The music played on, and Lord Shelley moved and spun her about the dance floor with graceful ease. He was quite a good dancer and she always enjoyed dancing with him.
Yvette smiled, just as the music came to an end and he bowed to her. “Thank you for a lovely dance,” she said.
They hadn’t yet left the dance floor. Lord Shelley’s hand still held her arm and he gazed at her longingly. “Miss Hamilton, would you care to go—”
“There you are, Yvette. I’ve been waiting for you to be free all evening. Come dance with me!” Jeffrey Eddington was suddenly at her side. “You don’t mind do you, Shelley?”
His eyes said yes, he did mind, but Lord Shelley removed his hand from Yvette’s arm with great reluctance and gave a brief nod of assent. “Eddington.”
Yvette began to protest the interruption. “Why, Jeffrey, Lord Shelley and I were just about to—” Before she could continue, Jeffrey had her in his arms and was twirling her away to a waltz.
It had all happened so quickly that Lord Shelley was left standing alone with a somewhat stunned expression on his face.
“Really, Jeffrey, that was quite rude of you!” she scolded him in irritation. She was certain Lord Shelley had been about to ask her something important! Then Jeffrey had come along and spoiled it!
Grinning mischievously, he asked, “It was rude of me to ask the most beautiful woman in the room to dance with me?”
His charming, magnetic smile melted her, as she was sure he intended it to. Yvette shook her head in exasperation. It was impossible to stay angry with Jeffrey. And he was so handsome it was difficult to refuse him. He looked very dashing in his black evening clothes. But she was still piqued, for she was sure that Lord Shelley had been about to ask her to go outside for some air. “Thank you for the compliment, but I was in the middle of something with Lord Shelley.”
“It’s good to keep a man like him on his toes.” Jeffrey winked at her. “You shall thank me for it later.”
Perhaps Jeffrey, rogue that he was, was correct, she mused as they danced. Lord Shelley was already a bit jealous, so perhaps making him more so would spur him to greater action. All she could do now was hope that was the case.
Yvette began to enjoy the waltz and noted that Jeffrey did not hold her as tightly as Lord Shelley had, but he moved with greater confidence and she felt lighter and more secure in his arms. He guided her effortlessly across the floor in perfect time with the music. It suddenly occurred to her that she had never danced with him before. Why, Jeffrey was an expert dancing partner! Although it shouldn’t surprise her that he was, oddly enough it did.
“I believe that this is the first time we have ever danced together, Jeffrey.”
“Is it?” His expression was amused. “Then we must note the name of this waltz to remember the occasion and then it shall be our song.”
Yvette laughed at his suggestion. “Do you do this with all the women you consort with? Have a special song with them?”
His blue eyes met hers directly. “No. I do not.”
“Oh.” Yvette felt suddenly awkward with him, not sure what he meant by that.
The waltzing was heavenly, she had to admit. She even closed her eyes for a moment to enjoy it as she floated in his arms.
“Who the hell let you out of the house wearing this gown?”
Her eyes flew open to find Jeffrey’s expression of displeasure. “Whatever do you mean?” Her reddening cheeks belied her words.
“You know exactly what I mean.” He leveled her with his gaze. “It’s no mystery you have men falling over themselves to dance with you this evening. Surely your aunt must disapprove?”
Yvette defended her wardrobe choice. “Mother said it was fine and my modiste told me it was the height of fashion. Besides, Aunt Cecilia didn’t see it until we arrived here and I removed my cape.” She smiled wickedly. “It was too late then.”
He rolled his eyes at her.
“Don’t you like it?” she asked.
He gave her a wolfish grin. “Oh, I like it just fine. That’s the trouble. Because I’m certain every other man here tonight likes it as well. It’s a beautiful gown and you look ravishing in it.” The smile disappeared from his face. “But it’s too low for you, Yvette.”
“It’s not that low!” she pointed out heatedly. “And I’m not the only one wearing such a neckline.”
