Scandalous Scoundrels

by Aileen Fish

  By the time they arrived at the duke’s townhouse she had a fair list in her mind. First and foremost, she wanted to have children, potentially many children. Next, she wanted to find something important to do with her money. Something lasting, like founding a school. She would need to think through what would be the best use of the funds. She also thought that she wanted to travel. That she needed to see more of the world. That it was something her soul yearned for. John had warned her that travel could be tedious, but perhaps patience was something she needed to develop, as well.

  She was smiling to herself as they entered the house and were ushered to the drawing room. Was still focused on her own thoughts until she realized how many people were in the drawing room. No small dinner party, this. And the attendees were so pretty. The dress that had felt the very stare of fashion five minutes ago suddenly felt like a rag.

  A petite, dark-haired woman in a stunning embroidered red gown greeted them. “Welcome to our home.” That meant the equally stunning blond man standing behind her was the duke.

  Elisa and Fanny both sank into deep curtsies. “Your grace, your grace” they murmured.

  “You must call me Sabre. And you are Elisa?” The duchess threaded her arm through Elisa’s as though they were bosom companions. “Come, meet everyone and mingle. We have a few more guests due to arrive before dinner.”

  The friendly familiarity from the duchess overwhelmed Elisa a bit, and she could feel her heart racing in her chest. Then she saw, in the center of the room, John was here. He was chatting with his friend Casimir, but watching her. At that moment her instinct was that if she could just get to him, her heart would calm, her mind would calm, and she would be more at ease. That was when she knew he was the right choice. Not only her mind, but also her heart knew it. The realization served the purpose of calming her. Not as much as she knew his touch would, but enough to allow her to smile at the duchess and enjoy the round of introductions.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  “When in doubt, touch her.” ~ Lord Lucifer

  John had missed her so much that it was difficult not to walk directly to her. She looked beautiful tonight, like a water nymph playing on land. Her hair was swept up and decorated with sprays of crystals. Her dress was a pale blue that highlighted the delicacy of her skin. When her shawl shifted and revealed a patch of arm below her cap sleeve he ached to press his lips there. He was, without a doubt, still completely smitten with her.

  The past few days had been a blur of meetings and enough paperwork that it was testing even his limits. But through it all he had consoled himself that it was for her, for Elisa. And that he would do anything for her. To protect her, to care for her, and, God willing, to have her.

  Apparently he had lost track of the conversation because Casimir poked him in the shoulder. “I’m sorry, what?”

  “You have it worse than I knew.”

  “Have what?”

  “I understand. Don’t you remember all those balls where Gini and I would moon over each other?”

  “I’m mooning?”

  “You, my friend, could be the king of the moon right now.”

  John frowned down into his drink. “That probably isn’t appropriate, then.”

  Casimir laughed and slapped him on the shoulder. “Au contraire,” he said, sotto voice. “It’s adorable.”

  “That must have been lost in translation. I don’t do adorable.”

  John looked up to see who the latest arrival was and tensed. His father was here. The man who had never approved of him. The man who had pushed him relentlessly. The man who had intimidated him so profoundly that for years almost anyone could send him into a stuttering fit. Then John realized that his friend’s hand was still on his shoulder. That the woman he loved was barely five steps away, and on the arm of a duchess no less. That he now had his own powerful allies, his own decisions to make, and his father’s opinion on it was essentially not needed. It was liberating. It made him feel light-headed for a moment. He couldn’t decide if his sudden joyfulness was bonhomie or the onset of hysteria.

  He returned Casimir’s shoulder slap. “Let me introduce you to my father.”

  ***

  “Of course, she gives herself over most completely when you have dazzled her.” ~ Lord Lucifer

  Elisa covertly watched John across the room. He and Casimir had approached the older gentleman she heard announced as Viscount Howards. She recognized John’s grin. He had worn it often the night they met, but never since, and she had begun to think that it was part of his costume when playing the rogue. So was he playing at something now, or genuinely happy to see his father? The duchess had left her with two women she had proclaimed to be her “very best friends,” which meant she was now chatting with a countess and Casimir’s wife. She desperately wanted to extract herself and go to John.

  “You can, you know.” Casimir’s wife had been introduced to her as George, which Elisa had found confusing. But even more confusing was having the woman say that out of the blue.

  “Beg pardon?”

  “You can go over there if you like. We aren’t ones to stand on ceremony.”

  “My apologies, I didn’t mean to seem rude.”

  George shrugged. “I don’t mind rude.”

  The countess gave her friend a quelling look. “What George meant, of course, was that you weren’t being rude at all. We both remember the early days of falling in love. It’s distracting.”

  “Speak for yourself,” the slightly shorter girl said. “I was busy doing Crown business.”

  When the countess frowned George winked at Elisa. Oh yes, definitely friends.

