your offer in the first place, but as you said, this would be good for both of us.”
“I did say that.”
“I believe that to be true. I really see no other way to make my father happy and give your father the time he needs to get his financial affairs in proper order.”
Camden listened intently, and then asked, “So now, if I don’t agree, you will be forced to tell your father the truth?”
“Yes.”
“And what exactly is the truth, Miss Whittingham?”
Was he trying to corner her for more details? “That I allowed certain liberties, a kiss or two.” Or three.
“Is that the whole truth?”
“What do you mean?”
He leaned in close to her, lowered his voice and asked, “Just how many men have kissed you, Miss Whittingham?”
Mirabella didn’t shrink from his question or his imposing nearness which had her pulse racing. She didn’t know the answer to that question without looking at her list of suspects. Possibly eight or ten, but she couldn’t be sure because she hadn’t counted them.
They were only brief little kisses and embraces, lasting only long enough for her to slip her little finger down the gentleman’s neckcloth to search for a scar. Would he think any worse of her if he knew she was the one who had initiated the kisses from the young gentlemen?
“Obviously one was enough to ruin my reputation in your eyes and deem me unfit to be your bride, Lord Stonehurst. What would be the point in admitting to more?”
“So there were more than the one young man I saw with you last night?”
“Yes.” She lifted her shoulder to a more rigid pose. “Either your offer is still open, or it isn’t. Although I would be disappointed to do so, I’m quite prepared for us to go our separate ways.”
“I believe you are.”
He had keen, observant eyes, and he studied her thoroughly.
“You’re not going to let me forget that I rejected your earlier offer, are you?”
“No one likes rejection.”
“And no one knows that better than I. Believe me, I am now wishing I had been more generous with my sympathy when you were here this afternoon.”
“So do I, Miss Whittingham. My offer is good. Our engagement will not be broken right away.”
Mirabella let out a shaky breath. “Thank you,” she whispered softly.
“You are welcome.”
She moistened her lips and said, “I would like to make a stipulation.”
“You have some nerve, Miss Whittingham, wanting to add a stipulation after I’ve agreed to your counteroffer.”
“It’s one I think you will be pleased with.”
“I’m listening.”
“I would like for us to be completely honest with each other. There’s no reason for us to be coy or elusive since we both know this will be a ruse.”
“I like the sound of it.”
“I would like to ask that if at any time you feel you can’t go on with this subterfuge, you will give me time to speak to my father.”
“I concur.” He rubbed his chin absently. “Completely honest, you say?”
“Yes.”
“How many gentlemen have you kissed, Miss Whittingham?”
“Does the answer to that have a bearing on our agreement, or are you merely curious?”
“Given our promise to total honesty I have to admit to curiosity.”
“So our agreement stands no matter my answer.”
He pursed his lips attractively, causing Mirabella to capture her bottom lip with her teeth and hold it a moment before letting go. She remembered those beautiful lips of his massaging hers with demanding pressure. She remembered feeling things deep inside herself that she’d never felt before even though the kiss was very brief.
“I might end up regretting this, but yes, our agreement stands no matter your answer.”
“In that case, my complete honest answer is that I’ve said all I intend to say on the subject.”
Camden grinned. “You tricked me. I thought you were going to confess.”
“I didn’t trick you,” Mirabella said, feeling a good measure of satisfaction, and a breathless excitement that she was going to spend time with this man. “I answered you honestly.”
“I have a stipulation of my own.”
“What is that?” she asked, her voice a little huskier than she would have liked.
“I don’t want anyone to know that this is not a real engagement. This includes your uncle, your maid, your friends, or anyone else you might be tempted to confide in.”
“I think that is a very good idea.”
“Good. Since you are my fiancée, I think you should call me Camden, and I will refer to you as Mirabella.”
She liked the way he said her name with
an American flavor to the roll of it. “Very well.”
“I also think we both should skip the parties for the next few nights and attend the Chesterfields’ soiree on Saturday night. Everyone we know should be at that one. I’ll see to it that my parents and my brother attend, and I’ll make a point of introducing you to them.”
“That sounds the sensible thing to do.”
