Lady Folbroke's Delicious Deception (20 page)

‘And did he say anything of me?’ she asked
hopefully. ‘Emily, that is. His wife.’ And she began to realise the extent of her confusion. It was as if she was two people, and unsure which of them would deserve Adrian’s attention.

‘I asked if I should go to you with this news. And he acknowledged that you would need to hear of it sooner, rather than later, and that he wished to speak to you himself. You will have some contact from him in the next day or so. I am sure of it.’

‘That is good,’ she said, closing her eyes in a silent prayer of thanks.

‘Perhaps his outing this afternoon will shed more light upon his plans.’

‘An outing?’ This was news, but she could not tell whether it was good or bad. ‘Did he say where he was going? Or when he might return? And who accompanied him?’ She peppered Hendricks with questions, until the poor man held up a hand to stop her.

‘He would not tell me, nor would he accept my escort. He left word that he would not be dining at home. But I assume he means to return long enough to dress and then visit you here, this evening. Beyond that, I know no more than you.’

‘That leaves me nothing to do but wait,’ she said, getting up to pace the room. ‘I did not give two thoughts to the risks he was taking, for all the time he was gone. I just assumed that he would be well.’

‘And he managed well without your help,’ Hendricks reminded her.

‘It is not as if I do not trust him to take care of himself,’ she said, trying to convince herself that it was a fact. ‘But now that I have seen him, and know how reckless he can be—’ she looked desperately at Hendricks ‘—what shall I do? What shall I do if he does not come back?’ When she had come to London, she had been worried about household economies and the loss of her freedom. But now the thought consumed her that, if she should never see him again, it would mean that he would never know who she was, or how she felt for him.

Hendricks stared down into his teacup. ‘Lord Folbroke would be most annoyed with me should I leave you to worry over nothing. You need have no fear for yourself, for even if the worst should occur, you are not without friends. You will not be alone, Emily. You shall never be alone.’

‘But I have no thought for myself,’ she said, going to look out the window in the vain hope that she would see his carriage pass by. ‘It is only he that I care about. He is at the centre of all my happiness. And now that I have found him again, I must keep him safe and healthy, and happy as well. Just as he was this morning.’

‘Then you must trust him,’ Hendricks said. ‘In a few hours, all will be right again. You will see.’

At a little before eight o’clock, she heard the sound of Adrian’s step in the hall and his call for a servant to take his hat and gloves. She rushed past the footman,
dismissing the servant so that she could tend to him herself, running into his arms and pressing a kiss upon his lips.

Tonight, though well dressed, Adrian was not his usual, immaculate self. His cravat was tied loosely, his brown hair was mussed, and there was colour in his cheeks as though he had just come back from a ride, or some other strenuous pursuit. He gave a laugh when he recognised the feel of her, and gathered her close in a kiss so hungry that it bordered on violence.

He tasted of brandy, and salt as well. She felt a strange wetness upon her own lips. When she managed to push him clear so she could wipe it away, there was red on her fingers. She reached out gently to touch his mouth, and he flinched and batted her hand away. ‘There is a cut on your lip.’

It was odd. For instead of the reaction she had been expecting, of a curse or another wince of pain, he ran a finger tentatively across the wound and grinned at her, wolfish and wicked. ‘So there is.’

She reached into her sleeve and withdrew a handkerchief, wetting it the tip of her tongue and reaching up to dab away the blood.

He pulled her close again, lifting her so that her toes barely touched the ground and gave a growl. ‘Kiss it better?’

‘I do not want to hurt you.’

“Tis a pity that the man who hit me did not feel the same. Of course, I’d pegged him good by the time
he landed this on me. So I suppose I had it coming.’ Her husband was still grinning, blue eyes sparkling with an emotion that she had not seen before. And he kissed her again, as he had on that first night, as though he could not wait to take her to bed and did not care who knew it.

‘You were fighting?’ The words and the kiss sent her thoughts rushing back to the man he had been when she’d found him. She sniffed his breath again. ‘You have been drinking, haven’t you?’

‘And what if I have?’ He kissed her throat, fondling her body through the gown she wore.

