by Wendy Vella
“Please.” She touched his jaw, her gray eyes urging him on. “Don’t stop.”
“Never,” he rasped, easing in and out again and again, until he felt the pressure build to an unbearable height inside him. The climax swept them together, each calling out in wonder as it rolled over them in waves of ecstasy.
Breathless, Marcus lay beside her on the pillow.
“Are you all right, Charlotte?” He slipped his arm beneath her until she rested her head on his shoulder.
“Yes,” she whispered.
Tomorrow, Marcus decided, was soon enough to work out what he was to do now that he had taken the innocence of Miss Charlotte Radley. It had been so much more than anything he had ever thought it could be, and he would have to work out just what that meant for them both now.
Chapter Ten
Marcus woke early in his bed. He had risen during the night and left Charlotte to return to his room, not wanting her embarrassed by a servant finding them in the morning.
Well, that was what he told himself. If he was honest, the real reason he left her bed was because he was disturbed at how much last night had made him feel.
Washing, he dressed and left the room. Stepping out into the crisp London morning, he made for the stables and saddled his horse. The streets were busy with carts and people, but Marcus was lost in his thoughts.
He’d made love to Charlotte last night, and Marcus had a bad feeling once, even twice, would never be enough with that woman. She had been a mix of sensual innocence in his arms. Her body had responded to him with such passionate honesty it had humbled him.
“Get yourself together, man,” he told himself.
Her mind intrigued him, her body tormented him, and her wit made him laugh. Lord, he was in trouble.
“What am I to do with you, Miss Radley?”
Turning into Night Street, he watched Leo pull out his key and enter the building they used for their investigative services. Doing the same minutes later, he nodded to Perkins, who was already at his desk, then descended to the basement, where he smelled coffee.
“Leo’s just been filling us in on what happened last night,” Nick said around a yawn.
“Sit, have coffee,” Jacob said, pouring black liquid from a pot into a cup, then handing it to Marcus. “You must be as exhausted as he is.”
“I slept well, if only briefly,” Marcus said, pushing aside visions of a naked Charlotte resting in his arms. Having her wrapped around him had given him the first restful sleep he’d had in years.
Nick whistled softly. “I bet Chadley’s stupefied at the invasion of his household.”
“He’s rallying.”
“And what of this fire? Was it an accident?”
“No, Jacob, it was no accident. Dandy, one of the houseguests, heard the door being broken down. By the time he’d reached the entrance, it was on fire.”
“So whoever did it wanted to make sure their escape route was closed off,” Nick said, looking disgusted. “Was it only Miss Radley they were after, do you think, Marcus?”
“The day I went to see Charlotte, one of the women who was in her house told me someone tried to abduct her a few weeks ago, but the boy Fred fought them off. Charlotte, when I questioned her, said the man who had grabbed her looked like her father’s steward, but couldn’t be certain as he wore a scarf tied around the lower half of his face.”
“Is there a tie between this and girls being taken?”
Leo said slowly. “And if there is, I can’t see it other than the fact that the missing girls know Miss Radley, and that there are people who are not happy with what she has been doing.”
“The man Leo and I questioned said the girls are being auctioned at a brothel here in London.” Marcus saw the disgust on his friends’ faces as he spoke. “I can’t see how that ties in with Charlotte, other than the fact that her father has regular involvement in brothels. If it was he who tried to have her taken, then that would be a good way to get rid of her and extract some revenge at the same time.” Marcus unclenched his fingers from around the cup before he broke it.
“That seems extreme,” Nick said. “Furthermore, why is the Duke suddenly interested in his daughter when she left him years ago?”
“I wonder if on one of his visits to a brothel, Miss Radley’s name was brought to the Duke’s attention, and suddenly he was faced by the bastard daughter who thwarted him and escaped,” Jacob said. “Maybe he has finally found her and wants her punished for breaking her betrothal with Squire Lorne.”
“By God, yes!” Nick said. “The Duke has a penchant for prostitutes that is well known among his peers. This could be the tie.”
“It’s a possibility,” Marcus said, looking around his friends. “But first we need to find out if it is he who wants her hurt.”
“But why take the girls?”
“It could simply be that the Duke of Marlton attended one of these auctions and decided on this fate for his daughter. Then he would punish her further by abducting prostitutes she knows.” Marcus could hear the anger in his voice as he answered Leo’s question. “We need to find out for certain before Charlotte is hurt any further.”
“It all seems a bit of an elaborate plan, considering what could go wrong,” Jacob said. “I mean, the Duke could just have her shot, or run down by a carriage. Why go to so much trouble?”
“No one is shooting Charlotte!” Marcus roared.
“When did she become Charlotte?” Leo raised an eyebrow. “Furthermore, you seem very protective of the woman.”
Marcus withstood the looks thrown his way. “She is the baseborn child of a duke, who protects prostitutes. Hardly my type of woman, wouldn’t you say?” he lied. He had no wish for his friends to push this point.
“Didn’t we once make a pact that those things didn’t matter if the right woman came along?”
