His Mistress (20 page)

The question left her with the distinct feeling that he was asking her something quite different. Uncertain as to how to interpret his question, Jane didn’t answer. As she stared up at him, she suddenly realized it was as difficult for Tobias to trust anyone as it was for her. It was why he’d fought so hard as she’d tried to make him submit to her commands that night at the club.

“I would make you understand that you can trust me,” she said quietly.

The moment she spoke, his body became rigid against hers. With a jerk, he released her, and she recognized that he’d retreated from her emotionally as well as physically. Jane suppressed the misgivings that rose inside her, and reached out to touch his arm. Muscles hard as a roughhewn tree branch didn’t give way beneath her fingers, and she pulled her hand away from him.

Would his reaction to her touch have been the same if Lady
Mystère
had made the same observation? Suddenly, her masquerade left a bitter taste in her mouth. Perhaps she’d overestimated her ability to bend him to her will in any guise. The thought of him not being at the club tomorrow night rocked her with a fear that made her mouth go dry. His dark gaze unreadable, Tobias’ mouth twisted in a polite smile. With a slight bow, he gestured toward the French doors.

“I believe we have an announcement to make,” he said in a noncommittal tone of voice.

The tension between them was still there, but it was little more than a whisper of energy. The self-control he displayed in easily putting distance between them emphasized Angélique’s warning that Tobias’ might never submit completely. Jane met his gaze for a brief moment then with a nod, she moved out onto the patio.

Tobias at her side, she headed in the direction of the salon. The hum of conversation floated out onto the patio, and Jane hadn’t even reached the light from the salon door when she heard Irene’s tinkling laugh. Without thinking, she came to a halt. Dear God, she was little more than a puppet in the hands of Irene, her father and even to some small degree, Tobias. She swallowed hard and started as a firm hand cupped her elbow.

“I’ve been remiss in providing you with fortification for the moment we make our announcement,” Tobias said quietly as he stuck his hand into his pocket.

“Fortification?”

“I believe we’ll have fewer objections from your father and Lady Hounslow if you are already wearing my ring when we enter the salon,” he said with an ironic note in his voice. Tobias opened the small ring box in his hand to reveal a beautiful emerald surrounded by diamonds. Jane gasped then looked up at him in bemusement. He smiled.

“I’ve had it for some time now. I’ve simply been waiting for the appropriate moment to offer it to you.”

“It’s beautiful,” she whispered as she brushed her finger tips over the jewelry.

“May I?” Tobias murmured as he pulled the ring from its velvet nest and placed it on Jane’s hand. His light touch made her tremble, and with the ring secured on her finger, his gaze met hers. “Courage, Jane. You’re stronger than you think.”

“Am I?” She shook her head as she considered how her control of her present situation had been so elusive and frustrating from the very beginning. Tobias raised her hand to his lips.

“Yes.”

The short, but firm affirmation flooded her with renewed sense of purpose. Grateful for his belief in her ability to weather the approaching storm, Jane leaned forward and brushed her lips across his cheek. The scent of him filled her nostrils and heat flushed her skin as desire swelled inside her. The sudden rush of emotion compelled her to curl her hand around the back of his neck and pull his head downward as she tilted her head to kiss him.

Tobias stiffened against her, but didn’t move as her lips pressed lightly against his. Instinct drove her to nibble on his bottom lip. A low growl rumbled in his chest at the small bite, and in an instant, his hands gripped her waist to tug her close. Her pulse racing, Jane shuddered as Tobias’ tongue was suddenly dancing with hers. Teasing, cajoling, and demanding, his mouth drove every thought out of her mind.

There was only the taste and feel of him against her body. Dear God, but she wanted him. She wanted to see him naked in front of her to study, admire, and pleasure him as she deemed fit. Slick heat settled between her legs at the image of him answering her commands. How easily would he give way to her? Would he surrender to her demands and do as she asked? She stiffened with surprise as his hand slid up to rub across the edge of her bodice.

