Lady Alexandra's Lover (17 page)

It was the money. How had Evan been so blind to the fact? Alexandra had come from near poverty, and the stars she saw when she looked at Landon were not stars at all but pound signs.

Evan paced the large foyer, glancing at the grandfather clock at the end of the hallway every couple of moments. Ten minutes passed, and then fifteen. His anger intensified. What on God’s green earth was taking so damned long?

After a half hour had passed and the butler had not returned, Evan left the foyer and walked toward the large staircase. He walked swiftly upward, passing several shocked maids on the way. He tried all the bedchambers on the second floor, to no avail.

Up to the third floor he strode, walking toward the end of the hallway where ornate double doors stood. Yes, he had found Landon’s lair. He grasped the ornate crystal doorknob, but it didn’t turn. Locked, of course. He clenched his teeth and banged on the door.

“Landon, goddamn it, open the door this fucking minute.”

Nothing.

“I’m not kidding, Landon. I will kick the door down myself if you do not open it.”

Evan clenched his teeth and tensed his muscles, ready to give the door a swift kick, when it opened. Nathan Landon stood there, wearing nothing but a red silk robe.

“Xavier,” he said. “I told my butler very succinctly that he was to dismiss you. How in the hell did you get up here?”

“I’m not so easily dismissed.” Evan stalked toward the other man. “You and I need to talk, Landon.”

Landon cowered. “If this is about what happened between me and Lady Alexandra, I have—”

Evan gathered all of his strength, willing himself not to pummel the man. Instead, he pushed him back into the sitting room and followed him in, closing the door. “You have compromised Lady Alexandra, and now you are going to do right by her.”

“Xavier, if I had to ‘do right’ by every woman I’ve compromised, I’d have several dozen wives by now.”

Evan saw red. He grabbed the silk of Landon’s robe in a clenched fist. Just as he was about to land a punch on the man’s nose, a woman, also clad in red silk, walked through a door that must have led to Landon’s bedchamber.

“Nathan, what is going on?”

Evan shook his head. “I should’ve known. You try to get beneath my stepsister’s corset, but when you fail, you find the next common whore to warm your bed.”

The woman walked forward, her eyes glaring. “Nathan, aren’t you going to defend me? Are you going to let him speak about me that way?”

“Of course not. Go back to bed, Christine. This won’t take long.”

The woman huffed and slipped back through the bedchamber door.

Evan shook his head. “Alexandra is way too good for the likes of you.”

“Just as well. I’m not going to marry her.”

“Oh, yes, you are, if you value that pretty face of yours.”

Evan readied himself to pummel the shit out of the rake, when two servants entered and grabbed him by the shoulders.

“What in bloody hell took you lads so long?” Landon said. “This fool barged into my chamber.”

Evan easily outmaneuvered the two servants, freeing himself. “Really, Landon, did you think these two weaklings could stop me?”

“Perhaps not, but this will.” Landon opened a drawer and pulled out a pistol, pointing it at Evan.

T
ogether Hattie
and I divested Christophe of his clothing. His erection sprang at attention, and Hattie’s eyes became wide as saucers.

“Oh, my lady…”

“Yes, he is spectacular, isn’t he?” I took in Christophe’s golden broad shoulders, his muscular chest and abdomen, the smattering of dark curls surrounding his copper nipples. Oh, Amelia, I was so ready to be fucked!

Hattie’s mouth trembled. “But he’s so…”

“Large, yes, I know. But you need not concern yourself with that part of his anatomy just yet, my dear. I have other things in mind for you today.”

“What, my lady?”

I smiled deviously. “You shall see, but first we must undress you. I cannot wait for Monsieur Bertrand to see the lovely jewels you are hiding under your clothing.”

Once undressed, Hattie covered her breasts with one arm and her lovely triangle of light curls with the other hand.

I strode forward, also naked. “Hattie, do not be shy. Monsieur Bertrand likes what he sees, do you not?” I nodded to Christophe.

“I do, indeed.” Christophe smiled and strode toward Hattie. “May I look more closely?”

Hattie nodded shyly. Christophe gazed at her, not touching her.

“May Christophe give you a kiss?”

Hattie nodded again, and Christophe pressed his lips lightly against hers. As Hattie’s lips parted and Christophe delved between them, my nipples tightened. Amelia, watching the two of them mesmerized me. To see such a beautiful man and a beautiful woman coming together—what could one want more? Except to be a part of it, of course.

I knelt between them and took Christophe’s cock into my mouth. I sucked on him for a bit and then finagled myself between Hattie’s legs and swiped my tongue in between her folds. I worked between the two of them for several moments until they were both gasping.

