Once Upon an Accident 02 - Lessons in Seduction (19 page)

Then the glances began.

Nothing untoward, but enough to catch her eyeing him as if he were a particularly forbidden treat she wanted to sink her teeth into. Practiced courtesans could take lessons from this virgin, who until recently had never had a breath of scandalous behavior attached to her name. She knew just what to do to tease, drawing in a breath so deep her breasts threatened to spill out over the bodice of her dress.

Another rush of blood drained from his already-addled mind, heading straight for his groin. If this kept up, by the time intermission arrived he would not be able to walk upright. He certainly could not stand and make polite conversation.

Just then, she glanced at him, then to those who surrounded them, and lifted her gloved hand to the neckline of her dress. Touching her index finger to the satin material of her neckline, she slipped her finger down the edge, following the top line of her bodice.

His cock twitched. He followed the movement with his gaze, aching to be the one to touch her. She sighed, and he found it hard to suck in a breath. Unfortunately for him, she did not. Another deep breath and her flesh rose above the neckline. He licked his lips, imagining running his mouth over that skin, plunging his tongue between her breasts— Applause rang out. His fantasy dissolved into a puddle of frustration.

He raised his gaze to meet Cicely’s and found her watching him out of the corner of her eye, her face still forward.

Irritation intermingled with his arousal. The impossible woman knew exactly what she was doing. Lord help him. He had yet to truly begin their lessons but she already understood how to tease. What would she be like twenty years from now?

That thought reminded him of his own plan. Apparently their time together had intrigued her. She wanted another taste of passion, and Douglas was willing to accommodate—to a point.

Cicely wandered down the hall to where many of the men had disappeared to smoke their cheroots and discuss matters they deemed important. She sighed at her snippy thoughts, but she could not help it.

Her body was a mass of nerves, throbbing with arousal. She had planned to drive Douglas to distraction, which she was pretty sure she had accomplished. The only problem with that was what it had done to her.

She now found her body sensitive to everything. Every time the fabric of her dress moved against her breasts, her nipples hardened. Cicely was mortified that while teasing Douglas during the first act, she had grown damp between her legs.

A door opened and as luck would have it the object of her thoughts stepped into the hall. He did not see her at first. But the second he did, his body stilled.

“Lady Cicely.”

She smiled and walked forward. The closer she drew to him, the more worried his expression grew.

“Douglas, if I did not know better, I would think you are avoiding me.”

He glanced first one way and then the other down the hallway.

Grabbing her by the arm, he hurried her to a door, which he opened. Not releasing his vise grip on her arm, he poked his head in the room. He must have decided it safe, for after a moment he pulled her through and slammed the door shut behind them.

“Just what the bloody hell are you doing?” His tone was low and angry.

Cicely hesitated. What if she had read him wrong? What if he no longer wanted to continue with their liaison? But beneath the anger, she heard the frustration. She recognized the same feeling he brought about in her.

“I wanted to talk to you.”

She did her best to pout, but she had never been that good at it, and the room they were in had little to no light.

“I think talk might be a dubious description at best, Cicely.”

She chuckled. “There is that.”

He stilled, his body seemingly focused on her. “You wanted your first lesson tonight?”

Was the man thickheaded? “Of course.”

Even now, the delicious thrill of being alone with him had her body responding. Her muscles tensed, her breathing grew fractured. He was close, so close she could detect the faint scent of his cologne. With it mostly dark in the small room, her other senses heightened. Douglas shifted his weight, his body barely making a sound, but she heard it.

Knew the discomfort she had caused, and for the life of her, she could not feel guilty.

What she felt was exhilarated. Her skin prickled with excitement as heat rushed through her.

“I had thought you would allow me to pick the time and place. The Throckmorton’s house party later this week would be better. What am I thinking? Of course, you would not wait for me. You are the same woman who propositioned me on a dance floor.”

