How to Seduce a Scoundrel (18 page)

Georgette studied her. “Why are you blushing?”

She fanned her face. “It is warm in here.”

Georgette looked about and then returned her gaze to Julianne. “Did he kiss you?” she whispered.

Julianne tried to control her reaction but knew she’d failed when Georgette gasped.

“He
kissed
you,” Georgette said. “I can tell by the look on your face.”

“Swear to me you will say nothing,” Julianne said. “I cannot afford for my brother to find out.”

“You have our word,” Georgette said, excitement in her voice.

Amy’s eyes widened. “Oh my goodness.”

Julianne eyed the last of the ladies leaving the retiring room. When the maid approached, Julianne assured her they had no need of her services.

After the maid retreated through a connecting door, Georgette turned to Julianne. “Now the coast is clear. Tell us everything.”

“The day after the Beresford’s ball, we had a terrible row,” Julianne said. “And then one thing led to another.”

“I’m so envious,” Georgette said. “You must describe every detail. Did your knees grow weak? Did your heart race?”

She nodded but thought better of telling her friends that she’d allowed him indecent liberties far beyond a mere kiss.

Amy regarded her with concern. “It’s dangerous to meddle with a man, especially a rake like him.”

“I know, Amy. Trust me. I’ll not let him kiss me again. All I care about is seeing the pamphlet published.” She considered telling her friends about her vengeance plan, but she knew it would only worry Amy.

“I fear you are putting your reputation in peril,” Amy said.

“I risk nothing,” Julianne said. “I will keep matters firmly under my control.”

Amy sighed. “Please be careful.”

“I will.”

“We should return, Julianne. We’ve been gone quite a while,” Amy said.

“Why should she jump to do Hawk’s bidding?” Georgette said.

Julianne stood and shook out her skirts. “No, Amy is right. I had better return before he thinks of even more rules.”

The door opened. Sally Shepherd rushed inside, her chest heaving as tears spilled down her round face.

Julianne hurried over to her. “Sally, whatever is the matter?”

Sally covered her face. “Elizabeth is s-so c-cruel.”

Julianne put her arm around Sally’s shoulder and led her to the settee.

Amy produced a handkerchief from her reticule and patted Sally’s shoulder. “Do not worry. You are among friends.”

After Sally mopped her tears, Amy encouraged her to divulge what had happened. Sally’s voice caught several times as she described the way Elizabeth and Henrietta had mocked her in the foyer. “When I walked past, Elizabeth said in a loud voice that my gown made me look fat. Then the other girls made fun of my name by making sheep s-sounds.”

“Those horrid girls,” Georgette said. “I’ve a mind to go downstairs and give them the set-down they deserve.”

“You’ll only make matters worse,” Amy said. “If you give them ammunition, you will just encourage them. They enjoy nothing more than tearing others apart.”

“Are you advocating we do nothing?” Georgette said.

“Amy is right,” Julianne said. “If we provoke Elizabeth and her friends, they will seek out Sally at every opportunity. The best thing is to ignore them.”

“I tried that last year to no avail,” Georgette said. “You know how horribly they treated both Amy and me. Elizabeth and her friends will torment Sally all season if we do not stand up to them.”

“I cannot bear it,” Sally said.

“You are welcome to be our friend,” Julianne said.

Sally sniffed. “I would like that very much.”

“I have an idea,” Julianne said. “We will go to the foyer and show those mean girls that Sally is not friendless. We will not, however, lower ourselves to speak to them.”

“But the silent message will be very clear,” Georgette said.

“Julianne, I like your plan, but you are late already,” Amy said. “You do not wish to incite Hawk’s anger.”

She shrugged. “He’s undoubtedly already angry. What difference will a few more minutes make? All of you will come with me to the box afterward, and I’ll explain what happened.”

“A perfect plan,” Georgette said. “Sally, are you ready?”

She nodded. “Thank you. I don’t feel so alone anymore.”

“We understand,” Georgette said. “If it weren’t for Amy and Julianne, I could not have borne to stay in the duke’s courtship last year.”

Sally hung her head. “I do not deserve your friendship. Last year, I heard all of Elizabeth’s plans to make you quit the courtship.” Sally swallowed. “I didn’t like them, but Mama warned me to say nothing lest I jeopardize my chances in the courtship.”

Georgette took Sally’s arm. “We know you were never cruel to anyone, unlike some of those other girls who followed Elizabeth’s example.”

As they descended the stairs, many guests were returning to their boxes, but a crowd still milled around the foyer. While they walked along, Julianne thought about all that Georgette and Amy had withheld from her last year. They had not wanted to take advantage of her because of Tristan’s courtship. She’d not learned the full extent of what had happened behind the scenes until the day after her brother’s betrothal ball.

“There they are in the center of the room,” Georgette said.

Sally worried her hands. “Oh, I do not wish to see them.”

“Hold your head high like a queen,” Julianne said. “We will walk past and pretend not to notice them.”

When they drew parallel, Elizabeth’s voice rang out. “Oh, look, the wallflowers are taking a stroll.”

“I should dearly love to box her ear,” Georgette muttered.

“Ignore them,” Amy said.

“Poor Julianne,” Elizabeth said, projecting her voice. “I wonder how she manages to hide her heartbreak.”

Red-hot anger sizzled through Julianne’s veins. She halted momentarily, wanting to put Elizabeth in her place once and for all, but Amy’s gentle voice forestalled her.

“Do not let her draw you in,” Amy said. “A confrontation will only make her more determined.”

Julianne drew in her breath. “It is very hard to do nothing.”

“Others are looking at her askance,” Amy said, peering over her shoulder. “She is her own worst enemy.”

“What drives her to such cruelty?” Georgette asked.

“If she were assured of herself, she would not bully others,” Amy said.

