First Sinners (8 page)

“Oh, I have complaints.” He took a step toward her and she fought to hold her ground. “In truth, I was coming to your room to discuss them with you.”

“With
me?
”

“Yes, you, Faith.” He threw his cloak over the back of the nearest chair. “Do you recognize this?”

She stared at what remained in his hand. “That’s my shawl. I lost it when I was—” She raised her gaze to his face.

“When you were cavorting in the cellars with the earl.”

“You were down there too?”

“Don’t pretend to be innocent. I was looking for the entrance to the tunnel, just like you were.”

“I wasn’t looking for anything. I heard a noise and I went down to see what it was. I dropped my shawl when my candle went out, and then I returned to bed without it.”

“You’re not a very good liar, are you, cousin?” He tossed her shawl on top of his cloak to reveal the barrel of a pistol. “You helped the earl open the door to the secret passageway, and followed him down to the beach. I only left the cellar for a few minutes to get a crowbar. When I returned,
voilà,
the door was open, and I could hear you and Westbrook’s voices disappearing down the tunnel.”

“Why on earth did you shut us in there?”

“Because I wanted you trapped.” He smiled. “I knew you’d have to emerge from the caves at some point.”

“Why are you doing this, Michael?” Faith whispered. “Are you going to shoot me?
Why?
”

“Why do you think? You allied yourself with the enemy. I have no choice.” His expression hardened. “My new contact refused to stay around until the storm eased up, the damned coward.”

“So why did you try to open up the passageway?”

“It was my only choice.”

“If you kill me, the earl will return and—”

“I’ll kill him too.”

“Over what, a few barrels of smuggled brandy?”

His laughter made her wince. “Oh, good Lord, you really are his dupe, aren’t you? Do you really think they would send the great Earl of Westbrook down to ferret out a smuggler? He deals in spies and the underworld of continental espionage.”

Faith tried to look like she’d known that all along, but doubted she was successful. “You are a spy?”

He shrugged. “I pass piddling pieces of information to colleagues on the Continent in exchange for money. I’d hardly call it
spying
.”

Her knees actually wobbled. “What do you intend to do with me? Shoot me here and rouse the entire household?”

“I don’t believe in wasting bullets, my dear. You’ll go on your usual morning walk along the cliff top and, overcome with remorse at giving your virginity to the ‘Savage Rake,’ you’ll abandon yourself to a watery grave.”

“I will
not!
” She stamped her foot.

“You will write a note confessing your sins, and leave it here on the desk. When you don’t return from your walk, someone will eventually find the note and all will become clear.”

“No one will believe it!”

“Your sister will. I saw her looking for you last night. In fact, she was sleeping on your bed. I almost made the mistake of thinking she
was
you.” He glanced down at his pistol. “She could’ve died in your place.”

“You won’t harm Margaret.”

“I’ll do whatever is necessary to keep this secret. I need money and this is the only way I can get it. If Margaret won’t marry Robin, she is of no use to me anyway.” He pointed at the desk. “Sit here and write your note.”

Faith sat down with a
thump
. “I’m not even properly dressed.”

“Which doesn’t matter as your body is unlikely to be found.”

“You are a
horrible
man.”

“I am what you and your family created. A man who does his best to survive.”

She scribbled a note at his dictation and signed it. Through the thick curtains, thin streams of light heralded the approach of the dawn. A gust of wind down the chimney rattled the door frame and one of the windowpanes banged. Michael glanced up as the door latch clicked.

Faith grabbed the heavy paperweight and threw it at his head. Even as he cried out, the room was suddenly full of people shouting and yelling. The gun went off so close to her ear that she couldn’t hear anything as she was borne down toward the carpet. Her last coherent thought as her world went wild again was that at least the floor was softer than the beach.

When she opened her eyes, she was underneath an all-too-familiar weight.

“Get off me!”

The earl obliged, offering her his hand to help her clamber to her feet. The library was a mess.

“Where’s Michael?”

“On his way to London to answer a few questions.” The earl dusted down his breeches, and set two of the chairs to rights. “Will you take a seat?”

“You didn’t leave at all, did you?”

“No.”

“You suspected someone would come after me?”

“On the contrary, I thought that if it was known I had left, you would be safe.” He rubbed his eyes. “I obviously miscalculated.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“That I wanted you to be safe?”

She glared at him. “You used me as bait.”

He stood up and towered over her, his dark eyes flashing. “I had no idea Michael would suspect you.”

“He found my shawl last night.”

“So I heard. That was unfortunate.” He gestured at the window seat. “I was there, hiding behind the curtains.”

“You knew I’d end up here?”

“I guessed where Michael would bring you. Harper saw you come down here and alerted me.”

“Michael didn’t
bring
me, I asked him to talk to me.”

“You did
what?
”

She’d never heard him shout before, and resisted an instinct to cover her already-ringing ears. “I wanted to warn him about Robin.”

“You bloody little fool!”

She shot to her feet and poked him in the chest. “He’s part of my family. I thought he deserved a chance! If you’d told me what was really going on from the outset I wouldn’t have made such a stupid mistake!” Now she was shouting too. “Why didn’t you trust me?”

