His Reluctant Lady Read online

  “I had no idea you were so adventurous,” Catherine said, her voice hinting at how impressed she was.

  “I didn’t go through with it because Nate happened to show up as I was ready to get on the horse to leave,” Claire replied. “I probably wouldn’t have had the courage to go all the way to London. I probably would have gotten scared and returned to the estate.”

  “Which would have been the sensible thing,” Agatha said. “I don’t see why you dressed up as a stable boy in the first place. If Christopher had suggested such a thing to me, I…” She glanced at the others and realized none of them were pretending to be a gentleman in order to write in the Tittletattle or in hopes of publishing gothic horror. None of them did anything scandalous. Shifting in her chair, she cleared her throat. “Forgive me. I shouldn’t speak out of line.”

  “Had I not been desperate, I wouldn’t have considered it either,” Claire said, smiling. “I understand how ridiculous Christopher’s plan was.”

  “Even if it was ridiculous, I think it was kind of him to do something to help,” Catherine replied.

  “I do, too,” Sophie said. “So tell us, what happened?”

  Claire chuckled. “Nate came back before I could leave and found me dressed as a stable boy.”

  Catherine and Sophie laughed. “Did he realize it was you?” Catherine asked.

  “He did,” Claire replied. “Though he didn’t let me know it right away.”

  “Why, Claire, you really can be scandalous when you want to be,” Catherine teased.

  Claire winked. “Thankfully, no one caught on to that.”

  “The rules the Ton imposes on us is absurd,” Sophie said.

  “Even so, we have to be careful,” Agatha replied. “You don’t want your reputation tarnished.”

  “Yes,” Catherine agreed, “keep your scandalous activities a secret.”

  Claire and Sophie laughed.

  “Oh?” Agatha asked, her gaze turning to Catherine. “Do you have a secret?”

  “Well,” Catherine hesitated but continued, “I like to draw my husband.”

  “There’s nothing scandalous about that,” Sophie replied, sounding disappointed.

  “Without clothes on,” Catherine added.

  “Oh, you don’t!” Claire said between fits of laughter.

  “I do, but he doesn’t know. He’d probably be mortified if he knew.”

  “Why do you want to draw him without his clothes on?” Agatha asked.

  Catherine shrugged. “I think the male body is fascinating. But Ethan doesn’t know and I don’t want him to know.”

  “I don’t see why you don’t tell him,” Claire said.

  “I think he’d be embarrassed,” Catherine replied, her cheeks growing pink.

  “Most likely not, given his reputation. He’d probably be pleased you think him so desirable.”

  “I wager he’d even pose for you.” Sophie teased.

  “Sophie!” Agatha admonished, stiffening in her chair. She couldn’t believe the way her sister was talking! If she didn’t know any better, she’d swear her sister wasn’t an untried lady.

  Sophie groaned and glanced at her. “Must you be so dull? This is a lot more interesting than the conversation at dinner.”

  Agatha shook her head in disbelief. She didn’t understand Claire or Catherine at all. The two didn’t seem to be joking. She kept expecting them to say they were kidding. But they didn’t, and her sister was laughing right along with them.

  Agatha couldn’t fault her sister if she merely wanted to make friends, especially since their aunt had coddled her to the point where she didn’t have any. Had it not been for Agatha, her sister wouldn’t get acquainted with other ladies of good standing, at least as far as the Ton was concerned. Agatha could only hope her sister would have the good sense not to take an interest in the marital bed or venture a look at Lord Clement’s bare flesh when she married him.

  When there was a knock at the closed doors, Agatha breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, the nonsense these ladies were uttering would come to an end. She waited for Catherine to stop giggling before she called out for the person who knocked to enter.

