A Loving Scoundrel

by Johanna Lindsey

  James simply enjoyed being different. Even names had to be different for him. Most of the family called Regina “Reggie,” but James insisted on calling her Regan, much to his brothers’ annoyance. Even his own daughter, Jacqueline, he called Jack, much to her uncles’ displeasure.

  “Then Tony shows up with the prediction that your staff will soon be abandoning ship because you’re bedding one of them,” James continued.

  “I would have thought at least he’d understand,” Jeremy said.

  “Oh, he was quite amusing for the most part. My brother took to fatherhood rather well and now thinks like a father, don’t you know.”

  “Which means he’s forgotten what it’s like to be young and unshackled?”

  “Exactly.”

  “But you haven’t—”

  “We’ll get to that, puppy,” James cut in. “And then Regan, the dear puss, walks in before Tony’s finished and proceeds to add yet a new subject, said Lady Bascomb to be exact, to this growing list of concerns.”

  “How the deuce did she find out about that chit? I only mentioned it to Drew and Percy—never mind. Percy and his bloody big mouth.”

  “Actually, the Bascomb girl is spreading the rumor herself that she’ll be married to you before the end of the year. But as it happens, Regan overheard her telling a friend that she was going to have you—one way or another.”

  “One way or another?” Jeremy frowned. “And what the devil does that mean?”

  “Exactly what you think it means. There will always be a few rotten apples in the bunch who will lie and manipulate to get what they want. Are you pursuing the lady?”

  “She’s a debutante, her first season out. I avoid them like the plague.”

  “I thought as much. I’d advise you to keep your distance from her then, a very far distance, though even that might not help. False rumors tend to condemn a man just as easily as the truth does.”

  “I can keep away from the social scene for a while, until she starts casting her eyes elsewhere. The young husband-hunters aren’t known for their patience, seem to think they have to get married their first season out, which doesn’t really give them much time to work their wiles for the most part. And now that George is back in the city, she can see to dragging her brother about to those fancy affairs that all the debutantes flock to.”

  “Bite your tongue, puppy. That means I’d get dragged to them, too.”

  Jeremy chuckled. If there was one thing his father detested above all else, it was London’s social whirl. “Fortunately, Drew’s preferred form of entertainments are more in line with mine, places where he can be guaranteed a wench for the night. He’ll make his excuses to George as he always does.”

  “That’s after she gets her way a few times. My dear wife always does, you know. But never mind, I’ve already got my own excuses lined up to avoid joining my wife and brother-in-law. Now—” There was enough of a pause that Jeremy groaned inwardly, knowing what was coming. “What in the bloody hell were you doing entering the very bowels of this city’s criminal element?”

  “I didn’t,” Jeremy was quick to assure him. “Well, only the edges, but that was for a very good cause.” He quickly explained the problem Percy had had and how he’d elected to solve it.

  When he finished, James grinned. “Stole them back, eh? Don’t think I’d have thought of that.”

  “No, you would have invited Heddings into the ring for a round or two.”

  James shrugged. “Does work wonders, don’t you know. I don’t think I like the fact that he had one of Diana’s trinkets, though. Stealing from m’niece feels like he stole from me, damn me if it doesn’t.”

  “Well, we cleaned him out, or rather, our thief did. I managed to return those pieces we recognized to their rightful owners and had the rest delivered to our nearest magistrate. Hopefully, he can figure out what belongs to whom and get it back to them.”

  “Didn’t want to just turn Heddings over to them?” James asked.

  “Couldn’t do that without admitting we’d found the jewels in his house while robbing him.”

  James coughed. “Quite right. I suppose they would require proof of where you found the stolen baubles. Well, maybe he’ll see the error of his ways and steal no more, now that he knows someone is onto him.”

  “But he doesn’t. He probably just thinks he got robbed by a common thief and nothing will come of it. Very unlikely that he’d think the thief might recognize any of the pieces, or even know he was stealing already stolen property.”