The thread of warm amusement, not to mention the deepening of his voice, told her that he approved of her actions. She moved closer, her skirts brushing his legs.

“I would wait for you forever, Douglas, but right at this moment it would drive me insane.”

He snorted. “And just what would you wait for?”

She said nothing as she slid a hand up his arm. If he truly knew her feelings, that she had decided days ago he was the only man who could be her teacher, he would refuse her. It was only the threat of her going to someone else that had him acquiescing to her demand.

“We do not have time for much, I know. But I thought maybe something…”

She allowed the implied question to hang, the implication being that she would take what he was willing to give. As close as she was now, she could make out some of the features of his face. The flash of white against the darkness took her by surprise.

“Something?” His voice dipped into seduction. “I think that I might just be able to accommodate you, my lady.”

He bent his head and brushed his mouth over hers. Slowly, surely, just enough to entice, to whet her appetite. His tongue flicked over her lips. She gasped, half in excitement, half in invitation, but he moved away before taking the kiss further.

“One of the things you need to learn, my dear, is taking the time to enjoy.”

She opened her mouth to blast him, but it came out as a moan when he cupped his hand on the underside of her breast. Damp heat surged through her as he moved his thumb over her nipple. Back and forth, barely touching her, he continued while he slipped his hand around her waist, pulling her closer.

“Patience is a virtue, Cicely.” Her breasts swelled, her mind blanked.

“One that can bring about the best of rewards.”

He tugged on her bodice. The delicate fabric gave way easily, her breasts springing free. Cool air slipped over her heated flesh. Douglas bent his head and when he spoke next, his breath warmed her nipple.

“And sometimes, that reward is best shared.”

When the tip of his tongue touched her nipple, she gasped again.

Once, twice, he moved his mouth over her, laving the turgid peak. As he continued, he shifted his hand to her other breast and caressed the sensitive underside.

“So sweet,” he murmured against her skin.

In the next moment, he took her nipple into his mouth. Her lungs seized, then released the breath with a moan of his name. Allowing her head to dip back, she closed her eyes, enjoying the wicked feel of his mouth on her. Under their own accord, her hands raised to the back of his head. She speared her fingers through his hair, reveling in the thick, rich texture before molding her hands to the back of his head.

The heat that had gathered in her belly twisted and warmed then slid between her legs. She needed more. She needed his skin against hers, to be able to touch, feel, tease, just as he was doing.

But before she could voice her desire, he jerked away from her. She opened her eyes as she stumbled back against the wall. The only sound in the room was the faint singing from onstage and their heavy breathing.

“I believe that is enough for lesson one.”

He was not serious, was he?

“We need to get back before anyone notices our absence.”

He was!

The scoundrel. Her heart still beat a tattoo against her breast, her body still buzzed with arousal, and he was stopping? Was he not affected the way she was? Did his body not need a release, to lose himself in her as she wanted to drown in him?

“Douglas—”

“For the love of Christ, woman, could you pull up your bodice?”

The shakiness of his voice caught her attention. He was still breathing heavily and he had turned away slightly. She had thought him controlled, but she’d been wrong. Even though she was still disappointed that he stopped, she did as he asked.

“I think you need to return by yourself.” He looked at her. “And allow me to pick the next time and place. This was inventive, but it does not have the amenities one needs for a liaison.”

Miffed that he did not appreciate her tactics, and still more than a little aroused, she said, “Of course, Your Grace.”

He chuckled but did not move to touch her. Instead he opened the door, and after checking the hall, stood back to let her slip through. As she made her way back to his box, she tried her best to get her body under control, but it was hard. Harder than she expected. What little had happened in that room had her ready to rip off her clothes and offer herself up to him. Just what would he have in store for her next?

In which the duke is offered advice.

Cicely looked over a particularly interesting passage, frowning over the strange comments from the diarist. There was a listing of their names again, those other four he had conspired with, but right after that he mentioned how he and Digby had made contact with the French government, then run by Napoleon. The intricacies of their plan made her head pound, but if she understood it correctly, they’d offered to house French assassins.

