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behind the maid Emily had asked to help her and was ushered

into one of the spare bedrooms. Now what was she going to do?

Pretend that she knew nothing about David and his complicated

love life, or admit it all?

As the maid helped her out of the old gown and started to

brush the feathers from her hair, Jane stared at her stricken face

in the mirror. The situation was already difficult and involving

Emily would only make it worse. She would have to take care to

ask enough questions to satisfy her friend without betraying the

rest.

With a sigh, Jane allowed the maid to lace her into the new

dress and pin up her hair. It was time to face Captain Gray,

whether she wanted to or not.

David rose as Lady Minshom entered the sunny dining room

and took the seat opposite his. She looked completely different

now, her brown hair tamed, braided and pinned tightly to her

head, her dress immaculate. He wondered if he would have even

recognized her if he hadn’t seen her laughing in the hallway with

her distinctive long hair swirling around her hips.

And how the hell had she ended up at Madame Helene’s with

her estranged husband? David wasn’t normally a man who

enjoyed gossip, but even he was intrigued by this aberration in

Minshom’s behavior. He’d never seen Minshom with a woman in

a sexual situation before. Did the man after all have a streak of

morality, that he wouldn’t fuck a woman when he had a wife?

David realized he was still standing behind his chair and

quickly sat down. Emily raised her eyebrows at him. She wasn’t

stupid—he would have to be careful about how he dealt with the

fascinating Lady Minshom in front of her. Absentmindedly, he

served both ladies some wine and helped pass the dishes abound

the table, lapsed into social small talk as if he hadn’t just

experienced the most shattering night of his life.

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Emily sat back when the last of the servants withdrew and

smiled at Lady Minshom.

«Jane, I’m sure that David would be happy to talk to you

about anything you wish, wouldn’t you David?»

For a fleeting second, David met Lady Minshom’s hazel eyes

and tried not to look as panicked as he felt. Had she just winked

at him? Surely not. He took a deep breath, remembered he’d

been in worse situations than this before, far worse, and inclined

his head.

«I’d be delighted to help Lady Minshom in any way I can,

Emily.»

«Good, because, if you’l excuse me for speaking so frankly,

we, I mean she, wants to know all there is about the relationship

between Lord Anthony Sokorvsky and Minshom.»

«About Sokorvsky?» God, was he actually stuttering? «I

thought...» Never mind what he’d thought, he needed to adapt to

this sudden change of tack.

«It seems that my husband took it very badly when Lord

Anthony left him.»

Lady Minshom’s quiet voice steadied David, allowed him a

few moments to marshal his thoughts. «He did. I think Anthony

was the first man who had ever left him for a woman.»

«But not the first man to ever leave him.»

David nodded. «I left him, but that was to preserve my sanity.

He was like an addiction for me, an addiction I needed to rid

myself of.»

«And you succeeded.»

«I’m not sure if I did.» David sighed. «Your husband is a very

difficult man to forget.»

«I know.»

Her smile flashed out, surprising him with its warmth and

beauty. Why on earth had Minshom married this woman? She

seemed far too nice and normal, but then she had been at

Madame’s last night...

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Kate Pearce

«He left me seven years ago and here I am, still trying to

understand him and get him back.»

David put his wineglass down on the crisp white tablecloth.

«In truth, it was about seven years ago when he started to change,

to become more cynical, more inclined to dominate everyone

around him.» He shrugged. «Although he had those tendencies

when we were boys together.»

«You’ve known him that long?»

David blinked at the intensity of her question. What else

might he betray? What else didn’t she know about her husband?

«Yes, we were at school together and our fathers... our fathers

were friends.» God damn them both to hell.

She sat back, her expression distant as if trying to recall

something important. «Of course, I should’ve known that. But

Minshom wasn’t at school with Lord Anthony, was he?»

«No, Anthony is much younger than us, about six and twenty

I believe.»

«Really? I’d pictured him as older. He isn’t far off our age.

Emily, do you know him?»

«I’ve met him a couple of times.» Emily looked thoughtful.

«He is a very handsome man and from an excellent if slightly

eccentric family.»

«What did Minshom see in him to make him want him and

then resent losing him so badly?»

David sighed. «Because originally Anthony seemed to crave

what Minshom likes to give—pain. But as Anthony matured, he

realized that Minshom’s way wasn’t the only way to gain sexual

pleasure, and that he had to choose his own path.»

«And he found it with a woman?»

David smiled. «That is certainly part of the equation, though

I’m not sure if it is the whole of it.»

«And this woman doesn’t object to that?»

«Obviously, I can’t speak for her, but I do know that she loves

Anthony and is willing to allow him to explore more

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unconventional avenues for sexual gratification than may perhaps

be the norm.»

«As long as they don’t include my husband.»

He looked at her and she smiled again. «Exactly.»

Emily cleared her throat. «Do you know if they fought?

Minshom and Sokorvsky?»

David grinned at his sister-in-law, who was never averse to a

bit of gossip. «I’m not sure. Sokorvsky mentioned that he’d

punched Minshom in the face and inadvertently knocked him

down a flight of stairs, but apart from that...»

Emily looked triumphant. «That must’ve been when Minshom

hurt his ribs, Jane! And that’s why he didn’t say anything to

anyone—how embarrassing to have to admit to that.»

«Did you help Anthony escape my husband?»

David’s gaze was drawn back to Lady Minshom. «The initial

decision was his, my lady, but I must admit that I did offer him

the benefit of my advice and my experience when he needed it.»

«Your sexual experience?»

«All my experience,» David said firmly.