“Monsieur,” I said, “if you would lie down, I bet I could persuade Hattie to sit on your face.”

Christophe did as I asked, and I showed Hattie how to squat over his face and move with him as he licked her sweet quim. Christophe’s cock begged for attention, and my pussy was soaked and ready. I straddled him, taking him between my cunt lips, descending until I filled my pussy with his massive arousal. I moved slowly, upward and downward, taking him in and then rising. He groaned as he continued to plunder Hattie. Hattie writhed, facing me, her lips pouty.

“Let me kiss you, Hattie dear.”

I leaned forward and captured her lips with my own. We kissed fervently, our tongues whirling and twirling, gasping and moaning into each other’s mouths. I continued to fuck Christophe wildly, and soon I was close to climax. I wanted the three of us to climax together, Amelia. I wanted it so much! But was simultaneous climax for three people even possible?

Hattie and I continued to kiss. I brushed my hands over her shoulders and down to cup her beautiful breasts. I found her nipples, and they formed tight little knobs.

She followed my lead, as I was hoping she would, and began toying with my nipples. Oh, how good it felt, Amelia! All the while I rode Christophe, his cock filling me and completing me.

When Hattie gasped and broke her kiss, I knew she was right on the edge. I rode Christophe harder, faster, willing him to climax, and as Hattie started screaming, I dropped my hand from her beautiful breast and fingered my clitoris, bringing forth my own explosion.

Christophe grunted and forced my hips upward, releasing his cock and squirting onto my belly. We had done it! We had all climaxed together.

We collapsed in a heap, all breathing rapidly. And I dreamed of my next encounter. Until that time, I am yours, affectionately,

Prudence

E
van rolled his eyes
. Truly, did this man really think he could scare him? Evan had fought off better men than Nathan Landon, two and three at a time.

“You’re not the first person to pull a gun on me,” Evan said.

“You may be strong and full of muscle, but I assure you, you’re not immune to a bullet,” Landon said.

“I can have that gun out of your hand before you even pull the trigger.” In a flash, Evan executed a circular kick to Landon’s hand, knocking away the gun. It slid across the wood flooring.

Landon’s face turned scarlet. His mouth formed an O. No words emerged.

“Now, are you going to come along and do right by my stepsister? Or do I need to beat you into submission?”

Landon let out a sigh. “Fine. She’s a lovely little thing. It will be no hardship bedding her.”

Orange rage rose within Evan. His blood boiled. Images swirled in his head of Landon’s mouth about to come down on Alexandra’s nipple, the two of them in bed, Landon fucking her pussy, her arse…

He drew in a breath. It was what she wanted. And above all, he wanted her to be happy, even if the cost was his own misery.

The curse of love.

“I will sit right here while you get ready.”

“For God’s sake, Xavier, I’m not going to try to escape you.”

“Well that would be foolish on your part, Landon. However, I do not trust you one iota. So I shall wait here in your sitting area while you dress in your best garments. Then I shall escort you to my townhome where you will propose marriage to Lady Alexandra.”

“Fine. As you wish it.” Landon sighed and disappeared into his bedchamber.

A
lly’s hands shook
. Woods had entered the parlor looking for Evan. He had a parchment for him. Ally had grabbed it out of the butler’s hands and run to her chamber. Before she opened it, she pulled a novel off of the shelf, opened it, and grabbed the parchment she had received previously.

I know your secret.

She tore open the new parchment, and her heart nearly stopped.

We have your stepsister Lady Alexandra. If you want to see her alive, be at 32 Chilton Place at midnight tonight. Come alone.

Chills enveloped her body. Someone thought they had
her
? It was obviously a hoax. Where was Evan? He would know what to do. He was brave and strong. He stood up to any man, even those wielding weapons.

But would he help her, after…

A knock on the door startled her. She opened it to see Woods.

“My lady, I must insist that you return the message for Lord Evan. It is highly irregular—”

“Yes, yes, I know. I apologize, Woods. But I need to find Evan. Do you know where he is? I promise I will give him the parchment.”

“He left a while ago, my lady.”

“Do you know where he went? It’s a situation of utmost importance.”

“I’m afraid I do not, my lady.”

“Drat.” Ally clenched her fists at her sides. What to do now?

“Woods!” Evan’s voice boomed from downstairs.

Woods left Alexandra, and she followed at his heels. Swiftly down the stairs they flew.

Evan stood in the foyer with Mr. Landon. Ally reddened. What must she look like?

“Alexandra, good, there you are. Landon has something to say to you.”

