But she held his gaze as he stood there. And it was he who broke it when he walked away.
Chapter 7
Evangeline very rarely allowed herself to get lost in life, but the one true exception was in a bookshop. Normally she could walk through the shelves, touching the spines, inhaling the heavenly scent and picking out the perfect story…or two…or ten…to take her away later.
Today that plan simply wasn’t working. She stood in Mattigan’s Bookshop, surrounded by its calming beauty, and her mind was most decidedly elsewhere. In a music room, to be precise, with Henry Killam’s arms around her and his lips on hers—
She staggered as her slipper caught on the edge of one of the carpets and she nearly deposited herself face first on the floor. She smoothed her skirts and looked around, hoping no one had seen that inelegant display. The shop was mostly empty, so at least she hadn’t made herself entirely into a cake. That was what one got when they strayed from a perfectly good plan and let emotion take over.
Perhaps she deserved to look a fool. She felt one.
She moved down one of the aisles and was about to try, once again, to surrender herself to the titles when another lady entered from the other end. Evangeline gasped as she found herself face to face with Miss Thomasina Lesley, the young woman who had wished to be lightly ruined…the one whose predicament had inspired Evangeline to look at Henry in this new light.
“Lady Evangeline!” Miss Lesley gasped as she rushed to the middle of the aisle to meet her. “What a pleasure it is to see you here.”
“Indeed,” Evangeline said, grasping Miss Lesley’s hands in hers with a light squeeze. “I have found myself looking for you since our last meeting and wondering about you and your…” She looked around to make sure they were not being spied upon. “…your plan.”
Miss Lesley’s cheeks colored pink and she nodded. “Yes, my plan.”
“Come, sit with me by the fire,” Evangeline said, drawing her to the back of the shop where Mr. Mattigan always kept a fire blazing to warm the room and make the area cozy for in-shop reading.
They settled into the chairs together and Evangeline smiled at her companion. “How is it really going between you and Simon?”
“Fine,” Miss Lesley said, and her tone sounded firm. “Perfectly fine, thank you.”
Evangeline nodded. It seemed she was the only one in a state of weakness when it came to the pursuit of a man. How comforting.
“That’s wonderful, I’m happy to hear it. And I suppose I must thank you for that night at the ball. Talking to you helped me put a great many things into perspective. I am also pursuing a gentleman at this time, though it is with an eye toward marriage.”
Miss Lesley’s eyes widened and she leaned forward slightly. “Marriage! Let me be the first to wish you happy. Who is the lucky gentleman?”
“Henry Killam,” Evangeline admitted after the smallest of pauses.
Miss Lesley stared at her a moment, then a tiny smile turned up her lips. “You are to be congratulated in your choice. I understand now why you discouraged me from choosing Mr. Killam for my own plans.”
Evangeline swallowed. She had done that. She couldn’t deny it. And when thoughts of why she might so strenuously push her friend away from Henry arose, she had to set them aside with all her might. They were foolish musings brought about by the unexpected elements in her pursuit, that was all.
“Considering how well your plans with Simon appear to be progressing, I hope you are glad for that?”
Miss Lesley hesitated a moment and her cheeks turned red as she stared off toward the fire. “Indeed. Yes, it is indeed all for the best.”
There was a silence between them for a moment, long enough that Evangeline felt a twinge of disappointment at her own uncertainty next to what felt like Miss Lesley’s absolute assurance. When they had begun so oppositely aligned, it felt dreadfully unfair.
“Lady Evangeline? I don’t want to intrude, but since you were kind enough to assist and advise me…” Miss Lesley cleared her throat. “I hope your plans with Mr. Killam are progressing according to your wishes?”
Evangeline hesitated as a world of imagery flooded her mind. Holding Henry’s hand in the parlor, the way her breath had caught in the music room, him watching her, kissing him…him taking over the kiss. Him running.
She blinked the thoughts away. “Fine,” she said, repeating what Miss Lesley had said to the same question. “It’s all very fine.”
