She giggled, and damn if he didn’t understand why Selena wanted to ensure her sisters made good marriages. He’d known too many women who had been abused or lived harsh lives, women who aged before their time, worn out by the burdens that life had given them to bear. It was the reason they’d supported Gillie when she wanted to open her tavern, and now Fancy with her bookshop. They all wanted Fancy to marry well, but if no man was wise enough to ask for her hand, she’d have her business to see her through, and her siblings each had the means to ensure she never did without. Alice couldn’t rely on her brother in the same manner, in spite of his title.
“Excuse me, sir.”
Glancing back, Aiden stepped aside as Mick’s secretary, carrying a cumbersome box, edged past him.
“Lady Alice,” the young man said, his face turning a bright red that almost matched the shade of his hair. “Miss Trewlove thought the volumes in this box were best suited to this portion of the shop.”
“Thank you, Mr. Tittlefitz.”
He set down the box, stepped back, and didn’t seem to know what to do next. He cleared his throat. “She also thought I should assist you. I can place books on the higher shelves if you like.”
“That would be lovely, thank you.”
With a shake of his head, wondering if his younger sister was striving to play matchmaker, Aiden went to retrieve his own boxes. Or box, as the one Beast pointed to in the storage room was incredibly heavy. Still, he hefted it onto his shoulder and headed through the shop and up the stairs to what Fancy had designated as the reading room. From a previous afternoon spent assisting her, he knew clusters of small sitting areas were arranged throughout the space, and bookcases lined each side of the fireplace and stretched out along one wall. The rooms on the floor above would serve as her lodgings, which meant another afternoon of hauling things—furniture and personal belongings—up. Not that he was complaining. His mum had taught him that family did for family and did so without grumbling.
All thoughts of being inconvenienced drifted away when he crossed the threshold and caught sight of Selena standing by the window, gazing out on the street below, with the afternoon sunlight washing over her. He didn’t much like her widow’s weeds, the way they reminded him she’d had a recent loss. She was buttoned up to her chin, down to her wrists. He imagined the pleasure it would bring him to set all the buttons free. Even knowing she intended to use him, he couldn’t seem to not want her. He set down the box in the middle of the room. “You’re not working nearly as diligently as your sisters.”
With a smile softening her face, she glanced over at him. “I was just watching people going on with their lives. It’s an odd thing, how one’s life can seem all out of kilter, and yet the world carries on as though nothing is amiss.”
Joining her, he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned a shoulder against the window’s edge. “I’m sure there are people down below whose world is equally awry.”
“But you wouldn’t know it to watch them. I’m discovering that you can’t look at someone and know the trials they face. We all wear masks. They just aren’t as visible as the ones worn at your club.”
“You seem of a maudlin mood.”
“I lied to my sisters. I’m keeping secrets from them. They might not appreciate this outing so much if they knew the true purpose behind it.”
“I like them.”
She gave a curt laugh. “Do you? That was a rather quick assessment.”
“The twins gossip. Alice reads. They’re not complaining about the tasks set before them. They have dreams. They aren’t that different from Fancy.”
“Did you think they would be?”
He wasn’t quite certain what he’d expected. He wished he’d known Selena when she was their ages. How innocent might she have been? How had the burdens of caring for her family weighed on her? Finn had been a lad when he’d fallen in love with the woman who eventually became his wife. At the time Aiden had thought his brother a fool but now could see the advantage of knowing a person, of watching as circumstances slowly shaped the girl into the woman she would become. “If you have a son”—if I give you a boy—“what exactly would he inherit other than a title?”
Pursing her lips, she turned her attention once more to the traffic on the cobblestoned street, the people rushing along the bricked pathways. “The ducal estate—Sheffield Hall—as well as two earldoms.”
“He’d have three titles?”
“Yes.”
Three estates, three titles. He could never offer that to any other children he might have, if he had children. “Where is this Sheffield Hall?”
“Kent.”
“You can reach it in a day?”
“A few hours by coach.”
Possibly faster by railway, although that mode of transport put her at risk of being seen with him. Now he was the one staring at people going on about their lives. He’d always preferred the shadows, but damn if he didn’t want to walk with her in the sunlight, to not be a dark secret she would forever have to keep hidden away. But a dukedom and two earldoms were more than he would ever hold, and he wanted his children to have more than he could ever possibly attain. With a curt nod, he turned away from the window. “We’d best get to work here.”
She touched his arm. He stilled and glanced back at her.
“You’ve closed the doors of your gaming hell to Winslow—Lord Camberley. And you canceled his debt to you.”
“I didn’t cancel it. We wagered it. He won.”
Her expression was one of skepticism. “I should think a man skilled at sleight of hand when it comes to peas would be equally accomplished when it comes to manipulating cards.”
“What a cynic you are.” Although he had indeed known precisely where to find the two of hearts because he’d placed it on the bottom before he’d ever begun shuffling and had known how to keep it there. He’d wanted to ease at least one burden off her shoulders, although he couldn’t guarantee Camberley wouldn’t gamble elsewhere. “I’m actually surprised he confessed all that to you.”
