Duke of Scandal (Moonlight Square, Book 1) (27 page)

Just as she had always known.

“I’ll stay,” she whispered, her own sentiments equally transparent in her eyes.

All is forgiven,
she told him with her gaze.

Folding her arms across her chest, she remained in the doorway and listened to him read the rest of the silly rhyming book about a mischievous cat getting stuck in a tree.

By the time the story ended, Simon was fast asleep, so Jason rose, laid his little son in his bed, and gently tucked him in.

CHAPTER 14

Making Up Properly

T
hey did not leave until Polly arrived to take over, but riding back to Town in Jason’s carriage, they were both utterly worn out. It was astonishing how one small, sick child could outlast two healthy adults.

“Of course, Chloe won’t return until he’s better,” Jason grumbled.

“You’re going to have to deal with that, you know. Her neglect. It’s not right of her to leave him so often. Rein her in, Jason. If you don’t, I will—once I’m your duchess.”

He glanced at her in surprise.

“Simon is too precious to be put through this,” she added.

He nodded, though he was at his wit’s end with his former mistress. “She says it’s unfair. That I have no right to try to ‘control her life.’”

“I don’t care if it’s fair or not,” Felicity said with a stern frown. “The boy needs his mother. If she doesn’t want to be there for him, then bring him home with us. I would never willingly take a child away from its mother, but if Miss Moore refuses to behave like a parent…blame it on me. I’m perfectly willing to play the villainess in this situation, as long as Simon’s needs are met. The same for Annabelle. Don’t forget, the law does favor the father. You would be perfectly well within your rights to alter the arrangements as you see fit.”

“Yes, but wouldn’t you be worried about…?”

“About what?”

“How it would look? Wouldn’t you mind? I mean, not many wives would put up with that. Surely the presence of my natural children in our house would only remind you constantly of how I…was.”

She glanced at him in fond reproach. “Surely you know me better than that by now. What matters are the children, not what Society thinks of anything. You’re a duke, anyway. You can fairly well do as you please. Haven’t you always?” she teased. “Anyway, the
ton’s
opinion hardly bothered you when you were causing scandals.”

“Yes, but this is different. I only had myself to worry about. If I am to become properly respectable—”

“You? Properly respectable? Perish the thought.” She chuckled with affection.

“I could!” he defended with a wry frown.

“You have a very black-and-white way of looking at things, don’t you?”

“Good or bad, it all seems pretty clear to me,” he admitted. “I just didn’t
mind
being bad when it was only my own reputation I had to worry about.”

“Hmm. No wonder you’ve felt so torn about what to do in life,” she murmured, caressing him to assure him it was not an accusation, merely an observation. “I think I see now. But darling, life’s not that simple. Sometimes things are more gray. Personally I don’t care if Simon and Annabelle are illegitimate. I just want what’s best for them.”

“As do I. I don’t really know what that might be, though. What do I know about children? Other than how to make them?”

“Well, it would be best for them to stay with their mothers, I presume, but only if these women can be made to care for them properly. All that aside, I truly do want the children to visit us at least once a week, preferably together. They need to know their father, and each other. They need to have some sense of belonging in a family. I won’t try to be their mother, it’s not my place, but they can look on me, oh, as a doting auntie who has their best interests at heart. What is it?”

He was studying her in the darkness. “You see?” he murmured. “This is why I love you.”

He leaned near and kissed her on the temple.

“I love you, too, Jason.” She let him pull her near. With his arm around her, she leaned her head on his brawny shoulder and whispered, “Whatever you do, don’t hide these little darlings away like you’re ashamed of them…because they’ll know. And it will hurt them terribly as they grow up and understand more. They’ll never forgive you. You know how it feels to be ignored by your parents,” she reminded him.

He nodded.

“So let’s bring them into our lives, bring them out into the open. They belong to you, so let’s love them,” she whispered.

Holding on to her hand, he was silent for a moment. “I was never ashamed of my children,” he said quietly. “I hope they never, ever think that. I was only ashamed of myself.”

