The Husband Hunt (13 page)

“I’ll say, and damned near died in the doing,” Suzette said grimly.

“What?” Lisa asked with horror.

“It’s all right. He’s fine,” Christiana assured her, glaring at Suzette for scaring her. “But he took a nasty wound to the chest saving you. And he bled quite a bit while carrying you back to the picnic. But the doctor thinks he’ll be fine.”

“He carried me wounded?” she asked with dismay.

“Yes. He didn’t want to leave you there unconscious and unprotected,” Christiana explained gently. “And as it turns out, that was smart. He knocked out the fellow who attacked you, but when Richard and Daniel went back to find him he had regained consciousness and gone. If Robert had left you behind . . .”

She let her words trail off, but Lisa supposed they didn’t really need to be said. If Robert had risked leaving her behind while he went for help, she might very well have been gone too. Sighing, she massaged her forehead unhappily trying to ease some of the aching there.

“Is your head hurting?” Christiana asked with concern.

“Aye,” Lisa said with a grimace, and Christiana turned to pick up a glass beside the bed.

“The doctor left a tincture for you. He said it would help, but would make you a bit woozy. So don’t get up and try to move around after you take it.”

Lisa sat up with Suzette’s help to drink the tincture. Once she’d downed the last of it, she sank back with a little sigh and then asked, “Is Robert here?”

“Across the hall,” Christiana answered, setting the empty glass down.

“Oh,” Lisa said quietly, and then glanced at Christiana sharply. “How are you?”

Christiana’s eyebrows rose slightly. “I am fine. I was not the one knocked out or stabbed.”

“Yes, but all this excitement cannot be good for the baby. You should rest,” Lisa said firmly.

“The baby?” Christiana said blankly.

“Robert told me that you are with child,” Lisa said solemnly. “I wish you had told me yourself. I—”

“With child!” Suzette squawked, glaring at Christiana. “And you did not tell me?”

“I did not tell you because I am not with child,” Christiana said dryly to Suzette and then glanced back to Lisa. “Robert said I was?”

“Yes. He said that was why he had to watch over me and we could not hire a body guard. You would ask questions and might get upset and lose the baby again,” Lisa explained.

“Well, that might be a concern if I were with child. But I’m not,” she said impatiently and then asked with bewilderment, “Where the devil would he get an idea like that?”

“Ah.” That sound from the door made all three women glance that way to find Richard standing there with Daniel at his back. At least Daniel started at his back, but Richard now collared his friend and urged him forward into the room, saying dryly, “Ask Mr. I’ve-got-a-plan here.”

“Daniel?” Suzette asked with surprise. “Did you tell Robert that Christiana was with child?”

“Yes, actually, my love, I did,” he admitted without shame as he moved around the bed to stand behind her. He bent to press a kiss to her forehead as she tilted her head back to look at him, and then shrugged and said, “It was the thing to do.”

“Why on earth would you do that?” Christiana asked with amazement, covering Richard’s hand with her own when he paused behind her and set it on her shoulder.

“Because it meant a guard couldn’t be hired to watch out for Lisa and that Robert would have to do it himself,” Daniel said simply. “Which he really wanted to do anyway. I just gave him the excuse he needed to move in here and do it.”

“What?” Lisa asked with bewilderment.

Daniel glanced to her and smiled gently. “Lisa, my dear, Robert loves you. And not like a little sister,” he added dryly. “But he’s allowing his fears to prevent him doing anything about it. He needed a nudge, so I supplied it. When this business with Mrs. Morgan came up, he suggested an around-the-clock guard on you, but I said Christiana was with child again and that the worry of this business might cause her to lose the child. We would have to look out for you ourselves.”

“But you haven’t looked after me at all,” she pointed out dryly. “It is Robert who has been with me night and day since—”

“Wait. What business with Mrs. Morgan?” Christiana interrupted with a frown and then glanced to Lisa. “Have you seen that woman since coming to London?”

When Lisa grimaced, it was Richard who quickly explained about her tea and all that had followed.

“Damn,” Suzette muttered. “We should have known she was up to no good. No proper lady would be giving young girls books like that one about Fanny.”

“Never mind that,” Christiana said impatiently and turned to glare at her husband. “Why did you not tell us about this Mrs. Morgan business?”

“Because then you and Suzette wouldn’t have let Lisa out of your sight,” Daniel explained for him.

“Too right we wouldn’t have,” Suzette said dryly.

