His Mistress (2 page)

“And
what
makes you so certain of that, given my, how did you say it, proclivity for deviant behavior?”

Tobias knew he would never impose his lifestyle on any woman, let alone an innocent like Lady Jane, but her father didn’t know that. For all the earl knew, he could be throwing his daughter to the wolves. The thought only deepened Tobias’ contempt for the man.

“In our business dealings, you’ve proven yourself to be an honorable man. While I find your private perversion repulsive, I believe you will treat my daughter well.”

“And Lady Jane? Have you enlightened her as to my personal entertainment preferences?” Tobias eyed Culverstone coldly, no longer caring that his voice reflected his fury and disgust. For the first time, the earl displayed a less than confident air.

“Most certainly, not,” the earl snapped. “And you’ll hide it from her as well. You’re not to injure her with
any
mention of this perverted form of bed sport you practice.”

Like it or not, the earl had neatly backed Tobias into a corner. It left him with one of two choices. He could walk out of the earl’s study and find his livelihood destroyed or he could marry Lady Jane. As his mentor, John Fordyce, would say, neither choice was palatable, but he needed to swallow one or the other.

In his mind’s eye, Tobias could see John’s patient, understanding smile. The man he’d come to look upon as a father would never judge the decisions any of his protégés made. But like his friends who also owed their success to Fordyce, Tobias had always measured most of his choices by what John might think of him.

The muscles in his jaw tightened painfully as Tobias met the earl’s triumphant gaze. Culverstone knew he’d won. The self-satisfied look on the earl’s face said as much, and the man cocked his head to one side to study Tobias in silence. The bastard had laid his trap well. Every possible escape mechanism Tobias considered met with defeat. The one outcome he did have control over was breaking his association with the earl as the man’s solicitor. Resigned to his fate, Tobias kept his expression stoic and rose to his feet.

“I’ll provide you with names for my replacement as your solicitor by the end of the day. Once you’ve made your selection, they can draw up the nuptial agreement.”

“Simply because you’re going to be my son-in-law doesn’t mean I need a new solicitor.” Culverstone offered him a congenial smile.

“I insist,” Tobias said in a withering tone. When the earl opened his mouth to protest, Tobias shook his head. “Once you’ve made a decision as to your new representative, instruct your new man as to the details.”

“As you wish.” The earl shrugged his shoulders. “I shall inform Jane of our arrangement. Naturally, I expect you to court her for a short time to avoid any gossip. I don’t want Jane made the object of ridicule.”

“Naturally.” Tobias didn’t bother to restrain his harsh sarcasm, and the earl frowned.

“Come now, Lynsted. I’m not such a bad father as to be unconcerned about my daughter’s welfare.” Culverstone shook his head.

“The irony of that statement is far from amusing given the manner in which you’ve just secured her a husband,” Tobias bit out between clenched teeth, and the other man arched his eyebrows in disdain.

“If you’re worried my informant will blackmail you in the future, let me assure you that the matter is closed and will not be opened again.”

“You’ve just blackmailed me into marrying your daughter. Forgive me if I find your assurances
far
from reassuring,” Tobias sneered as he headed toward the door. “Good day, my lord.”

Tobias strode out of the study and closed the door behind him with a loud crash. For several seconds, he stood with his back to the door contemplating his fate. Culverstone had obviously been planning this for some time. The bastard must have paid someone to follow him. No, having him followed wouldn’t have been enough. Culverstone seemed to have intimate knowledge about the activities that took place in Angélique’s establishment.

The earl’s informant had specifically said Tobias wasn’t a sodomite. That meant only one thing. Someone who’d actually been inside Angélique’s place of business had broken the rule of silence. Secrecy was more than an expectation in the circles he moved in. It was a code one lived by to avoid financial and social ruin. Betrayal had seen more than one traitor find their way into the Thames.

The sound of female voices echoed in the hallway, and his muscles drew up tight like a finely tuned piano wire. One voice he’d never heard before, but the quiet, unassuming one he recognized. Lady Jane. No, as his future wife, she was simply Jane to him now. He stood there for a moment, the reality of his situation sinking deeper into his bones. Culverstone had spun a web which offered no hope of escape.

