A Little Mischief (12 page)

“Lord Colebrooke, perhaps you should just have faith that Mr. Throckmorten will show up looking as healthy as he did when he arrived at the party tonight.”

“That will not happen this time, Miss Winslowe.”

“If that is indeed the case, then what will we do if his body shows up again?”

“I don’t know because I don’t know what is going on here, but I will get to the bottom of it.” He paused. “I’m going to need your help, Miss Winslowe.”

“Then call me Isabella.”

He cleared his throat. He did not need to get any more intimate with her. “I don’t think that’s necessary or appropriate.”

“Nonsense. If you want my help, Daniel, it is. I refuse to continue calling you by the formal Lord Colebrooke when Daniel is much faster and, shall I say, will put us on friendlier terms.”

She was in control. She was seducing him with her attractiveness, with her forthright manner. And he was letting her!

“Very well, Isabella.” He paused. He liked the way her name tripped of his tongue so easily, so seductively. “I want to get Gretchen away from here as quickly as possible. Would you and your chaperone see to it that she gets home safely?”

“Of course we will. But what are you going to do? You cannot tell anyone you think Mr. Throckmorten is dead if you have no body. Everyone will treat you the way you treated me this afternoon.”

“And the way you treated me just now. I realize that, Isabella.”

“Then all we need to do is return to the party and say nothing.”

“Yes, but after I see you back inside, I plan to go talk to the footmen and the coach drivers. There’s only one way Throckmorten was able to get out of this garden tonight, and that was under someone else’s strength.”

“You think someone picked him up and carried him out to his carriage?”

“To someone’s carriage, yes. Obviously Gretchen stumbled upon the body before whoever killed him could remove him. They must have been hiding in one of the tall shrubs. Then we came along.”

“Whoever it was must have heard every word we said about the man.”

“No doubt. The killer must have come out of hiding and taken the body away while we were talking to Stonehurst. He probably passed Throckmorten off as a man too deep in his cups to walk. He would have had to put him in a carriage. I want to see if anyone was seen carrying a drunken man to a coach.”

“That seems the sensible thing to do tonight. Then I think we should go to Mr. Throckmorten’s house tomorrow afternoon to see if he might have returned from the dead again.”

Daniel smiled. Because she was so engaging, he remained tolerant.

“First, trust me, Miss Winslowe, the man is not alive. Second, there is no we. It’s me. I will do these things alone. There is no reason for you to be further involved in this unsavory matter.”

“The name is Isabella, remember. And I am involved in this up to my ears, Daniel.”

And
such
beautiful
ears.

“I’ve seen with my eyes Mr. Throckmorten dead twice now.”

And
such
sparking
eyes.

“My skin pebbles with gooseflesh whenever I think about that poor man.”

And
such
lovely
skin.

“I can’t possibly bow out of this unfortunate situation until it concludes,” she insisted.

Daniel was enchanted by her. She was the most unconventional young lady he’d ever met. She was as refreshing as she was enticing. He wondered if she knew her appeal.

Daniel wanted to remain firm, but it was getting harder to deny what he was feeling. “Don’t be ridiculous. I can’t possibly take you with me to Throckmorten’s house.”

“Why not?”

He gave her an incredulous stare. “Must I remind you, it’s not proper for a young lady to call on a bachelor at his home?”

Her smile lingered and he felt as if she were casting a spell on him.

“Don’t be so stuffy, Daniel. You will be my chaperone.”

“Me?” He was enthralled by her fresh manner. He moved in closer to her. “I’m a bachelor, too. Don’t be daft, Isabella. You know I can’t possibly be considered a chaperone for you.”

“Of course you can.” She stepped closer to him, putting them dangerously close. “Do you have any romantic designs on me, sir?”

“Certainly not,” he lied. He had to. He had to stop the magic she was working.

“Good. Then I’ll be perfectly safe with you. What time shall I expect you to pick me up for our ride in the park?”

“The park?”

“But of course.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I cannot possibly tell Auntie Pith that we’re going to Mr. Throckmorten’s house. While I’m quite happy to bend the rules of Society to suit my preference, my aunt is not. She would faint if she even thought I would do such a thing.”

Daniel shook his head.

“You can’t be serious about this, Isabella. If you were caught with me at his house your reputation would be in tatters.”

“We won’t be caught. I’ll secretly borrow one of my aunt’s old bonnets and a cloak. And I know where to find a wig. No one will recognize me.”

She made him want to say yes to her precarious scheme. “We still can’t risk it.”

“It’s a chance I’m willing to take.”

He was too close to her. He felt her breath. He caught her scent of lavender. He needed to back away, but he didn’t want to. She drew him much the way a drunkard was drawn to his ale.

Their eyes met and held in the shaded light of the gray-swept moon, and Daniel knew without a doubt that he wanted to kiss her.

“Why are you willing to risk your reputation for something like this?”

“Perhaps because it’s not that important to me.”

“It should be. A young lady’s reputation is supposed to be her most prized possession.”

“Perhaps if she wants to make a good match. I’m not interested in that.”

He studied her face in the faint light. She seemed serious. “Why not?”

“I’ve thought about marriage, and some time ago I decided I’d rather stay unmarried like my aunt and one day be free to come and go as I please without the fetters of a demanding husband.”

Not want to marry? She was a free-thinker. “It would be a shame if you didn’t marry, Isabella.”

“But it’s what I want.”

“You’re much too beautiful and exciting to remain a spinster.”

