Two Shades of Seduction (3 page)

“I’m here to offer you…revenge.”

Her words made him slowly remove his feet from his desk and lean forward to study the woman opposite him. He didn’t like the way the netting shielded her expression from him. In all likelihood, it was a deliberate move on her part. Exactly what did the woman think she had to offer? Revenge for what?

Quentin’s gaze drifted down to where her hands gripped the riding crop she carried with a ferocity that silently illustrated how much he intimidated her. It was obvious she was trying to hide her trepidation, but the manner in which the netting over her face quivered from her rapid breaths betrayed her apprehension.

He frightened her. Remorse coursed through him, and he wanted to point out he wouldn’t harm her. Anger followed quick on the heels of his regret. Christ almighty, he was growing soft in his old age. Although the woman had been visiting relatives at the time Quentin was courting Eleanor, it didn’t change the fact that she was one of Townsend’s bad seeds. No doubt sent to reap more vengeance on his head.

Determined not to relent, he smiled slowly. Although he couldn’t see his features, he knew his smile emphasized the scar on his face. Women had told him it gave him a dangerous look. Where this woman was concerned, he wanted to look as dangerous as he could. He wanted her to go back to her father and confess she’d failed in whatever scheme Townsend had concocted.

“What an intriguing concept,” he murmured with irony. “Revenge on whom?”

“My father.” Her response made him arch his eyebrows.

“And exactly what do you have to offer me that will enable me to exact revenge on your father and sister?”

“I’ve kept a copy of my father’s illicit financial dealings for the past five years.” Her voice was not more than a whisper as she sat rigid in front of him. “I am willing to turn those ledgers over to you for a price.”

“An interesting proposition.” Interesting?
Fuck.
The woman was offering him manna from Heaven. But why? He narrowed his gaze at her. “You’re willing to betray your father?”

“Yes…” She paused slightly. “And Eleanor.”

“Why?”

The harshness of his one word question made the netting covering her face stir with her accelerated breathing. The sight fascinated him for some reason. It reminded him of how fast a woman breathed when she was on the threshold of a climax during lovemaking. He almost growled his frustration for even thinking such a thought where the woman was concerned.

“Because what my father and sister did to you was wrong.”

Firm and resolute, her voice had a ring of truth that he struggled to discount. Slowly, he leaned back in his chair, determined not to reveal his thoughts. He didn’t respond for a moment. Instead, he rested his elbow on the armrest of his chair, his forefinger pressing into his cheek while the rest of his hand supported his head.

“I see.” At his nonchalant response, she leaned forward.

“Eleanor has never cared for anyone but herself, and my father has catered to her every whim.”

“This is all quite fascinating, but you’ll forgive me for being just a tad skeptical as to your offer.” He arched an eyebrow at her.

“Of course,” she said with an understanding nod. “But I assure you, my lord I’m most serious about this. I have information that will allow you to recoup what my father stole from you, and at the same time, you’ll have the opportunity to expose Eleanor’s lies and deceit.”

“You’ve still not really answered the question of why. Why are you willing to betray your father and sister?”

“Because they…” She stumbled to a halt as confusion and trepidation radiated out from her. She sprang to her feet, twisting her hands around her riding crop. “I’m sorry. I…I shouldn’t have come. Please…please forgive my intrusion.”

Whirling about she hurried toward the study door. Curiosity getting the best of him, Quentin sprang to his feet and pursued her. He wasn’t about to let her leave without learning her real reason for coming. Her hand was on the knob when he slapped his palm against the wooden barrier, preventing her escape. She immediately took a step back and he followed. Her height amazed him. If she wasn’t wearing that damned veil, she would almost be eye-to-eye with him. Up close, the thin veil covering her face afforded him a better glimpse of her features, but his hand itched to remove the netting. He refrained from doing so. Instead, he trailed his forefinger along the edge of her jaw. The coarse netting was rough against his finger, but he was certain that it hid skin soft as silk beneath it. It aroused him, and he tried to crush the sensation. His attempts were minimal at best.

“Surely you don’t think I can let you leave without discovering why you’re willing to betray your family.”

“Please, my lord. It was a mistake to come here.”