“Which wouldn’t have given Robert the chance to realize his feelings,” Daniel pointed out calmly, and then returned his glance to Lisa and added, “And, no, Richard and I haven’t been watching out for you. We trusted that to Robert. In fact, we’ve been keeping Suzette and Christiana away as much as possible to leave him here alone with you.” He paused and raised an eyebrow. “How has that been going?”

Lisa scowled at her brother-in-law. “Not all that well, thank you very much. He’s stubborn and stupid and . . . male,” she finished with disgust.

“Has he kissed you or anything?” Suzette asked.

Lisa snapped her mouth closed, but could feel the heat of the blush that bloomed on her face.

“He has, hasn’t he?” Suzette crowed.

“Once,” she acknowledged shortly. “But he’s also been a horrible ogre, nasty and short-tempered and most unpleasant.”

“He’s jealous that all your suitors are fawning all over you,” Daniel said with a shrug. “That’s a good sign.”

Lisa peered at him uncertainly. She’d come to the sad conclusion that Robert simply didn’t love her and that explained his lack of interest in marriage. That if the right girl had come along, one he did actually love, he would change his mind. But Daniel was suggesting that Robert did love her. Biting her lip, she asked. “Why do you think he loves me?”

When Daniel merely burst out laughing at the question, it was Richard who said gently, “Lisa, every other word out of his mouth is your name when we are with him. Lisa likes these almond pastries too. Lisa is coming to town next month, next week, tomorrow. Lisa would have enjoyed this play. Lisa would have liked that.” He smiled gently. “We have known he cared for you for quite some time, and had hoped he would get over his worries about the supposed Langley curse on his own.”

“What curse?” Suzette interrupted with surprise.

“Surely you know about his father’s marriage? The rumors floating around about Lady Langley’s affair with Gower?”

“Oh, well yes,” Suzette admitted with a frown, and then added, “But that is just gossip.”

“I’m afraid it’s not,” Daniel said solemnly. “Gower has been bragging for years about his long-standing affair with Lady Langley.”

“Oh dear,” Christiana murmured.

“Hmm.” Richard nodded and squeezed her shoulder. “But she is only the latest in a long line of unfaithful wives to the Lords of Langley. Robert’s father raised him on the belief that it was a curse on the Langley men and told him he may as well get used to the idea that one day he would find his own wife grunting in a stall with his stable master.”

“Oh my,” Christiana said with distaste. “What a horrid thing to tell him.”

“Why did he never tell us any of this?” Suzette asked with a frown.

“It isn’t exactly proper conversation for ladies,” Daniel said dryly, and when she looked about to protest, added, “I know the three of you have been as close as siblings to him. And that is probably what saved him. But—”

“What do you mean by saved him?” Lisa interrupted.

Daniel raised his eyebrows. “Well, what kind of man do you think would come out of having his ear filled with such rot by a bitter father?”

Lisa considered it, her eyes widening as she realized it would have been a bitter, woman-hating man.

“Exactly,” Daniel said as if she’d spoken the words aloud. “I suspect his friendship with the three of you, and knowing you were all fine females and faithful friends is all that kept him from becoming as bitter and angry as his father and grandfather before him.”

He let that sink in and then added, “However, even knowing the three of you hasn’t completely eradicated the effects of being fed such drivel all his life. He fears that if he gives in to his feelings and marries Lisa, he too could incur the curse and find himself cuckolded.”

“He thinks I would be unfaithful?” Lisa squawked with outrage.

“Do not take it personally,” Richard said soothingly. “I suspect it is so ingrained, he thinks it is impossible for it not to happen. That the curse would make you do it.”

“What rot,” Lisa snapped. “Nothing and no one makes me do anything I do not wish. And I simply would not be unfaithful to my husband, no matter who he was or what he did. I would not break vows made before God.”

“She wouldn’t either,” Christiana said staunchly. “Our Lisa is as faithful and loyal as a dog.”

“Thank you,” Lisa said, and then frowned because really, faithful and loyal as a dog simply didn’t sound very attractive at all.

“Yes, well it is not I who think you would be unfaithful,” Daniel said reasonably. “And Robert probably doesn’t even really believe that himself, it is simply what he has been raised to believe it will most certainly happen. An irrational fear, but it’s keeping him from what he wants most anyway.”

Lisa frowned over this and plucked at the blanket covering her, but finally asked plaintively, “Well, how am I supposed to help him over this fear?”

“I am not sure you really can,” Daniel admitted regretfully. “I suspect your best bet is to compromise him and force him to marry you.”

Lisa’s mouth dropped in amazement and then she asked, “Are you suggesting I seduce him, ensure we are caught and that he has to marry me?”

