The Temptation of a Gentleman

by Jenna Petersen

  “No, miss,” Sally interrupted her with a shake of her head. “Not undressing yourself. I meant being alone with a gentleman in your chamber isn’t proper.”

  The blood drained from Marion’s face to rush to her heart, where it pounded out a staccato beat against her ribs. She took her time before answering. “What on earth are you talking about?”

  Sally gave her a sly smile. “You know as well as I do that Lord Woodbury will be coming through that window in just a few hours.”

  Marin drew in a sharp breath and reflexively clenched Noah’s note in her palm. The paper crushed in her fist and the corner bit into her skin as she frantically decided what to say.

  Sally’s eyes softened with pity. “Sit down, Miss Marion, you look as though you’ll faint away.”

  Marion drew in a sharp breath. “Why did you open my letter?”

  “Everything surrounding its arrival was so mysterious,” the girl admitted as she watched Marion sink back onto the window seat with a thump. “I wanted to make certain you weren’t doing anything that could get you hurt.”

  Marion briefly wondered if allowing Noah so far into her heart wasn’t the most potentially hurtful action of all, but quickly pushed the thought aside. “Will you tell anyone what you read?”

  Sally drew back as if offended. “Of course not, miss! I’m surprised you’d even ask me such a thing after I told you all I know about Mrs. Lucas and my ideas about her death. You’ve been kind to me.” Her eyes narrowed before she continued, “And I hope my own kindnesses won’t be forgotten should you get yourself out of Mr. Lucas’s control and into a better situation.”

  Marion bit the inside of her lip until she could taste the faint tang of her own blood. Sally was asking her for her help to get out of Lucas’s employ. It was something Marion had never even considered, and she wondered how Noah would react. But perhaps he needed a new maid at one of his estates or knew of someone who would provide her helpful friend with kind employment.

  “I’ll do my best to help you any way I can.”

  She wished she could offer Sally a place to go, but she had no money to hire a maid. And she doubted her aunts could offer her a place.

  Sally’s eyes filled with relief. “Thank you, miss. I’d appreciate any word you could put in with your Lord Woodbury. I’m sure any position in a household you two governed would be-”

  Marion’s eyes grew wide. “What? No, no, you misunderstand. Lord Woodbury and I have no promises between us, nor plans for a future together. He’s promised to help me in return for my cooperation on another matter.”

  With a tilt of her head, Sally looked her mistress up and down. “Is that so? Hmmm, by the way you two looked at each other, I thought sure…”

  Marion swallowed hard at the thought of anything more than a stolen moment with Noah. She’d only allowed for brief dreams of what a happy life that would be haunt her nights, she would never dare voice them to anyone.

  “You were mistaken.” She turned away with a dark blush. She would have to be more careful in the way she treated Noah in public or Sally’s belief might become a common impression. “At any rate, I’ll be fine with the Marquis. He’s an utter gentleman, and we won’t be alone in my chamber for long.”

  The other woman nodded, though Marion could still see the doubt in her eyes. “Very well. Goodnight.”

  Marion barely acknowledged the farewell as she turned back to the window to lean against the glass. Noah’s note hadn’t indicated when he would arrive, but it couldn’t be immediately. It was barely midnight and some of the servants buzzed around the house finishing their daily duties.

  She turned from the window to go to the fire. As it warmed her skin, she opened the note again and stared at each word. Noah’s hand was bold and sure, just as he was. She could imagine him leaning over his desk as he scribbled the words, his bright eyes scanning over the missive before he folded it.

  Stealing a quick glance around her, Marion hesitated, then lifted the page to her nose and took a deep breath. She smelled nothing and felt silly for her girlish action. With a growl at herself, she tossed the letter into the fire and watched the flames devour the paper bit by bit until it was gone.

  “Stop thinking these overly romantic thoughts.”

  With a sigh, she crossed over to her bed and threw herself down on the coverlet. She flung her arms over her eyes and tried to think of anything else. Anything but Noah.

