Compromising Miss Milton

by Michelle Styles

  ‘I told you not to follow me,’ Heritage said to his unseen companion. ‘You were to leave me strictly alone here. The lies I have had to tell to Miss Blandish…’

  ‘That is not my problem.’ The foreign voice held a distinct tone of menace. ‘Are they real? The entire countryside buzzes.’

  ‘It is mine! I need the Blandish money! My debts…’

  ‘You promised and I spared your life. You have partaken of the opium…you are one with us.’

  Daisy sucked in her breath as the curtain gaped. The man standing in front of the curtain had been one of the searchers that first day. The tall thin one with burning eyes.

  ‘No one told me about murder,’ Lord Edward protested.

  The man held up his hand with the blackbird tattoo gleaming in the fireplace. ‘How long do you think you will be permitted to continue with your miserable existence without me? Do you think your friends will protect you once they know what you have done? Now is the necklace the real one or an expensive fake?’

  ‘Real. Ravensworth is far too concerned about it.’ Edward Heritage’s braying laugh echoed off the library’s walls. ‘Give me some time. The Milton woman will trust me and my judgement. I have a way with women.’

  ‘Time runs short. He seeks her death.’

  Daisy fought against the urge to scream. She glanced up, expecting another reprimand, but Adam’s face wore a shocked expression.

  ‘You should give me more time. You did not even know about her until I discovered the connection. I am sure her brother sent her things. Things you desire. I have heard stories…’

  ‘And this creature is the blonde devil’s only relation. We asked you to discover this.’

  Edward Heritage pulled his arm from the man’s grip. ‘Give me some respect.’

  ‘Respect comes to those who have earned it.’ The man blew on his fingernails. ‘I thought you swore that you checked Ravensworth and he did not have the necklace. Where did he hide it?’

  ‘What can I say? Perhaps the driver spoke and gave warning. Remember the valet travelled in another carriage.’

  ‘We have a bargain. The necklace or your life.’

  Adam’s hand tightened about her waist. Daisy drank in his scent, steadying her nerves. She had innocently told Lord Edward who she was and he had betrayed this knowledge to the men who wanted to kill her.

  ‘Seduction should not be rushed.’ Lord Edward went white. ‘Miss Milton is a ripe plum ready for the picking. It will give me the greatest pleasure to seduce one of Ravensworth’s women. She will betray him for me. The other one did.’

  Daisy’s insides churned and it was only Adam’s iron hands about her waist that restrained her. Seduction? Betray Adam? The man had another think coming.

  ‘I will admit to not understanding the attractions of English women.’ A cutting laugh filled the room, sending prickles down Daisy’s spine. ‘Next time, you deal directly with my brother.’

  ‘No!’ Lord Edward’s voice rang out with desperation and he flopped down on the floor, grovelling. ‘If I disappear, Ravensworth will know the game is up and you will never get the necklace. I am your last hope.’

  ‘One last chance, but no opium until then.’

  ‘I understand.’

  Two sets of footsteps went out of the room. For a heartbeat, Daisy stood there, unable to quite take in all that she had heard.

  Adam’s arms instantly loosened and Daisy stumbled from his embrace. Away from Adam, the room seemed chilled as if it held the taint of the two men who had been in this room, the two men who had casually spoken of killing her and Adam.

  She ran her hands up and down her arms.

  ‘I owe you an apology, Daisy.’ He came to stand beside her. ‘Can you forgive me?’

  ‘You believed that he had some integrity.’

  ‘He was my brother officer. I thought we shared the same notions of honour. I made a mistake.’

  ‘What do we do now? Contact the magistrates?’

  ‘We wait until we have more information. Heritage comes from a powerful family. We need physical proof. Heritage hasn’t actually done anything, except perhaps seduced a few women I was tired of. I want the leaders, not the pawns,’ Adam said firmly. ‘Thanks to your actions tonight, the cage has been rattled and the snakes are running for cover. I should never have agreed to your scheme of wearing the necklace, but it has worked.’

  ‘Did you have a choice?’

