Secret Pleasures (4 page)

“I’ve spoon-fed Melody water and sherry but I think breast milk from a robust country lass would make all the difference.”

“I shall arrange everything.
”
Ivy stood, an urgent need to see to the poor child’s welfare overruling her concern for Diana
.
“I shall find a nurse for Melody and when she is settled, you shall come round for a visit to witness her improved health
.
Agreed?”

Diana beamed with the radiance that reminded Ivy of another time
—
a time when Diana was the toast of the beau monde
—
rich, beautiful, untouchable and admired.

“Agreed.
”
Diana reached out a trembling hand
.
“You are saving Melody’s life
.
You know that, don’t you?”

“I’m saving both your lives
.
You shall visit next week or I shall hire rough men to drag you to my townhouse.”

“I shall dream of nothing else.”

Ivy smiled for a moment, believing Diana could return to her old self, but then she coughed into her white handkerchief
,
and Ivy spotted a splattering of crimson
.
Ivy clutched Melody to her heart and rushed out the door
.
She would find the best wet nurse in all of London
,
and she would be in her employment by night’s end, even if she had to pay an early visit to Darien’s father.

I know you insist that you are unfit for polite society
,

Darien examined Ivy perched on the wide leather seat opposite him
.
Her brow furrowed in serious contemplation of the misty glow cast by Mayfair’s street lamps
as she gazed out the carriage window
.
All they needed was her great-aunt Mercy dozing in the corner beside her
,
and ten years would have
magically
melted
away
.

Ivy abruptly jerked her wary gaze to him as if he would pretend he’d not been unabashedly staring
.

“This is all very strange, isn’t it?”

“Not so strange,” Darien said, enjoying too much being alone with her in the confines of the shadowed carriage. Jesus, but he almost experienced a twinge of nostalgia.

“I did not expect you to show up sober, you know
.
In fact, I did not expect you to show up at all
.
Perhaps that was merely wishful thinking.
”
She leaned back in apparent resignation and slipped on the placid mask he’d most often seen her wear
since their separation
.

When he could no longer help himself, he would go to great lengths to catch a secret glimpse of her
.
“Come on, love
.
Aren’t you the least bit intrigued to see the expression on the old man’s face when you arrive on my arm? Bloody hell, my presence alone will give him a bloody seizure.”

Ivy blanched and at close range her polished elegance could not hide the fear in her expressive green eyes
.
Darien leaned forward to reach for her satin-clad hand then remembered the years that stood between them and drew back.

“The old man’s that much of a bugger, aye
?
The way he told it, he bloody well charmed the lasses senseless on a regular basis.”

“Stop torturing me. I’m giving you what you want.
”
Ivy pressed her knuckles against her mouth and returned to staring out the window.

Darien dropped his gaze to block out the slight tremble of the peacock feather emerging from Ivy’s auburn hair
.
Any hint of true vulnerability from her would be his undoing.

“When did you adopt the speech of a hackney driver
?
Or is it part of your performance this evening?”
she asked, breaking the strained silence.

The chilly disdain in her voice gave him strength.

“Fear
‘tis
habit.
”
Darien shrugged but her observation warned him he was babbling like a fool, speaking in a relaxed way as he would to those who still accepted him no matter how much he tried to destroy himself
.
“I shall strive to restrain my vulgarity for the remainder of the evening, Miss Templeton.”

“I didn’t mind it.
”
She stared out the window again, avoiding looking at him directly, he suspected
.
“It’s difficult to adjust to how little I know you.”

Darien remained silent, feeling just the opposite
.
She was still the same girl with whom he had fallen impossibly in love
.
The pale powder she brushed across her nose to hide a
spatter
of freckles could not change that
.

The gothic iron torches illuminating Henry Maddox’s red brick townhouse came into view and Darien needed a drink more than he could ever remember in his life. He pulled at his ruffled neck tie
.
He’d not set foot in the company of this band of vipers since
…

“I know this will be difficult for us both, but we are here for Robert and his girl.
”
Ivy’s warm hand covered his, snapping Darien from his panicked stupor and
in an instant
remind
ed
him of all he had lost
.
“Philip would forgive you.”

Darien yanked his hand away
.
“But would he have forgiven you?”

He turned away from her, contemplating the guests trudging up Maddox’s marbled steps, sure his well-placed arrow had found its mark
.
The moment he walked through the double doors he would find a drink, anything, champagne, sweet wine, even sherry, heaven forbid
—
anything to numb the raw pain that clawed at his insides. Then he would apologize for his cruel words, maybe even for letting Ivy sacrifice herself on his behalf.

Their rented carriage rolled to a stop and a liveried servant opened the door
.
Ivy took the man’s hand and jumped out without hesitation, not waiting for Darien’s assistance.