  It wasn’t possible.

  Would he kiss her during their visit? He had in the woods and it had nearly melted her. She craved the same caress over and over. She dreamed about him putting his lips to hers. Even at supper while her father and Lucas rambled on and on, she found herself drifting away to a world where only she and Noah existed.

  Yanking her hands down, Marion forced herself into a sitting position. The thoughts she’d been having lately were utterly scandalous. Certainly not the kind her mother would have approved of. Only fallen women dreamt of a man’s touch, didn’t they? Not a properly raised girl. Probably Noah’s fiancée, Charlotte Ives, would be scandalized by Marion’s forward thoughts.

  Now why had she thought of the mysterious Charlotte? The other woman only made her painfully aware both of her position in Society and in Noah’s life. He might desire her, as a virile man of his age and disposition would any woman, but in the end he would take Charlotte into his life, his home and his bed… permanently.

  She hopped back to the floor with a frown and paced the room, her restless legs carrying her back and forth from the fireplace to the window, then back to the bed again.

  “But Charlotte isn’t his wife yet,” she muttered. “And he’s here with me now.”

  She flushed at the thought, wondering what Noah would think if she were so bold as to kiss him, to touch him in the same ways that made her flame with desire. He’d probably take her for a wanton, but would he refuse her?

  She strummed her fingers across the mantel with a shake of her dark head. These thoughts were ridiculous! She wasn’t about to throw herself at a man who was already promised to another. No matter how he made her knees weak and her stomach flutter. She’d help him, he would help her, and then she would move on to her new life with her family. A life where Noah Jordan had no place.

  ***

  Noah shimmied up the tall oak tree adjacent to Marion’s window. After years of practice, not a twig cracked beneath his foot nor a leaf fell beneath his weight. When he reached the end of the sturdy limb before him, he reached out and tapped her window. He grinned when it opened easily. She had followed his instructions and left her window cracked.

  With a little hop, he stood on the ledge and jumped inside the warm room. He pulled the window shut with a tiny click, then turned to look around Marion’s chamber.

  “Marion,” he hissed into the dark as his eyes adjusted to the dwindling firelight. “Marion?”

  Finally he saw her and his breath hitched in his throat. She lay on the bed, her dark hair tumbling out of her bun onto the pillows. She was still dressed, a fact Noah didn’t know whether to be grateful for or disappointed by.

  The firelight danced across her face, making her look softer in her relaxed state, more fragile than when she stood toe to toe with him in a game of playful verbal sparring.

  He crept closer to the bed. If she woke up when he came back into the room, she might cry out. Worse yet, she could close her door after he’d gone and end up locking him in the house.

  “Marion?”

  He sat down on the edge of the bed. Being so close to her, especially in a place where he could easily have her, easily show her how much he wanted her, was proving more difficult than he’d imagined.

  “Marion, wake up sweetheart.”

  As he repeated her name, he reached his hand out to touch her face. God, her skin was soft. With a sigh, she turned into his palm and rubbed her cheek against his fingers. Hot blood rushed through his body, and he immediately grew hard at her innocent response.

  He wan
ted this woman more than he’d ever wanted any woman in all his thirty-two years. He wanted to pull her up into his arms and rain kisses down on her until she begged him for more. He wanted to peel off her clothes and touch her entire body until she shivered in release. The intensity of his feelings was overpowering.

  Instead, he simply stared at her, memorizing every curve of her face and body. Soon enough she would be gone. He wondered if he would suffer the way he’d seen opium addicts suffer. Marion was certainly like a drug pumping through his system.

  He shook his head as he forced himself to withdraw his hand from her cheek. “Marion!”

  He was pleased when her eyelids began to flutter. He leaned forward, preparing to cover her mouth if she screamed in fright at finding him in her room. Instead, she opened her eyes with a small stretch and a smile.

