A Ballroom Temptation

by Kimberly Bell

  “And we’re supposed to get married, but now—”

  “Now everything is a mess,” Mathilda agreed. “I thought about poisoning Geoff once, back when you were still engaged. Now I wish I had.”

  “Then you would be the one being hanged, and I’d be at least as miserable.”

  “Give me some credit, dear. I wouldn’t have been obvious about it.”

  “Well, don’t get any ideas. I’m afraid I’m a prime suspect if he suddenly turns blue and keels over.”

  “True. If anyone has a compelling reason, it’s you. Or poor Drusilla Lyndon.”

  They had plenty of reason, but neither of them had done a thing. It was laughable, really. They were the most likely to be suspected and the least likely to act. Jane had let Geoffrey mistreat her for years without doing anything about it. Until Adam, it never would have occurred to her that she should.

  An idea started forming.

  “Aunt Matty—is the Hatfield farm already in Adam’s name?”

  “I’m not sure, why?”

  “If it’s not, how hard would it be to find a buyer on short notice?”

  Mathilda sat up. “What are you thinking?”

  “I’m thinking that I don’t like what is happening. And I think I’m going to do something about it.”

  • • •

  “I appreciate the ride home,” Adam told Lord Quincy.

  “It’s not out of my way.”

  Brandon just snored with his head jammed into the corner near his seat. Lady Cavendish had worn him out. Within minutes of sitting still in the overly warm carriage, he’d slumped over and not been heard from since.

  “Do you think Miss Bailey will come around?” Quincy asked. “Seems a shame to have her mad at you. You’re doing the right thing.”

  “She doesn’t see it that way.”

  Quincy nodded. “That’s one of the nice things about Ginny. You can always figure what she’ll think. It’s strange a lot of the time, but it always follows a certain sort of logic. As long as you understand that, you know how she’ll react.”

  Jane had been right about Lord Quincy. He was completely smitten. “How do you think she’ll react when you tell her you’re in love with her?”

  “She won’t, because I’m not going to.”

  Adam noticed he didn’t argue that he loved her. “Why not?”

  “That sort of thing doesn’t make any sense to her. I might ask her to marry me eventually. I’ll say it’s to consolidate the properties. She’ll understand that.”

  “Why don’t you ask her now?”

  Quincy sighed. “I’m waiting.”

  “For?”

  “To see if she finds someone else.”

  Adam couldn’t fathom it. If Quincy felt anything close to what Adam felt for Jane, giving Eugenia up to another man would be devastating.

  “Why?”

  The subject was obviously a difficult one for Quincy, but he didn’t tell Adam to mind his own business. “I’m not smart like she is. Just never seemed fair to trick her if there might be someone better for her. Someone more like her, who she could make sense of.”

  “For what it’s worth, I don’t think there’s anyone better for her than you.”

  “Likewise,” Quincy said. “You should fight for Miss Bailey. She loves you, even if she doesn’t like you much right now.”

  “As soon as I settle this with Pembroke, I intend to.”

  As soon as he took care of Geoffrey once and for all and sorted out his affairs, he would spend every hour of every day convincing her to forgive him. He was a very patient man, especially where Jane was concerned. Eventually she would forgive him.

  He kept telling himself that, because if he didn’t . . . the future looked far too bleak to look forward to.

  Brandon’s groggy voice spoke up from his corner. “You sure you want to wait that long? Pembroke won’t be able to hold a sword until his ribs mend.”

  Damn. He shouldn’t have hit him the second time.

  “Maybe he’ll run,” Quincy suggested. “He’ll have a hell of a time finding a second. He might just skip the country.”

  He’d better not. Then Adam would be forced to chase him. He neither had the funds nor the time for that sort of nonsense. The longer Jane spent hating him, the longer it would take to convince her that she loved him.

  • • •

  Jane sat at the desk, trying to find out how to word the letter she was writing. No amount of finishing school training would help her this time.

  Dear Hannah,

  I’m sorry I didn’t write sooner. Things have been very exciting here in London—almost as exciting as there. Congratulations on your son. I’m certain he is delightful and beautiful, just like his mother.

  Now for the difficult part.

  I find myself in a situation of rather dire difficulty. I hate to impose, and I know even the request will worry you endlessly, but I must ask it. Could you send Magnus to me in St. James’s Square? I have need of his advice on matters I dare not write down.

  Lord Rhone’s butler was full of dark and unusual talents. If anyone could manage what Jane was hoping to manage, it would be him.

  On a lighter note—I am in love. Adam is wonderful and kind and everything I ever hoped for. If you’re wondering if the difficulty relates to him, it does. If you do send Magnus, I will ask him to recount everything back to you when he returns, but please know this: I am a changed woman because of Adam. You would like him, and you would be proud of me.

  If I am successful in what I intend, we will likely not see each other again. I am endlessly grateful for your kindness and your friendship. Be happy for me as I have been happy for you, and give Fiona my love.