His eyes locked with hers. “I don’t care what anyone else is wearing.”
“I love this gown! It’s beautiful and elegant. Stop acting like an overbearing older brother.”
His blue eyes were piercing. “I am not your brother, Yvette. You’d do well to remember that.”
“Then stop acting like one.”
His eyes glittered. “So just what did your Lord Shelley say about your gown?”
She stiffened slightly in his arms. “He said I looked beautiful this evening.”
“That you most certainly do.”
Suddenly shy with him again, she glanced away. He continued to waltz with her and Yvette wondered why this dance with Jeffrey seemed longer than any dance she’d had so far.
8
Unexpected Surprises
When Jeffrey finally made it home that night, he poured himself a good long drink. He figured he deserved it. Sipping the bourbon, he closed his eyes, but it did not block out the memory that taunted him.
Once again he had spent yet another evening watching Yvette Hamilton. He’d spent the last month following her from party to party, and had managed to remain calm. But seeing Yvette in that blasted gown with every man in Lady Abbott’s ballroom ogling her made him want to cover her with a blanket, throw her over his shoulder, and carry her out of there. What on earth had possessed the girl to wear a provocative dress like that? She was a walking temptation and he didn’t like thinking of her in that way.
When he’d first seen her, he’d almost had heart palpitations.
Lustful thoughts about Yvette Hamilton were completely wrong. It was his job to watch over her, not lust after her. But that low-cut sapphire gown displaying her luscious breasts had made it impossible to think of anything else.
He hadn’t been able to relax for one minute until he’d seen her safely leave the ball with her aunt and uncle.
Jeffrey had always regarded Yvette as a sweet young girl, as a little sister. The feelings he had while holding Yvette in his arms this evening had not been the least bit brotherly in nature. In fact they were quite the opposite and he had to fight them with all the power he could muster.
Blast Lucien Sinclair to perdition for making him promise to watch over the spoiled child!
But that was also the problem right there. Yvette Hamilton was no longer a child, but an extremely attractive woman. She looked like the goddess Venus herself in that dress. Radiant with her flawless skin and her golden blond hair cascading down her bare shoulders, that sapphire dress clinging to her every curve, she commanded the attention of every male in the room without even trying. She had, quite literally, taken his breath away.
And that Lord Shelley! The look on that man’s face when he was dancing with Yvette had made Jeffrey want to punch him. It had taken all of his wherewithal to keep from knocking the future Duke of Lansdowne senseless.
It was only October. And Jeffrey had to see it through. He didn’t know how he’d make it until Christmas when Lucien returned to London. Once again he pondered the irony of being cast into the role of her protector, when all he wanted to do was tear that gown from her body!
Jeffrey sighed heavily and took another drink of bourbon, thinking there wasn’t enough liquor in his house to drown out the wicked thoughts he was having about Yvette Hamilton.
He heard his front doorbell ring and his heart sank at the sound. A brief glance at the clock over the mantel told him it was half past two in the morning. There was only one person who could be calling on him at this hour of the night, and Jeffrey had completely forgotten he was supposed to go to her. She would not be very happy with
him. He heard the voice of his butler, Dennings, low and muffled, and then two pairs of footsteps as they made their way toward his study.
Jeffrey braced himself as the door opened.
“I decided to come to you instead,” a soft female voice whispered from the doorway.
Reluctantly, he rose from his chair and faced the dark-haired beauty who stood before him. Dennings, used to late-night comings and goings, nodded discreetly at Jeffrey and left the two of them alone, closing the study door behind him.
“Jennie . . . what a wonderful surprise!” He mustered one of his smiles for her, but it was half-hearted at best. At least she wasn’t angry with him. Jennie had a bit of a temper and he was not in the mood to have a scene with her.
Wrapped in fur, she stepped toward him. Traces of the heavy stage makeup she wore when performing were still visible on her elegant face, but they did not mar her beauty. “I waited for you, and then when you didn’t show and there was no note or message from you, I feared that something terrible had happened to you.”
