The Dark Earl (8 page)

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Authors: Virginia Henley

Tags: #Romance, #Historical, #Fiction, #General

BOOK: The Dark Earl
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“I’m going to teach Rachel how to play cards and wager. It’s too bad there are no gaming hells anymore. We need to do research for a book, and White’s has always prohibited females.”
“White’s is dull as ditchwater these days. It’s just a political club,” James remarked. “There are, however, private hells.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively. “All exclusive and hush-hush of course.”
Harry’s eyes widened. “You devil, you’ve been holding out on me! You haven’t actually visited one, have you, James?”
He riffled the cards in his hand. “As a matter of fact—”
“Oh, you
have
!” Harry cried. “Who took you to such a place? Where is it? You must take Rachel and me.”
“I went with John Montagu, William’s younger brother. It’s at a house right here in Mayfair, and
no
, I won’t take you.”
“
Where
in Mayfair? And unless you want Father to know what you’ve been up to, you assuredly
will
take us.”
James threw his sister a look of desperation. He regretted opening his mouth. “It’s a private establishment, known as Hazard House. If I take you, you’ll both have to disguise yourselves with masks. If anyone learned I’d taken my sister to such a place, I’d be blackballed from polite society.”
Harry’s eyes sparkled. “I’ll wear a mask and something theatrical and everyone will assume I’m your mistress! Oh, even better, I’ll get a red wig and Rachel and I can be
twin demimondes.
Only think what that will do to blacken your reputation!”
“That would bring us unwanted attention. It would be better to wear something inconspicuous,” Rachel suggested. “In any case, I must first learn how to play.”
“Very well. We’ll put it off until next week, and in the meantime, I’ll teach you everything you need to know.”
 
 
Harry arose at five and donned her new emerald green riding habit.
Rachel roused and asked sleepily, “Wherever are you going?”
“It’s far better that you don’t know. That way you can give a truthful answer if anyone asks.” Harry opened the door quietly and tiptoed from the room.
In the stable, Harry told Riley she would saddle Amber. His look told her he was wise to her shenanigans, but she was grateful he kept his warnings to himself.
When she reached the park, the first glimmer of light penetrated the darkness. Lord Anson and she arrived at the same time, which obscured the fact that she was eager.
“I admire promptness. I find it a rare trait in a female.”
And I warrant you know many females.
“I pride myself on my rare traits.” She fell in beside him and they trotted through the park to the south exit.
“One of which, I assume, is riding about London at the crack of dawn.”
“There’s no traffic at this hour. It’s infinitely safer.” They trotted their mounts past Ranelagh Gardens on their way to the river.
“That depends upon whom you encounter,” he said flatly.
A frisson of excitement spiraled through her. “You needn’t warn me that you can be dangerous. I’ve known that since the first time I laid eyes on you.”
He turned his head to look at her. The first rays of sun revealed that Harry was not wearing black, but emerald green, a color that matched her eyes. “You look radiant.”
That’s a compliment. I shall return the favor.
“And you look like a centaur astride your black hunter. What’s his name?”
“Victorious.”
“You didn’t name him to honor the queen,” she said flatly.
“You are quite perceptive . . . something I’ve known since the first time I laid eyes on
you.
I named him after a racehorse that won at Newmarket in the last century.”
Her eyes widened in comprehension. “
Victorious
was one of the paintings you swiped from Shugborough!”
“I didn’t
swipe
it. I
saved
it from the vultures.”
Vultures like my family.
“Do you still have it?”
“I do. In time, I intend to restore all Shugborough’s treasures.”
“That is so admirable.” Harry hesitated, then confessed, “I fell in love with Shugborough that day.”
In unison, they began to gallop. As they passed Syon House, she called out, “Did you ever see such a monstrosity in all your life? Its history is ancient, and its interiors are reputed to be magnificent, but the exterior is square, squat, and profoundly ugly.”
As they galloped past the next mansion, Anson asked, “We won’t pass it today, but have you ever seen Osterley Park?”
“Yes. Its white columns are graceful, but they are at serious odds with the red brick.”
“A marriage made in hell,” he jested.
A phrase that jumps to mind when you think of your parents.
“What was it Horace Walpole said about its ornate drawing room?”
“He said it was worthy of Eve before the Fall.”
Harry threw back her head and laughed. “He was such a witty sod!”
They galloped through Kew Gardens and followed the Thames as it curved down toward Richmond, and the pair slowed their pace to enjoy the lush view. “There’s no one about. How would you like to ride hell for leather?”
“I saw you do it once.”
You looked like a centaur.
She gave him a wistful glance. “I’d love to, but I don’t want to hurt my palfrey.”
“I’ll take you up before me, unless you are afraid.” He knew it would goad her into doing it.
“You’re on! I’m afraid of neither man nor beast.” She dismounted and tied her horse’s reins to a tree. Then she strode to his side and raised her arms.
He lifted her before him, intending to let her ride sideways, but she put her legs astride, never heeding that the slit in her riding skirt tore open to accommodate her.
“Ready?” he whispered in her ear, as he pulled her body between his thighs.
“Ready!” she cried, and he dug in his heels.
They thundered through the park as if his hunter had been struck by lightning. He felt her hair stream backward, and brush against his cheek. She felt his cock pressing against her bum. The sensation of the wind rushing past her, and Anson’s hard thighs gripping her, gave her a feeling of exhilaration she’d never experienced before.
As they galloped back to her mount, Thomas made the decision to stop at an inn so they could refresh themselves before they returned to London.
He drew rein. “I wouldn’t dream of inviting you into an inn if they didn’t have a lovely private garden at the back. I’m sure you are in need of sustenance.”
“Can you hear my belly rolling?” she teased.
He dismounted in one fluid motion and held up his arms. She came down to him, ignoring her torn skirt and exposed legs. He set her feet to the ground, but his powerful hands held her against him for a long, drawn-out moment.
Thomas Anson is attracted to me. The wooing has begun!
 
