He affected her as no other had. She felt safe with him, safe enough to trust him with her body.
Was it possible to start an affair with the Duke of Ayers?
Liquid heat coursed through her at the thought of submitting herself in this act alone.
She’d been tempted by others in the past but not like this.
Before she could find the words to start a discussion, he took a final retreating step. “I’ll have a maid see you to your rooms. Good night.” He departed but gave her one long lingering glance from the doorway, before retreating at a pace that astonished her. One minute he was there and the next he was gone.
Everly went to her rooms and admitted the bed was far too large for just one person.
She wanted Asher, but how to get him without giving up herself?
Eventually, she became too lethargic to think about it and decided to resume her plots another day.
* * *
Asher was not surprised to find his sister at breakfast the next morning. He’d barely sat before she asked, “I take it the evening went well last night?” Her grin appeared to suppress a flood of emotions. She took his hand. “How was it?”
Asher had known better than to think he could avoid Valiant. She’d witnessed his and Everly’s embrace last night, and he’d have been completely unaware if she’d lingered to see more. His every thought had been concentrated on Everly.
He picked up the paper with his free hand. “I don’t understand why Society sets their standards at Almack’s. The meat is sliced very thin. The bread is hard, likely a day old at least. There is nothing but weak tea to drink, not that I’d have wanted anything stronger than coffee.”
“I don’t care about Almack’s. Tell me what happened with Everly,” Valiant pressed.
They fell silent as a maid came in. Once his coffee and food were placed before him, she left.
He took his hand from hers and picked up his silverware. “I’ll not discuss Everly with you.”
“Why not?” Valiant asked. “We discussed Beaumont.”
“That is different,” he said. “You may be free to make your own decisions, but you are still my sister. I care for you.”
“And I you.” Valiant narrowed her gaze. “Does that surprise you? That someone would care for your happiness and wellbeing?”
It did.
He was a duke. Why would anyone worry that he was not content with his lot in life?
Did Everly care for him? He couldn’t help but remember the way she’d stroked her hands through his hair. She’d held him as he’d tried to pull himself back from the brink of losing all civility.
He’d been seconds away from carrying her to his table, throwing everything to the ground, and having his way with her.
And that would have only been if they’d made it to the table. He’d have taken her on the floor if she’d allowed it.
Asher hadn’t known desire so potent that it could blind the part of him that was more a gentleman and turn him into an uncaged beast whose only thought had been to conquer and satisfy a hunger long denied.
“Seeing you two as you were last night...” Valiant’s words trailed off. “Were you simply giving her comfort as you would me or was it something else?”
Something else. Something deep and rich that Asher had yet to thoroughly explore.
Something that had begun and ended last evening.
They could go no further.
Now that he thought about the events of last night, he was almost ashamed of himself.
Everly was in a vulnerable position. She needed his protection, not his lust or desire.
He only hoped that she didn’t despise him this morning after realizing that he’d taken advantage of her weakened state.
He heard footsteps in the hall, a confident stride he knew to be Everly. He looked up and was woefully unprepared for the sight of her.
His hands fisted around his silverware, the fork beginning to bend.
She was wearing red. The muslin fabric cupped her curves in a way he itched to do himself, falling over her rounded hips and stopping just before her matching slippers.
Her eyes seemed to shine like the coming day. Her hair was artfully mussed with tempting curls that brushed her pale skin, which colored under his gaze.
“Good morning, Your Grace.” She floated across the room and came to sit at Asher’s other side. Her scent was so enticing that it left his meal quite lacking compared to her.
He easily recalled her taste.
He took short shallow breaths as Everly turned to Valiant and began a discussion. About what he wasn’t sure.
In an effort to appear to have his senses, he began to eat. It was an unthinking action. Eat. Chew. Swallow. Repeat.
“What are our plans for the day?” Everly asked.
It took him a moment to realize she was speaking to him.
“I’m going to hunt down the jeweler that Lord Fallen claimed to have purchased the diamonds from.”
“Sounds exciting,” Everly said. “When do we depart?”
He lifted a brow. “I thought you and Valiant were to see about gaining witnesses?”
“But the constable said I am to remain with you.” Everly’s expression was slightly playful. “Therefore, where you go, so will I.”
He thought to tell her he would be returning to his room after the meal, but then knew it was a challenge he didn’t want her to accept. And he most certainly wouldn’t have spoken the words in front of his sister.
He stared at Everly and tried to guess at her thoughts.
She was not upset about last night. That was clear.
In fact, she seemed happy.
His blood warmed, pleased by her lifted state.
Valiant stood. “I’ll go prepare for our adventure. Ring a maid for me when you’re ready.”
When they were alone, Everly asked, “How did you sleep?”
Again, his brow inclined.
She shivered at the expression. She turned when coffee and a simple meal of bread, coddled eggs, and meat was brought out. She clutched the coffee as though it were the elixir of life itself. A short moan parted her lips.
He watched, fascinated and aroused as she took a sip and then licked her lips. The flash of her pink tongue was like a shot to his gut.
