An Unlikely Debutante

by Laura Martin

  ‘Don’t do it,’ she warned.

  ‘What?’

  ‘Whatever it is you’re thinking about.’

  Alex grinned, gripped her firmly around the waist and pulled her down, making sure at no point her head went under the water. Lina screamed as the cold hit the upper part of her body and wriggled free from his embrace.

  ‘That was cruel.’

  ‘You were taking too long getting in. I used to do the same to Georgina when we were children.’

  ‘I might not have wanted to be dunked under.’

  ‘I kept your head dry.’

  Lina muttered something under her breath, flipped over on to her back and began kicking her legs, propelling herself through the cool water. From his position, bobbing on the surface, Alex had a wonderful view of the swell of her breasts through the wet cotton of her chemise. Willing himself to be a gentleman and look away, he found his eyes would not obey the command.

  ‘You swim well,’ Alex commented as he pulled himself through the water beside her.

  ‘Raul taught me. Neither of my parents could swim, but Raul and I, and a few of our friends, will often cool down in a lake or a pond on a hot day.’

  Alex felt an unexpected stab of jealousy at the thought of these friends swimming with Lina, seeing her with her chemise plastered to her body. Although he knew the presence of her brother would mean nothing untoward had ever happened, he still didn’t want anyone else enjoying this experience with Lina.

  ‘I learnt to swim here,’ Alex said, realising he hadn’t told Lina much about himself or his past. She knew a lot about him, from gossiping with his sister and the servants, but he didn’t often share much about his life. ‘My father used to bring me and Georgina on hot days. Sometimes our mother would join us, too.’

  ‘Your mother would come in for a swim?’ Lina asked, her eyes wide.

  Alex nodded. ‘My mother wasn’t a conventional marchioness. She and my father were very much in love, they used to spend much of their time together and Father could persuade her to do almost anything.’

  ‘Including swimming in a lake.’

  ‘Exactly. We used to return home dripping wet and Mother would hurry us all upstairs before too many of the servants saw us.’

  ‘It sounds like you loved your mother very much.’

  ‘She was kind and very much involved in our upbringing. We had a nursemaid, of course, and later I went off to school, but our parents were of the opinion that we were their children, so it was their responsibility, and their pleasure, to bring us up.’

  ‘You must miss them.’

  Alex lay back in the water and allowed his feet to float to the surface. ‘I do miss them. I miss my father’s sage advice and my mother’s warm affection.’

  As they bobbed side by side, Alex wondered what his parents would make of his arrangement with Lina. His father would often make small wagers, challenge his wife or children to a race or a game of croquet, with the loser having to shoulder some small household task. His mother, however, would caution him just as Georgina had. She would worry about Lina getting hurt and about her son forming an attachment to someone that could not last.

  Glancing over at Lina, he felt a swell of affection. She was argumentative and sometimes irritating, but over the past few weeks he had enjoyed the vitality and energy she’d brought to Whitemore House. If he wasn’t so damned attracted to her, he would class her as a good friend, but Alex knew a friendship could not work when one party imagined the other naked and in his arms multiple times a day.

  Perhaps he had dismissed the idea of making Lina his mistress too quickly. Although it would complicate their arrangement regarding the wager, especially since his widowed aunt was arriving to chaperone them this evening, a few weeks with Lina in his bed might just satisfy the physical craving he had for her. His mind started to run away from him as he imagined sharing breakfast with Lina every morning, spending long afternoons out riding, talking and laughing as they did so easily together, and falling into bed and satisfying their desires every night. With a jolt, he realised that sounded more like marriage than a relationship with a mistress and quickly tried to get his fantasies under control.

  ‘You look rather serious,’ Lina said. ‘A penny for your thoughts?’

  ‘I was thinking how beautiful you look wet.’

  Lina jerked with surprise, the movement causing her head to dip under the water, and she came up spluttering. Alex was immediately by her side, one arm looped around her waist. The fabric of her chemise clung tight to her body as Alex resisted the temptation to let his fingers roam over the curve of her waist.