  The gentlemen filed into the room and Agatha noted that Claire, Catherine and Sophie at least had the decency to blush. If the gentlemen had any idea what they’d been talking about, they would probably be… She sighed. Oh, who was she kidding? They’d probably be delighted, except for Claire’s husband who’d have to admit his wife had been so desperate to get away from him that she threw caution to the wind and tried to run off on a horse dressed as a stable boy. She snorted. And to think Christopher—her intended!—had something to do with that one.

  “Is something troubling you, my dear?” Christopher asked from beside her.

  Ignoring the ladies’ startled expressions, she rubbed her forehead. “Actually, I’m not feeling very well.”

  “You’re not?”

  “No. Maybe Sophie and I should take our leave.” She rose to her feet.

  Sophie remained seated and shook her head. “I don’t want to leave. I feel fine.”

  “But I’m not up to staying,” Agatha insisted, shooting her a pointed look. “You came here with me.”

  “Well, she can leave with me and Nate,” Claire offered. “Her townhouse is right on the way to ours. You don’t mind, do you, Nate?”

  “Of course not,” he replied.

  “Excellent,” Perry said, his grin widening.

  Agatha glanced at Perry and knew she’d be wise to let Sophie stay. He was obviously smitten with her. With a nod, she said, “Very well, Sophie.” With a curtsey to the rest of the group, she added, “Thank you for a lovely evening.” Then, for good measure, she rubbed her forehead and winced, just to remind them that she was leaving because she had a headache, not because she was appalled by the evening’s events.

  Christopher stood up and cupped her elbow with his hand. “I’ll make sure you get home safely.”

  “There’s no need,” she quickly replied. “My footman and driver brought me here.”

  “Yes, but you’re not feeling well and your health is important to me. You are, after all, going to be my wife.”

  “And how will you get back here? I’m leaving in my carriage.” It was a weak attempt to get him to stay, one she didn’t think would actually work.

  And she was right. He shrugged and said, “I’ll walk. It’s a lovely night and the fresh air will do me good.”

  Since he was so determined to accompany her, she bit her tongue and forced a pleasant smile on her face. It was irritating her to no end that Christopher didn’t give up. Once he set his mind to something, he got it. Looking back, she couldn’t help but realize that once he set his eyes on her at the ball, her fate had been sealed and there was nothing she could have done to change it.

  Chapter Ten

  Agatha scooted further away from Christopher as her carriage moved forward, but he closed the gap between them and kissed her neck. Ignoring the thrill that shot straight through her, she wiped her neck and glared at him. “I don’t know who you think I am, but I’m not the kind of lady who gives a gentleman any kind of favors until he marries me.”

  “Ah, but we’ll be married soon enough,” he replied in a low sultry voice that made her heart beat faster.

  He lowered his head and kissed her, his lips soft and warm. She fully expected him to thrust his tongue into her mouth, but he didn’t. He remained gentle, his embrace comforting. When his lips left hers, he left a trail of kisses from her mouth to her neck, making her body respond to him in a most uncomfortable way. She felt rather pleasant in areas that alarmed her, and she didn’t know how to handle it.

  Good heavens. All the talk Claire and Catherine engaged in about how much they desired intimacy with their husbands was unwittingly affecting her! “I insist you stop at once,” she protested as he kissed her cheek. “I am a refined lady, not one of ill repute. If you want to grope someone, go find a mistress.”

 
“I’m merely being affectionate.” He lifted her hand and kissed it. “I will not remove your clothes or go into bed with you before we marry, that is unless you want me to.”

  She gasped and tried to shove him away from her.

  He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. “I’m teasing you, my lady. I wouldn’t take liberties with you, even if you have a scandalous streak in you.”

  “I wish you’d never found out about Gerard Addison.”

  “But I did and here we are, the happily engaged gentleman and lady.” When she huffed, he added, “Or at least the happy gentleman.”

  “Your happiness comes at the expense of mine.”

  “I doubt it.” He cupped the side of her face and stroked her cheek. “You’re a beautiful lady. No other comes close to you.”

  His actions were gentle, a mere caress, and as much as she tried to fight it, she had trouble resisting him. “You’re annoyingly persistent,” she muttered.

