Lady Libertine (10 page)

His lips twitched. They shouldn’t, as she was acting very badly, but they did anyway. ‘What a very undutiful daughter you are!’

‘That is
very
true. Would you care to walk to the end of the orchard and admire the view?’

‘I would be delighted,’ he murmured, realizing that that was also true. Admiring the view with Miss Landon seemed like an entirely pleasant occupation. ‘So how, exactly, are you supposed to promote a match between Miss Phoebe and myself?’

‘Ah. Well, I am supposed to be
very
subtle. Point out Phoebe’s accomplishments when she does anything noteworthy. Walk a little bit behind – not too much now! – so that you may spend some time alone in her company and realize that she is the girl of your dreams. You know the kind of thing.’

‘And neither should you. I am almost certain that she has developed a
tendre
for young Lord Appleby, but don’t tell Mama that! If she thinks for a moment that there is a chance of Phoebe catching an earl, she will leave us to our own devices. I can act as chaperone and you can take us about a little. It will be far more pleasant than being stuck here for four days.’

‘Miss Landon,’ he said severely, ‘I believe you are taking advantage of me!’

‘Well, of course I am,’ she agreed cheerfully, ‘but what on earth are you going to do here with a bunch of stodgy old bores? You will have a much better time with Phoebe and I.’

‘I daresay I will,’ he admitted, ‘and it will give me the opportunity to question you further about your connection to Lady Libertine.’

Lucy paused, turning to look at him in surprise. ‘Are you
still
talking about that?’

‘You never answered my question.’

‘I told you that I had nothing to say on the subject. Honestly, do you really care what some silly column has to say? You’re an earl. You can do whatever you want, as long as it does not break any laws.’ She sighed deeply. ‘If it were only that way for a female. How I would love to do whatever I want!’

The note of longing in her voice was unmistakable. Clearly Miss Landon was feeling the restraints of her position most cruelly and he thought again of her mother and the life that lay in store. ‘Can you do nothing?’ he said abruptly. ‘Is there no relative that would be able to give you shelter after your sister and mother are both married?’

She was silent for a moment, then surprised him by smiling. ‘Please, do not feel sorry for me. I have no intention of spending my life as my mother’s lackey and, while I love Phoebe, visits will suffice.’

He slowed to a stop, looking down at her in surprise. By the sound of it she really did have plans for the future, plans that did not involve a life of relentlessly trying to please others. How… intriguing. ‘What do you intend to do?’

She gave him a look, brown eyes dancing. ‘I am afraid I cannot tell you, my lord. It is my great secret, but suffice to say, I will manage my own future very well.’

Rand shook his head. ‘What an irksome creature you are! Full of mysteries and surprises. One would never have thought so to look at you.’

Lucy’s smile was wry. ‘My sister calls me Mouse and I believe it is apt. I do tend to blend into the scenery.’

He wanted to protest at this, even while he knew it was true. Miss Lucy Landon was in no way exceptional; her coloring, her figure, her dress. It was all so innocuous that she would hardly be noticed.
He
had certainly not noticed her before, despite the fact that they must have attended dozens of the same occasions, and yet, as he was fast discovering, there was a great deal more to the lady than met the eye. She was intelligent, amusing, and knew her own mind. He couldn’t remember enjoying conversations so much, certainly not with a lady, as he had today. What a waste, hiding such a treasure among the wallflowers.

They had come to the end of the garden and, sure enough, the view was marvelous, stretching out over the weald, grasses waving in the light breeze. Lucy put her face up to the watery sunlight and sniffed the air and Rand found himself, in that moment, desperately eager to kiss her. The urge was disconcertingly intense, sweeping him up in an instant so that he found himself automatically shifting closer, turning his body while his head tilted down towards her. It was the strangest thing. He thought himself familiar with desire, making love to a woman was, after all, one of his favorite pastimes, but what he was feeling now, at that moment, was different. He
felt
it, clear down to his feet; a need that he struggled to master because it was, just for a moment, bigger than he could encompass.

Lucy must have sensed something for she turned and looked up at him. Whatever was revealed in his face made her blink, but she did not draw back. ‘Are you all right, my lord?’ she said instead.

‘I...,’ he paused. An excellent question.
Was
he all right? Rand sucked in a deep breath, needing to cool both his unexpected ardor and his body that was quivering like a schoolboy who had just experienced his first proper kiss. He frowned down at the girl beside him, looking into her clear brown eyes. They weren’t just one color, he realized. In the light of day he saw green and gold flecks mixed in with the darker brown; a very pretty pair of eyes. ‘I find myself wanting to kiss you,’ he confessed, almost doubtfully.

Predictably, Lucy did not react as expected. Instead, she gave that small gurgle of amusement that so often escaped. ‘Well there is no need to look so horrified! I am fairly sure you spend a great deal of your time kissing women.’

It was true. Of course it was, but he wanted to explain that somehow, this was different. Kissing her would be entirely different and it wasn’t simply because she wasn’t at all in his usual style. This was different because this was… her. Lucy’s head was still tilted upwards and she eyed him with interest. ‘Miss Landon…’

‘You may kiss me,’ she said, voice soft, ‘without fear of retribution. I promise, I will not take it as anything more than your unfortunate habit of indulging yourself with stray females.’

Rand stared down at her. She was giving him
permission
? He almost felt he should be shocked on her behalf, but the idea of kissing that full, soft mouth was impossible to resist.

