Lord of Mischief

by Sasha Cottman

  He chanced a look at Charles Saunders, who was seated with his arms crossed at the end of the table.

  “If you have any problems with your father, I am willing to speak to him. As a Frenchman I have an understanding of the havoc that secret societies of powerful men can inflict on a country,” said Charles.

  “Thank you, sir,” replied Freddie. The lump in his throat made his words barely decipherable.

  He left a short time later and stepped out into the mid-morning sunshine. He looked up at the pale grey clouds sitting above London. In the distance, a darker rain band threatened.

  The day matched his life. Eve was the glimpse of sunshine which occasionally managed to poke through the grey. Yet even as he savored the warmth, he knew a tempest was brewing.

  Will came and stood next to him at the top of the steps. “My father and uncles have asked I give you reassurance you will be protected. The Prince Regent himself will be at great pains to ensure only the guilty have their names tarnished by this scandal. He cannot afford to have young men like yourself destroyed. You represent the future of this country. A country he will be king of within a few years.”

  Freddie mustered an encouraging smile for Will’s benefit. He would be spared from much of the fall of the Bachelor Board, and he had to be grateful for such mercy in his life. But once the arrests and subsequent trials began, he doubted Eve and her family would stand by him.

  Only a fool could think that the innocent would be spared when England began to clean its house of traitors. Freddie Rosemount would pay in one way or another for having tried to be someone he was not.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Eve tried to speak to her father when he returned home. She knew from snatches of conversation between Charles and Adelaide that a meeting had been conducted at Strathmore House that morning. As she left the breakfast room, she heard Freddie’s name mentioned but thought better of trying to press her father for more information. Her quiet encouragement of Freddie to seek Will’s advice about the Bachelor Board appeared to have borne fruit.

  Not long after Charles arrived home from the meeting, he headed into his study. Adelaide soon joined him, and the door was closed behind them.

  The only person who could give Eve further information on the secret meeting was the very person she had plans to go and see.

  A modiste fitting for Caroline gave Eve the perfect opportunity to be out of the house. Caroline was delighted when Eve offered to come with her in place of their mother. Her humor was tested though when Eve asked she drop her off in Grosvenor Square and then pick her up on the way home.

  “Are you sure about this? I know he has been doing good work with Hattie at the soup kitchen, but you mustn’t forget this is the man who broke your heart,” cautioned Caroline.

  The Saunders town carriage was making the short journey up New Bond Street to Oxford Street where the family dressmaker was situated. It was a quick side trip to Grosvenor Square.

  Rather than start another of their old arguments, Eve found herself comforted by Caroline’s advice. In putting aside their many differences they had discovered the other was not so different from them self.

  “I visited him at St John’s with Hattie. He told me things that made sense of a lot of what happened between us. He truly regrets what he did to me,” replied Eve.

  “And you still love him,” said Caroline.

  Eve had mulled that very same notion over and over in her head since she had heard of Freddie’s work with the poor. After their first meeting, and reading the note from Osmont Firebrace, she had done her best to convince herself she was well and truly over Freddie.

  “Yes, I think I do. Lord knows I have tried to hate him, but to no avail. The fact is I cannot move on with my life until I know he does not want me. I went to St John’s alone and spoke with him,” said Eve.

  Caroline nodded. “What did he say?”

  “That he is sorry for what he did, and he knows he has lost the greatest love of his life.”

  Caroline’s eyes grew wide. She leant across the short space between the seats of the carriage and took a hold of Eve’s hand. “He really told you that he loved you? Oh, Eve. What can I do to help?”

  Eve hadn’t considered that anyone, apart from perhaps Hattie and Will, would want to help her and Freddie reunite. She had expected to be on her own when it came to winning over her parents, Caroline, and Francis.

  “If you can keep my secret for a little while longer that would be lovely. I want to be able to spend time with Freddie and get to know the real man. The whole time we were together before, he was playing a game to join a secret society. He is no longer in the game,” replied Eve.

  She wanted to confide in Caroline about the Bachelor Board but Caroline had her limits. Star-crossed lovers she could understand and place her heart and soul behind. But Eve did not want to expose Caroline to the truth of what men such as Osmont Firebrace did in the shadows of society. If the ton had to have darkness, then it also needed the light beautiful girls such as Caroline gave it.

  Her sister kept her word, and Eve was soon standing out the front of Rosemount House watching as the Saunders town carriage turned the corner into Duke Street.

  She nervously bit down on her bottom lip as she walked up the steps which led to the front door. Rosemount House was a classic Portland stone mansion. There were at least three others in Grosvenor Square that had the same portico front, and color scheme. The only feature to distinguish it from the other houses was the Rosemount family crest, which sat in gold and black above the door. A single black boar on a gold shield with a series of small black stars around the outside proclaimed the Rosemount family heritage.

  She remembered imagining how the crest would look on the hem of her wedding gown when she was certain Freddie was about to propose. How once she had been so certain her future place was secure within the Rosemount family.

  Her hand was reaching out for the door knocker when she suddenly remembered she was an unmarried miss who was about to enter the house of a young man whom she knew full well had no servants. A ripple of thrill raced down her spine.