“I always thought her conceited and haughty,” Georgette said.

“Her only friends are those who fear becoming her victim. It is rather pathetic if you think about it,” Amy said. “One day, she will pay for her cruelty, but now we must return. The next act will begin soon.”

They reversed direction, climbed the stairs, and started down the corridor. Up ahead, a group of gentlemen huddled.

Georgette craned her head. “Oh, there are some of my brother’s friends. They are reputed to be rakes.” Her dimples showed as she grinned at Amy. “I wish a rake would kiss me.”

“Hush,” Amy said. “You don’t want them to hear you.”

Sally giggled. “She is teasing you.”

“Hah!” Julianne said. “Georgette is perfectly serious.”

As they drew closer, hearty masculine laughter erupted. Julianne’s curiosity got the better of her. She glanced at them out of the corner of her eye, only to meet the gaze of a tall, dark-haired man. She looked away and flinched when she heard the man speak.

“I say, is that not Hawk’s ward?”

“Leave her be, Archdale,” one of the other men said. “She’s not for the likes of you.”

“I cannot resist this opportunity,” Archdale said.

Then he stepped right into Julianne’s path and bowed. “Lady Julianne, this is a surprise.”

Archdale’s friends watched with guarded expressions.

Julianne lifted her brows. “Sir, have we been introduced?”

“It grieves me to think you would have forgotten,” he said. “But where is your guardian?”

She didn’t like the wicked gleam in his bloodshot eyes. “I beg your pardon?”

Archdale laughed. “I’d marked you as a sweet little confection. Have you escaped the nest, little chick?”

“You are mistaken, my lord. I am neither dessert nor poultry,” she said.

When Georgette giggled, Amy elbowed her.

“You have a tart tongue, Lady Julianne,” Archdale said. “I daresay you are leading Hawk a merry dance.”

Amy snapped her fan closed, drawing his attention.

“Your friend disapproves of me,” he said. “But I wager you like a bit of fun, don’t you, Lady Julianne?”

She looked at him warily. His bold manners intimidated her more than she’d like to admit.

He drew closer and flashed a crooked smile. “Do I frighten you, little one?”

“No. Do I scare you?” The moment the words flew from her mouth, a hand grasped her arm, eliciting a squeak from her.

“Julianne, you and your friends will come with me,” Hawk said in a deadly calm voice.

Her heart raced as she saw the murderous glare he turned on Archdale. A slim man with thinning brown hair urged Archdale to step aside. Hawk said nothing else as he led them past.

Hawk gritted his teeth as he led Julianne and her witless friends down the corridor. She’d been gone almost an hour, and then he’d found her flirting with that roué Archdale. Clearly, she’d not taken his warning seriously,
but before this night ended, she would pay for testing his will again.

He stopped outside his aunt’s box and watched until Georgette, Sally, and Amy disappeared from sight. Then he took Julianne by the shoulders. “My aunt and her friend Peckham are inside. You will keep quiet. Do you understand?”

“Hawk—”

He tightened his fingers on her shoulders. “Not a word.”

Her throat worked, but she said nothing.

When he led her inside, his aunt turned. “Ah, there you are at last. The curtain is rising.”

Peckham rose and bowed.

Hawk had no intention of sitting through the rest of the play. “Julianne is weary, Aunt. I regret we must leave.”

“I’m sorry, my dear,” Hester said. “I hope you are not ill.”

“No, only a bit tired,” Julianne said. “But I do not wish to interfere with your enjoyment of the play. I’m sure I’ll recover once it begins.”

A muscle in Hawk’s cheek twitched. “But you are fatigued.”

Hester regarded Mr. Peckham. “You will excuse me. I must see to Julianne.”

“Of course,” he said.

“Hester, I do not wish to spoil the play for you,” Julianne said. “Hawk may escort me home now, and perhaps Mr. Peckham would be kind enough to bring you home in his carriage when the play concludes.”

Hawk narrowed his eyes. He’d meant to include his aunt in a discussion about Julianne’s latest incident. Obviously,
Julianne had maneuvered matters, thinking to outwit him by escaping inside his aunt’s house.

“Are you sure, dear?” Hester asked, concern in her voice.

Julianne nodded. “Oh, yes, a good night’s sleep will see me restored.”

“You must rest,” Hester said to Julianne. “I will check on you later.”

When Hawk escorted Julianne out into the corridor, he glared at her. “Not a single word until we are in the carriage,” he said. “You don’t want to cross me again.”

A Lady’s Secrets of Seduction: Tell the truth, but you need not reveal everything.

T
he cool wind blew Julianne’s pelisse about as they walked to the carriage. “I know I was late, but I can explain.”

“Hold your tongue,” he gritted out.

His harsh expression chilled her.

After he handed her into the carriage, she scrambled to the seat and huddled next to the window. He followed and sat right beside her. The footman closed the door, and moments later, Hawk knocked his cane on the ceiling.

When the carriage lurched into motion, he turned on her. “You lied to my aunt.”

“I did not want to spoil the play for her.” She thought better of telling Hawk she’d not wanted to keep Hester from Mr. Peckham. As far as she could discern, Hawk
was oblivious to his aunt’s feelings for her gentleman friend.

“You thought to evade the consequences,” he said.

“Once again, you have jumped to conclusions before hearing me out,” she said.

“What were you doing talking to that rake?” he snapped.

“He waylaid us.”

“Don’t lie. You planned your little excursion, because you wanted to provoke me.”

“I wanted to speak to my friends privately,” she said. “And then Sally—”

“I don’t want to hear your excuses. You were gone nearly an hour.”

She glared at him. “How would you feel if I had power over you? How would you feel if I told you where you could go, to whom you could speak, with whom you could dance?” She put her fist to her heart. “You have made me your prisoner.”