His Mistress (23 page)

“As you wish.”

Tobias bit back a smile at the startled look on her face. She’d clearly expected him to object. In actuality, he was more than eager to obey her instruction. His side had been signaling protests for more than an hour. Not even the stab wound he’d received more than two months ago had been this painful.

He knelt to pick up the door key off the carpet and looked up to see her intent gaze on him. Impulsively, he lifted the hem of her gown to press it to his lips. His gesture made her eyes take on a slumberous look, and she drew in a ragged breath as desire flashed across her face.

The stirring of his cock in his trousers made Tobias quickly straighten upright then moved to unlock the door. He swallowed hard as he experienced the need to gather her in his arms and carry her out of Culverstone House to his modest rooms at the boarding house. God help him. If he wasn’t careful, this woman could easily bring him to his knees in a way that could bring intense pain as well as pleasure. Tobias opened the study door and looked over his shoulder.

“Goodnight, Jane.”

“Goodnight,” she said softly.

Although she didn’t say anything else, she didn’t have to. Desire still burned bright in her gaze, and his chest tightened in reaction to her look until his lungs threatened to deprive him of air. His side viciously protested his reaction. Still uncertain of his suspicions, Tobias bit back a grunt of pain and left Jane alone in the study.

T
he library door closed with a soft thud behind Tobias as Jane stood frozen in place.
God in heaven
. What had possessed her to act as though they were in
La Maison des Plaisirs Sombres
? She’d clearly shocked Tobias with her behavior. On the heels of that observation was the realization she’d excited him as well.

Jane closed her eyes as she remembered how she’d placed the door key between her breasts, and the manner in which Tobias had retrieved it. A hot wind streaked across her skin at the memory. She had sought to be the dominant one by ordering him to kiss her, but she was no longer convinced she’d succeeded in her attempt. Tobias’ touch had burned its way deep into her soul to a place she never thought any man could ever reach again.

The moment he’d plucked the library key from between her breasts, Jane had fully expected him to make a hasty retreat. Instead, his desire had engulfed her like a fire raging out of control. Wild and passionate, Tobias’ kisses had been unlike any caress she’d ever experienced with Barnaby. With each persuasive touch of Tobias’ lips and hands, she’d lost her ability to think straight. Her complete lack of clear-headedness could have been no more evident than when she’d caressed him so brazenly. As Lady
Mystère
she’d brought him to climax with her hand, but this had been different. Tonight, it had been the respectable Lady Jane Grisham who’d stroked him with such shocking self-assurance that he’d gone rigid with shock.

There was no reason why Tobias should have expected his future wife to be experienced, and when she’d taken him in hand, his surprise had been immediate. Her hand tingled as she remembered the heavy, velvety-smooth feel of holding Tobias in her palm. He’d eagerly rocked his body against her hand, and she knew her touch had pleased him.

But her exhilaration at his reaction to her caress had been a short-lived sensation the moment he’d turned away from her. His rejection hadn’t surprised her. But never in her lifetime had Jane ever expected him to overlook her past. A past her father still took the time and patience to remind her of on a regular basis. Tobias had done more than forgive her transgressions. He’d forgiven her sins without even knowing what they were.

Jane slowly crossed the floor to sink down into one of the large, reading chairs situated in front of the library’s fireplace. A small blaze burned in the hearth, but its heat could not compare to the fire Tobias had aroused in her tonight. Not once, but twice, his kiss had pulled her toward a vortex of sensation that emphasized how little self-control she possessed where he was concerned. With each incendiary kiss, his touch had stirred to life emotions she’d thought long dead. Emotions layered beneath the old wounds of her scarred heart.

Despite the passage of time, they still had the power to hurt. Images of the past flashed through her mind. Her father’s grim disclosure that she could not marry Barnaby because the man was already married. Her lover’s cavalier dismissal when she’d confronted him with her father’s revelation. To her horror Barnaby had simply laughed at her naiveté and proceeded to barter with her father over the sum of money that would buy his silence. Jane flinched as she quickly buried the old memories. The past was dead, but she was very much alive. Tobias’ kisses had proven that to her.

