In Bed with a Rogue (19 page)

Good
Lord, the opera
. She’d forgotten all about it. “How long have we been gone?” she asked.

He released her with a sigh and backed away. “Long enough that you cannot afford to spend more time with me.”

The wall at her back felt cold without his heat surrounding her. She reached for his perfect white cravat, pretending it needed straightening to create an excuse to touch him again.

“Helena.” His voice was strained, pleading. She slid her hands over his arms as his mouth skimmed across hers. Desire coursed through him, his muscles straining beneath her touch. It seemed unfair to leave him in such a state.

She didn’t want to go. Now or later.

The truth was like being doused with a bucket of cold water. Her hands dropped to her sides. She couldn’t allow her good sense to be overcome by a handsome face. What had occurred tonight could not alter her plans. Scotland was the only place her sisters had a chance for a new start.

Sebastian embraced her once more before she could step away and lightly kissed her forehead. “You are frowning. Have I made you unhappy?”

“No.” She sank against him, closing her eyes and savoring the feel of his body pressed against hers once more. “You’ve made me feel…”

Alive. Marvelous. Weak-minded. Unsettled.

She eased from his arms with a shy smile. “This was all very agreeable, my lord.”

“Very agreeable.” His chuckle was forced. “Next time I will aim for splendid indeed.”

Heat washed over her as she realized how blasé she sounded. “I did not mean to imply tonight was not lovely.” She pressed her palm to her brow and silently cursed her inability to say the appropriate thing. “I should go before someone wonders what I have been doing all this time. What if Olive hears I disappeared during the first act?”

A smile spread across his face, and he playfully chucked her on the chin. “Chin up, wench. Perhaps no one noticed we disappeared at the same time.”

She rolled her eyes. “I am certain someone noticed.”
Lady
Lovelace, perhaps?
The idea gave her a burst of satisfaction, although she would never gloat as the widow had with her. Well, perhaps a little.

“Deny until your last breath. If no one finds us together, there is no proof.” He kissed her once more before sending her back inside the theatre with a promise to arrange an escort home for her and Eve. The door closed behind her and she was alone in the corridor. She took a deep breath in an attempt to restore her calm, then hurried toward the retiring room, suddenly recalling the location. Once she was composed, she made her way back to the theatre box. Lord Ellis spared a quick glance, but didn’t make any comment.

Helena tried to settle and enjoy the singers, but her senses were overwhelmed with memories of Sebastian’s lips on hers. His hand caressing her breast. His mouth playing over her skin. He hadn’t asked to come to her town house tonight and she regretted not inviting him.

Several moments later an usher appeared at the entrance to the box and summoned Lord Ellis. They spoke softly in the corridor, then the earl resumed his seat and whispered something to his wife. Since they both appeared unalarmed and returned to watching the performance, Helena soon forgot about it.

Sixteen

At intermission, Eve swiveled in her seat and frowned. “Where is Sebastian?”

“He was called away on a matter,” Lord Ellis said. “Lady Ellis and I will be happy to see you and Lady Prestwick home.”

Sebastian’s sister met Helena’s gaze and slowly shook her head. “I don’t understand what matter would call him away in the middle of the opera.”

Helena shrugged as heat crept into her cheeks. Admitting he had left to do her bidding at a brothel had a bad ring to it.

As the group made their way to the grand saloon to mingle during the break, the dowager duchess stopped to speak with an acquaintance, leaving Eve and Helena alone with Lord and Lady Ellis. Lady Ellis nudged her husband. “Tell us what happened today. And leave out no details.”

His brow furrowed. “I thought you despised fighting. You said it is for heathens.”

“It is, but I still want to hear about it.” Lady Ellis directed the next to Eve and Helena. “Anthony refused to say anything about the duel all day, except that Lord Thorne was the victor.”

“And that is all you need to know, darling.” His blue eyes twinkled in the candlelight and radiated affection for his wife. “If you will excuse me, I will retrieve drinks for everyone.”

“You will need help carrying the glasses,” Eve said. “Allow me.”