  James sighed. “I suppose I’ll just have to kill the fellow then, to make sure he doesn’t rob any members of my family again.”

  Jeremy coughed now. “You really don’t need to get involved. I intend to keep an eye on the chap. I was going to find out his haunts and start frequenting them m’self. I’m not sure how he’s stealing, but I plan to catch him at it. No trouble a’tall then, turning him in.”

  James was silent for a moment. His next remark indicated he’d let it go for now. “By the by, how’d you manage to hire your thief’s sister if you didn’t go back into that den of thieves?”

  Jeremy wished he could lie to his father for once, he really did, but he never had and he wasn’t going to start now. “My new maid is our thief. And I didn’t have to find her again, she came to me, since I was responsible for her getting kicked out of her gang.”

  James raised a brow. “I take it your chum Percy don’t know that?”

  “No. She masqueraded as a male, has done so apparently for most of her life. Percy never saw the woman in her, so when he saw her again last night, he concluded it was her twin brother he’d met before.”

  “I see. Bloody hell—no, I don’t. You’ve hired a common thief to your staff?”

  Jeremy flinched at the raised tone. “There’s nothing common about that wench. Did you really look at her face? She’s got such fine bones she could be a princess! She talks like a guttersnipe, but she would, since that’s where she was raised. But she’s an orphan. She has no idea where she came from or even what name she was born with. But she wants to better herself. I’ve no doubt she can, because she’s smart as a whip. Her speech has even improved in just the few days she’s been here. She sought me out merely because she blames me for losing her home.”

  “ Was that your fault?”

  “Apparently. I didn’t exactly give her a choice about coming along with us that night. Her little band of pickpockets had their rules to abide by, and she ended up breaking a number of them by helping us.”

  “So you hired her because you feel you owe her?” James asked.

  “Course not,” Jeremy said, and with a blush added, “I hired her because she gave me no choice in the matter. She threatened to go to Heddings and tell him all.”

  James frowned. “Let me get this straight. Instead of extorting money from you to keep silent, she demands you put her to work? I thought you said she was smart?”

  “She is. A good job is part of her plan to better herself.”

  “Money would have done that,” James pointed out dryly.

  “I know. Deuced odd that she didn’t go that route instead. But then I’m beginning to think it was just a bluff.”

  “Probably. If she’s as smart as you say, then she must know that confessing to Heddings would implicate herself as well.”

  “Exactly. But she’s working out rather well as a maid. Didn’t think she would, but she is, and besides, I still mean to bed her.”

  “Then why the devil don’t you do so and then send her on her way?”

  “Because I doubt once will be enough, and, well, she isn’t interested in a pleasant tumble.”

  “Good God, don’t tell me a thief and blackmailer is holding out for marriage!”

  “No, she just wants nothing to do with me.”

  James rolled his eyes. “What an odd statement. I’m sure you believe it to have said it, but you’ll never get anyone else to believe it.”

  “It’s true. I j
ust haven’t found out why yet.”

  “Did you think to ask her why?”

  “That’s putting too many cards on the table, ain’t it?”

  James snorted. “To go by why she socked you, I’d say you’ve already tossed the whole deck on the table. Ask her, deal with it, bed her, then get her out of this house. Aside from the fact that she’ll probably rob you blind if you keep her here long enough—”

  “She’s given up stealing.”

  “Sure she has,” James replied dryly.

  “No, really, she claims to hate it, and come to think of it, that’s probably why she didn’t demand money from me. She’d see that as stealing.”

  “Regardless, set her up elsewhere if you want to enjoy her for a while, but get her off your staff. You can even install her here if you must, but do it right. Keeping her as a maid and bedding her as well is going to make for a very unhappy household.”

  “Is that your thought on the matter, or what got whispered in your ear this morning?”

