The Skilled Seduction

by Tracy Goodwin

  The Skilled Seduction

  SCANDALOUS SECRETS, BOOK 3

  TRACY GOODWIN

  ISBN-13: 978-1502309280

  ISBN-10: 1502309289

  Copyright © Tracy Goodwin

  Copy Editing Credit: Mary Metcalfe

  Front Cover Credit: Jeannie Ruesch

  Cover Photography © Jimmy Thomas

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblances to any person or persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Reviews

  “Tracy Goodwin’s debut novel burst onto the scene, garnering praise from everyone. An author with an enchanting voice, she makes you care about her wonderful characters. A brilliant author, she delivers Romance at its very best. It just doesn’t get any better than Goodwin.” —DEBORAH MACGILLIVRAY, BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE SISTERS OF COLFORD HALL SERIES AND THE DRAGONS OF CHALLON SERIES

  “Tracy Goodwin writes with such a rich, evocative style, you’ll feel every emotion in the story and can’t help but root for love to conquer all. A must-read author for any historical romance lover.” —JEANNIE RUESCH, BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE WILLOUGHBY FAMILY SERIES

  “Tracy Goodwin is a promising new voice in historical romance.” —BARBARA DAWSON SMITH, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR

  “Tracy Goodwin is definitely an author to look out for. She writes a sensual and clever novel that makes for an enjoyable read.” —WW BOOK CLUB BLURBS, PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY, BARBARA VEY BLOG

  Dance with Deception Reviews

  “A stellar debut by gifted author, Tracy Goodwin. Dance with Deception expertly blends romance, danger and lush sensuality in one brilliant novel.” —5 STARS, SINGLE TITLES

  “A brilliant introduction to a promising new author.” —HANNAH HOWELL, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR

  “Dance with Deception is a lush and endearing romance – as touchingly romantic as anything I have read recently.” —5 CUPS, COFFEE TIME ROMANCE

  “Tracy Goodwin is a fresh new voice in historical romance. In Dance with Deception, Ms. Goodwin has penned an engaging tale of true love overcoming lies and duplicity. Sebastian and Gwen must work through numerous obstacles to reach their well-deserved happy ending. The reader will find herself cheering them along on their journey.” —GAYLE WILSON, TWO-TIME RITA AWARD WINNER

  “Dance with Deception is a riveting story from beginning to end … the depth of emotions expressed will touch the heart and have readers cheering this couple on. This was a highly satisfying read, and it is a definite page-turner!” —FALLEN ANGEL REVIEWS

  “The spicy love story between Gwendolyn and her dashing Duke definitely held my interest … Dance with Deception was an engrossing read and should please anyone looking for an old-fashioned, emotion-filled romance.” —LONG AND SHORT REVIEWS

  “Spectacularly written is this well put together tale of love, hope, and passion. Tracy Goodwin has managed to rekindle a sense of joie de vivre into my being with the colorful characters of Sebastian and Gwen as they find each other and find love in the process. Dance with Deception is truly a keeper.” —5 STARS, EURO REVIEWS

  “A bit dark at times, Goodwin's Regency is filled with emotions, affairs of the heart and a flesh-and-blood hero who isn’t perfect but deserves points for vowing to make the lady of his heart his wife. The heroine also is worthy of kudos.” —4 STARS, ROMANTIC TIMES

  “Emotionally intense.” —NIGHT OWL ROMANCE

  Note to Readers

  Thank you so much for your emails, Facebook messages and reviews! I appreciate every message and have enjoyed traveling on the Scandalous Secrets journey with you so much so that I have a treat for you … The Skilled Seduction isn’t the end of our Scandalous Secrets journey!

  Look for The Wolf of Winterthorne – Scandalous Secrets, Book 4 in 2016.

  In addition, all four novels in the Scandalous Secrets series will be available in audio!

  Please contact me via www.TracyGoodwin.com or email me for updates at Author.TracyGoodwin@gmail.com.

  Thank you for making the Scandalous Secrets series such a success!

  Best wishes,

  Tracy Goodwin

  Dedication

  For my exquisite miracles, Zachary and Emma –

  I love you more than the number of stars in the heavens. I love you more than the number of fish that swim in the seas. I love you to the moon and beyond.

  I am blessed to be your mom.

  Chapter 1

  1849 Northamptonshire, England

  Lady Victoria Montgomery had adored Tristan MacAlistair since …

  Since when?

  Though she considered herself a romantic at heart, Victoria couldn’t claim that she had fallen in love with him the moment they met, nor could she profess that she loved him when his twin sister, Gwen, married her brother, Sebastian.

  If asked to pinpoint the exact moment her affection for Tristan began, Victoria would be unable to do so with any precision. All she knew was that unexpectedly, on what appeared to be an ordinary day with the sun rising in the east and setting in the west, she saw Tristan with a lucidity she hadn’t before experienced and realized that she felt something much more for him than friendship.

  It had been a single spark igniting within her heart until she thought it might combust.

  Still, in spite of her adoration for Tristan, Victoria hadn’t asked him to kiss her on this particular evening. Instead, she asked her long-time friend, Oliver Wainright.