  Sincerely,

  Jane

  Chapter 21

  After four weeks, the date for the duel had finally been set. Adam had been climbing the walls with impatience. He’d tried to see Jane. At first, when she refused to see him, he’d respected her wish to be left alone. Then he’d missed her too much. When he’d come back, some giant ghoul of a man had denied him entrance. No matter what Adam tried, he couldn’t get in to see her.

  Not knowing how she was killed him. Quincy gave him regular reports from Eugenia, but her understanding of emotional states had never been strong. Mathilda and Charles were both freezing him out. In the end, he’d spent most of his time with Sebastian.

  Now that they had made amends, they were spending the time up until the duel getting to know each other as adults. With the exception of questionable judgment where his friends were concerned, Sebastian was actually very interesting. It would make it easier for Adam to stay in London knowing they could continue their friendship.

  When the knock sounded on his flat, he assumed it was his brother. The proximity of their flats encouraged impromptu visits.

  It was extremely surprising when, instead of Sebastian, he discovered the Marquess of Clairborne on the other side of his door.

  “Father. What are you doing here?”

  “That’s an excellent question. Would you like to hear some others? How about ‘Is my oldest son really stupid enough to get involved in a duel?’ or ‘Does he realize he could likely be killed or hanged for murder?’ Which one should we answer first?”

  Adam sighed. “Would you like to come in?”

  “I would like for you to tell me I am mistaken. I would like for you to tell me that my sources are wrong and you have no notion what I’m talking about.”

  Adam left the door open and walked back toward the kitchen alcove. “The study is on the right. Whiskey or tea?”

  The door slammed shut behind him. “Whiskey.”

  Adam grabbed a bottle and two glasses and met his father in the study. Of course, he’d taken the seat behind the desk. “Why am I not surprised?”

  “I
hear I’m paying for it. I’ll sit where I like.”

  Fair enough. “So why are you here again?”

  “You’re going to call off this duel.”

  “No, I’m not.”

  His father glared at him.

  Adam stared calmly back.

  “Something is different about you.”

  “I’m in love with a woman named Jane.”

  “God damn you, Adam.” His father’s fist slammed down on the desk top. “You’re too old for this nonsense.”

  “I think it’s safe for us both to assume whatever nonsense you’re referring to is permanent.”

  Before, his father’s outrage would have ignited Adam’s own temper. Something was different now. The time he’d spent with Jane had soothed him in some way. The need to challenge his father over everything had dissolved.

  “There was a brief moment, after you’d done such a good thing helping rid your brother of those awful friends of his, that you might have finally embraced your responsibilities.”

  “As the heir.”

  “As my heir.”

  Adam nodded. “I proposed to the woman I love. She said yes. I expect we’ll have many children.”

  “Well that’s something. Is she from a good family?”

  “Hard to say. But now she won’t speak to me, so I think the quality of her family is moot until I win her back.”

  His father stared at him without blinking for a long moment.

  “You’d like her. She’s wonderfully kind.”

  “And intelligent, if she’s changed her mind about you.”

  Adam didn’t have time to fight with his father. The duel had finally been announced, and he needed to prepare. With any luck, by this time tomorrow he would be well on his way to wooing Jane. “What do you want, Father?”

  “I want you to be the son you’re supposed to be.”

  “I don’t think that’s going to happen. I can only be the son that I am.”

  “You’re set on this duel?”

  “More than anything.”

  His father stood up, whiskey untouched. “If you’re arrested, I’ll not come to your rescue.”

  “Understood.”

  At the front door, he stopped. He tried his last card. “If you’re killed, your stepmother will be devastated.”

  “I’ll do my best to survive.”

  He turned. “You really care for this Jane?”

  “I do.”

  “You thought you cared for Regina.”

  “I was much younger then.”

  “And now you’re wiser?”

  “In some ways.”

  His father made a disagreeable sound. “Good-bye, Adam.”

  “Good-bye, Father.”

  • • •

  “Everything has been arranged with the ship captain, Miss Bailey.”

  “Thank you, Magnus.” Even the new, brave Jane found him vaguely terrifying, but she comforted herself with the knowledge that he was on her side.

  In the last month, Jane had managed to acquire significant funding by selling her aunt’s cottage in Hatfield, pulling her portion of the investment proceeds out of Charlie’s accounts, and receiving a sizable contribution from the Marquess of Clairborne on the expectation that she would keep his son away from the hangman. Some of that money had gone toward preparations—they’d had to hire a ship and bribe the crew and captain, plus a dockmaster—but the rest would go toward starting a new life in the colonies.

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to handle Lord Wesley?” he asked.

  “No, I will do that.” She’d missed Adam. She was still angry with him, but mostly she’d missed him. “Just have someone come precisely at dawn to take him to the ship. I will do the rest. And the other thing?”

  “I will see to Miss Lyndon.”

  “She may not want to go with you.”

  “I will see to her.”

  Jane believed him. Drusilla would likely be terrified out of her wits, but Jane would feel bad about that after—once they were all out of Geoffrey’s reach. Adam and Jane would be on their ship bound for the colonies, and Magnus would take Drusilla with him back to Scotland. She didn’t have to stay forever. Just long enough for Morag to talk some sense into her and for her reputation to be ruined so she could rid herself of Geoff, in case Jane didn’t do it for her.