Unable to help herself, she released a low moan as he lowered his head to kiss her exposed skin. With each caress of his lips, a slow, burning fire flowed through her veins until it heated her from the inside outward until she was sinking deeper into his arms. The moment Tobias’ tongue slipped between her breasts, Jane’s knees became weak until she was forced to cling to his shoulders for support.

There was a dark edge to his passionate caresses, and it was obvious the pent up emotions raging inside him needed to be assuaged, but in
La Maison des Plaisirs Sombres
, not here. Determined to regain control of the situation, Jane pushed away from him. He resisted her effort to put space between them, but when she shoved harder, Tobias immediately released her.

His breathing erratic, he stepped away from her quickly to stare at her with a look that made her heart pound a thundering cacophony in her ears. The fire blazing in his dark eyes was fierce and passionate. It heated her skin until her throat was parched and her body ached for a release she’d never experienced before.

Angélique had said Jane’s encounter with Barnaby hardly labeled her as experienced, and staring up into Tobias’ gaze, Jane realized her friend was right. What she saw burning in Tobias’ eyes was unlike anything she’d ever seen in Barnaby’s gaze. And no man had ever made her body heat to such a fevered pitch as Tobias had done just now.

Jane tried to breathe as her pulse raced out of control. He wanted her. He wanted quiet Lady Jane Grisham. Doubt immediately assailed her. Did he actually desire her or was his response simply the pent up emotions she’d sensed in him earlier? Beneath her steady gaze, Tobias’ expression became unreadable.

“Forgive my…lack of control,” he rasped. Something dark fluttered in his gaze, and she swallowed hard as she shook her head.

“I have no objection to your touch,” she said softly. “I simply think a more private setting would make things more…pleasurable for both of us.”

Tobias stared at her for a long moment, and the appraisal in his gaze made her grow as still as a bird might when it spies a cat. Again, she had the oddest sensation he was waiting for her to say something more. The air between them grew heavy with tension until the weight of it pressed into Jane’s chest like a vise. With a low growl, Tobias nodded.

“Agreed,” he growled. “Come. We have an engagement to announce.”

He offered his arm, and although she raised an eyebrow at his authoritative manner, she didn’t protest. Instead she accepted his arm and allowed him to guide her back to the salon.

G
rim satisfaction tightened Tobias’ muscles as he met the earl’s cold look of outrage. The man’s expression provided even more gratification than Tobias had expected. Arrogantly arching his eyebrow, he met Culverstone’s irate gaze. He didn’t give a damn how angry the earl was at the unexpected announcement of his engagement to Jane.

Like Jane, he was equally tired of dancing to someone else’s tune, especially where Culverstone was concerned. Jane’s request had been an easy one to grant. Tobias frowned slightly. Upon reflection, it had been more of a command he’d followed without even a second thought. He didn’t know why it surprised him.

The day they’d sealed the conditions of their marriage with a handshake, Tobias had recognized the natural strength and power Jane possessed. It wasn’t the first time he’d acknowledged the lust she aroused in him, but the intensity of his desire was far stronger than he’d realized. The past hour had emphasized exactly how much he wanted to protect her and ensure her happiness.

A slight tremor shook her body. It would have been impossible to detect if she’d not had her arm tucked inside his. Tobias immediately laid his fingers over her hand and squeezed them in reassurance. He glanced down at her, but she was watching Lady Hounslow’s reaction.

Tobias looked in the woman’s direction and caught the glitter of fury in the woman’s eyes. Culverstone wasn’t the only one angered by the impromptu announcement. Lady Hounslow was livid, gauging by her stiff posture. Jane was right. The woman didn’t like having her control over the situation stripped from her. He smiled at the woman with amusement.

As Tobias and Jane remained the focal point in the room, he studied the incredulous expressions of the earl’s small group of friends. Tobias’ muscles tightened with a suppressed irritation. Their dismay that Jane intended to marry a commoner wasn’t unexpected, but he didn’t like the way it made him feel.