“No, of course he isn’t,” Richard said coldly, glaring at his friend.

“But of course,” Suzette said at the same moment. “That would work. Robert is too much a gentleman not to marry you if you were caught in a compromising situation. And once you are married, he will see that you are faithful and good and give up his fears.”

“Oh, Suzette, I don’t know,” Christiana said uncertainly. “Forcing him into marriage . . . Well, Robert might be very angry. It could start them off badly.”

“But it would start them off,” Suzette argued. “Which is surely better than her marrying someone else and longing for Robert all her life while he mopes about kicking himself for losing her. At least they would be miserable together rather than apart.”

“Something without misery would be better still,” Richard said dryly.

“All right,” Suzette said with a shrug. “So what do you suggest?”

There was silence as Christiana and Richard exchanged glances and then Christiana sighed. “I don’t know. I guess we should all think about it.”

“You’d best think quickly then,” Daniel said quietly. “Robert is here now and in bed, which would surely make her seducing him easy. But once the Bow Street runners return with the name of the suitor . . . Well, there will be no reason for him to even stay here. And I suspect he will retreat as quickly and far away as he can once that happens and when he does, her chance will be lost.”

Lisa frowned at his words, knowing they were true. Time was ticking away. If she wanted to win Robert, she had to do it soon, or she might lose her chance altogether.

Chapter Eleven

“A
re you sure you want to do this?” Christiana asked with concern.

“Of course she’s sure,” Suzette answered for her. “Lisa has loved Robert forever. It will be all right.”

“Suzette, don’t push her into this,” Christiana said quietly. “This is not a game. He could be very angry if he works out it was a setup. He might never forgive her.”

Lisa bit her lip as Christiana’s words ran through her head. It was a scary thought, but not as scary as the thought of never having him, she acknowledged. And if she did not do this, she very much feared she would lose him. Or never get to claim him, Lisa supposed, since he wasn’t hers to lose yet.

Straightening her shoulders, she nodded firmly. “I want to do this.”

“Good girl,” Suzette said cheerfully, rubbing her shoulder. “You can do this. You’ve read all those books and know what to do. Just pretend you are Fanny or Sophia and do all those delicious things you’ve read about. He will not be able to resist you.”

“Right,” she murmured, her mind scrambling to pull up all the bits of information she had read over the years. Unfortunately, the only thing she could remember just then was that the first time was supposed to be terribly painful and bloody. The thought was not an encouraging one. Hardly something to look forward to and she felt herself begin to wilt. Then she recalled those moments at the ball when Robert had kissed and caressed her after pushing her into the dark room. Those memories managed to push back the fear and trepidation.

“Good.” Suzette patted her back. “So we will head out to the ball, and you go sit with him in his room while he eats, and then seduce him. We will return early and check on him and catch you in there, hopefully naked in bed,” she added. “You can do this.”

“I can do this,” Lisa agreed, shoulders straightening, and then she asked with worry. “What time are you returning?”

“We hadn’t decided on a set time,” Christiana said with a frown when Suzette hesitated.

“It’s better that way, then you will not have to fake being surprised,” Suzette assured her when Lisa looked worried.

“But what if I haven’t seduced him by the time you come back?” she asked plaintively.

“Well, you should seduce him right away,” Suzette said firmly. “Or at least as quickly as possible. The doctor has given him a tincture so he should be manageable enough and suffering no pain.”

“But—”

“Blow out the candle when you’ve done it,” Christiana suggested. “If we return and the candle in his room is still glowing, we will wait to make our entrance.”

“Oh, okay,” she murmured with relief. It would be just her luck for them to return before she’d worked up the courage to seduce Robert and ruin everything.

“All right,” Suzette smiled encouragingly. “Chin up. This will work. This time next year you and Robert will be happily married and laughing about all of this.”

“If he forgives her,” Christiana said gloomily. She was still not keen on this idea, but was giving her support because she loved Lisa and wanted her happy. And because she couldn’t think of another way to handle the matter. Lisa appreciated that.

“Chrissy, stop being such a pessimist about this,” Suzette reprimanded grimly. “We have been considering the problem for the last two days since the attack and there is really no other way to handle him. And it has to be handled soon. Those runners could return at any moment with the name of the suitor.”

“Yes, I know,” Christiana said on a sigh. “That’s the only reason I have stopped arguing against it.” Forcing a smile, she patted Lisa’s shoulder. “Everything will be fine, I’m sure.”

Lisa nodded solemnly, though she wasn’t sure of that herself.

“Are you ladies ready to go?”

