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Chapter One London, early May 1829 She would not be sold like a prized mare at Tattersalls! Julia Prentiss’s elegantly coiffed head swivelled in disbelief between Uncle Barnaby and Mortimer Oswalt, the lecherous old cit who had come to offer for her. She could hardly countenance the conversation that flowed around her as if she were not standing in the centre of her uncle’s study listening, nor had a mind of her own and was quite capable of speaking for herself. ‘I would, of course, provide a handsome bride price for your niece. Say, fifteen thousand pounds.’ Mortimer Oswalt spread his hands confidently over the purple expanse of his waistcoat, which gave him the appearance of an overripe grape. He leaned back in his chair, perusing Julia with his dissipated blue eyes, still bloodshot from a night on the town. Fifteen thousand pounds! Julia fought back a surge of inappropriate comments. How dare he offer for her in the same manner one might offer for goods on the dock or at an auction
Chapter One
Chapter Two ‘I never guessed you held aces!’ Gaylord Beaton, the young man seated across the card table from Paine Ramsden, threw down his cards in disgust. ‘You’ve the luck of the devil tonight, Ram.’ The others at the table in the dimly lit gambling hell laughed and threw in their hands. ‘What do you mean “tonight”? Ram has the devil’s luck every night!’ another exclaimed. ‘Have you considered I might have something more than luck?’ Paine Ramsden gathered his winnings with a swift, practised move of his arm. ‘What would that be? A fifth ace?’ The table broke into guffaws at Gaylord’s bold jest. ‘Skill,’ Paine replied drily, giving them each a piercing stare before he began to deal. He’d heard the underlying anger in young Beaton’s jest. This was the second night these bucks had been in to play and the second night they’d lost heavily. In his experience, an angry gambler was a dangerous gambler. He’d have to keep his eye on the young man. He’d hoped Beaton had learned his lesson last
Chapter Two
Chapter Three The carriage ride was accomplished in silence. On her side of the carriage Julia seethed inwardly over letting Ramsden goad her. Like it, indeed! She might be an innocent, but she was not utterly naïve. She knew quite well ‘it’ referred to the sex act. Paine Ramsden was as handsome as purported with his midnight hair and riveting blue eyes and twice as conceited if he thought she’d find pleasure in what she was about to do. In his male arrogance, he’d quickly forgotten she’d been forced to these measures. She hadn’t picked him for his skill. She had picked him for his willingness and she’d been right. He had acquiesced with very little persuasion. She had been prepared to beg, even pay for his services. The carriage rolled to a halt. Julia sucked in her breath and steadied herself. Paine leaped down and turned back to hand her out. She’d expected to see Jermyn Street with its bachelor residences. Instead, she found herself in unfamiliar territory. ‘Where are we?’ she aske
Chapter Three
Chapter Four Paine awoke to the scent of lemons mingled with the musk of sex and the warmth of another body cradled against his own, his arm draped over the lush curve of a breast. It was a heady awakening. Images of the evening came back to him with striking clarity: Julia Prentiss in her delectable aquamarine gown begging him to ruin her, her green eyes shrewdly assessing him as she made her plea; Julia naked on his bed, weeping for his caress as he initiated her to the pleasures of lovemaking; Julia crying out as the final moment of their joining took her to untold heights, her hips arched high into him, her head thrown back on the pillow as she gave way to unabashed ecstasy. At that moment, all pretence of doing a duty, of thwarting her fate with her madcap scheme, had fled from her thoughts. He’d seen her eyes darken the moment she’d submitted fully to the pleasure between them, when business had ceased. She’d been utterly his, and utterly without artifice. Everything in that inst
Chapter Four
Chapter Five Julia crossed the room to the forgotten gown they’d tussled over in the early morning. She hazarded a covert glance at Paine while she slipped into her undergarments. He had levered himself up on one arm, his shirt open, his dark hair dishevelled. The sight of such blatant, post-coital masculinity studying her every move as she dressed was potent. Julia felt her blood fire at the sight. ‘What are you doing, Julia?’ he drawled. ‘Dressing.’ ‘I can see that. But to what purpose? I will simply undress you again.’ ‘Paine, I am leaving.’ A rush of anxiety filled her. Would he let her leave? Would he renege on their agreement? ‘You promised me I could go.’ ‘I promised you could go if you wanted to. Do you want to?’ Paine replied with apparent nonchalance. ‘The world often demands we act beyond our selfish wants,’ Julia parried, pulling on her stockings, recalling with clarity how they’d come to be off her legs. Would she remember that every time she pulled on stockings for the re
