Desire and Deception (63 page)

At his accusation, Lauren sucked in her breath, the original cause of their argument forgotten.
"Such as?" she asked guardedly.

Jason's fierce blue gaze bored into her, but he made no answer. When the silence lengthened, Lauren decided he couldn't have meant anything by his mention of secrets. Seeking a cease-fire, she offered an explanation. "I was afraid to tell you, if you want the truth."

Her attempt at conciliation was ignored; if anything, Jason's mouth hardened even more. "The truth would be nice," he replied with biting sarcasm.

Stung by his caustic tone, Lauren drew herself up to her full, regal height. "Perhaps you would care to know who fathered my child, then," she returned icily.

She hadn't meant to say anything so ridiculous, but the taunting words were out before she could bite them back. And the resultant fire that flashed in Jason's eyes frightened her so much that she took a quick step backward. For a moment, the air between them literally crackled with tension while Jason glowered at her menacingly. Lauren could see the effort he was making to control his temper, but she watched him worriedly, waiting.

When he made no move to beat her as he had threatened, she sat down weakly on the bunk, her gaze dropping to her hands. "I wasn't planning to keep it a secret," she said lamely. "I was waiting for a special occasion to tell you."

"What special occasion?"

"I don't know!
Just sometime special.
It isn't every day that I have a baby."

"Lila said you were crying about it."

Lauren threw Jason an accusing glance. "Lila! I should have known. I suppose you asked her to spy on me and report my actions to you. Well, Lila was wrong! I was crying because I missed you and couldn't face the idea of you leaving me."

There was a long silence before Jason finally spoke. "You want the child, then?"

Hearing the doubt in his tone, Lauren met his gaze squarely. "That question," she said evenly, "is as absurd as the notion that someone else might be the father."

Jason let out his breath slowly. After a moment, he moved to stand before Lauren and reached out to caress her cheek. "I beg your pardon, then, for shouting at you," he said quietly.

Lauren was relieved to see that the gleam in his eyes was no longer anger, yet she wasn't at all sure that she wanted to accept his apology. She raised an eyebrow pointedly. "Is that all you mean to say?"

A smile tugged at the corner of Jason's mouth. "You want me to grovel, do you? Very well, Cat-eyes." He surprised Lauren by dropping to one knee. "Now, I'm kneeling at your feet, begging your forgiveness. But in my own defense, I'll remind you that it isn't every day a man becomes a prospective father. I suppose I haven't gotten the hang of how to act yet." Tilting his head to one side, he smiled at her with such disarming sincerity that Lauren found it hard to resist his compelling charm.

Seeing that she was wavering, Jason wrapped an arm about her waist and drew her against him. "I will now ask you
very sweetly
to please not climb the rigging anymore. Or any trees,
or anything thing else which might endanger your health and safety,"

"That is much better, Jason," Lauren observed primly as she tried to repress a smile.

"I married a tyrant, I can see. But you didn't answer me. Will you give me your word? See, I'm not ordering you."

His wide-eyed look was so much like a guilty little boy pleading for reprieve from punishment that Lauren had to laugh. "Yes, you have my word. I would have given it to you before if you hadn't been so beastly. But since you apologized so nicely, I'll admit that you were right. It was very foolish of me. I just didn't consider the consequences." Then remembering the cause of their argument, Lauren searched Jason's face, her green-gold eyes growing somewhat anxious. "You haven't told me yet if you're pleased about having a child."

"Could you doubt it?" Jason whispered huskily, before his lips found hers.

He kissed Lauren deeply, lovingly, chasing away her doubts, and when he at last broke off, it was only to gently push her backward till she was lying on the bed. He nestled his cheek against her hair, while his hand splayed possessively over her abdomen, caressing it lightly. Lauren shut her eyes, savoring the tender moment.

After a while, Jason returned to their discussion. "I never asked Lila to spy on you," he said seriously. "She mentioned that you might be in a delicate condition, but even if she hadn't, I would have come to the same conclusion. You haven't pleaded your woman's time since our marriage, and your breasts are fuller now."

"Only the least bit. I'm surprised you noticed."

Jason raised his head to grin at her. "You forget I've made it a point to become intimately familiar with your body." His grin faded a bit as he studied her face. "There's a special glow about you, as well. It's made you even more beautiful. I think motherhood will agree with you."

Lauren smiled back at him. "That's easy for you to say. You don't have to miss breakfast."

"I want you to see a doctor when we arrive in London. Our family physician in Kent is good, but I don't want to take chances."

Lauren's brows drew together. "Jason, you don't mean to treat me as an invalid, do you? Because if you do—"

"No, but one way or another, I mean for you to take care of yourself and my child. Besides, I've always held the belief that a father-to-be ought to have some rights. I think I should be allowed to pamper you the tiniest bit."

"So that's why you've been so considerate of me lately! I can see already that you will spoil him dreadfully."

"Him?"

"Our son."

"A boy, is it?" Jason quizzed with laughter in his eyes. "But what if I want a girl, with golden hair and haunting cat-eyes like her mother?"

"I thought you married me so you could get an heir."

