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Eden trailed her hand across the sofa in Falcone’s study as she waited for his return. He told her to wait for him while he gave his servants directions. She took off her coat and wandered around, admiring the paintings on the wall. Then, she moved on to read the titles of the books that rested near an armchair. She turned in a circle, absorbing his essence. The personal effects spread throughout the room showed Falcone spent much of his time here.
She sat in the chair and curled her legs underneath her, nestling into the soft cushion as if it were Falcone himself wrapping her in his warm embrace. She closed her eyes, smiling as she envisioned him relaxing after a long day. If she allowed herself to imagine, she could picture her curled on his lap, sharing soft kisses while they offered the details of their day together. Did she imagine the impossible? Or did she allow her determination to stay unmarried to stop her from a passion-filled life with Falcone?
Falcone stood inside the door, leaning against the woodwork as he gazed upon Eden. She sat peacefully in his favorite armchair. He knew she wasn’t asleep, only resting. He wondered if she pictured them together, enjoying a moment together before their children ran into the room, playing with each other. Falcone had gotten ahead of himself, but that was what happened when one dreamed. Also, he longed for commotion to replace the silence he lived in. A wife and children would be the perfect solution. But only if Eden was his wife. He would settle for no other.
Eden opened her eyes when she felt Falcone staring at her. He had discarded his suit coat and cravat. She smiled when she saw him standing in his usual stance. It used to irritate her when he displayed such arrogance. Now the start of desire stirred within her. When he pushed off the wall and strolled toward her, the stirring swiftly changed to a fluttering. Falcone lifted her effortlessly and sat back down with her curled on his lap, just as she had imagined.
She cupped his cheek, resting her forehead against his. “Will you tell me everything?”
Falcone nodded, and Eden pressed a soft kiss against his lips before laying her head on his chest. Somewhere between the dinner party and his visit to check on Melody, their relationship had shifted. In truth, it had happened even before he left the Worthington home. He just hadn’t been aware of it. When he left Eden standing in the hallway, he had thought she would never admit to her feelings for him. Now she sat nestled in his arms, wanting to learn every detail of his existence without judgement. However, he refused to question why or how. He only accepted her change of mind as another gift she bestowed on him.
“A few years ago, I led what most would describe as a hedonistic lifestyle filled with every debaucherous act one might imagine. I didn’t care about anything but how the next day I could become more depraved,” Falcone started.
“May I ask why?” Eden whispered.
“No particular reason. Boredom. Adventure. Amusement. It amazed me how sinful I could be and how the ton still considered me a catch. How they shielded their eyes when it would benefit them. You saw for yourself at the masquerade party how unsavory many of our peers are,” Falcone explained.
“What changed?” Eden toyed with the buttons on his vest.
Falcone stiffened under Eden. “An unfortunate incident that caused the death of an innocent girl.” He took a deep breath. “While enjoying myself at one of Lord Chesterton’s parties, I lured a girl into the bedchamber for an evening of sinful pleasures. After pressuring her to enjoy a few glasses of wine, I started my seduction. Only the girl passed out. Since I overindulged myself, I fell asleep next to her. When I came to a few hours later, I thought to try again, especially since we lay naked together. But to my horror, the girl no longer lived.”
Falcone paused, taking deep breaths to calm himself as he relived the horror from that night and tackled the guilt that continued to haunt him. Eden’s faint whispers of comfort drifted through to settle his tortured thoughts.
“I jumped out of bed, panicking about the implications I must deal with. The guilt lay with me since I lured her away from the party to steal her innocence. I saw the life I had become accustomed to ripping away. It was what I deserved, but I was a selfish bastard who refused to relinquish my pampered life. So, as the coward I was, I fled before anyone came upon us,” Falcone continued.
“Where did you go?”
Falcone pressed a kiss on Eden’s head. He felt relief when she hadn’t leapt from his lap in horror of his actions. Yet she still might. “Rumors circulated of a peer with a powerful reach who held the ability to cause incidents to disappear. However, you must pay the price of his demands for however long he seemed fit. A price I continue to pay.”
“Colebourne,” Eden declared as if she knew the duke’s agenda firsthand.
Falcone tipped Eden’s chin in his direction. “How do you know he is the peer I refer to?”
“Pshh, you are not the only one under his direction. His reach extends far beyond what we imagine.”
He gripped her shoulders. “Even to you?”
Eden snuggled back against his chest. “No. Now, continue with your story. I have plans for you, Lord Falcone.”
His heart filled with her promise and gave him hope that he didn’t frighten her away with the truth of his past. “Demanding, like always.” He smiled when she chuckled, then turned serious again. “I went to Colebourne. He promised he would look into the matter and make it disappear forever. In return, I would do his bidding whenever he demanded. Even so far as to stay quiet on certain topics if he so wishes. His final stipulation was to walk away from the life I led and start a more honorable one.”
“Do you follow his demand to stay silent in regard to Dracott and Ravencroft?” Eden inquired.
“Yes. At first, I was furious at the request, and to be honest, it stung my pride. I’d thought I was a trusted ally with Worth and Ralston. And when they wouldn’t confide in me, it only tightened the reins Colebourne kept me in. I wanted revenge for them not trusting me. However, I’ve since learned how valuable Dracott and Ravencroft are to the organization and realized they are allowed their secrets, as I am mine.”