 
A hostler took their horses, and side by side they walked around to the back of the inn. Thomas opened a gate and they entered a walled garden.
“Oh, it is delightful! I don’t know how you found it, but it reminds you of the walled garden at Shugborough.”
Thomas felt surprise. “You remember the garden?”
“Absolutely! Whenever I think of it, I smell jasmine and honeysuckle.”
They sat at a rustic table and a mobcapped maid came to serve them. Thomas ordered a hearty breakfast of ham, sausage, eggs, lamb kidneys, and a jug of ale.
That’s hardly a meal for a lady.
“What would you like?”
“I’ll have the same and some fried bread.” Harry rolled her eyes and licked her lips.
Thomas thought perhaps she was being facetious, but when the food came, Harry reached for the bread and tucked right in. He poured her a mug of ale, which she drank without hesitation. He almost smiled. “You have a strong man’s appetite.”
Harry wiped her mouth on her linen napkin. “And not just for food.”
No, you have a hunger for excitement and an appetite for the finer things of life. I own something you desire—Shugborough. Your family owns something I desire.
Thomas cautioned himself:
She is an outrageous minx. It could be a match made in hell.
He took her hand, pressed his lips to her wrist, and felt her pulse beating wildly.
Chapter Four
 
“H
arry, you are extremely lucky!”
“That’s skill, not luck, Rachel,” Harry corrected as she collected the pile of halfpennies the girls had bet in their afternoon card game in the drawing room.
“It’s due to all the practice she’s had,” Beatrix informed Rachel. “When we are in Ireland, she plays daily with the stable hands. She’s learned all the tricks of the trade.”
“You mean she cheats,” Jane said sweetly.
“Only when I’ve exhausted every other means,” Harry pointed out.
“Then you must teach me how to cheat,” Rachel said.
“Anyone can cheat. Getting away with it is what I must teach you. Watch closely.” Harry dealt the cards slowly. “Tomorrow I’ll show you the intricacies of casting dice.”
 
 
That evening, Harry and Rachel began to dress for Lady Emily’s debutante ball.
“I’d never met the Curzon-Howes before. The earl’s wife doesn’t look very old.”
Harry laughed. “She isn’t. Anne is only a couple of years older than I am. The earl is a lot older than his second wife, but he’s still randy. Gave her a son before they’d been wed a year, then quickly added another son and a daughter. Lady Emily does whatever she pleases. Her stepmother is too busy with her own children to know or care what Emily is up to.”
“Isn’t the countess Irish?”
“Yes—her maiden name was Gore. She’s from Kilkenny, the same county as James.”
“They must know each other, then,” Rachel surmised. “Do you think Lord Butler will be there tonight?”
“I shouldn’t be at all surprised.”
“In that case, I’ll wear my turquoise gown. It’s far more flattering than the gray.”
There was a sharp rap on their bedchamber door. “Can you speed it up, Harry? We’re already over an hour late,” young James complained.
“What the devil’s your hurry? It’s only a debutante ball.” Suddenly it dawned on Harry that her brother was itching to get his hands on Lady Emily. She winked at Rachel. “Better be discreet about fondling Emily. She has an older brother who could plant you a facer.”
“Ha! Leicester Curzon-Howe is no match for me. I take boxing lessons, y’know.”
 
 
The Earl and Countess of Howe, along with Lady Emily, who had greeted their guests in the entrance hall of their Grosvenor Square mansion, had moved on to the ballroom by the time the Hamiltons arrived.
As she invariably managed to do, Lady Lu drew every eye when she made her entrance. Tonight she was wearing fuchsia silk with diamonds blazing at her throat. Her three daughters and her younger sister, who were also exquisitely gowned, added to the impressive tableau.
“He’s here!” Rachel murmured happily as she spotted Lord Butler.
“Go forth and conquer,” Harry whispered.
D’Arcy Lambton hurried across the ballroom. “I’ve been waiting hours. Where have you been, Harry?”
“Teaching Rachel how to cheat at cards. I come by it naturally, but would you believe that some females are most inept when it comes to deceit?”
“I warrant you get away with it only because you are beautiful.”
“That’s blatant flattery. You must have an ulterior motive.”
“I do. I want to wed you and bed you—not necessarily in that order.”
“Then you’d better get in line, Lord Durham.”
Harry was deeply disappointed that Thomas Anson had not been invited. She hadn’t really expected him to be there, but she had kept a faint glimmer of hope alive until she had searched the entire ballroom with her eyes.
The night will seem endless.
 
 
“James, the night seemed endless until you arrived.” Lady Emily led her partner to the refreshment room, and lifted a glass of champagne to his lips. Then she placed her mouth where his had been and finished the wine. She licked her lips. “I can taste you.”
James felt his cock lift its head and lengthen.
Emily knowingly glanced down at the bulge in his trousers. “If I told you that you had a manly body, would you hold it against me, Jamie?” she whispered provocatively.
His cock hardened.
“I’m warm, and growing hotter by the minute,” she murmured.
James felt his erection buck.
“I think we’d both feel better if we got some fresh air. Why don’t we take a stroll in the garden?” She reached into her décolletage and produced a key to the private Grosvenor Square garden.

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