His Mistress (35 page)

“Then you are forgiven for all the invitations you declined over the last few weeks.”

“I’m grateful for your indulgence,” Tobias said with a grin that was reminiscent of the Tobias who’d constantly challenged her at
La Maison des Plaisirs Sombres
. Determined to put him in his place, Jane leaned into him, her mouth brushing against his ear.

“There are many ways I am willing to indulge you, Tobias.” Passion flared in his eyes before it was extinguished a second later. Frustrated she scowled at him but his expression remained closed and guarded. Samuel chuckled.

“Why do I think there will be a constant battle of wills where the two of you are concerned?”

“Tobias has already told me there will be occasions when he will overrule me,” she said mischievously. “Although I’ve yet to see it happen.”

Tobias glared at her while Samuel laughed even harder. A quiet murmur of voices behind them made Jane release a sigh of annoyance as she heard Irene approaching. With a chuckle, Samuel excused himself and left them to a new round of exchanging greetings with people she barely knew.

Here they are, the happy couple,” Irene exclaimed with exaggerated delight. “Jane, Mr. Lynsted, here are Lord and Lady Hadley come to wish you well.”

Tobias’ arm became an oak branch beneath her hand the moment Irene announced the couple. As they faced Irene and the newcomers, Jane stared at Lord Hadley in puzzlement. The man was clearly agitated and out of sorts. His wife on the other hand was a replica of Irene. The woman’s simpering and trite manner would no doubt become quite annoying, very quickly. With perseverance, Jane forced herself to smile and appear interested in the woman’s conversation.

“I’m so happy Lady Hounslow invited us this evening so we could wish you both our very best,” Lady Hadley gushed as she offered them an insipid smile.

“Thank you, my lady,” Jane said as Tobias remained silent. Leaning into him, she smiled. “We’re quite happy, aren’t we, Tobias?”

Jane’s observation made Tobias jerk slightly as if she’d pulled him out of deep thought.

“Yes, indeed,” Tobias said as he kissed Lady Hadley’s hand and offered the woman his most charming smile. As Lord Hadley released Jane’s hand, Tobias nodded at the man.

“Good evening, my lord.” Tobias’ voice was pleasant, but his expression as he looked at Lord Hadley was distant, yet polite. Hadley blanched beneath Tobias’ penetrating gaze. Instantly, Jane stretched out her hand to clasp the gentleman’s arm to steady him as she realized he was on the verge of fainting.

“My lord, are you feeling all right? You look as though you’re ill.” At Jane’s observation, Lady Hadley immediately grew attentive to her husband and touched his hand.

“Should we go home, dear?”

“There’s no need to fuss, Matilda,” Lord Hadley said in a tightly controlled voice. “I was just a little lightheaded.” As the man looked at Jane and Tobias he cleared his throat. “As my wife said, we wish you all the best on the occasion of your marriage tomorrow.”

“Thank you, my lord. It was most kind of you and Lady Hadley to attend our celebration this evening.” Jane nodded while wishing the man and his wife would simply disappear.

“Lady Hounslow insisted we come,” Lord Hadley said in strangled voice as he nodded in Irene’s direction.

Startled, Jane suddenly realized her future stepmother had not moved on to another part of the room. Instead, the woman had remained off to the side silently watching the exchange. As Jane met Irene’s gaze, an expression of Machiavellian delight settled on the woman’s face. Suddenly aware of Jane’s scrutiny, Irene waved her hand toward the salon door.

“Oh my, Lord Tilden and his wife have arrived. You will excuse me, won’t you?”

Without waiting for a reply, the woman scurried away leaving Tobias and Jane to stare at Lord Hadley and his wife. As Irene abandoned them, Jane smiled politely at the couple.

“Would you care for some refreshments?” she asked.

“A good brandy would be nice,” Lord Hadley muttered. The man looked around the room like a trapped animal, and Jane could’ve sworn he was looking for an excuse to drag his wife away from her and Tobias. Jane caught the attention of one of the footman who immediately approached them with the tray of champagne. Jane encouraged Lady Hadley to take a glass while directing the servant to fetch Lord Hadley a brandy. Lady Hadley took a sip of her wine and eyed Tobias over the rim of her glass.

“Lady Hounslow has not told me how the two of you met.”

