Julia leaned forward, her gown smoothed across her breasts as lovingly as any hand. “Alec, I’m sorry I lost my temper, but you should have seen him. The burns on his feet, and the bruises.” Tears glistened in her green eyes.
“Nick?” Alec asked, astounded.
“No! The boy we saved from the sweep. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. That and your chair.” She took a deep breath. “You see, we needed to give Muck a bath, and—”
“Wait. Who in the hell is Muck?”
Julia sighed in exasperation. “That’s the boy’s name,” she said. “And a very uncomplimentary one, at that. Though it did rather fit him at the time—I never saw a child more in need of a bath.”
Alec looked down at his armless chair. “I take it he did not wish for a bath and thus found it necessary to break my chair.”
“He didn’t break your chair, but….” Her gaze drifted toward the mantel. An empty space loomed between the silver candelabra and the ormolu clock. “He is very sorry about your vase.”
“I’m sure he is,” Alec bit out, though he could not remember what treasure Mrs. Winston had placed in the distinctively empty space. His housekeeper’s fondness for useless rattle was a source of constant irritation.
“Muck dropped it on the hearth. It depicted a Greek battle scene,” she added as if that explained everything.
“Before or after he broke it?”
She ignored him. “But the poor thing was frightened Mrs. Winston would punish him for his carelessness, so he decided to flee.”
“By throwing my chair?”
“Oh, no! He just ran. We attempted to catch him, but he was much too quick, so we asked Johnston to assist us.”
Alec tried to straighten in the chair, but it was impossible without the arms. “So Johnston broke the chair,” he said through his teeth.
“He tripped over the carpet and went crashing into it. Muck took the opportunity to dash into the kitchen.” A faint frown curved her generous lips. “The cook was not pleasant.”
Though his whole life was in shambles, he managed to say pleasantly enough, “We don’t have a cook, love. We have a chef. Antoine would be very upset to hear you call him a cook.”
She sniffed, unimpressed. “He won’t hear me call him anything. The man was horribly rude to Muck and called him all sorts of names.” She scowled, fingering the end of her braid. “It’s a good thing I speak French.”
“Are you saying Antoine quit?” Alec asked carefully, thinking of the months it had taken for him to woo the temperamental Frenchman from Lady Birchley’s house. It had been a coup for him, of sorts. Lady Birchley was a society matron of no small consequence, and one of the leading voices in stirring up the whispers about his mother. It had made acquiring the chef’s exquisite culinary skills all the sweeter.
“He didn’t quit. I dismissed him.”
“What?”
She winced at his roar. “Alec, I had to.”
“Damn it, Julia! You cannot dismiss the servants without consulting me first!”
“He did not know how to deal with children.”
“And that is important in a chef?” he asked, incredulous, his anger suspended in disbelief.
“It is to me.” She hesitated before saying in an uncompromising voice, “I suppose I should also tell you about the stables.”
“Let me guess,” Alec snapped. “Burroughs broke down the stall doors. Or perhaps he just set the entire building afire.”
As impervious to his sarcasm as she was to his lust, she waved an airy hand and chuckled. “Oh, no. Nothing like that. Muck tied a spoon to the cat’s tail and she ran into the stables among the horses. A child’s prank, no more. Johnston says it can be fixed within the month.”
Before Alec could do more than open his mouth, she continued, “Muck really is a sweet boy, Alec. He just needs some attention. No one has ever cared for him. Children left alone without anyone to show them affection find other ways to get the attention they crave.”
Looking at Julia’s glowing expression, Alec could almost picture the child. Soft blond curls about an angelic face, a cupid bow’s mouth set between two plump cheeks, all hiding the evil spirit of an imp.
And of course his tenderhearted wife championed such a paragon. Julia spent her time and precious care on all manner of worthy causes. Even Nick merited attention. Alec’s smoldering frustrations flared to life. She expended her affections on everyone but him.
