Grace glared at her fiancé. The gall of the man to barge into her retreat and attempt to lecture her. She pulled the soft tartan tighter about her shoulders. Her skin tingled, still sensitive from Matthew’s skillful attentions. Blast Tobias and his bloody timing. Reining in her ire, Grace said, “I’d prefer you not speak to me in that tone.”
Tobias raked his ice-blue eyes over her face and lowered his gaze to the vee of the tartan. “Watching you come undone with your legs spread wide, Harrington’s fingers inside you, was the most pleasurable experience I’ve had in over a year.”
Shocked, Grace asked, “You saw us?”
“I would have been a fool to interrupt. Your features in the height of pleasure can only be described as exquisite. Eyelashes fluttering upon rosy red cheeks and… your oh-so-plump lips parted and shaped to form an O.” He shifted his weight and, without hesitation, adjusted his manhood right in front of her. “No one should be denied those heights of pleasure and gratification. Oh no, my dear. That would have left you in a rather foul mood.”
Though she was normally slow to anger, Tobias’s loathsome statements had Grace’s ire blazing. Foul mood indeed. Men and their bloody belief that obtaining climax was the sole purpose of having intimate relations. Bah. It might be the pinnacle of the experience, but certainly not the most pleasurable.
Grace arched her brow sardonically. “I suppose you like to watch.”
Tobias chuckled. He finally raised his gaze to meet hers. “Since I do not partake, yes. Albeit not as satisfying, observing does assist in relieving some of the tension.”
Grace’s pent-up frustrations had hardly been reduced by her interlude with Matthew. In fact, it had fortified and intensified her desires for him.
Refocusing on the man standing before her with a wolfish grin, she asked, “Are you stating the gossip about your debauchery is all lies?” She didn’t bother to mollify her tone.
“Hmm. I’m not familiar with the nattering that filters through the drawing rooms of my so-called peers. But I can honestly state I’ve not had the pleasure of a woman’s lips”—his gaze narrowed on her mouth—“nor body in fourteen months, sixteen days, and”—he pulled out his pocket watch—“eight hours.”
“Impossible!” He was reported to be a frequent patron of Madame Sinclair’s establishment.
Tobias leaned back slightly to look out the entrance. “I’d ask Harrington to testify that such self-restraint was possible. However, it appears he has indeed left. If I were a betting man, I’d wager Harrington would be able to quote the exact period of his abstinence down to the minute prior to this evening.”
To the minute would have been a feat. Grace was fully aware it had been twenty-three months, three days, and six hours since Matthew had last made love to her, but she could not attest to the minutes.
She shook her head, clearing it of doubts and images that made her ill. “Why are you really here?”
“I already told you—to discuss our wedding.” He meandered over to peek through the trellis and then returned to sit next to her at a socially acceptable distance.
It appeared Tobias intended to keep his word and give her the proper respect that was due to her. Never mind that her nightgown was in shatters and her hair was a tangled mess, falling about her shoulders and down her back.
Legs stretched out before him, crossed at the ankles, Tobias said, “Three weeks hence, I shall be aboard the Quarter Moon and headed west for America.”
She shouldn’t care what was on the other side of the pond that held his interest, but her curiosity got the best of her. “How do you even know if this woman you claim to love remains unwed?” If it had been over a year, there was a possibility this mystery woman might have already married and birthed a child.
“You are not the only one with connections in foreign lands. Friends of Eliza have been providing updates. They do not know the cause, but Eliza has postponed the announcement of her betrothal thrice now. My hypothesis is she is waiting for me to figure out how to escape from the clutches of the devil who sired me.”
“Hmmm… How well do you know these friends of Elizabeth?”
He pivoted to glare at Grace. “Her name is Eliza.” With a sigh, he turned away. “I’m fully aware of the pitfalls of second- and third-hand information. However, like you, I can feel it in my bones. She is waiting for me to act.”
Grace shivered, unsettled by the astute observations. Tobias removed his coat and held it out to her. Seeing her dilemma, he said, “Lean forward, and I’ll wrap it about you.”
She did as he instructed. His thoughtfulness washed away the last lingering traces of anger. “I hope Eliza will acknowledge the risks and appreciate the effort you are about to undertake in order for the both of you to be reunited.”
He stood and ran his hand through his hair, giving him a disheveled appearance. It was the first indication that Tobias might have doubts or concerns about his scheme. “There is not much time remaining, and there is still one critical piece outstanding that needs to be resolved in order for my entire plan to succeed.” He walked about in a circle and then came to stand before her. “I need your help.”
Tobias had either come to trust her or she was his last resort. Either way, she didn’t have much of a choice but to aid him. “How am I to assist you?”