Eden unbuttoned his vest. “We shall return to the revenge part, but for now, tell me about the girl.”
“She was the sister of a gentleman who visited the same haunts as I did. Their family had fallen on hard times after their parents died in a carriage accident. The brother had neglected the sister. On that evening, she followed him into his life of sin, unaware of what she walked into. Her innocence attracted me and so I lured her into my den of depravity, unaware of her circumstances. Colebourne discovered the girl suffered from a heart condition and wanted to experience an evening of entertainment instead of lying in a sickbed. When I thought she had passed out, it was because the wine she drank caused her heart to stop beating,” Falcone explained.
“Because of the amount?”
Falcone shook his head sadly. “No. Colebourne also discovered someone had laced the wine with opium. A normal occurrence at these parties. I never thought differently when I drank the wine.”
“Did her brother ever learn of your involvement with his sister’s death?”
“No, because the following morning, he died in a duel. A furious husband discovered his wife’s infidelity and avenged his honor. Which left an elderly aunt to grieve the unfortunate deaths of her kin. One death should never have happened. I wear the scars on my hands for the part I played,” Falcone finished.
Eden heard the guilt that weighed heavily on Falcone with every regretful word he spoke. She cupped his cheeks and stared into his eyes. “That girl did not die at your hands. She died as a result of unfortunate circumstances. Events led her to you, combined with other factors you had no control over. I believe the girl already knew her fate and wanted the chance to experience life before it slipped away from her. Your interest, as depraved as it might have been, probably made her feel special before she took her last breath.”
Falcone wiped the tears away from Eden’s cheeks. “I wish I held the same belief, but as long as my nightmares remind me of my sins, I cannot believe otherwise.”
“One day you will, I promise,” Eden whispered.
Her promise helped to soothe a part of his soul. His love for her gave him the strength to overcome his demons. If she were to declare her love for him, it would make him whole.
“It suffocated me when Worth and Ralston forced me to return to my old lifestyle. A heavy weight sat on my chest at the sickness I once relished in. I tried so hard to get you out of that masquerade party.”
Eden kissed his palm. “The bedchamber Lord Chesterton forced us into was the same one where your life changed forever. And the reason you fought making love to me.”
Falcone huffed out a breath. “You made it very difficult for me to refuse.”
Eden smiled seductively. “That was because you seduced me all evening, only to change your mind. Sometimes a lady must persuade a gentleman to change his mind.”
Falcone growled, shifting Eden on his lap. “You may practice your art of persuasion on me whenever the fancy strikes you.”
Eden slapped his chest. “We have not finished our discussion yet.”
Falcone chuckled. “Then what is the next topic you wish to hear about?”
“Melody.”
The one name that made their playfulness disappear, but one they must discuss. “On one of my visits to an old haunt, Melody approached me.”
“Propositioned you most likely,” Eden muttered.
Falcone smiled at her jealous tone. “Yes, you are correct. Anyway, I convinced her if she were to help plant some information, I would make it worth her efforts.” Eden stiffened under him, and he realized he must make his intentions clearer. “As in enough money, so she no longer needed to sell her body for coin. However, she took it to mean something else entirely.”
“That was more than obvious,” Eden spat.
Falcone sighed. “And I never attempted to state otherwise. My only objective was to relay false information to Lady Langdale, the rest I would clarify when the time came. Unfortunately, I was too late. Lady L learned of the deceitful information and taught Melody and the madame of the brothel a lesson about their betrayal.”
He hated to lie to Eden since her visit showed proof of how she wanted to explore where their attraction might lead. As much as he wanted to tell her the details that had led to him discovering the brutality Melody suffered from, he couldn’t. They had decided in their meeting to keep Eden in the dark for the rest of the investigation to protect her, which meant she could never learn of his arrangement with Lady L concerning Lady Ravencroft until the night of the ball. Falcone would admit the truth and pray for Eden’s forgiveness after they captured Lady Langdale. He would do anything to keep her from suffering the same fate as Melody.
“So, you brought Melody to the safe house, where Agnes is tending her wounds. What will happen to Melody if she recovers?”
Falcone slipped the pins from Eden’s hair, letting them drop on the rug. “I have made arrangements for her to move to a cottage wherever she may choose to live. I will provide for her remaining life.”
Eden unbuttoned Falcone’s shirt, slipping her hand inside to stroke across his chest. “Now, shall we discuss the bit of revenge you planned to seek? It wouldn’t, by any chance, have anything to do with me?”
Falcone ran his hand through her luxurious curls. “It revolved entirely around you.”
Eden pressed her lips to his neck as she inhaled his masculine scent. “And did you find much success with your revenge?”
Falcone closed his eyes at the seductive pull of her lips against his. “What revenge?” he murmured.
Eden changed her position on his lap to where she straddled him. He threw his head back over the edge of the chair, and his face held the expression of a man enjoying the pleasure of a woman. Eden shifted, pressing her core against his cock and earning a moan from Falcone. She ran her hands along his chest and into his hair as her mouth hovered a whisper away from his.
“Exactly,” she declared before devouring him with a kiss.