“Miss Lydall could not have gone far, Thorn.”
“Unless she and your father took the servant’s stairs,” Chance said, glancing in that direction.
“I cannot fathom what he could have said to convince her to leave with him,” Thorn said, taking a few steps forward before halting. “Perhaps we should separate. I will check the stairs and you and Tempest can check the rooms in the opposite direction.”
“Tempest?”
“Mama? Arabella,” the young marchioness said, and embraced her mother and then her sister. “Forgive our late arrival. We were planning to—”
“Your sister said that you and your husband were arguing,” Lady Norgrave said, glaring at Chance. She had already come to the conclusion that her son-in-law was at fault. “She thought you needed me.”
Tempest sent her husband a helpless look before she met her sister’s worried gaze. “How could you know?” The marchioness sighed. “You must have overheard—”
“Where is Miss Lydall?” Lady Arabella abruptly asked.
Thorn crossed over to the young lady. “Miss Lydall was with you? Why did you leave her alone?”
Lady Arabella flinched at his anger. “It was only for a short time. I asked if she would remain here while I sought my mother. Why? What is wrong?”
“What is wrong?” Thorn heard his cousin say his name but ignored the other man’s plea to calm down. “Your friend was waylaid by three scoundrels.”
Lady Norgrave’s mouth thinned at the news. “Where is she?”
Lady Arabella looked to her sister in hopes she would deny his charge. Tempest shook her head. “This is my fault. I must speak to her at once.”
Thorn wanted to verbally lash out at the young woman’s foolishness, but whatever she and Miss Lydall had overheard when they approached the parlor had worried Lady Arabella enough that she left to find her mother.
“You can help us search this floor. The last time I saw Miss Lydall, she was with your father.”
Lady Arabella gasped. “My father!” She turned to address her mother. “Did you know he was here?”
Lady Norgrave slowly shook her head. “Norgrave can be unpredictable.”
It was exactly why Thorn was worried about Miss Lydall.
Marriage had not prevented the older man from bedding other women. Thorn had heard rumors that Norgrave had particular tastes when it came to his lovers, and he preferred them to be young.
Had Norgrave stepped in to rescue Olivia so he could claim her for himself?
It was a sickening thought, and a quick look at his companions’ faces told him he was not the only one familiar with the older gentleman’s perversions.
“I will join you,” Chance said. “Tempest will remain with her mother and Arabella.”
Thorn nodded and turned away before he could say something to Lady Norgrave that he could not take back. Silently he strode down the wide corridor, aware that his cousin was matching his long stride.
“I know what you are thinking and I hope you are proven wrong. It would be a bold move, even for Norgrave,” Chance said, keeping his voice low. “He would not take such a risk with so many witnesses.”
“You know the man well?” Thorn mocked.
His cousin winced as both of them recalled the lengths he had gone to avoid Norgrave’s machinations. “Well enough to know he isn’t a fool.”
As they walked by a small alcove, Thorn and Chance halted at the sight of Olivia sitting like a queen in the middle of the sofa while Lord Norgrave sat in a chair beside her. The corner of the older man’s mouth curved as he recognized them, and there was contempt in his pale blue eyes.
Miss Lydall stood up when she saw them. “Lord Kempthorn and Lord Fairlamb.” Her gaze slid to her companion, and Thorn could read from her expression that she was uncertain how to proceed given the unpleasant history between Norgrave and Chance’s father. “I believe you know Lord Norgrave.”
Tempest, Lady Arabella, and Lady Norgrave joined them.
“Oh, there you are, Lady Arabella,” Miss Lydall said cheerfully. She was either oblivious to the animosity between the Rookes and the Brants or she had decided to brazen her way out of an awkward situation by feigning ignorance. “While you were looking for your mother, I managed to run into your father. It is quite an amusing tale.”
“Not quite how I would describe it, my dear,” Lord Norgrave said, casting an affectionate look at his new friend. “However, watching everyone’s faces when you tell the tale will be entertaining.”
