True Love's Deception (book 3) (The Fielding Brothers Saga) (25 page)

“But Gregg—”

She shook her head. “I don’t care for Gregg. I will
never
care for him.”

“Madeline,” he said in a stern voice as he took his hands away from her, “you must forget about me. Gregg will be your husband. He is the one who took your virginity. It’s the honorable thing for him to do.”

Huffing, she folded her arms across her bosom. “Although Gregg did take my virginity, it was not him who stayed in my mind. The man in my mind and heart that night was you,” she ended in a whisper.

Rolling his eyes, he left her side to get a glass of brandy. Maybe he’d have the whiskey instead. With
Maddie
around, she was sure to drive him insane.

The clicking of heels outside the marbled hallway brought Andrew’s attention to the door.
In walked Juliana, looking more beautiful than he had ever seen.

Wearing ice blue satin that draped over her body in an elegant fashion, she looked like a princess. Her sleeves billowed at the shoulders, but then tapered down to a tight point at her wrists. Diamonds sparkled on her bodice, but not overly so, just enough to draw attention to the heart-shaped neckline. The sides of her wavy hair were pulled away from her face and attached to her head with diamond combs, leaving the fullness to cascade down her back.

His mouth turned dry. His drink wouldn’t be able to quench his thirst now. Only holding his wife and loving her would. Speechless, he could only gaze over her once again. His heart hammered in quick rhythms. His fingers remembered how soft her skin had been the other night, and his lips could still taste her sweetness.

Soon she stood before him with a wide smile. Her turquoise eyes twinkled.

He stroked her cheek and let his thumb trail to her bottom lip. “You will make the duchess very jealous, my dove.”

Her cheeks turned a dark pink. “And you will be the envy of every man there, including the duke.”

Sliding his arms around her, he brought her up against him. She rested her hands on his chest.

“My dove, I say we skip the ball tonight. I can assure you our privacy will be more exciting.”

“As much as the invitation tempts me, I do think we should go to the Duchess of Ashton’s ball tonight.
Maddie
needs us.”

He needed Juliana more...but that, too, would have to wait until later.

“Indeed you are correct. Forgive me for being selfish.”

She leaned in closer and touched his chin. “I don’t mind your selfishness, as long as it includes me.”

From behind them,
Maddie
cleared her throat. Andrew closed his eyes and groaned. He’d forgotten about her.

Juliana pulled away and moved to her sister. “
Maddie
, you are breathtaking tonight. Gregg will fall over his tongue when he sees you.”

Maddie
chuckled.
“Probably not, dear
sister.
Not after he sees you.” She arched a brow.

Andrew seethed. Why did
Maddie
have to remind him of his insecurities when it came to Gregg Fielding? Now Andrew would have to be on guard and make certain
that man
acted accordingly while around Juliana.

Andrew offered his arm to his wife. “Shall we leave now?”

She slipped her hand around his and hugged his elbow. “Yes, we shall, my darling.” Juliana grinned.

The ride to the Ashton’s estate tortured Andrew. Juliana sat next to him and bumped against him constantly.
Maddie
kept quiet most of the ride, but he would catch her staring at him with dreamy eyes every so often. How could he get it through that girl’s head he did not return those feelings?

The guests who were at the Ashton’s ball doubled in attendance from the ball Juliana had the other night for her birthday. So many more couples dressed in their finery. So many more names he had to remember—but knew he’d forget.
And so many more men vying for Juliana’s attention.
Of course with that breathtaking, alluring gown she wore, who would blame the men for wanting to be next to her. Andrew would just have to work extra hard to win her heart.

After the butler took their wraps, they were announced. Immediately, everyone turned their gazes in their direction. Andrew’s heart sank. Hopefully he wouldn’t have to answer any more questions about his so-called relatives who lived here in London. Hopefully, he wouldn’t have to meet any either.

“My dove,” he whispered to Juliana. “We have created a spectacle. Do you not agree?”

She smiled up at him. “It is because you are so devilishly handsome, my darling.”

“Or, it’s because they cannot believe you are lovelier than the duchess.” He winked.

Right away, the duke and duchess came over to greet them. The duke took his wife by the hand and brought her forward. “I would like to introduce you to my wife, the Duchess of Ashton.”

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” Andrew said, and he took her hand and placed a kiss on her knuckles.

Lady Ashton was a very beautiful woman. She was small, like Juliana, but instead of blonde locks, the duchess had brownish-auburn hair, and amazing blue eyes. Andrew thought she looked perfect standing next to the duke. They complimented each other well.

Gregg stepped forward and shook Andrew’s hand, then took Juliana’s hand and placed a kiss on her knuckles. Andrew balled his hands into fists and controlled himself from striking the other man. When Gregg turned to
Maddie
, his grin widened as his gaze swept over her body. Andrew’s anger cooled slightly.

“My dear Miss Madeline,” Gregg said and he kissed her hand. “You leave me breathless by your beauty.”