“Lovely,” her friend said.
The subject felt closed and Miss Lesley began to talk of something else, but Evangeline couldn’t stop thinking about Henry. About how things had gotten so out of control. Here was Thomasina Lesley, who was lovely and friendly, and Evangeline truly liked her, but the young woman wasn’t nearly as confident or certain of herself as Evangeline had always felt. Yet she was seducing a man…seducing him to her own ruination…without a care in the world while Evangeline fretted over kisses.
She jolted at the thought, straightening a little on the settee. Maybe that was the trick. She was dancing around Henry too much, spending too much thought and time in a gentle, soft temptation that would lead to a normal kind of marriage proposal. With Henry’s calm, studious nature, that might not work.
Besides, it gave her too much time to analyze the situation. While Henry loved that, researching and testing had always been his forte. God, she remembered one summer party a year ago when he had spent an hour testing out different combinations of flavors for a fruited wine. Evangeline had watched him, astonished at his focus. She would have just poured the damn wine and been done with it. Knowing was far better, wasn’t it?
Of course, the drink had been wonderful, but that was beside the point.
She didn’t test. She decided what she wanted and went after it. She wanted to marry Henry, to have control of her fortune and to stop having these unwanted thoughts of the pressure of his mouth on hers. Perhaps Miss Lesley’s idea of a ruination was a better one than her own. She would regain control by getting right to the point of the matter and harness the unwanted passion his kiss had inspired to something that had a purpose. If she could force herself to discipline her own reactions, which she had always been able to do in the past, then she’d be on track again.
Plus, it would force Henry’s hand. Especially if they went beyond mere light ruination. He would marry her if they went too far. And that would be that.
“Lady Evangeline, are you well?” Miss Lesley asked, reaching out to cover her hand gently and drawing her back to the present.
“Yes,” Evangeline said, shocked that her tone was a little breathless. She must have inhaled a bit of smoke from the fire.
She blinked and tried to focus. Her poor friend had been speaking so earnestly and Evangeline had been rude. What had she been saying? Oh, something about her mother and using Evangeline’s name to thwart Mrs. Lesley’s overprotective drive.
“And please, you must call me Evangeline, for we are friends, are we not?”
Miss Lesley’s expression softened. “Indeed, I would be honored. As I would be if you would call me Tamsin.”
“Tamsin,” Evangeline repeated, and smiled. She did like this young woman. Normally she only helped people and didn’t get close, but there was something about Tamsin… “And of course you may use my name to further your plans with Simon. It’s well known that I favor Mattigan’s with my custom and am regularly to be found here.” She stood, still distracted by thoughts of Henry and the seduction that had sprung to her mind. “But I realize I have another appointment that slipped my mind.”
“Of course.” Tamsin was staring at her as if she’d sprouted a second head.
The two women rose together and Evangeline smiled at Tamsin to reassure her. “I really do love seeing you, my friend. Perhaps before the new year, you and I could meet. I’ll send you an invitation to tea.”
“I would be honored,” Tamsin said. “It was lovely seeing you again.”
“Good day!”
Evangeline called out as she hustled to the front of the store where Tibby was sitting, reading a gothic novel. Evangeline stopped and stared.
Damn. Tibby. She wanted to act on her plan immediately, but Tibby would never let her do something rash. Something like go to Henry Killam’s house alone, for instance.
Evangeline smiled. She was standing right in front of Tibby, who hadn’t even noticed her, she was so engrossed. “Tibby, I’m ready to go.”
Her maid jerked her face up with a gasp and lunged to her feet. “Oh, my lady, I didn’t even see you there!”
“Yes, you seemed quite riveted.”
“I am,” Tibby said with a smile. “But if you are ready to depart…”
She moved to set the book aside, but Evangeline stepped up and took it instead. “The Mysteries of Udolpho by Radcliffe. It is all the rage, isn’t it?”
Tibby nodded. “And for good reason, for I am already captivated.”