“We’ll send the child to an orphanage. There is a good one in Asbury.” He caught her minatory gaze and added remorselessly, “I will contribute a sizable amount to ensure he is well cared for, Julia. But he cannot stay here.”
Her hands curled into fists, the knuckles white. “You can’t mean that.”
“Have you forgotten our circumstances, Julia? You will set the entire ton against you with such hoydenish behavior.”
Her color rose with her anger. “That horrid man hit Edmund. You would have done the same thing. I know you would have.”
“What I can do and what you can do are entirely different matters.” God, was that him, mouthing platitudes like a country vicar?
Julia stood, her hands firmly on her hips. “I should remind you that ours is a marriage of convenience. I am not bound by your wishes, just as you are not bound by mine.”
Alec flung himself from his chair and crossed the small space that separated them. “If I am not bound by your wishes, then I will have you to bed this very night.”
She gasped, her hand automatically clutching her robe protectively to her throat.
“You expect too much of me. You deny me the services of a mistress, while you waltz into my study dressed like—” He gestured toward her, then realized she was actually covered from neck to toe in Mrs. Winston’s robe. “Julia, you forget I am a man.”
Her color high, she said in a low voice, “I have never forgotten that.”
For a second, he thought he detected a flicker of raw passion in her eyes and his heart thudded to a halt. But she looked away, her thick lashes casting shadows across her cheeks. “I should never have come here. I only wanted to tell you what had occurred. But whatever you say, I cannot send the child away.”
“And what if the executors catch wind of the incident? This will cause exactly the sort of gossip we cannot afford. I warned you about becoming too involved with your projects, Julia.”
“If you had seen the child—”
“We made a bargain, my lady.” He caught her wrist and pulled her forward until he could see directly into her eyes. “If you wish to renegotiate, I will not be the only one making concessions.”
She met his gaze without flinching. The firelight caressed her face, molded the graceful line of her throat and warmed the curve of her cheek. “I wish to keep the child. Whatever your price, I will pay it.”
With those few words, she placed him back where he belonged, with the unclean, the ungenteel. And why not, he thought harshly. Wasn’t that who he was? He was not now, nor had he ever been, a gentleman. “What are you willing to pay?”
She eyed him warily, as one would a mad dog. “I don’t know what you….” She stopped, her face pink with color. Slowly, ever so carefully, she placed her hand on his chest.
His skin burned where each of her fingertips rested. Alec shut his eyes and willed himself to continue breathing as she slowly slid her hand down his chest. Sweet Jesus, but she was going to…. The hand stopped at his stomach, hovering as light as the brush of a feather. Breathing heavily, he opened his eyes.
Julia stared up at him, her mouth parted, her face flushed, her eyes dark. “I will give you a kiss.”
He wanted more. But for now, he would take whatever she had to offer. Take it and use it to end some of his frustration, quench his insatiable lust. Without giving her time to reconsider, he swept her in his arms and kissed her just as he had kissed her in his dreams every night since their marriage. He covered her mouth with his and devoured her like a starved man given a
bounteous feast. He plunged his hands into the folds of her nightrail and found the lithe curves below, molding her to him, rubbing against her so she could feel how he wanted her, desired her.
At first she was stiff and unyielding, but as his hands curved about her, his mouth plundered hers, she moaned and joined in, her hands no less demanding, her passion matching his.
He kissed her until she lay limp and panting in his arms. Then, with the last strand of control he possessed, he released her and staggered away. Julia sagged against her chair, hanging onto the back for support.
Panting, she regarded him with eyes that sparkled with anger. “There. I have paid your price. Muck will stay.”
She rejected him even as she quivered from his touch. Alec turned away, his whole body aching as if bruised. Trying to control his thudding heart, he sank into his chair. “You have only begun to pay, madam. For each and every day that urchin is in this house, you will pay the forfeit.”
Julia stilled, one hand on her cheek. “Every day?” A husky quiver warmed her voice like velvet.
