‘You cannot honestly expect me to believe...’ de Warde was laughing at him. It was hardly a surprise, for the thing he suggested was laughable to any sane man.
Jack gave a dismissive gesture of his hand. ‘I do not expect you to believe anything, Uncle. As a matter of fact, I would much prefer you didn’t. Thea is quicker to forgive than I am. Do not think that you can try the same with her, gaining the thing again only to sell it back to us.’ He turned as if to go.
‘Wait.’ De Warde said it sharply and Jack brought himself up short, then turned slowly with a slight sigh, as though he were tired of being bothered.
‘So it is true that Lady Banester is with child?’
Jack looked down his nose at his faux uncle. ‘That is a secret I have no right to reveal. You have spoken to the woman yourself. If you do not wish to believe her, it is no business of mine.’
‘Then is it true that you believe in the power of the statue...’
‘Statues,’ Jack corrected, as though the detail mattered.
‘...and that you have convinced her that the child will be male?’
‘I see no reason to share my beliefs on such a subject with you,’ Jack said, turning again. ‘They are no concern of yours.’
‘Lady Banester seemed convinced that you would buy the things for yourself and use them to guarantee an heir.’
Jack turned back suddenly. ‘Now I see why you are interested. Concerned about your own place in the succession, are you? Then let me assure you of one thing. You will never have my father’s title. I am seeing to that myself and you will soon have two men standing between you and it. You had best learn to consider yourself fourth in line for the coronet and stop bothering me. I must speak to my wife’s mother about being too free with information that I do not feel the need to share. But I have nothing more to say to you on the subject. Good day to you, sir.’
He exited the room with a slam of the door, startling the butler who waited nervously in the hall, then attempting to put the servant at ease again with a smile. ‘Wait a few moments, Graves, and then show my uncle out.’
‘If I may be so bold, my lord, as to offer advice?’
As if such a polite request was an act of bravery. ‘Of course, Graves.’
‘If the gentleman is bothering you, or Lady Kenton, there is no reason to allow him entrance to the house. If instructed, the staff will turn him away on his next visit.’
‘Perhaps on the visit after next, Graves. But for a day, or maybe two, my uncle must be allowed access. The next time he comes, even if I am not present, bring him to the salon and notify Lady Kenton of his presence.’
‘Very good, my lord.’ Graves’s expression said his opinion was quite the opposite of his words, but then he knew better than to express an opinion of his own to the master’s face. Jack had no fear of opposition.
Chapter Seventeen
Thea wished that she could gather everyone who had ever advised her and demand that they sort out the muddle she had made of her life. Miss Pennyworth would have explained that it was her own fault for yielding, even for a moment, to a man who didn’t deserve her time. Of course, standing firm would have lost what little good had come from this. The previous night had been a delight.
Spayne would likely have explained that brief pleasure was better than none. And her mother would have asked for details. The pair of them would likely have encouraged her to forgive Jack for being as he was and remind her that one must take the good with the bad.
Even if that was true, he’d had no reason to lie to her. He had treated her like any common woman, who needed to be tricked into bed with shiny speeches. Could he not have just put it plainly, in terms of physical attraction and release? Was it necessary for him to make her believe so completely in the strength of his love?
She was angry at herself for being fooled. But more than that, she was angry at him for spoiling things, just as she had been ready to give in without question to hedonistic joy. She had thought that they would linger in bed for the morning, repeating what they had done. Perhaps he would whisper the details of his plans against de Warde, which she was sure would sound much more brilliant if explained while prone, naked and exhausted.
Instead she had sent him away and spent the day sulking in her rooms, writing letters and dreading the time when she would have to see him again and pretend that she was not hurt. Polly told her that there had been a visit from de Warde, and that Lord Kenton had sent him off with a flea in his ear. Thea had no idea whether that had been planned, or just a mad impulse on Jack’s part.