Lady Norgrave’s stared down at her husband. “I should warn you, Miss Lydall. The only tales my husband relishes are the ones that revolve around him.”
Unmoved by the coldness in his wife’s voice, Norgrave took a sip of his wine. “Those are the only ones worth retelling, my love.”
Chapter Nineteen
“I saw no reason why I could not have remained with Lady Arabella and her mother,” Olivia said, breaking the silence between her and Thorn on the drive home. The earl had not allowed her out of his sight since he and his cousin had discovered her in the company of Lord Norgrave.
Lord Kempthorn had looked positively intimidating when she had explained the details of how the marquess had rescued her. He expressed a keen desire to find the drunken ruffians who had frightened and roughly handled her, but Lord Fairlamb had stopped him from leaving. Next, the marquess had dragged the earl away from their little group and the two gentlemen had a fierce albeit brief whispered discussion. His cousin had won the argument, but she had been the one who was suffering the brunt of Thorn’s brooding anger.
“You had enough adventure for one evening, do you not agree?”
Ah, the man speaks!
“Granted, those three gentlemen startled me—”
The earl’s head lifted, and what she saw in his glittering gaze dried her throat. Olivia swallowed.
“Even so, I recovered quickly.”
Lord Kempthorn brought his hands to his face and shook his head. “Those three men were the least of your troubles, Miss Lydall.”
Olivia sensed the earl was struggling to leash his temper. “You are distressed about Lord Norgrave.”
His hands moved from his face to the tops of his thighs. Thorn gripped the firm muscled flesh as if he needed to throttle something—or someone. “Aye, you could say I am a bit distressed—about finding you and Norgrave together and sipping wine as if you and he were old friends.”
“There is nothing scandalous about showing my gratitude to the gentleman who ran off some fellows who were clearly set on mischief. I did not even know his name until I—”
“And what did you do when you learned he was Lord Norgrave?”
None of this was Olivia’s fault, but he was acting as if she had committed some grave sin by speaking to the man. “What do you think I did? The man is Lady Arabella’s father, Lady Norgrave’s husband. I thanked him.”
Humorless laughter filled the interior of the coach. “The devil saves you and you thank him for it.”
Olivia was swiftly losing patience with him. “See here, Lord Kempthorn.”
“Thorn.”
“I know your accursed name,” she shouted at him. “I am not as muzzy as you believe. I am just not very pleased with you at the moment.”
“You are vexed with me.” The earl chuckled. “That’s rich. I chase after you when I discover that you are alone with one of London’s most infamous scoundrels, and he is the gent you thank.”
“You saw me,” she said, just realizing in all of the excitement that he had not explained how he had known she was with the marquess. “You were in the gallery when those gentlemen approached me?”
“Aye, but I was on the opposite side and I—I was distracted,” he said, his expression thoughtful as he carefully selected his words. “I did not even notice you until Norgrave had confronted those ruffians. And you were gone by the time I reached the other side of the gallery.”
“You were on the other side?” Olivia said
, wondering how she could have overlooked him. She could not recall seeing anyone on the other side except for the couple who had been— “I noticed a man and woman. They were passionately kissing.”
Lord Kempthorn flinched. “You are mistaken. What you witnessed was me fervently attempting to escape my companion.”
“You did not seem to be struggling,” she said, feeling an unexpected prick of jealousy.
“Considering the distance and your poor eyesight, forgive me if I do not give your opinion much merit,” he said bluntly.
“Who was it?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Do not be coy,” she said, leaning closer as he straightened. “Do I know this mysterious lady who can outmatch you in strength and agility?”
“I was not—the lady took me by surprise,” he said, sounding defensive. “I have known Lady Millicent—”
“Lady Millicent!”
The earl nodded. “She asked to speak privately about a family matter. I did not expect her to behave”—he brought his fist to his forehead and rubbed the ache away with his thumb—“I misjudged her determination.”