“Harrington is in possession of the crown jewels that Burke believes contain an extraordinary item. A desperate man is a dangerous one, and that is what Burke has become. You need to convince Harrington to hand over the jewels to Lord Hadfield.”
Grace tilted her chin to her chest and snuggled deeper into Tobias’s coat. How peculiar that Matthew had not informed her that the crown jewels remained in his possession. Matthew had asked her to trust him, yet he didn’t trust her. Her anger threatened to reemerge.
Tobias’s booted footsteps had Grace looking up. He paced in circles.
She said, “If Matthew does have the jewels, he more than likely already has plans in place. The likelihood of accomplishing what you ask of me is remote at best.”
“Then we are doomed.”
The man was being overdramatic. “Explain to me why the treasure should be handed over to Hadfield. He isn’t an agent of either office. Nor is he a member of the Privy Council.”
“I suspect you already know the reasoning, and I’m in no position to expound upon the facts. Don’t forget you agreed to trust me.”
“My memory is not faulty—but I begin to question my judgment.” His pacing was making her dizzy. She lowered her gaze to the floor and said, “Anyway, Matthew resigned. He no longer heeds my orders.”
Tobias stilled and turned to face her. “That’s not the impression I received when I came upon you.”
Her thighs pressed together. Blast the man for reminding her of her intimate encounter with Matthew. She shouldn’t have fallen into old habits, but she was done waiting for Matthew to act first. Action—that was what was required. She needed to cease reacting and begin instigating her own scheme. First, she required details. “Suppose I was able to convince Matthew to relinquish the jewels. What next?”
“Now that Hereford is entrenched in the court, you will order him to report back with Burke’s activities and task Hereford in gaining the ear and trust of the Prince Regent.”
“Were you the one responsible for Hereford’s appointment? I know it wasn’t Archbroke. He would have chosen one of his own agents.”
“It is neither here nor there who was responsible for Hereford’s appointment. The man is in place; now you need to issue the orders.” Tobias tugged at his left sleeve, nearly yanking it out of its seam. As if he was covering something.
“I shall not agree to assist unless I know all.”
“Not possible. Convince Harrington to hand over the jewels. Use whatever means necessary…” Tobias’s eyes lowered to where his coat had slipped open. “Harrington did appear rather partial to those lovelies. And don’t forget to issue the orders to Hereford.” Chuckling, he left the gazebo without another word.
Tobias was a conundrum. She stood and exited her sanctuary, ready to return to her chambers. Flanked by two footmen, Grace returned to the house. As she crossed the threshold into the kitchens, she froze at the sight of her papa seated at the kitchen table.
“Papa, why are you down here alone?”
He drummed his fingers on the wood. “Merely waiting for you to return.”
“It’s late. I’ll assist you back to your rooms.” She placed a hand on his shoulder, which was hard and tense.
Clear, all-knowing eyes looked up at her. “Not before you tell me the outcome of your meetings with Harrington and Ellingsworth.”
Good lord, she’d have to be more circumspect. If Burke were to hear gossip, it would place everyone in jeopardy. Grace took a seat on the bench opposite her papa and laced her hands on the tabletop. “They both share the same objective, to be rid of Lord Burke…”
“And to see to it that you are compromised.” His eyebrows were knitted severely.
“What?”
“Child. Your gown is ripped, and you are wearing Ellingsworth’s coat. Which of those two scoundrels shall I be calling out to meet me at dawn?”
“Neither. You said it was your wish for me to marry Harrington and for me to aid Ellingsworth, and I intend to do both.”
“How do you mean to go about that?”
Her half-formulated ideas hardly constitute a scheme that would pass muster with her papa, but it was all she had at the moment. “I have a plan.”
Her papa raised both eyebrows and resumed drumming his fingers.
She’d simply have to be brief and to the point. “I’m going to convince Matthew to hand over the crown jewels to Hadfield.”
“How?”
“By telling him to do the honorable thing and marry me. But in order to do that, he needs to relinquish the treasure.”
“Your scheme has more holes than cheesecloth.”
That was not the response she was anticipating. She had basically confessed to having been compromised by Matthew, and all her papa could speak of was cheesecloth. Her head rolled forward. It wasn’t a precise strategy, but with a few hours of thought, she’d figure it all out. On a sigh, Grace said, “If you return to your chambers, I will adjourn to the study and work on the finer points of my plan.”
He patted her hands. “I assume you will be holed up for hours. I’ll have your mama take me for my early-morning walk.” The bench scraped against the floor as he rose, and he placed a kiss upon the top of her head. “I have faith in you, Gracie girl. All shall work out.”