Secret Pleasures (27 page)

“I am far from a grown woman,” she said when the servant backed away with a bow
.
“But I want to rectify that situation in a manner of my own choosing.”

“Indeed.
”
Ivy sipped her sherry
.

“I mean to seduce Robert
.
I’d like for you to help me
.
Please, Ivy.
”
The girl’s sincere gaze forced Ivy to
lean
back in her chair
. 

Suddenly, Ivy was not at all sure if she should encourage Arianna
.
There might be tender hearts involved here.

Arianna’s gaze had locked again on Robert
.
Ivy turned to find Darien staring boldly, feasting on Ivy with a lustful gaze that showed no signs of restraint
.
Robert, who must have accidently met Arianna’s desperate gaze, abruptly turned and showed her his back.

“Does Robert know of your desire?” Ivy picked up the cards
.
She dealt them each a hand, to give Arianna something to do besides gape at Robert
.
“Men don’t usually need much encouragement beyond that.”

Arianna’s wobbled sigh alerted Ivy to the fact the girl held back tears
.

“I did indeed tell him in no uncertain terms.
”
Arianna lowered her voice, placed the cards in front of her mouth
.
“I told him that I want him to be my first lover.
”
Her swallowed sob tore at Ivy’s heart
.
“He claimed to have no interest, brushing off our acquaintance as no more than a light flirtation.”

“A light flirtation can lead to the most interesting peccadilloes.
”
Ivy really did not want to encourage Arianna, but she could not stand for her to think herself rejected
.
Though, Robert no doubt had very good reason for keeping his grandfather’s bride-to-be at arm’s length.

“For you, perhaps.
”
Arianna studied Ivy’s face, then dropped her gaze to the crimson gown’s low neckline and Ivy’s impossible-to-ignore attributes
.

“Don’t underestimate your appeal, Arianna
.
Men fall helplessly and hopelessly for the innocent, as well
.
Especially if the girl in question is hiding a bit of the wicked underneath.”

“I can assure you I am not what I appear, Miss Templeton
.
I usually wear spectacles and have a full grasp of anatomy
.
Not only of the skeletal and musculature system, but of the vascular, as well.”

“I had no idea.
”
Ivy blinked, not sure what to make of her confession
.
Her grasp of academia was not exactly what she meant
.

“And you would also be scandalized to know
—
”

Music filled the room and Ivy quickly turned to find Darien at the piano again
.
Ivy could not pull herself away from watching him play
.
The wrinkles around his face and eyes softened
.
He glanced to her as if drawn by her gaze on him
.
Their eyes locked, instantly warming Ivy’s insides
.
He stared another moment, passion building in his gaze as the music’s tempo increased
.
Heat curled in Ivy’s sex forcing her to cross her legs
.
She
had
not bother
ed
with a fan
tonight, but now
wished she had
.
Her face burned
.
She turned back to Arianna
.
Tonight she and Darien would thoroughly make amends
.
They had too little time left together to waste
.

“You were saying something about scandalizing me before I was rudely distracted?
”
Even Ivy’s voice had grown husky
.
She cleared her throat, amazed what Darien could do to her with just a smoldering glance
.
“Do go on.”

“Perhaps not scandalize, but shock.
”
Arianna had obviously watched her and Darien’s exchange
.
Her shoulders sagged and she picked at the fingers of her lace gloves
.
“Disgust would probably be a better word
.
I should not have mentioned it at all
.
My mother says no one with any breeding would be interested in my morbid hobby.”

Ivy snapped herself out of her dreamy trance
.
“Now I must know
.
Morbid hobby
?
My dear, you are indeed hiding something fascinating under that pristine exterior.”

Arianna pulled a pale pink ribbon from her hair
.
“This is all my mother’s doing
.
I look ghastly in white
.
Usually I don’t bother with anything but dark colors, brown and dark blue
.
It doesn’t show blood.”

Arianna met Ivy’s gaze
.
“Should I go on?”

Ivy nodded, took a bracing gulp of sherry.

“I have dissected over a hundred cadavers
.
I studied at
Guy’s Hospital
.
That’s where I met Robert
.
I volunteered as a nurse when I wasn’t studying. Robert was ministering to the sick.
Of course I could not attend classes with the men
,
but I was allowed private tutors, and shall we say, a use of the facilities
.
Once I mastered the written material, I was granted access to the
…
corpses.
”
Arianna shrugged
.
“Forgive me
.
You must be appalled.”

“No, not at all,” Ivy swallowed, realizing she entirely underestimated Arianna Maddox
.
“And Robert knew of your interests?”

“He encouraged them,” she said passionately
. 
“But now he seems to think me merely an annoying child.”

