A Scandalous Past (Regency Romance, Book 4) (15 page)

Brendan nodded, just wanting to get it over
with.

Caroline opened the door, holding it wide
for him to step inside. The room was beautiful. No longer blue, it
was green—the exact shade of Cordelia’s eyes. How had Caroline
managed that? Even the large mirror and portraits were in new
golden frames that reminded him of the flecks in her eyes. There
was a new damask settee, a shade darker than the walls and two
ornate chairs with soft, golden accents. A cherry wood writing desk
and tables had been added, giving the room a warm feel it had
lacked before.

“So?” she asked hopefully.

Cordelia had never been here, but it felt
like her. “It’s beautiful,” he whispered. He’d have to avoid this
room like the plague, to keep from thinking of her.

“Oh, I’m so glad you like it,” Caroline
gushed.  “And now, do you have plans for tonight?”

Immediately, he was suspicious. “Why?”

She frowned at him. “Well, I thought if you
were free you might enjoy dining with Staveley and me tonight. It’s
been forever since you’ve visited.”

“Who else is going to be there?” He didn’t
need to see Cordelia Avery just yet. Tomorrow was already too soon,
and blindsiding him was something Caroline would do without any
qualms.

Her hazel eyes narrowed. “Just us. What is
really
wrong, Brendan?”

“I just have a lot on my mind.” That was an
understatement.

She studied him, her mouth pursed, and he
was afraid she might see through him. “I see. So, will you join us
or not?”

He could go to one of his clubs and get
foxed.  That would take Cordelia off his mind, at least for
the night. Or he could go to a hell and get sucked into a game of
Hazard. Astwick had his box at Drury Lane. That was a possibility
as well.  Nothing really appealed, however. He shrugged. Why
not? “I’d be delighted.”

~ 15 ~
 

It was unfortunate Philip chose Russell as
his second. Tristan would be much easier to manipulate. Cordie
paused outside the library and prepared herself. At least it was
Russell. Gregory would be near impossible.

She slowly pushed the door open and found
Russell sitting in an over-stuffed leather chair, relaxing with a
book and drinking some brandy.  Perfect.  Her middle
brother was always the easiest to influence when he was
drinking.  She flopped down in a chair across from him and
smiled sweetly.

He looked up at her and raised his brow.
“You want something.”

“I do not.” She feigned innocence.

Russell grinned at her.  “I’ve not been
gone all that long, Cordelia.  When you want something your
nose scrunches up just a bit.”

Blast her brother for knowing her as well as
she knew him.  Not that she was going to let that deter
her.  “Russ, about—”

He roared with laughter. “Russ?  You
only call me that if you’ve exhausted all other options.  What
is it, Cordie?”

“Very well,” she said, sitting forward in
her chair, disbanding all pretense and cutting to the chase. It
would have been so much easier with Tristan. “This duel between
Kelfield and Philip. It’s to be swords?”

“How do you know that?” he asked, narrowing
his green eyes on her.

“Tristan.”

Russell sat back in his chair with a
humpf.

“So it’s to be swords. Will it be first
blood or to the death?”

“Haversham hasn’t shown up to discuss the
terms. And,” he said, pinning her with his gaze, “no, you won’t see
him while he’s here.”

“Oh for heaven’s sake, Russell, the marquess
is the last thing on my mind at the moment.” She sighed, shaking
her head. “Olivia loves her husband.  You would only have to
see them together to know that.  Please make it First
Blood.  It would destroy Livvie if Kelfield died. Injured she
could live with.”

“This is not something that concerns women,
Cordie.”

There it was again. Obnoxious brothers. She
frowned at him.  “Spoken like a pompous man.”

He chuckled. “Tristan should be shot for
even telling you in the first place.”

“Well, I suppose since you’re all intent on
killing each other, he can be next on the list.”  Then she
touched her brother’s leg.  “Please. Livvie is my dearest
friend, Russell.  I don’t want to see her hurt.  If
either of them died, she would be devastated.  You grew up
with her, same as me. I know you don’t want that.”

Russell sighed.  “I’ll agree to it if
Haversham will.  But if you tell anyone that you talked me
into this, I’ll deny it and put snakes in your bed again.”

