“Then you are dooming yourself to a life of misery if you stay in England and continue to pursue an aristocratic husband. Happiness in marriage is seldom to be found.
“I dont believe that. I cant believe the unhappy marriages Ive seen here are the rule and not the exception.
“No? He leaned menacingly toward her. “The gentlemen who beat me did so because they objected to the fact Id entertained their wives.
She blinked in confusion. “They beat you because you played the piano for them?
He released a harsh, ugly laugh. “No, my little dreamer, I seduced, pleasured, and bedded them.
His callous words caused pain to pierce her heart. Shed never expected him to speak so crassly about his relationships with other women.
“It disappoints you to know Annie wasnt the only married woman with whom Ive slept.
“Of course it does. I believe in the sanctity of marriage. I thought Annie was an exception.
“No, Lydia. You were the exception.
She didnt like the way he said that, as though there was more at stake here.
“So you had affairs
“An affair indicates a lengthy time together. For me, it is usually only a few nights.
A few nights? Was he easily bored with women? Had he grown bored with her? Was that the reason he now seemed to favor Lady Sachse?
“Is what happened tonight behind your reason for not marrying me?
Silence.
“I love you, she said.
“Love me? Love a man who not only slept with married women, but was well compensated to do so?
Her entire body tightened with his implication. Surely he didnt meanhellip;“You mean like a woman in ahellip;a brothel?
“Precisely.
Revulsion caused her stomach to roil. “Why?
“Why not? My family had turned me out. I know where ladies are most sensitive. He trailed his finger from her temple to her chin. “Behind her ear, along the length of her spine, behind her knee.
She scooted back, beyond the reach of his touch. “No.
“Ah, yes, Lydia. You were more sensitive than most. Easily seduced.
She shook her head. “No, you didnt take advantage.
“Didnt I? I am a master of pleasure. I have dedicated my life to it. Ask any of the women whose husbands attacked me tonight, and youll find that I gave them what their husbands never did.
“I have studied poetry until I can whisper the most beautiful false flattery into a ladys ear. I have unraveled the ancient arts and discovered secrets that can carry a woman to heights shes never before achieved. I can make her forget how sad an evening was.
Hed said something similar before. Tears stung her eyes. “The night of my first ball
“I replaced your unhappy memories with glorious sensations, did I not? Just as Id promised? Each touch was well planned. Each caress served a purpose. Each stroke of my tongue was designed to help you forget.
She shook her head. “No, no, you were never false with me.
“I am a man who has bedded countless women, and loved none of them, who suffered through their touch because of what they could gain me. How can you ever be sure, my little dreamer? Will you always wonder if my words were practiced, whispered to someone else before I whispered them to you? I have given countless women memories to replace those they wished to forget. Why should you be any different?
“Because you love me.
“Ive told you before that I do not have love to give. Lust I know well. Love I know not at all. You have confused one with the other. Perhaps you need another lesson.
He slowly came to his feet. She couldnt stand the doubts plaguing her, the thought of him touching her as hed touched so many othersnot with love, but only with lust.
She scrambled to her feet and raced toward the door.
She heard his harsh voice calling after her. “Thats right. Run, Lydia, run!
She dashed outside and into the carriage. As the driver guided it through the streets of London, Lydia curled into a ball and wept. She didnt know the man shed just left. Perhaps shed never known him.
“Whered Miss Westland go? William asked as he walked in carrying a box laden with the things Lydia had requested.
“She left. Rhys located a glass and poured himself a stiff drink. He downed it even though it stung the cuts on his lips and his jaw ached when he opened his mouth.
“Why?
“Because shes a true lady.
Shed been repulsed by his confession, reacting just as hed always known she would if he revealed the truth regarding what he had been.
As much as her leaving had hurt, as hard as it had been for him not to pull her into his arms and hold her close, he knew all had happened for the best.
She would be safe now, spared the humiliation that was sure to follow.
He had little doubt gossip would run rampant and most of the truths would be trampled until all that remained was the ugliness of the entire affair. He didnt want to contemplate what would happen if the gossip reached the ear of the Queen. If she decided he was unworthy of his titles, he could well lose them. With many of the husbands in the House of Lords, he thought it possible his family could lose everything. At the very least his familys good name would be ruined.
“I thought you fancied her, William said.
“You thought wrong.
He didnt fancy her; he loved hermore than life itself. Hed do anything to see her happyeven if he had to destroy himself in the process.
Chapter 24
H er heart was shattering. Lydia actually thought she could feel the fissures widening as the pain intensified until it was almost unbearable.
His words, his touch, his kissall the skills of a master seducer. He excelled at pleasuring women, pleasuring them for compensation. What sort of compensation did they offer him? She supposed she should consider herself fortunate that hed shared his talents with herand not taken payment for the privilege.
She opened her trunk, trudged to the wardrobe, and yanked down a gown. She tried to wad it up, to mash it into a tiny ball, her fists bunching it, and striking it
“Lydia?
She dropped it into the trunk, fell to her knees, and began folding it, stuffing it, flattening it
“Lydia!
She wanted it so tiny that shed never see it again.
