Taken by the Earl (Regency Unlaced 3) (9 page)

Sin’s day had started so enjoyably when he made love to Fliss in her bedchamber and then walked in the garden with her. But it had deteriorated from that moment on. Someone had poisoned his groom and his horse. He had spent most of the day and evening ensuring neither of them died. The interlude with Fliss had been more than pleasant, to be sure. But learning what she had been up to all day was not.

He scowled darkly. “Ye deserve ta ha’ yer ass tanned fer disobeying me.”

Her brows rose. “Lay a hand on me in anger, sir, and you will live to regret it.”

He chuckled. “Oh, it will not be done in anger,” he assured her, his Scottish accent fading as he brought his temper under control. “And you might enjoy having your bottom spanked.”

“I most certainly would not.”

“Are you sure about that?” She might have bristled with indignation at Sin’s threat, but there was also a measure of curiosity in those gray eyes. Whether she realized it or not, the prim and respectable Mrs. Felicity Randall was excited at the prospect of having her ass spanked.
 

“Positive.”

In truth, Sin was at a loss to know what to do with this woman. Fliss had behaved bravely, even fearlessly, by coming here to warn him he was in danger. But being brave could just as easily get her killed as save his life when she might now be seen as a weakness to be exploited. Nor could he force her into going to Scotland.

But the fact that Fliss had recognized the voice of his assassin meant the other man was most certainly here. Sin could not ignore that fact. Or the danger it would put Fliss in if the two of them were to spend any more time together in public.

“Did the other gentleman assume he was only out for a little late-night fun with an unprotected lady, I wonder?” he said aloud. “Or does your assassin have an accomplice?”

“He is
your
assassin, not mine,” Fliss replied, out of sorts that her intimate interlude with Sin was ending so badly.

Also with the knowledge the gentleman who intended to kill Sin was here at Eckles Manor.

And feeling more than a little guilty that she had felt excited at the thought of Sin spanking her…

She really had become a woman she barely recognized these past two days. She’d allowed Sin liberties not even Stephen had taken, and taken liberties with Sin that she had never dreamt of with any other man, including her husband, but which had seemed to come quite naturally with him.

As for his suggestion she go to his home in Scotland for her own safety…

A part of her was curious to see Sin’s home, to be a guest there. But not if Sin would not be there too.

Besides, even with Sin absent, it really was not done for a widowed lady to spend time at the home of a single gentleman. Sally had done it, she reminded herself. Yes, her dear friend Sally had stayed unchaperoned at the home of the rakish Marquis of Oxbridge, and unlike Fliss, she had never been married. But Sally was now betrothed to her handsome marquis, the wedding to take place before Christmas. Fliss held no such illusions where she and Sin Montgomery were concerned. A few illicit encounters, like the one they had just enjoyed, were all she might expect from the Earl of Winterbourne.

“He is someone’s assassin,” Sin asserted grimly.

Her expression brightened. “You really do believe me now?”

“It would seem after today, it would be best to err on the side of caution,” he conceded. “I really wish you would leave here, Fliss.”

“And I have said I will not.”

The palm of Sin’s hand itched with the need to spank this woman’s backside. Except he knew it would not end there. And making love to Fliss again would not be a wise move on his part. Instead, he needed to put as much distance between them as possible if he were to protect her, if not physically by having her leave Eckles Manor, then in all other ways.

He straightened. “I will wish you a good night, then, Mrs. Randall.”

Fliss was taken aback at the abruptness and formality of his dismissal. The two of them had been intimate—very intimate—such a short time ago. Sin had held her in his arms afterward. Shown concern for her safety since. How could he now dismiss her, address her so formerly, as if none of that had taken place?

Because he’s a gentleman and an earl. And gentlemen and earls do not need to explain themselves to dowdy widows like me.

Fliss drew herself up proudly. “Good night, my lord.”

Chapter 9

“You seem somewhat distracted, Mrs. Randall,” Lord Waverley prompted irritably.

Fliss turned her head sharply away from where Sinclair Montgomery was currently engaged in a game of—well, she was not sure what the game was. Only that it involved a lot of laughter and necessitated that he and the lady he was with become entangled in positions Fliss had not realized were possible whilst still wearing one’s clothes.
Most
of one’s clothes, she corrected, because the earl was once again in his shirtsleeves, and Lady Barker in only her stockings and camisole, resulting in her plentiful breasts spilling out the top of it on a regular basis.
 

It had been a most horrible day, as far as Fliss was concerned, and the evening was not much better.

She had seen nothing of Sin during the day. But when she had gone to the stables this afternoon in search of him, having assumed he must again be there, she was informed by one of Lady Eckles’s grooms that
“His lordship hasn’t been near since this morning.”
So much for his concern regarding his groom and horse.

Fliss later learned that Sin had been with several of the other guests this afternoon, having joined them to go nude bathing in Lady Eckles’s lake.

Unlike yesterday, her own morning had been spent hiding in the library. Knowing she could not continue to hide indefinitely, she had joined some of the other guests for luncheon and afterward retired to her bedchamber to rest. She had returned downstairs in time for afternoon tea and discovered that none of the bathers had yet returned.

It was an afternoon tea unlike any Fliss had ever attended before, and resulted in cake being thrown about by several of the male guests. The reason for that had soon become apparent when those same gentlemen had then offered to lick the cake from whatever lady’s body part the sticky concoction might have landed on.

Fliss had somehow managed to avoid the barrage of food throwing before quickly excusing herself and hurrying back to the refuge of her bedchamber.

She had, however, had the chance to observe the other ladies’ attire during that riotous tea, and once back in her room had instructed Mary to make changes to the gown she would wear this evening. She would draw less attention to herself if she was at least dressed in the same manner as all the other ladies.

