He ought to save his seductions for the obliging harlots of England’s finest brothels. Or for grasping widows and discontented wives. But the appeal of those women didn’t compare to the potent allure of Miss Brett. He couldn’t explain it. Nor did he want to examine the reasons.
It simplywas.
And he wouldn’t stop until he had her where he wanted her most.
Under him.
Or atop him.
On her knees for him.
Everywhere. Yes, that was where he wanted her. Everywhere and anywhere he could have her, as often as possible, until his needs were eventually sated and he could carry on. Because Miss Eleanora Brett was like a poison in his blood. One he would enjoy finding the antidote for.
She still hadn’t made her decision. Miss Brett was nibbling on her lower lip, an action he suspected she only allowed herself when thoroughly caught in the throes of a dilemma. She was so poised and polished at all times, as if emotion were beneath her.Seeing her torn caused a guilty little rivulet of pleasure to run through him.
“Well, my dear,” he prompted, feeling like the fox who’d found his way into the henhouse and was about to have a feast. “What is your answer? Will you ring for tea, or will you risk bringing the wrath of your employer down upon you?”
Her chin went up, her expression turning carefully serene. “Of course I shall ring for tea, Your Royal Highness. Forgive me for my hesitation. As you so astutely pointed out, it would be remiss of me to turn you away without proper acknowledgment.”
Nando grinned. “How delightful you are, Miss Brett. I knew you wouldn’t disappoint me.”
He didn’t miss the way she clenched her jaw as she went for the bell pull.
CHAPTER 2
Prince Ferdinando of Varros was the bane of Eleanora’s existence.
The gossips simply called him The Adonis. And with good reason. His head of golden curls and sea-blue eyes set off the perfection of the rest of his countenance. A chiseled jaw, sinful mouth, straight nose, and high cheekbones combined to an effect that was nothing short of a merciless assault on any woman who dared to look upon him. Even the most virtuous of women.
And to her eternal shame, Eleanora was not exempt, try though she did to steel herself against the effect he had on her. Particularly when he set his mind to flirtation, which he had been doing from the moment she’d crossed the threshold of the drawing room. He’d neatly trapped her into joining him for tea, when she was more than aware that every second spent in his presence was a danger to her ability to resist the brutal force of his seductive charm.
“Tell me about yourself, Miss Brett,” he invited smoothly now that she had poured tea for them both.
He’d watched her with an unnerving silence and an intensity that had caused her hands to tremble ever so slightly, which only served to further heighten her irritation with the man.
“I am a simple woman, Your Royal Highness,” she said, careful to keep her tone and expression tranquil. “Perhaps you might prefer to tell me about your native land of Varros.”
She knew from experience and previous reluctant conversations with the prince that he took every opportunity to exploit weakness. He possessed an innate ability to mesmerize even the most stoic of opponents, and while Eleanora prided herself on her own steadfastness, she couldn’t deny that she found herself helplessly in this man’s thrall. Not that she could do anything about it. Inviting ruin and destroying the fragile life she’d carved out for herself would never be worth the fleeting moments of pleasure a rake like the prince could give her. She’d learned that painful lesson from watching her mother. A lesson she had vowed she would never forget.
“Nothing about you strikes me as simple,” the prince countered. “Indeed, if I were asked to describe you, I would say you are a complex woman indeed, with hidden layers of mystery beneath your composed façade.”
Eleanora’s shoulders stiffened. He was alarmingly near to the truth. But there was no way Prince Ferdinando could suspect the secrets that threatened to undo her, should they ever become known.
She forced a smile. “I assure you, there is neither mystery, nor layers. There is only what you see before you.”
“Hmm,” he said, the sound noncommittal. “Although I do admire what I see before me, I remain persuaded there is far more you’re simply unwilling to divulge. But never mind that. I’m a patient man, and I enjoy nothing so much as a challenge.”
The smile he gave her made that unwanted sensation pulse to life low in her belly. But she swiftly banished it. Nothing couldcome of such a foolish desire. He was a prince and an unabashed seducer of every woman with whom he crossed paths.
“Your fortitude is to be commended, Your Royal Highness,” she said mildly, refusing to give in. “I tell all my charges that patience is a virtue that is almost unparalleled. However, there is no challenge for you where I am concerned. Surely a mere chaperone is beneath your notice.”
He regarded her warmly. “Ever since we were introduced, I haven’t noticed anyone else.”
Unwanted heat suffused her. But she would not succumb. Rakes always wielded their words like weapons, carefully honed to disarm their opponent and seal their victory. Still, part of her couldn’t help but revel in those words, in the notion that a beautiful man like the prince should have taken note of her at all, let alone that she had been such sufficient cause for distraction that he hadn’t noticed anyone else.
It’s a carefully crafted lie, she told herself.He’ll say anything to get what he wants.
And what he wanted was every woman he could have. Apparently—and shockingly—Eleanora included. When he had begun making a nuisance of himself by appearing at every social event the princesses attended and paying regular calls upon them despite her pleas to the contrary, Princess Anastasia had warned Eleanora that the prince was a dangerous libertine. She’d seen the evidence well enough herself.
