He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. His warm breath sent shivers through her, reminding her that he could make her want in a heartbeat. Wasn’t that what she was supposed to do to him?
“Are you sure I can’t convince you to stay a little while? Come up to my room?”
She swatted at his chest lightly. “As tempting as that is, I think you must learn to wait, Mr. Windham. I’ll make it worthwhile.”
“I’ve never had a doubt about that,” he said, and guided her to the foyer.
But even as they said their farewells and she was off and on her way, she was plagued by thoughts of what she had to do. But she would take this one last night. She’d make it worthwhile before she shattered the dreamworld between them and went back to reality.
* * *
Hours later, it was all arranged. Arabella shouldn’t have doubted it, though. Her servants were a wonder and had made certain everything was perfect. And she had never called for her sisters without them being there for her. They had answered in the affirmative without hesitation or even question at the lateness and desperateness of the invitation.
So as she paced her parlor, watching the clock and the door for Silas’s arrival, she felt Julia and Evelina watching her.
“Are you truly nervous about aman?” Julia asked, the teasing in her tone light.
Arabella stopped pacing and pivoted toward her youngest sister. “Of course not!”
Julia laughed, but Evelina’s eyes narrowed. “We’ve both met him already. It isn’t as if you have to worry about our feelings. We both like him.”
Julia nodded. “Yes. He’s undeniably handsome, I think the most handsome man you’ve ever had as a lover.”
“That’s more than true,” Arabella said softly.
“And he’s well-matched to you,” Julia continued. “You’re both…both…”
“Fire,” Evelina supplied.
Arabella flinched. Although she didn’t dispute the description, she wasn’t certain it was a positive one. “Perhaps two fires is too much,” she said.
“You’ve never been too much,” Evelina said, and crossed to the room to take both her hands. “Never.”
Arabella smiled at the support. She needed it, after all. Her sisters believed she was nervous about seeing Silas, and that was true on some level. Whenever she saw him after they were parted she felt a thrill of excitement and anxiousness that seemed to make her entire body thrum. But that wasn’t why she paced or worried tonight.
She had to end things with him. Her decision hadn’t changed. She got to have this one last night with him and then she’d have to say goodbye. If she couldn’t, then the affection that was starting to grow would fully turn to love. Love didn’t end well for courtesans, it never had.
Well, not never. But mostly.
“Mr. Windham,” Barnaby said from the door with a wide smile for them.
Arabella’s heart started to pound as her butler stepped aside and Silas came into the room. Her sisters were already greeting him, welcoming him without hesitation. He smiled at them, but then he looked at her and she felt the air go out of her lungs. How could he do that to her? She had experience with men, she knew how to make them dance on a string and feel like they were in control.
And yet this man moved her.
“Arabella,” he said, and came toward her.
He caught her hand, his thumb stroking across the ridges of her knuckles gently. “Silas,” she said.
“Oh, kiss him already,” Evelina said with a laugh. “We’re no proper ladies here.”
He glanced toward them with a flash of a wicked grin, then caught Arabella around the waist and tugged her to his chest. “May I?”
She nodded and found herself lifting to him, meeting his lips. He didn’t devour her, they had enough decorum to keep from doing that in front of her family, but he certainly claimed her. When he set her aside gently, she felt dizzy from the pressure of his mouth, the taste of his lips.
“Well, that starts my night out very well,” he said.
“Would you like a drink, Mr. Windham?” Evelina asked, and moved to the sideboard.
