Tempted by a Rake’s Smile: A Historical Regency Romance Book

by Meghan Sloan

  “Fine. I’ll go home. But just for today. There’s a lot of paperwork still to do. It won’t get done on its own.”

  “I can do it.” Cassandra took her father’s arm, while Alice took the other. They lifted him to his feet and led him around the desk. “I know what needs to be done, and whatever needs your signature I can bring to you later. Just look after yourself and get as much sleep as you can.”

  “And possibly a hot bath as well,” Alice added as they walked him to the door. “You’ll feel better after one of those.”

  Ernest looked from his sister to his daughter and back again.

  “You two are determined on this, aren’t you?”

  “Of course we are.” Cassandra tugged her father into motion again, “Now, come on. Stop stalling. We’re not going to let you stay because you’re delaying us.”

  Ernest grumbled even as he allowed them to walk him into the hall.

  “There are days when I wish I hadn’t raised you to be so headstrong.”

  “Who would look after you then?”

  Ernest sighed and started coughing again. They went through a side passage that the patrons weren’t allowed down, and out through a side door into the alley alongside Seton’s. Lewis was already there with the carriage, holding the door open as Ernest was helped into the carriage. Cassandra shut the door and signalled to the driver.

  “Get Father home, Robbins. And call for the physician. Don’t call him off because Father said so. I want to know he’s going to be all right.”

  “Yes, Miss Cassie.”

  Robins flicked the reins and the horses started off, pulling the carriage out of the alleyway. Cassandra felt some weight slide of her shoulders as the carriage moved out of sight. At least Father would be able to recover at home. He wasn’t well enough to be at work, and he knew it. It was just his pride getting in the way.

  Men and their pride. They thought they knew everything and they were the ones who really caused all the trouble. If only someone would drop something from a great height to knock some sense into the men in her life.

  Cassandra turned to Alice.

  “Why don’t you go and get some lunch, Alice? It’s nearly eleven-thirty.”

  “Are you sure, Cassie?”

  “I’m sure. I’ve got to get the papers sorted.”

  “All right,” Alice hesitated. “Do you want me to bring something for you as well?”

  “If you like. I’m not very hungry right now, but I’ll appreciate some food later.” Cassandra cast Lewis a sly glance. “Would you mind escorting my aunt, Lewis? I want to make sure she isn’t accosted.”

  “Yes, Miss Cassie.” Lewis glanced at Alice, who was now blushing bright red. “I’ll look after Miss Alice.”

  Alice shot Cassandra a glare before dropping her gaze and hurrying towards the street, Lewis following behind. Cassandra almost burst out laughing at the sight and went back inside, still grinning at how her aunt had reacted. When she was around the servant, Alice was like a young woman in the first flush of love.

  It was clear the feeling was mutual, and Cassandra had wondered many times how long it would be until they finally decided to do something about it. However, it seemed that both were also aware of their social standing, and that was getting in the way.

  Maybe she should do something about it. Urge them together more and see if they could resist temptation then. But Cassandra shook herself. She shouldn’t be so silly. Just because her love life was a mess didn’t mean she had to try and make everyone else around her happy.

  And she needed to take a big step back from her love life, or lack of one. It was not fair to court Percy when she didn’t love him as she should. It might have come in time, but Cassandra knew it would always be muted in comparison to what she felt for his older brother. Gabriel would always have a special place in her heart.

  This Cassandra found ridiculous. They had barely interacted beyond sharp words for each other, and yet the attraction was there and it was intense. How was it possible to fall in love with a man just from that and while knowing his past?

  Are you saying that you’re in love with Gabriel Tattershall?

  I am. And it’s not filling me with joy as it should.

  Cassandra sighed, her mood dipping. She had heard of women falling for men completely unsuitable and she had scoffed at them. Women should know better. You couldn’t fall in love with just a few very short meetings. Now she had become one of those women.

  It was distracting her. She needed to focus. Seton’s needed her. Ernest may not have wanted to admit it freely, but Cassandra was the driving force behind everything. She made sure it was all in order; the patrons were respected and respectful towards the staff, and she kept on top of the paperwork. Ernest may like to think he was the boss, and he was in name, but it was his daughter who did everything.

  Gabriel was not about to distract her. Cassandra had business to attend to. Having brief moments away to spend time with Percy was nice, and Cassandra would like to continue that as a friend, if that were possible, and she spent a lot of time with Emily, but that was it. There was no room in her life for love. Not when it turned her inside-out and Cassandra didn’t know what to do.