She pushed at his hands, trying to catch her breath. ‘You promised me that there would be no more of that. You are too valuable to me to squander yourself. I was beside myself with worry over you.’

He paused, leaning his face against her hair. ‘Really, madam, you cannot expect me to place my calendar totally in your hands, no matter how lovely those hands might be. My life is still my own, is it not?’ But somehow, he did not sound particularly happy with his freedom.

‘Of course it is,’ she assured him. ‘You know I have no claim on you. But no matter what happens between us, it is very important to me to know you are safe and well.’

He leaned against her for a moment, as though his day had exhausted his strength. ‘And I thank you for it. It is good to know that someone cares. And you need have no fear of my condition. I gained it as
any proper gentleman should. I went to White’s for luncheon.’

‘You went out again? And without me?’ She could not control the little shriek of delight she gave and threw her arms about his neck.

He gave her a pat upon the shoulder and shrugged as though the sudden change was nothing unusual. ‘I could not very well take you to my club, darling. No ladies allowed. Not even wives, thank God.’ The last was uttered under his breath, so quiet that she barely heard it. And then he continued, as if he had said nothing. ‘My taking lunch there should not be such an uncommon thing to you. I am still a member, in good standing. Anneslea was there, as was his brother-in-law, Tremaine. Good to see them again, after all this time. Anneslea asked about the eyes, of course.’

‘And you told them?’ She leaned away from him, staring into his face.

‘Unlike some problems, my condition is rather hard to conceal.’ He looked past her, not even pretending to see. Then he gave another non-committal shrug, as though his mind had moved on to other, far more important matters than the one thing that had consumed him for months.

She hugged him again and kissed him on his sore lip. ‘But what of this?’

‘After we got the niceties out of the way, there were others who were eager to share the news of the day with me. Some of which was quite surprising. It
seems I have much reason to celebrate. My cousin Rupert was there …’ He frowned again, pinching his lips tight together until the cut went white.

That might explain his strange mood. She doubted he had wanted to reveal himself so soon to his family. And she knew from experience that Rupert had a way of ruining even the happiest of days.

Adrian seemed about to say something, and then smiled again, and went on with his story. ‘In the course of the afternoon, the bottle was passed around. We got to talking about what was possible for a blind man to accomplish. And then, someone got out the betting book.’ He gave another shrug, as though to minimise the foolishness of it. But it was coupled with a satisfied grin. ‘Some of the fellows and I went off to Gentleman Jackson’s for a bit of pugilism, as any proper gentleman of the
ton
might. Blindfolds for both men. Since I have the advantage of some sight, it would be hardly fair for me to go without. When equally blinded, it seems that I can manage two out of three opponents. A healthy average, I think. I proved quite good at finding my mark. If I can stay out of reach of the first few blows, I can hear the other fellow breathing like a bellows, and take aim upon the source of the sound. I am not as fast as I used to be, and my form was sadly lacking after this extended period of inactivity. But they could not fault my enthusiasm. Although it was a shame that the man I wanted to stand up with was not there to share the moment.’

‘You boxed?’ She did not know whether to laugh or scold him.

‘Just a little harmless sparring. No anger behind it.’ But the glittering of his eyes and the set of his jaw made her wonder at the truth of that. ‘It was a shame that dear Rupert was too big a coward to share the ring. I dare say, after today’s demonstration, he will not think me a helpless invalid, and will know to shut his mouth and keep his distance.’

And wasn’t that what she had wanted all along? She gave him another enthusiastic kiss.

‘You are glad that Anneslea split my lip?’

‘I am glad that you left the house in daylight, and spent time in the company of true friends.’ She stretched to kiss both of his damaged eyes. ‘And that you told them.’

Adrian pressed his lips on the top of the head. ‘It is your fault, you know, with your continual prodding that I do something with my life. And you were right. It was time. A little past time, I think.’ And then he kissed her on the mouth. But although it started as a gentle kiss of thanks, it soon became something different.

