Her mother looked annoyed. “I shall not have this conversation with you again. Ten years ago was sufficient. You need a husband to handle your affairs. Someone to support you, to give you children. And think of your sister. Ros needs you to set a good example.”
Julia drew to a halt. “Ros is quite capable of determining her own needs and wants without relying on me as a guide. However, she could do worse than to follow my lead. I handle my own affairs, and I am wealthier now than most men who might seek my hand in marriage. As for children? Why, one just needs to stroll near the docks to see that a husband is not required to become pregnant.”
Her mother gasped.
“Here now, Julia,” her father blustered. “You’ll cease such talk this instant.”
To her dismay, her mother then turned to her father. “When did she become so vulgar? She was never this way as a girl. She needs a husband to rein in such bad habits.”
“I am standing right here, Mother.”
She had to tamp down the urge to stomp her foot in frustration. And with yet another mention of a husband, Wolf’s words flitted through her mind again.
Could he be of assistance now?
No, she refused to give in to her mother’s ridiculous demands.
“Be that as it may, I have still invited Lord Wallthorpe, and you will not be rude to him.”
For the first time, Ros entered the fray. “Mother, that is outside of enough. This is not your home.”
Mrs. Fairchild blinked in surprise.
“That man has been perfectly horrible to Julia,” Ros continued. “All clingy and handsy, each time she runs into him in public. And I am just fine as I am. I shall never love again”—she pressed a hand to her heart and fought back what appeared to be tears—“after the loss of my Archie.”
Julia knew how deeply her sister still felt the loss of her beloved husband, even after so many years. Lieutenant Archibald Smith had died during the Sepoy Mutiny, as had many Englishmen.
“Do not upset yourself, Ros. I doubt Lord Wallthorpe will come to visit, anyway. Certainly, last night’s escapades will have reached his ears by now.”
Her parents looked worried at her latest statement, her mother more so than her father.
“What have you done now?”
Julia was about to deliver the coup de grâce when a loud, malevolent rap sounded on the door. Her stomach plummeted, because under the circumstances there was only one person who would be knocking on her door at this hour.
John Johnson, her butler-cum-footman, opened the door. After a brief exchange, he announced their visitor. “Lord Wallthorpe to see Lady Wallthorpe, Mrs. Fairchild, Mrs. Smith, and Mr. Fairchild.”
Julia sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. Either the man had not yet heard of her visit to Lucifer’s, or he was so determined to have her that he was blithely ignoring all the scandal she had ignited. Unfortunately, she believed it was the latter and not the former, which meant she was damn near backed into a corner. Short of pointing a gun at him and definitively saying no, she had no real recourse to dissuade him from his suit.
Well, none that she wished to employ.
She dug deep to find some modicum of civility for the wretched man. “Good morning, Lord Wallthorpe.”
“Good morning, Lady Wallthorpe. You look particularly ravishing this morning.” He took her hand and bent over it gallantly, even as he muttered for her ears only. “Especially considering your evening activities.”
And it was then she knew that she was truly stuck. Once more, Wolf’s offer came to mind. He was a friend, and he wanted to help her.
Surely he would release me from a fake betrothal, especially one he had not really committed to?
Wallthorpe greeted the rest of her family, then settled into a chair and commenced discussing the latest on-dits with her mother, as though he was a regular in the gossip circles. Julia found the whole conversation nauseating.
Her mother tittered at something he had said, as Julia’s father sat silently, looking incredibly bored. But then her mother looked at her and said, “I was just telling Julia how wonderful you’ve been to us while she was abroad.”
Her stepson grinned. “Well, one must always have time for family.”
Julia gnashed her teeth. “Only if family knows its place.”
“I should think that place is close to hand. When you care for someone, it is important to let them know you value them.” Then he turned and patted her mother’s hand. “As I have tried to do with your parents.”
“Yes, well, I am sure they appreciate all the attention.”
The droll tone rang through her voice, despite her best efforts to squash it.
Her mother looked increasingly angry, as Julia all but crossed the line into rudeness. And then Julia grew concerned as her mother’s familiar eyes lit with a fierceness that could only spell trouble.
Mrs. Fairchild suddenly looked at Julia’s stepson and smiled. “You know, my lord, I was just telling both my girls how important it is for them to remarry.”
Wallthorpe tut-tutted. “I strongly agree, Mrs. Fairchild.”
“Oh, do stop, my lord. I have told you many times to call me Patrice,” her mother simpered.
“As I have told you to call me Wallthorpe. I hear ‘my lord’ enough, everywhere else I go.” He proceeded with his previous train of thought. “I know my father would have wanted Julia to be cared for.”
With her stomach in knots, Julia smiled and perched on the edge of her seat. “I am so glad to hear you say that, my lord.”
Her mother shot her a startled look as her father’s head popped up from where he had practically dosed off during the insipid conversation.
“I had hoped to tell my parents in private, but since we are all family…” She shot her mother a pointed look. “Lord Wolfington has requested my hand in marriage.”
Her mother paled, even as Wallthorpe grew beet red.