She ordered a strip of lace be removed from the bodice, and the petticoats beneath the skirt. Once she’d dressed, Fliss’s reflection in the cheval mirror showed her breasts were exposed to just above the nipples. The lack of a second petticoat rendered the skirt almost transparent. She was now dressed as scandalously as the other ladies present.

For all the notice Sin took of her when he arrived late to the dining room with a giggling Lady Barker on his arm, Fliss might as well have been wearing a sack from head to toe. Sin’s and Lady Barker’s behavior during dinner had been nothing short of sickening to watch as they fed each other sweetmeats in between Sin placing languorous kisses on every available piece of flesh the other woman bared. Which was considerable.
     

Fliss had felt hurt and betrayed by Sin’s attentions to the other woman.

Despite what he had said, the earl had obviously decided to dismiss Fliss’s warnings of danger as nothing more than a widow’s hysteria. He had possibly only been humoring her so he could take all he wanted from her physically. Having done so, he had now transferred his attention to his next conquest.

When Lord Waverly invited Fliss to play a game of cards with him after dinner, she had happily agreed. She had not, of course, realized he meant for them to remove an item of clothing every time a hand was lost. But as Lord Waverly was so far the only one to lose, it had not proven to be a problem.

For Fliss, that is.

Lord Waverly was a fair-haired gentleman in his forties who obviously enjoyed his food overmuch, and he did not make a particularly appealing sight stripped down to his undershirt and pantaloons.
 

“Not at all, my lord,” Fliss now answered him lightly. “I was simply wondering if there was any refreshment to be had this evening. This is thirsty work, is it not?” She placed another winning hand on the tabletop, while inwardly thanking her nanny for all those wet afternoons when it was impossible to leave the house and the two of them had instead played cards together. Without that, Fliss feared she would have been the one stripped to her undergarments. Which had no doubt been Lord Waverly’s intention all along. “In lieu of removing another piece of your clothing, would it be possible for you to get me something to drink instead?”

He threw his cards down in disgust as he stood. “I believe there is punch in the other room.”

“I would prefer water.” Fliss had already sampled the punch and found it to be unpleasant and laced with a strong-tasting alcohol. No doubt it was intended to dispose of any lingering inhibitions the guests might feel. Which, in Fliss’s opinion, applied to very few here. She had never seen so many half-naked bodies as she had been forced to endure this evening.

“Of course.” Lord Waverly smiled tightly before excusing himself to go in search of the water she had requested.

Fliss breathed a slow sigh of relief and allowed the tension to ease from her shoulders once Waverly had gone. Perhaps the earl was right and she should leave Eckles Manor. Sin’s behavior showed he was completely unconcerned as to his own safety, and Fliss was not sure she could suffer through many more days and evenings like this one.

“Excuse yourself and go to your bedchamber before the evening grows any wilder.”

Fliss recognized that hissing voice and dictatorial tone, and she did not take kindly to hearing either when Sin had ignored her existence all day. How dare he behave as he had with Lady Barker this evening and still expect Fliss to take his instruction seriously?

She turned to find him standing beside her chair, eyeing him critically as she took in his unfastened shirt and the expanse of flesh it revealed. “Has your game finished already, my lord? Surely not?” she taunted as she coolly swept her gaze over him from his booted feet to his tousled hair. “You appear to still have some of your clothes on.”

Sin had been congratulating himself on avoiding Fliss’s company all day, sure that if he continued to do so, she would eventually take herself off from Eckles Manor. He had been convinced that if she were the respectable widow Fliss assured him she was, she would not be able to endure the licentious behavior here for long.

To his annoyance, she had flirted with the men seated on either side of her during dinner, and was now playing a card game with Waverly, which appeared to necessitate the two of them removing items of clothing between hands. None of Fliss’s own as yet, but Sin was sure it was only a matter of time before Waverly began to cheat to achieve Fliss’s disrobement.

“Lady Eckles will shortly be announcing a game of blindman’s bluff,” he bit out between clenched teeth. “You do not want to be here for that.”

Fliss raised her brows. “Why not?”

Sin breathed noisily through his nose. “Because if you are chosen to be the blind man and you fail to identify whomever you touch, by whichever body part they nominate for that identification, you will in turn then have a part of your own body groped and fondled.”

Her nose wrinkled with distaste. “You have obviously played the game before.”

He had, yes, but not in these surroundings or in this company. “Make your excuses and go to your room, Fliss.” He kept his voice soft so that no one else should overhear their conversation.

“No.”

Sin lowered his head until his lips were almost touching the bareness of skin between her shoulder and throat. Close enough that he could breathe in the heady musk of her body. He was instantly annoyed with himself when he felt his cock reacting to being this close to Fliss. He’d just spent the past hour with a half-clothed woman without feeling so much as a twitch of arousal. “I will not be able to save you from molestation once the game has begun,” he snapped.

“I do not recall asking for your assistance,” she dismissed.

The mere thought of having to watch as other men in the room manhandled Fliss was enough to make Sin grind his teeth. “You are playing with fire,” he warned.

“Indeed?” she taunted. “Perhaps I have decided it is time I was less respectable and
burned
a little?”

He straightened abruptly, hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. “Lady Eckles is sure to choose the most innocent here to be the blind man.”

“And you believe that to be me?”

“I know it is you.” For all they had shared several intimacies—Sin could still remember the feel of that silken mouth about his cock as she brought him to release—he did not believe Fliss to be an experienced or promiscuous woman. The fact she had not taken a lover in the year since her husband’s death would seem to confirm that.