Nothing Denied (5 page)

Chapter Four

T
he Marquis of Highcroft did not seem to be the kind of man who shocked easily. In fact, before his marriage and his wife’s untimely death, Beatrice had some vague recol ections that he had been known for shocking others. So when he drew back, eyes wide and mouth open, she actual y felt a swel of pride. Whether or not he took her offer, he would certainly never forget her.

And that actual y seemed like a success.

“Are you asking for my hand in marriage?” he asked after a few long seconds of silence.

She rol ed her eyes. “I suppose it is something like that, though I prefer to cal it something far less sil y and romantic. I am making you a business offer.”

After another breath of shocked silence, he shook his head. “My dear, where is your chaperone?”

Beatrice blinked in confusion. “I beg your pardon?”

He motioned around him wildly. “Clearly, you are not safe to be left unattended if you run around making marriage proposals to men you have met al of two times.”

Beatrice narrowed her gaze. There was nothing she hated more than the arrogance of a man who did not understand she had her own mind and was perfectly capable of using it. Stil , she had to be careful not to lose her temper, for it had gotten her in trouble more than once.

“I came to the park with a friend and her mother,”

she said through grinding teeth. “However, they were distracted and I managed to slip away when I saw you.”

“Do you not think they wil notice your absence and make search? What wil they say when they find us alone together?”

Beatrice tightened her jaw. “In al honesty, Amelia’s mother is probably just as happy to be rid of me.”

“Is that so?” he drawled as he folded his arms. “And why is that?”

She sighed heavily. “As I said, I do not have prospects and I tend to ruin those of the people around me. Now please, be serious and let us discuss my proposal.”

He shook his head and continued to stare at her like she was some kind of alien creature. “I do not know how you can put the word
serious
in the same sentence as one referring to this ridiculous offer you are making.”

Panic rose up in Beatrice’s chest, but she shoved it back. “And why not? You cannot deny that I speak the truth.
No one
wishes to marry you, my lord. In fact, I have heard whispers that those in our sphere do not even want you in their homes. Your attempts at reentering Society have been limited to appearances in public places like the opera last night or today in Hyde Park. Am I wrong?”

To her surprise, Highcroft merely tilted his head in acquiescence. He was staring at her stil , but his expression had begun to transform from one of utter horror and shock to a look of interest. She clung to the slender reed of hope it gave her and continued.

“How do you think you wil ever make a match if no one wil so much as speak to you?” She shrugged. “It seems perfectly reasonable to me that you would consider turning to another person who was just as shunned by Society.”

“And that person is you?” he asked.

She nodded, fighting to keep from blushing in humiliation. “Yes. Trust that there is no woman anyone wants less. But I stil believe we could both benefit greatly from a match.”

He simply stared at her when she was silent to al ow him to speak. She shifted uncomfortably.

“It isn’t as if I’m some servant grasping for a higher place,” she explained. “My father was a gentleman and my brothers-in-law are both of highly elevated status.”

To her great relief, he nodded. “Indeed, that is true. My objection is not due to your lack of breeding, Miss Albright.”

She blinked. He could not say no. She had to find a way to stop him from refusing. No matter what.

“Then what
is
your objection?”

He hesitated then a low chuckle reverberated from his lips. The sound of it curled up her spine and made her body tingle in a strange and powerful way. She sucked in a breath and tried to make it stop.

“I object because I don’t think you real y know what you are asking for, little girl.”

The tingles she had been trying to suppress fled at his arrogance. She placed a hand on each hip and glared at him.

“Don’t you cal me that. You have no idea who I am or what I know or what I’ve seen.” Her reminders to stay calm left her mind in an instant. “You are such a typical, arrogant lord, aren’t you? You pretend to be more, that you lurk behind this mysterious, al uring shadow, but you stil don’t see anyone but yourself. I think you might you stil don’t see anyone but yourself. I think you might be the most—”

She didn’t get a chance to finish. Not when Gareth grasped her wrist, hauled her against his chest and crushed his mouth to hers in a fashion that was anything but gentle or coaxing.

