Samantha Kane (4 page)

“I think they’re frightened of you,” Oliver said sincerely. “You

are too self-possessed for a woman. It unmans them.”

She turned shocked eyes on Oliver. “What?”

“He’s right,” Nick agreed. “You gaze at them al as if daring

them to approach you. Not many men are up to a chalenge of

that sort.”

“Just Mr. Gabriel?” she asked lightly, not looking at them again.

“I cannot resist a chalenge like that,” Oliver murmured, not

wanting to be overheard. “You dare a seduction of the most

dangerous and rewarding kind.”

She stumbled and then quickly righted herself. “I do no such

thing,” she argued just as quietly. “Pray put it right out of your

head. I desire nothing of the sort.”

Nick laughed, a quiet huff that drew Lady Vanessa’s eyes.

“Don’t bother to deny it or try to circumvent it,” he advised her.

“Simply accept that the attempt wil be made, and try to resist it.”

“Resist it I most certainly wil,” she said in steely tones. “Believe

“Resist it I most certainly wil,” she said in steely tones. “Believe it or not, other men have tried and failed miserably, as you wil.”

Oliver and Nick both laughed this time.

“What is so amusing?” she demanded, stopping to glare at them

both, once she determined no one was near to overhear them.

Oliver exchanged an amused glance with Nick. “I never fail

where I am determined to succeed,” he told her, not caring how

arrogant he sounded.

Nick nodded. “Never.”

Her eyes narrowed and a smal smile curved her delicious, pale-

rose-colored lips. “Neither do I,” she said firmly.

The gauntlet was thrown.

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Vanessa scanned the room as soon as she entered. It had been

seven days since the Shelbys’ Christmas Eve dinner party. In

spite of her original plan to stay at home this holiday season,

Vanessa had gone out every night. And at each party she’d

attended the determined faces of Mr. Gabriel and Mr. Wilkes

greeted her. It was both irksome and flattering.

With a disgusted huff she forced herself to stop looking for them.

Let them dance attendance on her in an embarrassing display of

interest and possession. She needn’t play along. Seduction

required two parties. Or, in this particular case, three. Which

was quite disconcerting.

Vanessa was not ignorant of those sorts of relationships.

Through their mutual charity work, she had grown quite close to

Veronica Tarrant, who, with her husband, had taken a second

lover. Vanessa saw the three of them across the room, laughing

together as they conversed with two other gentlemen. Vanessa

was not privy to the details of their relationship, but it was

was not privy to the details of their relationship, but it was

obvious the three were…intimate. Al of them. With one another.

The possibilities had kept Vanessa awake many, many nights.

Not that Vanessa wished to have a relationship of that sort

herself. It seemed to her that one man was more than enough to

deal with. Her mother lived in a constant state of vexation with

her father. There were examples of frustrated couples wherever

Vanessa went. She imagined the frustration was twofold when

two men were involved. It seemed like an awful lot of work for

one woman. Truly.

And yet, several times over the last few days Vanessa had put

herself in Miss Dorsett’s place in that dark halway seven nights

ago. Held in Mr. Wilkes’ arms, his carnal kiss on her neck and

Mr. Gabriel’s hands on her. She shivered.

“Come over by the fire, Lady Vanessa,” a voice drawled in her

ear from behind. “It’s much warmer there.” A hand appeared in

front of her holding a bouquet of rosemary. She knew instantly

who it was, of course. Each time she’d seen them since their first

meeting, Mr. Gabriel and Mr. Wilkes had presented her with

gifts of traditional greenery and other Christmastide delights.

She’d received holy, ivy and bay in addition to candies and

Christmas candles, and now this. She both dreaded and

anticipated the appearance of mistletoe.

She met Mr. Wilkes’ gaze at her side. He was watching her as

She met Mr. Wilkes’ gaze at her side. He was watching her as

Mr. Gabriel stood too close behind her, whispering to her. He

was always watching with his too-knowing, intense, dark eyes.