  If she had fallen for a respectable man - like Percy - would she be feeling this conflicted? Probably not. She would still be capable. But it was this unpredictable, intense feeling that had her off-balance. Cassandra did not like it. She would prefer to be alone and safe than falling for someone she had no business falling for.

  Not to mention the fact she was sure he was up to something. Gabriel Tattershall always had an ulterior motive, and he was certainly planning something. And it was involving Montgomery’s. Was he really trying to buy the place? He didn’t have any money, unless he had put some aside.

  Unless Norman had come to some sort of agreement, and Cassandra wouldn’t be surprised if he had done that. Norman wanted to sell the place. He understood the love and devotion his father had put into it, but he wasn’t the same way inclined. He preferred to be with his painting and sculpting. The man was the epitome of an artist. Cassandra even had a small painting of his that he had done of the Norfolk coast. It really was beautiful. Norman would be wasting his talent being in charge of his father’s business.

  If that was the case, why was Gabriel hanging around Seton’s? Was he thinking of trying to buy her father out? Or was he looking at the competition? Seeing what ways he could sabotage the place? Cassandra wouldn’t put it past him.

  If that was the case, had he set his sights on Cassandra? Because if he had, Cassandra was not going to let him win. She would never let anything take her away from Seton’s, not even a rake like Gabriel Tattershall. He could beg anything from her and she would not budge. Seton’s was her life, and Cassandra was going to keep it in the family in whatever way she could. No one was having Seton’s. Not her money-hungry family, and certainly not Gabriel Tattershall.

  Cassandra settled into her father’s chair and began to go through the papers. Ernest had told her that she wouldn’t understand a thing on the pages and not to worry about her pretty little head over the details. That had been seven years ago, and Ernest was eating his words. Cassandra had a sharper mind than he’d anticipated. She could watch and listen and take everything in, which is what she had done with her father. So Cassandra knew how things were run, how it was all laid out, and how it could be improved.

  Her father had now softened to her working so much with him, even though he would occasionally talk about Cassandra settling down and devoting time to her own family. Cassandra had simply countered that if she ended up starting a family of her own, she was still going to be at Seton’s. No one was going to keep her away from something she loved doing.

  Marriage was simply becoming an accessory now. If any suitor objected to what she did, then Cassandra walked away. She had done that several times in the past, and she would do it again. Even if the Tattershall brothers asked her to stop, Cassandra wouldn’t. Nobody would
keep her away.

  It was just taking a while for people to realise that.

  She was bent over the papers, her head pounding from the tiny writing one of her father’s investors loved to use, when the door opened. Cassandra sighed and looked up, ready to scold the servant who’d entered their employer’s office without knocking.

  Only to jump to her feet when she saw Gabriel enter the room. Her heart began racing and she felt a tightening in her belly spreading downwards as she took in his lean, graceful form. He was wearing a simple but fine-looking suit in dark blue, the trousers looking very fitting around his thighs. His hair looked freshly washed, his jaw clean-shaven and smooth. And he was watching her with a solemn, heated expression that made Cassandra feel shivers down her spine.

  What on earth was he doing here? How did he get in without anyone noticing? Cassandra managed to find her voice.

  “Do you have a habit of entering private rooms without knocking?”

  “Only when I know I’m not going to be permitted in.”

  Gabriel leaned on the door, closing it behind him. Cassandra thought about calling out, just to bring her servants running, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. This was highly inappropriate, and she should be telling Gabriel to leave immediately. Yet she couldn’t.

  Cassandra came around the desk, flexing her hands before clasping them behind her. She had a sudden itching temptation to reach out and touch him, to see if he was as solid as she remembered from the day before.

  “You shouldn’t be in here. The servants…”

  “I took the side entrance and bypassed the main room. Nobody knows I’m in here.” Gabriel’s eyes drifted over her face. “Are you scared of me, Cassie?”

  Cassie. The simple mention of her name had Cassandra fighting back a moan. It sounded so good coming from his lips. She wanted to hear it again. She swiped that from her mind.

  “I’m not scared of you.”

  “I don’t know if I believe that or not.”

  Now his eyes were on her mouth. Cassandra felt her lips tingling. Was he remembering the kiss as well? She certainly hadn’t forgotten. She took a deep breath and counted to five. There was no way she was going to let Gabriel take control. This was her territory. He had no right.

  “What do you want?”

  “I wanted to see how things were with my brother at the Duchess of Suffolk’s ball last night.”

