“It seems like a good idea to simply get it over with.” Even to her own ears, Delia’s explanation sounded feeble.
Cassie narrowed her eyes and Delia breathed a sigh of resignation.
“Very well, in four days Tony — er, Lord St. Stephens —”
“Tony?” Cassie’s brow raised with her voice. “You’re calling him Tony now?”
“It seemed appropriate,” Delia said under her breath.
Cassie stared and Delia resisted the urge to squirm under her scrutiny. After a moment, her sister’s eyes widened and she sucked in a sharp breath. “Philadelphia Effington!”
“Lady Wilmont,” Delia said quickly. “For whom the rules of behavior are entirely different.”
Cassie ignored her. “This man, this Tony, he’s your first…your next—”
“My next what?” Delia narrowed her eyes. “I would choose my words carefully, if I were you.”
“Well, I am not you, although you have certainly been me.” Cassie gasped. “He doesn’t still think you’re me, does he?”
“No, of course not.” Delia scoffed indignantly. “I would never risk your reputation.”
“Forgive me, I lost my head for a moment. It was probably that incident when you kissed in the window at a party that made me forget how wonderfully cognizant of my reputation you are.”
“You needn’t be sarcastic.”
“I daresay, dear sister, sarcastic is the very least I should be.” Cassie paused dramatically and glared. “Victim!”
Delia drew her brows together. “What?”
“Victim. That’s the word I was going to use. St. Stephens is your first victim on your path to experience.”
“I’d scarcely call him a victim.” Delia couldn’t resist a satisfied grin. “And if so, he’s a most willing victim.”
“Delia!”
“Don’t sound so shocked.”
“I’m not shocked,” Cassie snapped. “Well,” she sighed, “I suppose I am a bit. I know you said you wished to become a woman of experience, but I didn’t realize you meant immediately. With the first gentleman who came along.”
“I didn’t realize it either, and I certainly didn’t plan it. It all just happened. Mother would call it fate.”
“Mother would call this all sorts of things, but I doubt fate would be among them,” Cassie muttered.
“Probably not, but with Mother one can never be sure. Why, if she believes fate is involved she might not even be shocked.”
Cassie snorted.
“Admittedly that is unlikely.” Delia cast her sister an apologetic glance. “I do understand your reactions. I would probably be shocked too if our positions were reversed.”
“Yes, but you’ve always expected behavior like this from me, even if undeserved.”
“I know it’s terribly unfair.” Delia hooked her arm through her sister’s and led her to the center of the room. “But, as there is nothing we can do about that, let’s discuss what to do in here.”
Cassie surveyed the room. “I’m not entirely sure how one decorates for seduction.”
“You’re not decorating for seduction,” Delia said firmly. “You’re decorating for me. Seduction is secondary.”
“Then you are planning on seducing him. Here.” Cassie wrinkled her nose. “With my help.”
“Oh, I scarcely think I shall need your help.” Delia grinned.
Cassie ignored her. “Unless, of course, you already have.”
“Don’t be absurd.” Delia shrugged off the comment. “I barely know the man.”
“That scarcely —”
“I know, I know. But I shall not make that mistake again.” She smiled at the memory. “He will not let me.”
“Really?” Skepticism colored Cassie’s face. “How lucky that your first victim is such a paragon.”
“Perhaps he is,” Delia said smugly. “Perhaps he’s perfect.”
“A perfect man?” Cassie scoffed. “There is no such thing.”
“Perhaps. But he is quite wonderful.”
“But you know nothing about him.”
“I know enough. Father says Uncle Philip speaks well of him, and he is the duke, after all, and can be trusted. In addition, Tony did insist on meeting the family. All very good signs as to his character.”
“I suppose.” Cassie stepped to the bed, sat down and changed the subject. “So, do you want to change the furniture, then? Replace it with something less threatening, I presume?”
“It is rather threatening, isn’t it?” It was dark and masculine and harkened back to the days of the Tudors.
