Page 79 of Fortune Favors the Viscount
Some time later she slid rather bonelessly off him. Nick stirred, smoothing her hair from her face. “Are you cold?” he whispered.
“No,” Emilia said with a smile. They were both still clothed, just a little disarranged, and she didn’t think she’d be cold for hours.
He buttoned his trousers and dragged the edge of the blanket over her, tucking her close to his side and folding his arms around her.
I love you,she thought again.
“What do you think of the house now, seeing it again?” he asked.
Emilia blinked. “Beaufort Hall? It’s a beautiful house. It just needs work.” She smiled. “A great lot of work.”
“You must see the potential more than I do, having grown up in fine houses.”
“Hmm? Yes, it’s got tremendous potential. And with a good gardener, so have the grounds. It’s well situated.”
Nick nodded. “It would be an enormous undertaking.”
“Oh, not so enormous,” she said, feeling nothing but bliss. “Mrs. Gregson—she was Lucy’s nursemaid, and had been with the family since Lucy’s father was a boy—she told me it was once renowned through Dorset for its elegance and beauty. Arthur’s mother, I believe, was a great political hostess in her day.”
“Mrs. Stone said she was a cold woman.”
Emilia gave a tiny snort. “You should learn now, my lord, that the two often go hand in hand. A great society lady’s balls may be the most sought-after invitation in England, but the woman herself will scarcely have a gentle word for any of her children. I daresay, to some of them, children are only a means to dynasty and influence, and not small, defenseless people who need love and care and attention.”
Nick was quiet for a moment. “Hence governesses like you.”
She sighed. “I tried to take employment where the parents were at leastfondof their children. A governess can only provide so much.”
He said nothing, only continued stroking her hair. Emilia thought she never wanted to move from this spot, this position, this moment in time.
But that was impossible. The world outside Beaufort Hall was still marching onward, the hours of her stolen season ticking relentlessly past. She couldn’t be so fanciful as to pretend they weren’t.
“What is happening in London, while we’re here?” she whispered.
Nick stretched, settling more comfortably against her. “I don’t want to spoil the surprise. I promise it will be a good one.”
She gazed at the stars, thinking of society hostesses and invitations. “Nick. What are you plotting?”
He tilted his head to meet her gaze, looking vaguely amused. “Worried for Fitchley now?”
She couldn’t stop a huff of outrage. “No! But... you’ll be part of that society. Fitchley has friends, and they’re likely to retaliate. You should know they can be vicious. They can shut you out and make things very difficult for you. You should think carefully before antagonizing them.” She hesitated. “I learned that the hard way.”
The languid stroking on her hair slowed, then with an abrupt movement he rolled over until she was beneath him, and he was above her, braced on both arms.
“I know all about so-called good society,” he said, meeting her gaze squarely. “I know who I am, and what I’ve done, and I make no apologies for any of it. I didn’t grow up surrounded by dukes and earls, but trust me when I say to you, men are the same no matter their class. Fitchley is no different than the sharpers running games on the docks, luring in gullible marks to be cheated of everything they own. I don’t give a bloody damn if not a single member of thehaute tonever looks me in the eye.”
He touched her cheek and his voice grew softer. “But I do care, deeply, whatyouthink of me. Tell me what worries you.” His thumb stroked her lower lip. “I wouldn’t hurt you for the world.”
She looked up at him, torn. “Will your plan truly ruin him?”
Nick nodded. “Not only in the eyes of decent people but also in the opinion of everyone he cares about. That’s what will bring him down. He cares nothing for the approbation of upright, honorable people. But among his own kind... He cares a great deal. He fancies himself a leader among them, and that’s about to change. Not by my hand—by his own. The only thing I mean to do is make known certain acts.”
Emilia thought about Fitchley being disavowed by the scoundrels and reprobates of his set. What could he possibly do that was intolerable even to them? But Nick was so certain... “Good,” she said, quietly but fervently. “But... How?”
Nick grinned. He pressed a swift kiss on her mouth. And he told her.
CHAPTERTHIRTY
They spent a few more days at Beaufort Hall. Charlotte and Lucy went exploring with James in the woods, and returned with breathless reports of a pond, excellent for wading and full of fish and, in Charlotte’s telling, absolutely crying out for a boat to go punting. With Mr. Stone, Nick climbed onto the roof of the house and inspected the cupola light. It was a broad glass dome with a leaden figure of Aphrodite on top, and it must flood the staircase hall with light when it wasn’t boarded up due to several broken panes of glass.