Alec didn’t trust himself to reply. He just stared. Stared at the white, smooth skin of her neck, at the rounded curve of her breasts, and at the incredible length of her legs, so evident in the folds of her robe. “There is no going back, Julia. You are mine to kiss whenever and wherever I desire.”
Her eyes sparkled with anger. “Whatever you may say of your cousin, Nick is at least a gentleman.”
Damn Nick. All he had to do was toss a coin and he came out smelling like a rose, while Alec would be forced to adopt some hell-born babe to satisfy Julia’s notions of responsibility. For one wild instant he thought of renouncing his inheritance and retreating to his old life, of following the path of ruin offered by the demimonde and allowing Nick free access to the fortune.
But he could not. He might be a cad and a rakehell and possess fewer principles than any man to ever walk the earth, but he still had his pride. And for a brief year, he had Julia. “You know nothing of my cousin.”
Julia gave an exasperated sigh. “You are drunk. I will speak with you in the morning, when you are more yourself.”
She turned and walked toward the door, crossing in front of the fireplace as she did so. For one heart-stopping second, the firelight revealed her legs and the dark triangle of hair at the juncture of her thighs.
Alec’s heart slammed to a stunned halt. Did this woman have any idea what she did to a man? No, of course she didn’t, he told himself grimly. It was yet another problem of being married to a virtuous woman.
She reached the door and yanked it open, leaving without a backward glance. The tension dissipated as the door shut. Alec slumped in his armless chair and sourly regarded the ceiling, waiting for his heart to resume a normal pace.
His only hope was to convince Julia that he was worth her attention. Yet how could he manage such a transformation when he’d just proved himself the greatest beast on earth? He rubbed a fist against his forehead and cursed his impetuous temper and unbridled passions.
Yet he could not totally regret the outcome of this evening. Julia had agreed to kiss him every day. A slow smile curved his mouth. Yes, every single day she would submit to his embrace, chaste though it would be. It was a beginning.
Suddenly, the future seemed brighter. Humming softly, he stood and crossed to the decanter, methodically filling every glass on the tray.
He would have to do something about Nick and his meddling. It was barely two weeks after the wedding and already he had involved Julia in a possible scandal. Julia might wish to believe his cousin as innocent as a kitten, but Alec knew differently. Nick never did anything without reason.
Alec lined the glasses in a row and lifted the first, tossing it back quickly. As surprising as it would be to the ton and everyone who knew him, his life was about to change. He was about to turn into the season’s most devoted husband.
He picked up the next glass and tossed that one back as well. It was fortunate he could afford good brandy. He had the feeling he was going to need every drop.
Chapter 13
Julia scooped up her bonnet from the side table and quietly opened her door. Breath held, she stared silently at the door across from hers.
No sound of movement escaped Alec’s room. With a mingled sense of relief and disappointment, she slipped from her room and tiptoed down the narrow passage.
She wasn’t surprised he was still abed. He’d been deep in his cups when she’d visited the library last night. The brandy had amplified his passions completely out of proportion. It had shown in the glitter of his silver eyes and the way he’d watched her as if she were a lamb and he a starving wolf. But Julia had ignored the signs, determined to explain about Muck.
That had been her first mistake. Her second mistake had been to forget how witless she became when he was near. And when he’d kissed her…she shivered as a treacherous sense of pleasure filled her, and she closed her eyes, savoring the memory.
Somewhere in the distance a door opened and closed, and Julia firmly called her giddy emotions to order. She should have been outraged at Alec’s demands. But she wasn’t. In fact, it had been rather exciting, bargaining with a kiss. If she were truthful, she might even admit she had wanted more. It was a good thing she was in no mood to be truthful.
She sighed and forced herself to the task at hand: escaping the notice of Alec’s overzealous servants. After last night, she needed some time to sort through all of the feelings her wicked husband’s kiss had stirred to life.