“I was the earl’s solicitor when we became acquainted,” Tobias said in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.

“Oh,” Lady Hadley said and arched her eyebrows in a scandalous manner. Irritation swept through Jane at the woman’s judgmental expression.

“Yes, it was quite romantic,” she exclaimed as pressed her shoulder into Tobias’. “Stolen kisses when no one was looking. The passing of love notes. I can assure you, my father was just as surprised as everyone else.”

Lady Hadley’s eyes grew round with horror as Jane smiled innocently at the woman. Next to her, Tobias choked on his drink then coughed. Jane lightly patted him on his back.

“In fact, I’m very pleased at how we managed to make my father believe it was his idea all along that we should marry.”

As Lady Hadley stared at them aghast, Jane took a triumphant sip of champagne. She enjoyed the viscountess’ reaction to the fictional account Jane had fabricated for the obnoxious woman to digest. Clearly appalled, Lady Hadley glanced around her in search of a new distraction.

“Oh look, there’s Lady Ingram, we should say hello, Albert.”

With that abrupt statement, the woman walked away leaving her husband to stare after his wife in embarrassment. With a muttered apology, the viscount started to excuse himself, but Tobias forestalled him.

“Tell me, Lord Hadley. Are you familiar with the speculation market?” Tobias studied his champagne glass before directing his gaze at Hadley. “I’ve recently been offered an opportunity to invest in such a venture, and I was curious to have the opinion of someone with experience in this area.”

Hadley paled and before Jane could express her renewed concern, Tobias cupped her elbow in a silent gesture for her to refrain from going to the man’s aid. She looked up at him in surprise, but his gaze was fixed on Hadley.

“Why, I…I did lose a small fortune in the speculative market recently, but Lord Culverstone was kind enough to help me resolve the matter.”

“You’re fortunate he offered you his generosity without the request for something intangible. Such as an address on Harrington Street?” Tobias’ words made Jane start. What on earth was he thinking to mention the street where
La Maison des Plaisirs Sombres
was located?

“I…I don’t…know what you’re talking about,” Hadley blustered while the blood drained completely from his face.

“
No
? I seem to recall the earl mentioning how helpful you were to him recently with some invaluable information.”

“He wouldn’t…he gave his word as a gentleman,” Hadley stammered in apparent panic.

“The man is not a gentleman by any measure of the word.” Tobias’ face was cold and compassionless. “Believing
that
was your first mistake.”

“You can’t prove a thing, Lynsted,” the man snarled softly, but with a look of intense fear on his features.

“I don’t recall accusing you of anything, Hadley.” Tobias shrugged as his eyes narrowed on the viscount. “However it is important to note that a man’s good name is irreplaceable.”

Hadley stared at Tobias, his mouth working, yet no sound passed his lips except for small gasps for a long moment. Hadley shook his head as an expression of desperation made his face suddenly look haggard.

“It wasn’t deliberate…the rules have always been clear to me—”

“And yet you ignored those rules.”

Tobias’ voice was flat and cold, almost deadly, and Jane now realized the two men were discussing the traitor of
La Maison des Plaisirs Sombres
. Jane’s gaze focused on Lord Hadley more intently. Was Tobias accusing the man of betraying one of the club’s members? Hadley’s face looked almost ghoulish now with horror.

“When we passed each other in the foyer…I was stunned. I thought you might know who I was, just as I recognized you,” Hadley rasped. “The minute I entered his office, the man knew something was wrong. I tried to change the subject. I didn’t want to reveal my association with…that place, any more than I wanted to divulge where I’d seen you. But he hounded me and hounded me.”

“Hounded you into betraying a man whose face you’d seen only once or twice?”

“I had no choice,” Hadley whined with vehement desperation. “He threatened me with ruination.”

“So you destroyed the reputation of a man you didn’t know, just to save your own hide,” Tobias bit out. As Tobias continued to hammer away at the viscount, Jane struggled to grasp the enormity of what she was hearing. Slowly, she realized that Hadley was referring to Tobias as the club member who’d been betrayed. But where would the two of them have….her father. A sickening feeling swirled in Jane’s belly as she began to piece together the snippets of information she was gleaning from the conversation.

“You don’t understand,” the viscount whispered as he stared at Tobias with abject misery. “He said he would destroy me completely.”

