What the deuce was wrong with the man? The more outrageously she flirted with him or tried to invoke his jealousy against others, the cooler and more controlled he seemed to grow. This gown had been a last-ditch effort to incite his desire—and it seemed to be working. Unfortunately, every other man present appeared similarly affected, a consequence she foolishly hadn’t considered.
Mechanically, she went through the intricate figures of the dance, her mind still occupied with her husband. Her scheme to simultaneously punish him and enjoy herself had been less than successful. Oh, flirting and feeling desired by numerous men had its appeal, but as the novelty waned, the appeal grew less and less. Tonight, she had to fight the urge to hide herself from leering eyes. Perhaps, just perhaps, she had gone too far.
The sight of her sister’s face as the dance concluded confirmed her fear.
“Nessa!” Prudence exclaimed in a strangled whisper the moment Mr. Pottinger took his leave of her. “What can you be thinking?”
Philip, Nessa noticed, was discreetly averting his eyes. She fought down a blush. “I’m merely taking your advice, Prudence.”
Her sister flushed to the roots of her pale brown hair. “I meant for you to carry it out in private, Nessa! Not for all the world to witness! How—”
But then Sir Lawrence appeared to claim Nessa for the next dance, and Prudence had perforce to contain herself—though her shocked eyes still spoke volumes. Lifting her chin defiantly, Nessa accompanied Sir Lawrence to the floor. Even if Prudence were right—as a niggling voice told her she was—she would carry off this evening with aplomb.
Sir Lawrence appeared to be struck completely speechless, which Nessa thought was just as well. She was sick of fulsome, lust-barbed compliments tonight. The hours she must still endure stretched endlessly ahead. Perhaps a fictitious headache…
“You look pale, my lady.” Sir Lawrence finally found his voice. “Perhaps we should sit out this dance until you feel recovered.”
The thought of escaping all of the eyes—both lecherous and condemning—appealed mightily. “Yes, let’s,” she said eagerly. “Somewhere…out of the way.”
“I know just the spot.” Taking her hand, he led her between the dancers to the opposite side of the enormous room, then through a curtained alcove. A dimly lit hallway opened onto at least a dozen rooms, most with doors ajar. The sounds of low conversation and laughter came from more than one of them.
He did not lead her into any of the rooms, however, but past them, through another archway and down a half-flight of stairs, then around a corner. When he finally stopped, they were in a sort of miniature conservatory filled with greenery and blooming hothouse flowers. The room would have been dazzlingly bright during the day, as half the ceiling and all of one wall were of glass. Now it was lit by at least a dozen hissing gas lamps.
Nessa looked about at the fairyland surroundings in surprise and more than a little misgiving. “Sir Lawrence, I don’t believe—”
Before she could finish, however, he released her hand and clutched her to him, pressing his mouth against hers. For a moment she froze in complete shock, then began to struggle. He released her at once, and she backed away from him, drawing the back of her hand across her mouth. “Are you mad? What can you be thinking?”
She turned to go, but he blocked her way, going down upon one knee in the doorway. “My lady—Nessa—pray forgive me. I was overcome by your beauty, by your sparkling wit, by…everything about you.”
Frowning, she stepped to the side, attempting to go around him. Yes, she had definitely been an idiot to wear this gown! “Very well,” she said severely, “just never let it happen again. I’m going back to the ballroom now.” Jack had been right, it seemed. “My husband—”
“Does not deserve you,” interrupted Sir Lawrence, his handsome face eloquent with feeling. “’Tis a violation of all that is right that a woman like you should be bound to such a reprobate instead of worshipped as you deserve. As I will worship you.”
Worse and worse! She had to escape before Jack came seeking her, or she really would have this foolish boy’s blood on her head. “Sir Lawrence, I’m very flattered, of course, but—”
Again he interrupted her. She was beginning to find that irritating. “Come away with me, now, tonight! We can be in Dover by morning, in France tomorrow. Once in Paris, no one will find us. I’ll shower you with—”
“No, you will not!” she interrupted him in turn. “Stop this at once. I am a married woman, and fully intend to remain so. If I have raised any expectations I am truly sorry, but I cannot go to Paris or anywhere else with you. Now let me go!”