Felicity gazed at him. It was quite an admission from the Duke of Scandal.

“Well, you need to let that go, my love. Shame serves no purpose. It will only hurt you. You’ve changed, as you said. I know you meant it. You’ve had a new start, with me, and it will be all right. But no more babies from now on,” she whispered, only half in jest, “unless they’re from me.”

“I am so looking forward to that.” He pulled her closer and kissed her on the head.

“I think you’re a good father,” Felicity said after a moment.

“Really?” he asked hopefully.

She nodded, moved by the warmth in his voice. “You did very well back there tonight. You see? All you needed was a little practice. And fewer servants doing everything for you, to force you into doing what you could have done all along.”

“How now, are you saying I’m spoiled, Miss Carvel?” He tilted his head with an indignant little smile.

She grinned. “Maybe a little. But where would you leave it?”

“Humph. We’ll see what you have to say about it once I’ve spoiled
you
.”

“You’re welcome to try.” Laughing, she tilted her head back and kissed his lips softly.

He looked into her eyes as their kiss ended. “Come home with me tonight,” he breathed. “We have some making up to do, as I recall.”

“Mmm, tempting.”

“We worked hard. We should relax… Take a bath after that little miscreant puked on me.” He laughed softly, then added, “Did you know my house has hot running water? I’m not sure the Prince Regent even has that at Carlton House.”

“See? Spoiled.”

He looked at her. “Very well, you may have a point. Nevertheless. Makes you feel like a Caesar sliding into that thing. Nice, sunken, tiled bath. Classical mosaics… You could spend the night,” he whispered, giving her a caress on her thigh through her skirts. “We can do this quite discreetly, if you’re game.”

“What about Mrs. Brown?”

“She’s not invited,” he said wickedly, in her ear. “Ah, she won’t miss you. Spend the night with me, my darling. I promise, I’ll make it worth your while.”

Felicity shivered with desire at his silken invitation. “What about your neighbors? Society? It’s too risky.”

“Don’t worry, I can get you in and out of my house without being seen. I have a
system
.”

“Jason!”

“From the old days,” he hastily amended. “The staff will know you’re there, but they’re already in love with you, and nothing I do shocks them anymore.”

“I’ll bet.” She sighed with pleasure as he nuzzled her earlobe.

“Come, my duchess. As I told you, it is my goal in life to spoil you from here on out. I’ll give you a nice hot bath, and then I’ll put
you
to bed.”

She quivered in spite of herself, well aware what that meant. He was just too naughty and so irresistible. “I suppose…I could come over for a little while…”

“Attagirl.” He pulled her onto his lap with a devilish smile.

She relaxed into his arms and laid her head on his shoulder. “We’re going to be very happy together, aren’t we, Jason?” she asked after a moment.

“Darling, I already am,” he confided softly. “Happier than I’ve ever been, thanks to you.”

“Me too,” she whispered, giving him a tender smile. Then she kissed him once more, her blood already heating in anticipation of the night ahead.

# # #

With her warm body jostling gently on his lap in time with the rocking motion of his carriage, Jason was already aroused and salivating at the prospect of getting her into his bed. He needed to confirm in the most primal way that he hadn’t lost her.

When the vehicle rolled into the coach house and halted amid the familiar scent of horses and hay, he jumped out while his servants saw to the team.

Turning to hand Felicity down from the carriage, he saw the glow in her eyes that told him she, too, was already excited. His pulse quickened with eagerness. His fingers closed around her delicate wrist, then he led her over to the slim, wrought iron spiral staircase that he’d long since had installed in the corner.

Up the steps he hurried her, circling to the top, where the shadows darkened. Then he spirited her into the enclosed, elevated walkway that discreetly connected his home and the coach house. The little covered footbridge with white gingerbread trim along the roof was quite picturesque from the outside. On the inside, their footfalls clomped over the wooden planks of the floor.

“I can’t believe you had this built to accommodate your trysts,” she remarked.

“You can’t?” he asked dryly.