So he had done it. Evan had gone to Mr. Landon and forced him to do right by her. Oddly, she didn’t much care at the moment. These notes had consumed her. Her nerves were rattled. Whoever had written them did not have her, obviously. Did they have someone else? Or were they trying to trap Evan?

She had to speak to him alone to determine what course of action to take. And she’d have to tell him the secret he didn’t know.

“Mr. Landon, it is lovely to see you as always, but I need to speak to Lord Evan alone for a moment.”

Evan strode forward. “Not until Landon has a word with you.”

“Evan, please, this is very important.” Alexandra bit her lip.

“Nothing is more important than what Landon has to say to you, trust me. Get on with it, Landon.”

“My lord,” Landon said, “could I have a moment alone with the lady?”

“No,” Evan said, his lips pursed. “I shall be witness to your proposal.”

“Proposal?” Ally nearly shrieked.

“Yes, my lady.” Mr. Landon cleared his throat. “I would be greatly honored, Lady Alexandra, if you—”

“Stop this instant!” Alexandra balled her hands into fists.

“This is what you wanted,” Evan said, “is it not?”

At any other time, Evan’s words would have filled her with embarrassment. At this moment, the only thing Ally wanted was to know who had sent these notes and what they meant. The one about the secret unnerved her. She hadn’t known which secret it referred to—her tormented childhood, or… The arrival of the second note made clear it was the other.

She wasn’t doing anything wrong, per se—nothing that others before her hadn’t done. And she certainly wasn’t hurting anyone. She enjoyed what she did, and she made some money. What was wrong with writing erotic stories for
The Ruby
?

And what did all of this have to do with Evan?

She had to come clean with him. She would tell him what she had been doing. It was the only way.

She grabbed his arm, and another knock pounded on the door. Woods walked around them and opened the door.

An errand boy stood outside. “I have a message from the Brighton estate for Lord Evan.”

Woods gave the boy a few coins and took the message. “Thank you.” He handed the envelope to Evan.

Evan tore it open, and his eyes went wide.

Ally’s heart dropped. Probably another ominous message… But no, the errand boy had said it was from the Brighton estate.

“What is it?” she asked.

Evan’s face paled. Ally had never seen him like this. He was worried. His lips trembled.

“Please, Evan, what is it?”

“It’s Sophie.” He swallowed. “She hasn’t been seen since yesterday morning.”

S
ophie had lost
track of time. She’d been abducted early in the morning, but the room where she was being kept had no windows, and without a timepiece, she had no way of knowing what time it was, or even what day it was. She’d been fed three times now, and the lady in grey had come in several other times to empty her chamber pot. No one had allowed her to speak yet, and she still had no idea what was going on.

Her immediate fear had abated a bit. She could handle the sparse meals, her body and mind remembering such smaller repasts. Since her father had died, and she, her mother, and Ally had been taken care of by their mother’s sister, the Countess of Ashford, they no longer had to go to bed with their bellies only half-full. She’d gotten used to having enough to eat. It was a luxury so many took for granted.

No, what she couldn’t handle was not knowing what was happening. She’d stopped worrying so much for safety. They hadn’t hurt her yet and probably would not. But why had they taken her? She was nobody. Truly.

She looked up as the grey woman entered once again. An older gentleman accompanied her, also dressed in grey. His beard and mustache were grey. His countenance was grey. He was simply grey, inside and out.

She didn’t dare speak, although they had removed the gag.

“My lady,” the grey woman said, “this is Nigel Ryland.”

Ryland nodded. “My lady,” he said, his voice low and toneless.

Sophie nodded in return.

Ryland sat down in a chair next to Sophie’s table. “I suppose you’re wondering what you’re doing here.”

Sophie nodded again.

“We are members of a group crusading against the publication and distribution of obscene literature.”

Sophie widened her eyes. What would they want with her then? She knew nothing about obscene literature. She certainly wouldn’t go anywhere near it.

“So I’m sure you can guess why we’ve brought you here.”

She opened her mouth and dropped her jaw. What was he talking about?

The grey woman stepped forward. “I have told her not to speak.”

Ryland’s lips twitched. “She certainly is an obedient little thing, isn’t she?”

“Yes,” the grey woman agreed. “I’ve not had a speck of trouble with her. It’s been surprising, to say the least.”

“Well, my lady,” Ryland said, “I give you permission to speak.”

Sophie opened her mouth, but no words came out. After a few seconds, she finally said, “You have no right to hold me here. I have done nothing wrong.”

“You are aware that the distribution of obscene literature is against the law, are you not?” Ryland said.

“I don’t pretend to be an expert in any of our laws,” Sophie said. “But whether or not this literature you speak of is against the law has nothing to do with me.”

“Really, my lady, why must you lie to us?”