“Perhaps, but nonetheless, I’ll have an answer from you.”

“Or what?” The sudden challenge in her voice amused him. Miss Hamilton had backbone. He liked that.

“Hmm, what could I do to persuade you to answer?”

His fingers touched the snowy cravat tied around her neck. With a lazy movement, he gently tugged at one of the ties. She went rigid as his forefinger slipped between her skin and the white material before he slowly pulled the loose knot away from her throat. The cravat tumbled open to expose her creamy throat. God, she was a tempting wench. Quentin tensed at the way his body was reacting to her. Without thinking, he pressed his thumb against the hollow of her throat enjoying the way her gasp moved her skin beneath his touch. Again, the netting fluttered wildly against her face.

“My lord, please.”

“Please is a subjective word, Miss Hamilton. Are you asking me to do something wicked? Or are you begging to tell me your reasons for this interesting proposition of yours?”

“I…I wish to…oh bloody hell!”

Her oath was so unexpected he found himself choking in an effort to swallow his laugh as she jerked away from him. Sophie Hamilton was by far the most interesting woman he’d ever met. The fact that she was Eleanor’s sister amazed him. Two women were never less alike. Eleanor had always tried to seduce him into doing what she wanted. Her sister didn’t seem to have the slightest notion of how to go about using her feminine charms to gain his assistance. She began to pace the floor, and she reminded him of a restless cat as she prowled the study’s frayed carpeting. A sleek, beautiful cat. The analogy made him grit his teeth. He needed to remember who she was. After a moment of tense silence, she stopped and whirled to face him.

“What my father did to you was reprehensible…” Her voice died away as she stared off into space before her gaze focused on him again. “You weren’t the only one betrayed. They betrayed me as well.”

The bitterness in her voice matched his own internal acrimony, but it was the distinct note of pain that touched something deep inside him. It made him want to comfort her. He stiffened. God almighty, he’d been wrong a moment ago. The woman was actually trying to manipulate him. He folded his arms across his chest. Townsend had outdone himself this time. His oldest daughter was as skilled at deception as Eleanor.

“I see.”

“When Eleanor became pregnant with her lover’s child, she needed a husband. You suited her purpose. But when you refused to marry her, Father helped her steal my fiancée instead.”

“You were engaged to that weakling, Shively?” He couldn’t contain his surprise. For some reason he didn’t comprehend, Sophie Hamilton didn’t seem the type to tolerate fools, and Viscount Shively was nothing but a buffoon.

“Yes. He was…he was my last hope.”

“Last hope?”

“Yes. I’d already given up on the idea of marriage until I met Andrew. I was never the pretty one in the family.”

He watched her take a deep breath as she slowly reached up toward the netting covering her face. As she revealed her features, he eyed her with curiosity. For someone who believed herself unattractive, she was quite the opposite.

Although she wasn’t a beauty by any stretch of the imagination, her hazel eyes were large and echoed with warmth, while her complexion was smooth and creamy. Wisps of brown hair framed her heart-shaped face and her full mouth pouted in a manner that brought his cock to attention. His reaction startled him. Clearing his throat, he turned away from her to hide his sudden arousal. Closing the distance between himself and the desk, his fingers touched the scrolled woodwork on the edge of the furniture’s flat surface as he willed his body to fight his sudden attraction.

“I think you underestimate yourself, Miss Hamilton. I’m sure there are plenty of men willing to offer for you.”

“No, my lord you’re wrong. Offers of marriage have been nonexistent for many years.”

“Come now, I think you exaggerate, Miss Hamilton.” With his body once more under control, he turned to face her again.

“Perhaps. But it’s of little consequence,” she said with a small shrug before her gaze met his. “Now that you’ve received the answer to your question, my lord, I will bid you good day.”

Frustrated, he realized he didn’t want her to leave. She intrigued him and the pain he’d heard in her voice had been real. He was willing to wager money he didn’t have on that fact. Empathy pushed its way through his distrust until he was almost ready to forget she was Townsend’s daughter. Angry that he’d allowed the woman to get under his skin with her story, his jaw went tight with tension. She was a catalyst for another plot on Townsend’s part to inflict more damage, and he intended to prove it.