“I think Mr. Hornbeck should continue to escort you to the events and chaperone you.”
“I think he will agree to that.”
“I want you to arrive exactly at half past ten. Wait in the foyer until I come for you. The more people who know you have arrived, the better. Your entrance will be when I go and claim your hand.”
“I understand.”
“This will be a signal to the ton that my entire family is in agreement and happy about this engagement. That should help stanch the flow of gossip about you that’s making the rounds.”
“It’s most kind of you to do this, Lord Stonehurst. After seeing how happy my father was, I dreaded telling him about the incident you witnessed last evening.”
“It’s Camden, remember? And I don’t expect there will be a repeat of anything that happened while I was away.”
“You have my word on that.” Her kissing days were over. Now that Camden had shown her what kissing was really like, she couldn’t bear the thought of any other man pressing his lips to hers.
The next step in finding Sarah’s seducer would be finding a way to get into a gentlemen’s club so that she could get a look at the necks of the men. She couldn’t trust Lily to look the gentlemen over thoroughly. Mirabella would wear a disguise so no one recognized her.
Camden reached into his coat pocket and pulled from it a small black box. “This is a gift for you.”
“For me?” She took the case and stared into his eyes. “I don’t understand.”
“I had it with me when I came earlier today.”
“But… I thought your finances were low, sir.”
“That is true, but it doesn’t mean that certain proprieties shouldn’t be observed. I’ve not been here to court you properly. You are my fiancée, and I intend to act the part. That includes giving you flowers and gifts, as well as being seen with you all over Town.”
“Oh, but our engagement’s not real.”
He gently laid his forefinger upon her lips. The pressure was slight but heady. Pleasure filled her. At that moment, Mirabella knew she desired Camden the way a woman should want the man she was to marry. He stirred her like no other man ever had. She hardly dared breathe. She didn’t move or twitch, not wanting to break this seductive contact with him.
“Not even to ourselves will we entertain the thought that this is not a proper engagement,” he whispered. “In all ways, everyone, including you and I, will be thinking this engagement will end in marriage. From this day forward we will act and plan as if we’ll be married next spring. Understand?”
She nodded.
“You have beautiful lips,” Camden said and ran his finger across them, down her chin and neck to the hollow of her throat and let it rest there.
Mirabella wasn’t sure she was breathing. His caress stirred wonderful sensations deep in her abdomen. “You have a gentle touch, sir.”
She heard his shaky intake of breath.
“You are a mystery, Mirabella, with your beautiful green eyes and tempting lips. It’s no wonder every worthy gentleman in London was gaming for your attention when the years passed and I failed to show up and claim you for my bride.”
A mystery. If only she could tell him about Sarah, she wouldn’t be a puzzle to him any longer. But she couldn’t. He would demand that she stop and make her promise not to continue her search. She couldn’t give up until she had found the vile man and made him pay.
Remaining very close to her he said, “Open your gift.”
She peeled back the top of the box and exposed a delicately fashioned necklace of emerald and diamonds with matching earrings lying on a bed of black velvet. She looked up at him with wonder in her eyes.
“They are lovely, my lord. This is so unexpected. I don’t know what to say.”
“‘Thank you’ is usually appropriate.”
“Indeed it is, and I am most grateful, but I’m afraid I also feel undeserving.”
“My fiancée deserves the best and more. Everyone has made me feel like a schoolboy whose knuckles have been rapped. I have a lot of catching up to do. I should like for you to wear them on Saturday evening.”
She gave him an appreciative smile. “You have excellent taste, sir. I shall be happy to.”
“All I needed was to look at you. Your eyes are much lighter in color than the emeralds, but the beauty of the stones perfectly matches your lovely face.”
She blushed at his comment and looked down at the precious stones again. She felt totally undeserving of his generosity. She would give the jewelry back to him once the engagement was broken.
“So, what do you think, Mirabella? Should we seal our new engagement with a kiss?”
Her heart fluttered. “You mean you want to kiss me again?”
“Oh, yes,” he whispered. “You are my fiancée, and a beautiful lady. Why wouldn’t I want to kiss you?”
