A Woman Made For Sin

by Michele Sinclair

  Aimee began to pace again, this time trying to conjure up Millie and Jennelle beside her. What would they advise? Jennelle would tell her to have a well-thought-out plan. Millie would agree and say that it should be something shocking, in order to capture Reece’s attention. Her mother, however, would tell her to think like a Wentworth.

  Wentworths preferred order, and minimal disruption to themselves, friends, and family, but if something did threaten those they loved—then laws, rules, and conventions were ignored. Her brother had thrown Millie over his shoulder and marched out of Almack’s when he decided that he loved her. Aimee had no intentions of throwing Reece over her shoulder, but she did have an idea about how to make him admit the truth: that he loved her and it was not his lack of title or choice of profession standing in their way, but his own stubbornness.

  If she failed, her reputation would be ruined. But then, wasn’t it already?

  Jennelle entered the parlor and stared accusatorily as Chase rose to his feet. He had arrived nearly half an hour ago, and though it was unheard of for a baron—let alone a baron’s daughter—to leave a marquess waiting so long, Jennelle had done just that. She was not just angry, but terrified, and had been for weeks. She had pledged to not say a word until she had to, but that had been more than a week ago. Now that Chase was here, she had no idea where to start.

  “My lord,” she said and followed it with a formal curtsy.

  Chase raised a brow but followed her formality. “Miss Perrin.” In truth, he had forgotten her real salutation, for Millie and Aimee had acted as if she were their titled equal since childhood.

  “I assume you came with news of Aimee?”

  Chase frowned and looked behind Jennelle to see if Millie would soon be following her. When she did not, he assumed she was waiting in the shadows for an answer.

  “While I cannot unequivocally confirm her safety, all information that I have been able to gather—which is a considerable amount—leads me to believe that she is indeed with Reece on the Sea Emerald and not in immediate harm.”

  Jennelle closed her eyes and relief flooded her expression. “I told you that Aimee intentionally had herself captured.”

  Chase’s jaw hardened at Jennelle’s genuine surprise at the news. Not only had Millie not written back to him, she had not even deemed it necessary to read his letters. “It was in my correspondence to my wife,” he growled.

  Jennelle’s blue eyes flashed in anger. “How would I know? I am not in the habit of opening mail that is not my own.”

  Chase was done playing word games and being patient. The time for retaliation was over. He wanted to see his wife. “Please send for Millie immediately. I wish to see her.”

  Jennelle glared at him. “I wish I could, my lord, but I cannot because she is not here.”

  His golden eyes suddenly went cold. “Explain.”

  “I have no more information to give you other than that, my lord. Your wife is not here. She left here over a week ago to London, in a hack.”

  Chase could feel his heart begin to pound so hard he suspected Jennelle could hear it from where she was standing. If so, she bore him no sympathy. Her unflinching stare frightened him more than anything. If she knew Millie was safe, Jennelle would be indignant; but she was not annoyed. Her bright blue eyes were full of fear. And she blamed him for it.

  In two strides, Chase moved to stand right in front of her. “What the hell is going on, Jennelle? What do you mean, Millie is not here? Just where in the hell is she?”

  “I do not know!” Jennelle stepped around him and hugged herself, feeling her composure begin to completely unravel. Finally, she could share this burden. But the relief she had hoped to feel was not forthcoming. If anything, she felt only guilt at seeing the same terror she had been feeling for days take over Chase.

  Chase did not move. “You must have some idea.”

  “I have none. She made sure that I would not be able to follow and join her, for I would have done just that.” Jennelle closed her eyes and shook her head. “I caught her just as she was leaving. The driver called her ‘miss,’ so wherever she is, it is under another identity.”

  “You let her go?” Chase growled out, half in anger and half in pain.

  Jennelle whirled about. “No, I did not let her. It was you who practically forced Millie into whatever insane plan she has embarked upon.”

  “Me!”

  “Yes, you!” Jennelle yelled back. “Just what did you think Millie would do after receiving not a single word from you when it was clear the Sea Emerald was not returning? She assumed you had exhausted all your resources and had nothing to tell her. And you know her! You know Millie would not be able to stay home waiting, if she believed there was even a small chance that she could be out there helping. So damn you for not telling her sooner and putting her in a position of believing she had to do things on her own.”

  Chase felt every accusation almost as if it were a lethal blow. He knew Jennelle was right, but at the same time his mind rebelled at the idea that Millie was alone and vulnerable and it was his fault. “I did not give her any such ideas. I sent her to her father’s! If anything, I begged her to stop all this foolishness because of this very reason!”

  “Oh, Charles, is it possible that you still don’t understand your wife?” Jennelle asked as she collapsed on the settee and buried her face in her hands. After a moment, she looked up. “Do you not recall what you said to her? You told her repeatedly that Aimee’s abduction was her fault. If Millie is told that she has caused a problem, what do you think she is going to do? Sit back and let others fix it?”

