Improper Pleasures (The Pleasure Series #1) (12 page)

“I wish to visit the rest of the tenants as soon as
possible.” The harshness in his voice was directed at himself instead of
Wesley. James and his father had disagreed on America’s independence, along
with about everything else. That he hadn’t returned home when he got word that
his father was ill still ate at James. Even so, he doubted they would have
reconciled even if he had. Hell, James didn’t know anything about the man,
including the fact he was in line for an English title. James shook off the
unwanted realization and focused on the matter at hand. He knew how to handle a
ship’s finances with a crew to pay and feed, storms to battle and shipments
that spoil if not delivered on time. Eastlan couldn’t be that much different.
He’d had his head buried in old accounts for too long. Better to get a feel for
the place and replace Wesley as soon as possible.

“Of course. As I told you before, I was just giving them
time to ready for your visit. An appearance by their master is quite an honor.
They want to be at their best.”

Hating how little progress he’d made since his arrival,
James studied the familiar ocean in the distance for comfort. Things were
entirely too complicated with his supposed boon. But instead of Eastlan, the
first thing that popped into his mind was Astra. He took a deep calming breath,
and then another. The mere thought of last night stirred his groin and if he
got hard in his tailored breeches it would be a disaster.

“I want to return to Eastlan.” If nothing else, he could
read Astra. Her delicate features showed her every emotion. He needed to settle
things between them so at least he could focus.

“As you wish. I thought we would visit a tavern with
excellent local cuisine. But, you’re the baron.”

James dragged his gaze away from the weak ray of sun
playing on the water and studied Wesley. Was that hostility in his voice? The
curl of Wesley’s lips showed he was definitely put out.

“An ale and a piece of kidney pie on our way to the
stables might be in order,” James conceded. He was famished and wouldn’t mind
taking in more of the village. And perhaps he had better cool down a bit before
confronting Astra.

Wesley seemed to brighten. “I know just the pub.”

They headed off down the street at a much slower pace than
they’d arrived. James heard a faint snicker and glanced over his shoulder to
see that the children he’d frightened had regrouped, but in greater number.

“Did you and Astra grow up together?” ventured James as
casually as possible.

“We were inseparable—Lowell, Astra and I. Her father was
our school master and your father’s, too, by the way. ”

“I thought Astra’s father was a baron.”

“That’s true, but before that, he was a school master, and
again at the end of his life. He loved to teach. Even after he retired from the
House of Commons.”

James rubbed his jaw. “I’m confused.”

“Astra’s father was given his barony for his service to
the crown. The title died out with him, which was no surprise. Your barony’s
different. Much better.”

“So Astra didn’t grow up on some big estate with a house
full of servants?”

“No, Lord Seabrook was a simple man. He rented a manor
house on the edge of the village and tutored local students until he married.
But as it was, old Master Seabrook was lucky to have Astra. He must have been
into his sixties when Lady Seabrook married him.”

“That’s surprising.” Of what James thought he knew of
Astra’s mother, she didn’t seem content to live on the outskirts of anything.

“Is it? He had just received his barony when the lady set
her hooks on him. Pardon the pun. Her family are fishermen, but she cast her
nets out for bigger fish. She was the village beauty after all.”

“And Astra? Did she do the same?” James recalled the entry
in the ledgers about Astra’s marriage to Lowell shortly after his inheritance of
the barony, not even a month after his brother’s death. The receipt from the
wedding breakfast had proved it was a small affair, but the doctors brought up
from Bath to attend to Lowell’s health had cost a small fortune.

“Astra doesn’t like her precarious situation any more than
I do.” Wesley’s gaze drifted somewhere over James’s shoulder. “Scat. Be gone
with you. Don’t you have chores to attend to?”

James heard the chorus of giggles, but no scampering of
feet. “I think I’ve become their entertainment. I’m pretty good at a making a
spectacle of myself. Watch.”

James slowly bent his knees, then abruptly whirled and
lunged at the children with his arms spread wide. Instead of saying boo, he
just growled. Their shrieks resulted in a ringing in his ears but the laughter
that welled up in his chest was worth it.