  “Noah,” she sighed with a yawn. “I knew you’d come for me.”

  Now it wasn’t just desire that he felt clenching at his body, but that strange emotion he still had no name for. Her blind belief that he’d somehow save her was something he’d never expected to find at Woodbury, but it wasn’t entirely unpleasant. In his line of work he’d always played the rogue, not the hero. He was finding the hero a pleasant fit.

  “I’m here, my sleepy lady,” he whispered. “And now I’ll go downstairs and tend to my business. Leave your door open a crack so I may return when I’m through. I should be no more than half an hour.”

  Marion’s eyes flew open.

  “Noah!” she cried out, sitting bolt upright. “You aren’t leaving me here, I’m coming with you.”

  He winced as he lifted one finger to her soft lips to hush her. “No, you’ll stay here.”

  She lowered her voice. “If someone hears you moving around downstairs and I’m with you, I can more easily explain my presence while you slip away,” she reasoned but her voice faltered.

  Marion suddenly realized Noah was leaning on the edge of her bed. It was an intensely intimate position, something more fitting to a lover than a partner or friend.

  His face twisted at her reasoning and he seemed to be considering her plan, but then he shook his head. “You’ve never worked with me. No one will hear me.”

  She drew in a breath at his utter confidence. Over-confidence, she would say.

  “I’m coming. There’s no time to argue.”

  Noah’s mouth thinned into a hard line she’d never seen, and a fire came into his eyes that she was sure had frightened hardened criminals before. It did nothing for her except cause a little ache in the very pit of her stomach.

  “Fine, Miss Marion.” With a low growl he rose from the bed and offered her a hand. “But don’t hinder me.”

  She stifled her grin at his serious face. If she was going to have to live in Josiah Lucas’s house and endure his leering looks, the least Noah could do was allow her to help him apprehend the man. And convincing him was less difficult than she’d imagined.

  “Are you coming, then?” He turned at the door with a raised eyebrow.

  “Yes.” She scrambled to her feet and hurried after him.

  He lifted his finger to his lips again and whispered, “Stay behind me and don’t make a sound.”

  Marion huddled closer to his back as she tried to ignore the heat coming from him. She watched as he cracked the door, pressing his ear to the space he’d made and straining to hear even the faintest sound. When he seemed satisfied, he peered out, looking left and right several times. Then, with a nod in her direction, he grasped her hand and began to lead her down the hall.

  Every nerve ending in Marion’s fingers came to life at his warm touch. Though the gesture was innocent enough, it sent heat flashing through her like lightning, touching every tender part of her until she was filled with it. She barely breathed as he led her silently through the hallway and down the stairs toward Lucas’s office.

  They entered the dark room together. Noah sighed as he shut the door behind them. Moonlight was the only illumination in the room for the moment, and in it she saw his face clearly outlined. He turned and it was as if he suddenly remembered she was there.

  “Well, that’s part of the job done,” he whispered, still clinging to her hand.

  “Yes.”

  She glanced down at their intertwined fingers with a smile. Somehow their hands fit, despite how much bigger his were than hers. He followed her gaze, then let go of her to light a candle and bring a soft glow to the room.

  “We’ll have to work quickly.” Marion could hear the slight choke to his voice. “Getting caught at this juncture could be devastating.”

  She nodded. “What are we looking for?”

  “You…” he said with emphasis, “Aren’t looking for anything. Hold the candle for me so I can see.” He handed her the smoldering tallow stick.

  She followed him to the desk where he began sorting through papers one by one. She was amazed by how quickly he could glance over a sheet and decide if it was worthwhile or not. In no time he’d cleared everything on the desk top, returned the papers to their original position and shifted his attention to the desk drawers.

  “I was glad to know my message got to you.” He looked up at her briefly with a small smile. “I worried it might put you in danger.”

  She started at his words. By the way he seemed singularly dedicated to his search, she’d thought he’d all but forgotten her presence.