  A tiny smile touched Adam’s lips before he inclined his head. ‘You will be safe, Daisy. You keep bringing out the chivalrous knight in me. Heritage will not harm a hair on your head.’

  ‘I am sure you would do the same for any woman.’

  ‘Not any woman.’ He reached out and traced the line of her jaw with featherlight fingers. ‘Only you.’

  But will you be safe? The words trembled on her lips but she held them back. When this was over, Adam would go from her life. It would never do for him to know she cared.

  ‘Why did Lord Edward lie to that man about my brother sending me jewels?’ Daisy crossed her arms and watched Adam poke the fire, sending an array of sparks shooting up the chimney.

  ‘He wanted to buy time. Heritage is a selfish creature.’ Adam’s eyes turned pure gold in the firelight. ‘You will not have to worry about him again. I promise you. Your brother was brave and true.’

  ‘People get what they deserve in life.’ A fluttering started in her stomach. She stood, helpless, needing his touch to block out her fear.

  ‘Do they?’

  ‘Yes, they do,’ she replied firmly and tried to think of all the reasons why they should return to the ball and not the one reason why she wanted to remain here. She wanted to dissolve the bargain. She wanted to feel his lips against hers. ‘We should go.’

  ‘Not yet. I have wanted to do this all evening. Ever since your lips first challenged me across the room.’ With two steps, he had left the fire and stood in front of her. ‘I would go so far as to say that they insisted on it.’

  He lowered his mouth and captured hers, submerged her lips in an unrelenting kiss of the sort her innermost being longed for. His hand curled about her head, buried itself in her hair. Her carefully pinned hairstyle shifted and unravelled, but she did not care. It was nothing compared to the way his mouth felt against hers. He was right. She desired this.

  His mouth moved down her neck, tasting and nibbling, calling to the fluttering inside her, flaming it and driving all thoughts of Lord Edward, the necklace and the thieves from her mind. The only thing she knew was the tremors of fire that seemed to spread outwards from his touch.

  His tongue traced a line along her shoulder, sending a small pulse of warmth through her. She had thought the ballroom close before, but here her skin was on fire.

  Daisy brought her hands up, intending to push him away, but found they refused to do her bidding. Her body melted against his, and her hands became entangled in his hair.

  He lifted his head and they both stood there. His eyes were a deep rich amber in the firelight, glowing with a smouldering flame. His hair bore the imprint of her fingers.

  ‘We should stop.’ Her voice was hardly a breath.

  ‘If you truly wish it…’

  He ran a finger along the edge of her dress and her breasts strained even more, arching towards his questing fingers. A little moan escaped her lips as he cupped her breasts, holding them over the fabric. His thumb flicked the tip and her nipples became hardened points, rubbing against the corset, sending ripples of pleasure through her. She struggled to breathe as she realised that she wanted him to touch them with his mouth. The thought should have shocked her. She knew that, but all the thought did was to increase the ache inside her.

  He lifted an eyebrow, captured her hand and gently tugged at the glove. One by one he released her fingers. Then he slowly bent his head, captured the littlest finger in his mouth and suckled while his hands once again roamed over her breast. A moan escaped the back of her throat.

  Voice
s in the corridor shocked her back to reality. She stiffened. Her body was wedged between his thighs, the skirts of her ball gown ballooned about them. ‘Adam, we must stop. This is highly improper.’

  Adam’s face instantly changed. His fingers restored order to her gown, making it seem like the passion they had shared had never happened. The very act was like ice water, reminding her that he was highly experienced in such matters and had always been in control where she had totally lost all sense of propriety.

  ‘Enough, I think, to keep the nightmares from your dreams.’

  ‘Is that what this was about? An elixir to make me forget?’

  ‘Why not? Your kisses provide me with delicious dreams.’

  She bent her head. An errant curl of hair fell over her shoulder. She greatly feared that she looked like she felt—a woman who had abandoned herself to a kiss.

  Only a few days ago, she had considered such a thing impossible and now it would seem that it had been merely the opportunity she lacked. She bit her lip and tried to keep the tide of red from washing up her face. ‘What should I do? My hair. I have lost my glove. People will think me…’

  With deft fingers, he twisted her hair back into place, before retrieving her glove from the floor. ‘You will find that I can play lady’s maid. It will serve for now. And you will return to your room. I will send Polly up.’

