The Rakehell Regency Romance Series Boxed Set 1

by Sorcha MacMurrough

  Then she donned a gown of white cotton eyelet with an embroidered border of gold and black fleur de lys used on the overskirt, and a matching gold and black twisted sash at the waist. Since the embroidered sleeves were quite short, she carried a white Indian shawl with gold threads woven into it, and topped the whole with a matching gold bonnet.

  Her aunt tapped on the door and began to ask her about the concert, but Pamela managed to escape her more pressing questions as to whom she had seen and spoken to by saying she was famished.

  "Well, you look very well, very fine indeed. What did you say your plans were again today?" Aunt Susan asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

  "My school friend Belinda Bassett. Do you recall?"

  "Ah, yes, of course. Well, naturally you would want to look well. Why have we not seen her yet?"

  "She came out last year, but it was a very quiet occasion, for she has been promised almost from birth to a distant cousin to whom the estate is entailed. They're now formally engaged, and they shall be marrying in June."

  "Such a pity you shall be in London and not able to attend. But it will be the height of the season then."

  Pamela nodded.

  "What a shame you will not be the first of your set to marry. But it can't be helped. Not at this juncture."

  Pamela smiled to herself. If all went well this evening, she might be able to pull it off yet. Not that her aunt would approve, but she didn't care, so long as she was happy. With Jonathan at her side, she was sure she would be.

  "Not to worry, Aunt. Best to make a considered and reasoned choice, than do anything hasty one will live to regret."

  The older woman nodded. "Quite right my dear. Just so long as you're not too particular. I own I had my chance in my day, but thought another would be forthcoming. I was wrong." She sighed bitterly.

  Pamela paused before they entered the breakfast room. "And was there no one special?"

  Her aunt sighed. "Oh, it was a long time ago. I did not follow my heart and my inclination. He was deemed a poor catch. Not a large enough fortune, you see. But when I looked into his eyes, well, the whole world seemed to just vanish into thin air."

  She patted the older woman's arm. "I'm sorry to hear it, Aunt Susan."

  "Ah, well, it's in the nature of things. I've been content. I'm not sure there is such a thing as perfect happiness. Or if there is, it has to be worked at."

  "I shall do my best," Pamela promised, with a small smile.

  Jonathan's stare as she entered the room spoke volumes. He stood up abruptly, nearly toppling the chair over backwards in his haste.

  "Good morning, ladies. I trust you slept well?"

  "Yes, thank you, Mr. Deveril."

  "Do tell me about the concert, sir. I find my niece remarkably reticent about who attended."

  "I'm still muzzy-headed with sleep, Aunt."

  They had been near a pillar, but Jonathan's view of the company must have been unimpeded, for he was able to give the company a long list of who had been there.

  "And the Earl of Ferncliffe, don't forget him," Sarah said.

  "Yes, indeed. He asked me for the first dance tonight," Pamela said.

  "Just think how wonderful-"

  "Er, I didn't accept, Aunt. I had already pledged it to Jonathan."

  This was of course not strictly true, and the use of his Christian name caused everyone in the room to stare.

  "Yes, we're all practically family," the Duke said, with a fond smile at his sister, and a wink at Sarah.

  "Yes, we most certainly are, Thomas," Sarah replied.

  He aunt was now mollified. If the vicar's sister called the Duke by his given name, there could not be any harm in it, provided she did not forget herself in more discerning company.

  "I shall be only too happy to take you to your friend's today, Miss Ashton. Sarah, you will accompany us?"

  "Of course, Jonathan."

  "Elizabeth, Charlotte?"

  "Only too pleased," they both assented.

  Vanessa cried off. "I'm going to stay home with Baby Arthur today, if you don't mind. But I shall be more than ready for the ball this evening."

  Her aunt agreed to stay home in order to rest as well. The card party at the Elliotts' had gone on until the wee hours of the morning. She did not want to be too fagged that night.

  "Very well, Aunt Susan, I shall see you later."

  The three women arranged themselves in the carriage in such a way that Jonathan ended up next to Pamela again. She congratulated herself on her luck in sitting next to the man she so admired.

  However, she had ample cause to regret ever having brought him when her former school friend Belinda Bassett began to flirt with him most outrageously.

  Pamela's cheeks flushed with mortification at the silly behavior of the woman, but there was little she could do other than try to turn the topic of conversation to something suitable.

  "I dare say my friend would benefit from one of your impromptu performances of The School for Scandal," Pamela said pointedly.

  "Oh, yes, I would. Lady Sneerwell is quite my favorite. Such a clever woman," Belinda tittered.

  Pamela's complexion remained red throughout the entire visit, for embarrassment soon gave way to ire. Jonathan did not reproach Belinda in any way for her unseemly conduct, whereas she had got a good dressing down for gossiping. In fact, he seemed to be enjoying being fawned all over and listening to her flirtatious prattle.