No, he devoured her. It wasn’t exactly the first kiss Beatrice had imagined when she al owed herself such flights of fancy. And yet the bruising, punishing pressure on her lips lit a fire inside of her that quickly rose to terrifying heights. She felt hot and yet shivery al at once, her legs shook, her nipples ached, her sheath clenched.

Even as an innocent with only the words whispered in back rooms about what would happen when a man and woman joined together, she felt the promise in his kiss. When he pressed his tongue past her lips and assaulted the cavern of her mouth, she pictured the way he might breach her body with his. He would not be gentle, but he would bring her pleasure. He would
force
her pleasure and control it.

Which was a rather terrifying thought.

Suddenly he yanked away from her, letting her stagger back without any gentlemanly offer of assistance. She lifted a hand to her hot, throbbing lips and stared at him in stunned silence.

“Now then, do you stil think you might like to marry me?” he asked, his breath coming in pants.

She stared at him, a faint twinge of disappointment troubling her. It appeared he hadn’t kissed her out of desire, but as some kind of tactic to put her off her plan.

“Wa s
that
meant to frighten me, my lord?” She laughed and hoped it sounded stronger than she felt. “It did not. My offer stil stands. Are you man enough to take it and resolve both our problems?”

He watched her for a long, charged moment and then he began to laugh. “Oh yes, breaking you would be a delight.”

She cocked her head. She wasn’t sure she liked the idea of being broken, even though the tone he used when he said it seemed to cut through her like a heated knife.

“My dear, perhaps you do not know this, but my lowered reputation does not only involve my wife’s—”

He broke off and shook his head. “Wel , it doesn’t just involve the rumors around her death. You see, even before I married, even before I became infamous, I was considered somewhat of a liability for some of the more attentive families. Do you know why?”

She shook her head, struck momentarily dumb by the mesmerizing way he was moving toward her. Like she was a helpless mouse and he a snake. No one ever treated her like that. Most men were ninnies around her, easily frightened away by her sharp tongue.

“Wel , you see I have certain
passions
…certain
proclivities
when it comes to women. And I’ve learned through harsh experience that any woman who cal s me husband must be able to bear those things or else our marriage wil be a very unhappy one, indeed.” He reached out and traced a finger down her cheek. “You are a strong-wil ed woman, Beatrice. You might not like what marrying and bedding with me would entail.”

She shivered as his fingers moved to her throat, tracing the curve there before he found the lacy slope of her gown’s neckline and teased his fingers just beneath the surface. She realized she should flinch away, but she couldn’t. His touch was like liquid lightning. Al heat and explosive energy that brought a throbbing urgency to her body.

“What are you saying?” she whispered, hating her broken voice, hating the way her skin flushed and gave away her secret pleasure at his forward, distasteful display.

display.

“I wil never again take a woman for a bride who could not participate in my activities.” He smiled, but it was thin. “So if you want to form a union with me, I am proposing a test.”

“A…a test?” she repeated stupidly, stil captivated by his warm touch.

He nodded. “An affair.”

Beatrice found herself stepping backward as the utter shock of what he was suggesting hit her. She stared at him as she tried to muster indignation, disgust, outright rage…

Only none of those things rose up in her. In fact, the reactions that did come were not what she expected and they made her cheeks flush.

Interest. Titil ation. And worst of al , desire. If other women and their families shied away from whatever sexual interests he had, they must be terrible, indeed, and yet she couldn’t help but long to know more. To experience
some
kind of passion. It had been so long since any man showed an interest in her that she had almost forgotten what heated regard felt like.

That memory that had been brought back

immediately when Gareth kissed her. In that passionate moment she had felt wanted, desirable

…and owned in a way she hadn’t expected.

“An affair,” she whispered.

He shrugged. “I wil understand when you say no. After al , it isn’t an arrangement most women of your station would ever accept, and with very good reason.”