After lingering long enough to pay the driver and persuading him with an extra pound note to wait down the street, Darien had no choice but to follow
.
He seriously wished he had grabbed a hunk of her voluminous skirts and hauled her back inside the hackney
.
Did he really think their presence here would change a damned thing?

Darien trailed Ivy’s militant march up the marble steps, bypassing couples who patted their elaborate coiffures and adjusted their finery before making their grand entrance
.
The gasps of recognition were audible.

Darien caught up with her before she strode through the open double doors, light and music spilling from the house
.
He pulled her into the shadows so he could catch his breath
.
A fine sheen gathered under his satin coat and ridiculously embroidered vest.

“Are you not going to wait for me?”

“I tired of that long ago, Darien
.
Some of us were not born with the luxury to consistently be a wastrel.”

“Touché
.
I deserved that.
”

Her breath came hard and fast and her flushed cheeks aroused him in a way her innocence
—
the way he remembered Ivy when he had loved her purely
—
had not
.
This would be his new fantasy, Ivy full grown, beautiful and with a will strong enough to crumble any man’s.

“This might be a game to you, Darien
—
a
pugilist match that you would bet on at White’s to relieve the monotony of your gin-tinged life
—
but I do not enjoy holding myself up to ridicule like a carnival peculiarity
.
I would love nothing more than for London’s elite to forget Ivy Templeton ever existed.”

Darien, sober after dusk for the first time in his adult life, felt himself pale at her words
.
Yes, he knew he was acting the fool
,
but she did not know all of it
.
And he wanted to confess everything
.
He met her unreadable depths harbored by dusky lashes and wide, almond-shaped eyes
.
He could never trust Ivy again no matter how much the gnawing memory of her reared its tempting head.

“Don’t worry, I intend to pay you handsomely
.
It’s
one night of discomfort to save the innocence of a young girl who holds the heart of someone we both care deeply about
.
Try not to be such a martyr
.
I’m sure you’ve suffered worse.”

“I hope handsomely in your book involves several zeros. We have gathered a crowd.” She held up her arm
,
waiting for him to offer her escort.

Instead of steering her past the gawkers, he grabbed her hand and pulled her abruptly to him
.
Nose to nose, he whispered, “Thank you
.
And there are not enough zeros to repay you for the pleasure of your company tonight.” He kissed her on the lips, hard and quick
.
“I mean it
.
It’s bloody good to have you on my arm again.”

“Darien
…
”
S
he opened and closed her mouth
.
Her momentary shock was worth revealing his mutinous heart.

“Let’s be on with it, then
.
I’m sure news of our arrival has spread through the whole bloody ball by now.”

Ivy entwined her arm with his, and he felt some of the tension leave her body.

Damn it all, but it was good to have her by his side again
.
He hadn’t said all that sentimental drivel just to ensure that they appeared to have reconciled rather than on the verge of another nasty public display.

They walked up to the door and a few bold gents greeted them with a knowing gleam in their eye
s
.
The women hid behind their escort’s backs, but he noticed they peeked over velvet-clad shoulders, a slight grin as they examined both he and Ivy as if they were returning heroes from the wilds of Africa.

A butler greeted the guests instead of the hostess and her daughter
.
Darien found the change in the usual custom a favorable sign
.
Before he could make his introduction, the man said, “Madam has instructed me to show you in and welcome you, Lord Blackmore
.
She is quite pleased you have honored her invitation this evening.
”
The man bowed and directed them into the marble-tiled foyer dominated by a crystal chandelier ablaze with light enough to rival the sun.

Ivy’s grip tensed and he glanced over to see her scanning the crowd with a look of cold trepidation
.

“Apparently, they have been expecting us
.
I don’t see my father, if that’s who you are so intently looking for,” he whispered near her ear.

“You’re a bastard.”

“Oh, that’s just a dream of mine, but thank you for feeding my wistful hope.”

She rolled her eyes to the heavens for strength but a grin cracked her stiff demeanor
.
Darien prayed that one day she would forgive him for all he was putting her through tonight, though he would never be able to return the favor.

A swath cleared for them as people stood back and whispered to their neighbors
.
Luckily, the band played on
.
The tune sounded of Mozart, and Darien strained to decipher the notes from the violin
.
Despite himself, he paused in awe of the well-trained professional musicians creating a melodic wave that might almost make this evening bearable
.

“I scolded my wife when I discovered she sent you an invitation
.
If I thought for a moment you would actually show your face, I would have done far more than that.
”

Henry Maddox, the father of his father’s future child bride, blocked their path
.
His hair grayed at the temples, but that only magnified his striking blue eyes and athletic physique, which had not softened even in middle age
.
Darien spared another glimpse for the gilded walls and intricate woodwork framing the doors
.
Maddox had done well for himself over the years, not that his realized ambitions were a surprise to anyone.