Debutantes Don’t Date (2 page)

Lady Anne looked around her. It was so dark in the garden she could barely make out
the path back to the house. Wonderful! She’ll probably twist her ankle heading back.

Jasper Mossman, Earl of Bingham, surveyed the room. He wasn’t sure why he was even
here tonight. He’d already picked the next Countess. He just hadn’t informed the lady
as yet.

The ball was a huge crush. He could barely move for all the people here. Invitations
to the Duke and Duchess of Kensington’s New Year’s celebrations were always coveted
by the
ton
. As an earl, he of course was invited. One did not forget to invite Lord Bingham
to events. Mothers were always in high hopes of their daughters becoming the next
Countess.

Jasper could see Lady Anne Higgins standing next to her mother on the outskirts of
the dance floor, more than likely waiting for him to escort her out for a set. She
was lovely with her blonde curls and flowing dress, a smile always on her lips. Her
mother? Lady Alderton waved enthusiastically in his direction. Jasper turned in the
other direction. If it wasn’t for her mother, he would have asked for Lady Anne’s
hand by now. He just couldn’t endure
that
woman. He shuddered at the prospect of having her as a mother-in-law. Maybe he could
move Anne and himself to the estate in the country, that way her mother wouldn’t visit
that often…but then again when she did visit, she would stay for days, weeks or months
even. Umm, maybe they could move to the Americas. God, it was giving him a headache
and he hadn’t even married the girl yet.

Ah, there was Eaglestone coming through the door now. Maybe tonight wouldn’t be an
absolute bore after all. Jasper watched his friend Philip Blade, Baron Eaglestone
make his way down the congested steps into the ballroom until a loud collective gasp
across the room caught his attention.

What the devil? He turned towards the commotion near the refreshment room. Some silly
chit was making a spectacle of herself; her skirt was almost up to her waist! And
it didn’t appear as though anyone was coming to her rescue.

“What’s the world coming to when a lady’s mamma can’t even keep her daughter’s stockings
out of view?” Philip said when he made his way to Jasper’s side. “Good thing Lady
Anne would never act in such a disgraceful manner, eh Bingham?” Philip nudged him
with his elbow and winked.

“What’s that, Philip?” Jasper peeled his eyes from the enchanting display to look
at his friend. “Sorry, I got a bit distracted,” he grinned.

“I was just saying Lady Anne would never behave like that in public.”

“More’s the pity,” Jasper mumbled. “You’re right about that. Remind me, why am I offering
for her again?”

“‘To carry on the succession’, of course. ‘We Lords must all do our duty one day’,”
Philip quoted in his father’s stern voice. “Lucky for me, I am still expected to have
my fun, while you, my
old
friend, must take up your duty at once.” Philip laughed.

“You’re only two years my junior.”

“That may be, but I’m still free to have my fun. You, my friend, are not. And if you
don’t mind, I think I’ll go and partake in some of the fun that is expected of me.
You should go and enjoy some too, before you become betrothed tomorrow.”

“I haven’t asked her yet, and maybe I won’t,” although they both knew he was talking
rot. “Besides, who is to say that Alderton will even agree to the match anyway?”

“If you ask, he will agree,” Philip stated deadpan. “He won’t get a better offer.
Besides, it is expected. Your parents arranged it with him after all. I think he would
be more surprised if you didn’t ask. Word is Lady Anne has been groomed to marry you
and only you. You can’t disappoint her, now can you?” he said with a wink and another
nudge.

Disappoint her? No. Disappoint himself? Aye well Jasper felt more and more disappointed
every passing year. His world was closing in on him and there was nothing he could
do about it. The responsibility to his family and his line pressed down on his shoulders
as a tremendous weight. He’d felt it since his father died, but lately it was dragging
him under. He put on his best smile and said, “You know me, my friend, I never disappoint
the ladies.”

Philip watched as his friend walked away, knowing that Jasper would behave as he always
did: properly. He never partook in anything even remotely scandalous. Not since Eton,
anyway. Not since his parents were taken from him and the responsibility of the Earldom
was placed squarely upon his shoulders. Not that the truth of the matter stopped the
rumour mill. There had been more rumours about Lord Bingham and his exploits than
humanly possible; or humanly desirable for that matter. Really, who thought up the
one about Jasper visiting five different brothels every night, Sundays included? No
one who actually knew his friend, that was for sure.