“I’m fine, thank you,” she replied politely. “A momentary chil,

nothing more.” She took the bouquet and held it to her nose.

A footman passed with a tray of champagne and Mr. Wilkes

took two glasses. He silently handed her one with his customary

slight bow. She took the glass with a nod and sipped it. “You do

not talk much, Mr. Wilkes.”

“I prefer to do other things with my mouth,” he answered slyly.

“If you’d care to engage in that type of conversation, I am more

than wiling.”

Behind her Mr. Gabriel gave a surprised snort of quiet laughter.

“Hear, hear. Let’s. I like that idea.”

Vanessa glanced around the company and saw that no one was

paying them any attention. She should have been worried about

her lack of alarm at their outrageous suggestion, but she found

herself amused instead.

“And if I said yes?” she asked conversationaly. She watched

them share an eager look as she sipped her champagne.

“Are you?” Mr. Gabriel asked as he walked around to face her.

“No,” she said, even more amused at their obvious

disappointment. She shrugged. “I was just wondering how you

would go about finding the privacy for such a…conversation.”

She gestured with her rosemary to the room ful of holiday

revelers.

Mr. Wilkes drank his champagne as if it was whiskey. He tipped

the glass too far and took a large swalow, his big hand wrapped

around the flute, his thumb pointing toward his mouth. She

enjoyed watching him. She sometimes got the impression he was

like a caged lion in these drawing rooms, pacing around his

prison, waiting to take a swipe at anyone who dared get too

close to the bars.

It was Mr. Gabriel who answered her question. “We would al

leave the room separately, of course, and meet in a designated

spot far from prying eyes. It would not be difficult.”

Vanessa pretended to consider it. “Something like a dark

halway, perhaps? Close enough to reach quickly from the

drawing room, but far enough not to attract undue attention?”

Mr. Wilkes actualy smiled. “Something like.”

Vanessa shook her head sadly. “You are very unimaginative. Did

I not catch you in just such a place during another il-fated

assignation?”

Mr. Wilkes’ eyes narrowed. “That was but a daliance. You’re

right. A true seduction such as yours would be would require

much greater privacy.”

Vanessa felt her cheeks grow warm. “I see. And what is the

difference between seduction and daliance?”

Mr. Gabriel lifted her rosemary-laden hand and placed a soft

kiss against her wrist through her glove. “To daly is merely to

enjoy a brief encounter, nothing more. A seduction is a

prolonged act of temptation and surrender. A prelude to

possession. There is nothing brief about a seduction, neither its

implementation nor its rewarding conclusion.”

She frowned. “You have made a study of the two, I take it?”

“Are you jealous, Lady Vanessa?” Mr. Wilkes said softly, his

glass hovering in front of his lips, half-tipped as if to take a drink.

“You needn’t be.” She was almost holding her breath as she

waited for him to take a mouthful of that lucky libation. He

smiled before he drank, as if he knew what she was thinking.

“I am not,” she said indignantly, taking a sip of her own drink as

she turned away to survey the room again.

“Good.” Mr. Gabriel let go of her hand. She blushed because

she’d forgotten they were standing there holding hands. Is that

how seduction proceeded, then? Inure the lady to your touch

how seduction proceeded, then? Inure the lady to your touch

until she doesn’t realize you’re making love to her? She laughed

quietly in amusement at her thoughts. The idea that she could

ever get so used to the touch of either of these men that she

wouldn’t notice if they were making love to her was

preposterous.

“Surely you know you are the only woman who holds our

interest, Vanessa,” Mr. Gabriel continued. “Since we first saw

you we have not looked at another.”

“Why?” She realy was puzzled. She had never inspired devotion

of any kind in any man, nor feelings of a baser nature as far as

she knew, mild or otherwise, unless motivated by greed or social

advancement.