"No you didn't. You thought I was after your money. But actually neither reason is the real one. I married you for the pleasure of trying to get an heir."

Lauren flashed him an impudent smile. "Well, since one is now on the way, I suppose you may stop trying."

Jason began to nibble at her lips. "I'm not as certain as you are that it will be a boy," he murmured. "I think perhaps we should keep at it."

"It has to be a boy. Otherwise I couldn't face all those aunts and cousins you told me about."

Jason drew back slightly, letting his gaze caress her. "We'll face them together, sweetheart. My inquisitive relatives and anything else the future holds for us."

"Together," Lauren repeated solemnly, before an inexplicable chill touched her spine, causing her to shiver. But then, as she had been doing for weeks, she forced herself to ignore any reminder of the past, to avoid any consideration of the future.

Looping her arms about Jason's neck, she gave him a slow smile. "There is one thing, though," she murmured, suggestively trailing a finger down the dimpled crease in his cheek to his sensuous mouth. "I've always found it difficult to believe what happened the night you first brought me here. Did you really do something as scandalous as taking me on your desk?"

Jason glanced across the cabin at the desk. The surface was spread with papers, evincing his recent attempts to catch up on his correspondence. A gleam entered his blue eyes as he recalled the incident Lauren spoke of. "Umm hmm," he admitted unrepentantly, "I did, indeed. And I've enjoyed working there ever since."

"Do you suppose you could refresh my memory sometime before we reach England?"

Eyeing Lauren with amusement, Jason chuckled. "I would be delighted," he replied. "But who is being scandalous now?"

The Unmasking

 
England, 1816

Four years before, when she had fled in terror from Burroughs's men, London hadn't made much of an impression on Lauren. Then, she had been a trembling, frightened girl desperately seeking a way of escape. Now, sailing up the Thames, Lauren had ample opportunity to take note of her surroundings. She stood by Jason's side, watching silently as the
Siren
threaded a path through the countless ships on the river.

As they neared London, she was afforded a view of the English capital that surprised her, one of dirt and foul smells and poverty. The city seemed begrimed with the smoke of countless chimneys, while clusters of ramshackle cottages and tenements piled on the banks of the river between counting houses and shipwrights' yards, an odd contrast to the imposing buildings and tall spires that could be seen in the distance.

As the schooner neared the bustling London Dock, memories of that long-ago flight disturbed Lauren, making her uncomfortably aware that the same undercurrent of fear was still with her. Her tendency to shiver had nothing to do with the English weather, even though the day was far chillier than what she was accustomed to in New Orleans.

Her sober expression was far too solemn for Jason, though. Giving Lauren a reassuring smile, he slipped his arm around her waist and indicated the bank with a wave of his hand, drawing her attention to the great fortress of the Tower. For the next two hours, until they actually left the ship, he distracted her with tales about London and of the kings and commoners who had lived there.

London wasn't all squalor and poverty, Lauren could see as they were whisked away from the docks by Jason's town carriage; she noted an instant improvement in the neighborhoods when they had left riverside
Wapping
behind. The streets were crowded with prosperous activity, while the din from vendors hawking their wares vied with the rattle of carriages and the clatter of horses' hooves.

Looking out the window with wide-eyed interest, Lauren commented whenever something caught her eye, causing Jason to chuckle at her excitement. When they reached elegant Mayfair, however, Lauren grew silent. The spacious, relatively quiet streets were flanked on each side with enormous houses belonging to the extremely wealthy.

A short while later, the carriage turned into Grosvenor Square. When they drew up before the
Effing
townhouse, Lauren stared at the magnificent Georgian mansion with awe. She should have been prepared for such affluence. The luxurious
Effing
carriage with the impressive crest on the panels, as well as the liveried footmen should have given her some indication of what to expect. Yet seeing the kind of background Jason came from, Lauren was a bit overwhelmed. She suddenly understood quite well how Lila had felt marrying into the prestigious Beauvais family. And the Stuarts went back much further. Jason could even claim an extremely distant and ancient connection to royalty.

But of course Jason wasn't one to stand on ceremony. Ignoring her protests, he swept Lauren up in his arms and carried her up the wide stone steps and over the threshold, proudly displaying her before the servants and anyone else who cared to watch. Lauren felt like a trophy of war as much as a blushing bride. And she was blushing, to be sure. Her cheeks had turned a becoming shade of pink by the time Jason at last lowered her to the gleaming parquet floor. Lauren glanced about her interestedly, catching a glimpse of crystal chandeliers, sweeping staircases, and railed galleries, before Jason began introducing her to the servants.

There seemed to be an army of them lined up for inspection. At the head was the commander -in-chief, the butler Morrow, a formidable-looking, white-haired man with impeccably formal manners. He welcomed the new Lady
Effing
in stentorian tones, unwittingly making Lauren feel like an impertinent upstart. But she immediately warmed to Mrs. Morrow, the housekeeper. The elderly woman chuckled delightedly when Jason kissed her wrinkled cheek, and she greeted Lauren with kindness that was unfeigned. There was no question that she at least was highly pleased to have a new mistress of the house.