The social barrier between Tobias and that of the nobility had been a boundary he’d been quite comfortable with until Culverstone had blackmailed him into marrying Jane. The earl had forced him to cross that invisible line, and Tobias bitterly resented the man for having done so. It also fueled his fury at the unknown enemy who’d betrayed him to Culverstone.

Fingers digging hard into his arm pulled his focus back to the matter at hand. The tension in Jane’s body vibrated into his as the silence in the room seemed to deepen. Her discomfort heightened his instinctive desire to protect her. Suddenly, the tension ebbed out of her, and it was as if she’d donned a suit of armor as they faced the crowd.

“Will you not congratulate us, Father? I know what a burden your concern for my happiness has been in recent weeks,” Jane said with a pleasantness that disguised the sarcastic defiance of her words. “But you may now lay your fears to rest and find your own happiness with Lady Hounslow.”

Culverstone flinched at his daughter’s words. The earl’s gray features made Tobias want to shout his approval at the way Jane had openly condemned her father’s manipulation of them. Instead, he caressed the back of Jane’s hand in a silent gesture of support. Despite the circumstances of their situation, Tobias realized once again that he could not have found a more suitable bride.

Lady Hounslow was the first to recover from the shock of their announcement. With a dramatic gesture, the woman snapped her fan closed and pressed it into her breast in display of excitement that made Tobias’ mouth twitch with cynical amusement.

“Oh my dears, this is such wonderful news.” Irene looked at the earl. “Isn’t it wonderful, my love? Jane will
finally
settle down into a house of her own.”

Irene’s patronizing tone made Jane’s fingers dig painfully into his arm for a second time, and Tobias grimaced. Lady Hounslow hurried forward to embrace them in an exaggerated show of affection and happiness. To outward appearances, Irene’s perfunctory peck to first Jane’s and then his cheek was one of excitement. While she might have fooled others into believing she was happy at the engagement announcement, Tobias knew better from the livid glare in the woman’s glittering gaze.

Tobias smiled at her with open disdain, and Irene narrowed her eyes at him. Suddenly, a calculating expression swept across Irene’s face. He tensed at the woman’s conniving look. Denied the ability to appear the benevolent matchmaker, instinct told him that Lady Hounslow wouldn’t hesitate to make trouble. Jane must have had the same thought as she smiled coldly at her future stepmother.

“Naturally, we realize this comes at a rather awkward time,” Jane said quietly. “As we have no wish to take away from your own upcoming nuptials, Tobias and I have decided to have a small ceremony in a month.”

“Oh my dears, it’s not an awkward time at all. Wouldn’t it be lovely if we were all wed the same day?” Irene looked like a cat that had just swallowed a bird. Jane shook her head.

“What a lovely thought, Irene, given how…
fond
we are of one another.” The irony in Jane’s voice was sharp as a knife. “But Tobias and I prefer a quiet affair rather than an ostentatious one.”

Silence stretched through the air once more as Lady Hounslow’s face twisted into an ugly mask of anger. Someone among the guests snickered, and Irene’s attention quickly shifted to the small crowd. Obviously anxious to end the uncomfortable state of things, Culverstone’s guests swarmed forward to offer their congratulations. As the men shook his hand and clapped him on the back, the women quickly separated Jane from him to express their best wishes.

The earl finally regained his senses enough to shake Tobias’ hand before moving through the flock of women surrounding his daughter to kiss Jane on the cheek. The only person who didn’t offer their felicitations to him was Lord Mallen. Tobias met the man’s gaze from across the room.

The virulent expression on the nobleman’s face tugged Tobias’ mouth into a frown. He knew Mallen hadn’t been happy earlier with Tobias’ familiarity with Jane, but surely the man understood now. The hostility in Mallen’s gaze made Tobias narrow his eyes. Was the man in love with Jane? The thought triggered a possessive reaction inside him that only intensified as Mallen turned away to move toward the small crowd encircling Jane.