Chapter Five
Chapter Six By midnight, Paine realised he wasn’t going to the club. It wasn’t too late to go. Indeed, midnight was considered early among those who frequented the hells. The real action and serious gambling would just be getting under way this time of night. If he went, he could still hear all the news about town. The truth was, he didn’t want to go. The thought of leaving Julia and the warm bed for the dingy hell was vastly unappealing. For the first time in a year, he had somewhere else he wanted to be. Julia stirred in his arms, her naked form pressed against him in reminder that he did not make it a regular practice to hold sleeping women at length after the act. ‘Tell me about yourself,’ Julia murmured, obviously unaware that that type of question after lovemaking was far too smothering. Countless times that question served to be a conversation ender, not starter, with him. But miracles seemed to be in endless supply that evening. Not only did he not want to go to the gambling he
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven ‘What do you think, monsieur? La fille est très belle, n’est-ce pas?’ the petite French dressmaker trilled for the countless time that afternoon. Julia grimaced at the sound of the woman’s ingratiating, high-pitched voice. For the past three hours, she’d been reduced to the role of a doll, standing at attention, draped in fabrics and pins in the middle of Paine’s spare bedroom. The woman had immediately recognised Paine as her benefactor and had ceased asking for anyone’s opinion but his. Indeed, Paine had been in charge all day, a fact that was growing increasingly annoying. They’d slept late and, after breakfast, Paine had decided it was time to remedy the deplorable condition of her wardrobe. Actually, there was no ‘condition’ to remedy since she technically had no wardrobe beyond the robe of Paine’s she’d worn for the better part of two days. Two days! Those days seemed to have flown by, melding into each other, and yet two days hardly seemed enough time to countenanc
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight ‘I’m ready,’ Julia said with a touch of uncertainty at the top of the stairs. She nervously smoothed the skirts of the deep rose evening gown Madame Broussard had delivered earlier in the day. The gown was of the first stare of fashion, far beyond any of the pale, virginal gowns in her débutante’s wardrobe at home. There was no disputing the quality of the gown with its exquisite tailoring and stitching. ‘How do I look?’ She moved slowly down the stairs, highly conscious of the plunging neckline and the way the gown clung to her silhouette. Perhaps the colour was too bold after all? She would never have dared such a bold colour either. She suspected only Paine Ramsden would have the audacity to pair the rose with a cinnamon-haired girl and carry it off. She had to admit the shade Paine had chosen complemented her hair rather than clashed. Not that it made any difference tonight. Her auburn tresses were securely tucked up under a black-haired wig. Julia reached the bottom
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine Something was amiss. Paine’s playful whisper in her ear about going home didn’t match the iron grip he had on her waist as he guided her to his carriage parked in front of the hell. That was odd, too. When they’d arrived, they come in the back door and left the carriage in the wide alley. ‘What’s happened?’ Julia asked the moment the carriage door was shut behind them. ‘Why are we parked in front?’ ‘Because I wasn’t sure who was waiting in the alley for us,’ Paine said tersely. Julia didn’t need further explanation. She knew what that implied. She swallowed hard. ‘Oswalt knows.’ Paine gave a short nod. ‘He will know shortly. Gaylord Beaton, one of the dandies who comes slumming, went outside with Oswalt’s man. I don’t have to be a fortune teller to know what transpired. Beaton was here the night you came to the club. He’s been losing heavily. I am sure he saw this as a prime opportunity to get a little of his losses back and some revenge against me as well.’ Paine sighed.