«Do you think Lord Anthony will ever go back to my

husband?»

«No, I don’t, and I’m not sure that Minshom would want him

anymore anyway.»

«Because he humiliated him?»

«Yes and because I believe that somewhere, deep inside him,

Minshom respects Sokorvsky for standing up to him.»

Lady Minshom nodded as if he made perfect sense. «It’s

always better to stand up to Blaize.»

Emily giggled. «Lord Minshom’s first name is Blaize? How

unusual.»

David held Lady Minshom’s gaze even as he answered Emily.

«Saint Blaize is the patron of wool makers, didn’t you know that?

A very important saint to the farmers in Cheshire, where the

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Kate Pearce

Minshom family comes from. I believe Saint Blaize allowed

himself to be torn to death rather than renounce his faith.»

Emily sniffed. «I can’t see the current bearer of that name

behaving in quite such a self-sacrificing manner.»

David kept staring at Lady Minshom. «I don’t know about

that. He can surprise you.»

«Well, if you don’t think Minshom will ever get Sokorvsky

back, then Jane has nothing to worry about.» Emily declared as

she dabbed her mouth with her napkin. «I told you David was

the right person to ask, didn’t I?»

«You did, Emily, and Captain Gray has been most helpful.»

David smiled at his sister-in-law. She expected her life to be a

certain way and so it was. No doubts for her about her position

in society, her husband’s fidelity or the love she had for her

children. She had no concept of the far murkier world he and

Minshom inhabited, although he guessed Lady Minshom did.

As if she’d read his mind she smiled at him. «Captain Gray,

are you free to walk me home after lunch?»

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12

Jane glanced up at her silent companion as he ushered her

through the doorway of Emily’s townhouse and down into the

busy square below. If Anthony Sokorvsky was not a threat,

would David still be prepared to help her or would his obvious

dislike of Blaize and his entanglement with Robert make him

unwilling to be involved?

She crossed the deserted road into the park at the center of

the square and allowed David to open the high spiked wrought

iron gate for her. A couple of children played catch on the still-

shaded frozen grass, their nurse watching from a nearby bench.

Jane strolled farther into the garden until she reached a patch of

rippled sunlight and a rustic stone seat.

She used her gloved hand to clean off a scattering of faded

leaves, sat down and beckoned David to join her. She’d changed

back into her disreputable green dress and was quite happy to let

the skirts trail in the mud and the dew. She gave David an

encouraging smile.

«Just in case you were wondering, it was me you saw in the

pleasure house last night with Minshom.»

«Ah.» His answering smile was guarded.

«Aren’t you going to ask me what I was doing there?»

He shrugged. «That would be incredibly hypocritical of me,

wouldn’t it? I don’t believe in judging anyone else’s sexual

choices.»

«Except perhaps Robert’s.»

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Kate Pearce

His blue gaze hardened. «I’m not prepared to discuss Robert

with you.»

Jane sighed. «I didn’t mean to pry. Although, to be fair, I

believe Minshom does care for Robert in his own particular way.»

«I know.»

«Love is so unfair sometimes, isn’t it?»

«Indeed it is.»

Jane smiled. «You are a man of few words, Captain Gray, or is

it simply that you don’t wish to talk to me?»

He studied her for a long moment. «It isn’t easy for me to

share confidences with the woman who is married to my worst

enemy.»

Jane nodded. «It isn’t easy for me being married to him

sometimes either, but I persevere.»

«I can imagine.» His blue eyes searched her face. «But you care

about him, don’t you, or else you wouldn’t have been there last

night.»

Jane realized that if she wanted to get anything out of this

complex man she would have to take him into her confidence

and reveal more about her complicated relationship with

Minshom than she had anticipated. She took a deep breath.

«I am trying to persuade my husband to come back to me.»

«Why on earth would you want to do that?»

«Because seven years ago I wronged him, and I believe that

how he is now is partly my fault.»

«With all due respect, I can’t imagine you having the power to

affect him so deeply.» Captain Gray grimaced. «He has always

been like this.»

«I told him to leave me and never return. I accused him of

unforgivable crimes against his own family.» Jane swallowed

hard. «I drove him away.»

Captain Gray’s expression softened. «And yet you came after

him.»

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«I had to. I can’t bear to see him ruin his life like this, as if he

is incapable of feeling and incapable of loving when I know that

isn’t the truth.»

«You love him, don’t you?»

«Yes.»

«Then I almost feel as sorry for you as I do for myself.»

Captain Gray hesitated. «But I don’t believe you should blame

yourself entirely. Your husband was... already damaged long

before he married you.»

Jane took a deep breath. «That is the other thing I wanted to

talk to you about. Do you know anything about The Little

Gentleman’s Club?»

Captain Gray went still. «What do you know about that

abomination?»

«I was tidying up some of the old accounts in Minshom’s

father’s study and I found a whole box of diaries and pictures

and . . . trophies and... I made the mistake of looking at them. I

recognized Blaize’s name—it is quite distinctive.» She fought the

tide of sickness back down her throat. «There was also a David...»

«And you thought it might be me.»

His flat statement alarmed her more than any anger he might

have shown. Impulsively she placed her hand on his sleeve. «I’m

sorry if I have offended you.»

His large callused fingers closed over hers, patted them and

then withdrew. «You haven’t offended me at all, but there are

some things a man might choose to forget happened to him even

though they still haunt his nightmares.» His smile was tight. «Did

you know that Robert was involved as well, and that’s why he

won’t ever leave Minshom?»

«Robert?» Jane frowned. «Are you sure? I don’t remember