The Letter (27 page)

Hell, and she was standing in a large group of gaping men
.

Blind jealous fury raced through William like wildfire. How had she gotten in to this exclusive affair and why?

William took in the scene of Victoria surrounded by lusty-eyed gentlemen…
his very own acquaintances as enthralled by her beauty as he was!

Damn her.

How dare she come here! She, who was only his was dressed like that, so that the entire world could enjoy her exotic beauty?

Just wait until he put his hands on the bold girl!

With exquisite control, gained only through his years of discipline, William gently led Faith through the horde toward Victoria on a false errand of greeting to an acquaintance, Colonel Burk.

With Faith on his arm, William stopped a few yards from Victoria and her devotees to talk to Colonel Burk, a long time friend of his father. While Faith chatted with the Colonel and his wife, William was close enough to eavesdrop on the conversations being carried on a few feet away between Victoria and her admirers.

Victoria saw William from the corner of her eye. To her jealous satisfaction he had made his way over to her almost immediately upon entering the ball. There was no mistaking the fury in his eyes that scalded her as he moved closer to her despite his outer facade.

Let him be angry, she thought with jealousy seeking delicious revenge against his loving attention to his fiancé.

“
Miss Riley, I would like to have a dance with you,” Arnold Chase, the son of a wealthy jeweler in town, asked her as one piece of music ended and another began.

Victoria smiled a deliberate seductive smile.

“
Of course, Mr. Chase, I would be happy to dance with you.”

Some yards away William watched as Victoria was led to the dance floor by Arnold Chase. Grinding his teeth together, William let his lids drop to cover his fury.

“
Darling, do you wish to dance?” Faith asked, touching his arm, obviously noting his acute interest in the dance floor.

“
No, no, pardon me darling, I just thought I saw an acquaintance of mine. But of course we can dance later if you wish?” William tore his gaze from the dance floor where Victoria was dancing far too close to Arnold Chase and tried to focus his mind back on his fiancé and the Burks.

“
Of course, but later,” Faith replied, turning her attention again to the Colonel and his wife.

Despite his efforts, William’s gaze returned again and again to the dance floor where Victoria floated around like a beautiful temptress smiling up at Chase, the besotted fool that he was.

When the music stopped, William’s hungry gaze followed Victoria and Arnold return. When they were back in the admiring group, William turned for a perfect view of Victoria over Faith’s head.

To his complete annoyance, Victoria’s soft laughter reached him like a siren’s song. She was utterly enchanting and entertaining to the audience who had joined her growing circle of admirers.

If he didn’t know any better, William would mistake her for a society girl on her debut.

Except the red dress
framing her glorious beauty and sensual wiles that captured everything she was.

Where had she learned to smile such sultry smiles?

No matter. A society girl she was not and she had no business going around this ball as if she belonged here. Obviously, she did not care about her position in life, most importantly her position
in his life
.

To his fury, minutes later, she danced again with another gentleman….then, yet another. Within the hour, she had danced with at least five different men gracing them all with provocative smiles and beguiling eyes visibly melting the randy victims around her into piles of mush.

By the time Victoria left the dance floor with the last gentleman, William had the overwhelming desire to sweep her up and cart her right out of the ball over his shoulder.

How dare she come here acting like she belonged here . . . flirting and dancing with practically every man at the ball!

When Faith went to dance with her father who had joined them a few moments before, William moved in to abort Victoria’s inappropriate debut.

Moving to her side, he took Victoria’s hand into to a firm grip.

“
I believe this dance is mine,” William said, giving polite nods to the startled men surrounding Victoria while smoothly disengaging her from the group.

“
Of course every dance is mine,” he said when they were out of earshot of Victoria’s admirers. “You appear to have forgotten that.”

“
Let me go,” she whispered.

Victoria tried to pull her hand from his grasp as he stealthily forced her to the dance floor.

On the dance floor he pulled her to him with such force that she rammed against his body.

“
What the hell do you think you’re doing here?” he demanded, his voice a low, dangerous growl. His eyes flashed like lightning in a summer storm.

She had never seen him so angry. Victoria’s heart hammered in her chest like the wings of a humming bird.

When she saw the beautiful Faith sweep by glancing at them curiously, fury unfolded in her heart. How dare he invite her here, humiliate her with his fiancé, and then get angry with her for her own justified actions?

“
I am dancing and having a brilliant time. What are you doing?” she asked sweetly, blinking her eyes in exaggerated innocence.

“
You do not belong here,” he said against her ear in a harsh outraged whisper, his grip tightening around her waist.

“
I was invited and you don’t control my life,” she answered stubbornly.

“
That, my dear, is where you are completely wrong. I do control your life, at least for now. It was what we agreed to.” His words, chilly and businesslike and delivered with vexing arrogance, only served to fuel her ire.

“
Oh yes, I am to be your slave while you go around acting the perfect gentleman with your lovely bride.” Her words were bitter and jealous even to her own ears, but the green eyed monster reared its ugly head and was not going away any time soon.

“
You knew this was how things would be, Victoria,” he reminded her. Then a smile curled his lips. It was a knowing smile that made her want to slap his sensuous lips off of his face. “If I didn’t know better, darling, I would believe you were jealous. Now of course you know that would be a terrible mistake for a mistress wouldn’t it? It would mean your feelings had become involved. Too involved — indeed — which is a very bad thing for a mistress.” His low tone sent shivers down her spine.

“
Feelings? For you? That will be the day!” she whispered furiously. “Let me go.”