Maddie
smiled, but it wasn’t full. “Thank you, Mr. Fielding. You’re looking exceptionally well tonight also.”

He held out his elbow. “May I escort you to the dance floor?”

She nodded. “That is a lovely idea.”

After Gregg led
Maddie
away from Andrew, he sighed. Maybe the evening would be better than he thought after all. Perhaps he would finally have Juliana all to himself tonight.

* * * *

Madeline kept quiet the first part of the dance. She dared not look directly into Gregg’s eyes because she didn’t like the strange flutters that happened in her chest whenever his gaze darkened. Although she didn’t look at him, she could feel his heated gaze upon her. Out of the corner of her eyes, she witnessed his wide grin, too.

“Miss Madeline, I must say you are not the woman I recognized from the other night.”

Against her will, her cheeks flamed. She took a deep breath and lifted her gaze to his. “Why do you say that, Mr. Fielding?”

“Well, the first night—out in the shadows—I couldn’t see you very well at all. Then yesterday you wore a drab dress that would put the servant’s attire to shame. Now you are looking more alluring than I could have ever imagined.”

“Thank you for the compliment.” She quickly looked away when her heartbeat quickened.

His hand tightened around hers as he swished her around the dance floor.

“You know, my dear Madeline, if we are a couple who will soon be wed, should you not look at me as if you enjoy my company?”

She shrugged. “I suppose.” But she didn’t meet his eyes. Instead, she searched for Andrew, who was now dancing with Juliana. She seethed. When would he ever look at
her
like that?

“You know, I was wondering a couple of things,” Gregg said.

She lifted her gaze to his. “What is that, Mr. Fielding?”

“First, why are you not calling me Gregg? The other night you had no problem saying my name, especially when you were sighing in passion.”

Heat surged to her face and she quickly looked away.

“And second, why did you tell your family I had raped you, when we both know you were a very willing partner?”

Inwardly, she groaned. She should have known he would ask her that. “I actually had not planned to say you raped me, but when the moment was upon me, it just came out. Once it did, I couldn’t take it back.”

“Umm...” He stroked her hand, sending warm chills throughout her. Good heavens, even his voice caused her to shiver.

“I can read you well, my dear Madeline. You and I are similar, as you well know. I realized the reason you said I had raped you was to get sympathy from Andrew. Am I correct?”

She shot her gaze up to his and blinked with wide eyes. “How...how did you know?”

He chuckled.
“Because you and I are alike.
It’s something I would have done to get my sister-in-law’s attention, too. Of course,” he said bending his head closer to her ear, “Catherine wasn’t my sister-in-law at the time, whereas Andrew is out of your reach because he’s married to your sister.”

She gulped. “Then you are not angry with me?”

“Not entirely. But what I do not understand was why you had acted like you had been with a man before—intimately? If I had known you were innocent, I wouldn’t have seduced you.”

Once again, heat rushed to her face. She dared not answer that question. Thank heavens the dance ended, which gave her a reason to ignore it.

He walked her back. Before leaving her side, he bent and brushed his lips against her ear. Desire poured through her and made her knees weak.

“Believe me, Madeline. I
will
get an answer from you before the night is over.”

He pulled away, kissed her hand, then turned and left. Her heartbeat hammered in a quick rhythm against her chest, and she couldn’t understand why. Was she still imagining Andrew? Yet, she really hadn’t thought of Andrew at all during the past few minutes.

Inwardly, she growled. How
dare
Gregg make her feel this way! These feeling were saved for Andrew and nobody else.

Yet, why couldn’t Andrew make her weak in the knees like Gregg had accomplished?

* * * *

Andrew stood back and watched Gregg whisk Juliana away for a dance, grateful it wasn’t a waltz.
Maddie
waited by his side. Her gaze was also on the pair and she grinned.

“Gregg still wants her, you know.”

Andrew scowled at
Maddie
. “What? Who does the man want?”

“Juliana.”

He glanced back at the couple. Juliana grinned wide and laughed over something Gregg said. Andrew’s heart ached with jealousy.

“No, he doesn’t.”

Maddie
turned and faced him. “Can you not see the way he’s looking at her?”

Andrew shook his head. “You should have seen the way he was looking at you.
Maddie
,
you
are the woman he wants. Not my wife.”

She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. “You are sadly mistaken. Gregg has always wanted Juliana.”

“Indeed? Is that why he seduced
you
behind the hedges?”

He waited for her to look at him, but her gaze remained on Gregg and Juliana. However,
Maddie’s
jaw hardened. Andrew almost laughed.

“You know, Andrew, denying what is clearly obvious will only
make
it more painful for you when the truth finally comes out.”

He leaned closer to
Maddie
and whispered, “And living in a dream world will only damage your heart.” He straightened and grinned. She didn’t have anything to say after that. Instead, he concentrated on listening to the orchestra and enjoying the vision of his beautiful Juliana.