  And she was beginning to regret it.

  “You want me to do what?” the seventh Earl of Fairfax demanded, his affronted expression causing Victoria to unbutton her jade silk gloves, tugging each finger with force before slapping them against her palm.

  “I asked you to kiss me, Ollie,” she placed her hand on her hip then began tapping her slipper against the stone beneath her feet. “For heaven’s sake, it is one kiss – nothing more.”

  Oliver narrowed his eyes. “But why in God’s name do you want me to kiss you?”

  With more strength than she intended, Victoria yanked her friend’s arm, jerking him towards a darker, more secluded portion of the terrace to hide her mounting impatience. “Have I not been clear? I want you to kiss me in the hope that it will make Tristan jealous.”

  Oliver halted mid-step, rounding upon her. “Yes, so I heard. My question pertains to your reasoning, or apparent lack thereof.” He tipped her chin, forcing her countenance out of the shadows and into the dim light cast by the flickering wall sconce beside them.

  His piercing gaze unnerved Victoria, his usually bright green eyes with golden flecks now the hue of a mossy lake at sunset.

  “Why do you insist on making such a man jealous?” Oliver asked, arching his blond brow. “Have you learned nothing from his behavior of late?”

  Victoria couldn’t help but grimace for she herself had often wondered the same thing. When she allowed herself to consider the intricate complexities of her scheme and separate emotion from her rational train of thought, she silently agreed with her dear friend. Tristan had indeed been behaving like a scoundrel of late. Gaming, womanizing … his list of indiscretions was long indeed.

  However, unlike her friend and most of the haut ton, Victoria knew the motivation behind his behavior.

  “Oliver, over the course of a few short years, the people Tristan most loved and trusted have betrayed him,” she imparted in a quick staccato, her pulse quickening with the mention of all that transpired. “First, he discovered that his mother was a deceitful adulteress and that his eldest brother was the result of a tryst with a married nobleman. Then he learned that his father was a m
anipulative monster who also had an illegitimate son, one whom he tried to deceive Tristan’s twin sister into marrying. And, as if that brief threat of incest weren’t bad enough, his father also attempted to kill Tristan’s twin.”

  “Thus, the beginning of his transformation.” Ollie studied his friend through narrowed eyes.

  Victoria sighed. “Yes. And, in a final blow of betrayal, his own betrothed hid the fact that she had once been secretly betrothed to Tristan’s elder brother, Colin. She also failed to mention that she was still madly in love with said brother. When Tristan caught the two in a passionate kiss, it was unpleasant to say the least.”

  “Unpleasant, indeed,” Oliver agreed. When Tori opened her mouth to speak, he pressed his forefinger to her lips. “No need to swear me to secrecy. I will not tell anyone.”

  Wringing her gloves, Victoria confided, “Truth be told, the whole situation is more depraved than a Greek tragedy and it has transformed Tristan.”

  A kind and moral man had become a rake.

  Well, not quite, at least not where the masses were concerned. His faults seemed to be forgiven because he also possessed wealth, lands, influential political acquaintances, and a title to be handed down from his grandfather upon the elder man’s death.

  Unlike most in the haut ton, Victoria cared not about fortune or nobility. What mattered most to her was Tristan.

  “He isn’t beyond redemption, Ollie,” she shot her friend a determined glance. “I know he is not.”

  The fact that Tristan loved his twin sister, Gwen, to no end planted seeds of hope within Victoria’s soul that he wasn’t beyond salvation. Deeply rooted, her rationale germinated into a sincere belief that someday Tristan would see past all the horrible truths he had learned and all the pain he had endured.

  All he needed was a proper push in the right direction – in Victoria’s direction.

  Tonight, she planned to compel Tristan to see her as a woman. It wouldn’t be the first time. No, on the morning that his former betrothed married his brother, Tristan kissed Tori with a possessive hunger.

  In truth, he all but devoured her.

  The memory of his fiery, all consuming kisses caused her skin to prickle in immediate response. Tristan had viewed Tori as a woman then.

  It was past time that Tristan again perceived her as such, that he was reminded how much he wanted her, and this evening was the perfect time to set Victoria’s well-crafted strategy in motion.

  She had waited for him long enough. It was high time he saw her for what she was – an eligible female with quite a few admirers.

  Tonight, Victoria planned to up the stakes and make Tristan jealous. She was well aware that he desired their London kiss. It affected him to the point where he avoided her and his feelings at all costs.

  Victoria’s plan was simple: Tristan must confront his desire for her. Hence, the kiss that Oliver was fighting against with such vehemence.

  Victoria reached into Oliver’s vest pocket, removing his gold pocket watch. Her breath caught as she glanced at the time.

  10:25!

  Tristan would be exiting the ballroom any moment for his meeting with Sebastian. Well, he thought it was a meeting with Sebastian but, in fact, Victoria had sent the missive.

  Yes, she had forged her own brother’s note, God forgive her, and Oliver was about to wreck the whole intricate ruse.