  “I am so I won’t deny it. Someday, you’ll be glad for it.”

  “I doubt it.”

  He leaned closer to her and brushed his lips against her other cheek, something that made her shiver in pleasure. If being in bed could be as good as this, she wouldn’t dread it. But no. Once the gentleman got into bed, he forgot all tenderness and consideration. He just went directly to what he wanted and gave no thought to the lady’s needs. Claire and Catherine really shouldn’t have made lovemaking sound desirable. Sophie was going to be devastated when she learned the truth.

  “What’s troubling you?” Christopher whispered, turning her head so she had to look at him.

  “You. You won’t get away from me.”

  “No, it’s not that. It’s something else.”

  “I have a headache.”

  “No, you don’t. The others might have believed that, but I know better.” He stroked her cheek then traced her lips with the pad of his thumb. “What is it, Agatha?”

  “Nothing,” she insisted.

  He sighed and studied her face. “Why don’t you let me in? I promise I’m not like Lord Richfield.”

  “If I don’t feel like letting you in, will you make me?” she finally asked, challenging him to give her a reason—any reason—to dislike him.

  “No,” he whispered, letting go of her face. He kept his arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. “I won’t force you into something you can’t endure.”

  “And yet you blackmail me into marrying you?”

  “You want to marry me.”

  She grunted and rolled her eyes.

  “It’s true. You might not be willing to admit it, but there’s an attraction between us that is so powerful we can’t fight it.”

  “You mean, you can’t fight it.”

  “No,” he stroked her cheek again, “we can’t fight it.” This time when he kissed her, he kept it short. “You’ll see.”

  She didn’t know if she liked how confident he was, but a deeper part of her admired his brazen attitude. No wonder he wasn’t disgusted that she dressed up as a gentleman and wrote in the Tittletattle. Who knew? Maybe he even found her scandalous behavior exciting.

  The carriage came to a stop and he gave her another kiss. “It pains me to be apart from you, but alas, our time has come to an end.”

  Despite herself, a smile tugged at her lips.

  “Ah, so you do know how to smile when amused.” He kissed her cheek, the sensation light but still sending a jolt of pleasure through her. He slid away from her in time for the footman to open the carriage door and added, “I’ll be counting down the hours till we meet again.”

  She groaned as she stepped out of the carriage. He was infuriating in some ways but unexpectedly sweet, too. She didn’t know whether to slap him or embrace him. Never in her entire life had she felt so conflicted.

  Before he could get out of the carriage, she instructed the footman to take him back to his townhouse then turned to him and added, “Just because I’m being kind, it doesn’t mean I want to marry you.”

  With a cocky grin, he replied, “Of course not. Even so, I thank you, my lady.”

  She made sure he saw her shrug in indifference before she headed up the steps to her townhouse.

  ***

  “You want what?” Ethan asked a week later, almost dropping the decanter in his den.

  Christopher leaned back in his chair and repeated, “I want a book on how to pleasure a lady.” Given his friend’s reputation for being a rake before he married Catherine, Christopher had no idea why the request came as such a shock. “I heard you gave one to Lord Roderick.”

  His friend set the decanter down and shook his head. “And who told you this? Surely, Lord Roderick wouldn’t admit this. Was it your guardian?”

  “Of course not. Perry would rather I remain innocent of such matters, just as he is. I don’t believe Perry has enough of an imagination to even know how it’s done.”

  “Every gentleman understands the process. It’s just the technique that he has to learn.”

  Christopher slapped the arm of his chair and grinned. “Exactly! You understand my plight. I’m going to marry the most wonderful lady in London, and I need to know what I can do to make her so excited to be with me, she’ll be begging for more.”

  “Oh come now. Ladies don’t beg for it.” He paused as he poured brandy into the glasses. “Well, most ladies anyway.”

  “Probably because their husbands aren’t doing it right. I have a theory. Want to hear it?”