  ‘You must think me wanton.’

  ‘I think you are my fiancée.’ He put a hand on her arm and his eyes became serious. ‘I would like you to go back up to your room and stay there. Allow me to handle this other matter. It is nearly finished. Things are moving in the direction that I thought they would. You have played your part admirably. I have never met a woman like you before. Our marriage will be a good one.’

  ‘Desire is no sound basis for marriage.’ Daisy hated the way her voice became breathless and betrayed her.

  ‘Desire is a very sound reason, my prim-and-proper governess. It adds spice to something that otherwise would be an extremely dull state of affairs.’ His voice rumbled in her ear. ‘Are you frightened? Is that it? I will never force you to do anything you do not want to do. We stop when you say stop.’

  Daisy regarded the shifting flames of the fire. ‘I thought we had agreed that this was an engagement in name only. To wait for the wedding.’

  ‘My door is open to you, Daisy, if you wish to make that choice.’ His hand cupped her cheek. ‘It would be wrong of me to deny that I want you. And our bargain holds. A seduction is more than kisses.’

  ‘Have you ever practised denial?’ Daisy drew as deep a breath as her stays would permit.

  ‘You met me kiss for kiss, Daisy.’ He ran a hand down her arm. ‘Nothing happens unless you desire it. You remain in charge and all you have to do is tell me to stop. Shall I never kiss you again, Daisy?’

  He laced his fingers through hers, pulling her close. His hot breath touched her skin. She closed her eyes, savouring the moment. Her mind knew she should say the word but her lips refused to work. This close, and all she could think about was how his mouth tasted.

  ‘Please, please stop,’ she whispered with her last ounce of sanity and his hands let her go.

  ‘You see, I have stopped at your command.’ His hand touched her hair.

  ‘The agreement… I will not hold you to the marriage once this is done,’ Daisy said the words through lips which were on fire.

  ‘I believe I know what I am on about.’ He let her hand go and she stumbled back two steps. Her heart pounded far too loudly in her ears.

  Daisy unhooked the necklace and placed it in his outstretched palm. The rubies glowed like drops of blood in his hand. Her neck now seemed somehow seemed far too light, as if it had become used to the necklace. She felt colder, like a great hollow was opening up inside her. Had she proved unworthy? Daisy dismissed the thought. It was simply a collection of lifeless stones.

  ‘I believe I will go straight to my room after all. You can do what you will with the necklace.’

  She started to sweep out of the room, stubbed her toe on the doorframe and swore.

  Adam’s laughter echoed after her. She stopped and glanced back over her shoulder. The twinkles in his eyes had transformed his features, making him appear younger. Her heart flipped over and she struggled to breathe steadily.

  ‘You do have the most charming way of speaking, Miss Milton.’ He sketched a bow.

  Daisy’s heart swelled and the coldness went. The curse had no power, but she knew she was in grave danger of losing her heart to Adam.

  * * *

  Adam came down the back stairs after he had escorted Daisy to her room. Despite her protestations, he was under no illusions about the danger she faced. He had caused it and now it was up to him to end it. The corners of his mouth twitched as he remembered her indignation. At some point over the past few days, the necklace and what it represented had ceased to have any meaning, and his life had begun to revolve around Daisy. It worried and exhilarated him at the same time. He now understood what he had felt for Kamala had been a young man’s fancy. It was not that he was incapable of love, it was that he had not met the right person to love. But with the knowledge came the fear. He wanted her to believe in him. He wanted her to see him as the man he intended to be.

  The ball was drawing to an end and a variety of carriages had already left, including the Blandishes.

  A darkened shape emerged from the shadows, moving with an awkward grace. ‘Webster, is that you? How much ale have you had?’

  ‘Master, you cannot expect me to go to the pub and nurse a single pint all night. A man must have a few pleasures in the countryside.’