Lady Ellis sighed as the earl and Eve walked away. “And to think I love that impossible man.” She turned her exotic, expressive eyes on Helena, and Helena tried not to fidget under her intense stare. “He likes you very much.”

Helena started. “Lord Ellis?”

The countess laughed and hot tingles invaded Helena’s body. Lady Ellis meant Sebastian. Helena’s mistake made her feel foolish.

Lady Ellis’s merriment faded and her eyes shone with compassion. “Forgive me, Lady Prestwick. I didn’t mean to make you think I was laughing at you. It has been awhile since I’ve been a regular member of Society. I am hopelessly out of practice on how to converse with others. Either I laugh about my blunders or I might cry.”

Helena’s heart went out to the young woman. “I find you charming, madam. No need to shed tears on my account.”

“You are very kind. I see Sebastian has chosen well.” She leaned close, her sculpted brows lifted in question. “You will make him happy, won’t you? I wouldn’t like to see him suffer again. I feel so very bad for how things progressed between us. I should have refused his offer from the start.”

The hot tingles turned into flames licking Helena’s face. She didn’t know what the lady meant by making him happy, but it implied they had a future together, which was improbable. Once Helena found her sisters, they would return to Scotland and need never come back to London again. It held too many bad memories for all of them.

Besides, Sebastian’s interest was fleeting. His reputation for enjoying a lady’s company for a time and then turning his attentions elsewhere was often a topic of conversation with Olive.

She smiled politely at Lady Ellis. It truly was none of the young woman’s concern, but Helena appreciated her directness. She decided to return the favor. “I’m certain I will make him happy for a time. Until he is ready to find his happiness elsewhere.”

Lady Ellis frowned and shook her head. “I hate to contradict you, my lady, but I have it on good authority the baron is smitten with you.”

“And what authority would that be?”

“My husband spent most of the day with him. Lord Thorne spoke of nothing but you all afternoon. Anthony said he has never known the baron to wax poetic over any lady.
Ever
.” An impish grin appeared. “Which should make me very cross to hear, but I am pleased beyond measure that he has found someone to love.”

“Love?” Helena practically squawked the word. What a fanciful imagination the countess had.
Love
indeed
.

Eve and Lord Ellis approached with glasses of lemonade, cutting off any further conversation with the countess. As Helena sipped her drink, she watched the earl and his wife together. The way he touched her elbow. How he smiled into her eyes. How he leaned into her when she spoke, as if he feared missing a single word. Everything he did was evidence of his love for her.

Realization hit her like a lightning bolt, and the hairs stood up on the back of her neck. Sebastian behaved the same with her. But he couldn’t
love
her, could he?

No
. Now who was being fanciful? It was impossible he would form an attachment to her. They had known each other such a short time.

Oh, why must everything become complicated?

Her hands shook so badly she almost spilled her lemonade. Quickly, she drained her glass. “Please excuse me, I would like to visit the retiring room before the opera begins again.”

Eve took the glass from her and placed hers and Helena’s on a footman’s tray. “Splendid suggestion. I believe I will join you.”

She linked arms with Helena and led her away. Leaning her head toward Helena’s, Eve whispered, “You won’t believe what happened when Lord Ellis and I were retrieving refreshment. Lady Wiltshire deigned to speak with me. She has always looked at me as if I were a bug squished on the ballroom floor.”

“That is wonderful.” Despite her words, Helena couldn’t feel Eve’s excitement. She was still reeling from the possibility Lady Ellis might be right. What if Sebastian did hold a
tendre
for her? This presented all types of trouble.

Once she told him the truth about her background, he would put distance between them quickly. Why would he take a chance on damaging his reputation again now that it was beginning to recover?

She hadn’t planned to ever tell him about her family. She would just disappear and that would be the end of it, but she couldn’t leave without a word if he had feelings for her. It would be too unkind.

Oh, blast it all!
Who was she fooling? She had feelings for him too, strong ones that made her half mad most days. She didn’t want to leave him, but what choice did she have? Once she found her sisters, they would need her and the security of Aldmist Fell. She couldn’t be selfish.