She had been worried about him. He relaxed, then pulled her into his arms and hugged her. Breathing in her familiar rosewater scent, he whispered, “I’m so sorry. Forgive me.”
Jeffrey wondered at his thoughtlessness. He’d never forgotten to meet a woman before. Especially one as desirable as Jennie Webb, with her long dark hair, deep green eyes, and full red lips. He had met her while in Paris a few months ago when she was acting in a stage show, and she’d returned to London with him.
She pressed her lips against his and he kissed her back, feeling a gnawing emptiness in his gut. Trying to ignore it, he kissed her harder.
Jennie pulled away and stared up at him, her green eyes wide. “What happened, Jeffrey? It’s not like you to leave me waiting.”
What the hell had happened to him? Jeffrey wasn’t even sure. Seeing Yvette looking the way she had in that gown had addled his wits, and he’d spent the rest of the night brooding over it. He couldn’t tell Jennie that though.
“I simply have a lot on my mind and at the risk of sounding like a cad, I have a splitting headache. I apologize for not sending you a message. It was terribly thoughtless of me.” He gave her a rueful grin.
Jennie took his hand and led him to the leather sofa in front of the fireplace. “Come, darling. Let’s sit and you can tell me all about it. Let’s see if I can make you feel better.”
Jeffrey sat obediently. Jennie let the fur wrap slip from her shoulders to reveal that underneath she was clad in only a red silk nightgown. The outline of her curvaceous figure usually aroused him in an instant. Tonight he didn’t seem to care at all. She curled up beside him on the sofa and began to massage his head with her long fingers, running them through his hair and easing the tension and pressure from his neck. She placed soft kisses on his cheek.
“Now, what is it, Jeffrey?”
“I don’t know. I’m just tired, I suppose.” He sighed, relaxing a bit as her fingers worked their delicate magic on his scalp.
“So you’re not hurt?”
“No.”
“And nothing is wrong?”
“Not in the least.”
“There was no emergency this evening?”
“No. Everything is fine, Jennie.”
It wasn’t as if he could tell her that he was thinking illicit thoughts about another woman. A woman he shouldn’t be thinking of in the first place. His jaw grew slack and he closed his eyes as he lost himself to Jennie’s wonderful massaging fingers. The woman did have a way with her hands, God love her. It was one of his favorite things about her.
Her soft voice whispered in his ear, “So you simply forgot to come see me even though we had arranged to meet at my house at midnight?”
“Yes,” he admitted reluctantly, “I’m afraid so, darling.”
The stinging slap that met his cheek shocked him. The abrupt change from pleasure to pain caused his eyes to fly open and he stared open-mouthed at Jennie, who now stood before him as angry as a fury. He sputtered, “What the hell—?”
“How dare you, Jeffrey Eddington?” she screamed, with her hands on her hips. “How dare you forget me? No man has ever forgotten to meet me! I have scores of men wishing they could be with me, begging to be with me!”
He rose from the sofa, still stunned by her violent mood swing. “Jennie, please calm down.”
“Don’t tell me to calm down!” she shouted, her voice wavering with emotion. “There’s every reason for me to be angry with you!”
“It just slipped my mind. Honestly, I apologize.”
“I’m not the type of woman who slips a man’s mind, Jeffrey, if you hadn’t noticed!”
He’d never seen Jennie this enraged, and he understood her feelings were hurt. “I know that and, again, I’m very sorry.”
Her dark green eyes flashed at him. “The only thing that would make me angrier right now is if I had discovered you with another woman when I arrived here. And knowing your reputation, that is exactly what I expected to find!”
“Then you should be relieved!” Jeffrey shot back, his own temper rising. “I’m not with another woman! I was here. Alone!”
“But don’t you see?” she cried, nearing hysteria. “That makes it even worse!”