She paused midway through the passage, glancing out one of the narrow windows, through which the moonlight shone. “Nice view of the garden.”

“No dawdling. Come.” Unlocking the door at the end of the passageway, he escorted her into the second story of his house. The rarely used chamber on the receiving end of the passage had once been a garden-facing sitting room with a balcony, so the doors and some of the structural supports had already been in place when he had been wickedly inspired.

But in truth, the passage had been a great convenience for a dedicated rakehell. It stopped nosy neighbors and gossip columnists from spying on him and his various female guests.

Of course, it was unlikely that anyone believed his excuse that he’d only had it built to keep him dry when he had to go out in inclement weather. His Grace wouldn’t want to catch a cold, now, would he? Thankfully, his blood was already quite hot as he whisked his bride-to-be into his house, unseen by prying eyes.

With her deflowering out of the way, he couldn’t wait for their second time together. He knew when a woman wanted him, and the desire radiating from her thrilled him to his core. Perhaps she needed to affirm their bond, as well, after it had been tested by the day’s events.

The awareness between them was intense as he tried to act natural in front of the night footman, who took their coats and offered him a lighted candelabra.

“We do not wish to be disturbed,” Jason said pointedly, taking it from him.

“Yes, Your Grace.” The footman bowed and retreated, well aware what that meant.

As Jason turned back to Felicity, he hoped it wasn’t too obvious to her or the servant that he was already panting for the woman. Truly, though, the plans he had in mind for her tonight were very much a fantasy come true for him.

He laced his fingers through hers and, holding the candle branch in his other hand, led her up the marble staircase into the lofty, shadowed recesses of the third floor and down the hallway to his bedchamber.

She balked just a little at the threshold, staring wide-eyed at his huge, gilded canopy bed.

He kissed her to remind her it was safe. “Welcome,” he murmured.

“To your lair?” she asked with a breathless little catch in her voice.

He tugged her close with an arm around her waist. “Our lair, soon. Make yourself at home.” He stole a kiss and let her go. “I’m going to draw the bath. Don’t run away,” he cajoled her with a playful half-smile as he moved toward the smaller, connecting room.

She tracked him with a vixenish gaze. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Good.” He stepped into the bathing room, placed the stopper in the drain, and turned on the hot water tap over the elegant, sunken tub. The whole setup had cost him a fortune, from the cistern on the rooftop to the coal furnace heating the water.

But this was one luxury that had proved absolutely worth it. It had soothed his muscles divinely on many occasions after a particularly hard session at the fencing or boxing studios where he trained.

When he returned to his bedchamber, Felicity was wandering around, shyly looking at everything. The rich gold draperies hanging from his canopy bed. The pillows piled against the headboard, with its painted medallion bearing his ducal crest. She gazed at the rug and the white hearth piece. Loath to rush her—indeed, savoring their time together—Jason let her get accustomed to her surroundings and went over to light another few candles.

Felicity glanced at herself as she wandered past the large cheval glass, then paused by his dressing table and took a sniff from the bottle of his cologne, smiling at him. “It smells like you. I love that smell.”

From there, she continued along to the closed French doors leading to the balcony off his bedchamber and pulled the curtains shut. “It’s a very nice room. Quite luxurious…just as I’d expect.”

He folded his arms across his chest, entertained by her interest. “I’m glad you’re pleased.”

Drifting past him, she peered into the bathing room, scanned the mosaics, the tropical plants in urns, the woven rug on the floor, and the basket of plush towels waiting for them. He watched her saunter over to the bathing tub itself and glance into it.

“It’s terribly convenient, isn’t it?” she remarked.

“It is,” he replied, his heart pounding with anticipation.

“It’s starting to get deep,” she said as she came back into the bedroom.

“Then we should get undressed,” he said, trying to sound nonchalant.

“I have buttons,” she warned, turning around and pointing at her back.

“Indeed you do.” He crossed to her at once, his fingers already tingling for the task. He did not point it out, but he was something of an expert at getting women out of their clothing.