  James chuckled. “Malorys don’t whisper complaints, youngun. But you’re right, doesn’t matter to me if you want to muck up the hearth and home with contention. What I do object to is having the elders breathing down my neck about it, Jason in particular. So satisfy the rest of the family that you’re not bucking convention and managing your household splendidly, then they won’t go running to Jason about it, and I won’t have to listen to any more of his rants.”

  Jeremy sighed. “Reggie’s the only one who comes by so often. I wonder if I could bar her from my house. D’you think a butler could stand up to her and keep her out?”

  James laughed. “Not a chance, not that you’d really want to. The little darling does her fair share of manipulating and match-making, but always with the best intentions, and she’s usually right on the mark. Bloody shame she had to marry a bounder like Eden.”

  Jeremy grinned. His father got along well enough with Nicholas Eden these days, as long as he always won their verbal skirmishes, which he usually did. Those two went way back, to the high seas actually. Jeremy had been injured in the sea battle between the two men, which was why James had given up pirating. Nick had sailed away unscathed and thumbed his nose at them, which you just didn’t do to James Malory.

  James finally got even, trouncing Nick soundly—right before his wedding to Reggie, which he almost missed because of it. Nick in turn landed James in jail for it, which turned out for the best, actually, since James was able to arrange the “death” of the pirate Captain Hawke, the name he was known by on the seas, when he escaped, allowing him to come back to England for good.

  “Speaking of butlers,” James said as he got up to leave, “how would you like to borrow one of mine?”

  “Hell’s bells.” Jeremy grinned in delight. “I’ve been hoping you’d suggest that.”

  “Borrow, puppy, not keep, so you’re still to look for a permanent man. Artie suggested it, actually. Since he and Henry share the job at my house, it really doesn’t give them both enough to do.”

  “Which one do I get?”

  James laughed. “Both of them, of course. They’ll take turns here as they do at home. Those two old sea dogs have been sharing the job for so long, I wouldn’t doubt they think that’s the normal way it’s done.”

  Chapter 24

  JEREMY FOUND DANNY IN THE PARLOR, dusting one of the tables, over and over, so deep in thought she didn’t hear him enter the room. He wondered if her thoughts were about him. He wondered if she was still furious. He wondered if she would blacken his other eye if he turned her around and kissed her again.

  He coughed instead to draw her notice. She spun around and seemed more surprised than she should have been to see him there.

  Her question indicated why. “You’re still alive?”

  Jeremy mulled that over for a moment. “Expired from a black eye? No, don’t think I’ve heard of that one.”

  “Weren’t referring to wot I did,” she mumbled. “And your eye ain’t black.”

  “Yet,” he corrected cheerfully, causing her to scowl at him. He chuckled. “Very well, I give up. Spit it out, wench. Why were you expecting my demise?”

  “That visitor ye ’ad,” she almost whispered in her nervousness.

  “I hid in the kitchen till ’e finally left. Scared the bejesus out o’ me, ’e did. Was easy to tell ’e’d slit yer throat without batting an eye.

  There’s not many men who are that ruthless, but ’e ’ad that look about ’im, if ye know wot I mean. And ’e was mad at ye.”

  Jeremy started laughing. Danny was back to scowling. “Wot d’ye find so funny, eh?” she demanded indignantly.

  “You’re talking about my father, dear girl.”

  “Sure I am,” she scoffed. “Wot a clacker. ’E looked nothing like ye.”

  “No, he doesn’t, but he is my father. James Malory, Viscount Ryding, fourth born of the elder Malorys, ex-rake, ex-pir—er, never mind, but he’s now a devoted husband, and father of four with more on the way.”

  She believed him finally, even commiserated, “You poor man. I’d ’ate to ’ave a father that frightening.”

  He grinned. “He’s not, really, well, not once you get to know him.”

  She humphed. “Well, obviously ’e didn’t rip ye to pieces as I figured ’e were ’ankering to do—more’s the pity, if ye ask me.”