He was no longer able to pretend his meal held his attention.
He was enraptured by Everly and years of practicing to appear otherwise vanished from his repertoire
Asher had no clue just how long he sat enjoying Everly’s display of affection for her coffee, but eventually, she looked at him and said, “Do you plan to answer my question?”
Surprisingly, he recalled what she’d asked, but only because such questions were usually only asked by family. Never polite strangers or even friends of the opposite sex. What went on in his bedchamber was none of her concern.
Yet it was clear she wished to make it so. Yet, by how much?
“It took some time, but I managed to find rest.” Thinking of Everly and everything he wished to do with her had prevented him from falling asleep. He’d fought slumber’s call, knowing his thoughts would be better than anything he could dream.
“Trouble sleeping?” she asked. “I hear there are things one can do to make it easier.” She watched him from over her mug, her gaze hooded, suggestive.
“What? Oh.” Asher’s heart came to a shuddering halt.
* * *
Everly pressed her lips together to keep from laughing at Asher’s astonished expression. When she’d come down for breakfast, she’d been unsure of what she would do about last night. Yet the moment she’d seen him with a look that could only be called complete adoration, she’d been left with little choice.
She had to make Asher hers.
If only physically.
She’d be a fool to pass up on this opportunity, she’d decided.
Asher was kind, caring. Handsome. Capable of giving kisses that left her weak.
And he looked at h
er as no man ever had.
Knowing her shameful past—and present dilemma—hadn’t stopped him from looking at her as though she hung the stars. As though she were the stars themselves. There was wonder in that look and Everly, for the first time, considered allowing a man to discover every part of her.
But how to go about getting him into her bed?
He continued to stare at her as though he’d been struck by lightning with her words.
And perhaps he had.
Then slowly, his eyes lowered and darkened. “What would you suggest for my troubles?”
She bit her lip as she tried to come up with something clever. She’d never flirted with a man in this way.
They were interrupted again when a maid came to clear Valiant’s side of the table and then took Asher’s.
It was then he seemed to snap out of whatever haze had fallen around them and abruptly stood. “We’ll leave within the hour.”
It was not Everly’s imagination that he ran from the room.
Was he running from her?
Why else would he depart so quickly?
There was one thing she was confident about. Asher wanted her. She’d seen the evidence in his eyes and felt it on his body the previous night.
Perhaps, he feared she’d ask for more than simple bedding. If that was the case, then she would lay some ground rules so that he’d not feel obligated to ask for her hand.
She was tempted to follow now but decided to allow Asher some time alone.
Then she’d try again.
∫ ∫ ∫
2 6
Noise from the foyer gained Everly’s attention and she departed at once.
There she was stunned to find Lady Brinley and Lady Beatrix being ushered in by their husbands.
“Everly!” Beatrix ran to her. “After giving it some thought, we decided we simply could not allow you to endure this time alone.”
Hero, who was holding little John, grunted. “They wouldn’t even let us stop at an inn. We only broke to change horses.”
“And even that took far too long,” Brinley declared as she marched forward. The hands that had been resting on her belly where now wrapped around Everly tightly. “How could I have abandoned you in your time of need?” Brinley burst into tears.
Everly stiffened, unsure of what to do or say.
Brinley was not given to hysterics. Neither did she cry. At least, Everly could not recall an instance where she had. She was one of the strongest women Everly knew.
Lore came forward and pried his wife from Everly’s body. An apology was on his face. “She’s been inconsolable since you and Asher departed from the castle. The baby should come any day now.”
“After everything you did for me,” Brinley whispered, clinging to Lore. “For us.”
Everly smiled. “Brinley, come now. You must calm yourself. Have you forgotten that you are carrying my goddaughter? Now, take a breath. Good. Now, please, there is no need for tears. You didn’t abandon me. You left me in the capable hands of Lord Ayers and Valiant.”
“But I should have been here,” Brinley said. She closed her eyes and pulled in a breath. “Were it not for you, I fear I’d not be the woman I am today, and Lore would have never have fallen in love with me and then you’d not be getting a goddaughter.”
Lore rolled his eyes and turned his wife to look at him. “Absolutely nothing would have prevented me from loving you.”
Brinley smiled and then her face crumbled with the threat of more hysterics.
Everly thought her entirely dramatic, though knew she couldn’t say that to her friend now. She was sure that once the baby came, Brinley would look back over this conversation and pale with embarrassment. It was best to stop her now.
At once, everyone in the room was trying to make Brinley feel better. Even a maid offered tea. A footman brought over a chair.
“Son,” said a powerful voice from behind them. Asher came into the room with Valiant on his arm.
“What?” Brinley asked.
“You could be having a boy,” Asher said. “There’s no reason to keep assuming the child to be a girl.”
Everly narrowed her gaze. This was an ongoing debate between her and Asher. But as she studied Asher’s face, she saw that his eyes were warmer than usual. Perhaps, he was just trying to make Brinley feel better.
And so, Everly joined in. “There’s every reason to assume. She carries the child low and everyone knows what that means.”