“Your eyes spoke to me.” Mr. Gabriel was quite somber as he

made such an extraordinary pronouncement. As if realizing he’d

revealed too much, he laughed lightly and looked away for a

moment before turning back to her. But his smile seemed forced.

“You looked lonely, my dear. I wished to remedy it. That’s al.”

She looked lonely. Vanessa took that blow rather calmly. Yes,

she supposed she did. She was terribly lonely, after al. That Mr.

Gabriel had sensed something no one else had, neither family nor

friends, did indeed reveal a great deal about him. Was it possible

he felt the same? Did it matter? Should it be enough that he had

seen that about her and wished, if only for a short while, to make

it better? She turned expectantly to Mr. Wilkes.

it better? She turned expectantly to Mr. Wilkes.

“I wanted you immediately. I saw you watching me with that sily

girl, and it wasn’t her in my arms, but you. At least, I wished it

were. There was such longing in your gaze, Vanessa.” He said

the last so softly she had to strain to hear. He closed his eyes as

if remembering. “I have not seen someone want me so much in a

very long time.” His eyes opened and burned her with their

intensity. “Passion would not be a game with you. I can feel you

straining at the leash every time we are together. You crave our

touch. You cherish it, relish it even. And those are simple, polite

touches—a glide of palms in a dance, a hand at your elbow as

we promenade, a brush of fingers on your nape as I help you

with your wrap. I have not slept wel the past several nights

thinking of how you would react to a surer hand and far more

intimate touches.”

Vanessa was breathless. It was by far the longest speech she

had yet to hear Mr. Wilkes make. And what a speech it was. He

bared her soul with it. He was right, damn him. Their touches

were water upon her parched skin. She wanted more. There

was a passion blooming in her under their attentions she had not

truly understood she possessed. And she wanted to give in to it.

“Take it, Vanessa,” Mr. Gabriel said fervently. “Take what we

are offering you. There is no ulterior motive, no strings or

complications involved. There is only passion and need between

us. We want nothing more. You needn’t fear that.”

us. We want nothing more. You needn’t fear that.”

Of course they wanted nothing more. Because they knew

Vanessa could not give it to them. They might argue otherwise,

but it was a daliance, plain and simple.

Vanessa did not have to answer. Veronica Tarrant interrupted

them. “You are al so serious! This is a holiday party, isn’t it?

Where is your Christmas spirit? Twelfth Night is days away! It is

time to make merry.” She grabbed Vanessa’s hand. “Come and

play cards, my dear. We need a fourth.” She dragged Vanessa

away, and Vanessa only had time to pass her half-empty glass

into Mr. Wilkes’ outstretched hand and give them both a brief

smile. They smiled back and she knew they wouldn’t be far from

her for the rest of the evening.

“Are you al right, Vanessa?” Veronica asked when they were

out of the gentlemen’s hearing.

Vanessa replied warily. “Yes. Why?” Had she unknowingly

revealed something when she was talking to Mr. Gabriel and Mr.

Wilkes?

Veronica sighed. “I’m probably not supposed to tel you, but

I’ve actualy known you longer than those two, so I shal.” She

stopped and faced Vanessa. “They asked for my help to court

you. I agreed. But then I thought about it and I just want to make

sure it’s what you want before I assist them.”

“You did what?” Vanessa asked incredulously.

Very bit her lip. “I agreed to help them seduce you. Oh, not

actualy seduce, although I’m sure that’s what they have planned,

but help them see you more often and cover for you should you

al, ahem, disappear for a while.”

“Is that why your aunt and uncle invited me this evening?”

Vanessa asked stonily. She’d thought Very was a friend, but it

looked as if her friendship had ulterior motives, like so many of

Vanessa’s so-caled friends.

“Yes, and don’t look so sour.” Very roled her eyes. “You told

me months ago that you wanted a man who wanted you for

yourself, didn’t you? Wel, here they are. I want you to have an

ilicit passion, Vanessa. You are too unhappy by far.”

Vanessa actualy sputtered, at a loss for words.