Seducing the Rake (Mad, Bad and Dangerous Heroes) (59 page)

“Oh, there was never the slightest doubt, my dear.
You
are, of course. You have been ever since that night you tossed me into the South China Sea for accusing you of having scrawny legs.”

“Scrawny legs! I’ve never in my life had scrawny legs! Well, perhaps for a short while when I was eight. But—look here. I’ll prove it to you.” She lifted her skirts high, displaying calves encased in silk stockings and peach satin garters trimmed with rosettes of seed pearls. “You see,” she said triumphantly.

“Indeed I do,” the earl said hoarsely.

“And do you still say they’re scrawny?”

“Not at all, my heart.” Morland’s eyes darkened. “Ah, Chessy.” He moved closer. “That was really most unwise of you. I’ve been very patient, after all, but now that the ceremony is finally over, I don’t think I can—”

He didn’t finish. His wife had gathered her skirts and was making for the center of the maze. It seemed that she had spent her time profitably, too, for she moved unerringly to the only exit.

“Come back here, baggage!”

The sound of her laughter drifted to him on the wind.

Philosophically Morland flagged down a passing servant and pocketed two etched crystal goblets and a bottle of chilled champagne.

His smile grew wolfish. As it happened, he knew a shortcut, too, one that even Chessy had not yet discovered. With thorough aplomb he walked right into a wall of greenery—

And chuckled as a hidden door opened, depositing him on the far side.

He caught his wife as she was just rounding the corner.

“Now, minx, you’re going to pay and pay dearly!” He caught her wrist and began tugging her toward the trees beyond the maze.

“Tony? Where are you taking me?”

“You’ll see.”

“Tony, stop this second. I want to know where—”

Her husband pushed her back behind an ancient elm tree just as the duchess sailed over the hill, with the Duke of Wellington and two officers in tow. “I could have sworn I saw them here a second ago,” the older woman said. “But why would Tony be avoiding me?”

Wellington took the duchess’s arm firmly and steered her beck toward the throng. “Perhaps, my dear Amelia, the young people wish to be alone. Newlyweds do occasionally desire that, you know.”

As he steered her off, still protesting, the duke turned back and stared at the spot where Tony and Chessy were hiding. Tony poked his head out, and the duke gave him a conspiratorial wink.

“Now I see why the man was triumphant at Waterloo,” Tony muttered. And then he caught Chessy’s hand and tugged her over the smoothly clipped grass, where sunlight danced against dappled shadows.

Finally Tony stopped. Before him stood a vast oak tree with an elaborate spiral of wooden planks leading up to an elegant tree house.

Chessy frowned at the lush foliage. Her amethyst eyes widened. “This isn’t—”

Morland watched her face.

And then she began to smile. “Elspeth and Jeremy’s tree house?”

“They were most insistent, my love. Elspeth thought you wouldn’t care to go far from home this first night. And she thought it would be the very best way for me to welcome you properly to Sevenoaks. At a place where we could be
very
private.”

Chessy gasped. “Tony! Surely you didn’t tell her that—well, about—”

“Of course I didn’t. But sometimes I think that female is five years going on fifty! One would think so to see how she orders that urchin, Bamaby, about. And the boy positively dotes on her. I must remember to put Whitby on locating the lad’s parents.” He frowned. “But perhaps … that is, if you don’t care for the tree house—”

“It’s a lovely idea! How clever of Elspeth to think of it.”

“In that case, after you, my dearest love. I
would
carry you over the threshold, but this particular threshold is about thirty feet high.” He gave her a crooked smile.

Chessy knew at that moment he was thinking of the knee that would always pain him. In his way he wanted to be sure that she realized he might always have this encumbrance.

She ran her hand gently across his cheek. “Unforgivably foolish, my love,” she whispered, turning his own comment back upon him.

A muscle flashed at Tony’s jaw. He caught her hand and brought it to his lips. “Someday I might figure out what I’ve done to merit such a woman as you, my heart. But until then…” Grinning rakishly, he reached into his pocket and displayed bottle and goblets.