“I recommend you do as the lady asks,” drawled Jack’s voice from the hallway. “Unless, of course, you’d care to answer to me?”
19
Enraged as he was on discovering his wife in a tryst with another man, Jack rather enjoyed the effect his words had on the pair before him. Nessa gasped, a hand flying to her throat and her eyes widening with horror. Sir Lawrence, still on his knees, nearly fell on his face as he attempted to turn and rise simultaneously.
“Jack!” Nessa squeaked. “How did you—?”
Sir Lawrence regained his balance and planted himself directly in front of her, facing him. “Ungallant of you to spy on your wife, my lord,” he sputtered. “And it’ll do you no good. I mean to take her—”
At that point, Jack’s precarious hold on his temper snapped. Almost without his volition, his fist shot out to connect squarely with the young man’s nose. Sir Lawrence fell heavily onto his posterior, his mouth open in amazement and pain. He groped for a handkerchief to staunch the blood suddenly spurting from his nose and struggled back to his feet.
“I think not,” said Jack coldly before the other man could act or speak. “You’re welcome to name your seconds, of course, but if I were you, I’d not want it generally known that I was knocked down in my pursuit of another man’s wife. I suggest you occupy yourself elsewhere.”
Sir Lawrence glowered for a moment, though the effect was rather spoiled by the bloody handkerchief he held to his face. As Jack held his eye with the steely glare that had intimidated bolder men than he, Sir Lawrence’s defiance wavered, then crumbled. With one apologetic glance at Nessa, he fled the conservatory.
Jack now turned to his wife, who still stood in shock, both hands covering her mouth. “Let us hope I adequately discouraged him from calling me out. I trust your modesty will not be outraged if I fail to challenge him on your behalf?”
Wide-eyed, she shook her head. “Please…please do not.” Her voice was barely above a whisper. “I never thought—that is, I had no idea—”
“What effect you have on men?” he asked, moving closer to her. “Oh, I think you had a very good idea, my dear. Why else would you have worn this dress, so obviously designed to elicit desire?”
The horror faded from her eyes and she regarded him candidly. “I only meant to elicit it in yourself, my lord, not in every man present. I seem to have achieved quite the opposite effect, however.”
He took another step toward her, so that they were nearly touching. “Opposite? Hardly that.” Her perfume surrounded him, intoxicating his senses. “In fact, I should say you have succeeded rather too well.”
“I have?” she breathed, swaying toward him.
By way of answer, he gathered her into his arms and lowered his lips to hers. This time she did not resist, but responded with a fire rivaling his own. Her arms twined about his neck, pulling him closer until his body molded to hers, their tongues urgently stroking each other. Jack groaned, deep in his throat. His nether garments suddenly felt far too tight.
“Oh, Jack, I’ve wanted you so,” she gasped. “Why did you not come?”
“You never asked,” he murmured, tracing his lips along her jawline to the sensitive spot below her ear.
She shuddered slightly. “I’m asking now,” she whispered, sliding one hand down to cup him through his breeches.
Now it was Ja
ck’s turn to shudder with longing, though her forwardness in such a setting amazed him. “Let us go home, then. I’m certain I’ll not last out the evening after this sort of encouragement.”
But Nessa pulled him in for another heated kiss. “I’m not certain I’ll last till we get home,” she sighed a moment later. “This is a lovely place, and I see a divan over there, by those ferns. Perhaps, if we lock the door…”
“Nessa!” Jack’s laughter was tinged with urgent longing. “Pray do not tease me like this. I’ve half a mind to call your bluff.”
“Who’s bluffing?” she asked, slanting a seductive glance up at him through half-closed lashes. “Don’t tell me that in all your colorful career you never did anything more scandalous?”
