“I agree.” Meredith sighed. “And spending her time chasing the debutantes out of the corners at parties is not helping Gemma make her own match. So, with your mother’s blessing, I’ve decided to host a dinner party for her. I intend to invite the most eligible bachelors. Though it’s too bad Grovemont can’t attend.”
“What’s the matter with Grovemont?” Griffin asked, frowning.
“Apparently, he’s left town to tend to his mother. She’s taken quite ill, from what I understand.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Grovemont was a good man and a good friend. He was Griffin’s age, so perhaps a bit old for Gemma, but she could certainly do far worse.
“Perhaps it’s for the best,” Meredith replied. “Besides you, Grovemont is the most eligible bachelor of the Season, and according to Gemma, Lady Mary Costner has staked her claim on him.”
Griffin winced. He didn’t envy Grovemont at the moment. “Does Grovemont return Lady Mary’s affections?”
Meredith rolled her eyes. “For his sake, I hope not. She sounds like a monster.”
“Well, with or without Grovemont, a dinner party for Gemma is an excellent idea. Thank you.”
“Good. I’m glad you agree. I shall plan it for early next week. Now, we should probably be going.”
Meredith looked relieved when Griffin took her elbow and led her back to where the horses were tied.
After helping her up, he boosted himself back into his saddle. “Tell me. Do you plan to return to the Onyx Club?”
This was it. An unspoken challenge. Last time they’d been at the club, they hadn’t discussed whether they would see each other again. He was asking her if she wanted more. He was daring her.
And she knew it.
Meredith didn’t meet his gaze. She shook out the reins and lightly kicked at her horse to begin the ride back home. But her answer was forceful. “Yes. I plan to be there next Thursday evening.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The Next Evening, The Hemworths’ Ballroom
Meredith couldn’t find Griffin. She knew he was here. She’d seen him and Gemma when they’d first arrived. But an hour into the ball, he was nowhere to be found. She wanted to tell them both about the dinner party she’d spent all day busily planning. She was quite looking forward to it, actually. Not only would it be a chance to further Gemma’s prospects on the marriage mart, but it was an excellent diversion for someone trying desperately to stop thinking about her time at the Onyx Club with a certain gentleman with a penchant for dark-blue waistcoats.
The Onyx Club.
Meredith’s entire body suffused with heat every time she thought about it. The things Griffin had donewith his mouthlast time they were there should be illegal. Of course she was quite thankful they were not. Or at least she didn’t know that they were. And if they were, she never wanted to learn any differently.
He had certainly surprised her. The man was talented both in bed and out of it. She’d had no idea he knew how to do all of those things, touch her in exactly the right spots, and lick her, and— Well, she’d learned a great deal over the last fortnight, and she wanted to continue her lessons. Which was precisely why she’d told Griffin she would be going back to the Onyx Club. She could only hope he would go back as well.
Of course, after their nearly disastrous conversation in the park yesterday, she seriously doubted the wisdom of going back to the club. But she couldn’t help herself. She wanted to touch him again, wanted to feel him again. And the club was the only place she could do that…in the safety of a disguise.
She might never live down the embarrassment she’d felt when she’d realized that she’d saidGriffin’s namewhen he was pleasuring her while pretending to be someone else. It was madness. Thank heavens he hadn’t said anything. He could have easily ripped off his mask and asked her if she’d known, if she’d always known. Instead, he’d gathered his things and left. Which was the only reason she could go back. Ostensibly, however, she should apologize to Mr. Sapphire, properly, for saying another man’s name while he was touching her. And that was the reason she gave herself for why shehadto go back to the club. She owed an apology to a man who didn’t exist.
Their play couldn’t go on much longer, of course. Griffin needed to find a wife, and she needed to stop her visits to the Onyx Club. It had been dangerous from the start. She promised herself: her next visit would be her last.
It had been an ill-advised adventure from the start. Oh, she’dtriedto be worldly and sophisticated. She’dtriedto take a stranger as alover. But somehow it had all gotten twisted into something that could potentially hurt Griffin. That wasthe last thing she wanted to do. And now she was precariously close to ruining everything.
No. She merely needed to apologize properly, say good-bye, perhaps share one last forbidden kiss…and then she would leave the club for good. If Griffin was there, she could only hope that he would allow her to speak to him long enough to provide him with a sincere apology without trying to tell her his name again.
Of course there was another problem now. She was fairly certain that Griffin intended to askherto marry him. It couldn’t happen, of course. And she would have to tell him as much. Perhaps there was some way to say it before it got that far. The last thing she wanted was to hurt him. She had to somehow make him understand that she was an unsuitable wife.
She scanned the ballroom for Griffin once more. Where was he? Shemissedhim when he wasn’t at her side. When they’d gone for a ride in the park yesterday, she’d had more fun than she had in an age. She always had fun with Griff. Only they normally sat in her drawing room or breakfast room and read the paper and talked and sipped tea. They hadn’t been out riding horses in an age. They should do that more often.
No.
A lump formed in Meredith’s throat.
Griffin should do such things with hiswife.Notwith Meredith.