The sharp click of the library door opening jerked Jane out of her thoughts. An imperceptible sigh escaped her at the unwelcome interruption. Her mood was dampened further as she heard Irene’s voice float through the room. Jane closed her eyes in resignation. The last thing she wanted was to face the older woman’s sharply worded barbs. As Jane mentally prepared herself to announce her presence to the woman, she heard a heavier tread accompanying the quiet rustle of Irene’s gown.

Dismayed that she was about to be privy to a tête-à-tête between her father and future stepmother, Jane leaned forward to announce her presence only to see Irene wrapped in Lord Mallen’s arms. Eyes wide with horrified amazement, Jane quickly recoiled back into her seat as she struggled to comprehend the scene taking place only a few feet away.

As her shock wore off, Jane’s mouth tightened with anger. Mallen had been quite attentive to her for the past two months, and now she understood why. The man had used her as a shield to hide his dalliance with Irene. It was bad enough that she’d been forced to endure his boring conversations, but his reasons for seeking her out stung. She resented him and the way his behavior made her feel. The sound of Irene’s ragged sigh broke through Jane’s thoughts.

“Oh, my darling, I’ve missed you so much this past week.”

Irene’s voice was breathless from just having been kissed, and a bitter taste filled Jane’s mouth. While she had never received any real affection from her father, Jane didn’t take pleasure in knowing Irene was making him the object of ridicule. Her father was not without his faults, but Jane knew what it was to be betrayed. Her father was deeply infatuated with Irene, and her treachery would devastate him.

“Why must you continue with this charade?”

“You know why, Alfred,” Irene said in a placating voice. “You’re completely without funds, and I will not marry a poor man.”

“But you don’t hesitate when it comes to my sharing your bed behind Culverstone’s back.”

“Would you rather we not see each other again?”

“You know the answer to that,” Lord Mallen snarled.

“Then I’ll return to Hounslow Place within the hour. Wait for me there. Culverstone will play cards late into the night. He’ll not question my desire to sleep in my own bed…and he’ll never know that you’re the only man who could ever satisfy me.” Irene’s voice was a silky purr, and Mallen uttered a dark groan.

“Christ, don’t do that,” he growled. “Do you want that prig of a butler seeing me leave here with a cock that’s as rigid as a stick of wood?”

“Caldwell will hold his tongue, and I love knowing that soon you’ll be hard and rigid inside me.”

Jane’s cheeks grew hot at Irene’s comment. The older woman gasped once more, and the sudden silence in the room was more telling than any words could convey. Jane didn’t have to peek around the edge of her chair to know how blatantly Irene was betraying the Earl. No longer willing to be party to Irene’s lies, Jane yawned loudly as if just awakening from a nap. The silence in the room became almost tangible as Jane stretched her arms up into the air. The sudden sound of the library door clicking shut made her turn in her seat to see Irene standing alone in the center of the room.

“Irene? What are you doing here?” Jane rubbed her eyes as if she’d just awoken, and she kept her expression one of innocent surprise as she met the other woman’s gaze. Eyes narrowed in angry suspicion and a hint of fear, Irene clasped her hands in front of her.

“Jane, dear, whatever are you doing in here at this hour? I thought you’d already gone to bed.”

“I was just about to do so.”

She didn’t attempt to say she’d been sleeping. Irene would easily see through such a falsehood. Jane rose from her chair and took a step toward the door. Before she’d gone more than a few feet, Irene was blocking her path.

“What a clever girl you are, convincing Mr. Lynsted to announce your engagement tonight.” The older woman’s eyes glittered with anger. “You know how much I’d looked forward to hosting your engagement party.”

