Seduced (2 page)

“I’ve heard a few whispers about how both the Woodley girls married the help,” Griffin admitted.

Letty set her jaw. Her cousins’ beauty might make her sometimes feel secondary, but she adored them all. That someone would dare to bring up the origins of Audrey’s husband Jude—who had a fine bloodline despite his working for her other cousin, Edward—or Claire’s new husband Warrick, a man of far more questionable birth but who was clearly passionately in love with Claire…well, it made Letty very angry.

“Who?” she asked, her tone clipped and harsh.

Griffin paused in his speech to count his steps a few more turns, then said, “You know. The usual nasty ones.”

“Well, they should keep their mouths shut,” Letty declared.

“I agree. I like Claire’s husband. War—did you know he goes by
War
?”

Letty sighed. “Yes, a rather interesting nickname. Did he say it was all right for you to call him that?”

Griffin nodded enthusiastically. “He
insisted
.” His eyes were bright now, excited and interested. “And do you know that his brother is here?”

Letty stiffened at the mention of Jack Blackwood, and it forced them both to miss the next two steps. She couldn’t help the response, though. Everyone knew the stories about the elder Mr. Blackwood. Since she’d had a run in with one criminal less than six months ago, a charlatan who had tried to woo her for her money, she was wary.

Thank God very few knew that fact. She could only imagine how uncomfortable things would be if that were public knowledge. She could only be thankful she had dodged one more public humiliation in a string of them.

Somehow she and her brother found their rhythm again, and Letty examined his face. Griffin had always been swept up in the romance of pirate tales and verses on Robin Hood. She would have to tread carefully.

“And what do you know of the
other
Mr. Blackwood?” she asked.

“Oh, come, Letty, everyone knows who he is rumored to be,” her brother gushed. “Captain Jack. The king of the underworld. He’s a legend.”

“First off, you have said it yourself that those are rumors,” she said, though she could hardly form the words with a straight face.

There were too many rumors about Jack Blackwood for the smoke not to indicate fire. Plus, one only had to look at the man, which she would never admit she had been doing quite a bit during the day’s festivities, to see he was dangerous. He was tall and dark and handsome, but it was a devilish handsomeness. A knowing kind of beauty that could be used against someone too foolish not to see the truth beneath it.

“You don’t think it’s true?” Griffin asked, drawing her from her thoughts. “I didn’t think you were so naive.”

She pursed her lips. “You speak as though
you
were the elder sibling.”

“I’m just saying that everyone
knows
he is the famous criminal,” he said with a roll of his eyes.

“Infamous,” she said. “There is a difference, Griffin.”

He ignored the gentle admonishment and instead grinned. “It’s exciting, that’s what it is. To have such a man in our midst? I’m going to talk to him.”

Letty’s eyes went wide and she stumbled again. She ignored the glares of those around them and focused on her brother. “Griffin, that is not a good idea. Not only is this man potentially a dangerous criminal who could bring you harm, but Papa would be livid if you spoke to him.”

Griffin’s posture changed. He became more guarded and his gaze went hard. “Father is livid with me most days no matter what I do.”

Letty blinked back tears. Over the past year, the relationship between her brother and both their parents, but especially their father, had become strained. Griffin was like a wild stallion, yearning to be set free. Their parents held the gates shut so tight he couldn’t even breathe. She could see the point in both their sides, but her intervention had served little good thus far.

“Griffin,” she began as the song ended.

He shook his head. “No, I will not be talked out of it, Letty. I may never have another chance, so I should take it!”

With that, he guided her from the dance floor, squeezed her hand and took off into the crowd. She watched him go, weaving in and out of the throng on a direct line to the very man they had been discussing.

Jack Blackwood.

He stood on the side of the dance floor, a drink in hand. And to Letty’s surprise, she found he was looking straight at her. His dark gaze was fully focused right on her face and a soft, seductive smile curved his lips. Heat flooded her cheeks and spread lower, making the room feel suddenly stifling.

“What is your brother doing?”

Letty jumped at the question spoken in her father’s harsh voice. She spun away from the pointed stare of Blackwood and turned instead to find both her parents suddenly at her side.

“Griffin? He didn’t say where he was going once we finished our dance, I’m afraid. I think he might just be mingling,” she lied.

Reginald Merrick’s lean, hard-angled face grew even tighter as he glared in the direction his son had gone. “Mingling,” he repeated, almost spitting the word out.

Her mother, Viola Merrick, who had a gentler countenance, released her husband’s arm and lifted to her tiptoes to see better. “Who is that Griffin is approaching?”

Letty cast a quick glance over her shoulder, praying her brother had been turned from his course. He had not. He had almost reached Jack Blackwood now. But Blackwood was no longer looking at Letty. She supposed she should have been happy at that. After all, she’d likely imagined it. A man like that didn’t stare at a woman like her. She was of no consequence to a person who could crook his finger and have any beautiful woman in this room running to his arms.

And yet she was not happy. She felt a twinge of what she recognized as disappointment. Which she tamped down with all her might before she refocused on protecting her brother as best she could.

“I don’t know,” she said. “Aunt Susanna invited so many friends of the family in order to show the strong Woodley support for Claire and her husband, I couldn’t be pressed to name them all.” She faked a bright smile. “Papa, did you see that the Duke of Hartholm is here? Didn’t you wanted to speak to him about—”

“That is Jack Blackwood,” her father interrupted, his lips becoming impossibly thin as he watched Griffin across the room. “The damned pirate.”

Letty shifted, shooting a glance at her mother. Sometimes Mrs. Merrick could be counted on to insert herself between Griffin and his father, but today she looked just as outraged as her husband did. So the job came down to Letty.