“
When I let you go, you are going home,” he commanded in a silky, threatening voice.

Victoria was beyond angry, glaring back at him with her chin set stubbornly and her eyes flashing fury. He thought he could tell her what to do. He thought he was going to run every aspect of her life, control her every move, while he, on the other hand, could do exactly as he pleased.

The music stopped and she abruptly jerked away from him. Caught off guard by her sudden burst of strength, he let her go. Spinning away from him, Victoria made a hasty retreat back to her group of admirers.

Other than watch her go and make his own way off of the dance floor, there was little William could do to stop her without making more of a scene.

Already, he had attracted Faith and her father’s keen attention — not to mention his mother, who was mocking his folly with one of her vicious knowing glances.

Had his mother invited Victoria? It would be like her to arrange such a thing, if nothing else than to illustrate the rigid and unforgiving social chasm between himself and Victoria.

How in the hell had she acquired an invitation and why?

“
I say William, is there someone you wish to speak with?” Faith’s father, Mr. Anderson asked in a stern voice leveling William a pointed stare.

“
I just thought I saw an old friend of mine.” William replied in cool, bored tone, focusing his gaze back onto Faith.

“
I would keep my eye on the ball if I were you.” Mr. Anderson replied in a low voice. “I’ll not have anyone hurting my little girl,” he warned before abruptly turning on his heal and stalking off.

Damn Victoria, William thought furiously as he watched Mr. Anderson’s retreating back. She was causing him a very great deal of trouble.

Just wait until he laid his hands on her. He was going to wring her beautiful neck.

The group of admirers eagerly welcomed Victoria back.

A few yards away, Victoria didn’t dare glance back at William even though she knew he had positioned himself close to her, engaging conversation with his fiancé and another couple.

She had crossed William and she knew she was living on borrowed time.

More of William’s aristocratic friends joined his cluster. It was yet another taunting reminder of her place in his life,Victoria thought bitterly. She stood close to him, but could only reside in the outer circle of his unwelcoming world.

Well, if he wanted to stand close to her and eavesdrop, let him. Perhaps she would give him his ear’s worth to make it worthwhile.

“
So, if you are not married, what are you doing so far from home in San Francisco?” A handsome-pretty gentlemen of about thirty-five with sandy brown hair within her circle of admirers asked Victoria, providing a golden opportunity for revenge.

“
I am a mistress,” she announced in a low, sensual voice sending tangible surge of excitement rippling through her group of admirers who stared at her in disbelief.

How often were men in the company of a mistress bold enough to say it out loud?

“
You can’t be serious, Miss Riley, and you are a tease for saying such a thing to so many ardent admirers,” an older man said, whose name she couldn’t remember. Was he the banker named Horace Pottersby? Or was he the man who ran a factory back east named Forrest Hampton? She was so embarrassed at this moment that she couldn’t remember her own name, let alone anyone else’s.

“
Oh I am quite serious, gentlemen,” she boldly replied. “I really am a mistress.”

Utter silence prevailed while the gentlemen absorbed her words and their implications. To have the matter openly discussed was tantalizing.

“
Who is the lucky devil?” the gray haired man asked, his eyes alight with dauntless intent. “Perhaps I can temp you away with something more if you are not happy with your current situation.”

Victoria blushed to her scalp. Dear gracious could she have said such things?

But she was feeling audacious, hurt and angry.

So she laughed a sultry laugh in response.

“
I don’t know if I am happy, perhaps I have just never known anyone else.” She smiled a generous, beguiling smile and graced the gentleman with a provocative blink, all the while trembling in shame. No longer disguising his engrossment in the sexual banter going on only a few feet from him Victoria could feel William’s furious glare. God save her for what she had started.

“
Does he keep you well, then?” the man persisted, as the others waited with retained breath, each calculating the worth of this beauty.

“
I am not sure. What should a man pay for a woman like me?” Had those words really come from her lips? Victoria’s whole face and body was so hot and agitated with mortification that she felt lightheaded. She longed for a rock to appear so she could crawl right under it.

Adding to her shame, the men’s eyes shaded darker with a mixture of raw lust and complete enchantment.

“
I should think you would be worth a very great deal,” the older man answered, obviously holding the most power and taking control of the conversation. The others stayed silent, instantly retreating into fascinated bystanders.

Taking a calming breath disguised as boredom, Victoria looked into the man’s light blue eyes. He was rather handsome with a sharp edge of intelligence that could be dangerous in the right circumstances.

“
Name your price,” he said then, his eyes roaming over her hungrily.

Victoria wondered in vague confusion how the conversation had come to this, as she struggled to regain control of a situation that had quickly spiraled into a sordid and unintended direction.

There was no need to even look at William to know just how furious he was. She could feel the hostility reaching out to her from a few feet away. Of course, she had asked for it, goodness knew. The situation had become beyond embarrassing and repulsive and she regretted her impulsiveness in starting it to the depths of her soul. Feeling sick inside, Victoria knew she shouldn’t have embarked on this war with William that had brought her to this terrible scene.

“
I will consider your offer,” she finally answered the man, forcing a smile to her cold, dry lips. Her words echoed cheap and mercenary, but not completely unlike words she had once said to William. The question was, whether or not there was, in fact, a significant difference.

A few feet away, nearly blinded with white-hot fury building with every word Victoria uttered, William stood there next to Faith barely listening to the conversations around him. But it was her last words that sent his self-control hurtling out the window.