“Because I am working for the government!”

“So what!”

He stared down into her eyes. “Just because I care about you, doesn’t mean I can compromise my duty to my country.”

“Then why can’t you understand that I am loyal to my family?”

“They aren’t the same thing at all.” A muscle twitched in the corner of his mouth. “You assume I can’t understand that because I have no experience of such a thing? I loved my mother, Faith, and look what such loyalty got me.
Nothing
.”

She slapped his face and he didn’t even flinch.

“Your mother would be ashamed to hear you say that. If the only loyalty you can allow yourself to have is to your country, because you are too scared to love a real
person,
then we have nothing in common and
nothing
more to say to each other.”

She pushed past him and, ignoring the family members gathered in the hall, ran for her bedroom and locked the door behind her.

 

 

Ian watched her retreat, his cheek smarting from her blow, his thoughts in turmoil. He wanted to run after her, take her in his arms, and never let her go. Seeing her held at gunpoint by Michael Pelly had almost made his heart stop from fear. She might be the most annoying female he’d ever met, but he couldn’t imagine his life without her.

He sank down on the nearest chair and considered his options. He had to explain exactly what had happened to Lord Pelly and his wife. It wouldn’t be pleasant. They’d find it hard to believe a member of their family had decided to spy for France. Michael might claim that the small snippets of information he passed on from his lowly position meant nothing, but Ian knew better. In the hands of a master spy maker, each fragment could identify a conspirator, end a life, or open a door to a bigger prize.

With a sigh, he went to sit at the desk. He needed to write a full account of the business to Sir Peregrine. Thank God, he’d set Harper to watching Faith and been alerted to her movements. What if Michael had found her in bed and shot her in her sleep? The thought made Ian go cold. Dammit, he didn’t want to care about her. He didn’t want to love another woman who might end up being lost to him. . . .

He picked up his pen and wrote the necessary words to Sir Peregrine, his mind elsewhere. Whatever happened, he had his friends and his colleagues in London who understood the real man beneath his charming façade. He never needed to be alone or unappreciated. But he wanted Faith. He wanted a woman who wasn’t afraid to tell him when he erred, but who loved him regardless, and she did love him. He was sure of that.

Or did she? Had he simply confused passion with love? Had she?

Someone cleared his throat loudly at the door. Ian looked up and forced a smile.

“Lord Pelly, my lady, I fear I owe you an explanation. . . .”

7

“And don’t think you’ve heard the last of this, young lady.” Faith’s father pointed his finger at her. “If it wasn’t for the generosity of the Earl of Westbrook you would be ruined. As it is, I’ve suggested to your mother that you remain here for the rest of the Season and reflect upon your unladylike conduct.”

“I didn’t do anything wrong. In fact, I saved the earl’s life!”

Faith glared at her parents and at Margaret, who was looking remarkably pious and holding on to the arm of a shocked-looking Robin.

“Which we will not speak of.” Her mother shuddered. “You were out there
alone
with him on the beach!”

“So you’d rather he’d died?”

“Don’t be disrespectful to your mother, and go to your room immediately!” her father roared.

Faith curtsied and left. She had no desire to stand in front of her family and defend herself any longer. Their total inability to appreciate her part in the successful capture of a spy made that impossible. The only person who had ever understood her was the Earl of Westbrook and even he had refused to let her into his confidence completely. Her stomach grumbled as she climbed the stairs. She hadn’t been invited to stay and eat dinner with the rest of them while they, no doubt, fawned around the earl....

She flung open her door and went still, her hand covering her mouth. The aforementioned earl was stretched out on her bed, feet crossed at the ankle, hands behind his head.

She slammed the door shut. “What do you want?”

He turned his head toward her, his dark brown eyes soft in the candlelight. “You.”

“Shouldn’t you be on your way back to London to claim your victory and bask in the congratulations of your government?”

“I should, but this seemed rather more important.”

She snorted. “You’ve already taken my virginity. Wasn’t that enough for you?”

He swung his legs over the side of the bed. “No. I told you. I want to strip you naked and fuck you properly.”

She tried to ignore the thrill that ran through her body. “And I told you to go away.”

He stripped off his coat and set to work on the buttons of his waistcoat. She caught hold of his wrist in a fierce grip.

“I am not playing this game. I cannot allow you to—”

“It’s not a game.” He kissed her with a roughness and a need that made her moan into his mouth. “I need you.”

She wrenched her mouth away. “Not enough.”

He cupped her cheek. “I was a fool. I was wrong! Can’t you allow me to say that to you, and mean it? I tried to put my duty to my country before my need for you. I just
can’t
.”

“You want
me?
”

He pulled her against him until the hard ridge of his cock rubbed her stomach. “Dammit, yes!”

“I know that”—she gestured dismissively at his groin—“but what about the rest of it?”

“I want that too.”

“What exactly?”

He sighed. “I want to marry you and keep you with me for the rest of our natural lives. I find I can’t live without you, and that loyalty to my country is a very poor substitute to loyalty to the woman I’ve fallen in love with.”