  Pamela could not leave fast enough, though to her horror Jonathan seemed inclined to stay. She looked to Sarah and Elizabeth for help, but they were doing their best to listen attentively to Belinda's talk of the ball that evening, and her gown.

  "I shall look forward to seeing you tonight, "Jonathan said with a gallant bow as he took his leave.

  "I have been holding the first dance in reserve, but I feel sure a man of your good breeding will oblige me," Belinda said boldly.

  "I will indeed."

  "But-" Pamela started to protest.

  Jonathan did not say a word, merely fixed her with a look that chilled her. It was one of utter indifference to her feelings. She could not believe he had insisted the first dance was his last evening, and was now going back on his word.

  It was too late to get the Earl to repeat his offer. Even if she did run into him prior to the second dance, it would look odd, as if she had been thrown over. To dance two dances in a row with him was out of the question. Not if she intended to keep her name unlinked with his as a match made.

  Perhaps she could persuade Ferncliffe to dance the first and sit out the second. Nothing was worse than being left at the wall for the opening set.

  Still, it was awfully bad of Jonathan to have landed her in such a pickle, and she looked at her pert and pretty little friend resentfully.

  "Lawks, yes," Belinda was saying. "One has to take one's enjoyment where one can if one is engaged or married to a disagreeable man."

  How Jonathan could be so taken with someone so brazen was beyond Pamela. If he were stimulated by her obvious manner, well, he would get flirtation all right.

  Pamela would play the game too, and win the prize.

  Chapter Twenty

  Eventually Pamela managed to drag her party away from Belinda Bassett's home by reminding them that they should not be late for dinner again.

  Once in the carriage, she tried to steer the conversation away from her friend, but they all seemed to think Miss Bassett charming.

  How could they all be so blind? Or was she just seeing green?

  Jonathan and the others certainly hoped so. Jonathan had not instigated what had happened at that house, but he had made the most of the opportunity to see if Pamela would be jealous. It was unworthy of him, he knew, yet it had also taught Pamela a valuable lesson in choosing her friends more wisely. The others had played along better than he could have hoped.

  Pamela sat back in the seat next to Elizabeth, and tried to reflect more rationally on her feelings. She was jealous. She certainl
y resented being supplanted by Belinda in the first dance of the evening. She knew there could not be anything between Belinda and Jonathan. They had just met, she was engaged...

  "I know you were surprised about the order of the dance, Miss Ashton. But I felt sure that since your friend seems to have such a limited circle of acquaintance, you would not mind," Jonathan said.

  "Of course not," she forced herself to say, wishing he could have at least sounded a bit more apologetic.

  "I'm sure that the Duke or Clifford will be willing to stand up with you. I shall dance the third with you."

  "Thank you so much. It does not trouble me in the least. I know you were only being polite last evening." She began to stew, an uncontrollable fury simmering inside her. She would dance every dance, and Jonathan would not get a chance to get anywhere near her if she could help it. If her goal was to make him fall in love with her, she could flirt and retreat.

  When she was getting out of the carriage, she pretended to stumble, and found herself in his arms.

  "So sorry. Thank you." She tilted her head up and smiled into his face, her lips just inches from his own.

  Then she stepped away with a light laugh, leaving him confused and shaken by what had just occurred.

  He had felt his blood boiling in his veins with desire for her, and wondered how long he would be able to keep up his facade of polite friend when her very nearness was like a potent aphrodisiac.

  Pamela sat next to Jonathan at dinner, deliberately touching his hand when she conversed with others, as if to punctuate a point. As soon as he tried to engage her in a tête à tête, she would turn to her neighbor Sarah or look across the table at Clifford and lead the conversation off on a different tangent.

  After dinner, Pamela helped serve the coffee, and lingered with Jonathan for a time, asking his opinion on the article they had read that morning about chimney sweeps. When the Duke joined in, she deliberately took his part against Jonathan.

  Then, just when Jonathan seemed inclined to get her alone by the pianoforte, where she had retreated on the pretext of looking for some music, Pamela said she had to go up to rest and prepare for the ball.

  Her gown for the evening was the same color scheme as her day dress, white, with black and gold trim, but even more sumptuous. The white gown was deceptively simple, with a broad square neckline which showed her bosom to just the right degree. The bodice was form-hugging thanks to strategically placed darts, and her sleeves were short and fitted, also serving to draw all eyes to her fine chest and shoulders.

  The unique feature of the dress was the special gold-braid used to trim around the neckline, the ends of the sleeves, and the scooped edges of the overskirt. It also formed a belt decorated with charming little gold tassels which swung when she walked. The under-skirt was diaphanous, and shot through with gold thread. It was sheer enough to show her delicate gold slippers decorated with the same gold braid. Her reticule and fan were also trimmed with the same elegant braid.