“Quite prepared, aren’t you, rogue!”

“Always, my dear!” He offered her an elegant bow. “After you.”

Chessy caught up her voluminous satin skirts. Her husband’s eyes darkened as he studied the expanse of creamy thigh and saucy peach-colored garters.

From over the hill came the sound of noisy laughter.

“Quick,” Tony said urgently.

Up Chessy went, with her white skirts billowing and her long, lacy sleeves drifting in the sunlight.

Borne by a gust of wind, the white satin floated out, tickling Tony’s cheek and dancing about his face. Struck with a devilish impulse, Morland bent slightly. “Good heavens, what are those lacy things you’re wearing, wife?”

Chessy laughed down at him. “Those, my husband, are drawers.”

“Never tell me you’ve taken up that outlandish bit of fashion. It’s nothing short of scandalous!”

“Really?” Chessy’s look was pure innocence. “Tess assured me it was all the rage. She brought them back for me from Paris. Did you know that she’s a
smuggler
? In fact, she told me that if I promised to be very careful, she’d take me along with Dane when they—”

“Over my dead body!” Morland growled. “I can see I’m going to have to have a talk with Dane. That woman is too impulsive by half. And I won’t have her enticing you into reckless escapades. As if you
needed
any encouragement!”

The white satin flew up once more, drifting about Morland’s face.

He took another look beneath. “Drawers! By heaven, they’re—they’re nearly invisible, set with all that lace.” His voice was growing hoarse.

“Tess tells me they drive men wild. And
she
should know, considering—” Chessy caught herself back with a groan.

“Considering
what
?”

“Oh, no! I wasn’t supposed to tell.”

“To tell what—that the woman is a hoyden? A minx?”

“No, that she’s pregnant.”

Morland froze. “Is she indeed? I was wondering how long it would be before—” He cleared his throat abruptly. “Well, at least that should keep her out of trouble for a while. Come to think of it, that should keep them
both
out of trouble.” He moved up the steps, shaking his head. “Drawers, indeed.”

And then he stopped. “What’s that smell? If I weren’t sure it was impossible, I’d have sworn I smelled gardenias.”

“So you did.” Chessy smiled down at him. “That was the duchess’s gift. She had it specially distilled from the blooms in her greenhouse.” Chessy’s eyelids fell. “She said that the flowers had worked once before, and she didn’t see why they wouldn’t work once again.”

At that moment the wind gusted anew, giving Morland an unforgettable glimpse of peach satin and sheer white lace. His eyes closed and his fingers clenched upon the wooden slats. “May heaven preserve me.”

Morland felt his blood begin to pound. Was this some kind of conspiracy? In a few more minutes he would go stark, raving mad! “Work?” His voice was smoky. “Work to do what, woman?”

“I have no idea. I was hoping you could tell me.” Chessy’s tongue moistened her lower lip delicately. “Or even better, I hoped you would show me.”

He was doomed, Morland could feel it clearly. How was he to keep his head under this erotic onslaught? But confound it, this time he didn’t want to be hurried! This time he wanted to be slow and masterful and exceedingly thorough, until Chessy was utterly wild for him.

And he’d do it too!

His hands tensed. “Go on, hoyden. And while you climb, you might as well tell me about any
other
surprises you have in store for me.”

Laughing softly, Chessy swung her skirts up and slipped through the door to the tree house. Then she went absolutely still.

Inside, the wooden planks were covered with oriental rugs, which were strewn in turn with silken pillows. At the windows, curtains of gold-shot crimson danced in the gentle wind.

“Oh, Tony!”

Morland shook his head in amazement. “Those two really are quite thorough. I must remember to congratulate them.” His eyes turned smoky. “If I’m still able to talk when I climb down from here, that is.”

“It’s almost like our own little world up here, cut off from everyone and yet close enough to hear and see. It’s—it’s lovely!” Wide-eyed, Chessy settled back against a pile of pillows.