When he turned back to Wesley, the man stood slack-jawed.
“Oh, we’re going to hear about this.”

“I’ll make it up to them, don’t worry.” James strode down
the street forcing Wesley to break into a trot to catch up.

“So tell me, does anyone marry for love in this country?”
he asked.

“Only the foolish and usually those unions are
disastrous.” Wesley slowed his pace and James hung back unable to continue to
feign disinterest in their conversation.

“Well, let it be known I’ll only marry a woman who truly
cares for me,” James said with a fierceness that surprised even him. Not having
the means or the inclination, James hadn’t really considered that anyone would
ever want him for anything other than his charming self. His father had married
his mother for his grandfather’s mercantile business and the fact had always
been painfully obvious.

Wesley pressed his handkerchief to his lips before he
spoke. “Then I’m sorry for you because now that you’re a peer, you’re not
likely get what you want. Or at least you’ll never know for sure.”

“I see. So I am now the county’s most eligible bachelor.
Thank you for the warning.” James turned and headed back down the street. Once
he came to a shop he had passed earlier, he ducked inside. He took his time
with his purchases, including one of every flavor and color. He popped one of
the sweets into his mouth. The red ones tasted of berries. Not bad.

He returned to the street to find Wesley had sunk onto a
wooden bench outside the store. James’s band of young followers gathered across
the way. A couple of tall boys and a cherubic-face girl half their size broke
away from the rest and stood in the middle of the cobblestone street. They were
getting braver. James was about to see how brave they really were. So far, he
hadn’t found English children any different from their American counterparts.
At least he didn’t have to be concerned about changing his behavior around
them.

He stalked toward them and the boys stepped back. The girl
held her ground. Maybe English females weren’t that different from American
ones after all.

He held out his hand, palm open. “Who wants a sweet?”

The children descended on him like a hoard of swine at
feeding time. Some things were universal. His next thought included matters of
the flesh also being one of them.

He nodded to himself. If Astra still wanted to be his
mistress, James knew he could not say no, no matter that he suspected it might
lead to complications. He’d find a way to deal with them. As long as she knew
that marriage was not in the cards for them and that he had a ship waiting to
take him home the moment his work at Eastlan was complete, he would enjoy her
offer.

With that settled, at least in his own mind, James laughed
at the children’s groans of pleasure. Perhaps he just might miss this place a
little bit after all.

***

James!” Astra rushed toward him the moment he strode past
the large double doors leading into the marble entryway. Her face glowed with
the same enthusiasm as the children who had taken all his candy and his breath
hitched, surprised that he could be the cause of her joy.

“Is that from the village tailor?” Her eyes widened
slightly at his appearance.

“What’s wrong?” He glanced down at himself to see what she
saw. The breeches were entirely too tight, he knew. Perhaps that was it. “I
should have known better than to let another man dress me.”

“No. You look wonderful. Both the cut and cloth is
exceptional.”

He studied her, trying to detect a hint of a smirk. She
appeared scandalized more than amused. “Then why are you looking at me like
you’ve never seen a man dressed like this before? Is it the color?”

She pressed both her palms to her chest. “The color suits
you.”

“Then what? I’m going to wear my old clothes if you don’t
tell me why you’re looking at me like that.”

“I just didn’t realize you were so, so…stout.”

James shrugged out of the coat and held it out to Astra.
“The damn thing has shoulder pads.”

She pushed the garment back toward him. “Put your coat
back on. A gentleman doesn’t undress in the foyer.”

James did as she asked, not liking the fact that she
seemed so lighthearted when he could hardly look at her without vivid images of
last night. How she’d looked panting up at him while he had his hands under her
gown. Didn’t she have any idea how close he’d been to flipping up her skirts,
ripping open his fly and plunging inside her without preamble?

“I thought you were counting on the fact that I’m not a
gentleman,” he said more briskly than he intended.