“Then we shall buy a copy,” Evangeline said, “so that we may both read it and discuss it later.”
Tibby smiled, but there was no shock on her face at the offer. Evangeline often bought books that she shared with her maid, since she knew Tibby adored a good story as much as she did. That today she offered this kindness for her own purposes…well…what was the harm?
“Mr. Mattigan?” she called out, lifting the book toward him. “Ann Radcliffe’s The Mysteries of Udolpho.”
Mattigan grinned as he opened a book before him and made a notation. “I shall add it to your account, my lady. Very nice to see you again. And a happiest of Christmastide to you!”
“And to you, good sir,” Evangeline said as they exited the shop into the sharp cold of the winter afternoon. She handed over the book to Tibby as they entered the carriage for the short drive back to her father’s home.
“You don’t wish to read it first?” Tibby asked, her gaze flitting greedily to the embossed cover.
“You have already begun and I find myself a little tired,” Evangeline said, laying the frame of her lies with a false yawn. “I think I shall lie down for a bit when I get home. And you can take a few hours to lose yourself in a Gothic castle with a wicked villain and strife galore.”
Tibby laughed. “It is as if you already read it.”
“Just because I can guess the path does not mean I won’t enjoy every moment when you’ve finished and are dying to talk to me about it.” Evangeline’s smile was not pretended, for she did love this part of her relationship with her maid. Many would have judged it, but she cared for Tibby. Which was why lying made her stomach hurt just a bit. She ignored it as they stopped on the drive.
“Come,” Tibby said as Evangeline was helped from the carriage and her maid followed. “I will get your settled for your nap.”
Evangeline followed obediently and fought the urge to let a wide smile cause Tibby any concern. When one controlled everything around oneself, it was easier to unwind the binds that kept her in place. And in a very short time, that meant she could pursue the next part of her plan.
Seduction.
Half an hour later, Evangeline had snuck down the back stairs and was back in the carriage, her driver at the door with a concerned expression. “You want to go to Mr. Killam’s unattended, my lady?”
She pursed her lips. “Certainly not, Wilkes. My father is meeting me there, so I will not be alone. You needn’t worry yourself.”
Relief swept over his face, and that twinge of guilt that had been troubling her since she set this plan in motion ratcheted all the higher. What was a little deceit for the greater good? Were this plan to play out as she wished it to do, no one would be hurt. In fact, many would be helped. And if for some reason she was discovered, she would certainly take all the blame for her own actions.
It was a victimless crime she committed.
Wilkes closed her in and they rode along for the short turn around the park to where Henry’s house stood alongside a dozen others with the same façade. As she stepped out, her stomach clenched. What if he was not at home? She had heard from several gossips that Henry had not been going to the Society of London Astronomical Studies hall for a few days, probably to keep his father’s rage at bay.
But if he wasn’t there, it would prove her words to Wilkes a lie, and that could cause trouble. She could always walk home across the park if Henry wasn’t in residence. No one would be the wiser.
“Thank you, Wilkes,” she said as the footman helped her down. “You may go home. I’ll send for you if my father cannot escort me.”
He still looked uncertain, but the driver tipped his hat and off the carriage went, leaving Evangeline alone on the stair to Henry’s house. Her hands shook a little at her sides and she squeezed them into tight fists. What was wrong with her? There was nothing to be so worked up about. What she was about to do was a tactic, nothing more.
She pushed her shoulders back and made her way to the door. With a few deep breaths, she calmed herself, then raised her hand to the knocker and tapped three times. For a moment, she considered fleeing. Just racing into the park behind her and back to her house, where she could pretend she had not been so foolish. But before she could, she heard movement in the foyer. Whatever the prudence of her actions, they were done now. There was no escape.
She was going to do this, one way or another.
Chapter 8
Henry lifted his head from the line of figures before him and met Donovan McGilvery’s bright eyes. “Was that my door?”
“I believe so,” McGilvery said. “Were you expecting someone?”