“I was waiting in his residence when he arrived home. I’ve forbidden him to gamble in the future or spend any more time not tending to his duties.”
He certainly admired her tenacity in seeing after her sisters’ welfare. “How did he take that?”
“Not well, but he understands the import of it. He doesn’t have a very high opinion of you.”
“Few men who owe me money do.”
“And women who owe you? Should they fear you?”
“If you don’t know the answer to that question, then you shouldn’t make any bargains with me.” Crouching, he opened the box, grabbed a book, and held it out to her.
Horror swept over her lovely features as she knelt beside him, took the book, set it aside, and closed her fingers lightly around his wrist. “You really did chaff your skin.”
The rough-hewn abrasion circled just above his hand. He regretted not tugging the sleeves of his shirt or jacket down before offering her the book. He’d not liked one bit how vulnerable he’d felt lying on his bed, unable to free himself. Although now he couldn’t help but contemplate that she was equally bound, her bonds simply invisible. “Did you think I’d lied?”
“No, but I didn’t realize it was this bad.”
“It’ll heal.”
“I fear it will leave behind scars, constant reminders of what I did to you.” Lifting his arm to her mouth, she placed the gentlest of kisses against the still red and raw flesh. His gut tightened into an annoying knot. He didn’t want to soften toward her, needed to remain distant so he could view what their relationship might become as a business arrangement, one of convenience that would elevate the fruit of his loins into the upper echelons of Society. But from the moment he’d spied her, he’d strayed onto paths he’d never before traveled, taken actions he’d known would lead to no good outcome. Yet, here he was once again, dangling himself in front of her, giving her leave to do with him as she would. “Damn you. H
ow is it that you have managed to bewitch me?”
Cradling her cheek with one hand, plowing his fingers into her hair, he brought her in and took her mouth like the greedy bastard he was, relishing the taste and warmth of her, how easily she surrendered and shifted until it was more than their lips touching, until her body was nestled within the curve of his. His plan to make a rational, informed decision regarding whether he would once again have her was mocking him. He had so little resistance where she was concerned. It was sheer and utter madness, the ease with which she controlled him.
With great care, as though she were spun glass and easily shattered, never taking his mouth from hers, he lowered her to the Aubusson carpet that dominated this particular sitting area. With a lifting of her skirts, an unfastening of his trousers, he could claim her here, now. Recklessly. With no sheath about to offer her protection, before he fully decided if he would take the risk of bringing a child into the world. Her sighs and moans inflamed his desires. The manner in which she writhed beneath him as though she were desperate to have him closer fueled his body’s needs, leaving them wanting, wanting of her and the hot, velvety slickness that had encased him the night before, that had driven him nearly mad. He’d wanted to stay buried in her, to pour his seed into her, as much as he’d wanted to leave and spare her the possibility of giving birth to his progeny. But it was what she wanted, and he imagined her swelling with his babe.
Bracketing her face between his hands, he deepened the kiss, his tongue imitating the primal motions his cock longed to make, thrusting, parrying. Why did she have to taste so damn good? Why did it have to feel as though her hands belonged on his back, stroking, caressing, urging him ever closer? Why—
A loud clearing of a throat had him jerking his head up to glare at Beast, who stood just inside the doorway, holding a box. Selena gave a little mewl of distress, clutched his shirt, and buried her face against his chest. While being caught in such an intimate position was embarrassing for a woman, he couldn’t help but wonder if being caught with him specifically added to her shame.
“Fancy’s bringing the sisters up to see the reading salon.” Beast’s voice was quiet, even, gave no hint that he was surprised by what he’d witnessed. But then his brother had always had a knack for seeing things as they were, had never been one to judge.
“I thought she wanted them filling the shelves downstairs.” It’s what they’d been doing when he’d left them.
Beast shrugged, walked in, and set down the box. “She decided they needed a break from their labors.”
After tapping Selena’s hand gently to get her to release her hold, Aiden shoved himself to his feet, reached down, and assisted her up. She began frantically patting her hair. He took her hands, stilled her actions. “You look fine.” Except for the red blossoming over her cheeks, indicating her mortification. “Beast is skilled at holding secrets and forgetting things he sees.”
She gave Beast a furtive glance. “Thank you for the warning.”
Not that they’d needed it. Aiden could hear the feminine voices coming up the stairs, although he was no doubt being quite optimistic to believe he’d have taken note of them when he’d been so lost in Selena.
The girls crossed the threshold with Fancy in the lead. “The reading salon,” she announced with affection and a spreading of her arms, before scowling at Aiden. “You’ve not made much progress.”
“The duchess and I were discussing how best to arrange the books.”
She narrowed her eyes as though suspecting another matter entirely might have been the reason for his delay in getting to work. Then she carried on with her purpose, once more spreading her arms to encompass the entirety of the sitting areas. “In here, people may read to their hearts’ content.”
“After they’ve purchased the books,” he pointed out.
“No. It’ll be like a lending library except I won’t charge a subscription fee.”