  Cassandra frowned. He was concerned about that?

  “Why don’t you just ask Percy? You live closer to him.”

  “I had some errands to do and I was passing.”

  “And I call that lies,” Cassandra folded her arms. “You have no business on this side of Ipswich.”

  “How do you know?”

  He didn’t move from the door. He just leaned against the doorframe with his arms folded. Even if Cassandra wanted to leave, she would have to get past him. Actively push him out of the way. And Cassandra wasn’t sure her resolve would hold if she touched him.

  The tension in the air was getting far too thick. Cassandra wished she didn’t have to wear a corset, because it was making it harder for her to breathe. She stood her ground, wishing her heart wasn’t racing so much that she was feeling lightheaded.

  “It was fine. We danced, talked, and then danced some more. That was it.” She saw the slight tightening of his jaw. Curious. “What else were you expecting? That I was going to drag him off to a secluded part of the house and throw myself at him?”

  There it was. A twitch around his eye. That was when she realised that Gabriel was jealous. That threw her a little. Jealous of his brother? Or the fact he wasn’t the one she had thrown herself at?

  I’m not going to throw myself at him. Never.

  If you don’t want to, stop thinking about it.

  “I just wanted to know how you and he were progressing.” Gabriel’s voice was tight, so close to a growl, “I still think you two are good for each other.”

  “Do you now?”

  “Yes.”

  Cassandra glared at him.

  “If that’s the case, why did you kiss me yesterday? You were the one who got us to meet, and then you’re kissing me. You still think I’m good for your brother?”

  Gabriel’s eyes flashed. He looked away.

  “It was a mistake to do that.” His voice rumbled, tickling over Cassandra’s skin, “I shouldn’t have accosted you as I did. And it won’t happen again.”

  “Right. A mistake.”

  That hurt more than Cassandra had expected. Why did she even care? He was right that it was a mistake, and that he’d had no right to kiss her the way he did. But the feel of being in his arms, melting into his embrace, was too great to ignore. No matter what Gabriel thought, the attraction between them was not only mutual; it was intense.

  Cassandra needed to knock Gabriel off his perch. He seemed to think he was holding on the cards. He was bad at playing card games; Gabriel hadn’t come up against Cassandra. She gave him a smirk and sauntered towards him.

  “At least I’ve got something to compare you with to your brother. And he certainly measures up better than you in...that department.”

  It took a moment for Gabriel to realise what she had said. His eyes widened.

  “You what? He kissed you? I...I thought you said the two of you didn’t sneak off anywhere.”

  “You don’t expect a woman to tell you everything immediately, do you?” Cassandra made a big sigh and pressed a hand to her chest. “Oh, it was so beautiful. Your brother certainly knows how to kiss a woman and make her want more. I’ve never felt such shivers down my spine from just a kiss.”

  The memory of Gabriel kissing her the day before came flooding back, and Cassandra realised she was describing that moment. It had been beautiful, even if bittersweet now with Gabriel’s statement. She shivered and let out a sigh as the tightening low in her belly went between her legs and started throbbing. Cassandra glanced at Gabriel, who was now looking at her with stunned outrage. He really had no idea what he was doing to her right now.

  She knew she should back away now, but Cassandra found herself moving closer. She was punishing herself being this close and not touching him, but Cassandra was past the point of caring. She wanted to be selfish for the first time.

  “Such tenderness but such...I don’t know how to describe it, except that it was masterful.” Cassandra bit her lip and shot Gabriel a sideways glance. “I wanted to drag him somewhere even more secluded for more. Maybe...for the first time in my life, I wanted to be salacious.”

  Gabriel’s eyes flashed. Now he looked angry. He really was jealous. Cassandra almost gasped at the intense look in his eyes. It hit her in the gut. Gabriel’s hands clenched against his arms.

  “That doesn’t sound like Percy at all. He’s not one to lose control like that.”

  “Maybe you don’t know him as well as I do,” Cassandra couldn’t stop herself from giggling. “Or maybe you do.”

  She had hoped to maintain a straight face for a little longer, but she couldn’t. Cassandra burst out laughing. Gabriel’s eyes widened, and he looked bewildered.

  “What are you laughing about?”

  “The look on your face.” Cassandra pressed a hand to her belly and tried to stop the laughter, but it wouldn’t stop. “It’s just priceless.”

  She watched as realisation dawned. Gabriel was now staring at her in shock. His eyes narrowed.

  “You were lying about kissing my brother? Why would you do that?”