“Such tales have been proven wrong before,” Asher countered.
“Then shall we wager?” Everly said.
Asher’s lips twitched. “It’s best we didn’t. I’m not used to taking money from a woman.”
Hero broke out in a laugh. His son John looked on in surprise as he was shaken by his father’s great burst of energy.
Lore chuckled. “Oh, this is rich. Please, do wager on what my child is to be.”
“Yes.” Brinley brightened. She was now sipping tea from the chair the footman had brought for her. “It does not have to be a monetary wager.”
Everly crossed her arms and met Asher’s gaze. “What say you, Your Grace?”
“I say…” His blue eyes danced underneath his cool facade. “If it be a boy... you shall pretend to be the most docile, gently bred woman for the remainder of the Season.”
Everly gasped and cringed at the thought.
Hero laughed again.
Valiant went over and grabbed John. She was pressing her lips together to hold back her traitorous giggles.
One slipped past Brinley’s lip. And then another. “Oh, I pray it a boy now. I can’t imagine Everly as anything but the force she is.”
Everly placed her hands on her hips. “And if it be a girl, you, Lord Ayers, shall play the most uproarious reveler and dandy the ton has ever seen.”
Lore leaned on the high back of Brinley’s chair. He’d been indecently playing with his wife’s hair, but at Everly’s words, his mouth fell open.
Hero had crumbled to the floor, no longer able to hold himself up.
Beatrix covered her face with her hands, but her shoulders shook.
Valiant pretended to be engrossed with little John, telling the child that his family was mad.
Asher’s face was red, which made the blue of his eyes more pronounced.
Everly grinned. “Do we have our wager?”
His gaze narrowed. “I believe we do.”
Brinley looked from one to the other and then grinned. “I’m so very glad I came.”
* * *
“I’ve never seen your brother that way before,” Beatrix said once the women were settled into the carriage. “Is there a side to the Duke of Ayers that I am not aware of?”
“Apparently,” Valiant said. “That part of him only shows itself under the right circumstances.” Then she gave Everly a very meaningful glance.
“I am so glad I came,” Brinley said once again. “I can’t imagine what I’ve missed already. Ayers is not himself. What have I missed?” Her large brown eyes went between Everly and Valiant.
“Nothing,” Everly shouted when Valiant opened her mouth. Then she cleared her throat and spoke at an even tone, telling the women what Asher had discovered about the jewelry thus far.
Currently, they were on their way to St. James to ask other merchants if they’d heard anything about Mr. Cobbs. The men were riding in another carriage that followed theirs.
Everly said, “Lord Ayers believes Lord Fallen dislikes me for some reason, but I couldn’t begin to guess at what. I easily offend feeble-minded men.”
Brinley laughed. “Very true. The stronger men handle you well, like the Curbain brothers.”
Everly thought about just how well Asher had handled her last night. It was true that Hero, Lore, nor Asher quaked in her presence.
“They’ve had to deal with me all my life,” Valiant said in explanation. “It would take more than a woman to scare a man who has warrior blood.”
“Trojans,” Be
atrix said.
“Vikings,” Brinley said.
“Gods,” Everly murmured.
They all laughed.
“Would you really make Asher pretend to be a reveler for the remainder of the Season if I have a girl?” Brinley asked.
“With all the dazzle of a natural dandy,” she declared. “He may as well begin accepting invitations to all the parties now, because he’ll be quite busy for the next few months.”
Giggles spread through the carriage.
“Oh!” Brinley closed her eyes and pressed her hands to her stomach. “I’ll pray the baby to be a girl.”
“Hopefully, we find the truth about these diamonds so that you don’t have to return to the country and miss it,” Valiant said.
The thought of facing the judge sobered her and settled an uneasy feeling in her chest.
Beatrix reached out and grabbed her hand. “You’ve no reason to fear. You already had two Curbains at your side. Now you have five.” She smiled.
Brinley frowned, seeming troubled.
Everly sighed and shared the one detail she’d left out of her story. “Ayers has agreed to testify if all else fails.”
Brinley brightened. “He will? Truly?”
Beatrix was surprised as well, “Were you two together the entire night of the ball?”
“For portions of the evening,” Everly said, trying to make light of it.
“Really?” Brinley asked. “I didn’t know you enjoyed one another’s company.”
“Interesting,” Beatrix said as she straightened.
Valiant grinned deviously. “Not even I was aware of that.”
“He’s a friend,” Everly said.
“Friend?” Beatrix smirked. “Now it’s all starting to make sense. I saw him race from the castle the morning after the party. And now he is here and has declared himself your witness. Are you sure you are nothing more than friends?”
“Oh, Everly.” Brinley’s eyes watered. She’d become a walking fountain. “I’ve always wanted you to be happy.”
Everly lifted her hands. “We are not discussing Asher.” Too late, she realized her mistake.
“Asher?” Valiant lifted a sculpted brow. “Well, after what I witnessed last night…”
The entire carriage gasped, including Everly.
The Perfect Duke (Valiant Love) (A Regency Romance Book) Page 13