Hands grabbed her shoulders and twisted her around.
“Lydia, whats wrong?
“He doesnt love me. She searched Laurens concerned face. “Oh, Lauren, I wasnt special. Everything was a lie. Everything.
A heart-wrenching sob broke free as the tears welled in her eyes and rolled onto her cheeks.
Lauren wrapped her arms around Lydia and pressed her close. “Whatever are you talking about? The servants brought me an urgent message from the Duke stating that I was to see to you immediately. And here you are, dressed and packing. Whatever is going on?
Hed sent a missive? How thoughtful. He probably feared shed take her life as Annie had, and hed have that on his conscience. But shed kill Rhys before shed kill herself.
Yet even her fury with him could not lessen the agony of his betrayal. Unable to control the flow of hot tears, she nodded with her cheek pressed against Laurens delicate shoulder. “I went to see Rhys. They beat him, and I wanted to help
“Who beat him?
She shook her head. “I just want to go home now.
Lauren began to rock her. “Oh, Lydia, what has happened?
Her shoulders trembled as she released the force of her grief, her despair. She thought her ribs might cave in on her, might squash her lungs. If she ceased to breathe, she would not care. If her heart stopped beating, she would welcome the end of her agony.
She wanted to take a bath. She felt dirty. Ashamed. Shed given herself to him in love, and yet for him every touch had been a practiced execution. Hed used his mouth, tongue, and hands to help her forget her first ball.
Who would help her forget this night of despicabl
e revelations?
“Here now, come sit in the chair and tell me what happened.
Lydia felt as though the very air was crushing her. Her feet dragged across the floor as Lauren guided her to the chair. She dropped into it with all the decorum of a cow. She no longer wanted to be a lady.
She wrapped her arms around herself and began to rock. Through her tears, the room was little more than a blur of colors. She heard a drawer open and close. Then she felt the soft linen patted against her cheek.
“Lets dry your tears and you can tell me everything, Lauren said.
Closing her fingers around the cloth, Lydia took the handkerchief from her cousin. “I just want to go home.
“Did Harrington do something untoward? Lydia, did he hurt you?
“More than I thought humanly possible. Ive never in my life known such pain.
“Shall I wake Papa? Does he need to take the Duke to task?
Shaking her head, she reached out and clutched Laurens hand. “We mustnt tell anyone. Ever, she rasped.
Trying to gain control of her heartache, she wiped the tears from her eyes and swallowed hard. “He told me that hed done things best left in the dark. He said Id hate him if I knewhellip; She let her voice trail off. She didnt want to give life to the words, to say them aloud.
“Do you hate him? Lauren asked.
She shook her head. “I dont know. I just know that I hurt so badly. I thought I knew him. She wiped away the fresh tears. “He sold himself.
“You mean his skills?
Lydia nodded.
“Like at the docks, unloading ships and such?
Lydia felt the pain of betrayal and more tears surface because she was going to have to say it aloud. She shook her head. “He sold himself to women.
Confusion washed over Laurens face. “What did they pay him to do? Rearrange their furniture?
Lydia groaned. She didnt think Lauren was being deliberately obtuse, she just thought it was impossible to comprehend exactly what Rhys had done. “They paid him so that he would pleasure them.
Her eyes widening, Lauren dropped onto the edge of the bed. “Youre not serious?
Pressing a hand to her mouth to contain the wail she wanted so desperately to release, Lydia nodded again.
“Is he the Gentleman Seducer?
“The what?
“Rumors have been adrift for some time that there was a gentleman in London who entertained married ladies. I know one young lady who married a man she couldnt stand simply so shed have an excuse to be accepted by the Gentleman Seducer. Hes supposed to be extremely skilled. Do you think he could be Rhys?
Dear God! Shed once overheard Johnny talking with some friends about the colorful names prostitutes had. Was Rhys no exception? “I think Im going to be ill.
“Shall I have some tea brought up? The English believe its a cure-all for everything.
Nothing would cure this, but still Lydia nodded, every movement more difficult to make than the one that came before it.
“Wait here.
Wait here? As though she had the will to do anything else.
Lauren hurried out of the room, closing the door behind her. With a shuddering sigh, Lydia dropped her head back. She didnt want to think about Rhys with all those other women. She didnt want to think of them paying him. Paying him, for Gods sake. She honestly didnt know who was more revolting: the women or Rhys.
She pulled the handkerchief through her fingers, over and over. She felt as though she didnt know Rhys at all. How could she have been so nave, so stupid as to believe he cared for her?
She lifted the handkerchief to wipe away more tears, and her gaze fell on the solitary initial. R. His.
Hed given her this handkerchief the day her family had left. Shed held on to it, hadnt washed it, but had simply tucked it away. She brought it to her nose now and smelled his lingering scent.
The lemony fragrance awakened so many memories. All the times hed given in to temptation. All the times hed warned her away. Hed warned her away far more often than hed given in.
Lauren returned to the room. “Here you are. Your tea. Just the way you like it.
She set it down on the spindly-legged table beside Lydia.