“And I’ve decided I’m much too headstrong to be married. I want to be free to do the things I want to do and not have to answer to a husband. Now, we need to find out what is going on with Mr. Throckmorten and what his connection is to your sister. This started in my garden. I can’t let it rest until I find out what happened to the man.”

Daniel realized he didn’t want to refuse her, not tonight.

“All right, I will call for you around half past noon. We’ll have a picnic lunch in the park and discuss this further.”

A blissful expression of satisfaction softened her face. “Wonderful. I shall be ready with—” She stopped and her eyes searched his.

“Is something wrong?” he asked.

“Yes. Is there a reason you are standing so close to me, Daniel, that I feel the warmth of your breath touch my face?”

A heat of pleasure curled inside him, reminding him of long ago when youthful eagerness ruled his head and his body. He wanted Isabella. He wanted to lay her down in the wet grass and make her his lover.

Daniel shook his head. Where had those thoughts come from? She was a lady of quality. He was an earl, and with that came responsibilities he couldn’t ignore. And he was no longer a callow youth. He was older and should be able to control his sexual urges, but he hadn’t been this excited about a woman in years. She had him hungry for the taste of her.

He realized she was waiting for a response to her question, so he said, “Yes, there is a reason. I want to kiss you.”

Eight

His breath grew low and deep. Was there any chance she was feeling the same things he felt?

“So you weren’t truthful when you said you had no romantic inclination toward me?”

“No, not entirely. I don’t want to be attracted to you, Isabella, but I find that I am. Does that frighten you?”

She moved her face closer to him and looked deeply into his eyes. His heart felt as if it was going to beat out of his chest. She was provoking and stimulating, and he didn’t want to fight the way she was making him feel.

“Not at all, my lord. I suggest you go ahead and kiss me.”

Her words didn’t surprise him, they elated him. “I intend to.”

Daniel slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her up to him. Instantly he realized she was cold. “You’re chilled,” he said.

“A little, but had I known how warm your arms were, I would have asked you to hold me earlier.”

That was the wrong thing for her to say, and pulling her so close to him was the wrong thing for him to do. He didn’t want to let her go. He felt the length of her beneath the sheer gown she wore, and his lower body reacted to her softness.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were cold? I would have given you my coat.”

She stared into his eyes and said, “A gentleman should know when a lady needs his coat.”

“You’re right. I don’t seem to act like a gentleman when I’m around you. And I shouldn’t have said I didn’t have romantic designs on you when I do.”

“I know.”

He bent his head and lowered his mouth to her lips. They were cold and unmoving. She made no attempt to respond to his kiss in any way. He raised his head and looked into her eyes again.

“Have you ever been kissed?” he asked.

“Of course.”

He suspected as much. She was such a free spirit, defying convention at every turn and boldly admitting she wanted him to kiss her. Proper ladies didn’t do that.

But whoever the blade was who had kissed her must have been an idiot. He hadn’t taken the time to teach her how to respond to a man’s kiss. Daniel might as well have been kissing a fish.

“How long has it been since you’ve been kissed?” he asked.

She laughed lightly. “This morning, of course.”

He hadn’t expected that answer. Who was she seeing that would have kissed her this morning? “Truly?” he asked, unable to hide his shock.

“Yes,” she said without any guile. “Auntie Pith kisses my cheek every morning.”

He smiled to himself. “Have you ever been kissed by a man?”

“Of course, my father always kissed my brow each morning and night when I was a child.”

Her simple answer pleased him and made his heartbeat speed up. He asked, “Have you ever been kissed on the lips before I kissed you just now?”

“No.”

Daniel felt his chest expand with relief and he felt like laughing. “Would you like me to teach you how to kiss properly?”

Her eyes widened, and then she seemed to cringe. “I didn’t do it right?”

“It’s not that it was wrong.” His gaze drifted to her lips. “But there’s a way to get more pleasure from a kiss.”

“Then perhaps you should show me. In the name of learning, of course.”

“Of course,” he agreed.

His body tightened at the thought of being the first to awaken her to passion. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d been the first to kiss a young lady, but he knew it’d been years.

“Put your arms around my neck like this.” Slowly he showed her how to wrap her hands behind his neck so that he could pull her tighter to his body and press his hardness against her softness. She felt so good, so right in his arms that he felt himself tremble.

He bent down and pressed his lips to hers again, only this time he really kissed her, moving his lips over hers, teaching her how to respond. He moved a hand up to her cheek and helped guide her lips against his. She relaxed against him. Her lips became soft, heated and active.

His body tightened even more and his shaft grew bigger, harder as she responded to his teaching. One kiss had his blood pumping with anticipation and his body hungry for more.

He lifted his head a little, giving her time to let the kiss settle on her lips. He didn’t want to frighten her and it didn’t appear he had. Her breath, like his, was short and shallow. Her hooded eyes were filled with wonderment.

“What did you think of your first real kiss?” he whispered.

She looked at him from beneath long, velvety lashes. “It was quite enjoyable, but it didn’t last very long, did it?”

A low chuckle rumbled in his chest, and desire thickened in his trousers. “A kiss can last as long as you want it to.”

“Then perhaps I should have another, longer one to see if I really enjoyed it as much as I thought I did.”

“I was just about to suggest that.”

Surrounded only by a pale gray mist, he lowered his mouth to hers again. The kiss was soft and gentle at first, but feeling her body so tightly against his own, he couldn’t hold back his desire. He kissed her deeply, sensing her untapped passionate response, and suddenly Daniel was kissing her hungrily. He prompted her to part her lips, and he probed her mouth with his tongue. She tasted sweet and innocent and young.