His mouth cut off her arguments. She strained against her confinement, and yet she could not get away from the relentless kiss. Disoriented, she tried to focus on the prince, her rescue... yet sensations unfurled within her. Sinful...exciting. Panting, she tried to shut out the feelings, the exquisite chafing of her skin against her chemise. The tips of her breasts turned taut and throbbing. Liquid heat pooled between her thighs.
With her last ounce of willpower, she tore her lips free. "Let me go," she whispered.
"But my sweet," the deep voice said, "there is nothing holding you here."
She yanked against her bondage. To her shock, her hands fell free. No chains at all...
"Nothing but your own desire," he rasped.
His eyes glowed a subterranean gold, and his scar was a flash of scarlet—
Percy woke on a gasp. Heart thumping, she blinked at the sight of the familiar yellow striped walls, the cluttered rosewood desk, the canopied bed. Her bedchamber. As she sat up against the pillows of the window seat, a book fell from her lap and thudded to the carpet.The Castle of Otranto.She must have fallen asleep reading. Her skin tingled all over. Her cheeks burned with sudden panic.
Dear God, did I have a wicked dream... about Gavin Hunt?
She was honest enough to admit that naughty dreams were not exactly uncommon for her. In the past year, certain impulses had been plaguing her with increasing frequency and intensity. The more she tried to ignore the sensations, the worse things got. A few times, in the middle of the night, she'd awakened burning with such a feverish need that she'd discovered an unspeakable... solution.
Shame and confusion tightening her chest, Percy went to the washstand to splash her hot cheeks. As she reached for a towel, her gaze snagged on the portrait above her dresser. Papa had arranged for the four of them to be painted when she'd been a mere babe-in-arms. Looking at her family's content, beaming faces—including her own cherubic one—she experienced a fierce yearning to somehow go back. To that simpler time when they'd all been so happy.
Before Papa had gotten wrapped up with the company. Before Mama had found fault with everything that Percy did. Before Paul had decided to ruin himself and Percy had to consider taking on an indecent wager to help him—
Oh, no. Get the notion out of your head. You arenotgoing to accept Hunt's bet.
She'd learned from her past mistakes. She was no longer a silly hoyden to be tempted by Hunt's machinations. Why, the reason she'd dreamed of him was likely because he'd unsettled her nerves. Any miss would be disquieted by a villain proposing to deflower her, wouldn't she? Besides, dreams didn't mean anything. Feeling a bit better, she resolved to forget about Hunt and the wager and to focus her attention on finding another way to rescue Paul.
A knock took her from her thoughts. "Good mornin', miss." Violet, the cheery-cheeked housemaid, poked her head in. "Thought I'd see if you was ready to get dressed for the picnic."
The picnic.Stifling a groan, she said, "Yes, Violet. Thank you."
Percy was not looking forward to the gathering of her old classmates from Mrs. Southbridge's. Though she liked the other girls well enough, their attitude towardherhad noticeably cooled since she started mixing in higher circles. She sighed. At least her bosom friend Charity Sparkler would be there. She'd already apprised Charity of Paul's situation—the two girls had shared secrets since their school days—and Charity had promised to put her sensible mind toward a solution.
Fitzwell, the long-time canine member of the household, trotted in behind Violet. He wore a scowl, which Percy didn't take too seriously. He was a pug, after all. When she bent to pet him, however, he walked past her, his snout high in the air. He circled thrice in front of the fireplace and plopped down, presenting her with a pair of cold, fawn-colored shoulders.
"What's the matter, old boy?" Percy said in surprise.
Violet hung the ensemble on the dressing screen and waved Percy over to the full-length looking glass. "With Mrs. Fines travelling, 'e was already in the doldrums," the maid said as she helped Percy dress. "Now with Lisbett gone as well, 'e's been in a downright snit."
Lisbett, the Fines' loyal housekeeper, had been called away unexpectedly to attend an ill relative. Knowing the burden this put on the small household staff, Percy said sympathetically, "Any news when she'll return?"
"Lisbett writes she'll 'ave to stay in Dorset at least a fortnight to care for 'er sister. Hold your breath now." Percy obeyed, and Violet gave a deft tug on the corset strings. "She 'opes that you're doing well, miss, and worries about you being left to your own devices."
"I'm not alone. I've got Lady Tottenham to look after me."
Violet gave her a speaking glance in the mirror, and Percy hid a grin. No one had known of Tottie's tendency to tipple when she'd been hired on to chaperone Percy during Mama's absence. Now with everyone out of the house and Tottie proving rather true to her name, Percy was having a heretofore unknown taste of freedom. Which she didn't mind a bit.
"'Er ladyship's still abed. Rang twice for 'er tonic already.Tonic." With a grunt, Violet worked on the buttons along the back of the ivory muslin. "Where I come from, they've got other names for it."
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Percy asked.
Violet finished tying the lavender sash below the bodice. She aimed a glance at the hearth, where the pug continued to lay with his head upon his paws. In a low voice, she said, "Do you think you could take 'im with you to the picnic? The beast's drivin' us mad below stairs. Last night, Cook nearly carved 'im up after 'e stole a suet puddin' from under 'er nose."
"Poor little chap. He misses Mama so," Percy murmured.
"We all do." Violet sighed, picking up a hairbrush. "Can't think why the missus had to take a trip when she hadn't for all these years."
Percy swallowed, feeling the tug of shame as well as that of the brush. She had a pretty good inkling why Mama had needed a vacation: to get away fromher. Since Papa's passing, she and her remaining parent had been at logger-heads over everything. No matter what she did, she could not please her mother. The failure of last Season must have been the last straw. Her throat thickened.
As she watched Violet tame her unruly tresses, she blew out a breath. Firmed her chin.