It appeared everyone was aware of Lady Millicent’s affection for Lord Kempthorn except for him.
“How ridiculously delicious,” Olivia said with a laugh. “If those three gentlemen had not approached me, I might have been the one to rescue you from Lady Millicent’s greedy clutches.”
“I will agree about the ridiculous part,” he said sullenly.
“It also explains why Lady Millicent was glaring at me when we returned to the ballroom to find St. Lyons. Knowing how vindictive she can be, the lady likely blames me for ruining her attempts to seduce you.”
There was an audible gnashing of his teeth. “For the last time, there was no seducing.”
She gave him a superior look. “From what I had glimpsed, Lady Millicent had landed you in her silken net, and you were flopping about on the floor like a turbot.”
“A tur—I will show you what it feels to be landed like a fish!”
Lord Kempthorn lunged forward and pulled Olivia onto his lap. As he shifted her body against his, the back of her head bumped against the side of the coach and she gasped. His hot mouth covered hers. This wasn’t a swift, bruising kiss designed to shut her up or punish her. His lips were teasing, light brushes of warm flesh and soft licks from the tip of his tongue. She wiggled against him, feeling unbalanced because of the way she was draped across him and the sudden movements of the coach. The earl cradled her head with his hand while his other hand caressed her hip and backside.
There was no escape for her unless she wanted to be unceremoniously dumped on the floor. Thorn would do it, she thought. Unlike Gideon, her reckless ways maddened Thorn and he often tried to bend her to his will.
Not that he had much success.
As they grew older and distance separated them, it had been simpler for both of them to ignore each other.
Then how did I end up in his lap?
He leisurely released her lips. “You never react the way I expect.” He nuzzled her cheek and kissed a sensitive spot near her ear.
Olivia had always been different. On most days, she was untroubled by the notion, but some of the warmth and humor faded. She stiffened in his embrace. “How so?”
Thorn nibbled around her earring. “You are grinning up at me when most ladies would be slapping my face.”
“There is still time for me to rectify my error.” Olivia reached for his shoulder and attempted to sit up. She wobbled on his lap. “Will you give me a little assistance?”
She had managed to dampen his ardor. His grim expression revealed as much, but he did not seem inclined to comply with her cool demand.
“You started this,” he said, causing her to gape at him in astonishment. “You should not goad a man if you are not prepared to face the consequences.”
“I was not doing anything!” she denied. “I was merely teasing you because the mighty Lord Kempthorn was overwhelmed by a foolish little chit who has decided that she would like to be your countess.”
“Lady Millicent did not best me,” he grumbled.
“You forget I caught a glimpse of your torrid embrace.” Olivia was pleased to see him wince. “She is probably telling everyone that you tried to ravish her.”
“For god’s sake, nothing happened!”
“That is your account,” she said, taking advantage of his divided attention. Olivia slid off his lap and onto the bench beside him. “You can be certain there were other witnesses who will swear you were kissing her.”
Olivia waited for Thorn to lose his temper. He had bruised her feelings by telling her that she didn’t behave like a lady, so she had pointed out that his actions were not that of a gentleman. She smoothed a strand of hair and tucked it behind her ear as if she was unconcerned.
The earl remained silent.
Unable to bear another minute of silence, she risked a side-glance. Thorn did not look angry at all. In fact, there was a degree of smugness in his posture that worried her.
He leaned forward and used his arms to cage her against the bench. “And what will the gossips say about you, Miss Lydall?”
“I am beneath the scandalmongers’ notice,” she said, pressing her back against the firm leather cushions.
Thorn made a soft chiding noise with his tongue. “You drew attention this evening with those ruffians and with Lord Norgrave. Then you left the ball with me.”
“You insisted!” she hissed, her voice ripe with accusation. “However, it is insignificant. Everyone will assume you offered out of a sense of duty since you are a gentleman and we are neighbors.”