The three sisters glanced to the door together to see Daniel smiling brightly. “Richard is arranging for the carriage to be brought around right now. We need to get going if we wish to avoid the worst of the crush of arrivals.”

“Yes, we’re ready,” Suzette said and gave Lisa’s arm an encouraging squeeze before crossing the room to slip her arms around her husband.

“Good,” he said and bent his head to kiss her forehead affectionately. Glancing back to Lisa, he said solemnly. “Good luck, little sister.”

Lisa nodded and managed a smile, then turned her attention to Christiana as she moved in front of her.

“All will be well,” Christiana whispered, giving her a bracing hug. “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. But it will be all right. At least I hope it will. It will be fine. Maybe.”

On that confusing note, she released her and followed the other two out of the room.

Lisa stared after them briefly, then turned to pace to the window and peer out at the night sky, trying not to think about what she was supposed to do. Seducing Robert. Good Lord, she didn’t have a clue what she was going to do. How was she supposed to seduce him? It wasn’t exactly something she’d been trained in. Did they even have training in that? Was there a school for Birds-of-Paradise and other light skirts? Classes on kissing? Caressing? Or on how to not scream like an idiot when he tore through your maidenhead and sent the blood gushing?

“Dear God,” she muttered, pushing that thought firmly away.

She would just go in there and . . . well, she would eat with him, talk, laugh, and . . . hopefully, something would inspire her. It would be easier though if he were doing the seducing. She would respond most eagerly if he did. However, that wasn’t likely to happen.

“Here we are.”

Lisa turned from the window as Bet entered, a tray in hand. “Cook put together quite a feast for the two of you. She says Lord Langley needs to build up his strength. I managed to refrain from saying more than she knew,” Bet said with a naughty grin.

Lisa managed a rather sickly smile, and moved to take the tray from her. Everybody was so bloody cheerful and happy about this plan. It seemed to her most households would not be so happy at the thought of the deliberate ruination of a young unmarried lady of the family. She truly had an unusual family.

“Good luck,” Bet murmured as she released the tray. “I shall be thinking of ye.”

“Oh, dear God, please do not,” Lisa whispered shakily. “This is going to be hard enough without knowing you are thinking about what I am doing.”

“Oh, aye,” Bet muttered. “I’ll . . . er . . . think o’ something else then.”

“Thank you,” Lisa said dryly and headed out of her room to the one Robert was occupying. She paused, her gaze sliding from the tray she held to the doorknob, and then sighed and glanced around. She smiled with relief when she saw that Bet had recognized the problem and was now rushing forward to open the door for her.

“Good luck,” she whispered as Lisa nodded and slid inside. “God be with ye.”

Lisa turned with a start at those words, just in time to see the door close.

God be with her? She was planning to seduce a man, compromise herself and force him into marriage. God was not likely to approve of that plan, or stay at her side to help her through it. Good Lord, they’d all gone mad.

“Lisa?”

Sighing, she offered a smile for Robert’s benefit as she moved toward his bed.

“Good evening. I’ve brought you dinner and thought I would stay to eat it with you,” she announced cheerfully, carrying the tray to the bedside table

“That is kind of you,” Robert murmured and started to pull himself up in bed.

“Just a moment and I’ll help you,” Lisa said with a frown when he winced and paused.

Setting the tray quickly on the table, she turned to bend to him. Lisa caught the way his eyes shifted to her chest as her robe gaped open, but pretended she didn’t and acted very businesslike as she helped him sit up.

“Er . . . Lisa?” Robert muttered as she fussed over tucking his blankets more securely around his waist.

“Would you like a robe or something? Are you chilly?” she asked as she straightened.

Robert glanced down at his chest, bare but for the bandaging around his ribs and grimaced. “A shirt will do.”

“Of course.” She moved to the chest at the foot of the bed and bent forward to open and begin searching it, knowing as she did that she was once again revealing a good deal of what she was wearing under her gaping robe.

“What the hell are you wearing?” he asked in a near growl as she pulled out a shirt and briefly examined it.

“Oh, a robe and night wear,” Lisa answered absently as she straightened and moved back around the bed to help him don the shirt.

“What kind of night wear?” he asked, distractedly allowing her to tug the shirt on for him. Lisa didn’t close it properly or bother with buttons.

“A nightgown, Robert,” she answered on a laugh as she turned to the tray. “What else would I be wearing?”

“Yes, but . . . it is not that gown Mrs. Morgan put you in, is it?” he asked fretfully.

Lisa glanced at him with feigned surprise. “As a matter of fact it is. How did you know?”