And now they were at supper and he was looking at her over the table, saying nothing of importance about it and acting as if none of the morning’s conversation had happened, as though they were somehow still lovers. ‘You are most fetching tonight, my dear.’
‘Please, spare me your compliments,’ she responded, prodding at the sole on her plate.
‘No false flattery, I assure you. Brown satin would be a drab on any other woman, but on you the colour comes alive.’
‘Then perhaps I should change it,’ she said.
He laughed. ‘You mean to be contrary?’
‘After last night, I would not believe you if you told me the sky was blue and the sun high at noon.’
He gave a surprised look. ‘And I would have sworn that you quite enjoyed what we were doing.’
‘The act itself was as pleasant as you promised,’ she agreed. ‘But I regret my choice of partners.’
For a moment, she thought she might have actually hurt him. The flinch he gave at the words seemed almost genuine. ‘Better luck to you next time, then. Unless you would like to sport again tonight? I promise, you will find it just as nice as last night. I have other tricks to teach you before we are done with each other.’
And why must it be tricks? Why could he not have offered her anything real? Because he was an actor, of course. How foolish had she been to expect anything else? He had played the lover to get what he wanted. And now he could not be bothered. She glared at him and said nothing.
In response, he stood and walked around the table to her, tracing a fingertip along the bare skin of her shoulder, and her traitorous body seemed to actually consider the suggestion. She stiffened her spine and ignored the frisson of excitement raised by his touch. ‘I think we are quite done with each other, thank you very much. My curiosity is satisfied.’
‘And what of the matter of de Warde?’ he asked.
‘You can manage that by yourself, I am sure. You have said that you did not need me.’
‘So I did,’ he said thoughtfully. The finger on her shoulder was still flicking idly back and forth, raising the hair on her arms. ‘But as you can see, the excitement of the game is raising certain other needs. And it has been rather a long time for me. Until last night, I had been without satisfaction since before we met. It would be better if I were to expend this energy and tackle the man tomorrow while my head is clear.’
When she had wished for a less romantic approach, she had not thought it would sound so common, horrible and selfish. If possible, tonight’s base truth was even worse than the previous night’s flowery lying. She pulled her chair out and stood to escape his grasp. ‘Are you seriously suggesting that I allow you another night in my bed?’
He gave her a wry smile. ‘You have made it clear that you wish no part in the actual tricking of de Warde. But there is another supportive role you might play that would do me a world of good.’ He compounded the vulgarity of it by reaching for her, drawing her into his arms for a kiss as rough and careless as any she might have expected from a man who thought only of his own pleasure.
And even worse, she was answering him with a kiss of her own, as though one day of intimacy had created a habit. She could be just as selfish as he, if she tried. To prove it, she forced her tongue into his mouth, urging him on, her leg rising to rest on his hip as though she expected him to bend her back on the table and have her here. She would prove to him that she
could be as wicked and as careless as he. Tonight, when they were finished, she would be the one to leave.
And that was not what she wanted at all.
She fumbled behind her, until her hand found a heavy silver fish slice and grabbed it, poking the flat blade into his ribs and pushing him away from her. ‘Leave me be, Jack Briggs. Or I shall...’ She was unsure what, for the weapon she’d chosen was hardly sharp enough to do him any damage.
He looked down and laughed. ‘Is that how they taught you to threaten a man in Miss Pennyworth’s school? If you mean to do me an injury, a real knife might work better.’
‘I will show you injury, you lecher.’ And she swung the thing as hard as she could at the side of his head.
He caught her wrist before she could make contact and backed away in surprise. ‘You truly are angry with me, aren’t you?’
‘Merely coming to my senses, which were lost briefly yesterday.’ She brandished the serving piece at him, backing towards the table.
‘I have a good mind to do just as you ask and leave you alone for the evening,’ he said. ‘I could take my diversion elsewhere.’
‘I suggest you do that. Find a whore who can appreciate Shakespeare and perhaps you will not even have to pay for it.’