  “You are a wicked girl, Evelyn Saunders,” she muttered.

  Quickly leaving the front of the house, she made for the servants’ entrance. She knocked on the door and waited.

  The sound of a dog barking within was quickly drowned out by the call of its master. “Zeus, silence!”

  She held her breath.

  Freddie opened the door, his hand firmly gripping the collar of the giant Irish wolfhound. “Eve?”

  “The one and only,” she replied.

  Upon seeing Eve, the dog leapt high, and Freddie lost his grip. Zeus bounded over to his former mistress and placed some worshipful slobber all over her gloves. Eve gave him a welcoming rub behind the ears while Freddie stood close by with hands on hips.

  “Who is Zeus?” she asked.

  Zeus wagged his tail hard against her skirts.

  “The dog. He didn’t deserve to be saddled with that other foolish name. He never answered to it anyway. He seems to like his new name much better,” replied Freddie.

  A frown appeared on his face, and Eve silently guessed what the next words out of his mouth would be.

  “Are you alone?”

  She chuckled, having won the wager against herself. “Yes. Caroline is in Oxford Street at an appointment. She will call by and collect me on the way home in an hour or so. I thought we might take the time to talk to one another in private,” she replied.

  “Will you allow me to say you should not be visiting a young man at his home without a chaperone? I need to say it in case I get asked by your father or one of your brothers,” he said.

  Eve smiled and nodded.

  “Then you had better come inside.”

  She followed him into the house. Entering the kitchen, she discovered Freddie had made quite a comfortable home for himself. There was a fire burning in the hearth. Pots were cooking over the flames, and she caught
the scent of fresh pastry baking in the oven.

  “Got yourself a housekeeper?” she teased.

  Freddie laughed and shook his head. “No. I was left to fend for myself and that is exactly what I have done. I taught myself to cook.”

  There was pride in his voice and a sparkle in his eyes. He was happy. “It smells good, whatever it is that you are baking,’ she replied.

  He opened one of the kitchen cupboards and pulled out a plate covered in cloth. He placed the plate on the kitchen table and unwrapped it. The heady smell of recently baked pie filled her nostrils. Her stomach promptly rumbled in anticipation.

  “This came out about an hour ago. I have to put it on a high shelf otherwise Zeus will get to it. I didn’t think dogs ate pie, but after twice having come home to the remains of crumbs for my supper I realized they did.”

  He set about the kitchen with a comfortable familiarity, and soon had plates and a pot of hot coffee on the table. Taking a large knife, Freddie cut into the pie and placed a piece on one of the plates. He handed it to an eager Eve. “I am doing some experimenting with my pies. This one has leek, potato, and chicken in it. Tell me what you think.”

  Eve slipped her gloves from her fingers and broke off a piece of the pie. Zeus scuttled under the table and made himself at home. As soon as she took her first bite, Zeus whimpered.

  “Do not let him give you that sob story. I fed him not an hour ago. That dog is a bottomless pit when it comes to food,” said Freddie.

  Eve broke off another piece of the pie and conveniently dropped it onto the floor. Looking under the table, she watched as Zeus made short work of her offering.

  Freddie shook his head. Eve took another bite of the pie and sat working it thoughtfully around her mouth for a minute.

  Freddie laughed. “That is exactly the same face our family cook at Rosemount Abbey pulls when she makes something new.” He pulled a notebook and pencil out of his jacket pocket, then proceeded to thumb through the pages until he got to a clean page. “So, would you say it needs more pepper?”

  Eve took a second bite and let it sit in her mouth for moment before chewing. Her tongue tasted chicken and leek mostly but only a hint of pepper. She chewed the bite down and swallowed. “A little more pepper, perhaps. Have you considered some parsley or thyme? Our family cook often adds them to roast chicken,” she replied.

  Eve saw him make a note of her suggestions in his book, and then added in rosemary and tarragon.

  “Thank you. Constructive criticism is most welcome. I don’t get a lot of it at the soup kitchen. The parishioners are usually too busy filling their empty bellies to give me their opinions of my cooking.” He put his pencil down and gently clasped his hands together. The mood in the kitchen changed, and Eve felt tension in the air. “I am very pleased to see you, even though we both know you should not have come alone.”

  She waved his concerns away. “I came because I realized the conversation we had at the church was the first honest one you and I have ever had. Every one before that had been clouded with either the game, or our own private agendas.”

  “I suppose you are right. We never did get off to an even start,” he replied.

  “Which is why I am sitting in your kitchen. I don’t want to go through all the whys and wherefores of what happened before. I need to know just one thing. Do you want me?”

  He took hold of her hand and brought it to his lips. She smiled as he kissed the last of the pie from her fingertips. He continued to kiss her fingers long after the last trace of the pie had gone. Eve felt heat stir in her body remembering what else his fingers had done to her.

  “Yes. I do want you. Trust me, the one thing this whole disaster has taught me is that you and I are meant for one another,” he said.

