The Earl's Untouched Bride (19 page)

'
Non
!' she cried, trying to push his hand away. 'It was not like that!'

'What was it like, then?' His hand headed unerringly towards her breast. She couldn't believe how strong he was. It took both her hands and all her determination to prevent him from reaching his destination, and even then she was not convinced he hadn't stopped for some obscure reason of his own.

'It is none of your business!' she panted, seizing his wrist as his questing hand altered the angle of its exploration under the concealing folds of her domino, this time sliding to the low neckline of her gown, from whence he slipped it inside her bodice. 'Stop this! Stop it at once!' she shrieked, leaping up out of her chair with such haste that the neckline ripped. 'Oh!' she sobbed, pressing herself to the back of the box, her hands clutching at the torn edges of her gown. Thank heaven Sukey was utterly loyal to her. She would never be able to give a satisfactory explanation to Charles if he ever found out she had come home with the front of her gown torn. 'You will pay for this!'

'Since I'm paying, I may as well get my money's worth,' the man said, lunging at her.

He grasped her by the elbows, his body pressing hers into the thick crimson curtains that shrouded the shadowy depths of the box as his mouth crashed down on hers.

It was an angry, demanding kiss, and quite terrifying. Outraged, Heloise struggled against him with all her strength.

Until something quite unexpected happened. As the stranger's hands embarked on an assured exploration of her feminine contours, she began to compare him with Charles. He was of the same height and build, and though his voice was coarse, and his clothes that of a much poorer man, the eyes which glittered from behind the devilish mask were of a similarly cool blue.

If only Charles would kiss her like this. She groaned, and then, for a few crazy seconds, found herself pretending this man was her husband, and that he wanted her. She stopped struggling, sagging back into the suffocating folds of the drapery, her whole body trembling with a kind of sick, guilty excitement.

If only Charles would caress her like this! Would be so wild with desire for her that he would kiss her in a public place, even peeling the torn fabric of her dress away and pressing his lips to the exposed skin beneath as this man was doing now. She moaned. Oh, if this man did not stop soon, she would fling her arms round his neck and kiss him back!

And why should she not? Charles was doing something like this, maybe at this very moment, with the beautiful Mrs Kenton!

At the thought, a whimper escaped her throat.

The stranger's head jerked back. For a moment he simply stood, gazing down at her, his chest heaving with each hoarse breath he took. And then he astounded her by reaching out, almost tenderly, to brush away a tear that was trickling down her cheek.

She did not even know at what point during the assault she had started to cry.

'Aren't you going to slap me?' he mocked, withdrawing slightly.

Heloise grabbed the chair back as the world seemed to lurch crazily, flinging her completely off balance.

'
Non
,' she grated, shaking her head. 'I deserved it.' She had just responded lustfully to a drunken stranger's lecherous groping! 'I am a slut,' she gasped in shock. Sinking to the chair, she buried her face in her hands and burst into tears.

Heloise flinched when a large male hand landed clumsily on her shoulder.

'Oh, Robert!' She sighed in relief on recognising it was his form looming out of the shadows, and not her assailant's. 'P...please take me home!'

She was still shaking with reaction, unable to form coherent replies to any of Captain Fawley's questions until they were safely shut inside the coach and on their way home.

On hearing the bald facts, Robert became so angry it was all she could do to prevent him turning the coach round and hunting the man down.

'It was my fault
—
all my fault,' she insisted. 'I never want to go to such a place again.'

'I did not want to go in the first place,' he retorted. 'From now on let me decide where we go, if you must go out with me and not your husband!'

As if she had any choice! The mere mention of her husband's neglect sent her into fresh floods of tears. When they reached Walton House she was in no state to argue when Robert steered her into his rooms, sat her firmly on the sofa, and pressed a drink into her hands.

'If you think you fared badly,' he drawled, easing himself onto a chair opposite her, 'you should hear what I suffered at the hands of the Pink Domino.'

She was sure that he was inventing more than half of the amusing story he went on to tell her, but by the time he had finished, and her drink was all gone, she had stopped shaking.

She even managed a wavering smile for him when, a little later still, she reached the half-landing and looked down to see him standing in the hallway, watching her with a troubled frown.

'I will be fine,' she assured him.

Though she did not believe the lie herself.

From then on, guilt and shame hung over her like a pall wherever she went, no matter how gaily she forced herself to smile.

If it were not for the importance of pushing Robert back into the circle of friends who were restoring him to health and vigour, she would have stayed in her rooms. Preferably in bed, with the covers drawn up over her head.

But she could not let him down too. She might be useless as a wife, but at least she was doing Robert some good.

She glanced across the crowded, stuffy room to the group of young men surrounding him tonight, earnestly discussing the latest news from France. Surreptitiously she crept away to find a quiet corner, where she could nurse her bruised spirits in relative peace.

Heloise did not notice the malevolent look Mrs Kenton arrowed her way, but the Honourable Percy Lampton did. Swiftly he made his way to Mrs Kenton's side.

'We have not spoken before
—
' he began.

'I am free to speak to anyone,' Mrs Kenton interrupted him, 'since I broke with Walton.'

Percy Lampton was a younger scion of the side of the family she had been strictly forbidden by Charles to have anything to do with, if she valued her position.

'Even his wife?' Lampton said snidely. 'I don't think he would like to hear how you've been tormenting her.' He clucked his tongue reprovingly. 'Letting her think you are still in his keeping. In fact, I wonder at your daring. It can only be a matter of time before Walton finds out what you have been about, and when he does...'

'Are you threatening me?' She wrenched her eyes from Heloise to glare at him.