“I don’t think he is a pirate, Papa,” she said, hoping her tone was soothing. “It is unclear what the gentleman does for a living.”

“
Gentleman
?” her parents declared together.

Her father shook his head before he continued, “Whatever he is, a gentleman is not even close. Letty, you have heard the rumors just as we have. He’s that Captain Jack person who is in the papers now and again.”

“Scandalous stories,” Mrs. Merrick snapped. “They should be ashamed to publish such drivel!”

Letty sighed and decided not to point out to her mother that she was always engrossed in those tales. “Well, you are talking about rumor, Mama, not fact.”

“The
fact
is that your brother is becoming quite shiftless as he ages,” Mr. Merrick said, anger in his tone.

“He struggles,” Letty insisted. “You will not allow him to go into trade or pursue other options. Griffin wants more than a mere gentleman’s life of leisure. He longs for excitement—it isn’t uncommon in a boy, a
man
, of his years.”

Mr. Merrick folded his arms. “So you approve of him going to a scoundrel like Blackwood and making a spectacle of himself at your cousin’s wedding ball?”

Letty shook her head. “Of course not. If this Blackwood is truly the criminal he is rumored to be, I would
never
condone Griffin’s idolization of him.”

“Reginald, you must do something,” Mrs. Merrick insisted.

Letty reached out to touch her father’s arm. She had to stop him from interfering. If he did, he might only drive Griffin further away.

“Let me talk to him again, Papa,” she said, meeting dark eyes that were so much like her own. “You know he listens to me.”

Her father’s face softened slightly. “Yes,” he said, patting her hand. “He does do that. And I’ll admit that your relationship with him seems to be the only one in our family that isn’t strained. Speak to him again, but know this, daughter: if he does not see reason with your intervention, he
will
be punished.”

Letty swallowed hard. “Yes, Papa.”

“Let me get you a drink, my dear,” her father said to her mother as he maneuvered her away from Letty and in the opposite direction of Griffin and Jack Blackwood. Letty sighed as she faced her brother and the infamous criminal again. She was stuck in the middle of her family once more.

But then, she was accustomed to that. It seemed she was always in this position, no matter where she roamed. And she was beginning to grow rather tired of it.

Jack smiled as the young man before him chattered nervously. Griffin, he thought the boy had given his name to be. Not that Jack really cared at this point. He’d been approached by a dozen boys just like this one. He could almost form a club of them now.

“I just think your life sounds so very exciting,” Griffin continued.

Jack forced his attention back to the young man. He was enthusiastic about the rumors he’d heard about Jack, despite those rumors not yet being acknowledged.

“And what makes you think my life is interesting?” Jack drawled.

The boy stammered over his words a moment, but then a sly smile crossed his face. He looked younger when that happened; Jack would put him at little under eighteen years of age. Young enough to ignore all signs of danger. More than old enough to destroy himself.

Griffin reminded him of Warrick, actually. Not in size or appearance—War had never been as fresh-faced and innocent as the boy before him, thanks to their terrible childhood. But in enthusiasm and interest, the two could have been twins. The connection softened Jack’s heart to the boy, just a fraction.

“My sister often says that too much smoke will always indicate fire,” Griffin said.

“Your sister,” Jack said. “And which one is she?”

Griffin motioned across the room and Jack stiffened. It was Claire’s cousin, Letitia. He rolled the name around on his tongue for a moment before he shook off his distraction. The lady was now standing with a couple—her parents, if the common looks were any indication. The group of them looked at him and Griffin, and scowls were exchanged all around before the older pair left. Now Letitia stood alone, watching Jack and Griffin. She worried her lower lip with her teeth, and to Jack’s surprise, his cock stirred.

Funny thing. Women were entertaining, of course. He enjoyed a good tumble as well as, perhaps more than, any other man. But he hardly ever felt drawn to one particular woman over another. Certainly he didn’t pursue
ladies
, unless he was trying to divest them of jewelry.

“Lady Seagate is my sister,” Griffin said.

“She’s also stomping toward us,” Jack said, eyes widening as the lady in question began to do just that. Her hands were fisted at her sides, her brown eyes were flashing fire, the timid little widow he had first noticed was gone now, replaced by…well, something else entirely.

Something very interesting, indeed.

“Oh no,” Griffin groaned.

She reached them as her brother finished those words and folded her arms across her chest. Which, of course, drew Jack’s eyes there, as well. She had very nice breasts. She couldn’t hide that. He wondered briefly at the color, the weight of them, and then she began to speak.

“Griffin, it is time for you to go,” she said, clearly through clenched teeth.

Griffin’s face went dark red, filled with embarrassment as he shot Jack a side glance. “Letty!”

“Now,” she said, motioning her head to the side.

Griffin glared at her. “I would expect this from
them
, but from
you
?” he hissed.

Her face collapsed a little at the accusation, as if her brother’s anger physically pained her. Jack jolted, for he recognized that pain as a mirror of what he’d felt himself.

But swiftly she cleared that emotion from her expression before she shrugged. “You would get worse from
them
and you know it. More to the point, you
will
get worse still if you don’t walk away…
now
.”

The boy huffed out his breath and stalked off without saying a word to Jack. He was likely too mortified by having his elder sister take him to task so publicly. Lady Seagate, Letty…no, Jack didn’t like Letty as much. Letty was too common a name for the fire goddess hidden within this woman.
Letitia
. He liked that far more. Letitia watched her brother go a few steps, then pivoted back to face him.

Jack let his gaze sweep over her face, taking it in now that she was so close. He had seen more classically beautiful women in his life, and yet there was something about this woman that interested him. Something about the fullness of her lips, the fact that there were flecks of gold in her otherwise plain brown eyes, the way she tilted her head…
something
drew him in.