“Yes, I’m certain you would have enjoyed impressing the Marlborough Set with the story of how you arranged my happiness,” she said in a cool voice. “Everyone would hold you in the highest regard for ensuring the Earl of Culverstone’s daughter didn’t die a spinster. But we both know that anything you do is done solely to improve your status among the Set. Perhaps even a position in Princess Alexandra’s circle?”

“You wound me to the quick, Jane,” Irene said with antipathy. “While it seems more than fitting for the future Countess of Culverstone to attend the Princess of Wales, I have only ever had your best interests at heart.”

“I’m flattered.” She eyed her future stepmother with arched eyebrows. “However your disappointment at my having deprived you of hosting an engagement party seems at odds with your desire to have me out of my father’s house. After all, it was you who insisted I would be better off married than managing my own household.”

“As I’ve said, I’ve only had your best interests at heart.”

“Obviously,” Jane said caustically. “And if my father had given me an annual stipend for my own household, it would mean far less money for you after his death. You are nothing if not transparent, Irene.”

“You seem determined to think the worst of me.”

“How can I not?” Jane said coldly. “You’ve manipulated my father and me to suit your own ends.”

“I’ve made your father happy,” Irene snapped defensively.

“I won’t deny that. He does seem happy, but it’s your interference in my own affairs that I find despicable.” Jane met Irene’s glittering green gaze with contempt. “But I’ll soon be out of your way and for far less than if you’d not convinced my father to marry me off to a man I barely know.”

“Gratitude has never been one of your better qualities, has it, Jane? I confess I’ll not be sad to see the back of you,” Irene said with a cold smile.

“Nor I you, but perhaps it is important to note that my father is not a stupid man. Blinded by lust perhaps, but he is far from a doddering old fool. He will eventually discover your true nature.”

Jane kept her voice calm and detached as she watched the color drain from Irene’s face. The older woman recovered so quickly Jane couldn’t help but admire the woman’s survival instincts.

“Exactly what are you implying?” Irene demanded harshly.

“I’m not implying anything, Irene,” she said with a shake of her head. “I’m simply pointing out that if you continue to play with fire, my father is quite apt to douse the flames without warning.”

“What a smug, pretentious little cow you are,” Irene sneered.

“Think of me what you will, but consider yourself warned.”

“Is that a threat?”

“Not at all,” Jane said with a shrug as she continued toward the door. “Your fate is completely up to you, and I’m certain you’ll manage your future quite well without my help.”

“You’re quite right, Jane, I have no need of your help,” Irene said with brittle laugh. “Although I think you’re in need of a warning as well.”

There was a hard, virulent note in Irene’s voice that made Jane look over her shoulder at her father’s fiancée. Something vicious and malevolent twisted Irene’s lovely features into an ugly mask. Unwilling to reveal how unsettled she was by the other woman’s antagonistic manner, Jane hid the trepidation sliding through her veins. Slowly, she turned to face Irene.

“Warn me?”

“Indeed,” Irene said with a satisfied bob of her head. “I wonder what people would think if they knew your Mr. Lynsted has a propensity for the profane.”

“If you’re suggesting Tobias’ work in the East End is—”

“Good heavens, no,” Irene exclaimed with a derisive laugh. “Mr. Lynsted’s efforts to appear morally respectable serve a valuable purpose when it comes to his indecent and immoral activities.”

“I beg your pardon?” Jane asked in a brittle tone as panic slithered through her.

Her back ramrod straight with fear, Jane eyed the other woman with as dispassionate an expression as possible. How could Irene possibly know about Tobias? Did the woman know about her own activities at
La Maison des Plaisirs Sombres
? How could she know? Did Irene know the traitor who could expose every member of the club? Jane’s lungs constricted from a lack of air as she struggled with the ramification of Irene’s words.

“It appears your Mr. Lynsted has unusual tastes in bedroom sport, my dear. Naturally I’m sure your horizons will be expanded a great deal when you’re married.”