“No trouble,” Cook said. “I was going to make some for myself.” Then she got right to work.
Lorena smiled and took a chair as she waited. She knew how to make tea herself. Actually, she knew how to make many things on her own. Whenever her father had sunk money into something foolish, they’d been forced to live without the staff members that required the most income. This meant there had been months without a cook and only a handful of servants about. Though Mother had often offered to use her money to replace the staff, Lorena’s father had refused to take it.
Pride.
The tea was done and Lorena said, “Off to bed with you,” to Cook.
Cook took her tea and, with another smile, left.
Lorena went to the counter, took a sip and thought it heavenly. Closing her eyes, she moaned. She took another and felt the cup slip from her fingers. Her eyes opened and she watched as a large hand placed the cup almost on the other side of the counter. She turned and her eyes locked with Ashwick’s.
He was standing very close and announced, “I thought it best I move it out of the way before you attacked me with it.” His gray eyes held her spellbound.
She narrowed her eyes, but couldn’t stop the smile that played at her lips. She was much too happy to see him to let herself feel angered at his words. “There are other ways to hurt one’s self in a kitchen. Knives, fires, sharp corners. A mere cup should be the last of your worries.”
He smiled and moved away, and Lorena took a shaky breath. Then she closed her eyes, focused on breathing, and turned around to watch Ashwick move around her kitchen as though he owned it, opening every cabinet in search of something. She watched the muscles in his back move underneath his shirt and noticed he was not wearing a jacket.
Liking what she saw, she leaned forward on the counter, placed her elbows on the surface, and watched him.
“There it is,” he announced and pulled out a pie that had been hidden under a cloth on the far counter.
Lorena straightened. “You can’t take that pie.”
Ashwick lifted a brow. “The men and I took a vote. We can’t leave to fish without more pie.”
Men.
Lorena walked over to him and said, “That pie is for dinner.”
“Well, you’ve all day to change the menu,” he told her and moved to pass her.
She frowned and stepped in his way. “You can’t take that pie.” She crossed her arms. “I won’t let you.”
A corner of Ashwick’s mouth lifted and he announced, “I don’t see how you can stop me.”
Lorena didn’t see either and tried to think her way through it.
He took advantage of her hesitation and started around the other side of the counter. Lorena snapped out of her thoughts and moved to block his path once more.
“No,” she announced, hands in fists at her sides. “That pie stays here.”
They stared at one another.
Then something flickered in Ashwick’s eyes before he placed the pie on the counter and turned to her. “We can make a bargain.”
Lorena shifted on her feet. “The only bargain I leave you with is to enjoy the pie for dinner or not at all.”
Ashwick threw his head back and laughed and Lorena’s body tingled.
When he was done, he was grinning at her. “I don’t accept your terms, so we’ll have to settle with mine. Either you let me have this pie now or you give me something sweeter, and I tell the men that there was no pie to be found here.”
Something sweeter?
Lorena narrowed her eyes. “I would offer you lemonade but I’m sure that Cook already packed some for you.”
Ashwick chuckled and strolled toward her. His eyes grew hooded and dark. “Lemonade is not what I had in mind.” He was close enough then that Lorena had to tilt her head back to meet his eyes.
“What do you want?” she asked. Then added, “Besides pie.”
Ashwick’s grin widened. “A kiss.”
Lorena’s placed her hand on the counter just as she was about to fall. Her hand was the only thing that kept her upright. She couldn’t imagine what would have happened had she fallen. Disaster seemed likely, since he was here. “You can’t want to kiss me.”
“Why not?” he asked her.
“Something bad will happen,” she told him. Warned him, even as her heart dropped into her stomach. “You and I are… fatal.” The truth stung, even as it came from her own lips.
His fingers brushed her cheek before sliding to rest behind her neck. “We’re not fatal,” he whispered. “The universe simply doesn’t know what to do with us.”
Lorena smiled, liking his version of events.
He lowered his mouth to her ear and said, “Trade. The pie for a kiss.”
Lorena’s other hand, the one that was not on the counter, moved to his shoulder. She wanted his kiss very much, so she whispered, “All right.”
She felt him groan against her ear and he said, “And I get to pick where I kiss you.”
Lorena frowned. “What do you mean?”
His other hand, the one not at her cheek, moved to her side and slid down her hip. Then he yanked her body closer. “I choose where I kiss you, and I swear it will be sweet for both of us.”
Lorena’s eyes widened just as her cheeks warmed. She knew he was speaking of her body but had no idea where he could kiss her that would be ‘sweet’ for them both. She was sure kisses on lips could be sweet, if her parents’ smiles after long walks in the garden were any indication. But where else would he kiss her? Her cheek? Her hand? She supposed those places were equally sweet. She thought she’d like that, though it disappointed her that he wouldn’t be kissing her on the lips. At least she’d be saving the pie.
Lorena lifted a dainty shoulder. “All right.”
There was noise from a room far away, and Calvin’s voice could be heard calling for Ashwick.