Marcus looked at Leo as he spoke. He face was calm but his eyes serious. Nick and Jacob had matching expressions. “We were young boys, so that no longer applies, nor can it. I am a viscount. I cannot marry a bastard.”
“Noblemen have married the baseborn daughters of noblemen before,” Leo said.
Marcus couldn’t breathe. Suddenly his throat felt tight as he intercepted the looks from his friends. “Why are you speaking like this, Leo, when you are the first to say that marriage is for fools?”
“Thanks very much,” Nick drawled.
“I wasn’t talking about me, as my heart is a small, shriveled organ that has no chance of ever softening enough to fall in love. However, you, Marcus, are another matter entirely. You need a strong woman, and I was just pointing out that should you have an interest in one, then we would support you in that interest.”
Marcus battled the panic he felt at Leo’s words. He did not care for Charlotte Radley, nor would he ever. “I have no idea why we are having this discussion when I care nothing for Charlotte Radley, other than concern for her welfare.”
“Of course. I was just pointing out that a woman cannot help her birth, and that it need not be an obstacle to love.”
“Of course it’s a bloody obstacle,” Marcus said, far too quickly. “None of us can marry beneath us, and you very well know that. Now enough of this talk, we need to work out our next steps.”
A heavy silence settled over the room until Jacob broke it.
“I was wondering where Miss Radley and her two companions will go now that their house has burned to the ground and she has nothing to her name? Because obviously she cannot stay with you, Marcus.”
He’d thought about that too, and had a solution that would put Charlotte out of his reach, which was surely a good thing, he told himself.
“Do you remember that house the Earl of Reardon gave us for finding his daughter before she could wed that idiot Luther?” Marcus said, relieved they had changed the subject. “It’s an hour’s drive from London and is empty, so would suit her needs for now.”
“Yes, that’s a perfect idea,” Nick said. “I shall get Grace
on to some clothing for her and her companions.”
Marcus wanted to say that he would buy her clothes, but kept the thought in his head.
“However, I doubt she will take the offer of it from me, therefore perhaps you have an idea of how I can get her to accept, without her knowing that I am involved in the transaction?”
“Why can’t she know that you’re involved?” Jacob said.
“Because she is too proud to accept something like this unless she feels she has earned it,” Marcus said.
“That makes an odd kind of sense, especially as she’s a woman who has obviously lived by her wits and very little funds since leaving her father,” Jacob added.
“I think if you tell her the truth, your Miss Radley will see reason,” Leo said, shrugging. “The house is empty. She is desperate and out of choices, so I think she will take it. Surely she cannot afford to do otherwise.”
Marcus didn’t want to dwell on the fact that Charlotte was desperate because it made his chest hurt.
“She is not my Miss Radley.”
“Slip of the tongue, old boy,” Leo said, slapping him on the back, but Marcus didn’t like the look in his friend’s eyes. He let it pass as they began to discuss how to proceed with the investigation.
Marcus arrived home to find Fred sliding down his banister.
“Lord Needly,” Chadley said, with enough force to carry to the boy and the footman catching him.
Everyone grew still and turned to look at him.
“I used to do that,” Marcus said. “My brother, sister, and I used to get Chadley to count to see who came down the quickest.”
“Were you the quickest?” Fred questioned, looking less frightened.
“Actually no, my sister always beat me.”
He didn’t precisely smile, but Marcus thought his eyes may have.
“Carry on,” he then said, waving a hand at them. “All is well, Chadley?”
“Yes, my lord. Mr. Dandy and the boy have been clothed and fed.”
“And Miss Radley?”
“Miss Radley left early, alone, to see what lodgings she could secure. Had I been aware of her intentions, my lord, I would have ensured she had company, but as she was gone as the sun rose, there was little I could do to stop her.”
Marcus said something foul beneath his breath. “She is in no fit state to be traipsing around London, no doubt on foot. Her lungs inhaled a great deal of smoke last night, her hands are damaged, and then there is the small matter of someone attempting to take her life.” And I should have thought of all those things before I made love to her.
Chadley nodded.
Marcus wanted to walk back out the door and track her down; however, as he had no idea where she had gone, his search would be fruitless. He would have plenty to say to the reckless Miss Radley when she returned. He’d thought she was in bed when he left the house, the bed they’d shared until dawn, when instead she was up and gone early.
“Lord Needly.” The elderly gentleman named Dandy approached him. “We are grateful to you for allowing us into your home.”
Marcus waved the words aside. “Are you comfortable, is there anything you need?”
“No indeed, everyone has been very kind.”
“Excellent,” Marcus said, feeling uncomfortable about the fact that he had always had so much and this man so little. “I shall be in my study, Chadley. Please send Miss Radley there upon her return, and then send in tea.”
Marcus tried to concentrate on the papers on his desk, but he didn’t feel his shoulders relax until he heard her knock on his door.
“Enter!” It was a bark, as his spleen was now well and truly boiled.
“You wished to see me, Lord Needly?”
