Princess Charming (26 page)

Maura let out a wistful sigh. She didn’t believe in fairy tales or fated lovers and yet … why did she find herself fervently wishing that Ash’s pretense of love could be real?

Her questions about
Ash’s feelings for her remained unanswered, yet Maura did have the opportunity to meet Lord Deering that very evening—not at Drury Lane Theatre as they’d expected, but at a ridotto given by Lord and Lady Pelham, who were prime leaders in London’s political sphere.

Much of the elite company present wore masks and dominoes, but Deering eschewed any disguise, which made him highly recognizable. When Maura spied him across the room, standing near the punch bowl, she slipped away from Ash and brought her cup to be refilled by a servant.

Upon turning back, she made certain to cross paths with Deering and paused to offer him a tentative smile. “My lord, how good it is to see you again.”

Deering’s expression, which hitherto had been bored, darkened to a scowl as he identified Maura through her mask. Yet she pasted a smile in place, determined to remain calm and, if not charming, then at least pleasant.

“I am pleased to have this opportunity to speak to you, my lord. I wish to apologize for my rude behavior the last time we met,” she offered, referring to their physical altercation in Hyde Park when she’d taken his own crop to him.

When Deering eyed her with suspicion, she added sweetly, just as if she wasn’t still furious at him for beating her innocent horse. “I was highly upset about losing my stallion then, but now that matters are settled, I am eager to put our past disagreements behind us.”

His irritation obvious, Deering muttered an inaudible reply under his breath and turned away.

Maura, however, would not allow him to dismiss her so easily. “Lord Beaufort’s cousin, Lady Skye Wilde, is holding a concert tomorrow evening at the home she shares with her brother, Lord Traherne. My stepsisters will be performing, and we would be delighted if you would honor us with your presence.”

Deering cast her a sour glance over his shoulder. “Why the devil should I wish to honor you?”

“Because it would show that there are no lingering hard feelings between us. It would also be kind of you to tender your support for my young stepsisters. I know Mrs. Collyer would be thrilled if you would lend us your countenance.”

“I think not,” he returned stiffly.

Maura kept her tone contrite. “I can see that you are still angry at me, my lord. But I fully intend to return the funds that my stepmother received from you in exchange for Emperor’s deed of sale. I want to be completely fair, you know.”

His jaundiced look was a mix of distrust and resentment, as if he couldn’t determine why Maura was offering him a proverbial olive branch.

“Do please come tomorrow,” she begged prettily. “The concert will begin at eight o’clock, with a buffet supper afterward.”

With an engaging smile that made her jaws ache, Maura sketched a curtsy and took her leave of the glowering viscount.

Afterward, she went in search of Ash, whom she found occupied with partnering their hostess in a minuet. Then she herself was solicited for the next set of dances. The moment she was free, she spied Ash speaking to the viscount, but it was nearly an hour later before she had the opportunity to speak to him in private, to report on her progress and ask about his.

“I did as you asked,” she told him. “I was all charm and politeness to Deering, even though it made my skin crawl.”

Ash nodded in approval. “Your sacrifice was worthwhile, since you paved the way for my success. When I told Deering I wanted a chance to win the deed for your wedding gift, he leapt at the chance to play me, and he agreed to meet me evening after next. I allowed him his choice of locations, and not surprisingly, he chose Sutter’s. Jack has played there before and says it’s a fairly reputable club, so I doubt the proprietor or employees were involved in marking the cards when Deering played against your father.”

Distracted by the first part of his announcement, Maura gave a small frown. “That is only two days from now.”

“Is that a problem?”

“No, not at all. It is just that … matters are coming to a head more quickly than I anticipated.”

“The sooner we expose Deering’s cheating, the sooner your father can be exonerated.”

She would be thrilled to have her father’s good name restored, but Maura suddenly realized how short time was growing. If their plan succeeded, in a few more days it could all be over and her betrothal to Ash would end—which meant she would have to decide quickly about the terms of their parting.

She said nothing to Ash just then, for she hadn’t fully resolved the conflicting forces warring inside her, a struggle between desire and prudence. But later, after they returned home, she committed to her momentous decision when she managed another private moment with him.

“Will you come to my room tonight?” she murmured.

His gaze was searching as it swept her face. “Why?”

“Because I want to be your lover.”

A flicker of fire lit his eyes, yet he didn’t instantly leap to accept her invitation as she’d expected.

“You said the choice to become lovers was mine,” Maura pressed at his hesitation, “and I have chosen. I don’t want to be seen wandering the halls of your house, however, and your apartments are closer to your sister’s than is comfortable. So you will have to come to me.”

When still Ash didn’t reply, Maura eyed him uncertainly. “Isn’t your offer to show me passion still open?”

His taut mouth relaxed in a smile. “Yes, if that is what you want.”

“I do. I want to make the most of our remaining time together.”

“Very well, I will come to you tonight, a half hour after we retire.”

His tame response puzzled Maura, for despite his words, Ash seemed reluctant somehow, as if he wasn’t as eager to fully consummate their intimacy as she was. Yet time had taken on a new urgency for her, since they had so little of it left to be together.

She had no chance to discuss his reticence further, though, because Lady Isabella claimed his attention by asking him to pour her a glass of sherry.

Maura was left wondering if Ash’s latent scruples were coming to the fore. From the very first, he had claimed his honor wouldn’t allow him to seduce her, and it would hardly be the act of a gentleman to take her virginity. Or perhaps he just didn’t believe that she was truly serious about wanting to be his lover in full.

