Once again, she held his gaze as she looked at him. “I’ve heard of you, Sir Montague,” she said. “Rumours fly in London, especially when your cousin is a duke.”
A burst of anger tightened his hold on his cards, but he merely said, “Has my cousin been spreading these rumours?”
“What makes you think I run with such exalted company?”
It was Montague’s turn to smile. “Rumours fly in London,” he said. “It’s your turn to declare.”
“I have nothing to declare,” she said, holding her cards to her chest. He considered her, and the cautiousness that lurked in her eyes. Although the playful smile was still on her mouth, the atmosphere had changed at his reference to her arrangement with Nathanial. He would have to play this carefully if he was to succeed.
“Perhaps we can come to an understanding.”
Her eyebrow twitched; the only sign she gave that she was interested. “What could you have to offer me?”
“I am the Duke’s cousin. We are not close now, but only four years separate us, and I knew him once. Suffice to say I am as pleased about the Duke’s marriage as you are.” There—he had scored a hit. Her mouth tightened. “I believe we may have more in common than you might think.”
“I believe you win, sir,” she said, placing her cards on the table and standing. “You may see me later to settle the score.”
Excellent. He nodded as she walked away, back to her party of sycophants who clung to her every word and smile as though it were manna from the heavens.
Montague had never understood that level of mindless devotion. Calf love, that was what it was. Aside from a fleeting fancy for Penelope long ago, he had never been subject to such an emotion, and he could hardly conceive how troublesome it would be.
The party continued until the late hours. Montague accepted Juliet’s invitation upstairs to her boudoir—a luscious room draped in red silk and heavy with perfume.
“So,” she said, removing her earrings and dropping them onto her dressing table. “You claim we have something in common.”
“Are you always so abrupt?”
She sent him a glance through her eyelashes. “I rarely engage in business that doesn’t benefit me.”
“I hardly expected otherwise. I’m a generous man.” With a flourish, he produced a sapphire necklace from his waistcoat pocket. “I believe in both parties being satisfied.”
She strolled towards him and picked up the necklace, examining the gold to check it was real. Fair enough; he did have a reputation, after all.
“Very well,” she said, turning and showing him her back. Knowing what was expected of him, he deftly unlaced her. She shrugged her shoulders, and in a practised wiggle, let the dress pool on the ground beneath her. She wasn’t wearing a chemise or stays.
“Now,” she purred, stepping closer—close enough that he could count the freckles that lightly dusted her chest. “Show me what you would like.”
Their lovemaking was less about the love and more about the making, which was precisely how Montague preferred toconduct his liaisons. They ended up on the floor, tangled in a silk sheet, and he pulled on his shirt.
“Now,” he said, “we may discuss business.”
She propped herself up on her elbow, an auburn curl falling across her breast. “A man after my own heart.”
“As I’m sure you’re aware, I returned to London as soon as I heard my cousin was married.” He examined his fingernails with a slight frown. He had not intended on returning to England until such time as he might contrive to dispose of Nathanial without suspicion, but the marriage had forced his hand. A wife would mean children—and if he were the husband of that pretty chit, he would be more than happy to sire a great many children.
A great many children that impeded Montague’s chances of inheriting the title. And, more importantly, one of England’s largest fortunes.
“I suspected that was the reason,” Juliet said, yawning. “Why else would a banished heir return?”
“I won’t be the heir for much longer now he’s married to that girl.” Montague moderated his tone. “What I need is assurance that there will be no children.”
“What youneedis to get rid of the wife,” Juliet said, no emotion in her voice. “Do you have a plan?”
“I need you to keep the Duke occupied while I target the Duchess. It shouldn’t be difficult—she seemed amenable to my advances when I saw her last.”
Juliet pulled the last of her pins from her hair. Her face remained expressionless. “You intend to seduce her?”
“A separation will ensure no heirs.”