Lydia shifted her gaze from the handkerchief, to the steam rising above the cup, back to the linen. “Did you know how I prepared my tea before Rhys told you? she asked.
“I knew you liked lemon and sugar and cream. But not the exact amounts. No one notices that sort of thing.
“Rhys did. She rose from the chair, walked to the window, and gazed out.
“Lydia, you mustnt despair. You can publicly denounce him. Your Season can be saved.
“Im not sure Ill ever go out in public again.
Having handed his card to the butler, Rhys waited within Whithavens foyer. He turned at the sound of approaching footsteps, halfway expecting to see Whithaven himself. Instead the butler was merely returning.
“His Lordship is not at home, he announced.
Rhys looked past the man to the hallway from which the servant had emerged. “Is that so?
“Indeed, Your Grace. Perhaps youll find him in residence another day.
“I doubt it. Rhys started walking toward the hallway, ignoring the stammering of the servant insisting that the Earl was not at home. While he doubted he had any influence, he did still possess rank.
Rhys flung open a door, and the Earl popped up from behind his desk, as tall and lanky as ever.
“You know, Whithaven, youre easy enough to spot in a crowd, but to think a mere hooded mask would hide your unusual height and thin bearing to the point I would not recognize you was foolhardy, man.
“My lord, I tried to stop him the butler began.
Whithaven held up his hand. “Its quite all right. Please, close the door.
Rhys ambled farther into the room.
“Youve got your nerve, showing up here, Whithaven said.
Rhys gave him a withering look. “And you have your nerve beating me without explaining what Id done to deserve such treatment.
“You know damned well what youve done. My wife has been beside herself since you showed up at our ball.
“I was invited.
“Apparently, sir, you had a life in the shadows before you inherited your titles. He angled his pointed chin and looked down his nose haughtily. Not many men could literally look down their noses at Rhys. Whithaven could. “The Gentleman Seducer, indeed.
It was all Rhys could do not to flinch. Hed loathed the way Camilla had referred to him, cheapened himhellip;
“How exactly, may I ask, did you determine who I was?
“You may ask. I will not answer.
Rhys impaled the man with his eyes.
Whithaven averted his gaze. “I suspected something was amiss with my wife. Unknown to her, Ive been following her around London.
“Did your wife tell you of our time together?
Whithaven looked as though he might be ill. “Get out of my house.
“Until I am brought before the House of Lords on some sort of charges, I still outrank you, sir, and I will know what you know.
Whithaven straightened. “Very well. Rumors are beginning to surface that Lady Sachse ran the house in which your liaisons were carried out. Terribly unseemly of her.
“Ah, rumors are beastly things. Yes, she initially provided for me as Im sure you do your mistress Whithavens eyes bulged at that“but shes frightfully frugal and was somewhat tight with my allowance. What is a gentleman to do?
“Not offer his services for hire like a commoner. Where was your pride, man?
“You cannot lose what you never possessed, but I am not here to discuss my transgressions, but rather your idiocy. Your wife loves you.
“She has a strange way of showing it.
“I ask you again, did she tell you what transpired when she visited with me?
“Good God, no, and I dont want to know.
“Nothing happened.
“Ha! That I
do not believe. She would not be walking around here with reddened eyes were that the case.
“Ill admit she scrambled onto my bed, but only so she could lie in comfort while she wept. You were with your mistress. She came to me wanting nothing more than someone to hold her. Once she began to cry, that is all I offered.
He sneered. “Youre saying you didnt fornicate?
“Im saying she was not unfaithful, merely unhappy. You would be wise to get rid of your mistress. Focus your energies and time on pleasing your wife. As for the gentlemen who joined you in accosting me last night, I can rather guess who they might have been. You may reassure them that their secrets, particularly about their shortcomings , are safe with me. But if they wish to discuss the matter more fully, Ill be available this afternoon.
Whithaven was moving his mouth as though he wished to say something but couldnt quite wrap his mind around what he wanted to say. Rhys turned on his heel and began to walk from the room.
“Did you actually bed any of our wives as its rumored?
Rhys halted and looked over his shoulder. The one thing hed never done was compromise the truth. It was tempting to do so now, but if he did, what would he have left? Nothing. “Unfortunately, there is always a seed of truth in any rumor, but I swear to you, sir, your wife was not one of them.
Walking out of the room, he wished hed be able to say the same thing to every gentleman who might be curious enough to pay him a visit today. He was almost to the front door when he heard the patter of slippers across the marble floor. He glanced toward the stairs, and there she wasthe lovely Countess.
Her eyes widened in horror as she cautiously approached. “Your Grace, what in the world happened to you?
Although his jaw protested, he gave her a wry grin. “A man does not do this to another if he does not love his wife. He wouldnt have cared that youd come to see me.
“Geoffrey did this to you?
“I have since explained to him that you did nothing except cry in my arms.
She reached up to touch his bruised cheek, then dropped her hand to her side. “He found your handkerchief in a drawer. I shouldnt have kept it. Im frightfully sorry.
“No need to apologize, Countess. I would ask, however, that you do what you can to protect Miss Westland. She is innocent in all this.
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