Tobias turned his head in the direction of the voices as they pierced his thoughts once more. The earl had said he would inform his daughter about their upcoming nuptials, but Tobias was tired of having the bastard dictate to him. Jane deserved at least the semblance of a proposal. Tobias winced.

The only words spoken between them had been polite greetings as they’d passed each other in the earl’s house. His proposal would come as a complete surprise to her. How was he supposed to explain his sudden interest when they were barely on speaking terms? Tobias gritted his teeth at the notion he would have to surrender to Culverstone once again.

“
Fuck
,” he rasped softly.

“I beg your pardon, sir.”

Tobias jerked his gaze up to meet the condemnation in the butler’s gaze. He simply stared at the servant until the man’s look of contempt changed to one of discomfort.

“My hat and cane,” Tobias snapped.

“As you wish, sir,” the butler said in a voice that echoed with disapproval. “But Lady Hounslow asked me to show you into the parlor once your business with his lordship was concluded.”

Tobias arched his eyebrow at the servant’s clipped response. The butler’s cold emphasis on Lady Hounslow’s name left Tobias with the impression that Culverstone’s bride-to-be was managing the household as if she were already mistress.

Although the butler’s expression was stoic, Tobias had learned to read people well. Instinct and experience made him certain the butler cared little for the lady in question. With a sharp nod, Tobias followed the butler down the hall to the parlor. The moment he entered the room, a petite woman sitting on a green velvet-upholstered sofa looked up from her needlepoint and smiled with pleasure.

“You must be Mr. Lynsted. How lovely to finally meet you. I’m Lady Hounslow. The earl has spoken highly of you on more than one occasion.” The woman rose from the couch, and moved toward him with one hand outstretched. “I do hope you’ll forgive my presumption in asking you to join us.”

“Lady Hounslow,” he murmured as he bent politely over her outstretched hand.

Straightening, he noted Culverstone’s choice in bride was exquisite, but there was a hard glint in the woman’s eye. It was obvious her gentle appearance was little more than an illusion. This woman would be a fierce enemy if someone challenged her. The smile still on her lips, Lady Hounslow turned away from him.

“Jane dear, come greet our guest.”

Lady Hounslow turned toward a corner of the room where Lady Jane sat bent over a fragile looking secretaire. With more interest than he’d done in the past, Tobias took careful inventory of the woman he was to marry. The line of her back was rigid with tension, a clear indicator she didn’t like her future stepmother’s authoritative manner. Her movements stiff, Jane slowly stood up and turned to face them. Her mouth was tight with displeasure, and her demeanor hinted at a stubborn streak he hadn’t noticed before.

“Lady Jane,” he said quietly as he bowed in her direction.

“Mr. Lynsted.” She offered him a quick curtsey then clasped her hands in front of her. “Irene, I’d like to speak privately with our guest.”

“I couldn’t possibly leave you unchaperoned, Jane.” Lady Hounslow’s scandalized gasp was as contrived as her look of shock. “It would be inappropriate, and—”

“As inappropriate as you sharing my father’s bed most nights?” Jane’s retort was soft, but brutal, and Lady Hounslow gasped in outrage.

“How dare you—”

“Leave us
now
, my lady. I
will
speak with Mr. Lynsted,
alone
.”

There was a steely note in Jane’s voice that made Tobias suddenly realize she was far from the demure creature he’d thought her to be. From the antipathy vibrating in the room, it was obvious this wasn’t the first time Jane had thwarted the older woman’s wishes.

A familiar darkness edged its way along his senses as he watched Jane silently exert her will over the other woman with a look even he would find difficult to ignore. Few men appreciated the strength a woman like Jane possessed, but he did. Lady Hounslow huffed her anger then swept from the room with an air of affront that had Tobias biting back a smile. The woman clearly did not like taking orders from her future stepdaughter.

Tobias turned his attention back to Jane. The relief flashing across her face resembled that of someone who’d just dispensed with a disagreeable cur. Her gaze shifted to meet his, and like a door closing, her expression became unreadable. The room filled with tension again, but this time it was between the two of them. She turned away from him to walk back to the secretaire. Her fingers brushed over the surface of the light oak furniture as if seeking comfort from the touch. Like her, the small desk seemed out of place in the large salon. Even with her back to him, her tension was almost a tangible force.

