Page 85 of The Pleasures of Passion
“You plan to play while the cat’s away. Good luck.”
After Raines left, Niall hesitated at the entrance to St. George’s. He ought to go in and report to Fulkham. They needed to discuss whether the banknote was indeed forged, and whether Fulkham had learned more about Sir Kenneth’s reasons for being in town. The man might even have some advice on how to proceed with uncovering Sir Oswald’s cohorts.
The trouble was, Niall didn’twantto talk to Fulkham tonight. He wanted to talk to Bree first. Edwin’s words about what her father’s arrest might do to her and Silas still haunted him. It had been one thing to postulate such a thing when Niall had misunderstood her past actions and when Sir Oswald’s guilt was more uncertain. But now, with what he’d found out about how she’d suffered at the man’s hands . . .
Hehadto see her before this went any further.
Consulting the damned watch he was keeping for Warren, he grimaced. Past 2:00 a.m. She was probably tucked up cozily in her bed, dreaming of Wedgwood vases and fields of flax.
Orhim. God, he hoped she was dreaming of him.
Then again, shecouldstill be awake. Unlikely, but a possibility. And thanks to young Pip, Niall knew which room was hers.
Seventeen
Brilliana couldn’t sleep. She tried, but it was futile. She kept wanting to do naughty things to herself—to touch her body in her most private places, all while reliving her afternoon with Niall.
Determined to squelch her scandalous impulses, she got out of bed, lit a candle, and went to her writing desk to pull out her sketchbook. But as she did so, another one fell to the floor.
Her breath caught. It was heroldsketchbook, the one with drawings of Niall. That was the last thing she should be looking at right now, yet she couldn’t help herself.
With a sigh, she flipped through the images. On the one hand, she was pleased to see how her abilities had improved from those early days. On the other, those first drawings catapulted her right back to the naïve hopes of her youth. She’d drawn Niall as impossibly handsome, with a look of love in his eyes and a sensuality that had captivated her even then.
The pesky devil. Even in sketches, he seduced her.
She understood now why some women relished marital relations. She’d always seen being bedded as a chore to be endured. But that was because Reynold had always roused her without making her “come,” which had only succeeded in frustrating her.
She even remembered telling Delia a few months ago that the pleasures of the marital bed were only pleasurable for the man. Brilliana dearly hoped that her sister-in-law hadn’t listened to her nonsense and was having a fine time on her honeymoon with lovemaking. Her new husband was even more of a rogue than Niall, so he undoubtedly knew a thing or two about pleasing a woman.
Unlike Reynold. Brilliana sighed. He had been more concerned about his own satisfaction than hers, and not just in the bedchamber. He’d never encouraged her sketching or her ambition to design for Wedgwood or even her burgeoning interest in matters concerning the estate.
And why? Because that might have taken time away from her catering tohisneeds. Selfish wretch.
Meanwhile, Niall—
A noise very near made her jump. It sounded almost as if something were knocking against the French doors of her balcony.
She turned to look and nearly came out of her skin. A man was silhouetted there, peering into her room. But before she could raise an alarm, he said, “Open the door, Bree. Please.”
“Niall? Goodness gracious!”
She flew to do as he asked. While he entered the room, she peered outside. “How on earth did you get up here?”
“I climbed the downspout.”
“That tiny thing? Are you mad? You could have fallen to your death!”
He chuckled. “Not likely. I’m an expert at climbing buildings.” He dusted off his coat. “I saw the candle burning in your window and figured that since you were up, we could talk.”
“It’s two in the morning!”
“Yes, but you’re awake.”
Well, she could hardly refute that. She should put on her wrapper, make him go, or do something other than stand here in her nightdress drinking in the sight of him. “Why didn’t you want to wait until morning?”
“We can’t have a discussion about your father’s situation in front of your aunt.”
Oh, right, he’d played cards with Papa earlier. “So what’s he done now?”
