Mary retrieved the gown and stays from the floor, draping them over the back of a chair while she collected the stockings.
“I remember.” Her maid’s green eyes were large. “And he’s staying here?” This was added with a scandalized whisper. “Does his lordship not know of Mr. Worthing’s reputation?”
Alex shook her head. “Papa doesn’t listen to idle London gossip, and he certainly wouldn’t trust it over his own feelings. He and Mr. Worthing’s father are good friends. So be careful around him, Mary. Rakes have roving eyes and wandering hands.” She didn’t honestly think he’d attempt to seduce a lady’s maid, but she wanted Mary on her guard all the same.
“Don’t worry about me, my lady. I have two brothers. There’s not a man alive who can catch me unawares.” Mary giggled as she said this and picked up the white nightgown from the bed and helped Alex into it.
A breeze outside the window suddenly dragged the branches along the glass in a screeching sound, making both girls jump.
“Mrs. Cooper told us over supper it will likely storm tonight,” Mary said.
Alex had to agree. The scent of rain had hung heavy in the air when she left the dance. She picked up her dark-blue dressing gown and slipped it on before approaching the window and peering out into the night. The garden below began to mist as the clouds let a sweeping rain move through. The drops splattered against the window.
“Will you be needing anything else, my lady?” Mary asked as she collected Alex’s clothes.
“No, thank you.”
Alex watched the rain continue to roll in heavy waves across the garden and tried to forget how it had felt to waltz with Ambrose. It was a terrible thing to have a wonderful memory like that creep up on her over and over ever since she’d departed the assembly rooms. But she simply couldn’t banish it from her mind.
I should not be tempted by him.
No matter what she told herself, shewastempted. It was a good thing she despised everything else about the man. She would not give in to such an arrogant, pompous arse.
Lost in thoughts of scaring him out of her house with bad porridge, she was startled when her stomach growled. She should have nipped something from the kitchens when she’d been down there earlier.
Might as well go back down. Mrs. Cooper always left her a delicious tart after balls. And she wouldn’t sleep well tonight; the sound of the rain always made her restless. She’d ride out the storm and feast on something sweet.
And she would not think any more about waltzing with a rake.
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Chapter 4
Bloody hell.I’m attracted to the little minx.
Ambrose paced inside his bedchamber, mulling over the night’s strange turn of events.
Alex was an intriguing creature. Wit, ferocity, and repressed desire, all bottled up in a body he ached to hold in his arms. Hell, he wanted to do more than hold her, but he doubted he’d get far tonight. But he certainly had every intention of fulfilling his end of the wager and seducing her.
Once he realized who she was, the bet had seemed less important than his genuine desire to take her to bed. Part of him knew he was damned because once he’d fulfilled his bet, he wouldn’t be welcomed back into this house by her or her father. They would never know he’d sought to save her from a fate with a worse man than him.
He buried the guilt deep inside, a talent he’d mastered over the years when he’d indulged in his wicked ways with the ladies of theton. Rather than wallow in thoughts of burning bridges with a man who was like a second father to him, he turned his thoughts to Alex and her delightfully conflicting personality.
Who knew that Rockford had such an enchanting daughter? He’d come here often as a lad before leaving for school, but he’d never noticed her. She’d been tucked away in the nursery, six years his junior. As a younger man he’d never paid attention to the earl’s private life.
He’d been surprised to discover that Rockford had a daughter when he’d heard Langley boasting about the wager he’d put in White’s betting book. It had been out of duty to his father’s friend and an intent to prevent the young lady the most harm by making her seduction quick and painless. But now that he was here and had seen her, spoken to her, Ambrose wanted to make her seduction long and pleasurable. He could spend months slowly turning her ire against him into irresistible sexual hunger.
He knew he shouldn’t be enjoying the earl’s hospitality when his plan was to pluck the daughter’s virginity like a ripe apricot. An apricot whose sweet juices would taste like nectar when he buried his head between her thighs. He might be a cad, but still better him than the other men at the club who’d wished to take on the wager. Ambrose’s former friend, Vaughn, now Viscount Darlington, had been debating on whether to sign his name to the betting book.
A shudder racked Ambrose at the thought. A spitfire like Alex would not last long in bed with a man like Vaughn. Vaughn liked his bedplay on the rough side. He didn’t hurt women, but the need to dominate was always present, and gentle-bred ladies like Alex might be frightened. Ambrose didn’t have the same needs as his friend. Every now and then he liked to tie a woman up so he could torture her with slow kisses and touches in ways she’d be too shy to allow otherwise. For some women, taking control away from them helped them relax and enjoy passion.
A woman like Alex with a defiant streak was not a woman who should be tamed. She should be seduced into wild wantonness. Alex would be a wonderfully sensual creature, and the man to open her eyes would be richly rewarded.
There was a soft knock on his door.
“Come in,” he replied.
A young lad of eighteen or nineteen entered; his clothing identifying him as a footman.