Beatrice’s eyes narrowed as she observed the boredom in his posture and the expectation in his eyes. He thought his suggestion would frighten her away, keep her from pursuing the only course of action left open to her.

Wel , he clearly didn’t ful y understand her straits. She had to marry at any cost. She couldn’t afford to refuse this chance, but she
could
negotiate terms.

“I’m not afraid of you, no matter how you try to manipulate me,” she said, moving closer even as her trembling body screamed at her to run away, far and fast. “Now tel me, sir, is your offer a genuine one or are you only trying to put me off?”

He leaned in closer. “Trust me, sweetling, I don’t ask someone to be my lover unless I mean it.”

A swel of relief fil ed her, but she shoved it aside. She couldn’t just accept his stunning proposal without delving deeper into the particulars.

“I want to be certain I understand you,” she said, folding her arms. The action brought his gaze down to her breasts and she started as he stared with a feral smile. He was ogling her…and she rather liked it.

“Do continue,” he pressed, arching a brow. “What are you uncertain of?”

She shook off her discomfort. “You are saying that if I engaged in an affair with you and you felt I could stand th–the lifestyle you are apparently involved in, you would wed me?”

He nodded. “Yes. If we were a good match in bed, you are correct that a marriage between us would solve both our problems.”

Silent joy flooded her. She was so close to her objective now, there was no turning back.

“And how long would you expect me to conduct an affair with you before you fulfil ed your promise to marry me?”

He tilted his head as if examining her closer. “I think we would both know within a fortnight whether we were compatible. If we came to terms, we could be married within a few days of that time.”

She nodded. Counting in travel time and unexpected contingencies, she could be married within a month if he was to be trusted. How bewitching that prospect was, and al it would entail was a bit of faith on her part.

And yet that was the hardest thing to offer. Faith was so easily crushed, as she wel knew.

Piercing him with a pointed stare, she said, “My only concern is what wil happen if you go back on what you promise. I think I can endure anything you ask of me, but what if you change your mind at the end of the affair? What if you use me, take my virtue and then refuse to marry me?”

He drew back and it was genuine offense that flickered in his stare. “That would be the height of dishonor, Miss Albright. I may be many things, but a cad is not one of them.”

“I’m certain no cad has ever denied his true colors,”

she snapped, her tone dripping sarcasm. “You may tel me your word is your bond al day, however it doesn’t change the fact that in our current positions, you hold al the power and I hold al the risk.”

He stared at her a long, heated moment, as if her words had conjured up some image that pleased and aroused him. She found herself drawn in by his stare, held captive by how focused he had become on her. His ability to hold her sway wasn’t one she had experienced before, and truth be told it frightened her a little.

And yet what choice did she have?

“I suppose you are correct that you’re risking the greater consequence,” he final y said when the silence had seemed to stretch out forever. “If it would make you feel better, I can have a contract drawn up between us. Something that provides you with a more than handsome living should I go back on my word. One way or another, when we were finished, you would have your independence whether by your marriage to me or via a monetary settlement.”

Beatrice’s lips pursed as she considered Gareth’s bargain in ful detail. She considered her situation first and foremost. Whatever she did, it was highly unlikely that she could change the
ton
’s view of her. The lack of invitations this week was only the first step down the road to ful y becoming an old maid. And she could smile or simper or pretend to be a fragile dove al she wanted, but too many had seen her true character. The men who didn’t know her would be warned away, the women would enjoy her downfal because she had cut them down over the years.

Because of her own behavior, any bargaining chips she had gained from her sisters’ good marriages or the respected quality of her father’s name had long been crushed. Certainly, her virginity was not even an issue. Not since no man could see past her poor conduct and overbearing mother.

If remaining chaste would not help her, why should she not use her body in a different way to obtain her freedom? It didn’t mean she would surrender her soul or her heart. Her body would become a commodity and in the end she would win what she desired most. Wasn’t that worth the sacrifice? Especial y when considering the alternative.