'Far from it.' He sidled closer. 'I am just wondering how far you would be prepared to go in your quest for revenge. It is revenge you want, is it not? Though why you feel entitled to seek it...' He shook his head in mock reproof. 'You must have known he would marry eventually. And that it could never be to a woman like you.'

Tears of chagrin stung her eyes. 'It would not have been so bad if she had been beautiful, or wealthy, or even from a good family. But to think he cast me off for
that
!' She gesticulated wildly in Lady Walton's direction.

Snagging a glass of champagne from a passing waiter, Lampton drew Mrs Kenton into a small antechamber.

'And what am I left with?' she continued, having downed the drink in one gulp. 'I was completely faithful to him, let other opportunities slip through my fingers for him, and now I have to start all over again...'

'In direct competition with nubile young nymphs like Nell.' He nodded sympathetically.

'I am still an attractive woman!' she spat at him.

All he did was raise one eyebrow, and she subsided. They both knew her career was in terminal decline.

'If it is any consolation to you, I happen to know that Walton married as he did purely to spite my family. Before he took off for Paris there were moves afoot to bring him back into the fold.' He smiled wryly. 'We had exactly what you described
—
a beautiful young woman of good family, who was also incidentally in our pockets
—
lined up to marry him. Is it so surprising he went off and married the first plain, poor foreigner he came across? She is Walton's little rebellion, nothing more. It must be obvious to you that Walton has no strong feelings for her personally. He has done the bare minimum required to stem speculation by arranging her presentation and squiring her to a few
ton
events. But on those occasions the chilliness of his demeanour towards her has been marked.'

'Has it?' Mrs Kenton had never actually seen them together, since she did not have an entree to the upper echelons of society.

'Most marked.' Lampton grinned. And can you wonder at it? She is teetering on the verge of social ruin, coming to places like this. All she would need is one little push...'

Her eyes flashing with malice, she purred, 'What do you want me to do?'

'May I join you?'

Heloise looked up in annoyance. Just because she was sitting on her own, why did men assume she would welcome their attention? Did she have a sign pinned to her gown, saying 'This woman is a slut. Feel free to insult her?'

'I would prefer you did not,' she huffed, snapping her fan open and waving it before her face.

'Ah, I see you recognise me,' the man said cheerfully, taking the vacant seat beside her. 'But don't you think it a little silly to carry the feud so far? I can understand why Walton should not wish to have anything further to do with his mother's relatives, given their shoddy behaviour towards his brother,' the man persisted, 'but I had nothing to do with all that. I had not even been born!'

'You are of the family I am not supposed to acknowledge?' she guessed, examining his face properly for the first time. There was a strong resemblance, now she was looking for it. He was of the same height and build as Charles, though a good few years younger. His eyes were the same clear, pale blue, fringed with golden lashes. As they rested steadily on her, something about the coldness of his regard began to make her feel uneasy. And then, over his shoulder, she noticed Nell looking from one to the other of them, before scuttling off, wringing her hands in distress.

'Come, my lady,' he said, leaning closer. 'Why shouldn't we be friends? It is not as if your husband even has to know. I dare say he does not know the half of what you get up to, hmm?'

The knowing tone of his voice, the way he slid one arm along the back of her chair while extending one leg so that she felt trapped by his body, was jarringly familiar. Could this be the man who had kissed her at the masquerade?

'I am sure he does not know you attend bachelor parties alone, or that Captain Fawley has introduced you to gaming hells, does he?'

His smile was predatory, chilling her to the core. He must have been watching her every move, just waiting for the opportunity to strike.

'P...please, sir,' she begged him. 'Do not persecute me like this!'

'Oh, Lady Walton
—
there you are!' a female voice cut in.

Looking up, Heloise saw Mrs Kenton standing over them, with Nell hovering anxiously behind her.

'I have been looking for you everywhere. Have you forgot you promised to partner my friend at cards?'

'Oh, yes,' she replied, jumping hastily to her feet. She glimpsed a scowl marring the stranger's handsome features as she made her escape.

'Have you no sense?' Mrs Kenton hissed, as soon as they were far enough from her persecutor for him not to hear. 'Consorting with your husband's enemies? Don't you know how foolish it is to antagonise a man of his temperament?'

'I didn't know who he was when he sat down!' Heloise protested. 'And anyway, I tried to make him go away.'

'That was not what it looked like from where I was standing,' Mrs Kenton sneered. 'He had his arm round you! And you just sat there!'

What was she supposed to have done? Heloise had no experience of men approaching her with such determination and lack of respect.

Mrs Kenton would have known exactly how to put him off, a little voice whispered in her head. No! No, she would rather die than ask That Woman for advice. It was bad enough to suffer the humiliation of having to thank her for coming to her rescue. Which she could scarcely bring herself to do.

'I did not do it for you,' Mrs Kenton replied. 'But for Nell. She seemed to feel it was her fault Percy Lampton had cornered you. But if you will choose to loiter in secluded corners, what can you expect? Look, if you don't want predators like Lampton pawing at you, the thing to do is stay in full view, preferably in the company of several other people, engaging in some innocuous pastime like playing cards.'

She dragged Heloise into the card room, indicating the small knots of players grouped around the various tables. Plastering an alluring smile to her face, she approached two gentlemen who appeared to be waiting for her.

'Good evening Lord Matthison, Mr Peters,' she said, ushering Heloise towards the green baize table. 'I hope we have not kept you waiting too long?' Smoothing her skirts, Mrs Kenton took a seat opposite the older of the pair, a florid-faced, bewhiskered gentleman with a claret-stained cravat.