At the moment, Jack could barely recall anything he’d ever done with any other woman. His every sense, every nerve, was focused on Nessa. Her perfume, mingling with that of the flowers about them, her touch, her voice…“I’ve never been more tempted to, that’s certain.”
“Well, then?” She slid her hands up and down his back, then around to his thighs, urging him beyond rational thought.
“Very well, my naughty wife. Just a moment.” He turned and closed the door, only to find no key to lock it from the inside. Still, what were the chances of anyone finding them here? He shoved the heavy iron doorstop in front of the door, so they’d at least have warning should it open, then turned back to Nessa.
“If you’re not serious about this, now is the time to tell me.”
By way of response, she grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the divan. Screened from the door by three small orange trees surrounded by exotic flowers, it nestled amid towering ferns near the far wall. Casting caution to the wind, Jack sat down and drew her against him.
“Perhaps we need a conservatory at Fox Manor,” he murmured, attending to her throat again with his lips. “What say you, madam wife?”
“Hmmm…Let’s see how this one works before we make any rash decisions.” She loosened his cravat and ran her fingers through his hair, then began to unbutton his coat.
Snatching at the last vestiges of his control, Jack grasped her hands. “My darling, if you insist upon having me here and now, we’ll have to forego disrobing entirely. We must be prepared to look innocent in short order, should any discover us here.”
“I rely upon your expertise,” she said with a smile that nearly sent him to the edge again. “Show me.”
Fumbling somewhat in his haste and need, Jack began to undo the front fastening of his breeches. At once, Nessa reached to help him, clearly as eager as he. Lifting her skirts, he was pleased and relieved to discover she wore nothing beneath her garters and petticoats. Touching her, he found her wet and ready for him.
She had now freed him from the upper portion of his breeches, so he shifted until he lay on his back upon the divan, which was luckily long enough to support him. Before he could direct her, Nessa took the initiative, climbing astride him. She lowered herself upon him, engulfed him, and the world receded, narrowing to only the two of them.
Nessa had never been so aroused, not even in the earliest days of her marriage when sexual pleasure was new to her. Perhaps it was the risk of being caught, perhaps it was her brief estrangement from Jack, but she wanted him as never before. With an ecstatic gasp, she impaled herself upon him, driving him deeply into her until he filled her completely.
Jack reached up to fondle her breasts, already hard with desire, through the thin silk of her gown, propelling her to even greater desire. Slowly, then faster, she began to rock, riding him toward mutual release. Gripping him convulsively, she climaxed, a soaring sensation more intense than any before. At once, Jack tensed beneath her, driving upwards once, twice, then pulling her down upon him as he shuddered with his own release.
“Oh! Oh, Jack,” she breathed, her heart still hammering as the urgency of passion slowly ebbed. “That was amazing. You are amazing.”
He breathed a long sigh of satisfaction. “As are you, my love.”
She swallowed. It was the first time he’d called her that since their marriage. Did it mean more now, or was it still simply a careless phrase to him?
As her heartbeat and breathing slowed, she became aware of other sounds—of something that sounded like distant cheering. Jack apparently heard it too, for he frowned questioningly at her, then moved to rise. She extricated herself from him and they separated far enough to sit up on the divan. The cheering seemed to be coming from behind the ferns, beyond the wall. Turning, horror slowly dawned. The wall of glass.
She turned to face Jack, her eyes wide, and at the same moment he began to curse, softly but fluently. Turning his back to the wall, he quickly refastened his breeches. Belatedly following his lead, Nessa pulled down her skirts and adjusted her disarranged bodice. One breast had sprung free, and she hurriedly pulled the neckline of her gown back into place.
“You don’t think…they’re not actually watching us, are they?” she asked shakily. “The ferns—”
He glanced up at the blazing gas lights above them. “I’m not certain, but I doubt those ferns offer us much cover, given how bright it is in here and how dark outside. That must be the courtyard.”
Panic began to grip her. “Then those are not merely passersby on the street, but other guests here tonight?”
He nodded ruefully. “I fear so. I should never have let you persuade me to this, my dear. I did know better, though the composition of the wall quite escaped me.”