Excitement raced along her skin. Could Digby be one of the five? It seemed quite possible. She wrote down the name, linked it to Scarlet, the writer of the diary.

“You look like you found something?” Lady Victoria’s voice made Cicely jump. “Oh, I am sorry, dear. I did not realize that you did not hear me enter.”

She turned and smiled at her aunt. Dressed today in her favorite violet, her delicate beauty was easy to discern. “Do not worry. I just found a name mentioned here. It is before your time, but do you know the name Digby?”

Victoria pursed her lips in thought. “Digby. Hm, there was a younger son, one with a horrid reputation.” She
hm’d
again, then her eyes widened. “Of course! The Earl of Sheffield.”

“Sheffield? Why does that sound familiar? I do not think I know any of them.”

“Oh, lud no. The only one left was Digby, his real name was…Diggory.” She made a face. “There is a good reason why he went by Digby, I daresay. Why did you want to know?”

“His name is mentioned in here.”

Victoria’s eyes widened. “Well, that would be understandable. That family was never good ton. They had been at one time, but they had a run of bad luck, bad earls and a few scandals. Digby finally got the earldom a few years ago when the last earl dropped dead in a brothel.”

“Why would that name be familiar to me?”

“He just died. There was not one male heir left, so the earldom is basically dead. He owed money all over town from what I understand.”

Cicely sighed. “Another dead end.”

“Oh, no.” Victoria slipped onto the settee next to Cicely. “What we need to do is pick my memory to figure out who he was friends with at the time.”

“This was before your time, and I think that afterward, they would have done little together.”

“He had been good friends with a baron…but there had been some kind of scandal.” She was quiet for a few moments and Cicely tried her best not to be disappointed. Although it was a good find, without a living heir there was not much to go on.

“Chambers!”

Cicely jumped again. “What?”

“Baron Chambers. They had been friends at one time, and then… I am not sure, before my time as you say, but something happened between them.”

“Were either of them married?”

“No. Which is odd because both of them were the end of their line.”

Another false lead. “Well, maybe there is something there. I will definitely check all of that out, but I am not sure where to get more information on old scandals.”

Victoria chuckled and patted Cicely’s hand. “I am meeting today for tea with old Lady Smythe. She knows everything in society. Even at her age, she has a mind as sharp as a knife.”

After a discussion of possible leads and who Victoria should approach, she left, and Cicely sank into her thoughts, the mystery of the diary fading now that she had to wait for answers from her aunt. It had been three days since her first lesson. She had seen Douglas since, but they had always been surrounded, once in the park and twice here at the Ware household. They had not yet had a chance to steal away to move onto their next lesson.

Tonight was the last night before they all left for the Throckmorton house party. She knew from past experiences it would be relatively easy to grab a bit of privacy, but it was hard being patient.

And he knew it would be. That is why he did what he did, promised her gifts for her patience. He was trying to heighten her experience. While she appreciated his thoughtfulness, it was truly driving her mad.

She sighed, running her hand over the diary. Cicely knew pushing him would not work, but she worried. From his past behavior, his interest in her would wane soon. She had accepted that, accepted that she would end up being hurt in the end. But she would rather have one taste of passion with Douglas than spend the rest of her life wondering what she had missed.

Knowing there was nothing she could do, she decided to get back to work on the diary and try her best to put Douglas out of her mind for now.

Douglas frowned at the cravat his valet had fashioned for him.

“Are you sure this is not too intricate, Robinson?”

The older gentleman’s eyebrows rose, not in question, but irritation.

“I believe that you should trust my opinion and knowledge, Your Grace.”

“I
believe
you would have me dressed like a popinjay if I gave you a chance.”

Robinson harrumphed. “Is your current state of irritability due to the fact we will have a new duchess soon?”