Determined to wring all the drama she could from the moment, Julia waited while the silence thickened. “I was so moved by his eloquent proposal that I agreed.”
Chapter 7
Hours earlier, Wolf had stared at the delicate scrawl on the page. The very first thing he’d noticed was the huge, looping J at the bottom of the page. Something akin to satisfaction had welled up inside and permeated his limbs. Finally, she had contacted him. The missive had been short and direct, much like the woman who had penned it. It was hard to imagine that anything could be scandalous about a stroll through Hyde Park at the fashionable hour, but a small voice in the back of his head wouldn’t let him fully believe she merely wished to see him without some ulterior motive.
Much later, as he waited for her, the question that still nagged at him was, what was Jules about?
She had always been intelligent and quick on her feet. More times than he could count, she had been the one who’d come up with the most plausible story to avoid trouble with their respective parents, after his adventures had landed them squarely in a tight spot.
He knew in his gut that this would be no simple social call.
He stood by the Queens Gate and scanned the crowd for the fiery redhead who was quickly taking over all his thoughts, much as she had when he was a young man, fresh out of university. Carriages drove by and people strolled, but he saw no sign of her. A few riders walked at a sedate pace amongst the general hubbub. Everyone who was anyone was out to be seen, and of course, to see if you were of any import to them.
Another rider passed, and then, suddenly, there she was. Her red hair glowed like a living flame in the late afternoon sun, and her deep green walking dress hugged her every curve. His heart thudded heavily in his chest as desire bubbled up—unwanted and wildly awkward as he stood on a public promenade.
“Good afternoon, Wolf.” She tilted her head, causing her bonnet to shift precariously. She then reached up and caught the hat before it could fly off. “Oh, I knew I should have worn my usual bonnet. This one is too tall to be functional.”
She preened a moment, which made him inordinately pleased.
“How are you this fine afternoon, Jules?”
“Well enough, I suppose. Though I am afraid I do need to speak with you. I appreciate your coming on such short notice.”
Short notice? If he had been required to wait for even a minute more, he would have been a candidate for Bedlam. “Think nothing of it.” He took one of her hands and tucked it in the crook of his arm. “Shall we walk and talk?”
She wrinkled her nose. “I suppose we should. After all, I did draw you out on that exact pretense.”
“Yes, you did, and since I’ve been hunched over my desk all day, my legs could use the stretching.”
They started off amongst the throng of people. As they walked in companionable silence, Wolf fought off the urge to hurry her along with whatever she wished to discuss. Instead, he focused on politely nodding at various acquaintances as they passed, while not looking overly pleased with himself. He was enjoying having her on his arm, even as he began to notice the reaction of people around them. As he paid closer attention, he realized that most of the women were glaring at them, or rather at Jules. And most of the men either offered a lascivious perusal, or eyed her with curiosity. He resisted the urge to sigh. It would seem her ploy to stir up scandal had been more than effective. Add him to the picture, because of course he had caught at least one less than circumspect comment on the breeze about how they made a fitting pair.
And why not? He was widely rumored to be a bastard—though his father had claimed him as his son and heir. Of course, most of the gossipmongers didn’t know that the rumors were absolutely, unequivocally true. But he did. Her dead husband had made certain of that.
So, the bastard and the… He tried to imagine how Society might frame them.
The bastard and the light-skirt?
Then Julia broke into his scurrilous thoughts. “The reason I asked you to walk with me today is to discuss your previous offer.”
Curious, he continued to walk, though he refrained from commenting until she explained herself further.
With her cheeks pinkening, and obviously not from sun exposure, she presented a fetching picture. “I’m afraid I spoke out of turn and declared our betrothal to Lord Wallthorpe and my parents this morning.”
Wolf felt the jolt of excitement straight down to his toes, though he merely inclined his head. “I see.”
She looked at him as though waiting for more of a reaction from him, as they continued to stroll. When he said nothing else, she pursed her lips a moment, and then pressed on. “Is that all you have to say, after I stubbornly refused your offer twice?”
“I can see it does put you in something of a predicament, as I have not recently—say in the last day—made such an offer again. Am I to assume you are here seeking some assistance in this matter? Or are you simply alerting me to the fact, should I be unexpectedly questioned?”
He kept their pace up as the crowd thinned around them and they meandered off the main thoroughfare.
Jules shot him an annoyed glance. “Wolf, do not be obtuse. Yes, I am here seeking your assistance. An engagement in name only will not suffice, as my mother and father have now taken up Lord Wallthorpe’s cause.”
A surge of pleasure bubbled up inside him as he considered how to leverage this turn of events in his favor. He would, of course, help Jules, regardless of what he wanted, because it was her asking. However, he very much wanted an opportunity to get to know her again, to learn about the woman she had become. “I suppose I could make myself available to you for a few social calls, and the like. Simply to establish the fact of our courtship, of course.”
Her face lit up then, and his heart stuttered in his chest. It was an achingly familiar expression to him, and yet wondrous in the newness of it, from the woman who so intrigued him. “You are a real brick,” she said.
He stopped them near a small copse of trees that offered them some privacy. “Oh, ho. Do not sing my praises just yet, Jules. I’m afraid I want something in exchange for my assistance.”
