Jordan, Nicole - Notorious 1 (4 page)

She had forgotten the dismaying impact this man had on her.

He offered her an apologetic smile as he drew on a loose cambric shirt. “Forgive me for receiving a lady in such a state of undress, but you did insist.”

Indeed she had. Even so, his receiving her here was a blatant attempt to intimidate her, she realized. If it was known she had visited his bedchamber—a den of iniquity, without doubt—she would be thoroughly compromised. Still, she was in no position to challenge him. To have any hope of persuading him, she would have to swallow both her dismay and her nervousness.

“I can manage,” he said to the manservant attending him. He took the flowing stock and dismissed the valet, who bowed and obediently withdrew.

Alone with the premiere rakehell of London, Vanessa made a futile attempt to quiet her rioting pulse.

“You don’t mind if I continue dressing?” Sinclair moved to stand before the cheval glass, where he began tying his cravat with consummate skill. “I am pressed for time. I don’t wish to be late for an appointment with my tailor. My secretary would like me to take my place in the House of Lords, which requires my being suitably attired.”

His dry tone suggested cynical amusement, but Vanessa could not believe he was overly concerned about his style of dress.

He was a bold rogue, with a natural sense of arrogance bred into him, but he was no fop. And he had no need to rely on his tailor to present a favorable appearance. Men feared and respected him, while his looks and charm alone had seduced legions of females. Vanessa could not deny that her every feminine instinct came alive in his presence. Those stunning gray eyes of his, fringed with thick lashes, could only be called beautiful.

Swallowing with effort, she found her voice. “Thank you for agreeing to speak to me,” she began on a conciliatory note.

That swift masculine smile flashed in the mirror. “I had no choice but to yield gracefully, my lady. You are quite persistent

determined enough to camp on my doorstep, I suspect.”

“Necessity compels me to be. But I wish only ten minutes of your so valuable time.”

“You may have ten minutes, but I warn you, ten hours would not be adequate to change my mind regarding your brother. Pray be seated.”

Vanessa glanced at the wing chairs before the hearth, and the chaise lounge beneath the far window. “Thank you, but I prefer to stand.”

He inclined his head to signify his indifference and made a delicate loop of the cravat. “Does your brother know you are here?”

“No, and I have no intention of telling him. He would be scandalized to know I even called upon you, let alone that you received me in your bedchamber.”

“Notorious despoiler of feminine virtue that I am?” Sinclair asked ironically. “I do hate to disillusion you, but I don’t lie in wait for helpless females to ravish.” His eyes met hers in the cheval glass. “Although in your case, I confess I might be tempted.”

She took a deep breath. “You were correct, my lord. I did come here to discuss my brother’s debt of honor.”

“How clever of me to have guessed.”

“Perhaps,” Vanessa continued, striving for a reasonable tone, “you don’t comprehend the hardship that fulfilling the debt would place on his family.”

He gave a sigh of resignation. “I gather you mean to tell me.”

“My mother and sisters will be destitute, with no place to live.”

“Your brother can always apply to the cent-per-centers to redeem his vowels.”

“No moneylender would advance such a sum without the Rutherford estates as collateral. Even were he able to pay his debt of honor to you, once in the clutches of the moneylenders, the result would be the same. Aubrey would lose his estates and be thrown into debtor’s prison and his family driven from their home.”

“I still fail to see how that concerns me.”

Vanessa fought down an angry reply. It would do no good to antagonize Lord Sinclair. “You have every right to wish revenge on my brother, but must you make his family suffer as well?”

“That is an unfortunate consequence of his actions.”

“Not only ofhis actions. You are a practiced gamester, my lord. You lured him into deep play, you admitted as much last night.”

“Indeed, I had every intention of ruining him.”

“Fleecing green boys should be outlawed,” Vanessa murmured bitterly.

“So should destroying the lives of innocent young girls,” he retorted. When she simply stared at him, he added with impatience, “Did you come here to play the disapproving paragon, Lady Wyndham?”

“No, I came here to persuade you to see reason.”

He ignored her comment.

“Aubrey has threatened to shoot himself if he cannot find a way out of this difficulty.”