Henry got to his feet and let out a long breath. “No. I certainly hope it is not my father. I’ve been avoiding the society in order to thwart his spies, but he will cause a scene if he discovers I’m here working on equations with you.”
“Ah.” McGilvery nodded slowly. “It’s beastly, I’m sorry. Why don’t you answer the door? I’ll put away our mess and be ready to bolt out the back just in case.”
Henry shook his head as the rapping of the door came again. His servants were out for the day. “Yes, yes,” he called as he exited the room. “I’m sorry!”
McGilvery muttered something comforting, but Henry didn’t fully comprehend it as he smoothed his waistcoat and made for the front door. He had no time to roll his shirt sleeves down or put on a coat to make himself presentable, so he prayed it was not his father as he threw open the door to the intruder.
He blinked at the shock of the visitor’s identity. “E-Evangeline?” he said, then fought for propriety. “Lady Evangeline.”
“Right on both accounts,” she said with a small smile. “I-I did not realize you buttled as well as searched the skies for new planets. A man of many talents, indeed.”
Her tone was laced with friendly teasing, but her gaze had flitted from his face and now settled on his bare forearms. She stared for a moment, then jerked her gaze back up to his. It was now slightly foggy and she blinked like she was trying to clear her mind.
“My—my servants have every third Tuesday off. Have I been indefensibly rude and forgotten an engagement between us?” he asked.
She swallowed hard. “Er, no. We had no previous arrangement to meet today. I simply…I want to talk to you, Henry.”
He glanced behind him. Donovan was in his study waiting for him. Certainly when he’d heard a feminine voice at the door, he would have abandoned his plans to flee Henry’s father. He glanced behind Evangeline and wrinkled his brow. “Where is your maid? And how did you get here?”
Her shoulders flexed back. “I…did not come with a maid.” She was suddenly breathless. “And I sent my carriage away.”
A sudden shot of heated awareness jolted through Henry and he felt an uncommonly powerful desire to tug this woman into his foyer, slam the door behind her and pick up where they’d left off in the music room the previous night. But he was no rake. He didn’t ravish ladies.
But this one certainly tempted him.
“Come in,” he said. “I do have c
ompany.”
Her mouth dropped open slightly. “Oh, oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t think. I can—”
He caught her hand to draw her inside and shut the door behind her. He had to lean past her to do it, and God, but she smelled good. Damned honeysuckles. She must have put some essence of it in her soap, because it clung to her. Made him wonder where else it lingered.
He backed away. “Don’t be silly. Come.”
He motioned her to follow him down to his study. As he stepped in, Donovan spun from where he was organizing Henry’s desk back into some shape. “It didn’t sound like your father so I did not flee—”
He broke off as Evangeline stepped into the room behind Henry. Her gaze darted down and heat filled her cheeks.
“No,” Henry said with false lightness. “Er, Lady Evangeline, may I present my good friend, Mr. Donovan McGilvery.”
Donovan’s eyebrows lifted as he stepped forward, hand outstretched to Evangeline. “Lady Evangeline,” he said as he bent over her knuckles for a brief kiss. Henry felt an odd urge to pull her hand away before she did that herself. “I have heard a great deal about you.”
Henry’s eyes went wide and he shot McGilvery a look as Evangeline glanced his way. “Have you now? I hope only good things.”
McGilvery chuckled. “Only the very best of things, I assure you.”
“And how do you two know each other?” Evangeline asked.
“The scientific society I am a member of,” Henry said softly.
“Then you are a scientist,” Evangeline said with a more relaxed expression. “Are you an astronomer like Henry?”
“Not quite as good as he is, but yes. The stars are my interest.” McGilvery replied with a nod. “But I think it is time for me to depart. It was a productive day, Killam, but I can see you have duties to attend to and I admit I am tired of staring at figures. I shall certainly dream of numbers tonight. It was a pleasure meeting you, my lady. I’ll see myself out.”
Betrothed by Christmas: A Holiday Duet Page 6