As the crowd swallowed Jasper, Philip wished his friend would misbehave just once.

***

Grace stumbled slightly when the lights went out at midnight and she dropped the object
in her hand. “Damn.” She hoped it didn’t break. She didn’t get a good look at it before
the lights went off, but it felt like a brooch or a pin. Getting out from under the
table wearing a costume was becoming a bit of a battle. With her bum pointed high
in the air and her head still stuck under the table she elicited shocked gasps behind
her when the lights flickered back on. She tried to scramble to her feet, giving her
growing audience a glimpse of more than they bargained for, before she tripped on
the skirt of her gown and fell hard back onto her bottom and whacked the back of her
head on the table. This was ridiculous. A few glasses of wine should not make her
so off-balance. It never had before, although she has never had a ‘few’ glasses so
close together…but still. The room felt sideways, as if the world had been tipped
off its axis. The lights in the room were oddly dim and her mind was fuzzy. She was
suddenly confused and unsure where she was. Tears burned her eyes and threatened to
spill down her cheeks which would cap off her moment of humiliation.

Through the crowd of people gathered to see her indignity, a hand reached for hers.
“Need help, my lady?” She might not be able to see straight, but she could see the
most gorgeous man she’d ever laid eyes on.
My God, he looked like Ryan Gosling in ‘The Notebook’
. Oh she hoped it wasn’t him. She had a rule against dating celebrities.

He was the epitome of tall, dark and handsome. His eyes crinkled as he smiled down
at her and the slight dimple in his right cheek stole the breath from her lungs. The
fact that the hand held out to her belonged to him was a dream come true and she grasped
hold of it firmly. As soon as she made contact with his skin awareness shot up her
arm and forced a gasp from her lips.

The mystery man helped her up and tried to straighten her skirts by running his hands
up and down her body. Desire flowed through her along the same path as his hands.
All she could do was stare longingly up at his mouth, and her tongue darted out to
moisten her suddenly very dry lips. More gasps sounded around them, jerking her back
into reality. She looked around her before grabbing hold of the man’s hand and she
pulled him along behind her through the crowd, away from the gaping mouths and the
shocked faces. She led him to an alcove, cleverly hidden behind a couple of pillars
and a partly closed drape.

Grace pushed the drape aside so they could enter and turned to face the man she had
just dragged through the ballroom. What the hell had she done? She had been so consumed
with getting away from the incensed looks that she didn’t even think of what the poor
man must think of her. Ha! As if he was poor! He oozed money and privilege; his clothes,
although a costume, were obviously of the highest quality and were tailored to suit
his body. Actually, they fitted him like a glove. She couldn’t stop herself from running
her eyes up and down every glorious inch of him and mentally peeling his perfect clothes
off his body.

She often rubbed shoulders with these types of people through her work but she never
looked
at them. She hadn’t looked at any man for three years. She didn’t have the time or
the inclination. But right now, with her brain fuzzy and the room slightly off its
axis, she couldn’t think of the reason why she never looked and why she definitely
never touched. There was only one thing she could think of as she gazed up at this
gorgeous man in this closed-off corner; it was as though they were all alone in the
world. Even with the sound of the ball surrounding them, they were in a cocoon. What
the hell, she would be gone in the morning and no one would ever know.

She stepped closer and grabbed the lapels of his jacket and pulled him into her lips.
He jerked with the initial shock and then relaxed completely into Grace’s overheated
body. He grabbed her hips and hauled her body closer, pressing himself to her heat.
He took her over, consuming her until she was at the point where she tried to crawl
into him. Grace could feel his erection against her belly as she hiked her leg up
to wrap around his thigh. One of his hands grabbed her ass and pulled her tighter
to him still. The other made its way up her skirt. Grace wrapped her arms around his
neck and grabbed handfuls of his hair. Moans were forced from her lips as they embarked
on a dance entirely different to any the ball was intended to provoke.