Morland slid down next to her. “You’re right. It
is
lovely.” But he was looking at Chessy’s cheeks, finely flushed from her climb. And at her hair, billowing out in an ebony cloud around her shoulders. “Impossibly lovely.”

And then he spied the box beside her. “More gifts?”

“The duchess must have had them brought up here. Alexandra has been ever so nice, you know. She said we’re to go and visit at Hawkesworth whenever we like. Oh, and she promised me a baby mongoose too! Of course, I shall have to pass Rajah’s test first. He’s a very particular pet.”

Morland did not look greatly thrilled by this offer.

“And
this
is her gift.” Chessy held up a book.

“The Female Instructor
? It sounds fascinating,” he said dryly.

Chessy’s nose wrinkled as she thumbed through the thick volume. I’m afraid it’s not at all interesting.” She opened to a page at random and began to read. “
The general properties of the cold bath consist in its power of contracting the solid parts, and of dissipating the fluids. Any part of the body exposed to the sudden contact of cold water experiences at the same instant a degree of tension and contraction and becomes narrower and smaller.
” She sniffed. “Who would find that interesting?”

Morland, who had begun to think
he
needed a cold bath at that moment, gritted his teeth and concentrated on working the cork from the champagne bottle. Yet somehow all he could think of was lacy drawers and pearl-strewn garters.

And the silken thighs beneath.

His forehead was beaded with sweat by the time the cork finally exploded with a resounding crack and sailed out the tree house window. Somewhere down below they heard a man curse in surprise.

Chessy began to giggle.

Morland’s eyes gleamed. “Hard-hearted woman. Read me some more.” Maybe that would help him keep his thoughts under control.

“Let’s see.
Irritability of the nerves may be mitigated by the cold bath. It overcomes their tendency to rigidity and other disagreeable sensations.
” Chessy looked up, frowning. “I wonder what sort of rigidity the book is talking about.”

Morland filled her glass and pressed it into her hand. “I’m coming to have a fair idea,” he muttered.

Chessy looked confused. “There are other chapters, you know. Cooking, for example. Here’s a recipe for stewed ox-cheek. Another for pickled tongues. And one for lobster cakes.”

Morland seized the book and tossed it in the corner. “I assure you, I have no need for lobster cakes, my dear,” he said grimly. “I need nothing, in fact. Nothing but
you.”

“But—” Chessy wriggled free. “Oh, look. The Duke of Hawkesworth has given us a second book.” She squinted down at the handwritten note. “It’s called
The Perfumed Garden.”
She sounded out the words carefully. “It’s never been translated, but he said—well, he told me not to open it until we—until you—”

Her face colored.

Tony began to smile. “Indeed. Then go ahead and open it, by all means. Because in a minute I am most certainly going to—”

Chessy looked down to hide her flush, quickly opening the book. “Lovely colors. And such a beautiful gold binding.” And then her voice wavered. Her eyes widened. “But this is … I mean, they are…

She flipped to the next page.

Tony smiled wolfishly. “You mean that it’s rather like our pillow book, I think. Which is on its way to China right now. And good riddance, if you ask me. I only hope that our envoy will be able to keep it safe from the Triads. But enough of government problems!”

“What?” Chessy did not seem to hear. Frowning, she studied the couple on the page before her.

She turned the book sideways.

She turned the book upside down.

Finally, her head cocked to one side. “But Tony, how ever do they
do
that?”

“Very carefully, my love.” Gently her husband removed the jewel-covered volume and tossed it onto the coverlet, then tugged Chessy down on top of him. “And with a great deal of practice, I suspect.”

Chessy’s amethyst eyes began to gleam. “Should you like to—practice, my lord? With me?”

Morland groaned. First erotic underclothes, then seductive perfume, and now an excruciatingly sensual pillow book. He shook his head. “Something tells me that life with you is going to be anything but boring, Cricket. Now be quiet, woman.”