Ashwick pulled away.
Their eyes met.
His turned to look at the pie then glanced back at her before he grinned and left the kitchen.
The pie remained on the counter.
He’d left it, and he’d left her quite confused.
* * *
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CHAPTER THREE
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The Fifth Day of the Valdeston Country Party
Lorena knew herself to be foolish, but couldn’t hide her delight as she rushed up the stairs and down the hall that would lead to the guest apartments. She knew her brother and his friends were downstairs playing cards in the parlor, and her parents had gone out with friends on a boat, so this was the best time to move through a certain male’s room without being seen.
She’d just made it to that special door when it opened.
A maid rushed out, her cheeks red and her hair undone and uncovered. She didn’t look at Lorena as she fled and Lorena’s eyes moved to Ashwick.
He was standing on the other side of the room, his dark hair and clothing looking as though he’d rolled himself through his sheets and his eyes were dark as they caught hers.
Maybe he had been in his sheets, Lorena quickly surmised. Perhaps he’d done it with the maid.
She had no idea how long they stared at one another and how long she felt as though a dagger were being twisted in her heart, but the moment he moved, she jumped and started down the hall.
He, of course, was faster than her, and his arm went around her waist and pulled her back. Her body smashed into his, and she fought for release.
“Let me go,” she shouted.
He did, but only to turn her around. “Lorena.”
“No.” The word seemed to come from deep inside her. Her entire body felt hot and cold at the same time. Full of anger and empty from despair. What had she been thinking? She knew nothing about what happened between a man and a woman. Obviously, Ashwick did and chose someone with experience
. He’d only been playing with her.
His hands were on her hips and she struggled to break free, but then gave up and simply fought herself. Fought to bury her feelings.
She prayed that the ground would swallow her.
“Lorena,” Ashwick said. “Listen to me.”
She took a deep breath and met his eyes. “There’s nothing to explain. You are none of my concern.”
His eyes narrowed, almost as if she’d hurt him, but she knew that to be impossible. Obviously, he had no feelings for her if he were bold enough to sleep with a maid under her own roof. The thought made her stomach turn.
“That’s not true,” he told her.
“It is,” she replied, raising her voice. “And I am no concern of yours.”
Ashwick looked around the hall and, in the next second, Lorena was off the ground and being carried into his arm. He used a foot to close the door behind him, never letting her go. “Lorena, nothing happened.” His gray eyes held hers, and she could feel him seeking to convey a truth.
But she knew them to be lies. She thought to point to the obvious. There had been a maid in his room. Her hair had been undone. His clothes were wrinkled. She closed her eyes and told herself not to cry. Then she took another breath and said, “I don’t care.”
“You do care,” he said. “I know you do.”
She opened her eyes again just to narrow them at him. “Let me go. I don’t belong in this room. I don’t belong to you.”
The last part of her statement seemed to anger him.
Lorena’s feet left the ground again. Her hands shot out to his shoulders and her back was pressed into the wall.
“Until I take my kiss, you belong to me,” he growled, his eyes dark.
She gasped and said, “Never. I’ll never kiss you.”
“Then you will always be mine. You owe me,” he told her, leaning close, his mouth at her ear. “You’re mine. Always.”
“No.”
“And I’m yours. We’re tied together, Lorena. Fate has tied us.”
She told her body not to react to his words and pushed at his shoulders. “You will not have me after you’ve touched that woman.”
“I did not touch her,” he replied with heat. He pulled away to meet her eyes. “She presented herself to me when I was in the midst of dressing. Usually, maids know better than to notice a gentleman when he is undressed, but she’s of the bolder sort. She’s actually been with a few of the others here.”
I did not need to know that. “Has Francis slept with her?” She dearly hoped he hadn’t. She didn’t believe her brother a virgin, but hoped he wouldn’t do something so cruel. Not while Genie was in the house. It would break her heart.
Ashwick stared into her eyes and, slowly, a smile touched his lips. “Even in anger, you remain loyal to those you care for.”
She liked the look in his eyes.
He leaned an arm over the head on the back of the door and kept the other on her waist, blocking her from moving in any direction. “I might enjoy this arrangement more than I thought.” He grinned.
She frowned. “There is no arrangement. We’ve only to kiss and this will be over.”
His anger returned and because he was so close, it almost frightened her. “She decided she wanted me, Lorena. I told her no and sent her away.”
“You’re lying,” she said, shaking her head. She told herself to stop fighting him. “It doesn’t matter. I don’t care.”
“You do care,” he whispered. Then he asked, “Now, where you off to? This is the guest wing. You’ve no business over here.”
Lorena, who was still holding an object between her fingers, slipped her hand from his shoulder and behind her back. Then she thought of a reason that would make him go away. Forever. “I was looking for Calvin.”
Ashwick did the very opposite of going away. Instead, he pressed his body into hers, chest to chest, and said, “You better be lying.” A formidable look came over him.