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten Julia dozed fitfully, her head bumping against the carriage wall. The coach was well equipped enough with its squabs and padding to minimise the constant jounce of the road, but she wasn’t. Paine had encouraged her to sleep, but sleep was impossible. Her mind whirred with the unreality of it all. Tomorrow was the fifth day. If she’d stayed in London with her aunt and uncle, she’d be facing Oswalt and his physician. The thought made her shudder. But was this any better? She’d run away in the hopes of simply losing her virginity to the one man of her meagre acquaintance immoral enough to take her maidenhead and not think twice. Her plan had succeeded in terms of achieving her goal, but her plan had been naïve, not nearly enough to stop Oswalt if Paine was to be believed. Apparently, she did believe him. That was what contributed most to her restless napping. In four days, she’d come to rely on Paine Ramsden, a dark rake, as a man of honour. She trusted him with her future and
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven When they stopped for a short lunch in the afternoon the next day, Julia begged to ride up on top with Paine. She’d had enough of being cooped inside with a snoring coachman. The man had driven through the night for them and deserved his rest. Julia wasn’t convinced, however, that it entitled him to expose her to such a noise. She was also convinced that they’d eluded Oswalt. There were only two hours to go until they arrived at Dursley. The fear that had formed a continual knot in her stomach since London was starting to unravel. Julia was contemplating the pleasure of a hot bath and cooked food when the shot rang out. Julia screamed. Shards of lacquered wood grazed her cheek from the impact of a bullet piercing the side of the coach. The horses whinnied in fright, galloping recklessly down the rutted road, dragging the coach behind them. The strength of Paine’s arms were the only barriers between the horses and certain doom if the carriage veered into the ditch. At thi
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve Cousin Beth’s prediction proved unerringly true. After seventeen hours of sleep and poultices, Paine looked and felt immensely more like himself, with the exception of a stiff arm. Peyton and Crispin had rummaged their wardrobes for spare clothes to replace the tatters he’d arrived in. They were all of a similar build and the fit was good. The few personal effects Julia had grabbed at the Brook Street house were laid out on the dresser. He recognised his comb and his razor. Out of curiosity over what had become of the rest of the clothes Julia had packed in the travelling valise, Paine opened the wardrobe and peered inside. Paine laughed to himself. It was empty except for his trousers, hopelessly wrinkled and entirely unsuitable for wearing. He remembered then that his shirt had gone for a good cause. He hoped Julia had been as fortunate with a makeshift wardrobe as he. Whatever she’d packed for herself was probably in the same wrinkled state his own clothes were in. Bu
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen Peyton was waiting for them, for him, when they got back. Paine hid a smile. Peyton wasn’t overtly waiting for them in the foyer, that wasn’t his style. But he’d been on the lookout for them. The sudden hustle of servants upon their return indicated as much. Paine would have bet good money he’d barely turned into the stable yard before news of his return reached Peyton in the study. The door to the study was open. It would be difficult to get by there without being seen. This was, of course, what Peyton had planned. Paine turned to Julia in the wide main hall and nodded towards Peyton’s open door. ‘I need to see my brother. Will you excuse me?’ There were many things he and Peyton had to talk about. He wasn’t ready to have Julia hear the family laundry aired and he wasn’t sure how diplomatic Peyton would be about it. But he was ready to face it, armed with Julia’s confidence and a new sense of hope. Paine saw Julia up the stairs and then strode towards the office, prep
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen Upstairs, Julia folded a few gowns back into the tissue paper and placed them in the trunk she’d so recently unpacked. When she’d gone downstairs to give Paine the note, she’d known the missive’s contents would dictate their return to London. But she had not planned to so abruptly sever her ties with Paine. Then again, she had not known the full danger of her situation. She bent over the trunk and heard the door open behind her. ‘Obligation has nothing to do with it,’ Paine drawled. ‘You cannot relieve me from that which was never a duty.’ Julia turned from the trunk, summoning her resolve. She couldn’t extricate herself from this web, but she could set Paine free. Her growing feelings for him dictated she do as much. ‘Don’t do this, Paine.’ ‘Don’t do what?’ Paine lounged in the doorway, leaning against the white frame and looking somewhat intimidating in his maleness in her feminine abode. ‘Don’t confuse reality with fantasies and suppositions,’ Julia said meaningfull
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen Dursley House glittered a regal welcome in the summer twilight after a dusty, jouncing two-day journey back to London. Inviting as the town house looked, Julia also found it imposing, with its four storeys of long elegant windows. Dursley House on Curzon Street was an enormous step up from the home her uncle had rented on the fringes of Belgravia, which was still a respectable location, but just barely. Julia tossed Paine a longing glance as he helped her down from the carriage. She knew it was important for her to be at Dursley House, but it didn’t stop her from wanting to be alone with Paine. She’d much rather be at his Brook Street property, just the two of them, where they could shut out the world. She wondered if he felt the same. Paine seemed to read her thoughts. ‘We have to think about your reputation,’ Paine said seriously in a tone that caused her stop and stare. When had he become the arbiter of the moral code? It certainly hadn’t been last night at the inn.