Eve was chattering about an invitation to Almack’s, and how Sebastian had defended her honor earlier that day, as they entered the retiring room. Helena’s gut seized when she spotted Lady Lovelace at the dressing table applying lip rouge. Several other ladies formed a queue waiting for their turns for a peek in the looking glass.

Lady Lovelace’s red lips twisted with a sneer. “What is this I hear of Lord Thorne’s ridiculous slapping duel with Mr. Hillary? I heard it was quite the spectacle, but I’m not surprised. I fear it’s true what everyone says. The baron is prone to madness just like his sire. The poor man.”

Eve stiffened on Helena’s arm, and Helena drew her closer to her side. Sebastian would protect his sister if he were here, and since he wasn’t, it fell to Helena to be Eve’s champion.

“You speak out of turn, madam,” Helena said. “The baron is perfectly sane.”

The woman’s sneer became more pronounced. “Is that so, Lady Prestwick? How is it you come by this knowledge? Have you known many Bedlamites?”

Helena lifted her chin, her stubbornness rearing its head. Lady Lovelace would not come out the victor in this altercation. “I know Lord Thorne is sane because he wants nothing to do with you. What better measure of sanity is there?”

A few twitters traveled through the line of onlookers.

“Lady Prestwick has a valid argument,” a voice from behind the folding screen piped up. Lady Norwick circled the screen and smiled sympathetically at Widow Lovelace. “You do have a tendency to chase off any gentlemen with their wits about them, Celeste.”

Lady Lovelace’s blush matched her lip rouge. “Bianca, how could you?”

The countess lifted her shoulders in a sheepish gesture. “I couldn’t very well allow you to disparage Miss Thorne’s brother, especially when you know you are in the wrong. Lord Thorne has been nothing but kind to you. Don’t be bitter because his interests lie elsewhere now.”

The widow huffed and bolted from the chair. “I—we—I’ve never had anything to do with that man.” She stormed for the door and slammed through it, leaving several eyebrows raised in her direction.

Lady Norwick smiled sweetly at the lady who had been waiting to use the looking glass. “It is your turn, Mary.”

“Thank you, my lady. I thought I might be here all night.” As soon as Mary sat, gossip began to fly around the room, but this time it wasn’t about Sebastian or Eve. Lady Lovelace had made herself the center of attention.

“I almost feel sorry for her,” Helena murmured.

Lady Norwick scrunched her nose in distaste. “Don’t you dare. It is time Celeste had a taste of her own medicine. Perhaps she will think twice about spreading rumors about others now.”

“I thought Lady Lovelace was your friend,” Eve said.

Lady Norwick placed her arm around Eve’s shoulders as if the countess were a mother bird taking a hatchling under her wing. “True friends never talk behind your back, my dear. It pays to keep those people close, however, then you know what they are about.”

Helena had mixed emotions as she watched Eve and Lady Norwick together. On the one hand, once Helena left Town she need not worry how Eve would fare with Lady Norwick at her side. But Helena also experienced a hollowness in her gut. She would miss Eve a great deal.

And God help her, she would miss Sebastian even more.

***

Sebastian was in the breakfast room perusing
The
Morning
Times
when Eve and Mother joined him the next morning. He hadn’t rushed off to the club with the newssheet before they came belowstairs like he usually did, because he expected the matter of his sister’s virtue had been settled now.

There was an advertisement issuing an apology from Benjamin Hillary to Sebastian and his family. The scoundrel accepted responsibility for his “unconscionable actions” and proclaimed Eve blameless. The apology was late in coming, so Sebastian would have no mercy on him if Hillary should cross him again, but at least he could rest easier knowing his sister’s reputation had been cleared.

Thankfully, there was nothing in the gossip column about their ridiculous duel. Sebastian supposed everyone knew about it already, since half the gentlemen of Mayfair had attended, and those who hadn’t witnessed it heard about it by the time he had arrived at his club. His name did appear in the gossip pages, but he wasn’t painted in a bad light for once. Apparently a jealous widow with a vicious tongue made quite a scene over him at the theatre the previous night. At first, he feared the rag was referencing Helena, but all descriptions of the widow pointed to it being Celeste.

Eve paused at the head of the table, her mouth turned down in a puzzled frown. “What are you doing here?”