  “No. It reached me fine. Sally seems to be a reliable friend.” She paused, thinking about the fact that the maid knew of their tryst. “Er…”

  “Yes?” he asked as he opened another drawer with an almost imperceptible squeak. He grimaced, muttering, “Out of practice.”

  She smiled at his perfectionism. “About Sally, she knows you were coming here tonight.”

  Noah’s search came to a complete halt as his blue eyes rushed to her face. “How?”

  “She read your note. Apparently she’s worried for my safety. I’m sure she only did it out of protectiveness.” With a grimace, she explored Noah’s angry face, worried about the expression in his eyes.

  “Damn.” His voice went up a level in the quiet room. “If she breathes a word about this to Lucas or to anyone else…”

  Marion shook her head. After the bargain she and Sally had struck, she couldn’t believe the young woman wouldn’t keep her word. “She won’t.”

  For a long moment he said nothing else and she could tell he was mulling over what she’d said. Finally, he looked at her again.

  “Perhaps we can use her to our advantage,” he said, rubbing his brow. “After all, she’s aided you in doing something wrong.”

  Marion’s mouth fall open in surprise. “No! I won’t use her. She gave me her word she won’t tell, and that’s enough for me.”

  His frown lengthened. “It shouldn’t be. You don’t know that this woman isn’t a spy for Lucas sent to find out all your moves and report back to him.”

  She laughed. “That’s ridiculous, Noah. Where do you come up with these ideas?”

  He glared at her. “From years of experience you do not have the benefit of. Sometimes using people is a necessary evil.”

  Marion felt as if she’d been slapped. Was this the same man who’d kissed her, awakened her heart? And if he explained away using her maid, did he also explain away using Marion for his own gain. Suddenly things seemed much clearer to her.

  “You have no problem using people?” She lowered the candle back to the table.

  He frowned. “When it’s necessary.”

  “Like you are now using me?” she asked.

  Noah’s face darkened and his eyes flashed blue fire. “I’m not using you, Marion,” he said, his voice dangerously soft. “In fact, I would say you’re using me. You came to me, remember? You asked me for my help.”

  She turned away. “And you only agreed to help me if I would assist you with your case. But I wonder, when will you do as you agreed and make me appear ruined in front of my father? My time is running out.”
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  She shivered as she ticked off the days in her mind. In only a short week, Lucas would come and try to make his claim on her body.

  She spun to face Noah with tears pricking her eyes. “You know I’m weak to you. What if you’re only using that weakness to get what you want?”

  “I told you I’d protect you and I shall.”

  The anger in Noah’s eyes faded slowly. With a few steps he was just in front of her. He reached out his fingers to brush them along the curve of her jaw, sending a quick, intense thrill through her entire body.

  “And as for your weakness… it’s one we share.”

  With a quiet groan he brought his mouth down on hers. Without hesitation, she gripped her fists around the lapels of his jacket and returned the kiss with as much passion as he gave. Their mouths merged, tongues parrying until both were breathless. Finally, Noah pushed her back gently. He looked at her with eyes glazed by desire.

  “You see?” His voice was rough as he took two steps away.

  For a moment, silence hung between them as Marion tried to regain her composure and find her voice. Before she could do either, the clock in the hallway began to gong, ringing off the time. At three strikes, it stopped.

  “And now I’ve stayed too long and found nothing. At least nothing of great use.” He held out his hand to her. Marion thought it trembled, but when she looked again it was firm. “Come, I’ll exit through your window.”

  She blew out the candle before putting her fingers in his. Again, a feeling of safety filled her as he began to lead her back up the staircase toward her room. A foreign feeling, a feeling of coming home. It was so strong it nearly knocked her from her feet. She was happy when they reached her chamber and he released her.

  “I’m sorry you didn’t find anything.” She closed the door behind her and leaned back against the wood.

  “It’s not your fault,” he said with a sigh as he returned to her window to open it.