  I’m running out of time, she thought, her mind racing as she considered a different tactic lest her duplicity be for naught. Tapping her fingernail against the engraved watch, her mind raced at a frantic pace. Sure as a bolt of lightning slashing through an ominous summer sky, Victoria knew just what would change Oliver’s mind.

  “Ollie,” she leaned towards him, taking great pains for her tone to sound sincere as she tilted her head to the side. “I am so sorry. I had no idea you have never kissed a woman. Had I known, I never would have suggested you kiss me tonight.”

  Oliver laughed.

  Victoria continued with her artifice, furrowing her brow as if concerned for her dear friend.

  “You cannot be serious,” Oliver drawled, visibly affronted. He then yanked his pocket watch from her, thrusting it back into his vest pocket. “Of all the bloody ridiculous things for you to imply. What would make you consider such a ridiculous notion?”

  “What other reason could you possibly have for refusing to grant your dearest friend one kiss that may define her future happiness?” Victoria asked.

  Oliver shifted his weight. “I don’t want to see you to get hurt, Tori,” he reached for her hand. The fact that Ollie was touching her bare flesh wasn’t the least bit improper, at least not for them. Victoria and Oliver had been childhood friends for as long as she could remember.

  “I can’t help but be protective of you,” he continued. “You are my dearest friend and MacAlistair sure as hell isn’t good enough for you.”

  She grinned. “You’re biased, Ollie. I dare say no man would ever be good enough for me in your estimation.”

  “True enough,” he mused. “No one other than me, that is.”

  “Oliver!” She smacked his arm with her gloves, her smile bright.

  “What?” he bolted upright. “You and I have been best friends since we were eight. It would be the most prudent arrangement and you know it.”

  Victoria took a small step towards him, whispering, “By prudent you mean safe – that we would never betray one another.”

  He nodded in agreement.

  “Neither of us would ever be content with that arrangement,” she studied his jade eyes in the dim light, gauging his reaction. “I would bore you in a matter of months and you know it.”

  His expression remained guarded, confirming her suspicions. “So, why do you insist upon arguing with me?”

  She waited for a reply but, instead, Oliver tugged Victoria towards him, splaying his hands flat upon her waist as he claimed her lips in a tender kiss.

  Tristan was the first man, the lone man, to kiss her until now and his kiss was the complete opposite of Ollie’s. Tristan’s kiss had been passionate and demanding. Oliver’s kiss, just like the man, was gentle. Slowly, he coaxed her lips open with his tongue. Tristan had done so, as well, though with much more urgency.

  Something firm clamped her shoulder from behind, wrenching Victoria backwards. She stumbled, struggling to remain upright as her skin prickled, alert.

  Victoria stared at Oliver, noting a smug smirk sweep across his bronzed features.

  “What is the meaning of this?” Tristan’s deep baritone sliced through the still night air.

  She opened her mouth to respond, however, Tristan held up his hand. Victoria studied him in silence, noting that a vein pulsated violently in his neck.

  Just the response she hoped for.

  Victoria had struck a nerve.

  She clasped her hands behind her back and fought to conceal her grin as Tristan glared at Oliver, setting the full force of his fury upon Victoria’s friend while at the same time stepping in front of Victoria in a clear attempt to separate them.

  “Answer me, Wainright!” Tristan demanded again, his resonance thunderous. “What is the meaning of this?”

  It was just as she predicted, Victoria noted with a twinge of excitement.

  Tristan was envious.

  Why else would he be so incensed?

  Victoria studied Tristan’s back, noting with a pang of appreciation how his tawny colored jacket hugged his broad shoulders. She then peered around Tristan’s tall frame, catching a glimpse of Oliver’s refined features. His smirk widened and it was clear that Ollie enjoyed wielding so much control over the situation.

  “Victoria is my friend.” Oliver paused then tapped his lips with his forefinger, his smirk widening with every second that passed. Victoria was certain that he was drawing attention to his lips in a deliberate attempt to remind Tristan of the kiss he had just interrupted.

  Tristan smacked Oliver’s hand.

  “Your friend happens to be a m
ember of my sister’s family and, by extension, my own.” Tristan took one step forward. “And I don’t find your public mauling of her acceptable.”

  The two men stood, nose to nose and for the first time, Victoria witnessed the vast differences between Tristan and her friend. To be sure, both were tall in stature and possessed chiseled features.

  But that was where their similarities ceased.

  Oliver was fair haired and possessed a casual air and cutting wit. Grace and fine manners personified, Ollie was everything a man of nobility should be while Tristan exuded strength, intensity and raw masculinity. His dark hair, broad frame and turbulent eyes the color of rich mahogany made him appear downright dangerous in comparison to Oliver.

  A barrister by profession, Tristan was sharp and cunning. He was also fiercely independent, choosing to practice the law at a time when it wasn’t considered a respectable profession for a second born son. He defied convention out of noble intentions and a desire to protect the defenseless.

  Another trait that set Tristan apart from Oliver was his guarding nature. Victoria had seen him protect his sister and, when warranted, Tristan could become downright dangerous. Like a panther stalking its prey, he studied his opponents, assessing their strengths and weaknesses while biding his time until he found the perfect moment to attack.