“It’s very valuable, though.” Cassie nodded toward the bed posts. “The carving on the posts is quite intricate.”
“Charles had excellent taste.”
“And extremely comfortable as well.” Cassie patted the bed beside her.
Delia hesitated, then drew a deep breath and settled on the bed beside her sister.
“Rather a shame to get rid of it.” Cassie plopped back on the bed. “I daresay it’s seen a lot of history.”
“I suppose.” Delia followed her sister’s lead and laid back, to stare upward at the coffered ceiling. “I just prefer not to relive my history in it, thank you.”
It was really rather nice to lay here side by side with Cassie, staring up at nothing and talking, just as they had done in their youth. They’d spent long hours discussing their lives and their hopes and dreams, what might or might not happen to them in the future. It struck Delia that they had come full circle.
“Can you imagine the sheer number of seductions that have taken place in this bed through the last three hundred years or so?” Cassie said thoughtfully.
“Innocents ruined. Virgins deflowered,” Delia added. “Marriages consummated, that sort of thing.”
“I’m rather surprised it’s in such good shape. It’s an amazingly sturdy bed.”
“I don’t really plan on seducing him, you know,” Delia said idly.
“No?”
“Not at all.” Delia grinned up at the ceiling. “I plan on allowing him to seduce me.”
There was a second of shocked silence, then Cassie’s laugh rang out in the room. Delia joined her, and they filled the next few minutes with the kind of easy laughter they hadn’t shared in quite some time. The kind of laughter one could only share with someone who knew you as well as you knew yourself. It had been a very long time since they had been together like this. Delia had so missed her twin.
“Delia.” Cassie rolled over on her side, propped herself up on her elbow and studied her sister. “What was it like? Being seduced?”
“Cassie!” Delia covered her face with her hands. “You can’t ask me that.”
“Of course I can, and I really want to know. I think I should be prepared.”
“Prepared for what?” Delia peeked at her from between her fingers. “You’re not planning anything rash, are you?”
“Not at the moment, but one never knows.” Cassie shrugged. “I am as old as you, and while I would dearly love to be married, there is no one of interest in sight. Do you realize, after your marriage, all those terribly dull men you were not interested in turned their attentions to me?”
Delia laughed and rolled to face her, propping her head in her hand, in mirror image of her sister’s position. “I am truly sorry.”
“As well you should be.” Cassie sniffed indignantly. “The very least you can do is tell me what I am missing.”
“It was exciting and a bit strange, really, but nice. It’s very…” Delia groped for the right words. “Odd, I suppose is the only word I can think of, to be intimate with a man. But it was…pleasant.”
“You told me it had a great deal of potential.”
“I’m not sure I can explain that either.” Delia plucked absently at the feather mattress. “With Charles, I always knew it was more the desire for excitement than anything else that drew me to his bed. Oh, certainly I liked him, a great deal, really, but I never thought I wo
uld actually marry him.” She glanced at her sister. “That’s terribly scandalous, isn’t it?”
Cassie nodded. “Absolutely. Go on.”
Delia smiled. “Our surreptitious meetings and even sharing his bed were all part of a grand adventure. The only one I thought I would ever have. I knew by doing what I was doing I might well never marry and I didn’t really care. I’ve always accepted that marriage was inevitable, but it never particularly intrigued me. Probably due to the quality of my suitors.”
Cassie studied her curiously. “Why didn’t you ever tell me about this deep desire of yours for adventure?”
“I don’t believe I realized it myself until the opportunity presented itself.”
“In the form of Wilmont?”
“Apparently.” Delia shrugged. “I have had a great deal of time to examine my actions and decisions in the past six months. In truth, far too much time. I have come to know myself far better than I ever have. I’ve realized with every passing year I have grown more and more restless.”
“As have I, but it has not led me to throw myself into the bed of the first rogue I meet.”