  “Good God.” Chase sank onto the settee next to her. The blood drained from his face. If Jennelle was right and Millie had left to discover what happened to Aimee, then she was more than just alone and vulnerable. If she was snooping around the London docks and anyone discovered her real identity, she was in grave danger. And they would. Millie might like to think herself wild and untamed, but compared to the poor who found work around the wharfs, she was a polished and refined diamond.

  “You have to find her, Charles. She told me she would be back by now, and not only is she not back, I have only received one brief note stating she was close but needed more time. Nothing else.”

  “I will find my wife and I will find her well and unharmed,” Chase announced, just before he shut all his emotions down. He instinctively shifted into the man he had been for years working as a spy in the war. Feelings were sometimes an asset, but in times like these, fear and worry drove men to poor decisions and actions. No longer was he Charlie, who adored his beloved wife, but the Marquess of Chaselton. There was no power, means, persuasion, or force he would not employ to find what he sought.

  “Start from the beginning and tell me everything that you know.”

  Jennelle stared at him for several seconds and then began. “First, my lord, you need to know just who was behind the events of that awful night. For it was not your wife.”

  “Hello, Reece.”

  Reece closed the door behind him out of habit and then froze. His gaze moved over her body slowly before becoming riveted on her green eyes. There was no mistaking their dark look. Every nerve ending immediately responded to their unspoken message. “What are you doing in here?” he barely choked out as he visually devoured her.

  Aimee lifted her arms to swirl the diaphanous material she was wearing around her. “And I thought I was being obvious. I intend to seduce you.”

  Damn, she sounded calm. Even confident. He felt neither. What he did feel was his lower body tightening to a painful level. His heart began to pound and he clenched his fists, determined to remember all the reasons why he did not want to do what his body was demanding.

  As soon as they returned to London, the pressure for them to marry would be incessant, and it would come from everyone who knew either of them. But Reece fully intended to resist. He refused to be punished for the situation Aimee had alone created. He would look Chase in the eye
and swear on everything that he valued that his sister had been returned untouched. But, damn, if she was not making it very hard.

  Only that morning, Aimee declared that not only did she believe she was being treated like a prisoner but so would Charles, Millie, Jennelle . . . and her mother. He had pointed out that prisoners did not have quarters, beds, decent food, or many of the other amenities she had been allowed. And yet he also doubted many would think it tolerable that he had locked up a woman—especially the daughter of a marquess—without letting her see or speak to anyone. So he had agreed to let Aimee out of her room and waited for her to reveal her real intentions. And once she tried to enlist help from his crew, he would be well justified in locking her back up.

  All day he had spied on her, waiting and watching for her to recruit his men into doing something he had forbidden, but Aimee approached no one. She had been friendly to everyone she encountered. Kyrk had been grateful to receive her company and Collins had been shocked when she had apologized, stating that he had been correct and she should have heeded his instruction about staying away from the crew. She also apologized for usurping his cabin. When lunchtime came, Reece had thought she would seek him out, and when she did not he had gone to look for her, only to find her in the kitchen with JP. Soon afterwards, she had retired to her cabin.

  Aimee shifted her stance slightly and the material shimmered, once again drawing attention to her figure. His whole body instantly constricted with desire, remembering just what it felt like to hold her in his arms. He took a step forward and her hand went up. Without thought, he stopped.

  Aimee tilted her chin up slightly. “My heart is yours, Reece, and I can say confidently that it will always be yours. Whether you are aware of it or not, I have met other men. I have fulfilled my social and familial responsibilities of being introduced into Society. I have danced, and conversed, and even flirted with the most eligible bachelors seeking a wife.”

  Every word Aimee spoke felt like a fist being driven into his stomach. But Reece refused to let anything in his stance or expression show what he was feeling at the thought of other men around her.

  “Not all were titled, but most were,” Aimee continued. “A few of the men were dandies, some disturbingly old, and a handful were idiots, unable to carry on even a dull conversation. But there were several gentlemen who were intelligent, witty, and unusually charming in both looks and manners. I was surprised to learn how many men of leisure are secretly ambitious, discontent to live off their inheritance. And yes, a few of these gentlemen have pursued my hand with remarkable persistence.”

  Jealousy. That was the root of the twisting pain eating Reece. Any sane man with means and a title would seek her hand, but he had told himself she had been ignoring them in order to cling to her childhood fantasy. He had not realized how much that belief had enabled him to stay sane, because deep down Reece suspected that once Aimee did meet some eager, witty, and available gentleman, he would become a distant memory.

  “And while the idea of marrying tempted me after seeing Millie so happy with Chase, I realized something. When I looked into my future and envisioned the father of my children, I could see only you. Despite everything, I have wanted, and still want, only you.”

  Reece swallowed. It was not often he dreamed of being a husband and father. For the only woman he could imagine making a commitment to was Aimee—and she was an impossibility. Women like Aimee did not become sea captains’ wives. They were not content to wait for weeks, sometimes months, to see their husbands.

  Aimee stilled for a second, and only when their eyes were once again locked did she resume speaking. “But after tonight I am not going to pursue you any longer. I will refuse any attempts to force us into marriage and I will mimic your endeavors this past year to avoid each other. Or . . . you can take what I am offering.”

  Reece’s eyes narrowed, but he did not move his gaze from hers.