  That easily her own anger was back in place. Jeremy coughed. “Let’s have a chat, Danny.”

  “Let’s not.”

  “You haven’t figured out yet that you need to humor your employer at all times?”

  “Not bleedin’ likely when my employer is a randy buck only interested in getting under my skirts.”

  “Devil take it, you have to work on this bluntness of yours, really you do.”

  “Why?”

  “Because—”

  He stopped short. She was right. It was one of the things about her that was unique and he didn’t want to change her in that regard. Besides, right now he was after frankness from her, and he wouldn’t get that if she started prevaricating as most women tended to do when they were asked pointed questions. And he intended to ask a few of those.

  “So you have brothers and sisters, do you?”

  Jeremy’s hopes soared high. She hadn’t waited for him to answer her question, and her curiosity was an excellent indication that she was more interested in him than she pretended to be.

  “Twin brothers and a sister, actually,” he told her. “All quite young still.”

  “Why weren’t they at your party? Or your father for that matter?”

  “They were visiting my uncle Jason in the country. He’s head of the family and doesn’t come to town very often. So if we want to see him, we go to the family estate at Haverston. But children that young aren’t usually allowed at adult gatherings anyway.”

  “Not even when the gathering is all your own family?” she asked.

  Jeremy grinned. “We’ve tried that. There are a lot of youngsters in m’family now. It’s quite like a battlefield when they all get together.”

  She chuckled for a moment. “I’ve been in a few o’ those m’self.”

  “Have you? There were a lot of children in your band of misfits?”

  “Mostly all children, and all o’ them orphans like me. Dagger supplied the roof and food and taught us how to make do.”

  “You mean, how to steal.”

  “That, too.”

  “He was your elected leader, I take it? The one who kicked you out?”

  She nodded curtly and turned away, going back to her dusting—with a vengeance. A touchy subject, apparently. It was probably still too soon after her ousting from that band for her to want to discuss it. He was surprised she’d said as much as she did, when she’d refused to talk about any of it before.

  “Have a seat, Danny,” he suggested agreeably. “There are a few more things I’d like to ask you. Might as well get comfortable.”

  He’d indicated the s
ofa. She stared at it a moment then shook her head. “Wouldn’t be proper, would it? You have a seat. I’m fine right ’ere.”

  “What I’m going to ask you is rather—intimate. Really, sitting down would be most appropriate.”

  “So ye can sit next to me and try yer tricks again? I’m onto you now, mate. You might as well give up.”

  “Not a chance, luv.”

  It wasn’t intentional, but Jeremy’s look turned so sensual, Danny actually gasped and quickly glanced away. She even started fanning her face with her duster, apparently not realizing she was doing it. When she did, she made another sound, close to a groan.

  And Jeremy was met with a dilemma. Should he take advantage of having just aroused her or proceed with his plan to get to know her better? Much as it went against his instincts, he was forced to opt for the latter. He simply wanted more from her than immediate gratification. And he was afraid that even if she succumbed fully, she’d later see it as his taking advantage of the moment and be so furious with him, this time, that she’d quit her job and leave.

  A moment later she said rather breathlessly, “I’ll sit. But you sit somewhere else, eh.”

  Jeremy grinned. Progress, definite progress. But when she moved to sit on the sofa, she sat on the end farthest away from him. He sighed and moved to the other sofa across from her.

  “This won’t take long, will it?” she asked, sounding somewhat annoyed now that she’d given in. “I’ve more work that needs doing.”

  “It could, but it probably won’t. And don’t worry about your work when I detain you. If you don’t finish today, I’ll accept the blame.”

  “Wot do you want to know then?”

  “Let’s start with your age?”

  “Thought I’d already mentioned that.”

  “Fifteen, was it?”

  “Ten actually. Just tall for my age.”

  He burst out laughing. She didn’t share his humor so he tried to curb it quickly and asked, “So you were orphaned when you were what? Two or three?”