  For her jewels, she selected a gold and black diadem, and a matching set of gold and jet hoop earrings and chain. With a pair of gold bracelets on each upper arm, and gold braided garters for her gloves, her outfit was complete in every respect. She was sure all eyes would be upon her that evening. The only thing lacking was her cloak, but her black velvet would do nicely, trimmed as it was with gold piping and fastened with two gold frogs.

  They had planned to have a light supper before leaving, but Pamela knew she would not be able to keep up her campaign of advance and retreat the entire evening. Thus she came down about ten minutes before they were set to leave, and helped herself to a mouthful from the buffet table.

  "So sorry to be so long. I fell asleep."

  Jonathan was speechless. He had never seen Pamela looking so lovely as in the magnificent gown trimmed with the most alluring gold braid. It would practically kill him to have to dance with anyone else that night. But he had created his own predicament, and would have to live with it.

  His heart hammered with longing and fear. His feelings for Pamela were getting to the point where even his rock-hard self-control was beginning to become eroded by constant exposure to the object of his deepest desires. She was radiant, and truth to tell, far more lovely than any woman he had ever seen or known. It was a disloyal thought, but it was a plain simple fact. Where would be the harm in enjoying himself for one night?

  He would simply leave on the morrow and be able to treasure the memory for the rest of his life. It would be cold comfort, but better than nothing. The way Pamela looked as she stood there resplendent in white, black and gold was enough to make anyone's heart turn over.

  But the heart of the man who loved her? Cupid's arrow had pierced him, and the only cure was to have his heart break. He could not have her for his own without overturning everything he had ever believed in. He had given his word to Jane, and Thomas. Little Sophie needed him. And even if he were to dare consider breaking his word, what woman would ever be able to accept his care and devotion for his insane childhood sweetheart and her illegitimate daughter?

  Pamela thought she had never seen anyone as handsome as Jonathan. In his dark evening clothes, with snowy linen, and a fine embroidered black waistcoat and cravat with silver accents, he looked positively regal, every bit as noble as the Duke himself.

  The three men in her company were all fine-looking, one dark, the Duke, one fair, Clifford Stone, and one sandy-haired, her own beloved Jonathan. She would have been hard-pressed to tell which was the titled gentleman, they all looked so well.

  The Duke said, "It seems everyone is ready. Shall we?"

  "We're ready, at any rate," Vanessa said, curtseying. She was wearing a very fine gold gown with a split green over-skirt trimmed with gold embroidery which made her look like a queen.

  The Duchess was clad in royal blue, which matched perfectly her husband's cravat, and her own eyes.

  "Right, everyone, gloves, fans, reticules, vinaigrettes, and handkerchiefs at the ready? Then off we go," the Duke said with a laugh.

  They had to go in both carriages since the party was so large. Pamela found herself in the one with Vanessa and Clifford, Sarah and Jonathan. Her aunt had not been able to resist the invitation to arrive at the Upper Rooms with the Duke and his entourage. Pamela could just hear her telling all of her friends about their wonderful evening when she got back to Brimley.

  And wonderful she hoped it would be, for though Pamela had lost her chance for the first dance with Jonathan, she was determined to come away from the evening with an understanding between them. He had to return her feelings, he simply had to. No man could be so attentive and be completely indifferent.

  Just how far Pamela was prepared to go, she had no idea. She drew upon her tiny store of experience to decide how to approach the issue. Kisses and caresses were the obvious solution to the problem, but it was maneuvering him into them and still keeping her own reputation that was going to be the tricky part. She could see how much he admired her appearance, so the getting him into position would probably be the easy part. The difficult aspect would be to goad him into telling her or showing her how he really felt.

  Well, provoking jealousy within him was as good a method as any, she decided, and launched into her role of woman of the world with verve. Jonathan would be hers before the night was out, or she would eat her new hat.

  Chapter Twenty-one

  As luck would have it, when the party arrived at the Upper Rooms, the Earl of Ferncliffe was there early, and so was Pamela's friend Belinda Bassett. Jonathan had no choice but to go over to claim his partner for the first dance.

  Pamela moved toward the Earl and said casually, "It appears I am supplanted. My old school friend knows very few people here, so I have relinquished my dance partner to her."

  "That's an opportunity too good for me to miss," the Earl said with a broad smile. "I shall dance the first and second with you then."

  "Oh no, I did not mean- Are you not already committed?" />
  "Not at all."

  "I accept the first dance, but would not want to trouble you for the second."

  "It's no trouble, I assure you, my dear Miss Ashton. You may have as many dances as you like."

  The Earl looked especially handsome in black and gold, his ensemble complementing her own very well, and causing not a few people to turn and stare as they went fairly near the top of the Assembly Rooms to dance.

  That was one thing she had not counted upon. All eyes were upon her now to see who the young miss was whom the Earl had given such consideration to. The fact that they danced together twice in a row caused even more comment.