“So is that why you are agreeing to the marriage?”

“I have no choice
.
If Robert had true feelings for me perhaps
…
”
Arianna lowered her head
.
“But he claims he does not.”

Ivy glanced in Robert’s direction to catch him staring at Arianna
.
His frown mirrored Arianna’s obvious unhappiness.

“I would wager that he was not completely honest with you
.
Men are not always willing to admit the secrets of their hearts.”

“Robert has his reasons for denying having any affection for me
.
He does not wish to dishonor his family.
”
Arianna took a small sip of her sherry and winced
.
“I didn’t realize the earl and he were related
.
Or that his family depended upon grandfather’s good will for their sustenance.

“I am afraid that is true.
”
Ivy reached her hand out and covered Arianna’s
.
“Neither of you shall be the first to have had to make such a sacrifice.”

“As you made such a sacrifice.”

Ivy instantly stiffened against the reminder of a wound that would never heal
.
Arianna pulled her hand away.

“Forgive me, Ivy
.
I did not mean to overstep the bounds of our friendship
.
I should not have assumed
—
”

“I made my choice and do not regret the path I chose.
”
Ivy tried to smile against the chill she knew crept into her voice every time she spoke of her broken engagement to Darien.

“I did not mean to offend
.
It’s just that, well
…
your prior relationship with Lord Blackmore is common knowledge, more like legend, really
.
But here you are together and I so want to have a little time with Robert
.
It does not seem like too much to ask.”

“No offense taken, Arianna
.
Let’s make a vow never to fear revealing ourselves to each other
.
With whom else are we to share our sorrows?
”
Ivy laughed as Arianna laid her hand on her heart and held up her left hand in a solemn pledge
.
Truly touched by the girl’s sincerity, Ivy was more tha
n
a bit humbled by her obvious admiration.

“I vow, Ivy
. 
We shall always be frank with each other.”

“Agreed.
”
Ivy took Arianna’s hand in a firm shake, a gesture which would seem less odd to curious onlookers, something Ivy had never been able to avoid
.
“So, back to Robert
.
We both suspect he refuses you for honor’s sake.”

“Yes, Robert is honorable, isn’t he?
”
Arianna's gaze was still sad, but her mouth tightened
.
She squared her shoulders
.
“Which is one of the reasons I can’t stop myself from loving him
.
Please, Ivy
.
He won’t have me after I’m married like any other normal aristocrat, so I must persuade him to be my lover before
.
My mother claims losing one’s virginity is not pleasant, but after the marriage night it will become tolerable
.
When I am with Robert Fitzgerald I can’t imagine the act to be anything so bland.
”

Arianna pressed a hand against her flushed cheek
.
“Tell me I’m wrong.
”

“You’re not wrong.”

“When he’s near, the sound of his voice makes me crave things that once shocked me
.
As I said, I have a full grasp of anatomy
.
I know the workings of the human body.”

“All right, Arianna.
”
Lily snuck up behind them and both Arianna and Ivy jumped
.
“I have a couple of fat sheep waiting for their fleecing.”

They followed Lily’s gaze to a matching set of white-wigged matrons both dressed in eggplant colored gowns
.
The ladies smiled sweetly in their direction
.
One of the women shuffled expertly, jeweled rings glistening on every finger
.

Henry Maddox walked into the room
.
His scowl deepened when he spotted Ivy and Arianna sitting alone together
.
Arianna immediately sat back in her seat and dropped her gaze
.
Henry paused as if he meant to march in their direction and scold Arianna
.
Instead, he turned and walked toward Robert who stood on the far side of the room with his sister and father
.

Ivy reached for Arianna’s hand under the table
.
She could not let the girl face her marriage bed with thoughts of anatomy books and tolerability dancing in her head.

“Do not fear
.
I will help you in your quest.”

***

Darien stood from the piano the moment Henry Maddox headed directly for his nephew
.
Instead of hopping over the piano bench, his first impulse, Darien skirted the obstacle, intending to put himself between the two men.

“You are to perform the wedding
.
Is that correct?
”
Maddox rudely assessed Robert from head to toe.

“Yes
.
That is correct.
”
Robert agreed flatly.

Mrs. Maddox rushed to stand beside her husband.

“This is Reverend Fitzgerald
.
He is
Mrs.
Fitzgerald’s son, and nephew to the earl
.
He has recently been made a bishop so we are honored to have him join us tonight.”

“Yes, yes.
”
Henry Maddox shook off his wife’s grip
.
“I know who he is
.
He looks fresh from the nursery but if he’s ordained I suppose he’ll do
.
I heard you were opening the church on the grounds. Is it done?”