“I confess that would not break my heart.”

“It would mine.”

His eyes searched hers, as if to judge her sincerity. Then he shook his head, while his jaw hardened. “Your brother must pay a price for his reckless cruelty. But I will grant you one concession. If and when he is man enough to come to me himself, I shall discuss terms of payment.”

Her heart lifted a measure at his offer, but it was not enough. “What good are terms when he cannot manage to pay his tailor’s bill, let alone a wager the size of the one he owes you?”

“You are singularly interested in his financial affairs, are you not?”

“I have good reason to be. I manage the Rutherford estates for Aubrey, since he has little head for accounts.”

He raised an eyebrow. “And you have?”

“Enough to recognize when he is in dire straits. And I must say he is not wholly to blame for his dwindling resources. The chief difficulty has always been persuading our family to economize. I fear we are spendthrifts.” When she received no reply, she pressed on. “Is there no way you would consider reducing the debt?”

“What do you have to offer in exchange, my lady?”

She bit her lip, and Damien felt his gaze drawn to her lush mouth. It required a herculean effort to harden his heart against her pleadings. Lady Wyndham was a celebrated beauty, and he had always been partial to beautiful women. Those dark eyes of hers were luminous enough to drown in, while her hair was a lustrous sherry color, shimmering with the gold and russets of autumn.

But she was calculating enough to have wed for title and property, and during her marriage she had run with a wild set. She could be cut from the same cloth as her wastrel brother and her late husband. Sir Roger was known to have squandered his inheritance while blazing a trail of scandal and debauchery, before meeting an untimely end. If rumor could be believed, his friends had been more than eager to console his grieving widow. Vanessa Wyndham did not seem as superficial and fatuous as other ladies of the ton, Damien admitted, yet she could be playing a role for his benefit.

While her striking eyes were wary, there was awareness in her gaze, a sexual awareness that told him clearly she felt the attraction between them.

“I fear I have little to offer you. My husband’s death left me in rather straitened circumstances,” she acknowledged quietly. “Our home was so heavily mortgaged that there was nothing left when it went to pay his debts.”

“You had best seek a rich husband then.”

He saw her grimace of distaste. “Even were I inclined to wed again—which I am not—there isn’t time for me to find a husband.”

“You do have a dilemma, it seems. But a beautiful woman like yourself can always take a lover. Or perhaps you already have one?” His tone was leading, curious.

Vanessa set her teeth. “I have no lover, Lord Sinclair.”

“Yet you are not above using your feminine charms to gain your ends. I expect the revealing gown you wore last evening was for my benefit?”

Vanessa flushed, but she held fast to her temper.

His gray eyes raked her from head to toe. “It should not be difficult for you to find yourself a protector. You have abundant charms with which to bargain. Use that lovely body of yours to advantage.”

“I am not a lightskirt, my lord.” She said it through clenched teeth, so fiercely that he had to believe her sincere.

Her indignation gave Damien pause. He was accustomed to women throwing themselves at his feet. To her credit, the lovely Vanessa had not tried to ply him with tears or devious tales. She wasn’t attempting to wheedle a favor from him. She was simply pleading honestly with him to let them keep their home.

He had to confess he admired her forthrightness, as well as her courage. He even admired her determined defense of her brother, however misguided it might be.

But it was unwise to allow himself to soften toward her. Vanessa Wyndham was clever, with spirit enough to be intriguing, and beautiful enough even for a man with his jaded, discriminating tastes. Under ordinary circumstances, he might enjoy pitting wits with her, perhaps even engaging in a game of seduction. But these were far from ordinary circumstances. Her brother had shattered his innocent sister’s life and would have to pay.

“Have you never done anything that you regret?” she was saying. “Aubrey was raised with no concept of responsibility. Our father was a poor role model for him.”

“An edifying tale.”

“My lord, my brother is merely a boy.”

His gray eyes hardened. “And my sister is merely a girl, whose life Rutherford callously ruined.”

“I am not excusing his behavior,” Vanessa managed more civilly. “But I should think you would wish to devote your energies to aiding your sister rather than seeking vengeance.”