Julia leaned over the top banister and peered down into the entryway. Dust motes danced in midair, golden sparkles against the dark paneling. Bright splashes of sunlight warmed the polished wood floor and filled the air with the faint scent of beeswax. From belowstairs, Mrs. Winston called to Burroughs to help her carry up the breakfast tray. Without wasting any more time, Julia looped her reticule over her arm, ran lightly down the steps, and slipped out the door.
Glorious sunshine greeted her. Closing the door carefully, Julia lifted her face to the warmth. Birds chirped, the trees rustled pleasantly, and the steady, comforting clop of horse’s hooves rang on the cobblestone road. It was a perfect day.
Smiling, she settled the chip straw bonnet on her head and found the bright cherry ribbons that dangled to each side. The only thing that would make the day more perfect would be Alec, claiming his kiss.
If she closed her eyes again, she could imagine his touch where the sunlight warmed her cheek. He would take her in his arms and kiss her until she fought for breath. For a long moment, she allowed herself to float in the dream until the clattering of a carriage brought her back to reality.
“Enough of that,” she muttered to herself, adjusting the shawl of Spanish lace across her shoulders. “You’d do well to forget last night even occurred.”
Alec would awaken this morning with a raging headache and no memory of her visit, anyway. Julia sighed and began to tie her bonnet, mulling over her lamentable tendency to yearn for things she did not have.
“And where are we off to, this bright morning?” A deep, masculine voice broke her reverie.
Julia froze, hands mid-bow. Alec leaned against the wheel of his phaeton, his handsome face shadowed by the brim of his hat. Freshly shaven and immaculately dressed, he looked sinful, dangerous, and handsome.
Her first instinct was to turn and retreat into the house. Or at the least, change into the cherry muslin morning dress she’d just bought. Why, oh why, had she worn the green striped cambric? She caught his questioning gaze and blushed. “I thought you’d still be asleep.”
“Is that why you were sneaking out of the house like a thief?”
“I was not sneaking.”
He lifted his brows in polite disbelief. The sun lit the sensual curve of his mouth—the same mouth that had so easily claimed hers, stealing her every thought, her every breath, until there was only the drugging taste of Alec.
Julia discovered she had tied her bow far tighter t
han she’d intended. She loosened the ribbons hastily. “I didn’t wish to bother the servants.” Or to allow them to bother her, which was much more to the point.
“Were you going unescorted?”
The deceptively polite tone put Julia on edge. She eyed him warily. “I was going to call a hackney.”
In one lithe, fluid movement, he pushed himself away from the phaeton and stood before her, the very picture of towering masculine impatience. “You are not to travel alone, Julia.”
She took a prudent step back. “I always took Johnston whenever I visited Whitechapel, but I am not going there today.” At least, not now.
Alec stared down at her, his jaw taut. This close, Julia could see that his eyes were faintly shadowed, the lines by his mouth carved deeper than usual. Yet the marks of dissipation did little more than sharpen his already handsome features.
Julia thought of how she would have looked had she had as little sleep and as much brandy as he. It was not fair. She sniffed. “If you think to intimidate me by glaring, I should warn you it will have no effect. I am quite used to glaring. In fact, hardly a day goes by that I am not glared at by someone.”
“I am not surprised,” he returned grimly.
Well, that was rude. Glancing up at him through her lashes, Julia wisely decided not to pursue it. “I really must be off. Please summon a hackney.” She was proud of how cool and commanding she sounded even though her pulse beat wildly. “Lady Birlington is to arrive at two and I have dozens of things to do before then.”
Alec’s gaze narrowed. “Then we, madam, will do them together. In the future, you will not leave the house without an escort, or you will answer to me.”
At his proprietary tone, Julia glared back. “You cannot tell me what to do.”
He leaned forward, and six feet of delectable male blocked the sun. “Don’t tempt me, Julia.”
She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She just stared, her heart fluttering like a caged bird, her entire body agonizingly aware of his.
The Abduction of Julia Page 15