“Because when you bent over I saw damned near down to your belly button and there wasn’t much in the way to prevent it but a gauzy film,” he said dryly. “What the devil are you doing wearing that damned thing?”

“It is extremely comfortable,” she said with a shrug, removing her own plate and glass of wine, leaving his on the tray before she turned toward him with it as if to set the tray on his lap. She paused before setting it down though and raised her eyebrows, then turned to set the tray back. Lisa then settled herself on the side of the bed and reached for the buttons of his shirt, murmuring, “You did not do up your shirt. I suppose your wound makes such things difficult.”

“I can do up my own shirt,” he muttered, but didn’t try to stop her as she reached for the buttons, allowing her fingers to brush as much of his skin, by accident, as she could. Not that he seemed to notice. His eyes were on the opening of her robe. Which appeared to be parting a little more with every movement she made. “I can’t believe you are actually wearing that damned gown.”

“As I said, Robert, it is comfortable,” Lisa responded with unconcern, finishing with one button and letting her fingers trail down his chest to the next. “It feels as if you’re practically wearing nothing at all, and brushes light as feathers against your skin when you move. It’s quite nice. Here, feel.”

Releasing the button she’d been about to slip into its hole, Lisa took his hand in one of hers while tugging the top of her robe to the side with the other. Then she pressed his hand to the material between her breasts. “It’s quite lovely, really.”

While she pressed the backs of his fingers against the material between her breasts, it was he who turned his fingers over to run them down the V she’d revealed, following the swell of one breast.

“Beautiful,” he murmured, his eyes burning.

Lisa held her breath, waiting as little tingles began in the trail of his fingers and swept smoothly outward in both directions, bringing her nipples erect. She could see them pebbling beneath the thin material of her robe and even thinner nightgown. She wasn’t the only one. Robert had noticed, she saw. His gaze appeared to be fixed on the flesh rising beneath the cloth as his finger moved.

“You shouldn’t be here,” he growled, but his fingers continued to run over her skin through the delicate cloth.

“Of course I should. You need to eat,” she whispered back, pressing gently forward into his caress until her breath brushed his lips as she spoke.

Robert shifted his eyes to her face, a frown beginning to pluck at his lips and she knew he was about to start thinking and ruin everything.

“Kiss me, Robert,” she pleaded. “I so enjoyed your kisses at the ball. They made me burn and tingle everywhere. Just a kiss. Please?”

Lisa saw the struggle on his face as he hesitated, and decided to add to her persuasion. Releasing his hand, she quickly undid the sash of her robe and pulled it apart, baring herself to him from the waist up. Well, she did still have that gown from Mrs. Morgan’s on, but it covered nothing. She might as well have been naked.

Robert groaned, his hand moving now under its own power to allow his fingers to drift to the side and crest one breast and then brush across the now erect nipple.

Lisa moaned in response and pressed closer, her mouth instinctively seeking his. Robert didn’t push her away, but slipped his other hand into her hair and tilted her head to the angle he wished as his mouth claimed hers. She knew then she’d won. She’d actually done it. She’d seduced Robert.

Damn, she thought with amazement. That had been a hell of a lot easier than she’d expected, and then she stopped thinking altogether as his hands began to roam over her, pushing the robe off her shoulders to leave it pooling around her waist as his fingers then sought both breasts, squeezing and kneading the eager flesh through the gauzy cloth as his mouth devoured hers.

When Robert suddenly urged her back, Lisa feared for a moment that he was going to send her away and that perhaps she hadn’t won after all, but he only pressed her back enough to break their kiss. He then caught her by the waist and dragged her farther up the bed until he could claim one nipple through the gauzy material of her see-through gown.

Lisa gasped as his mouth closed over her tender, excited flesh, her body humming with a growing need. She slid her hands into his hair, cradling his head to her breast and murmuring little, senseless sounds of encouragement as he laved the cloth-covered nipple and then suckled at it by turn.

When one hand dropped away to find the bottom of the gown and begin to slide it up her leg, Lisa groaned and shifted under the touch, her thighs rubbing together as a tingling began between them. She remembered this and felt anticipation build in her as his fingers brushed up her outer leg. But this time he didn’t run it back down once he reached her hip and then slip it back up the inside of her leg. Instead, he simply followed her hip bone around in front of her and then let his fingers drop and slip between her legs.

Lisa gasped, her legs opening slightly to allow his fingers entrance, and then snapping closed again the moment they brushed against her core. Robert wasn’t put off. Rather than retreat, his fingers pressed forward more firmly, sliding between the folds to find the silky flesh beneath.