“Lady Hounslow informs me that my father has spoken to you regarding a personal matter that is related to me…as well as yourself.”

The tension in her body seemed to ratchet even higher as her posture became rigid and inflexible. Her voice was devoid of emotion, but he recognized the unspoken understanding running beneath her words. She knew exactly why he was here.

“Yes.” Tobias nodded. “I’ve come to ask if you would do me the honor of becoming my wife.”

Jane dropped her head in resignation. Based on the altercation with Lady Hounslow, it was clearly difficult for Jane to submit to the forces dictating her future. She straightened and turned to meet his gaze with cool assessment.

“I suppose I should be grateful you asked me the question directly as opposed to viewing the matter a
fait accompli
.”

Humiliation echoed in her voice, and Tobias barely suppressed a vicious expletive. The earl had done more than back Tobias into a corner. The bastard had made his daughter feel like second-hand goods. A sudden desire to comfort her, help her restore some semblance of control to her life, hardened his body with a lust that appalled him.

Christ almighty
. The woman was to be his wife. She would never understand his needs or the darkness that drove him. Tension tightened his jaw painfully as he crushed the urges threatening to rise to the surface. When he didn’t respond to her accusation, Jane’s humiliation swiftly changed to anger.

“How much?” Bitterness filled her question, and he didn’t pretend to misunderstand her.

“Five thousand a year,” he said quietly.

“As little as that?” Her words were barely audible as her shoulders slumped slightly before she straightened upright. “You settled too quickly on a sum, Mr. Lynsted. My father would have easily paid up to twenty thousand to rid himself of me.”

Brittle and sharp, her accusation made him stiffen with anger until he saw a flash of vulnerability cross her face. Once more he experienced the urge to comfort her. The sensation spread its way through him like a raging fire. What the hell was wrong with him? If this woman discovered his secret she’d be horrified and shocked. A pink flush of color darkened her cheeks, and he realized he’d been staring.

“You judge me too harshly, my lady,” he murmured soothingly.

“Do I?” Jane eyed him with restrained anger as she shook her head. “You agreed to marry me.”

Uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation, Tobias clasped his hands behind his back. The past, and his work in the East End, gave him insight into what it felt like to be powerless in a situation not of one’s own making. He wasn’t about to tell her that Culverstone had blackmailed him into marrying her. It would only heighten her sense of being sold, and the last thing he intended to do was reveal his private reasons for agreeing to the arrangement. He quickly dodged the oncoming bullet.

“Am I to understand that
you
have no desire to marry me?”

“I have no desire to marry at all,” she snapped, an undefinable emotion layered beneath her response.

“I see. So we have a problem.”

Jane turned her head away from him for a moment. Tobias studied her profile with curiosity. The curve of her cheek suddenly made his fingers itch to caress the line of her jaw to see if her skin was as soft as it looked. Despite the stubborn set of her posture, the vulnerability he’d seen moments ago was still visible. She turned to face him again, her expression filled with determination and a quiet strength that intrigued him. The emotions she displayed were at odds with the nondescript woman with whom he’d exchanged only a few polite greetings over the past three years he’d been Culverstone’s solicitor.

“
I’m
the one with the problem. I can either marry you or be cast out on the street without a farthing to my name.” Hands still clasped and knuckles white from the tightness of her grip, Jane met his gaze unflinchingly. “Since I have no desire to be destitute, it seems I
must
marry you. All that remains is for us to reach an understanding.”

“And that would be?”

“Our marriage will be in name only, and we will lead separate lives.”

The emphatic statement didn’t surprise him, but his disappointment did. He stiffened as his head was suddenly filled with thoughts of exploring the curves beneath the hideous gray shroud she wore. Curves that said her breasts would be full and lush in his palms. He drew in a quick breath at the image then swallowed hard. Their gazes met, and she frowned. A sudden urge to give her pleasure rose up from deep inside Tobias until his stomach was tied in knots. His mouth went dry. He’d not experienced something this visceral in a very long time.