“Fancy, you’re running a business here. You can’t simply give things away. The books you are allowing them to read cost money.”
“I’m not a dolt, Aiden. I’m aware of how business works.”
“So you want to make a profit.”
“Neither am I greedy. A modest profit will suffice. Besides I intend to take donations in order to maintain the reading salon.”
He shifted his gaze to Beast, who quirked one corner of his mouth. None of this was news to his brother, which immediately made Aiden suspicious. He’d not had much time for the family of late, and he had a feeling it was about to cost him. He turned his attention back to his sister. “From whom will you be gathering these donations? Your siblings?”
“For a start. Then others with a charitable bent. Like the duchess, for example.”
He sighed. The duchess couldn’t afford to be charitable—not unless he gave her a child. Although he wasn’t about to share any of that with Fancy.
“We’re also going to teach people how to read,” she continued. “A couple of nights a week, we’ll hold lessons. As you’re well aware, a good many of the poorer among us lack education.”
It was one of the things his mum had insisted upon: her children would attend the free ragged schools. While it was only for half a day, until they reached the age of eleven, she’d never allowed them to miss a day—even when they were ill. She’d wanted to give them whatever advantages she could. “We?”
“Mr. Tittlefitz and I at first. Perhaps you’ll even teach a class.”
“I run my businesses at night.”
“Then I’ll schedule a class in the afternoon. We can discuss it later. At the moment, I want to give the ladies here a tour of the area and gather their opinions on how I might improve it. Ladies, if you’ll follow me?” She began leading them around the room, explaining how she thought one sitting area would appeal to men, another to ladies, yet another to a mother with her children.
“You won’t say no to her, will you?” Selena’s question sounded more like a statement.
He faced her. “She has a way of wrapping us around her finger.”
“And you’ll fund her free library.”
He sighed, striving to sound irritated. He didn’t need her to know how easily he could be won over. “I suspect we all will.”
“Families do for each other.”
He knew what she was saying, what she was explaining with so few words. Just as he would do everything within his power to ensure Fancy was happy, that she had all she wanted, desired, and needed, so Selena would do whatever was necessary to safeguard her sisters and assist them in bringing about their dreams.
Chapter 17
After her sisters and the others returned downstairs, she and Aiden worked in silence, placing the books on the shelves on opposite sides of the fireplace, as though he knew that if they were in easy reach of each other, they would come together again, as though they no longer had a choice, as though their bodies, now familiar to each other’s, had become magnetized and would always seek to rejoin.
Selena had been fascinated watching his interaction with his sister, the easy camaraderie between them, realizing that his irritated tone was feigned, understanding that his sister realized it as well. Fancy would have her bookshop, where people who could afford to do so made purchases, and her reading salon, where people of lesser means could lose themselves in the pages between the covers, where those who might have never known the magic books offered would learn to read and in so doing might better their lives.
Selena had taken her affluence for granted until her parents died, and she’d discovered it had all been false. Even though she had the privilege of being able to read, it had never occurred to her to work because people of her status did not lower themselves to such degrading activities. And yet from the moment she’d crossed the threshold into the shop, she’d been caught up in the excitement of a young woman on the verge of managing her own business. Fancy could do with it as she wished, decorate it as she pleased. She determined how the rooms would be arranged,
how the books would line the shelves. So much power. So much risk. Yet Selena suspected the risk added to the excitement because when one had so much to lose, achieving success would be all the sweeter.
“A penny for your thoughts.”
She nearly leaped out of her skin, only then noticing Aiden leaning against her side of the fireplace, his arms crossed over his chest. Why did he always have to appear so masculine, yet so rough? Why was her first thought upon seeing him always how much she longed to wrap her arms around his neck, lift up on her toes, and kiss him? “I was striving to recall if I’d read this book.”
“Liar.”
She laughed lightly, wondering if she’d ever be able to keep a secret from him, wondering if she’d ever want to. Her relationship with him, in spite of its initial deceptions, was the most honest one she’d ever experienced. “You’ve found me out. I was thinking how marvelous it is for your sister to have this opportunity. How brave she is to go forth not knowing the outcome. She could fail.”
“She could succeed.”
“Precisely. Is everyone in your family always so optimistic?”
“Life seldom rewards the faint of heart.”
She shook her head. “I wish I had your sister’s courage.”
“You came to my club, to me. You married a man you didn’t love in order to protect your family. Hardly the acts of a coward.”
“I did them out of fear.”
“It is not courageous if there is no fear.”
She was scared now, scared of the deception she wanted to perpetrate, scared of the guilt she harbored regarding the unfairness to Lushing, scared she might lose Aiden. “What do you fear?”
“Too many things to count.”
“I’m not certain I believe that.”
Reaching out, he skimmed his knuckles along her cheek. “I fear disappointing you.”
“By not giving me what I need?” Had he made his decision? Had he not found her sisters worthy of his seed? Did he not consider her worthy?
“Apologies for interrupting again.”
The Duchess in His Bed Page 20