  ‘You must know you’re beautiful,’ he said, looking down into her eyes.

  She gave a miniscule shake of her head, but Alex could tell it was just a reflex, she was too affected by his proximity to answer properly.

  ‘I’m sure many men have told you how beautiful you are,’ he murmured. ‘How could they not?’

  With his free hand, he smoothed back the wet strands of hair from around her face, letting his fingers dance across the skin of her cheek and down to the line of her jaw. Perhaps just one kiss would slake his desire, perhaps then he would be able to think clearly and rationally.

  ‘How could they not be enchanted by your smile? Bewitched by that sparkle in your eyes?’

  Still Lina did not say anything, but Alex could feel her chest heaving against his body and knew more than anything she wanted to be kissed. Surely if he wanted it and she wanted it, there could be nothing wrong with one quick kiss?

  Before his conscience could rear its head, Alex lowered his lips on to hers, kissing her gently at first until he felt her rise to meet him. As her body pressed against his, he could no longer hold back and kissed her as he’d wanted to for so long. Unable to stop himself, he laced his hands around her back, pulling her even closer, until he wasn’t sure where his body ended and hers began.

  ‘Alex,’ she moaned as he pulled away slightly so he could kiss the angle of her jaw and her thrown-back neck. The sound of his name from her lips stoked the fire that was burning inside him and it took all of Alex’s self-control to stop the encounter going any further. He would not seduce her, not here, not now. He respected her too much for that. But maybe just one more kiss...

  As her lips met his, Alex felt a jolt all through his body. It was as though he’d been asleep these last few years and kissing Lina, touching Lina, was finally waking him up.

  Her lips were velvety, soft and warm despite the coolness of her skin and Alex knew he could lose himself in her kiss if he wasn’t careful. Reluctantly he pulled away, loving the desire he could see burning in Lina’s eyes and the way her body was still pressed against his.

  They stood, still submerged up to their shoulders in the middle of the lake, and for a few seconds neither of them could string together a coherent sentence.

  ‘You’re shivering,’ Alex said, noticing the goosebumps on her skin for the first time. Quickly, before Lina could protest or before he could think his actions through, Alex scooped her into his arms and began to wade through the water. As their bodies rose out of the water, there was an initial chill, despite the high temperatures. Alex knew once they were dry they would be warm, but he increased his pace a little so Lina would not suffer. As they reached the water’s edge, he made the mistake of glancing down. Lina’s cotton chemise, normally white, was now almost entirely transparent, revealing the olive skin below. He could see every curve, every swell and undulation, and he felt his resolve not to seduce her falter.

  The water had pushed her chemise up to the top of her thighs and with one finger Alex was able to trace the simple bird she had tattooed in blue ink on her perfect skin. He heard her gasp as his fingers lingered over the outline.

  For a second their eyes met and Alex could see the battle between desire and sensibility in Lina’s mind. He knew one kiss, one stroke with a solitary finger, and she would be his, completely, entirely, just as he had imagined a thousand tim
es these last few days.

  Reluctantly Lina wriggled free from his arms and quickly gathered up her clothes, holding them in front of her as a shield.

  ‘We should dress,’ she said, valiantly trying to keep her eyes from wandering over his body.

  ‘We should.’

  Neither moved.

  ‘We might catch a chill.’

  ‘We might.’

  Still they both stood, a few paces apart, but unable to pull their eyes from one another.

  ‘You should turn around,’ Lina said eventually.

  With great effort Alex managed to comply and turned to look out over the lake. After a few seconds, he heard Lina turn, too, and begin the process of shedding her soaked chemise and donning her dress and petticoats. Trying to distract himself from the knowledge Lina was standing completely naked just a few feet away, Alex shed his own soaked layer and pulled on his breeches.