His hat and gloves fell to the floor, and he gave them a kick that sent them across the hall, clear of their feet. Then his empty hands found her body, moving from her shoulders down her back, crushing her breasts to the front of his coat so he could feel them, and lower until she could feel the first stirrings of his erection pressing against her belly. Though his
injured lips were soft on hers, his tongue moved in her mouth, rough and hungry. The brandied taste of it made her drunk with answering desire.

It would take little seducing to gain her ends tonight. He would make love to her, if she asked him to. For there was no sense of playfulness in his kiss, only the demand for swift release.

And as her body readied itself to succumb, her mind whispered that more had changed than this. In the new world he was creating, there would be no place for secrets. And no way to hide his mystery lover from his friends, or his illness from his wife. Now that he had moved into the light, he was poised on the brink of yet another decision. And there was a chance that she might lose him for ever, if she did not talk soon and tell him everything. She broke from the kiss and freed herself from his grasp, then grabbed his arm and tugged. ‘Come. You may tell me all about your plans, over dinner.’

‘I have already eaten,’ he said, pulling her back and running his hands over her bare arms.

‘A glass of wine, then.’

He kissed her again, and said, ‘You know what I want. And it is not food or wine. Do not deny me.’ With one hand, he locked her hips to his, and with the other he pushed her breasts high, until they strained at the neckline of her bodice. Then he gave a yank on the fabric that covered them. She heard a button pop and her dress gaped. And he bent her back over his arm, and took her nipples in his mouth by turn,
sucking hard upon them, biting them, leaving the exposed breast marked with his kisses, plain to see by anyone who might wander into the entranceway of the flat.

He was holding her so tightly that she had no breath to resist him. But the helplessness felt right. This was her husband, after all. And he was so overcome with desire for her that she doubted he’d have heard an objection, had she made one.

And then he paused, raising his head from her aching breasts. ‘Last night, and this morning, when you said—’

‘Let us pretend I said nothing.’ She answered hurriedly, for she did not want him to stop again. ‘Do not punish me for what I feel.’

‘I do not mean to punish you. I only wish to be sure that your feelings have not changed.’

‘They will never change,’ she swore, panting, eager for him to resume. ‘No matter what might happen between us, I will be steadfast.’

He seemed to flinch a little at this, as though he had hoped for some other answer. ‘Good,’ he said. ‘Because otherwise, I would not …’ And then it did not seem to matter, for he was kissing her again, undoing fastenings, pushing her dress farther down her body until he could stroke the tops of her hips above the fabric as he nibbled her shoulders. ‘Say whatever you like. Nothing stands between us.’

She gasped, and said, ‘I love you.’

He made no effort to answer with a similar
sentiment. Instead, he said, ‘Show me.’ Then he pulled her, as sure as if he could see the way, through the sitting room and towards her bed.

She closed the door behind them. And before it was shut, he had pushed her gown to the floor and was tearing at his cravat to loosen the knot. When he tossed the fabric away and reached for the buttons of his vest, she stayed his hand. ‘You will not be able to find things again, if you are so careless.’

He gave a strange laugh. ‘Tonight, I am quite past caring.’

She stepped clear of her own clothing and kissed his bare throat. ‘Then let me. I have watched you, these last nights. I will lay them out, just as you have. There will be no mistakes. But do not deny me the pleasure of undressing you.’

He gave a chuckle that was half sigh. Then he stood still, his arms a little apart from his body, as though he were standing for a valet. She felt a tremor go through his body at the first touch of her hands.

First, she took his coat, feeling the weight of her own picture and the purse in his pockets, and set it on the back of the chair. And then the waistcoat, and the cravat that she’d picked from the floor, one on top the other, folded and draped over the coat.

She paused to touch him. Broad shoulders, straight back, trim waist—she had seen him in bed, and touched every inch of him. But it had never been like this, with his body half-hidden by clothing. She pressed her lips to the opening at the throat of his
shirt, spreading her fingers over the linen, feeling. Then she pushed the cloth out of the way and kissed his chest.

‘You are a most interesting valet, madam,’ he said, stroking her body before cupping his hand to the back of her neck and urging her to take his nipple into her mouth. ‘A man could grow used to this.’