Her green gaze sharpened as she eyed him warily. “And what is it you want?”
“Do not look at me as though I were Spring-heeled Jack.” He stepped closer to her, taking her hands in his. “I simply wish to have you in my bed again. The one night at The Market was not enough to satisfy my desires.”
She didn’t move, but her hands trembled in his. “And if I say no?”
Wolf sighed. “You are well aware that I would help you, no matter how you reply. I’m not such a cad as to desert you.” He tugged her hand, drawing her into his arms. “But I want to learn who you are now, so I can appreciate the changes your life has wrought, as well as those things that remain the same. I need to taste and touch you, to see your hair spread across my pillows as I drive into your heat, and to hear you call my name as I pleasure you. I want you to let me make love to you.”
And then, before she could answer him, he snared her lips in a kiss. Licking into her mouth, he tasted, explored, and discovered. The sweetness of her breath mingled with his own as he grew drunk on her. His cock hardened, pressing against her. Then a loud whinny shattered the moment, causing them to pull apart, even as they gasped for breath.
Wolf tipped her face up so he could look into her sparkling emerald gaze. “Your answer, Jules?”
Worry flitted over her face as she bit her lower lip, the one swollen from his kiss. “Yes. But you must remember that the engagement is a ruse. We will reach a point where one of us will need to break with the other. I am happy to allow you to be the one to do that, since marriage is not a concern for me. I’d not rob you of your future family.”
He ignored everything she’d said after replying yes. He had little chance of a future family, but he refused to point out the truth of the matter, since it changed nothing. “Where would you prefer to meet for our trysts? I am happy to come to you.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh, no! Ros would certainly notice your visits.”
“Yes, I suppose she would. And you can’t very well be seen coming to and from my residence. I suppose we could continue to make use of The Market. Though I would suggest you come masked and with a cloak, since there is little point in continuing to invite scandal.”
A warmth he could not explain enveloped him.
“Very well. I am sure my mother will desire to have us over for dinner, so I shall be in touch soon. Now, it seems we should stroll back and make something of a show of our being enamored with each other.” She winked saucily at him. “Though I suppose your rather obvious erection may illustrate the point just as well.”
Wolf felt his own cheeks heat at her comment. “Give me a few moments, and I shall bring my wayward cock to heel.”
He turned away and tried to think of anything that might aid his predicament. Unfortunately, the soft scent of jasmine wafted from Julia, teasing and tormenting him. Willing his erection to settle down was not working with her so near. With a growl of frustration, he took a step further away from her scent, and deeper into the copse, where he could not be seen from the nearby path.
Standing with his eyes closed and his hands fisted, he drew a deep, cleansing breath. With the next one, however, the jasmine returned. He opened his eyes to find Jules had followed him, and was even now studying him. And when his gaze clashed with hers, desire flared hot and bright between them.
She stepped up to him, removed her glove, reached out, and cupped his straining erection. “Let me help you.”
Wrapping his fingers around the delicate bones of her wrist, he warred with himself. A gentleman would refuse her offer, but he reminded himself that he was no gentleman. He was a bastard, after all. “How?” he asked in a raspy voice, while fighting for control.
She opened the placket of his trousers and freed his hard shaft. Despite the cooling shade of the copse of tr
ees, a light sheen of perspiration broke out on his brow as he stood in a public park with his cock exposed.
She shot him a coy look from beneath lowered lashes. “I could stroke it for you.”
As she put action to words, his knees wobbled. The warmth of her hand contrasted with the air around them, only highlighting how good her touch felt. “Yes,” he groaned.
His hips jerked forward, pushing his length into her firm grip. Lids lowered to half-mast, he watched as her tongue snaked out to trace her lower lip. He wished it was his tongue tracing that plump line, but at the moment, it was taking all his focus just to remain standing.
Then she looked up at him. “Or…”
She suddenly sank to her knees, careful of her skirts, and his heart skipped multiple beats.
“I could kiss and lick it for you.”
And again, she followed through on her suggestion.
As her lips touched his cock, his blood thundered through his veins. For a moment, it felt as though his skin was no longer capable of containing his blood, his pleasure, and everything that he was. The stroke of her tongue had his knees giving out, yet he somehow remained standing. Jolt after jolt of bliss shot through him when she wrapped her lips around him and swallowed his cock. She took him deep into her throat in a single motion that had him gliding into heaven. When she pulled back and then sucked him in again, his body shook as his balls drew up tight.
“Jules, I’m going to come.”
He pushed the warning past clenched teeth as he tried to hang on long enough to give her a chance to release him.
Instead, she reached up with her ungloved hand and cupped his sac as she gently rolled it over her fingers. Lost to the pounding need to blow, he gave up his fight and came hard. She continued to work him with her lips and tongue as he pumped his seed into her mouth. Without missing a beat, she caught every drop, and even delicately swiped at him as she pulled away.
He stood there dazed by his intense orgasm, while she tucked his now softened cock back into his trousers and stood up.
His Scandalous Viscountess (Lustful Lords Series Book 3) Page 6