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen ‘You were supposed to stay on the terrace,’ Crispin ground out once he recovered his senses. ‘I am not a toddler in leading strings,’ Paine retorted, pushing Julia behind him in a belated attempt to protect her modesty. ‘What are you doing out here? Did Peyton send you to keep track of me?’ ‘I wish it were that simple.’ Julia did not miss the import of the gaze Crispin sent Paine. Paine didn’t miss it either. ‘What’s happened?’ Crispin held out a note. ‘It’s from your man, Flaherty. Apparently, he found this so important that he came here and left it with a footman.’ Paine took the note and unfolded it, reading slowly. ‘It’s worse than we thought. Oswalt has indeed managed to have his name put forwards for a knighthood. It seems that he means to bankrupt your uncle’s estate and then prop it up financially. Flaherty speculates that he might even ask to be given custody of the estate when he’s awarded his knighthood. It’s not an uncommon practice for bankrupt estates to b
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen Paine woke slowly, struggling against the intense fog that swamped his brain. He could hear Peyton and Crispin. Peyton was angry. He could hear his brother’s cold ‘earl’ voice berating some unfortunate soul. Why would that be the case? Where was he? Wherever he was, it was hard and felt like a floor. ‘Paine?’ That was Crispin. ‘Are you coming around now?’ Paine found the strength to push his eyes open and then wished he hadn’t. The room swam. Crispin’s face appeared in his line of sight like a mirage on the desert. Was he ill? He didn’t recall being sick earlier. ‘Help me sit up.’ His tongue felt thick. Crispin supported him on one side to hoist him up. Paine gave an involuntary groan at the motion and tried to push with his arm on the other side. His hand made contact with a sharp shard of something. It felt like china. ‘Julia!’ Full cognisance flooded back. Paine forced his eyes to stay open in spite of the dizziness. He grabbed at Crispin’s coat. ‘Julia’s gone. Osw
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen Paine drew back into the shadows of the lawn. He was certain he’d seen Julia in the upstairs window. Crispin confirmed it, tossing him a robe and hood as he returned from his short reconnaissance mission. ‘I overheard some of the guards talking. The location sounds right. Put these on.’ ‘Druid robes?’ Paine asked, shaking out the garment. ‘For the ceremony. We’ll blend in,’ Peyton said, slipping into another set. ‘How did you get these?’ Paine asked, slipping on the robe. ‘Let’s just say three men have a little less to wear than they did a few minutes ago, but I doubt they’ll be missing their clothes for a while,’ Crispin said with relish. Paine grimaced. ‘How many people will be here? We’ll stand out if it’s only a handful. Oswalt expects us. He’ll be on the lookout for anything out of place.’ He didn’t like the idea of waiting that long, not only because of the torture of watching Julia engage in this ritual and being unable to help her, but also because they would b
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen The family held their collective breath for the next three days. Sam Brown had boarded the boat to America and they waited to see if any hint of scandal regarding the odd doings in Richmond circulated the ton. In spite of Julia’s ordeal, Aunt Lily insisted the family make a showing at one fashionable gathering each night. She argued that nothing would set tongues wagging faster than being absent from events three nights in a row during the height of the Season. It was a compelling argument, especially since they’d made such a showing once the Season had hit full stride. They couldn’t let those newly established inroads go to waste. Paine admired Julia’s strength. Each night, she donned a new gown, looking more beautiful every time. She smiled and she danced, keeping up a happy front. If anyone inquired about the Lockhart ship, she simply said, ‘We have no confirmation that the ship sank or that there were no survivors. Until we do, I prefer not to believe the worst.’ S
Chapter Nineteen
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