He bunched his fists at his sides. It made no sense. She made no sense. “Why?”
“Because you forgot about me!” She grew silent for a moment and her expression turned from anger to sadness. She then said wearily, “After all we’ve done together the last few months, I wasn’t even a thought in your head tonight. You used to rush to be with me when we were in Paris, but you’ve changed. Very much so.” She held up her hands to silence his protests. “Don’t deny it. We’ve seen each other less and less since we came to London. You’ve become distant and preoccupied. And now you’ve forgotten about me. I’m not a fool and I don’t appreciate being treated like one. This is just the beginning of the end and I detest long goodbyes. It is over between us, Jeffrey.” She reached down and picked up her fur wrap, allowing him a tempting view of her full breasts straining against the red silk as she did so.
“You are completely overreacting. Stop it.” He offered his hand to her.
She slapped him away, her words like ice. “Don’t touch me.”
“Jennie, come now.... Please don’t be this way. You know how I feel about you.” He smiled at her seductively. “Let’s go upstairs and forget all about this nonsense.” Then he would make love to her and everything would be fine between them again.
“No.” She draped the fur over her shoulders and walked to the door of the study.
“Jennie . . . don’t leave like this. . . .” He took a step toward her, but he didn’t try to stop her.
She looked back at him when she opened the door. Her green eyes were hard. “I don’t wish to see you again, Lord Eddington. Good night.”
The door closed with a final click.
Dumbstruck, Jeffrey scratched his head, trying to take in what had just happened with Jennie Webb.
Yes, he was supposed to have met her at her townhouse at midnight, but he had stayed later at the ball than he had intended because he could not leave Yvette alone in that damned dress with dozens of men ogling her. Once she had safely left with her aunt and uncle, he was free to go as well. But instead of going to Jennie’s little townhouse, without thinking, he’d come straight home. He hadn’t realized he’d spent two hours sitting here thinking so much about Yvette that he had completely forgotten about Jennie until she’d shown up on his doorstep.
Rubbing his cheek, Jeffrey sighed and flopped back down on the sofa.
It was over with Jennie.
Strange, he felt oddly relieved and not at all saddened by her unexpected departure. Was she right then? Had tonight just been the beginning of the end of things with her? Perhaps it was. Now that he thought about it, their relationship had changed once they had returned to London. Their time together was not as frequent or as passionate as it had been in Paris.
Things had just run their course.
It was a damned shame though. He liked Jennie a great deal and could use the distraction of her considerable charms. He supposed he would soon find another mistress to keep him occupied. It wasn’t as though he lacked other options.
But somehow he hadn’t the heart for such matters now.
All he could think about was a petite, beautiful blonde in a sapphire gown waltzing in his arms.
And he shouldn’t be thinking of her at all.
9
All That Glitters
November 1878
Lansdowne Manor
“Well, what do you think?” the Duchess of Lansdowne asked.
Yvette Hamilton smiled in awe as she gazed out the large glass window overlooking the rolling green fields that surrounded the grand manor house. “The view is simply breathtaking, Your Grace.”
She had been invited to meet Lord Shelley’s mother and asked to visit his ancestral home, Lansdowne Manor. Although Yvette had almost lost her mind the week before when she learned that Jane Fairmont had already been to visit William and his mother. Filled with despair, she had thought all her hopes to be the next Duchess of Lansdowne were dashed. She could barely get out of bed for two days so distraught had she been.
Then a letter had arrived at Devon House from William’s mother, Wilhelmina Weatherly, the Duchess of Lansdowne, inviting her and her mother to tea at Lansdowne Manor.
Genevieve, in her usual frustrating manner, had pled illness and headache and refused to venture from Devon House, leaving Yvette with her aunt for a chaperone. Aunt Cecilia had practically licked her chops at the possibility of Yvette snaring a future duke and jumped at the chance to accompany her to Lansdowne Manor that afternoon a week later.
His By Christmas (Hamilton Sisters) Page 7