Lorena’s eyes widened. “Or what?” Her breathing was heavy and with her breasts pressed against him, she barely found room to fill her lungs.
“You. Are. Mine,” he whispered.
Lorena fisted her hands. Impulsively, she stood up on her toes and pressed her mouth to his, hoping to be rid of their bargain. To be rid of him. But she’d been unprepared for it when Ashwick took over.
His hand slipped behind her neck and when she gasped, his tongue swept in. Lorena froze, not sure what to do.
“Kiss me,” he whispered against her mouth.
She hesitated and moved her lips, mimicking whatever he did, following his mouth as though it were the most important set of instructions in her life. His tongue touched hers again and she groaned. She pressed into him, her hands going around his neck.
Kissing was better than she’d ever dreamed, and she knew it had much to do with the man in her arms. His free hand slid to her bottom and squeezed.
“Oh,” she cried, clinging to him. She wanted more.
Her hands moved to his chest and pulled his shirt from his breeches.
“Ow!” Ashwick cried and snatched up her hands, looking at the object around her fingers.
Lorena had forgotten she’d been carrying it.
“What is that?” he asked.
“Nothing,” she cried, trying to fight for her hand back. All the aching urgency of a moment ago slipped away.
Ashwick barely used any of his strength to overpower her. He took the object from her fingers and examined it. It was shaped like a large metal ring but was curved on one side and straight on the other. A triangle sat where it met. His eyes widened and he looked up at her. “Do you know what this is?”
“Well,” Lorena said. “It was in my possession.”
“I know,” he said, “But do you know what this is?”
She smiled at his obvious joy. “No, why don’t you tell me?”
“It’s a fibula. Made of bronze and definitely from the seventh or eighth century. You see these holes?” He was pointing to the one on the triangle and on the straight point, the point that she’d accidentally stabbed him with. She put fact aside as he went on. “These are used to catch the fabric. Something decorative would hang from between them. It’s a toga pin.” His eyes softened and he said, “It’s a Greek toga pin.”
Lorena bit her lip. “I know it has nothing to do with mythology, but—”
“You could have sold this for money,” Ashwick told her. “Why are you giving this to me?”
Because I love you. Or, I did until you slept with the maid.
Her anger was back. “I’m not. I wasn’t. It’s not for you.”
Ashwick grinned. “Now who’s lying?”
She frowned and held up her hand. “Give it back.”
“No, I’m keeping it.” Then he leaned forward and brushed his nose against hers. “Thank you.”
She closed her eyes and told herself to remain angry.
His head came to rest on hers.
“Nothing happened,” he whispered at her mouth. “Nothing happened. I swear it to you.”
She opened her eyes and met his. “I have to go.”
He held her eyes and said, “I’ll prove it to you.”
She had no idea what he meant by that, but he backed away and before Lorena could stop herself, she slipped from the room.
* * *
The Sixth day of the Valdeston Country Party
The party was canceled.
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CHAPTER FOUR
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Ashwick stood at the door to Francis’ residence and knocked again, his anger growing by the second.
Anger and anticipation.
He’d wanted to seek Lady Lorena out the morning after his townhouse had burned to the ground, during a party he was sure the entire ton would remember. But he’d been called away to the country for personal
matters. It had allowed him to take inventory of the clothing he’d left at Ashwick House in order to bring some of it to London, since nothing had survived the fire.
He’d told himself all week not to think about the worldly possessions he’d lost that night, but could not help doing so. Paintings, rugs, and furniture from India that had been handcrafted specifically to fit his needs. All of it, gone.
Because of the man in the mask. He’d found that part of Lorena’s story to be true but he loathed the thought of her putting herself in danger.
He still wasn’t sure what he’d do when he saw her. Part of him wanted to wrap his arms around her lovely neck, but he also wanted to place his hands in other places.
He’d never denied his attraction to Lady Lorena. He’d heard whispers about her before her debut, from men who’d said she’d have been their first choice if she’d had any dowry to speak of, and yet still, Ashwick had not been prepared.
He’d been twenty and still attending Oxford when he’d visited London for the season and what he’d learned very quickly during those first years of sexual satisfaction was that he’d no time for virgins. He’d not been interested in marriage, simply bedding.
But one look at Lorena had changed everything.
Perfect.
The word had echoed in his mind.
Her golden hair had been artfully piled on her head with curls brushing her cheeks and neck, and her eyes… those stunning blue eyes had been intent on him. He’d felt her attraction as though it were a living thing that could wrap around him and drag him to her.
They’d both taken a step.
And then she’d tripped.
And the blood…
It was only Francis’ appearance that had stopped Ashwick from carrying Lorena off and away from the party. The urge to attend her himself had risen strong and declared he had to have her. He’d simply have to convince her that she needed him as well. Lorena had caught his eye that first night. Every day he’d seen her since had made him want her more. Sadly, their meetings always ended in disaster.
Lady Lorena’s Spinster’s Society ( The Spinster’s Society) (A Regency Romance Book) Page 4