  “I will give you my love and a future with me by your side, either on this ship or at our home with our children. You choose. After tonight we will become either strangers or lovers. But either way, you will need to do something for me in return.”

  Reece’s jaw clenched. The catch. There always was one when a woman proposed a deal or compromise. Did Aimee think he would confess his undying love? Was she going to demand that he swear off other women if he refused her? Did Aimee think she could persuade him by blaming him for her self-imposed spinsterhood?

  “And just what is it that you expect me to do?” he finally managed to grind out.

  “Either way, you must admit what you are accepting or refusing.”

  Stunned and perplexed, Reece creased his brows in confusion.

  Aimee gave a delicate shrug of her shoulders. “Admit that my reputation is ruined, and as a ruined woman, I am now more of a risk to you than you are to me. Recognize that my love for the sea is sincere and acknowledge that I could be one of those rare women who could be happy away from family and friends for weeks at a time on a ship. Concede that my presence is not a problem for the crew. And . . .”

  Upon her hesitation, Reece mentally braced himself. Everything she had said was true. If her brother had not been able to keep her whereabouts a secret, then she was right about her reputation, just as she was about loving the sea and being able to mingle with his crew. But just as he would never admit any of those things, neither would he acknowledge her final demand—to admit his love. Only he would be haunted with that information. Someday Aimee would change her mind about him and it would be a lot easier for her to find and commit to another without a past love.

  “I want you to admit that last December meant something to you. That I was not a mere dalliance. That you would not have reacted the same way to just any woman who kissed you awake. I want you to tell me that I was not just a bit of muslin, willing and easily accessible.”

  He swallowed, rattled by her last request. “You know all that you said is true.”

  “Even December?”

  “Especially December,” he answered, his voice hoarse with emotion.

  She closed her eyes and he spied a tear sliding down her cheek. “Thank you.” Then, straightening her back, she asked, “What is your choice?”

  He shook his head. “Aimee, I cannot be with you . . . I wish I could, but I just . . .”

  She looked at him, and with a small nod of her head, moved past him to go to the door and leave. The moment she stepped around him and out of sight, his future, which had always been so clear to him, became blank. He could recall his dreams—growing the fleet, living on the water—but it was suddenly all meaningless. He could achieve every goal he ever set, but unless she was in his life, he would never be at peace, never be truly happy. And he would know that it was not Society, or titles, or circumstances of birth that were the cause of his loneliness. He would have only himself to blame.

  Reece grabbed her arm and swung her around and roughly pulled her up against him. Aimee splayed her fingers across his chest and without any hesitation she lifted her face. He pushed all of the reasons why he was not the one for her out of his mind and gave in to his desire to once again feel her lips against his. Soft, warm, and inviting—everything he remembered and more.

  Aimee closed her eyes and blocked out everything except Reece. Finally, he was kissing her. Not from shock or lack of self-control, but because he wanted her and he could not let her go. The moment his fingers curled around her arm, tendrils of fire licked every nerve in her body. When his mouth opened, she welcomed him and swept her own tongue inside, delighting in the taste of him. A deep groan of satisfaction escaped his throat and he crushed her to him, deepening the kiss. And still it was not enough. All Aimee knew was she wanted to be closer to him, to touch and be touched and know that he was finally hers and she was his.

  Reece reveled in the small hungry sounds Aimee was making deep in her throat. She had ruined him ten long months ago. Before Aimee, kissing had been an enjoyable pastime, but not something that would e
ver cause his emotions to become involved. As with all things concerning the pursuit of pleasure and women, it was predictable, easily attained, and dismissed. But the touch of Aimee’s lips against his was unlike anything he had ever experienced. She was everything he had ever wanted and never thought to have. He did not deserve her, but he had not been able to stop himself that afternoon. He just wanted more, and that one soft kiss had turned into something that had consumed him day and night. And now that she was in his arms again, he wanted to believe this was real . . . that she not only wanted him, but always would, for she was all he would ever want. Easing back, he cupped her cheek. “Are you sure?”

  Aimee blinked her passion-filled eyes, but he could see she understood the question. “Only if you promise not to regret this—regret choosing me,” she said, her green eyes boring into his.

  Reece swallowed and dove his fingers into her hair, letting her feel the tension in him. “I cannot change, Aimee. I will always be who I am now and nothing more.”

  Aimee closed her eyes and smiled. When she opened them again, Reece caught his breath at the love shining from the emerald depths of her eyes. “I know who you are, Reece Hamilton. What’s more, I know that you cannot change. We have known each other for years, but while you were ignoring me, I was not ignoring you. I know you are loyal, passionate, patriotic, and so many more things. I also know that once you have committed to something, it’s forever. And you’ve been torn because your heart is committed to me and the sea. You thought you couldn’t have both. But you can.”

  All words came to an abrupt end as he took her mouth in a searing kiss. Reece had been completely unprepared for the flood of sensations her words would have on him. He wanted her to be his wife, to be the mother of his children, to do things right and in the right order, but he most desperately needed to make her his. And the way she was pressing her body against him, Aimee needed him as well.