As Hastings prowled back toward her, she thought he suited the room’s jungle-like ambiance with its tall potted plants and heavy wood furniture. He had a sleek, predatory air in his wine-colored smoking jacket, his blond hair slicked back from his widow’s peak. Once again, Pippa was struck by his resemblance to her dead husband. The feline elegance and lordly manner…the trail of dark secrets he oozed in his wake.
He sat next to her on the damask settee, his thigh brushing her skirts. Since the night’s theme was seduction, she had worn an evening gown of deep-plum taffeta that left her shoulders bare, the overskirt parting to reveal a flounced black underskirt. Her hair was arranged in ringlets, and she’d accessorized with a necklace and pair of earbobs made of jet.
Hastings handed her a goblet, purring, “To new friends.”
“New friends.” She touched her glass to his and took a drink of the ruby liquid.
Setting his glass down on the low table, he stretched his arm across the back of the settee, the hairs on her skin rising at his closeness. “I am surprised you came tonight.”
Faced with his probing gaze, she said innocently, “Did you think I would not?”
“To be frank, I have been interested in your friendship for some time. I was under the impression that you did not prefer my company.”
I would prefer walking over hot coals.Luckily, she’d prepared a story.
“After a year of mourning, I have been feeling rather lonely. I thought perhaps…perhaps we might find some comfort in each other’s company.” She bit her lip and willed herself to blush. “Am I being too forward, my lord?”
“Not at all. And please, call me Jeremy.”
“Jeremy.” Even his name felt oily on her tongue. “Both of us have lost someone dear. It gives us something in common, don’t you think?”
A flash of anger—at his wife?—passed through his eyes; it was quickly smothered.
“It does lend a certain depth to our acquaintance.” He smirked at her. “You’ll find I am a man who enjoysdeepconnections.”
What a disgusting pig.
She drained her glass, holding it out to him. “Would you mind, Jeremy?”
“It would be my pleasure,” he said smoothly.
As he headed for the spirits cabinet, Pippa removed the tiny vial from the hidden pocket of her skirts. Leaning forward, she dumped the contents into his glass, the crystals fizzing as they dissolved into the wine. She shoved the vial back into her pocket just as he returned.
“Thank you.” She took the glass he held out and said confidingly, “I think I have a bit of nerves. It has been quite some time since I’ve had, um, company.”
Lust glittered in his gaze. “How long?”
“I have only ever kept company with my husband.”
At his predacious smile, she knew she’d pinned him correctly as a man who enjoyed defiling innocence. He ran a finger along her bare shoulder, and she hoped her shiver would pass for one of interest.
She held up her glass. “Cheers to new adventures.”
“Bottoms up,” he drawled.
This time, she sipped while he drained his beverage. He took both their glasses and deposited them on the coffee table. Catching her jaw in his hand, he pressed his mouth to hers. She managed not to recoil as his tongue probed her lips. As his hands roamed.
“No need to be shy,” he murmured.
Buy a few more minutes until the drug kicks in.
She pushed at his shoulders. “I…I think I heard something. Downstairs.”
“There is no one here but you and me. As you requested, I dismissed the servants for the eve.” His gaze slitted, showing the thinness of the charming veneer that hid the reptile beneath. “I went to rather a lot of trouble for you, Pippa.”
And you had better give me what I want.His unspoken threat billowed Pippa’s anger.
Was this how Julianna had felt? Cornered and helpless, no way of escaping except through capitulation? In the end, she’d paid the ultimate cost for trusting her heart to the wrong man. The image of Julianna lying in the casket flared in Pippa’s mind. The lady had not looked peaceful in death. The undertaker’s art couldn’t hide the beginnings of putrefaction, greenish-black vines creeping into her face and hands. Her violet, musk, and ambergris scent had held notes of rot.