“I have been devoting my energies toward that end.”

“Indeed? Did you not leave her alone in the country while you returned to London to your life of leisure?”

It was Damien’s turn to set his jaw. “I fail to see how it concerns you, Lady Wyndham, but I am in town to seek a companion for her, if you must know. My chief reason for coming was to investigate employment agencies and interview prospective candidates.”

And to visit your tailor. It was all Vanessa could do to hide her disdain. The mighty baron evidently didn’t wish to be bothered with his invalid sister, not if he planned to shirk his responsibility and palm the girl off on an employee. “Is that not rather coldhearted, to fob her off on a stranger?”

“Is it not rather unwise to antagonize me, Lady Wyndham?” he replied in a silken voice edged with steel.

Vanessa hesitated as she surveyed the storm gathering in his eyes. She had angered him, which was indeed foolish. Lord Sinclair was a dangerous man because of his implacable will. When he moved toward her slowly, it was all she could do to stand her ground. She was too aware of his body, the size and strength of it, of his raw masculinity.

He stopped before her, gazing at her hard. The heat and intensity in his eyes were unnerving. Then his tone dropped to a low murmur. “You are here alone, in a notorious rake’s bedchamber. I could have my wicked way with you, and no one would gainsay me.”

It was a threat, but somehow he made it sound like a sensual promise. Even more unnerving was the way his scrutiny shifted to her bosom. She could feel his gaze like a tangible caress, could feel her breasts tighten as if he had actually touched her.

She stood frozen when his hand rose to her throat. Her breath caught as his elegant finger trailed a featherlight path downward to the vulnerable hollow. “Do I fluster you, Lady Wyndham?” he taunted softly.

“No

of course not.”

“So why is your breathing so shallow, your lovely skin so delicately flushed?”

It was true she was suddenly breathless and overly warm. But if he thought to intimidate her, he would learn that he had met his match.

Vanessa lifted her chin defiantly, returning his gaze. “I had hoped to appeal to your better nature, my lord, but I see you haven’t one.”

Lord Sin smiled coolly. “My nature is quite charming under most circumstances.”

“I have seen little evidence of it.”

“But then you scarcely know me.”

For a moment he stood looking down at her. But then he shook his head, as if recalling where he was. “As much as I enjoy sparring with you, I have an appointment to keep.”

Vanessa gave a sigh of frustration. He was right. This was getting nowhere. With a heavy heart, she made one last attempt at persuading him.

“You asked, my lord, what I could offer you in exchange for returning my brother’s estates. Well, I am willing to offer my services—”

Ah, he thought, irrationally disappointed in her.Now we come to the point of negotiations . “You begin to interest me vastly.”

“—as companion to your sister,” Vanessa continued.

He frowned at her. “Companion?”

“You said you were seeking one for Miss Sinclair.”

“Give me a single reason why I should entrust my sister’s welfare to you.”

“Because I could be of help to her. By all reports, she is faring poorly. I understand she cannot leave her bed and has become a recluse.”

“Your point?”

“Dealing with ladies in poor health is not a new circumstance for me. My mother is a semi-invalid and often confined to her bed, so I have some experience. And I could lend your sister the consequence of rank. I still retain my husband’s title, and I am the daughter of a viscount. No governess-companion could offer as much.”

Damien studied her, trying to judge if this was a ploy. She seemed entirely sincere, yet he wondered how far she would go to sacrifice for her family. He nodded slowly, deciding to test her resolve.

“You have courage, I’ll give you that. But I wonder to what lengths you are prepared to go.”

“I will do whatever I must to spare my family.”

“Is that so?” He smiled thinly. “Well, you are in luck, sweeting. You find me in an indulgent mood. But I have in mind a more intimate arrangement than the one you envision. I shall make a bargain with you. I will offer you the position of companion—but not to my sister. To me.”

“I

don’t understand.”

“Then I shall put it more plainly. I will cancel your brother’s debt if you become my mistress.” From her shocked look, she was clearly taken aback. “It would not be forever. Merely till we tire of each other. Say

for the summer?”

She stared at him. “I cannot believe a man of your reputation would lack for paramours.”