“You know I have allowed other gentlemen to kiss me.”
“That doesn’t lessen a man’s desire to capture the lips of a ravishing lady.”
“I find that strange, my lord. You don’t want to marry me because I’ve kissed another gentleman, but you don’t mind kissing me.”
He seemed to study the point for a moment. “That is because you are taught such things in polite society. That is not the case in real life. One man’s lips do not poison a lady’s lips for all other men.”
She took a deep breath and lifted her face toward his. “Then by all means, I believe that one kiss is usually appropriate after a renewed engagement.”
“Then let it be a long one,” he whispered.
Eight
Camden placed his hands on her shoulders and bent his head low, gently pulling her to him. His lips grazed lightly but constantly over hers. She leaned toward him accepting and accelerating the power of the kiss, not wanting it to end too soon. She felt strength from his hands, which gripped her tightly.
Mirabella was filled with a longing and a hunger she didn’t understand, but knew she didn’t want these feelings to go away, and she hadn’t felt such wonderful sensations with any other man’s kiss. A thrilling warmth spread throughout her as all her senses burst to life. She loved the touch of his hands on her arms and the taste of his lips on hers. She caught the fresh scent of shaving soap and heard the soft sound of his breathing. Her lashes fluttered upward, and she saw his handsome face so very close to her own.
She lifted her arms and let them circle his neck. His hands slid down her back to cup her waist and bring her up tighter against him. The kiss deepened. Mirabella didn’t know why, but she parted her lips. Camden slipped his tongue into her mouth. She gasped as something wonderful happened to her insides.
He must have assumed her intake of breath was a sign he’d gone too far because he slowly let go of her and backed away.
Mirabella’s cheeks heated. Did he know how tantalizing the kiss had been for her? She felt as if pleasure radiated from her and she didn’t want the feelings to end.
She didn’t know why she’d encouraged his kiss. Oh heavens, what a wanton he must think her to be. She wished she could tell him that he was the only man she had ever kissed because she wanted to.
“You have sweet lips, Mirabella,” he said.
“You are a most delightful kisser, sir. For a moment I thought my heart might stop beating.”
Camden cleared his throat and glanced away from her as he said, “Yes, well.”
“Did you not like what I said?”
“No, of course I did. I’m flattered.”
“And embarrassed I was so truthful?”
He smiled sweetly at her. “I a
ssure you, Mirabella, it is every man’s desire to give heart-stopping kisses.”
“Yes, I suppose it would be.”
Camden rose from the settee. “I must go tell my family the good news of our renewed engagement.”
“So, you are sure they will be pleased?”
“Definitely.”
“And we know where we stand. You are doing this for your father, and I’m doing this for mine.”
His eyes suddenly had a faraway look to them. “I believe that’s where we were six years ago, isn’t it? Becoming engaged to please our parents.”
“Yes, I guess it’s comforting to know that some things don’t change.”
“Some things don’t need to. Good night, Mirabella.”
“Good night, Camden.”
She walked with him to the door. She took his hat and gloves off the entrance table and his fine wool coat off the hall stand and handed them to him.
“I feel quite indebted to you, sir.”
“Likewise. I’ll see you at half past ten Saturday evening.”
“I’ll be there.”
Camden opened the door, and Mirabella saw Archer walking up the front steps dressed in evening attire. Merciful heavens. She had failed to send word to her uncle that she wouldn’t be going out this evening.
“Good evening, Mr. Hornbeck.”
“Lord Stonehurst,” Archer acknowledged the viscount by taking off his hat as they passed each other on the landing. He stopped and watched Camden climb into a carriage.
“Do come in, Uncle.”
Archer stepped into the entrance way and hung his own hat and coat while Mirabella closed the door. He turned to her with his pale blue eyes wide with surprise.
“Bless the saints,” Archer said, “he looked chipper enough for a man who’s been made the fool by a woman for the second time.”
Mirabella bristled at her uncle’s choice of words. “Please, Uncle. Those words were most uncalled for. Lord Stonehurst is more courageous and generous than you might imagine.”
“Do tell.”
“He does not deserve callous remarks from you or anyone.”