  Far from slaking his desire for Lina, their kiss had just heightened it. Now his mind was filled with images and memories and fantasies. He desperately wanted to kiss her again, to taste her sweet mouth, to run his lips over her jaw, her neck, down on to her breasts. He yearned to feel her body underneath him, writhing in pleasure as he entered her, see her face as she climaxed with him deep inside her.

  Just these thoughts were enough to make Alex consider another cold swim.

  He’d never set out to seduce Lina, never intended to make her his mistress when he’d accepted the wager Pentworthy had proposed, but now Alex knew it would be almost impossible to keep his hands off her for another four weeks. Perhaps the best thing for everyone involved would be to make her his mistress, just for a short time. That way he would be legitimising their intimacy, and hopefully by the time he won his wager he would be able to think a little more clearly when Lina was close. After all, none of his other mistresses had kept him interested for more than a few months. Then again, no one intrigued him quite like Lina.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Lina dressed quickly, pulling at the material of her petticoats, blouse and skirt as they stuck to her damp body. She felt jittery and longed to turn and look at Alex to see if she could tell what he was thinking.

  The kiss had been sublime, something she’d been secretly longing for and not daring to hope might happen. Even now her lips were tingling and every inch of her skin was burning from the memory of his touch. She desperately wanted him to sweep her up into his arms and kiss her again, even though the rational part of her knew it could never happen.

  She and Alex could not have a future. Despite some people’s perceptions of gypsy women being of loose morals, it could not be further from the truth. If anything, gypsies had stricter rules when it came to intimate contact with the other sex than most people. Nothing more could happen between her and Alex—unless, of course, he asked her to marry him and it was more likely a cow would fly through the sky than that would happen.

  ‘Come,’ Alex said, taking her arm gently, gathering her wet chemise with his own wet clothes and leading her back up the hill. He was still shirtless and as they walked, Lina’s arm brushed against the solid muscles of his chest, each contact making it a little more difficult for Lina to concentrate. ‘Sit,’ Alex instructed, as he busied himself hanging the wet clothes over a branch to dry. Only once this was done did he pull his shirt over his head and then sit down beside her.

  Lina’s heart thumped in her chest as he leaned towards her, pushing a stray stand of damp hair from her forehead and tucking it behind her ear.

  ‘I have a proposition for you,’ Alex said, his voice low and his lips curved up in a small smile.

  Frowning, Lina nodded to indicate she was listening. She had no idea how they were going to resolve the tension between them. Every time she looked at Alex her skin flushed and prickled. She couldn’t go on like this for another four weeks. The alternative, leaving and returning to her family and friends, was even worse. The idea of never seeing Alex again, never looking into those deep brown eyes or walking arm in arm as they talked and teased each other was heartbreaking. She knew she was falling for Alex. It was impossible not to when it felt as though they had been made for one another—she loved his determination and focus, as well as his wit that had her smiling all day long.

  ‘I think it is a proposition that will benefit us both greatly. We will have to be careful, discreet, but I am confident we can make it work.’

  With her heart sinking, Lina realised what he was suggesting.

  ‘Be mine, Lina, for the next few weeks at least. After that we can re-evaluate, decide whether we’d like to prolong our liaison further.’

  ‘You want me to be your mistress?’

  Alex edged closer and ran his fingers down the side of her cheek and along the angle of her jaw, stopping at her chin and tilting her face up to his. Before she knew what was happening, his lips were on hers again and Lina felt herself losing grip on reality. Surely something that felt so good couldn’t be wrong?

  Summoning all her resolve, Lina pushed Alex away. He looked surprised, but recovered quickly, grinning at her in the way that melted her heart.

  ‘We can work out details later,’ he said, waving his hand to indicate some point in the future where he envisioned them sitting down and working out what she would get for disgracing herself as his mistress.

  ‘You want me to become your mistress?’ Lina said again, this time the anger rising in her voice.