Dropping his head, he let his lips discover hers, slowly at first, gently tasting, drinking in the sweetness of her. To his delight, she responded, her mouth moving beneath his own, returning the kiss with naïve enthusiasm that would have been touching if it weren’t so damned exciting. Her response was like oil on a smoldering fire and his desire flared higher. Any restraint he had disappeared and all too quickly he had pulled her against him while the kiss hardened, his mouth demanding more so that she opened beneath him, allowing his tongue to slide inside to truly taste her, locking them together in an intimate, entrancing embrace. It was intoxicating. Exactly what he wanted, although he wanted so much more. Her body, pressed against his, was warm and soft and infinitely tempting and he knew that, if the circumstances were different he would have her naked in a bed and pliant beneath him while he worked his way across every inch of her sweet flesh, teaching her everything there was to know about pleasure. The very thought of what he would do to her was fire in his blood, a feverish malaise that generated the kind of heat that urged him to take it further, absorbing whatever it was that made up her essence, to wrap himself around her and make love to her until she couldn’t
breathe
anymore…

Damn, damn,
damn
!

Without a doubt, he was some kind of demigod for, while it took every ounce of self-control that he possessed to raise his head, he managed it, pulling himself back from whatever abyss he had been hovering over. Looking down at Lucy’s dazed face, lips swollen, eyes half closed with exactly the kind of mad need that was currently washing through his own body, he dug deeper into those reserves of inner strength, for never had he seen a face that needed to be kissed so badly. That mouth was a sweet, pouting invitation and he desperately wanted to take up its offer.

Rand drew in a deep, sustaining breath and fought for calm. Enough for the both of them. ‘Lucy.’

‘Oh, my Lord,’ she murmured, blinking a little as she shook herself back to reality. ‘If that is what you do to Caroline Astor, then I am not in the least bit surprised she lays in wait for you.’

Despite himself, this brought out a surprised laugh. ‘I was going to apologize, but I see now that it would be pointless! What a little minx you are.’

Lucy sighed and gave him a smile that was part rueful, part wicked. ‘Why? Was that not your best effort? It seemed to me that you did very well.’

He groaned. His body was in torment, uncomfortably aroused and he was alone in the garden with a woman who he would very much like to ravish. And she did not have the sense not to see the danger she was in. Had he ever felt so aroused before? He must have, many times and yet, standing next to Lucy it felt almost ridiculously like the first time. ‘I thank you. Now go away, if you would. Apart from a pressing need to be alone for a few moments, it would not do for us to be seen returning together. It must be nearly time for luncheon.’

‘I think that is exactly what they would believe!’ Rand retorted. That and a great deal more if they saw the state of him now. ‘Please. Go back to the house.’ If she didn’t go, it was likely he would be stuck in the orchard for the rest of the day. Somehow, he had to persuade his body to forget how much it wanted the woman in front of him, but it wasn’t going to happen if she remained. ‘Please, Miss Landon. I don’t mean to be rude but if you could just… go away.’

She looked at him for a moment longer, face thoughtful, before nodding and turning away, walking back through the orchard. Rand watched her go with a mixture of relief and frustration. How the hell had he come to this? Lusting after a… a
mouse
of a woman who – clearly – had no sense of self preservation.

‘I must be mad!’ he muttered, swinging back to face the inoffensive beauty of the countryside. ‘Completely and utterly mad.’

One thing was quite clear. He needed to cut short his stay and head back to London. Or Shropshire. Any place, really, that did not boast Lucy-bloody-Landon and her wickedly seductive mouth. As soon as he was able, he would get Chance to pack up his things, make an excuse to his host, and leave Dorset far behind him.

Lucy felt almost lightheaded with happiness that was entirely at odds with what had taken place with the earl in the orchard. If she were writing this up in
On Dit
, actually, that would be a very good way of phrasing it.

Did anybody see the quite scandalous goings-on of a certain young lady and an earl with a wicked reputation in the orchard at Fendleton Hall? Who would have thought the lady in question would have behaved with such impropriety! Our handsome earl has a naughty character, but the lady should have certainly known better…

And of course she did know better. Nice girls did
not
kiss womanizing earls, not if they wanted to preserve their good reputation. But Lucy knew that, unless she was actually caught in the act, nobody would ever believe that she would be guilty of such a thing or, more to the point, that the Earl of Hamersley would be interested in kissing
her
.

She smiled as she went up the stairs to her bedchamber to change for luncheon. Her lips still felt a little tender, her body still singing, something it had been doing ever since she had breakfasted with the earl. She had never experienced anything like it before and knew that it was unlikely that she ever would again. That kiss. It would stay with her forever and the memory of it would keep her warm in her little cottage in Cornwall. Lucy had never felt so vital, so… alive, bursting out of her skin with delight! She remembered how his body had felt, pressed up against her own. She remembered his hardness and a shiver rippled through her.

She had made the Earl of Hamersley – one of the most attractive, most desirable men on the market –
hard
! His arousal had been unmistakable, a very tangible indication of the fact that he had wanted her. Her! Little Lucy Landon that no man had ever shown the slightest interest in. Here she was at the ripe old age of four and twenty and the most she had ever received was a chaste peck on the cheek from some daring young blade when she was just out of the schoolroom.

Well, that had been no chaste peck on the cheek! She had finally, truly been kissed. And it felt wonderful.

Shameful or not, Lucy could not help but feel a tiny sense of satisfaction and she chose to fasten her attention on that. It was a great deal better than thinking about anything more disturbing, such as why she found Hamersley so easy to talk to or why they had fallen – almost immediately – into such an comfortable sense of familiarity. It didn’t do to think about that because that was transitory. After the next few days she was unlikely to encounter Hamersley all that often so there was no point in thinking about him as anything other than… what?

A man who could make her blood sing with just one kiss. A man who, if the opportunity arose, she would allow to kiss her again because such opportunities were not likely to come her way again in life.

All she needed to remember was that men like Hamersley were never serious about anything, especially not women. She had lost count of the number of parties at which she had seen the earl misbehaving. He wasn’t a rake, exactly, but he certainly wasn’t the kind of man who could be depended on to behave well.