‘Very well, then.’ He had the nerve to look indignant and reached back to the table to drain his wine glass. ‘I’m off. There was no part of my agreement with Spayne that said I had to stand for your abuse. I will return in the morning in a better mood. We will see how long it takes you to regret this behaviour.’ And he was out of the room and down the hall, shouting at servants and grumbling all the way to the carriage, making such a commotion that she would be surprised if half of London did not know that Kenton and his lady had had their first row.
She decided, almost immediately the door was shut, that he had been right. While she was not sure that it was safe to take him into her own bed, she did not want him leaving the house to consort with other women. What did this say about her feelings for him, to be simultaneously jealous and repulsed by the man? And how many of Miss Pennyworth’s rules had she broken in the last hour? She’d refused her husband, argued loudly enough for the servants to hear and taken notice of the fact that he might wish to satisfy his needs with another.
She had also threatened him with a serving piece. There was not even a rule to cover that. It simply was not done. Even her mother, at her most outlandish, had never done anything so foolish. All the efforts to mask the taint in her blood had been for naught. When sufficiently aroused she was as volatile, as common and as prone to inappropriate actions as Antonia ever had been.
There was a quiet clearing of the throat behind her, as if the butler feared the reaction he might get should he interrupt her thoughts. ‘My lady?’
She turned to him. ‘Graves?’
‘I know the time is late. But you have a guest. Mr de Warde. And he has requested...’
‘To meet with me alone,’ Thea said with a sigh. Why tonight, of all nights, must the man come to bother her? ‘Show him to the drawing room. I will speak to him there.’ She took a moment to straighten her skirt and smooth her hair, making sure that no trace of the recent tussle with Jack was visible. Then she walked down the hall to meet her guest.
She allowed the footman to announce her and stood saying nothing and forcing de Warde to rise and come to her. She did not bother with a smile, for really, what was the point of pretending? It did not matter if her mood furthered Jack’s plan or not, she could not stand to pretend a moment longer. ‘Mr de Warde?’
‘Lady Kenton.’ He offered a slight bow.
She ignored it. ‘What is the meaning of your visit this evening? If you wish to see Spayne, he has gone back to Essex.’
‘And your husband is out for the evening,’ de Warde supplied. ‘I have just seen him at Boodle’s. He is well on the way to being foxed and cursing all of womankind.’
Damn Jack for leaving in such a pet that the world must know of his absence. His fine talk of keeping her safe had proved to be just as false as his lovemaking. ‘All the more reason that you should not be here,’ she replied.
‘On the contrary, it is the very reason I have come. We have a matter to discuss, Lady Kenton, and I will not leave until I am satisfied.’
‘Very well, then. What is it you wished to know?’
‘I have had quite enough of this nonsense that your husband is attempting. He is up to no good, I am sure. But I cannot make it out.’
‘I have no idea what you mean.’ It did not sound particularly convincing, but then she was in no mood to play-act. And the story she would have to tell of Hindu deities and magical pregnancy was too ludicrous even to attempt.
‘I am sure you do. The statue that I sold your father is in a shop somewhere, along with its mate. I wish to have them back, quickly, cheaply, and before your husband can attempt to sell them to me.’
‘He would do no such thing.’ She tried for a staunch denial and defence of her beloved Kenton. But she might as well have yelled ‘Right in one!’ for all the effect it had on de Warde.
‘Really, Lady Kenton? Is that the best you could do?’ He shook his head. ‘After all the fine apologies from you, and your mother, I thought we might be friends again.’
‘I am willing to forgive the trick you played on my father, because of his recent good fortune.’ She choked out the sentence, making one last effort to stick to the plan. ‘But I will not stand for you pawing at me, drooling over my hand or making any further attempt to see me alone. I was never interested in your suggestions. My opinion of them has only diminished, now that I have married.’