Whatever he had been expecting when he followed her into the alcove it was not this!
He waited for her to say something once they arrived, but no words had come from her
lips. But when she stepped towards him with a look in her eyes that he recognised
but was surprised to see in a ballroom, he couldn’t believe his luck. This little
woman was just what he needed before he tied himself to ball and chain. The girl’s
lips melted into his and opened willingly to his tongue. She had kissed before, he
was sure of that, as he ran his hands up and down her body, pressing her closer to
him. She did not shy away; instead she pushed her body further against him and tried
to get closer. No innocent would behave thus. She
must
have kissed before!

Blood roared in his ears as his whole body throbbed with need. The woman hiked her
leg up onto his waist and his fingers involuntarily found the hem of her dress and
slid up her smooth leg. His lips trailed kisses along her jawline to just under her
ear so he could taste her intoxicating skin. The hand under her skirt slid past her
knee and closer to her heat. He felt her tongue slide against his ear and shivers
cascaded through his body. He heard an outraged gasp. It took a moment to realise
that the sound did not come from the lady in his arms but from the entrance to their
hiding spot. Jasper jerked his lips away from her sweet silky neck so fast that he
gave himself whiplash swinging his head towards the opening in the drape and to the
woman who stood there with her mouth hanging open.

Mrs Hillary Barrett watched with interest as a little raven-haired woman pulled Lord
Bingham from the spectators. She wondered who the young lady was that made such a
commotion. Her friends would dine out on this gossip for a week; she had never seen
him follow any female willingly anywhere, besides his sister of course.

Hillary followed them closely, watching as the couple disappeared behind the pillar.
She looked over her shoulder to see if any of her cronies had spotted this little
rendezvous. Seeing all her lady friends were still discussing the spectacle the young
woman had made, she rubbed her hands together with glee. She may just find the scandal
of the year! This may be even better than seeing the young woman with her skirts around
her ears. She rounded the corner into the alcove and stopped as a gasp was torn from
her lips. This was even better than she thought!

Jasper wrenched his mouth away from the vixen and turned to see the one and only Mrs
Hillary Barrett, the
ton
’s biggest gossip, staring at him with outraged shock.

“Lord Bingham! What on earth do you think you are doing with that young lady?”

Jasper looked down at the beauty in his arms. Her body was plastered against his,
her glossy hair spilling down his left arm. Somewhere along the way her hairpins had
fallen out. Her heaving breasts pressed to his chest, her clothes were slightly askew
and her leg was still wrapped tightly around his thigh as though she was trying to
climb him. He belatedly realised one of his hands was on her backside, pulling her
closer to him, and his other hand was up her skirt just shy of her heat. He let go
and dropped her like a hot poker. He turned to face his adversary, shoving the unknown
woman behind him to keep her from Mrs Barrett’s prying eyes.

“Forgive me, I was just getting myself acquainted with my new fiancée, Mrs Barrett.
I was just so happy with her answer I seem to have got carried away in the happy moment.
If you would be so kind as to give us a minute, I would be happy to introduce you
to my bride-to-be as soon as we have put ourselves to rights.” He smiled so sweetly
that she blushed.

“Of course, my dear, I would be the last one to deny a new couple their happy moment.”
She turned and ducked out of the alcove.

“Well, that was embarrassing,” the woman he was just making love to said once the
curtain twitched back to its resting place. “I can’t believe she just barged in like
that.”

Oh God, she was American, his sister was going to love this. “I can’t believe I fell
for this. No one else has ever managed to do it, but you got me.” He turned towards
the dishevelled beauty who was frantically trying to fix her dress. No matter what
she did, it still kept gaping in the front, showing off the creamy tops of her breasts.
He stared as her nipples played peek-a-boo with the lace of her bodice.

“What? What do you mean, I got you? Do you think someone put me up to this as a joke?”
She looked up in disbelief from her ruined dress. “It’s terribly embarrassing getting
caught kissing someone in the corner, but I assure you it was no practical joke.”
Exasperated, she threw her hands down. “I can’t fix this blasted dress! Now what am
I going to do? I can’t go back out there looking like this, not tonight.”