If so, she would simply have to convince him, Maura concluded, beset by conflicting feelings of nervousness and anticipation about the night to come.

Ash could not have explained his hesitation to Maura, for he wasn’t certain he understood it himself. There was no question that he wanted to make love to her; he did, badly. Yet he wasn’t pleased with her reasons for deciding to become his lover.

Maura wasn’t committing herself to a future with him or planning for their betrothal to result in marriage. In fact, it seemed evident that she meant to bolt as soon as her need for him was over.

When she admitted him to her bedchamber an hour
later, the fleeting smile Maura gave him only confirmed his suspicions. She was tense and on edge, he realized as she quietly closed the door behind him and backed away. Not precisely the reception he wanted.

Ash remained standing by the door as he took stock of her appearance. Maura wore a simple batiste nightgown, and he could see shadows of womanly curves through the delicate fabric. The room was dim, lit only by a low-burning lamp and the hearth fire, but the golden flames lent an ethereal glow to her ivory skin and gilded the fair hair that flowed down her back.

In return, Maura noted his brocade dressing gown, which he wore over his trousers, and clasped her hands together as if to bolster her courage.

“I see this was a mistake,” Ash murmured. “You are having second thoughts.”

“No, not at all.”

“Then why do you look as if you fear my ravishment?”

“I don’t fear it.… It is just that … well, you seemed so reluctant to accept my invitation that I knew I would have to take the initiative and seduce
you
, but I am not experienced at seduction, and I worry that I may botch the whole thing.”

At her rushed, breathless explanation, a surge of tender amusement stirred inside Ash, yet her reply still didn’t satisfy him. “Your nervousness doesn’t explain why you only now decided we should become lovers.”

“I told you why. We may only have a few days left together before we go our separate ways, and I want to make the most of them.”

Her conviction that they would be going their separate
ways did not sit well with Ash, yet he couldn’t refute her rationale. Nor could he claim that bedding Maura would make any difference to their current relationship, or to their future. Just because they became lovers did not mean they had to marry. If he took her now, he was not necessarily sealing their fate forever.

“I want to be with you, Ash,” she added when he was silent. “Even if it won’t last. Please, stay with me tonight.”

“Not unless you are certain of your own mind.”

“I am certain. I am four and twenty and I am unlikely to ever marry. I don’t want to die a barren spinster without ever knowing what it is like to have a lover.”

As declarations went, that was unsatisfying also, although he should be pleased that she had finally let down her guard with him enough to give him her body. And even if she wasn’t professing her undying devotion to him, he couldn’t force himself to turn down her offer. It felt natural and right being with Maura, and he could finally sate his powerful, possessive desire for her.

However, there were other considerations. “You realize that if there is a child, we would have to wed?”

“But there won’t be a child. I know how to prevent that from happening.”

Crossing to her bedside table, she opened a drawer and drew out a small pouch. He knew exactly what the pouch contained since two of his former mistresses had relied on the same precautions.

“Sponges? Where did you get those?”

Her blush suggested embarrassment. “It doesn’t matter.”

She was right, he conceded. It didn’t matter how she had learned a Cyprian’s tricks. And even without sponges, he could withdraw from her body to keep his seed from taking root, if he found the willpower.…

His continued silence made Maura frown, though. “I did not expect you to refuse my invitation, Ash. Do you not want to make love to me?”

“Certainly I do. I would have to be dead not to want it.”

“Then why are you waiting?” she demanded in a disgruntled, impatient tone. “I should not have to beg and plead with a rake like you.”

Ash felt a quiver of tender laughter deep in his chest. “No, you shouldn’t. Very well then, you are welcome to seduce me.”

She still looked discomfited by his suggestion. “What should I do?”

“You can begin by kissing me.”

Dutifully she took a step closer and raised her face to his. Her warm, soft lips were pliant and willing, yet he could feel the tension in her body when he divested Maura of her nightdress and tossed it aside.

Ash began talking to ease her nervousness as he shed his own clothing, starting with his robe. “I confess surprise that you are taking such care to prevent conception. You don’t want children of your own?”

The diversion seemed to work, for her expression immediately softened. “Yes, I do want children, although not outside of marriage. I’ve helped to birth any number of foals and have seen the miracle firsthand. It is the most amazing thing imaginable.”

“I will take your word for it.”

“Have you never seen a foal being born?”

Her question somehow seemed endearing, as if it was perfectly common for a genteel young lady to know about such things as equine birth.

“I can’t say that I have.”

“You have missed out on a remarkable experience. When a foal tries to rise on its spindly little legs to take its first steps toward its mother … well, there is nothing more precious.”

Ash smiled to himself as he projected his thoughts into the future. If Maura was half as good with children as she was with horses, she would make a wonderful mother.

He very much liked the idea of Maura being the mother of his children, Ash thought as he paused for a moment to look his fill of her. She was perfect, from her ripe breasts, to her slender waist, to her gently flaring hips, to her creamy thighs, to her long, shapely calves and feet. He could picture her lovely body swollen with his son or daughter—an image that warmed him to his core.

It crossed his mind that pregnancy would bind Maura to him, but he knew she had to come to him by her own choice, of her own free will. He intended to influence her decision, however, by making her crave him as much as he craved her.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Ash removed his slippers and stockings and trousers, and when he finished undressing, he beckoned to Maura. “Come here, sweeting.”

When she obeyed, he drew her between his spread thighs, bringing his naked loins fully against hers.
The hot shock of contact made her draw in a sharp breath … a sound that was repeated when he reached out and fondled one nipple lightly. It stiffened and seemed to thrust out against his fingers.