‘Very well, then.’ He held his hands palms up before him in a gesture of surrender. ‘I apologise if my interest has been misconstrued. I will trouble you no further. Nor will I offer you this.’ He waved a piece of paper briefly before her eyes before beginning to tuck it back into his pocket.
It looked suspiciously like a bank draft. ‘Wait.’ She could not help herself. ‘What is it that you have there?’
‘The money that I took from your father. I meant to give it back to you as a wedding gift, but your husband would not allow me to speak with you...’
Could it really be that simple? Had the answer been before her all this time? And had it been obscured by a play-actor too clever for his own good? ‘Why would you give me such a thing?’
‘Because I would rather your family had it than Kenton’s,’ he said. And that, at least, had a ring of honesty to it. He held it out to her so that she could read her father’s name, twenty thousand pounds and his own signature smoothly across the bottom. ‘As I said before, Kenton is up to no good. I will take back the statue for the amount I was paid. But I need you to bring it to me.’
‘I do not have it,’ she said, ‘or I’d give it to you tonight. I am sick to death of hearing about it.’
‘Your mother said it was sold to an antiquities dealer.’
‘A pawn shop,’ she said, not bothering to maintain the pretence.
‘Do you have the address?’
‘It is somewhere in Whitechapel,’ she said. ‘The door was green.’
‘You have been there?’ His eyes widened in surprise.
‘Only briefly.’
‘Then take me there, immediately.’
‘Me?’ She was squeaking like a schoolgirl. She could not seem to help it. And she had been doing so well in asserting herself. She still could not act, of course. But the truth had served well enough for most of this conversation.
He gave her a smug smile. ‘Do not tell me you are afraid to be seen in my company. We are family now, as your husband keeps reminding me.’
‘You know that is not what you are thinking at all,’ Thea snapped, unable to contain her disgust.
‘If you will soon be breeding, as your husband claims, than you have nothing to fear from me. I will admit defeat. If Kenton is any kind of a man, he will not need Indian magic to do the job. But I am tired of games and w
ill not allow myself to be swindled.’ He set the bank draft down on the table. ‘Take me to the source of these supposed idols. Do it now, and not at your husband’s convenience. The draft will stay here, as proof of my word.’
‘I cannot guarantee that the statues are there, or even that the shop is open,’ she said, eyeing the draft on the table.
‘Take me to the shop and I ask no more of you. But do not try to fool me or lead me on a wild goose chase through London. I will know if you lie, for you are really quite hopeless at it.’
She could have her father’s money. And if the shop was closed, she might not even damage Jack’s plan to help Spayne. He might still succeed, if she could find him and warn him of this recent development.
And if she could not? Then it would serve him right for leaving her alone and sharing so little of the truth with her. ‘Very well, then. If you will give me the draft, I shall call for a carriage and show you the way.’
‘We shall take mine,’ he said. ‘It stands ready outside.’
‘But the draft stays here.’
He gave a small nod.
‘I will be but a moment to get my wrap.’ She stepped into the hall and signalled furiously for a footman, handing him the draft. ‘Send this to my father immediately. And send someone else to find Kenton. He may be at Boodle’s or perhaps not. Tell him I have gone to Whitechapel with his uncle.’ And let Jack make of that what he could.
The man gave a single nod before de Warde was upon them again, gesturing impatiently to the door where his carriage waited. ‘My lady?’
As she passed him, she tried to keep her head held high as though the trip did not frighten her. But even she could see in the mirror of the entry hall that she looked near to panic and quite guilty. She glared back at her reflection. There was no way that Jack’s scheme could have succeeded. She was doing no harm by giving up and would possibly even be saving him some embarrassment. Tomorrow, she could borrow some small portion of the money back from Father and reclaim her ring. It was all for the best.
For his part, de Warde looked triumphant, sure that he was near to a revelation, as he most likely was. ‘Whitechapel,’ he commanded and the carriage started forwards.
Two Wrongs Make a Marriage Page 17