  Eve fought to hold back sudden tears. “I am not so sure about the trust part. I have discovered you can love someone, but not trust them. It will take time for you to win back my faith in you. I want to know the real Freddie Rosemount and if he truly feels life’s passion the way I do.”

  He went quiet. She watched with interest, having never seen this side of him before. It felt like she was seeing him for the very first time.

  “If you give me a second chance, I will do all I can to win your trust. To have you offer up your love to me once more. Just tell me what I need to do,” he replied.

  She let out a long slow breath and met his gaze. “When the time comes you will know.”

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Freddie’s surprise over the sudden reappearance of Eve Saunders in his life was now accompanied by a sense of calm, and what he guessed must be the first stirrings of happiness.

  He had forgotten how good it was to be with her, how unpredictable she could be when it took her fancy. He still couldn’t believe she could be so daring as to come to his house unaccompanied, knowing he would be home alone. She was risking a great deal in doing so. Will had been right about his sister’s lust for scandalous behavior.

  After dragging a half-asleep Zeus down the stairs to the lower kitchen the next morning and jamming the door closed as best as he could, he threw on his overcoat and headed out the door.

  The chilly morning wind had him quickly working on the buttons of his coat and pulling his hat down over his ears. He shivered as he turned the corner into New Bond Street on his way to Covent Gardens market.

  The thirty-minute walk had become more than simply habit. He enjoyed strolling through the predawn streets of London. The weather in late October was still somewhat kind; how he would feel about making the trip in the dead of winter he didn’t want to consider. With luck, his father would have restored him to favor by then and he would be able to take a hack, if not the family carriage.

  He crossed St Martins Lane. Covent Garden was close. He darted down a small laneway, which connected through to Bedfordbury Street, and was busy with his own thoughts when he spied a woman standing on the corner of a small close. Her head was wrapped up against the chill of the morning with a dark green shawl.

  The streets around the market were where the local prostitutes plied their trade. They were all looking to relieve the market traders of their coin.

  Freddie had no inclination for using the woman’s services. He had vegetables, meat, and fruit to procure.

  As he passed her by, he gave a nod in her direction. It would be rude to completely ignore a person.

  “Hello darlin’,” she said.

  “Morning,” he replied, and kept going. He was a good half-dozen steps past her when he heard a loud huff.

  “Freddie,” she said.

  He stopped mid-stride as his blood turned to ice. He swung round on his left foot and turned to face her.

  The woman dropped the shawl from her head.

  “Bloody hell,” he exclaimed.

  Standing before him, dressed in clothes he knew did not come from the salon of her mother’s modiste, stood Eve.

  She chuckled. “Nice to see I can still shock you,” she said.

  He looked around. She was alone. “Please tell me you have a lumbering and large footman concealed in one of those doorways.”

  She shook her head. “No, where would the fun be in that? I left the house alone. No one but you knows that I am here. I took a hack from Dover Street and got him to let me out at St Martins Lane. I couldn’t risk bumping into Will in Newport Street—not that he is ever up and about this early.”

  She curled her finger and beckoned him over. As soon as he reached her side, she stepped forward and placed a hot kiss on his lips.

  He was powerless to refuse. His mouth opened and his lips quickly responded to her. Their tongues tangled deep and hard. The depth of Eve’s hunger for him was etched in her kiss. His own unspoken need for her took hold and he pulled her hard against him.

  Grabbing his hand, she placed it on the buttons of her coat. When he didn’t begin to undo the buttons, she took on the task herself. The folds of her coat opened.

  Encouraged by her actions, h
e slipped a hand inside her coat, gasping as his fingers touched warm naked flesh. His fingertips brushed over her hard nipples.

  He pulled out of the kiss and stood for a moment, staring in disbelief, as she pulled the lapels of her coat open wide and revealed her breasts. His manhood twitched at the breathtaking vision. “What?”

  A sly smile appeared on her lips. When she ran her tongue along her bottom lip he felt himself go hard. “You might be done with playing games, but I am just beginning. You asked how you could prove yourself. To win me back, you need to play the game of Eve. That is, of course, if you want to play. If not, I can go home and you will never see me again,” she purred.

  Freddie had sworn off games for the rest of his life, but this was something else—a powerful force pulling him back into a new connection with her. Saying no to Eve and her new game was impossible. “Alright, yes, I will play. But you need to lace up the front of your gown. You can’t be in public like this. People will see,” he replied.

  Eve shook her head. “The only time my gown is getting laced up is when you and I are finished. I know how the local street ladies work. I’ve seen them out late at night enough times to know how this plays out. You need to prove to me you can still play dangerously.”

  He frowned, unsure of exactly what Eve meant by her words. Her intentions were made clear when he saw her begin to hoist up her skirt. He grabbed a hold of her hands. “Not here, Eve. Plenty of people use this as a thoroughfare to the market. Anyone could see us,” he cautioned.

  She leant forward and captured his lips once more. Her kiss showed she had no intention of taking no for an answer.

  “Then you had better hurry up and get busy,” she replied.

  Realization finally dawned on him. Eve was not going to leave the dirty laneway until he had pleasured her.

  His fingers closed about her right nipple and squeezed. She rewarded him with a soft gasp of delight.