Liberty for Paul (27 page)

She put her head back on his chest. “He’s a good man,” she admitted after a minute.

“Promise me you’ll work it out this time. Don’t run away from him anymore,” he said, bringing his hand up to caress her arm just above her elbow.

“I promise,” she whispered. Silence filled the room for a few minutes as they lay there in silence with their hearts beating in time with each other. “You know what’s funny,” she said, breaking the silence.

“Hmm.”

“You’ve hair in the same place as my husband,” she said, tugging on a tuft of hair near his naval.

“Most men do,” he said, chuckling. “Anyway, how would you know,” he wondered, “I thought you had a marriage of convenience?”

“Yes, that’s true, but I’ve seen him naked before,” she confided with a laugh. “It may have been only once, but I remember the details quite well.”

“Oh really,” he drawled, trying not to grin at her revelation.

“Oh yes,” she laughed. “I even remember he has a scar right,” her hand slipped into the waistband of his trousers so fast he couldn’t react in time to stop her, “here.” Just as she ran her slender finger over his left hipbone in the direction of his groin, his eyes went wide and he knew instantly he’d pressed his luck too far, and now the game was over.

Chapter 30

“Drop! Your! Pants!” Liberty demanded angrily as she pulled her hand from his trousers and stood up. Her voice was so loud she’d even hurt her own ears.

“Pardon?” he said in feigned innocence, standing up.

“You heard me” she yelled, a little softer, but not much. “Drop your pants.”

“No.”

She shrugged. “Fine. Don’t.”

He crossed his arms defiantly and stared at her. “Fine. I won’t.”

Anger and mortification swelled up inside her. How could he do this to her? How could he play her a fool this way? She walked up to his defiant form, grabbed the corner of his fake mustache and yanked it off, taking pleasure in watching him wince in pain. “Get out!” she yelled, pointing toward the door. “Get out of my room and stay out of my life.”

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “You made a promise. I intend to hold you to it.”

“You can’t hold me to anything, you filthy liar,” she snapped, moving to the door. She tried to open the door to flee the room, but it was locked. She pounded on the door with her palm, trying to get someone’s attention. “Brooklyn, this isn’t funny. Open the door this instant.”

“Sorry, Liberty,” came Brooke’s muffled voice. “I’m not unlocking the door until you two have worked it out.”

“We have,” Liberty said.

“Is that so?” her sister taunted, irritating Liberty all the more.

“Yes,” she said through clenched teeth.

“Really?”

“Yes, really. Now let me out.”

“Not until I know you two have worked it out and I am well on my way to being an aunt.”

Liberty rolled her eyes. “That will
not
be happening.”

“Yes, well, usually asking a man nicely to drop his pants, or just undoing them for him, is a better approach.”

“And just how long have you been standing there,” Liberty demanded.

“I walked up as you were pounding the door. But I heard you yelling for him to drop his pants all the way downstairs. You were so loud, I daresay the whole shire heard.”

Heat crept up her neck and she turned to face her snickering husband. “Think that’s funny, do you?” she asked coldly. “Well, rest assured, dear husband, that is the only time you’ll ever be issued such an invitation by me.”

He shrugged. “It wasn’t much of an invitation,” he retorted.

“Nonetheless, you’ll never hear me say those words to you again,” she hissed.

“I don’t think you have much room to be angry,” he drawled. “You were the one caught sticking your hand down another man’s trousers.”

Oh he wanted to play that card, did he? “I don’t know why you even care,” she replied angrily. “That’s nothing compared to your multitude of sins!”

“To what do you refer?” he asked sarcastically. “The fourteen illegitimate children you seem to think I possess?”

She snorted. “You know as well as I do they exist. Don’t deny it.”

“I don’t deny their existence,” he said firmly. “However, I deny they’re mine. They’re Sam’s.”

“
Yes, they’re Sam’s and that’s why
you’re
paying for them. Right, I forgot, the younger, untitled and considerably less wealthy brother always pays the support of his older, titled and wealthy brother’s illegitimate children,” she mocked, rolling her eyes. “You know, I think you use Sam as your excuse for everything bad that happens to you. Fourteen illegitimate children, the reason you couldn’t get Lucy to marry you, and now for me discovering your identity because of a scar. Sam, Sam, Sam; he’s the reason for all three. Too bad for you, now that he’s gone, you can’t use him as a scapegrace anymore.”