  Ethan handed Christopher his glass and picked his up. “Not really but I have a feeling you’ll tell me anyway.”

  “I think ladies are capable of great enthusiasm when it comes to the bed. It just depends on how her husband approaches her. If his only motive is to have an heir, there’d be no reason for him to consider her feelings or needs, would there?”

  “I suppose not.” Ethan took a sip of his brandy.

  “But if he cares for her and takes the time to worship her body, then I wager she’d enjoy it.”

  He groaned. “Please don’t use the word ‘wager’. I just had Lord Pennella in here a couple days ago yelling at me because he thought I was the one who let it slip that he was betting Lord Davenport he could marry Miss Giles. My head still hurts.” He rubbed his forehead and released his breath.

  “If he’s so upset, he should be upset with himself. What was he doing making a wager with Lord Davenport anyway? I’m surprised he didn’t force Miss Giles into a scandal to secure the marriage.”

  “I heard she was too smart for him. She never let him get her alone.”

  “Smart lady.”

  “Smart lady, indeed.”

  Christopher drank some brandy and turned his attention back to the topic they’d been discussing moments before. “Ethan, if I ask you to be brutally honest with me, will you?”

  “Depends on what you ask,” he replied as he sipped more brandy.

  “Does your wife enjoy being in bed with you?”

  Ethan coughed and almost knocked his glass over.

  “You sure are clumsy today,” Christopher said, wondering what had gotten into his friend.

  Once he stopped coughing, he stared at Christopher, eyes wide. “Why do so many gentlemen ask me about my love life? Do I go around asking any of you what you do in the privacy of your bedchamber?”

  “Well, no.”

  “There’s a good reason for that.”

  “You’re right. There is. I haven’t been with a lady. All I do is sleep alone and no one finds that particularly interesting.”

  Ethan rolled his eyes and took another drink from his glass. “All of you are going to drive me out to the country. I just know it.”

  “I don’t see what the harm is in asking you. You were more than willing to share your wild tales before you married Catherine. What happened? Did her father put the fear of the devil in you?”

  “I just happen to think that what happens between a husband and wife when they’re alone sho
uld stay between the two of them. What I do or don’t do with my wife is none of your concern.”

  Christopher studied his friend’s face to gauge if he was serious or joking. After a long moment, he realized his friend was deadly serious. “I can’t believe it.”

  “Can’t believe what?”

  “You’re a prude.”

  “I am not!”

  Christopher shot him a pointed look. “Well, you’ve turned into one after you got married.”

  With a groan, Ethan pulled out a sheet of paper from his desk drawer. “You want a book, right? The same book I gave Lord Roderick?”

  “Yes. His wife looks very happy despite his grumpy demeanor. I can only assume it’s because he’s good in bed, so whatever your book does, it works wonders.”

  “All right.”

  When he noticed Ethan was writing a request to a bookseller, he asked, “Don’t you have a copy lying around here somewhere?” He scanned the bookshelves lining the wall.

  “Everyone else took them,” Ethan blandly replied as he finished writing his letter.

  “Really? How many gentleman do you help out?”

  “More than I care to admit.”

  Christopher wasn’t too surprised. It was no secret that Ethan had been an expert in all things pertaining to the bedchamber ever since he was eighteen. Pleased he’d soon learn the secrets Ethan knew, Christopher rose to his feet. “It’s always a pleasure doing business with you.”

  “One can hardly call this business.”

  “It’s the business of the heart.”

  “If you say so,” Ethan muttered.

  “Have it delivered directly to me. I don’t think Perry would be able to handle a book of this kind. He probably thinks babies are magically created.”

  “At least he hasn’t bothered me for a blasted book.”

  Christopher finished the brandy in his glass and set it down. “You should take the fact that so many gentlemen come to you for advice as a compliment. It means you’re an expert. If there’s anyone who knows anything about being with a lady, it’s you.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Hooray for me.”