She wore an ugly brown dress that was too big and hung in folds around her slender body. Her hair was pinned to the top of her head. Marcus wondered if she even had a bonnet, and realized she probably did not. On her feet were boots that looked like they had belonged to a man or boy. She was pale and had dark smudges beneath her eyes, and he realized she probably had no coat either. Why this thought enraged him, he had no idea, as it was hardly her fault. But as he had so much and had always taken that fact for granted, his anger was now fueled by guilt also. Then there was the small matter of the bolt of lust he’d felt when he’d first seen her, which was ridiculous, considering how she looked.
“Please take a seat.” He rose and waved her to the one opposite his.
She didn’t meet his eyes, and he knew she was as uncomfortable as he was after what they had shared. He wondered how that was possible, when last night he had felt like she was a part of him.
Chapter Eleven
Charlotte battled the wave of color that heated her cheeks as she looked at the man who had made her feel so much last night. He had taken her to the stars and back and given her more than she ever believed she would experience in her life. He’d touched her soul, and looking into that hard, closed face, she knew the feelings had been hers alone.
When she walked away from him for the last time, she would at least have her memories, and while that should make her happy, it did not. Because now she knew what would be missing in her life for the rest of her days. Charlotte may have been innocent, but she knew that only this man could make her feel the passion and ecstasy she had felt last night. Because as she walked around the streets of London today, she had come to the realization that what she felt for Marcus was now a great deal more than something as simple as respect.
She’d woken to an empty bed and felt foolish at her disappointment. He was a viscount, she the bastard child of a duke. There was no future for them, even though for a brief moment last night, she had thought there may be.
“I believe Dandy told you the fire was deliberately lit, Charlotte.”
“Yes, my lord, it was.” She had called him Marcus last night, but he did not ask her to do so now. There was no gentle lover evident in any of the hard planes of his face. Was he regretting last night? Had she been a disappointment to him?
“And did someone attempt to abduct you off the street not long ago?”
“Yes, my lord.”
“And it’s your belief you have more than one enemy out there somewhere?”
“I—ah, yes.” She wasn’t sure where these questions were leading, but the anger in his tone suggested they would get there soon.
“Look at me, Charlotte.”
She hadn’t even realized she’d looked away.
“You left the protection of my house this morning, alone, knowing there are people out there who wish you dead. Again your actions are irresponsible and foolish.” His words were clipped.
“I needed to secure lodgings, Lord Needly, and I could not do so from my bed.” She felt her anger rise. Did he think she was not aware of the danger, had not wondered if one day whoever intended her harm would succeed? Unlike him, she did not have money or possessions to fall back on. She’d had to leave the house.
“I told you last night I would help you.”
“We have inconvenienced you enough, and this is my problem, and these are my people. Therefore, I will handle it.” She rose to her feet, wanting to get away from him and his cold, dismissive attitude. Charlotte had her pride, and she would not remain in the room to be lectured by a man who last night had held her as if she were his most treasured possession. She would not show him that her heart was now lying broken and bleeding at his noble feet.
He promised you nothing, Charlotte, she reminded herself.
“You will not leave this house without an escort again, Charlotte.”
“I will not hide simply because someone wants me dead. Now, if that is all, I shall leave you.” She had reached the door before he stopped her.
“That is not all, so dismissing me like a child will not work.”
He turned her and suddenly her back was against the door and he loomed over her, his body pressed to hers.
“You little fool, have you no regard for your safety?”
<
br /> “Release me, Lord Needly.”
“Never.” His lips punished hers and in seconds, Charlotte felt the flood of wicked heat begin to fill her body, but this time, she fought against it, pushing at his shoulders for release.
“Don’t fight me,” he breathed against her lips, and she felt her knees buckle.
“We cannot have this… Do that again.”
“Yes.” One of his hands stole up her body to cup a breast, and she felt the flesh yield and swell to meet his touch. “We can and will.”
“I must go,” she whispered, even as one of her hands curled around his neck.
“You are not going back out there.”
She felt his fingers on her bodice, easing the buttons open, his lips followed, licking, kissing the tops of her breasts, and she felt her resistance flee.
“I will give you money and a house. Let me protect you, Charlotte, let me give you more of what we shared last night.”
“No!” Charlotte found the strength to push him backward as his words doused her passion.
“I want you safe and happy. Will you not let me help you achieve that state? Will you not let me give you what you have never had, Charlotte?”
It would be so easy for her to say yes, she thought, looking into the eyes of the man she loved. If Charlotte agreed, then they could be together… but for how long? What would happen when he married? Surely it would be too painful to bear, knowing he would have children with another woman and share his home with her when Charlotte could have nothing more than a few snatched hours of shame?
“You are offering me something I can never take,” Charlotte whispered. “I will never be a mistress like my mother.” Wrenching open the door, she ran from the room. Picking up her skirts, she headed for the stairs, reaching the room she had slept in last night. She shut and locked the door.
I have to leave here now, or he will wear me down and I will eventually yield, simply because I can no longer resist him. If that happens, then I will grow to loathe Marcus almost as much as I would come to loathe myself.
She was composed when Fred knocked on her door. He looked happy and healthy, and the clothes he wore were too big, but they were clean.