  “Is there anything else?”

  Jane wrinkled her nose with distaste. “Assure me again that nothing unsavory occurred for you to procure the bodies?”

  “Other than the buying and selling of corpses?”

  “Other than that.”

  “I inspected them myself. They died of fairly natural causes.”

  Fairly natural. She wasn’t going to ask.

  Of all the different aspects of her plan, that was the one she was most glad to have Magnus’s assistance for. Jane did not know the first thing about procuring a corpse, and she didn’t want to know. But it was integral for her plan.

  While the real Jane and Adam boarded their ship for the colonies, the decoy Jane and Adam would be fleeing north to Scotland, only to have a tragic carriage crash that killed them both.

  The plan could have worked just as well with only Jane dying—she was the only one who was going to be wanted by the law after she confronted Geoff—but she was going to an awful lot of trouble, and if she was going to assume a new identity, Adam should, too.

  If he’d cared at all about becoming the Marquess of Clairborne, she’d have let him keep his name. But after a rather enlightening visit with his father, it seemed like this would work out best for everyone. This way Sebastian could live in London and eventually inherit the title. Jane and Adam would exist in comfortable obscurity in the colonies. And if they’d somehow got it wrong and Adam truly did want to be the marquess, he could always come back and declare the whole thing a great big misunderstanding. But he’d be coming back without Jane.

  Because tomorrow morning, on the field where Adam was supposed to have his duel, Jane Bailey was going to shoot Geoffrey Pembroke. Whether it would be fatal would depend a great deal on Geoffrey and how he handled the situation. Then she was going to try to flee the consequences of her actions in a mad dash, only to have her carriage careen off a cliff and into a watery grave.

  Mathilda was already on a ship to the colonies under the very real guise of visiting Jane’s parents. With any luck, she would like it there and choose to stay. If not, she and Jane would have plenty of time to say their good-byes. Charlie would visit someday—for now he was happy in London. And Jane had already said a sort of a good-bye to Eugenia. She couldn’t tell her what was about to happen, but they’d had a very lovely day full of excellent memories.

  The plan was complete. There was only one thing left to do—poison Adam.

  “I suppose it’s time then,” she said.

  “Yes. I’m afraid the carriage is somewhat occupied at the moment. Shall I hail you a cab?”

  “Yes, please.”

  Magnus was only gone a minute before he came back to tell her a carriage was waiting. Jane climbed in and took a deep breath. “Jermyn Street, please.”

  It lurched forward, only to stop immediately.

  Magnus opened the door, handing her the paper packet from the apothecary. “You forgot this.”

  • • •

  In light of his dawn appointment, Adam had chosen to stay in for the evening. Brandon, who was staying in his guest room, had chosen to go out but promised he would return in plenty of time. Even if he didn’t, it hardly mattered. Adam didn’t plan on backing out.

  He was reading in his room when he heard the door open a few hours earlier than he expected.

  “Did you run out of friends?” he called.

  “I was hoping to reacquaint with a friend—if he’s still interested.”
<
br />   Adam was off the bed and into the hall before she finished her sentence. “Jane.”

  She lowered the hood of her cloak. “Adam.”

  “Are you . . . How have you been?”

  “I’ve missed you.”

  Thank God. It occurred to him that he was probably dreaming. If he was, he hoped nothing woke him. “Should you be here? How long can you stay?”

  She walked toward him down the hall. Adam’s heart thumped in time with her steps. When she reached him, her head tilted to the side. She touched the edges of his shirt, which were unbuttoned, hanging open.

  “How long would you like me to stay?”

  “Forever?”

  “I was hoping you would say that.” She untied her cloak and let it drop to the hallway floor.

  Adam pulled her to him. His hands roamed everywhere. Her hands followed suit. A month. They’d lost an entire month.

  They bumped into the wall. Adam pressed against her, wanting to touch every part of her at once. She pushed his shirt from his shoulders and unbuttoned his trousers. She had him in hand in an instant, blinding him with the pleasure of her touch.

  “Jane,” he groaned.

  “I need you,” she told him. “Right now.”

  Adam didn’t need to be asked twice. He lifted her up, wrapping her legs around his waist.

  Her hand left his cock, stroking herself to the rhythm she’d used on him. “Do you know how many times I’ve done this while thinking of you?”

  He captured her mouth, conquering it with his own. She couldn’t say things like that—not if she wanted him to last. When she reached down and fit him against her entrance he almost finished then. He filled his hands with her backside, gripping tight to her perfect curves. When he realized what he was doing he froze. His hands. He needed . . .

  “No,” Jane said. “No ties.”

  “I don’t—”

  “I can’t wait. Now.” She rocked her hips, rubbing him against her cleft.

  Wanting her had become such a permanent state. Adam wouldn’t forgive himself if he frightened her, but he also couldn’t deny her. Not when she asked like that.

  Adam drove into her. He’d meant to do it slow, gentle, but as soon as the sweet heat of her closed around him he was lost. He pushed deep. Again. Again. Jane was just as frenzied, pushing back with every thrust.