Cordie’s mouth fell open. “That was
you
?”  Then she smacked him. “Russell Avery! On more
than one occasion you and Gregory both told me Tristan was the
culprit.  I threw a rock at his head.”

He threw back his head and laughed. 
“You always had awful aim.”

He could laugh at her if he wanted to. One
down, one to go.  She kissed Russell’s cheek, then excused
herself and made a beeline to the front parlor so that she had a
good view of South Audley Street.  The Marquess of Haversham
wouldn’t get past her.

***

Marc was still in awe by the turn of events.
Kelfield had genuinely seemed reformed. For years he wouldn’t have
been surprised to have been informed he was the duke’s second. The
two of them had cut quite a swath through Town. But now? He
couldn’t imagine what the happily married Kelfield had done to get
himself into this sort of trouble. Not that it mattered. Kelfield
had been his second in the past. Duty dictated he return the
favor.

How fortunate Major Moore’s second was
Captain Russell Avery and the two of them were to establish the
parameters of the duel. A legitimate reason to be at Avery House.
With any luck he could get his hands back on the delightful Cordie
while he was there, though that seemed like a long shot. Twice he’d
tried to kiss the girl, only to be interrupted. His patience was
wearing extremely thin.

When his coach rumbled to a stop in front of
Avery House, Marc didn’t wait for the steps to be lowered. He threw
open the door and hopped out, but before he strode up the steps, a
strange movement from the corner of the house caught his eye. For a
moment, he thought he saw Brookfield’s unfortunate form lurking
there, but after blinking a few times, he decided it was the
moonlight and darkness playing tricks on his mind.

Shaking his head, Marc turned back towards
the front door and purposefully climbed the steps. Before he could
knock, the door wrenched open. Standing before him was the
exquisite Cordelia Avery, who flashed him a cheeky smile.  “My
lord, we meet again.”

Sweet Lucifer, she was a vision—one he could
barely wait to get his hands on. He grinned back. “Butler
duties?  What other talents are you hiding, Miss Avery?”

She grabbed his arm and pulled him inside.
Marc almost stumbled but pulled her sweet little body against his.
She sucked in a surprised breath. “Not here,” she whispered,
pulling out of his grasp and tugging him towards the front
parlor. 

If she wanted to be alone with him, he’d go
anywhere she deemed.

Once inside the parlor, Marc swiftly shut
the door behind them and wasted no time in pulling her back into
his arms.  He wouldn’t be denied this time. Before she could
speak, he pressed his lips to hers. His cock instantly sprang to
life. She tasted like heaven, sin, and sweetness all rolled into
one. She sighed softly and he splayed his hand across her back,
pressing her closer to him. This was what he’d been waiting
for.

An instant later, she pushed at his chest
and staggered backwards.  “My lord, I need to speak with
you.”

“I much prefer what we were just doing,” he
replied, barely touching the side of her neck. Though to be honest,
he’d prefer a bit more than just kissing her. His breeches were
already straining at the seams.

Her cheeks heated and she shook her
head.  “Please, I don’t have much time.”

“What are you concerned about, angel?” he
asked smoothly, kissing her fingers.

“This duel—”

“You know about that?”  He dropped her
hand. Her brothers should be shot for telling her. Women never
understood this sort of thing. What were they thinking?

 “Please make it just to first blood
drawn, my lord,” she begged quietly.

First blood drawn? Marc shook his
head.  “Kelfield made it quite clear he wanted it to the
death.”

Cordie frowned at that, then she touched a
button on his waistcoat. An invitation if he’d even seen one. “But
as seconds,
you
and my brother set the stipulations.”

“You do realize that neither gentleman would
be happy with your interference?” he asked, towing her a bit
closer. Her dress was simple, but from where he stood he had an
exce

“Please,” she whispered, placing her hand on
his chest.

Marc’s pulse quickened at her touch and he
couldn’t resist holding her against him, relishing the feel of her
breasts, the gentle slope of her hips, and wishing she was bare
before him. “I suppose I could be convinced to see things your
way,” he replied in a gravelly voice.