“
Hold it right there, madam,” he bellowed. “First and foremost, Sam is still alive. His wife died in the accident, not him. However, yes as his heir, I am now next in line and will inherit upon his death due to his current and future lack of male issue. As for those fourteen children I support, they are all his. Some men are addicted to cards or alcohol or horse races, but Sam is addicted to pleasures of the flesh. I pay their support for the same reason you tutor the illiterate illegitimates, or whatever it is you call them, in a little room above the tavern each week. Because
we
both know
they
can’t help the circumstances of their birth.”

“That may be true,” she acknowledged softly. How did he figure her out so well? “However, that does not prove you’re not the father.”

“Doesn’t it?” he said, rocking back on his heels.

“No,” she exclaimed. “I admit even I have a hard time believing you capable of the time and energy to produce that many children. And I’ll even accept that a few truly aren’t yours, but I doubt they’re all his. Take Billy, for example, I was there when he called you ‘Pa’, if that’s not proof, I don’t know what is.”

Paul closed his eyes and shook his head. “Did it occur to you that perhaps at only eighteen months old, Billy cannot say ‘Paul’? And calling me ‘Pa’ is as close as he can get? Goodness, Liberty, give me a little more credit than that. No man who has illegitimate children allows them to call him by a fatherly sort of name.”

“Then why were they even there?” she countered, trying to deflect the valid point he’d made about the little boy calling him ‘Pa’.

“I don’t know,” he said with an annoyed shrug. “Ludwig told me they were waiting and I knew I couldn’t ignore them in hopes of them leaving. When I walked in the room there was no way I could ignore the little boy. He doesn’t deserve that. I only played with him to be friendly, not because he’s mine. And certainly not because I entertain any sort of romantic notions for Evelyn.”

“Fine,” she allowed. He’d made convincing arguments that even she couldn’t doubt where Billy was concerned. She also still believed Lucy’s claim about Seth. “That clears you of two. What of the others?”

“There not mine, either,” he said, his voice hard and cold. “If you need more proof I’ll take you to see all fourteen of their mothers and you can ask them who they went to bed with. But it would be far easier if you just took my word for it.”

“Your word,” she mocked, casting him a dubious look. “Your word means nothing to me. You lied and tricked me.” She couldn’t control the sob that rose up in her throat.

“I acknowledge I deceived you,” he said quietly. Then his eyes lit with anger and his voice grew hard. “But I’ve given you no other cause to doubt my word.”

“Does that matter?” she burst out. “Why did you set out to do this? Did you want to have your fun at my expense is that what it was?” She could feel the tears building behind her eyes as she remembered just how much she’d exposed to him. It hadn’t been so bad to tell him those things when she thought him a stranger, but now to realize the person she was talking about was the person she was talking to made everything seem all the more mortifying.

“No, I didn’t,” he said softly, scuffing his boot on the floor. “Actually, I didn’t go to that ball that night knowing you’d be there. Your father sent me a note asking me to come to London. When I came, he begged, pleaded and nearly twisted my arm,” he paused to flash her a smile at his use of her own words, “to get me to go to the ball to help his niece, Allison Ellis. He claimed she was just in from New York and he wanted me to help her get acquainted with the ballroom. I grumbled about it and eventually gave in because he promised it would be the last time he’d asked for a favor.” He ran his hand through his hair. “However, unlike you, I didn’t get that promise in writing,” he added ruefully.

“You’ll learn,” she said automatically. Then her eyes went wide when she realized she’d just given him a false glimmer of hope that things would work out. “I mean, in the future, when dealing with people. You’ll learn to get a written agreement…” she trailed off and shook her head. If about nothing else, she knew he was telling the truth about being tricked into meeting her at the ball. Her family—specifically Brooke—had a knack for involving herself in other people’s business.

He grinned and nodded slowly. “I see,” he drawled.

“No, you don’t,” she snapped. “There is no chance at a future for us.”

“Why?” he snapped back. “Because all of your false assumptions about me?