Sophie trembled. “I am not lying. I have nothing to do with any of it.”

“I’m afraid that we have proof of your association with an underground publication entitled
The Ruby
.”

Sophie gasped.
The Ruby
? The name sounded familiar. Of course, she had heard Ally speak of it. How Ally knew was a mystery to Sophie. She loved her sister dearly, but there were some things sisters did not need to know about each other. She couldn’t say anything about Ally, though, and risk these people going after her. She sealed her lips shut.

“So you have nothing to say for yourself?” Ryland said.

Sophie shook her head. The less said the better at this point. Soon one of the servants would notice she was gone from the estate, and they would begin searching. At least, she hoped they would. With both Evan and Ally gone, and her mother and the earl gone, it was quite possible no one would even notice she was missing. She spent most of her time stealing around the house quiet as a mouse. She was never a bother to anyone, or at least she tried not to be.

Then a thought struck her, quick as a bolt of lightning. Perhaps they had mistaken her for Ally. Perhaps Ally had something to do with that underground paper. She had always loved writing, and she did seem to do a lot of it lately…locked in her bedchamber…

No. It couldn’t possibly be. Ally would never write anything like that, though she did read a lot. She knew so much about things she couldn’t possibly have experienced herself. Although, the liberties she’d allowed Mr. Landon to take…
Oh, Ally, how could you get yourself into such a mess?

There was only one thing to do. Sophie had to protect Ally, so she would continue this charade. And because she knew nothing of whatever Ally was involved in, she could tell them nothing. They didn’t look like the kind of people who would physically harm her, although she might be wrong about that. She shuddered.

Sophie let out a sigh and resigned herself to her fate. Van Arden had jilted her, and no other gentlemen had come calling. She wasn’t beautiful and vivacious like Ally. Though she’d tried to deny it, she had surrendered to spinsterhood long ago. Now she could do something worthwhile. She could protect Ally. Her destiny was no longer meaningless.

It was no less than Ally deserved. Though two years younger, Ally was stronger and braver than Sophie could ever be. So many times Ally had taken beatings from their father to protect Sophie. And she had allowed it to happen. She had been too weak to protect her baby sister.

This was her chance to make it up to Ally. For now, she
was
Ally, and if these people had any intention of harming Ally, the harm would come to Sophie. Though filled with fright, a calm peacefulness settled over her. She could finally turn the tables and protect her strong and beautiful sister. To be able to do so saturated her with a tranquil joy.

A
lly’s heart nearly stopped
. “What?”

Evan’s face went even whiter. He was truly frightened. Ally had never seen him this way.

“I have no idea. It’s not like Sophie to run off—not like some other people I could mention.”

“My goodness, Evan, you can insult me later. We must figure out what has happened to Sophie.”

“And of course all of my resources will be at your disposal,” Mr. Landon said.

Evan clenched his fists. “We have no need of your resources, Landon.”

Ally tugged at Evan’s elbow. “We should let him help. No expense can be spared to find Sophie. We must find her!”

“I have every intention of finding Sophie.” Evan shoved Mr. Landon toward the door. “Your business here is ended.”

“You mean I—”

“I don’t mean anything except that we do not need you right now. I will be in touch with you later.” Evan pushed him out the door.

At this particular moment, Ally didn’t care whether she ever saw Mr. Landon again. All she cared about was Sophie. And then a horrible thought struck her.

She pulled the parchments out of her skirt pocket.
We have your stepsister Lady Alexandra.
Oh, no. They had mistaken Sophie for her. The time had come to tell Evan everything.

So she enjoyed erotica. She certainly wasn’t the first woman who appreciated it, or erotic novels would not exist. Her maid, Millicent, who’d introduced her to
The Ruby
, certainly did. So she made a few pounds writing it. What was so bad about that? She didn’t want to be a disappointment to Evan. He had come to mean so much to her.

But none of that mattered. Sophie was more important than what Evan thought of her.

“Evan,” she said quietly, “I need to speak with you.”

“Yes?”

She showed him the parchments. “I received this one yesterday.” She handed him the first one. “And this one came earlier today for you. I intercepted it, and yes, I know I was wrong to do so. Please do not berate me about that now. I am interested only in Sophie’s well-being.”

“As am I.” He wrinkled his forehead and rubbed his jawline as he read the second parchment. “How can this be? You are right here.”

“Whoever has Sophie has obviously mistaken her for me. And I’m so sorry to tell you, Evan, but I know what this is about.”

“Oh?”

“Yes.” Ally gathered all her courage. “Remember I told you that my maid, Millicent, who was with me at my father’s estate—if it could be called an estate—had a large collection of erotic literature?”