“Perhaps because you have always had the opportunity, whereas I did have not.” Delia smiled slowly. “I never thought of myself as particularly adventurous before all this, and now there is so much I wish to do and see and experience.”
“Like Lord Mysterious.”
Delia laughed. “He is on the list.”
“Do you know what you’re doing?”
“Not at all.” Delia pulled her brows together and tried to find the right words. “It’s different with him than it was with Charles. The very clandestine nature of it all, the idea that it was quite scandalous and absolutely forbidden, was what made it all so exciting. With Tony, there is little risk, yet it is somehow more exciting.”
“You are still in mourning. Being seen with him would indeed be scandalous.”
“Yes, but that scarcely matters at this point. I have weathered scandal and it no longer holds the threat it once did. And I believe he is worth it.” Delia sat upright and searched for the right words. “With Tony, a mere conversation is exciting and a simple waltz is an adventure. I suspect even a walk in the park with him would be grand. My heart beats faster when I so much as see him. My stomach flutters and it’s difficult to breathe and I want all sorts of things I can’t quite put into words.”
“He sounds far more dangerous than Wilmont,” Cassie murmured.
“He may well be. Cassie.” Delia’s gaze met her sister’s. “He may not be my first step.”
“Victim,” Cassie said with a grin.
“Step,” she said firmly, and held her breath. “He may well be my last.”
Cassie studied her for a long moment, then nodded thoughtfully. “Blue.”
Delia frowned. “Blue what?”
“For the room, of course. A sea-blue, I should think. Deep but not too dark.” Cassie slipped off the bed and moved to the center of the room, surveying the walls and furniture with a critical eye. “I don’t know if we can do it all in three days, mind you.” She glanced at her sister. “It will cost a great deal of money to do it so quickly.”
Delia laughed. “I have a great deal of money.”
“Yes, I know.” Cassie flashed her a grin. “And I shall have a great deal of fun spending it. Now then, we have no time to waste, so I suggest we visit the shops and make some calls and begin arrangements. With luck and money, we can have workers in here by tomorrow.”
“Excellent.” Delia beamed. “I suspected as much, so I had Gordon tell your carriage driver he would be needed shortly.” Delia scrambled to her feet and started toward the door. “Why blue?”
“It’s a lovely color for a bedchamber. At once peaceful yet intense, I think. Besides, it goes well with your eyes.” Cassie nodded at her sister, a satisfied smile on her face. “We shall have Lord Mysterious seducing you in no time.”
———
Tony moved away from the door and composed his features to hide the too-satisfied grin that had spread across his face midway through the conversation between the sisters. The very idea that Delia was refurbishing this room with seduction in mind — and better yet, his — was perhaps the most delightful thing he’d ever heard. His plan to make Delia fall in love with him was working far better and far faster than he’d expected. He was good. He was very good.
“Gordon.” Delia stepped into the hall, her sister trailing behind. “We shall be gone for a bit, probably until well into the afternoon.”
“Very well, my lady.”
“There will be a great deal of activity here for the next few days, but it shall all be quite, quite worth it.” Delia fairly burst with enthusiasm. “Will that cause any problems, do you think?”
“Not at all, ma’am,” he said in his most competent butler voice.
“Excellent.” Delia leaned toward him in a confidential manner. “We have decided on blue as per your suggestion.”
“I am grateful I could be of help, ma’am.”
“Are you feeling better today, Gordon?” Miss Effington’s gaze skimmed over him in a speculative manner and he realized she didn’t trust him and realized as well she probably wasn’t quite sure why. It was wise of her and most annoying.
“I am quite well. Thank you for asking, miss.”
“Good. I should hate to have anything happen to you.” Delia cast him an affectionate smile and his conscience twinged. He ignored it.
“Come along, Cassie.” Delia took her sister’s arm and practically pulled her down the hall to the stairs. “We have a great deal to do and we need to accomplish as much today as possible.”