  The countess, who Elisa believed had been introduced to her as Jack, was distracted by something. “Look,” she said. “Gideon is taking your guardian over to meet the viscount.”

  Near as she could follow, Gideon must be Jack’s husband, ergo the earl. It was then that Elisa realized her family hadn’t just been invited to a dinner party. John had somehow engineered an opportunity for Emberly and his father to meet through a duke and an earl. She didn’t know what to think. It had been clear as he outlined all the steps he had taken to win her that he had some sort of progressive plan. But how on earth had he managed this?

  Elisa shook her head. “I think I can admit it now.”

  “Admit what?” George asked.

  “He’s bloody amazing.”

  George grinned. “I assume you’re talking about my husband.”

  Jack countered. “I assume she’s talking about mine.”

  “I’m talking about mine.”

  “You’re married?” they asked at the same time.

  “Soon to be.”

  ***

  “One man can’t be good at everything. But a clever man can minimize others noticing that.” ~ Lord Lucifer

  The discussion with his father had been almost, not quite, but almost, pleasant. It had helped considerably to have Casimir at his side. Their friendship had given them a sympatico rhythm in conversation that carried into public discourse. Where one of them left off on a subject, the other would pick up. By the time Emberly and the earl had joined their circle, Viscount Howards had been caught up on the entertaining on dits of the Congress of Vienna. Now, John knew, they would segue into a discussion of investments. It was a strategy that the three of them, Casimir, Gideon, and himself, had worked out before the dinner. Among Gideon’s goals was to bring in a select few investors to expand what W.T. Investments was capable of doing. As both Emberly and Howards were known to be strong, safe investors, having them both buy into the fund would put a stamp of approval on the viability of the company. Provided that they did, of course. Provided that this wasn’t all a terrible, crashing failure. John looked over to where Elisa was chatting with some other ladies. Of course it wouldn’t be a failure. Because he couldn’t afford for it to be a failure. Besides, it wasn’t up to him to convince the two men to invest. He could leave that to Casimir and Gideon. That, in and of itself, precluded
failure.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  “If you listen quietly enough, you can hear her wanting you. And what a lovely sound it is.” ~ Lord Lucifer

  When it was clear that John would be her escort to dinner Elisa almost danced with delight. She wrapped her arm in his perhaps a bit more tightly than etiquette dictated, but he smiled down at her as though he found her enthusiasm amusing.

  “I need to tell you something,” she whispered. He leaned closer, so close that she could tip her lips up and almost touch his lobe. “I love you.”

  His grin returned. Perhaps it was a happy grin after all. “I recall hearing something like that before.”

  “Said by a silly girl who fell in love with a chimera.”

  “And that’s not you.”

  “Oh no, not at all. I’m the picture of pragmatic wisdom.”

  He chuckled. “I see. Therefore, if I were to suggest we do something like leave in a carriage tonight for Scotland, that would be far too whimsical for a creature such as you?”

  “On the contrary, I think that would be very practical.”

  “You do?”

  “Indeed. Think of all the blunt we’ll save on the wedding breakfast alone.”

  John’s sudden bark of laughter drew the attention of their tablemates as they were all being seated.

  “What’s so funny, John?” Violetta was his dinner companion to his right.

  Elisa leaned forward to address her friend. “I’m just being outrageous to make him laugh.”

  Violetta smiled so large her dimples flashed. “You two do have that in common.”

  Elisa poked John’s arm. “You never told me you were outrageous.”

  “I was too busy being outrageous to inform you.”

  “That would explain a lot.”

  He flashed her a smile and then addressed Emberly over her head. “Sir, as discussed, we can have the prospectus to you tomorrow, but if there’s anything else you would like to see please don’t hesitate to ask.”

  “Thank you, Howards.”

  “Feel free to call me John, sir.”

  John had turned a bit in his seat as he spoke to her guardian, but apparently for nefarious purposes. It was to her credit that she didn’t jump and squeak as his hand brushed her hip and then traced a lazy line down her thigh. That simple touch reminded her body of everything he was capable of doing to it.

  She leaned closer to whisper to him again. “I need to tell you something.”

  “Will this, at least, be original?”

  She grinned at him and leaned in closer. “I want to marry you.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, I suppose the third time a woman asks you to marry her you should just break down and say yes.”

  “Yes?” She yipped the word louder than she meant to and put a hand over her mouth.

  John looked over her head again. “Emberly, I believe the other thing we discussed has been resolved.”

  Her guardian sighed. “Are you sure, Elisa?”

  She nodded, not trusting herself to speak until she was sure she wouldn’t sound like an overexcited lap dog.

  “Well, John. I guess you should call me Lloyd.”

  That loosened her tongue. “You don’t let me call you Lloyd.”

  “Of course not.”

  She crossed her arms. “It’s back to Uncle Em, then.”

  “I’d hoped you had forgotten that appellation.”