“Ah, but that is the rub, Olivia,” Thorn said with soft menace. “While you keep insisting I am a gentleman, I will confess that I have not always behaved in such a fashion.”
She glared at him. “You are trying to frighten me because I teased you about Lady Millicent.”
“You are correct about the kiss. Lady Millicent is eager and almost as reckless as you in some ways. I could have led her to a place more discreet than the open gallery and done more than sample her lips. I might have even touched her … like this.”
Thorn traced the delicate line of Olivia’s collarbone with his finger.
Peasant!
“Did you?” she huskily whispered.
The earl’s finger dropped lower, trailing downward to the cleft between her breasts. “Did I what?”
She could not meet his gaze. “Touch her like this.”
“Look at me,” he harshly ordered, and her gaze jumped up to meet his. “I could have. Perhaps another time, I would have accepted what Lady Millicent so enthusiastically offered.”
His fingers captured her chin to stop her from looking away.
“However, another lady has been dwelling in my thoughts,” he confessed. “She is a stubborn, reckless, infuriating creature who is so unlike me in temperament that the sensible thing to do is shun her company.”
“Your control is admirable, my lord.” The gentleman was controlling, thoughtlessly cruel with his bluntness, and deemed anyone who was ruled by their passions as beneath him. A sensible lady would shun him and his arrogant opinions. “You are an example to us all. I wish you luck with your lady.”
Thorn slowly shook his head. “I do not require luck, Miss Lydall. I have already caught you. Much like the turbot you accused me of being.”
Chapter Twenty
Olivia shouldn’t have teased him.
Thorn could tell by her slack-jawed expression that she still did not understand that her innate womanly defiance and affection for him and his twin had battered at the defenses he had erected to resist her.
Although he refused to admit it to himself, Olivia Lydall had always been a temptation.
While everyone around him yielded to his title and family, she had never been impressed. Gideon had been her friend, and he could have been hers as well, but in his youthful arrogance he had turned away. He was L
ord Felstead’s heir. She had seen only the boy, the one who came in second to her Gideon.
The wild reckless girl had wounded his feelings but not acknowledged his importance, so he had shunned and mocked her. Thorn had quietly resented her friendship with his twin. He had tried to control everything and everyone in his life. His grip had been so fierce and uncompromising; Gideon had slipped free and abandoned him. Olivia had learned to avoid him. He had managed his lovers and his passions with a ruthless efficiency, feeling nothing when he ended his affairs. Over the years, he had even kept his friends at a distance.
He had not understood the depth of his feelings until he watched helplessly as she walked away with his cousin’s enemy. Even now, the exasperating woman did not comprehend how dangerous Lord Norgrave could be.
She trusts him, but not me.
Another contradiction. Something to contemplate later when he was alone with his thoughts.
“Have you not received enough kisses for one evening?” she whispered, her eyes softening even though she was likely unaware of it.
She sees Gideon instead of me.
Well, Olivia would see him. She would feel him. When she entered her town house, there would be no confusion about which of the Netherwood twins she had kissed.
“Why should I limit myself?”
She slipped an inch lower. Did she think she could escape the consequences she had wrought? “Lord Kempthorn—”
Thorn dropped to his knee and leaned toward her until his mouth was a hairsbreadth from hers. “Do you desire my kiss, Olivia Lydall?”
To his amazement, she nodded her head. “No.”
Thorn grinned, finally understanding that he had the ability to befuddle her too.
“Liar,” he said, rubbing his lower lips against hers. “How many gentlemen have kissed you?”
Olivia huffed. “Your question is rude. I have no intention of answering it.”
The tip of his tongue emerged, and with a featherlight lick he tasted her lips. Salty and sweet. “That many, eh?”
“Certainly not,” she primly replied.
He nipped her lower lip with his teeth and she shivered. “Have you kissed Gideon?” he asked, curious to see if she would be honest.
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