Page 30 of The Study of Seduction
He could be aroused. By her. Bykissingher.
She didn’t know what to think about that.
But one thing was certain. The next time she thought about offering him a reward, she would put the idea right out of her head.
Before it got her into trouble.
Seven
Still shaken by his reaction to the kiss with Clarissa, Edwin paused at the door of Warren’s town house to speak to the head footman. “Have you seen Count Durand hereabouts?”
“No, milord. I’ve been watching the street as you requested, but haven’t seen the Frenchman.”
Relieved that the arse wasn’t hanging about the house at least, Edwin rode from Mayfair to Pall Mall as if the hounds of hell were at his back. His “reward” had gone better than he expected. If he didn’t watch it, he might yet find himself leg-shackled to Clarissa. And that would be disastrous.
He felt again the rapid beat of her blood against his lips as he kissed her inner arm. He saw again her expression as he straightened—a heightened look of awareness and arousal that had prompted him to kiss her lovely mouth. To plunder and taste and wish he could continue drinking from her lips for days.
A curse erupted from him.Drinking from her lips, indeed. He didn’t want to do any such ridiculous thing. What he wanted was to have her in his bed. Which couldn’t happen unless they married.
Remembering her reaction to him at the end, he gritted his teeth. When a woman recoiled from a man’s embrace with alarm in her eyes, it didn’t bode well for her wanting to marry the fellow.
Until that moment, she’d seemed to like him well enough. Of course, Clarissa was a known flirt, so sometimes it was hard to tell the difference between flirtation and genuine liking. Perhaps she’d merely been toying with him before.
But then, why not finish their kiss with a laugh and a teasing remark? Or a coy refusal, as some other woman might have done?
He shook his head. He would never understand her, and there was no reason even to make the attempt. This would end as soon as Warren returned. If Edwin had his druthers, it would end even sooner.
It could end tomorrow if Durand was disposed of.
The thought leapt into his head with startling clarity. Yes, perhaps he should attack things from that front. Surely the Frenchman had some weakness, some secret in his past that could be held over his head to make him stop his pursuit of Clarissa. And Edwin knew just the person to ask about it.
He went straight to the club, hoping that the Baron Fulkham, undersecretary of state for war and the colonies, would show up tonight. The baron had recently joined because his late brother’s widow was being vigorously courted, and he needed to make sure she didn’t end up in bad hands. While he was rarely present during the day, he did come in the evenings to enjoy a cigar and play cards with friends.
Fortunately, the card room was right where Edwin found him. Unfortunately, Fulkham was playing cards with Lord Rathmoor, the man who’d married Edwin’s former fiancée.
Fulkham looked up before Edwin could retreat. “Evening, Blakeborough,” the baron said, with a furtive glance at Rathmoor. “Someone said you were at Lady Maribella’s party. We didn’t expect to see you so soon.”
That was probably why the man had felt comfortable inviting Rathmoor to the club as a guest. Meanwhile, Rathmoor looked anything but comfortable. Damn. This would be harder than Edwin thought.
“I was at the party but didn’t stay to the end,” he answered.
“Come play with us,” Fulkham said. “Rathmoor is slaughtering me at vingt-un and needs some competition.”
Edwin hesitated. He’d have to be cautious in questioning the baron as it was, since he barely knew the man. With Rathmoor there, it would be even more difficult.
Still, much as Rathmoor probably resented Edwin for attempting to marry Jane, Edwin knew the viscount was discreet.
That was why Edwin preferred dealing with men. A man asked direct questions, got direct answers, and nobody pressed him for more. There was none of this nonsense about compliments and such.
Besides, as a former Bow Street runner, Rathmoor might be able to shed some light on Durand. As long as Edwin didn’t let on that this had anything to do with Clarissa, there’d be no chance of either man’s leaking information that could harm her reputation.
A card game might be the perfect venue for asking questions that seemed casual. Especially a French card game. It was an obvious opening.
“I believe Iwilljoin you.” Edwin took a seat between the two men. “What are the stakes?”
“Five pounds to start.” Fulkham lifted an eyebrow. “Unless that’s too rich for your blood.”
“It’s fine.” Edwin enjoyed cards most of the time, especially since he rarely lost, but tonight he would be hard-pressed to keep his mind on the game.