  “How could I forget my beloved Uncle Em?”

  Her guardian’s gaze shifted back to John. “Shall I make the announcement, then?”

  “After dessert is served,” John replied.

  Meet a duchess, have dessert, and announce and engagement. All in all, not a bad plan for an evening. Elisa grinned all through dinner.

  ***

  John felt his cousin poke him. He was going to be bruised by morning.

  “What are you all whispering about?” she asked in a hushed tone.

  “Can you keep a secret? At least for about, oh, thirty minutes?”

  She grinned but nodded.

  “Elisa and I are engaged.”

  She clapped a hand over her mouth, but quickly dissolved to giggles. “Oh, that’s wonderful.”

  Her reaction had, unfortunately, gained her husband’s attention. “Are you all right?”

  She nodded, still making merry little noises. “Yes. I can tell you in about thirty minutes.”

  The baron looked confused, but went back to chatting with his other dinner companion.

  John smiled at Violetta again. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t visit at the house earlier, but did you receive the package I sent over?”

  “Yes I did, and thank you very much.”

  “Did the boys remember to wish you a happy birthday?”

  “Yes, although I think they received some coaching from their father. They insisted on pronouncing it bird day.”

  John glanced at the baron. He’d had no idea the man had a sense of humor, and apparently a prankster one, at that. “I’m sorry to drag you out tonight, but there weren’t a lot of options for this dinner and I didn’t want you to miss it.”

  “You’re apologizing? I consider this one of my bird day gifts.”

  John chuckled. “I’m glad you feel that way about it.”

  Twenty minutes later, when the trifle was brought out, everyone wished Violetta a happy birthday and she turned a brighter red than the duchess’ dress. After that, Emberly rose to announce Elisa’s engagement to John. By the end of the evening John had never been happier or more exhausted. He almost wished that he could go home and go to sleep. Almost. But he had a better plan.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  “Study her. How does she walk? How does she address others? These are all clues about how to unlock her abandon. Then, with that knowledge, surprise her.” ~ Lord Lucifer

  Elisa straightened her shawl for the third time in as many minutes. For a group that started the evening as strangers, it felt more like friends now, and everyone was giving her a hug in congratulations on her engagement. She was worried that Emberly was overtired from the evening, as he had excused himself some time ago to repair to the carriage, but encouraged her to stay for all the well wishers. It seemed Fanny had slipped off as well. She really ought to join them so that they could get home to their beds. She received what she was fairly certain was her third hug from Violetta and edged towards the door.

  “Where do you think you’re going?”

  John’s voice so close behind her gave her chills. He set a hand at her waist and pulled her back towards him. She wanted to back fully against him and feel his body against hers, but she tended to doubt that was appropriate behavior in the ducal foyer.

  “I need to join Emberly and Fanny so they can get home and rest.”

  He moved slightly closer and she could feel his heat all along her spine, even though they weren’t quite touching yet. “Your Uncle Em went home already. Didn’t you remember that we had a plan? You even proclaimed it practical.”

  She turned. “But. But I don’t have a change of clothes.”

  He grinned down at her. “Where is your sense of adventure?”

  She opened her mouth but then closed it again. After a moment she smiled up at him. “I think you mentioned a carriage?”

  “Right this way, my sweet.”

  He led her outside where a coach and four waited under the lamplight. She shook her head. “You are, in fact, bloody amazing.”

  “I’m sorry, did my fiancée just curse?”

  “Of course not,” she said. “You’re hearing things.”

  He handed her up into the carriage and followed. The interior was dark, plush velvet. She couldn’t ascertain the color in the low light. It was, undoubtedly, about as comfortable as one could be on a ride to Scotland.

  “How did you manage this?” she asked.

  “Oh, I have friends.”

  “I thought you only had one friend.”<
br />
  “Well, three friends, actually. And my friends have friends.”

  He was seated next to her and picked up her hand to play with her fingers.

  “If we’re to be married,” she said, “I suppose I should know who your three friends are.”

  “Well, there’s Violetta,” he ticked them off with her fingers as he went, “Casimir, and you.”

  “We need to get you out more.”

  “You think I should have more friends? I prefer quality over quantity.”

  He said it with such certainty that he had chosen his friends well, she felt her heart melt a little more.

  The carriage set into motion, pushing her back against the plush squabs. It rolled so smoothly it was almost like floating on air.

  “If you prefer quality you must love this carriage.”

  “I’m becoming partial to it. Since you’re here. Would you like for me to light a lantern or get out a lap blanket?”

  “No, I’m comfortable.”

  “I’m here to provide anything my lady desires.”

  His emphasis on the word ‘desires’ had heat pooling in her belly. “A lemon ice would be fabulous.”

  His laughter made her insides respond in a different way. She loved him as much as she lusted for him.

  “Well,” she said. “Only one thing would be better than a lemon ice.”