Page 56 of This Earl of Mine

Her cheeks heated as she realized there was no explanation she could give except the shameful truth. She set her chin. “If you must know, I’m going to meet Benedict Wylde.”

She could see Pieter’s scowl, even in the dim light.

“Well, I know you ain’t eloping,” he said sarcastically. “Because you’ve already married the cove. So what’s to do?”

Georgie squirmed. Really, this was too humiliating. Pieter was like a father to her. In his eyes, she was still an innocent, headstrong little girl. To confess, quite baldly,whyshe was going to meet Benedict made her cringe. She squared her shoulders. “The man is my husband. And I have decided to visit him.”

“At midnight,” Pieter supplied. He suddenly dropped his head and rubbed the back of his neck, as if embarrassed himself. “Ah, Georgie. You’re a grown woman now. I know it. And God knows I’ve never been able to talk you out of anything once you’ve set your mind to it. Yer just like yer father in that respect. I just hope you know what you’re doing with him, that’s all.”

So do I.

He stepped aside, and she let out a relieved breath. “His carriage should be at the corner,” she said quietly.

Pieter nodded. “Just make sure you’re back before the household rises.”

Georgie gave him an impetuous hug, and he pressed a quick kiss to her forehead.

“I hope that bastard realizes what he’s got,” he grumbled.

Mickey’s huge bulk was instantly recognizable atop the plain black carriage that was waiting at the corner. Georgie climbed in, and in her agitated state, the ride to St. James’s seemed to take only moments. She felt daring and adventurous. Glad to be alive. The carriage slowed to make the turn into the stable yard at the rear, but as it drew level with the front of the club, the door opened and a bouncer appeared with a struggling figure caught roughly by his collar. Amid furious shouts and obscenities, the man was forcibly ejected.

“And stay out,” the manservant called out after him. “The Tricorn don’t welcome those who can’t pay their debts,sir.” The last word was issued with a curl of the lip and a dismissive sneer that made the title an insult.

The man stumbled down the front steps, reeling drunkenly, and to Georgie’s dismay he staggered heavily against the side of the stationary carriage. She let out a little shriek of alarm as his body hit the side panel with a thud. The man wheeled around, using the carriage door as support, and Georgie gasped as she caught sight of his face.

Josiah’s cheeks were mottled a furious red, his eyes bleary and unfocused. For one awful moment, he squinted into the carriage and she shrank back against the seat, terrified he’d recognize her. He issued a stream of invectives that shocked even Georgie, then slammed his palm against the wooden side and wheeled away into the night.

She released a shaky breath. Good God, Josiah had looked awful. Almost demonic. She’d had no idea he frequented the Tricorn Club. And what on earth had he done to get himself expelled so disgracefully? The doorman had said something about not paying his debts. Awave of fury assailed her. She’d just given him five hundred pounds! Had he squandered it all already?

The carriage entered the stable yard, and Wylde was there, opening the carriage door. Georgie practically fell into his arms. “I just saw my cousin! Your doorman threw him out.”

Benedict frowned. “Seb must have reached the end of his patience. He didn’t see you, did he?”

“No. I don’t think so.”

He took her hand and drew her inside. “Then stop worrying about it. Your unpleasant cousin is the very last person I want you to be thinking of tonight.” His smile made her anxiety ebb and her blood heat. “The only person you need to be concentrating on is me.”

He led her up the stairs and into his apartment; the key turned in the lock with a decisive click. Georgie glanced round, nervous again. This was it. The stage for her willing seduction. Only she had no idea how to begin.

“Why don’t you take off your cloak?” Benedict suggested. She did so, draping the heavy fabric over the chair and adding her reticule. He was only wearing a shirt and breeches; he looked comfortable and relaxed. He crossed to a sideboard and picked up a cut glass decanter. “Brandy?”

She nodded. A fortifying shot of liquor sounded just the thing to bolster her confidence. His fingers touched hers as he handed her the tumbler, and she took a tentative sip to quell the quivering that had started in her belly. If they did this, she would be his wife in truth. Their marriage would be consummated. Legal. Binding.

She jerked when he reached up and stroked her cheek. Brandy sloshed onto her wrist.

His mouth curved in an endearingly crooked smile. “Stop thinking, Georgie girl.” He raised her hand andlicked the brandy from her skin, leaving a trail of heat in his wake. She shivered in anticipation, but to her surprise, he stepped away and slid open a drawer in his desk.

“First things first.” He withdrew a sheaf of banknotes and counted out fifty pounds onto the leather. “Here. Take it. I’ll pay back everything, including the five hundred from Newgate, as soon as I can. I won’t sleep with you if I’m taking your money.”

Georgie’s spirits plummeted. “What? No! You need that money. I know you do.”

He shook his head. There was a determined glint in his eye that said he wouldn’t take no for an answer. He left the cash on the desk and stepped back to her. “Let’s make one thing perfectly clear.” His gaze held hers, and her knees went weak at the intensity that burned in his eyes. “I am going to sleep with you for no other reason than because I amdyingto do so.”

Georgie bit back a moan. An element of doubt had still persisted at the back of her mind, an ingrained mistrust of his motives that said this was all too good to be true. A man like him couldn’t possibly desire a woman like her. And yet the hoarse yearning in his voice was unmistakable.

She felt like an ancient explorer, Marco Polo or Vasco da Gama, about to set sail. Unsure of the mysteries and dangers that lay ahead, but certain they were out there, just over the horizon. Tonight, Benedict was her uncharted territory. And she couldn’t wait to uncover his secrets.

She put down her glass. “All right then, Mr. Wylde. Show me what I’ve been missing.”

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