Nessa groaned. “I knew it was glass—or, at least, I noticed it before, but forgot. Still, Jack,” she nestled against him, and the renewed cheers from outside confirmed her fears, “it was worth it, I think.”
His look was quizzical. “Certainly I think so, but have you considered how we are to leave? We’ll have to face at least some of them. Or shall we hold our heads high and pretend nothing is amiss?”
Nessa closed her eyes for a moment in mortification, but then began to laugh—though her laughter held an edge of hysteria. “What have we to lose?” she asked. “But first, let us move away from this enormous window!”
Ten minutes later, having passed each other’s inspection (though Jack’s cravat and Nessa’s hair could not be what they were, without valet or abigail), the two of them reentered the ballroom. Ten seconds later, it was obvious their liaison was already general knowledge. Titters and curious stares followed them across the room.
Nessa knew her face was flaming, but she kept her chin high, though she did perhaps grip Jack’s arm more tightly than usual. A glance showed her that his color had deepened as well, though he appeared on the verge of laughter. Quickly, Nessa averted her eyes for fear she might start giggling uncontrollably. People were staring enough as it was!
A dance had just ended and another was about to form, but though Nessa knew she was promised to someone for the next one, she was not particularly surprised when no one came forward to claim her. Gathering her courage, she looked about the room. One or two older gentlemen stared back boldly, but most seemed unwilling to meet her eye. Then she saw the Creamcrofts nearby, in conversation with another couple. How on earth could she ever face them again?
She was about to tell Jack that she’d changed her mind and would prefer to leave after all, when Prudence turned and saw her. Rather to Nessa’s surprise, she murmured something to Philip, then came to greet her, eyes filled with concern.
“Nessa, my lord, surely—surely—the tale I’ve just been told cannot be true?” Prudence looked from Nessa to Jack and back, and must have had her answer from their conscious looks and heightened complexions. She opened her mouth, then closed it again, then drew Nessa aside with a stern glance at Jack.
“What exactly happened?” she whispered when they had taken a few steps away. “I have no idea what to say to people!”
Though mortified as much for Prudence’s sake as her own, Nessa was glad of the chance to get her confession over. “I took your advice rather too literally, I fea
r, Prudence. Finding myself alone with Jack in the conservatory, I, ah, took advantage of the situation…as did he.”
Her sister blushed, but persisted. “’Twas shockingly bad judgment on both your parts—but how were you discovered? Surely you were not mad enough to leave the door open. Who walked in upon you? It seems everyone here is aware of it already!”
“Have you seen the conservatory, Prudence?” Her sister shook her head. “Well, it would seem that it has a, um, glass wall which is adjacent to the courtyard, screened only by some ferns. Somehow that escaped our notice until it was too late.”
Prudence stared at her for a moment as her import sank in, then covered her mouth with a gloved hand. Her shoulders began to quiver, and for a moment Nessa thought her sister was on the verge of tears. But then a gasp escaped from behind the concealing hand and she realized her prim and proper sister was struggling with laughter!
For the second time in as many weeks, Nessa regarded Prudence with astonishment. Was this the prudish sister she’d known all her life?
“So your, ah, display was quite unintentional?” she gasped after a moment.
Nessa nodded, her own lips beginning to twitch. “We must have put on quite a show, I fear.”
For a moment the sisters clung to each other, struggling to subdue their mirth. Then, abruptly, Prudence sobered. “Oh, Nessa, ’twill be the talk of London by morning! Whatever are you going to do? Perhaps a discreet return to Kent…?”
Nessa turned to see Jack a few paces away, regarding them with a curious frown. “Perhaps. I’ll discuss it with Jack. Thank you, Prudence, for not abandoning me! I fear most will be less forgiving.”
“We are sisters,” said Prudence stoutly. “And besides, I have you to thank for…” She glanced over her shoulder at Philip and pinkened again. “For certain improvements in my own situation. Let me know if there is any way I can help.”
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