“No. I now have plenty of true ones to add to the list, too,” she said pertly. “To start with, you should have told me your identity as soon as you figured out mine.”

“I was about to,” he admitted sharply, “and then a second later you accused me of adultery.”

“Well, if the boot fits,” she said sarcastically.

“Well, the boot doesn’t fit,” he retorted angrily through clenched teeth. “I’ve kept my marriage vows. Unlike you, who seemed nearly willing to cuckold me with a stranger.”

“Oh, congratulations. You’ve managed to keep your pants up for two months,” she yelled sarcastically with a huff, ignoring his unflattering remark.

“Back to that, are we? I’ll have you know, I’ve had just as much bed play as you have,” he said, his face turning red.

Liberty laughed in his face. “If you think I’ll believe that, you’re cracked,” she said sardonically. “You seemed awfully skilled at the sport a few nights ago.” She swallowed a lump in her throat and felt the heat of embarrassment flood her cheeks.

“I’m glad you think so, darling,” he drawled tauntingly. “However, your body is the only one I’ve ever touched. As for my reaction, it was based solely on desire and instinct, not some practiced skill learned in a brothel.”

She gasped and reached up to slap him, but he caught her wrist. “Let go of me, you vile, despicable man.” She tried to pull her hand away, but his grasp was too firm.

“No. Now you listen here. You stand here and accuse me of infidelity, and yet, you’re the one who sneaks off to dark places with strangers and let them kiss and caress you.” His voice was sharp, but his eyes were sharper.

A wave of shame washed over her. “As it turns out, you weren’t a stranger after all, were you?” she shot back.. “And you were just as involved in everything as I was.”

“
Yes, I was,” he admitted coldly. “But
you
didn’t know who I was. At least I knew who I was kissing and caressing in the dark.”

Another wave of shame came over her. “No, I didn’t. I didn’t know him then and I don’t know him now.” She took a ragged breath. “I thought I did, but as it turns out, I didn’t. More fool I, I suppose.”

“You’re not a fool, Liberty. Naïve, perhaps. But not a fool,” he said gently.

“Yes, I am. I didn’t even recognize my own husband at a ball,” she said lamely, feeling deflated.

“I didn’t recognize you right away, either,” he allowed. “People typically believe what they’re told they see. You only tipped me off with your overdone accent. I know ‘Ellis’ is one of your mother’s family names. Which would mean, like your mother, anyone from her side of the family, would have a southern accent, not one from New York. Then you confirmed it when you mentioned Madison’s daydreaming and how critical you were about it.”

She fought to keep from grunting in dismay. Of course
he’d
pick up on that. He’d once eavesdropped on her most condemning conversation with Madison about that habit. “That was a good ten minutes before I said I suspected you of infidelity, why didn’t you say something then?”

He smiled. “I wanted to dance with you.”

“You already had,” she retorted.

He shook his head. “That may be true, but I didn’t get to enjoy it. I was dancing with who I thought to be my wife’s cousin and my body was reacting in a way that should be reserved for my wife. That’s why I was counting. I needed a distraction. After I figured out who you were, I wanted you in my arms again.”

“But you waltzed me into a dark corner. Why? Why not reveal your identity to me and take me to the ballroom?” she asked, confused.

He dropped his gaze to his boots. “I suspected you already knew who I was and I wanted to teach you a lesson so you wouldn’t pull a trick like that again. But then I realized you’d been duped like I had. I would have told you then, except you openly accused me of being unfaithful to you.”

“All right, so after I explained that why did you continue to lie to me?” she asked sharply, crossing her arms.

He exhaled a pent up breath. “I don’t know. I should have told you, but I couldn’t force myself to. I liked talking to you and holding you. And even if you were painting the real me in a very unfavorable light, I wanted to be with you.”

“You mean you liked touching me inappropriately and discussing bawdy topics?” she asked with a smile.

He laughed. “Of course.”

Her smile dimmed. “Wait a minute. Earlier you practically admitted to being a virgin, but that night you rattled off a whole list of words you said you used for your privates in mixed company.” She cast him a sharp look that relayed an unspoken message of: “I don’t know what to believe of you.”