  ‘It makes sense, Lina, I can’t stop thinking about you, I see you every time I close my eyes and I’ve spent the last week fantasising about the fun we would have in the bedroom together. You can’t deny the attraction between us.’

  She couldn’t deny it, but the thought of becoming Alex’s mistress, anyone’s mistress, was repulsive to her.

  ‘You have so little respect for me?’

  This stopped Alex’s caress of her cheek and his hand dropped from her face into his lap.

  ‘I respect you greatly, Lina.’

  ‘No,’ Lina said, shaking her head vehemently. ‘You don’t. You don’t ask a woman you respect to disgrace herself, to sully herself for a few weeks of fun in the bedroom. That does not indicate respect between two people.’

  She stood, burying her hands in her skirt so Alex would not see them trembling. She felt sick and her head was spinning, but she just needed to get away.

  ‘I do respect you,’ Alex said, more firmly, his face setting into a harder expression. ‘I have had a few mistresses over the years and I have respected all of them.’

  ‘Great. Wonderful. Fantastic. The answer is no.’

  With quick strides Lina hurried over to where Stormborn was watching the exchange with interest. Within thirty seconds she had untethered him and used the tree to help her mount unaided.

  ‘Where are you going?’ Alex asked.

  ‘Away. Anywhere but here.’

  ‘Lina, don’t be foolish.’

  She almost screamed. How could such a kind and intelligent man be so obtuse and unfeeling? He had asked her to debase herself, to give herself to him for a few weeks of pleasure, and then he would discard her like a used pair of old boots. Of course Lina wished something more could happen between them, something beautiful and passionate and intense, but not like this. She couldn’t believe he had even asked.

  Before she could say something she might regret, Lina urged Stormborn forward and into a gallop down the hill. The lake loomed ahead of her and she wished she could turn back time and be floating in the cool waters with Alex, before any mention of being his mistress had been made.

  As the wind whipped through her hair and the sun warmed her face, Lina forced herself to breathe deeply. Only once she was sure Alex was not following her did she let the tears start to fall down her cheeks.

  ‘Foolish, foolish girl,’ she muttered, allowing Stormborn to slow to a trot.

  Throughout her stay at Whitemore House Lina hadn’t foreseen this turn of events. She knew what happened when someone of Alex’s rank dallied
with someone of hers. They might have a few weeks of fun and pleasure, but then Lina would be pushed away, back to her own world, her self-respect and the respect from those around her gone for ever, whilst Alex suffered no consequence from his little indiscretion. It was unfair, but that was the way of the world. It was what had happened to her father and he had never recovered, and Lina knew in matters of sex, women were vilified much more than men, no matter whose fault it was.

  Perhaps she should just return home, run back to Raul and Sabina and all the people she’d known for her entire life. She was angry with Alex and didn’t know if she wanted to face him again, but mostly she was angry with herself for not seeing this coming. Never had she thought he might ask her to become his lover, his mistress, so when it had occurred her defences had been down and she’d been vulnerable.

  Turning Stormborn’s head, Lina set off in a south-westerly direction, but then paused. She was angry, certainly, and hurt, but these last few weeks she’d been trying to control her impulsive decisions, trying to think things through without the cloud of emotion. Taking the time to consider whether the best thing for her to do was abandon Alex and his wager was important, not a snap decision.

  ‘What do you think, Stormborn?’ Lina asked, stroking the friendly horse between the ears. ‘Should I go home?’

  The very thought of leaving Whitemore House, leaving Alex and never seeing him again sent a stab of panic through her heart.

  She was in an impossible situation. If she stayed, it would be with the knowledge that Alex cared so little for her and her reputation that he would ask her to become his mistress. If she left, she would be returning to her old life, with the same old routines, same old boredom—and Uncle Tom would want to collect the debt she owed him.

  Lina allowed Stormborn to lead for a while, knowing her decision would not be an easy one and would probably take time. The horse picked his way through the long grass of a meadow, stopping occasionally to bend his head and tear a mouthful of wildflowers to munch on.