“Before you go, why don’t you tell me what you’d hoped to receive in exchange for this method of revenge you offer me?” His question caused her luscious mouth to curve in a slight smile as she arched an eyebrow at him with obvious amusement.

“Marriage.”

“
Marriage
?” he exclaimed. “To me?”

“Yes.”

“
Good God, woman
. Whatever made you think I’d make a suitable husband?” Quentin stared at her in amazement. Why in the hell would Townsend want him for a son-in-law?

“I didn’t think you’d be suitable at all.” Her smile was filled with irony as she tipped her head to one side and studied him with a matter-of-fact expression on her face. “In fact, I know you would be far from the ideal husband.”

“Then why settle for me? I’m sure there are any number of men willing to marry you.”

“I’m beginning to have my doubts as to your keen sense of observation, my lord,” she said with annoyance. “As I said before offers of marriage are not in my future. I’m Eleanor’s
older
sister. What man would want to marry me?”

“Eleanor is at least six years younger than I am.” He frowned slightly as he calculated the math. “My guess would be that you and I are close to the same age. I’m certain there are plenty of suitors who would offer for you.”

Her pink mouth formed a moue of astonishment before she burst out into laughter. A small part of him acknowledged it was a pleasant sound. She shook her head and eyed him as if he were a small boy who’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

“I am extremely flattered by your assumptions, my lord. But I’m afraid I’m much older than your tender years.”

“I’d hardly refer to the age of thirty-two as my
tender
years.” Quentin frowned as he glared at her, annoyed by her amusement.

“It’s quite tender when I consider my own age of forty-one.”

The comment made his jaw sag. How was it possible this lovely woman could possibly be so much older than him? She hardly looked old enough to be his age, let alone nine years older. Impossible. Quentin narrowed his gaze at her. He found it difficult to believe Townsend would want him to marry his daughter, but her revelation made it difficult not to think she was following her father’s dictates. The confession strained her credibility.

“You almost had me convinced,” he snapped.

“I beg your pardon.” She stared at him in confusion.

“I was almost ready to believe you were here on your own accord and not at your father’s bidding,” he said coldly. “But expecting me to believe you’re a spinster who needs to marry destroyed the illusion. You would have been better off telling me we were the same age.”

They glared at each other for a long moment. Her affront was clearly genuine, and Quentin experienced doubt once more. Sympathy crossed her face, and with a slight shake of her head, she retied her cravat and covered her exposed throat. The movement made his muscles tighten in protest.

“You must have loved her very much to still feel so much pain at her betrayal,” she said quietly. As her fingers completed the knot at her throat, she shook her head with a look of rueful humiliation. “I have not lied to you, my lord. I am indeed forty-one. My mother died when I was seven, and my father remarried several years later. Eleanor and Spencer are the result of that union.”

Head held high she brushed past him on the way to the door. Quentin spun around and caught her arm to halt her progress. He wasn’t sure how he knew she was telling the truth, but he did. Perhaps it was the quiet resignation in her voice that convinced him. It didn’t matter. She’d come to him with an offer and given him what his instincts told him was an honest answer.

“You say you want revenge. How would marrying me give you that?”

“It wouldn’t, or at least not much,” she said as pink color crested over her cheekbones. “I confess, marrying you would infuriate Eleanor, given her inability to trap you into marriage.”

“What else?” Quentin narrowed his gaze at her.

“I wanted…wanted to experience what it’s like between a man and a woman.” The color in her cheeks deepened, before she shrugged. “I could pay for the experience I suppose, but I’m not quite that bold. Coming here is the boldest thing I’ve ever done.”

The sudden image of watching her face as he thrust into her made Quentin’s body tighten in a way that threw him completely off balance. The idea of teaching this woman about the pleasures of the flesh flooded his head as he contemplated the types of things he could teach her.

His cock stirred in his trousers at the thought of initiating this woman in the art of lovemaking. Before he realized what he was doing, Quentin pulled her toward him to trace the curve of her mouth with his forefinger before his thumb pressed down on lower lip. It was plump and tender. The sharp intake of her breath excited him. The scent of citrus drifted up into his nose as he lowered his head toward her.