Miss Effington muttered something Tony couldn’t quite hear, and he thought it for the best. Miss Effington’s tone was not nearly as enthusiastic as Delia’s.
Mac assisted the ladies in the front hall, and after a brief flurry of activity, the women took their leave. Tony breathed a sigh of relief. He had a great deal to accomplish and could do nothing until Delia was occupied. For one thing, he thought it best to speak to Lord Kimberly in person today rather than reply to his latest note by messenger. For another, he had a number of arrangements to make regarding Delia’s grand adventures and no time to waste.
He wasn’t entirely certain which of those adventures he’d provide her with, although he had some excellent ideas. It all depended on which he could pull off without putting her in a position of public scandal. In spite of her declared lack of concern about scandal, he didn’t want to be the cause of any further difficulties.
He ignored the fact that his very presence, both as Gordon and St. Stephens, put her in constant threat of scandal.
“She doesn’t like you, does she, sir?” Mac said mildly. “The sister, that is.”
“No, I don’t believe she does.”
Miss Effington was a bit of a problem. She was definitely suspicious of Gordon and, from what he had overheard, was not particularly pleased with Delia’s interest in St. Stephens either. It struck him that it might be exceedingly awkward when he became a member of their family.
Of course, with luck, Miss Effington would never know of his identity as Gordon.
“Sir.” Mac’s brow furrowed. “It’s not my place to interfere — you are in charge of all this — but…”
“But what?”
“Well, the other men and I were wondering…” Mac paused for a moment. “Is it entirely wise to, well —”
“Court Lady Wilmont?”
Mac nodded. “That would be the question, sir.”
“Probably not.” Tony rubbed his hand across his eyes wearily. “If I were to justify it, I would say spending time with her, whether as her butler or as myself, was all part and parcel of keeping her safe.”
“And?”
“And it would be a lie.” Tony crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe. “It started that way, you know. It was all quite innocent and indeed even necessary, but now…”
“Now?”
Tony grimaced. “Now I’m going to marry her.”
Mac grinned. “Aren’t you a bit old for her, sir?”
“Old?”
Mac nodded toward the mirror, and Tony caught a glimpse of himself with his bushy eyebrows, mustache, white hair and spectacles. He laughed ruefully. “I see your point.”
“If I might ask, what does Lord Kimberly think of this?”
“I haven’t quite told him yet.” Tony winced at the very thought. “I’m not sure I’m going to.”
“Sir?” Mac raised a brow. “Is that wise?”
“I don’t seem to be doing much that’s especially wise at the moment.” Tony shook his head. “Have you ever been in love, Mac?”
“Depends how you define it, sir.”
“And how do you define it?”
“Well, I’ve had my share of the ladies. Even spent quite a lot of time with one or another, now and again. But I’ve never felt the need to shackle myself to a particular one for life.” Mac shrugged. “I’d say that’s the definition.”
“You might be right. I have to admit the very idea of wedded bliss has always scared the hell out of me. But with her, it sounds, I don’t know…” He straightened and heaved a sigh of surrender. “Grand.”
“Sounds like love to me.” Mac paused. “What are you going to do about Gordon, sir? She’s become quite fond of him.”
“That’s a sticky problem, and I’m not sure what to do about it, although I shall have to do something soon. We’ve been here for more than a fortnight now and absolutely nothing has happened, nor has there been any indication that Lady Wilmont is indeed in any kind of danger.” Still, there was an odd sense deep in his gut that danger to her was still a possibility, but he was no longer sure if it was born of that instinct he had counted on for much of his life or his love for Delia. “Lord Kimberly’s last note indicated it may well be time to call a halt to all this. Neither you nor anyone else has noted anything of suspicion.”
“Not a thing, sir.”
“Mind you, I think we were wise to watch her in the first place, but at this point I have to reluctantly agree with him.”
“How will you tell her?”
The Lady In Question Page 20