  ‘Have you heard anything from the servants? I am looking for a tall thin man with hollowed eyes. From his appearance, I would say that he is in service, rather than being one of the farmers. There will be a connection with Carlisle, but it is not important.’

  His valet’s eyes widened. ‘All appears normal. How have you learnt so much, so quickly?’

  ‘Heritage. You were right about him. There is something amiss and it is more than chasing skirts.’ Adam squared his jaw. ‘He will have to be neutralised.’

  ‘You can always tell a man by his boot polish. There was something not right about the shine, if you see my meaning.’

  ‘After all the time he spent chasing the thuggee, I never thought that he would help the enemy, but his desire for opium has overcome any scruples.’ Adam pressed his fingertips together, considering. Heritage was untrustworthy but at least he was a known quantity.

  Webster lowered his eyes. ‘And your fiancée? What are you going to do about her when this is over? Are you really going to have a female in the household? I will have to consider my position.’

  ‘You will have to learn to cope, Webster. Your polish recipe is far too valuable.’ Adam paused, pulling at his cuffs. He must be truly smitten if he was about to extol Daisy’s virtues to Webster. ‘Daisy will be part of my life. I owe it to her brother.’

  Adam gave Webster his orders and then strode into the card room in search of Heritage. Heritage sat alone, with a pack of cards at one elbow and a full decanter of port.

  Heritage downed his glass of port with a shaking hand. ‘Ravensworth. I had wondered where you and your bride-to-be had disappeared to. You must congratulate me. Miss Blandish has taken against my suit. She says that I paid far too much attention to your little governess this evening. Having a shrew for a wife is no good, not even one with the size of Miss Blandish’s fortune. I have ended the relationship.’

  ‘Daisy developed a headache.’ Adam contented himself with flexing his fingers, rather than ripping Heritage’s lying head from his shoulders. There were codes, and he would abide by them, but Heritage’s days were numbered. He would see him blackballed from every club. His revenge would be subtle, but effective. ‘But before she left, she told me a story, Heritage. You appear to think the necklace is a fake.’

  ‘Women—you cannot trust them.’ Heritage shook hi
s head. ‘She is probably laying the ground work for a theft at some later date. After all, her brother was only a factor in John Company. Blood will out, as they say.’

  ‘I have overlooked things, Heritage, based on the time we spent together in India, but here we part.’ Adam leant forwards and grabbed the lapels of Heritage’s coat and pulled him close. ‘Go near my fiancée, talk about her to anyone else in that fashion and I will destroy you.’

  The colour drained from Heritage’s miserable face.

  ‘You have gone mad, Ravensworth.’

  ‘You have no idea.’ Adam put his face next to Heritage’s and fixed him with his steely gaze so there could be no mistake. Heritage had to understand that their association was at an end. ‘I want names, Heritage. Who are you working for? Was it you who bribed my coachman? Who gives the orders?’

  Heritage flinched, but clamped his mouth shut.

  ‘You try my patience, Heritage,’ Adam said with a clenched jaw. ‘Do you doubt my purpose? Who gave you the order to harm Daisy?’

  Heritage swallowed as rivulets of sweat began to drip down his face. ‘Sanbay or something. I owed him money. I never thought…’

  ‘How do you contact them?’

  Heritage’s eyes looked everywhere but at Adam. And Adam knew that there was far more to it. He would have to let Heritage go and wait. ‘I leave a note in the old oak tree. I know nothing more than that. I promise on my honour as a gentleman.’

  ‘You lost your honour when you traded it for opium.’

  Adam released Heritage in disgust as Heritage continued to bleat about his precious honour and sincerity. How he’d never done anything. How he’d been playing them at their game and how he’d intended on telling Adam once he knew for certain whose side Daisy was on.

  ‘We are alike, you and I, Ravensworth,’ Heritage finished. ‘You have blood on your hands. All you ever wanted was that necklace. I know what truly happened up there. How you behaved.’

  Adam slammed his fist down on the table, sending the decanter crashing to the floor and stopping Heritage’s words. The sound of the crash brought Adam to his senses. Heritage was nothing to him, but once upon a time he had made sure all the thuggee were properly hanged. ‘Leave. Get out of my sight.’