“But you hardly know me.”

He took her hand and placed it over his heart. “I know the truth here. I knew it the moment I met you. It’s not as if I haven’t had a great deal of experience in these matters.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

He kissed her. “I know that you probably need time to believe me and mayhap fall in love with me yourself, but I’m willing to wait—if you marry me first.”

As he spoke, his hands were busy, rearranging and loosening her gown and corset until her garments began to fall to the floor. He murmured his appreciation, his fingers finding her nipples and pinching them into hard points.

“And if I don’t want to marry you?” She sounded rather breathless. His mouth closed over her nipple and her knees wobbled.

“Then I’ll ruin you, or you can choose to run away from respectability and become my mistress. I know that you like an adventure.”

He stripped off her shift and laid her back on the bed, exploring her needy flesh with his mouth and hands and body, making her writhe and wiggle beneath him. He drew her knee up and to the side to expose her sex and bent his head.

“I’ve been wanting to do this again.”

She tensed as he kissed her clit and then licked it into his mouth, one finger inside her cunt, his wet thumb pushing up into her arse. She climaxed, arching off the bed, and he groaned, his teeth grazing her clit, sending her off into another dizzying spiral of pleasure.

“I want this, I
need
this.” He raised his head and fixed his lust-filled gaze on her. “I swear to God, I’ve never wanted another woman like this, and I never will.”

She ran her foot up the side of his breeches until she reached his hip and moved inward to the huge bulge of his cock.

“I want this.”

His breathing hitched as she nudged him with her toes. “As you ask so nicely.” He fought with the buttons of his placket to release the flap that covered his cock.

“Take your shirt off as well.”

“You want me naked?”

“Yes!” He finished stripping with a speed she could only admire and she got her first view of his entirely naked body: his lean hips, taut stomach, and muscular chest.

“Oh.”

“Oh, what?” he smoothed a hand over his shaft spreading the wetness that came from the crown.

“You are rather big.”

“You’ve taken me inside you before.”

“I’m just not sure how I managed it.”

He lowered himself between her thighs. “You’ll manage. You’re a resourceful woman, Faith.” The head of his cock nudged her opening, and she let out her breath as he eased inward.

“That’s good, love, that’s—” He groaned as she tilted her hips forward allowing him even deeper. When he was all the way inside her, she wrapped her legs around him to stop him even daring to think of leaving her ever again.

He started to thrust and she clung to him, finding her own rhythm along with his, her own climb to the delights of sensual pleasure he’d shown her before. She came, and he kept moving, driving her onward, his hand easing between them to tease and pluck her clit, driving her wild.

He reared up on his knees, his strokes shorter and faster. She started to come again, and lost herself in his eyes, in his rhythm, in his all-conquering need. He made no attempt to extricate himself from her fierce embrace but climaxed deep inside her.

After a long while, he rolled onto his back and took her with him. She was surprisingly content to sprawl bonelessly on his chest. He kissed the top of her head.

“I meant it, you know.”

“Which part?”

“All of it.” He sighed. “I want you to be my wife.”

“You know how I feel about marriage. It is such an
unequal
institution.”

“I know, and yet I still love you.” He kissed her again. “I also live a complicated life.”

“So I gather. Rake by day, and government official by night.”

“There’s nothing official about what I do. If I’m caught engaging in any acts of espionage against another foreign nation, I can be executed without trial, and my government will do nothing to save me.”

“That seems rather unfair. Why can’t the government open a department of spying or something?”

“Because that would mean admitting that they engaged in such activities, which are not considered
gentlemanly
.”

“That’s silly.”

“It’s far worse for those who give up their lives to serve their country, especially in these current times.” He sighed. “I had an idea about that, but I’m not sure what you’ll think about it.”

She came up on one elbow and stared down at his beautiful, sensual face. “What does it have to do with me?”

“I thought it might be a way to convince you to marry me.”

“How so?”

“I thought of forming an unofficial club for those men and women who serve the government without acknowledgment for their bravery. A place where they would feel safe and supported, where their families could be offered help if they died while on assignment.”

“Men
and
women?”

“Yes, I’ve met some extraordinary women over the past few years who have helped us immeasurably.” He took a deep breath and met her gaze. “We could own the club jointly, and run it together.”

“As true partners?”

A smile hovered on his lips. “Only if we were married, of course.”

“A marriage of true equals,” Faith said slowly. “I think I’d like that very much.”

He reached for her and brought her down on top of him. “Then you agree?”

“If you draw up the paperwork first, of course.”

“So you’ll marry me?”

“It seems as if I have no choice, when you are offering me everything I have ever dreamed of, a man I respect, an adventure, and a partnership?” She kissed him and with a shout of triumph he rolled her over and under him again.

“A man you love.”

“That too,” she acknowledged. “Now all we have to do is think of a name for our club of rakes, spies, and sinners.”

His knee nudged her thighs apart. “Later.”

For once she didn’t argue, she just lay back and allowed him to make love to her with all his magnificent expertise. As the wife of the Savage Rake and part owner of a mysterious club, she was quite certain that her life would never be boring again.