Astra’s smile faltered and she clasped her hands in front
of her. “It wasn’t my intention to make you angry. You wear your clothes well.
The jacket suits you. It’s that simple.”

He inched closer to her and lowered his voice to a husky
whisper. “You like my body, do you, Astra? There’s more to see.”

She lifted her gaze to his. “Does that mean you are ready
to accept my proposal?”

She stared directly into his eyes and his muscles
tightened in dangerous anticipation. “How could I refuse?”

“Excellent.” The tremor in her voice belied her words. She
glanced at the footman standing by the front door. “Then we shall discuss it
further at our first available opportunity.”

“A discussion is not what I had in mind.” James wanted to
whisk her away to his study this instant. Astra wore a high-necked gown with a
brown sheen and black ribbons woven into her prudishly restrained hair. After
last night, her appearance seemed purposely punishing, her oval face pale
amongst the severe colors. And still, all he could think about was peeling off
her layers and undoing her confined hair to get to the lusty creature who’d sat
on his desk with her legs spread, the green in her hazel eyes flashing. They
could go a little further this afternoon, he thought, and he would touch her,
taste her. He didn’t have to fully commit his body, or hers, just yet.

“Then perhaps you’ll enjoy your lesson after all. The
reason I’ve been waiting for your return is that Lady Phillina wants to come
downstairs and watch me teach you to dance.”

“Today? I have work to attend to. In my study. My desk
awaits.” He raised his eyebrows suggestively and was rewarded with a shy smile
from Astra.

“I don’t wish Lady Phillina to change her mind and she
insists that you be the one to carry her down to the ballroom. I don’t think
she’s been downstairs in over a year. James, you don’t know what a step this is
for her.”

“Yes, I think I do.” He nodded, understanding how
momentous it must be that Lady Phillina was eager to leave her room. “A dancing
lesson it is.” The gratitude in Astra’s gaze was worth an afternoon of lessons.
Making her happy gave him the strangest sensation in his chest. It made
him
happy. He headed for the stairs, but glanced at her again over his shoulder.

She stood rooted in the center of the hall. That odd
feeling in his chest mirrored the secret smile on her face. “Go on. I’ll finish
readying the ballroom. Perhaps we can find a moment alone afterwards.”

James took the stairs two at a time. Something was
happening between him and Astra. Something he no longer had the will to stop.
He rapped on Lady Phillina’s door, anxious to return to Astra before all the
logical reasons why he should snuff their potential affair rose to ruin his
good mood.

“My lord.” The maid who opened the door dropped to a
curtsy. James resisted the urge to bow in return. He’d been told by the butler
it was not done.

“Oh, James!” Lady Phillina called from her chair. “You
look like a proper English gentleman.” She suddenly pressed a lace handkerchief
to her mouth and closed her eyes against tears.

James rushed to her side. “What is it?”

“Please forgive me.” She dabbed at her eyes and smiled.
“You bring back memories. You resemble my eldest son at times. It takes me by
surprise.”

Lady Phillina was dressed in a royal blue gown with the
slightest sheen in the material. Her grey hair was piled on her head in an
artful arrangement. A blush tinted her cheeks and lips that looked
distinctively like rouge.

“See? You should have let me remain in my own clothes. I
don’t want to upset you.” He definitely didn’t want to tell her he’d just be
leaving all their purchases here when he returned home, and he didn’t relish
the moment when he would have to inform her. “Should I come back later?”

“No, you must stay.” Lady Phillina took a ragged breath in
an effort to compose herself. “Mary, could you leave us for one moment. I need
to talk to James about something in private.”

Once the maid left the room, Phillina gestured for James
to sit on the sofa. That they were about to talk about something personal and
private suddenly tightened the neck of James’s collar. Good God, but he hoped
she hadn’t found out about the red-haired maid. Or worse, Astra’s plans.

“What I’m about to ask you is totally inappropriate,
James. And the lady in question would be horrified if she knew I was being so
bold, but something in your eyes makes me believe that you’re the kind of man
who can handle such a delicate subject.” She winked and James felt sick.