Cordie tipped her head back and began to
play again with one of his buttons.  “What would it take, my
lord?”

The naughty chit was making it most
uncomfortable to remain fully clothed. Marc’s grin widened. “What
are you offering?” As if he didn’t know. He just wanted to hear her
say the words.

She smiled coyly.  “A kiss.”

A kiss? She was a tease. Marc stroked her
neck, dipped his head toward hers and whispered in her ear, “You’ve
already kissed me, Cordelia. I want something else.”

“A kiss is all I can offer,” she replied
softly.

“But you’ll
kiss
me again. 
Right now, if I wish it, because you enjoy my kiss. That’s not a
bargaining chip, my beautiful temptress.”

She sighed. “I do enjoy your kiss, but I can
go forever without having it again.”

The little minx knew she had him. She had to
feel his straining cock against her belly. Marc stared at the
pretty girl in his arms. What game was she playing? They both
wanted the same thing. He could barely think straight.

Someone scratched on the other side of the
door. Cordie frowned.  “One moment, Sanders,” she called.

Marc ran his finger along her lower
lip.  God he wanted to take her right now. “A kiss, then,” he
finally said with a wicked grin. “But I choose where.” He’d make
her strip down before he decided where his lips would start.

“As long as it’s not out in the open for
anyone else to see.” 

What a strange thing to say. Of course no
one would see. What sorts of things did she have in mind?  “My
gorgeous girl, you can rest assured that no one but I will see
where I plan to kiss you.”

The scratch at the door came again, more
insistent this time. “Coming, Sanders,” Cordelia said, slipping out
of Marc’s grasp. Then she opened the door and rushed into the
hallway.

He found the Avery’s elderly butler glaring
at him. “Lord
Ericht
,” the man said with obvious
distaste.

Marc growled at the butler. He was going to
need a few minutes alone before he met with Captain Avery. The idea
of meeting the army officer in his current state did put a damper
on his immediate problem. When he felt he was in a sufficient
condition to see the man, he stepped into the hallway and allowed
the surly butler to lead him to the Avery study.

Captain Russell Avery stood when Marc
entered the room. An imposing man in his regimentals, the captain
frowned when he met Marc’s eyes. A thought occurred to him almost
immediately—it would have been much easier to seduce Cordelia Avery
before this giant of a guard had returned from the battlefields.
The lingering effects of the man’s sister immediately
evaporated.

Marc strode across the floor and offered his
hand. “Captain Avery.”

“Lord Haversham, please have a seat.”

Marc dropped into a seat across from the
captain, assessing the officer as he sat back down behind the heavy
mahogany desk.

“We each have a duty to our friends, my
lord, but after this situation is over we will deal with your
attention to my sister. Unless you’d like to meet me or one of my
brothers on a similar field of honor, you’ll keep your distance
from Cordelia.”

Marc hadn’t imagined they’d start off the
conversation with threats, and he couldn’t help but smirk at the
man. He was an officer in Wellington’s army, but Marc was a peer of
the realm. They weren’t on the same level, not even close. “I’ll
keep that in mind, Captain.” Then he slid forward in his chair,
leveling the man with his iciest stare. “What do you say we make
this quick, sir? I imagine emotions have run high to get His Grace
and the major intent on killing the other. I have no idea what
precipitated the disagreement, and frankly I don’t care. As I have
many other places to be tonight, I propose we make the duel to
first blood drawn and call it an evening. What say you?”

The captain’s eyes widened in surprise, but
he nodded slowly. “If that’s what you think is best, my lord.”

Marc rose from his spot and slapped the
desk. “Excellent. See you at dawn on the north side of the
park?”

The captain nodded again. “I had no idea
this would be handled so efficiently.”

“As I said,” Marc replied, starting for the
door, “I do have many other places to be.”

 When the door to Staveley House was
pulled open, Brendan smiled at the ancient butler who stood before
him. Most butlers in Mayfair were elderly, but Merton looked as if
he’d actually participated in the crusades. How the man had the
energy to breathe truly was a mystery.

“This way, my lord,” Merton said, and slowly
ambled off down the corridor.