“You disgust me,” Tobias growled with an escalating rage. Despite the growing nausea inside her, Jane realized he was close to his breaking point. Alarmed for his sake as well as Hadley’s, she wrapped her arm through Tobias’ and pressed her body into his side.

“People are beginning to suspect something’s wrong, Tobias.” The serenity in her voice belied her distraught state, but Tobias immediately relaxed at her words. Jane looked at the viscount.

“My lord, I think it best that you make your excuses to Lady Hounslow and leave.”

“You’re correct, Lady Jane, forgive me.” Hadley nodded. Before he could move away, Tobias drew in a sharp hiss of air.

“Remember this, Hadley. Traitors are always dealt with harshly and ruthlessly. Do you really think yourself invulnerable from betrayal? The moment you gave up another man’s reputation to save your own was the instant you doomed yourself.”

Hadley’s eyes widened with stark terror as he took in Tobias’ words. In silent understanding, the man slowly walked away radiating the appearance of a broken man. The moment the viscount was out of earshot, Jane looked at Tobias.

“Clearly Lord Hadley is the traitor from the club, and you’re the one he betrayed.” She marveled at how calm her voice was as she made the observations. “Did Angélique hire you to find him?”

“Yes. It’s what I do almost every day,” he said in an emotionless voice.

“And this earl…” Jane’s stomach churned and her voice trailed off before she stiffened her resolve to continue. “Was the earl you spoke of my father?”

Tobias nodded his head sharply in confirmation. The anger, self-recrimination, and utter disgust reflected on his handsome features made her heart spasm with pain. He was hiding something, and she knew it had to do with her. Quickly, she fought to dispel the suspicions spilling their way into her head. Misgivings she was too frightened to believe were true. With a savage grunt, Tobias threw the remainder of champagne in his glass down his throat. His expression bleak, he studied his empty glass for a moment before he cleared his throat.

“I should have explained the day I proposed,” Tobias said through clenched teeth. The bitter taste of bile threatened to fill Jane’s mouth as she tried to deny the inevitable.

“Hadley recognized you. And my father…” her voice broke before she gathered her courage to continue. “My father convinced the viscount to reveal where the man had seen you.”

“I never meant to hurt you Jane.” The soft apology made Jane go rigid as her brain worked fast to comprehend the truth, which she didn’t want to believe.

“Hurt me?” she choked out in a hoarse voice.

“I…I’m no better than Hadley.” Bitterness filled Tobias’ voice, and his words sliced into her like a sharp blade. The pain wracking her body was so great it forced her to look down to see if she was bleeding.

“Why are you…no better than…the viscount?” She knew the answer, but she needed to hear it from him. Perhaps it wouldn’t be the horrible news she expected.

“I agreed to marry you in exchange for your father’s silence as to my membership at the club,” he said quietly.

Inside her, a primal scream of anguish ripped her heart apart. She half expected everyone in the room to look at her in shock at the dreadful sound, but her cry of pain remained contained inside her. Jane swayed slightly on her feet and Tobias immediately steadied her.

She jerked away from him as if she’d been burned. Something flashed across his face, and for a brief second, she thought it was a look of torment. If she didn’t know better, she might have believed he was experiencing the same type of crippling pain she was. Jane scoffed at herself. She was a fool to think such a thing. He’d used her to save himself. The realization made her stomach churn as she remembered another time a man had used her.

An image of Barnaby flashed through her head. The memory of how he’d bartered with her father to keep his silence about her indiscretion. The vast sum of money her father had paid Barnaby for his silence. Now Tobias had done almost the same thing, except her father had named the price. The saving of Tobias’ reputation in exchange for marrying her.

She wanted to go someplace and retch all the poison out of her body. Deep inside a small voice reminded her of her father’s jubilation that Tobias had agreed to such a small dowry. He’d not even bartered for a larger amount. Perhaps her father had extended the money as an added incentive for Tobias to accept. Then there were the serious consequences to someone’s connection to the club being exposed. Wasn’t that Hadley’s reason for betraying Tobias? Jane suddenly realized she was attempting to rationalize Tobias’ actions in an effort to forgive him. Appalled, she smashed every rationale into oblivion.

“Say something,” Tobias said hoarsely. “Call me out for the bastard I am.”