i ed84d0e516761e5e (4 page)

«I’m going to have to make him listen to me and then discuss

how we mean to go on. I realized I was tired of waiting for him

to come back to me and tired of living my life in limbo.»

«I can understand that. After what you went through, it

must’ve been hard to move on.»

«It was almost impossible.» Unable to meet her friend’s

sympathetic gaze, Jane stared down at the busily patterned rug

under her feet. «I hated everyone; shut everyone out of my life,

even you. How long was it before I allowed you to call on me

again? At least a year, if not more.» Jane swallowed hard. «Thank

you for keeping faith with me.»

«Jane, you are my oldest friend; of course I’d keep after you.»

Emily’s tone softened. «And, in truth, you didn’t invite me that

first time. I just turned up at your house and refused to leave.»

«I’d forgotten that.» Jane managed a smile. «I couldn’t let you

stand on the front steps all night, could I?»

«Not unless you wanted me to contract a chill, and just think

of the scandal if I died on your doorstep!»

Jane met Emily’s gaze and relaxed. At least here she had an

ally, a friend who knew her and loved her despite herself.

«I need your help again, Emily.»

«What can I do? Send George around to have a little chat with

Minshom about his responsibilities?»

Jane shuddered at the thought of exposing the oh-so-amiable

George to the lash of Minshom’s tongue and uncertain temper.

«Oh no, that won’t be necessary. I was thinking of something

else entirely.»

«I’m sure George will be delighted to hear that.» Emily

winked. «Not that he knew I was proposing to send him into the

lions den, as it were. What can I do for you?»

«Firstly, I would like to go out in society, and seeing as I can’t

rely on Minshom to take me anywhere except back home, I’m

hoping you’ll allow me to follow in your illustrious wake. And

secondly, I want some new gowns. Can you help me with that?»

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«Of course I’ll take you out with me.» Emily clapped her

hands together and laughed. «You wish to dazzle Minshom with

your new look? Force him to his knees and make him fall in love

with you all over again?»

«That would be nice, but the gowns are primarily for me. I

think I deserve them for putting up with Minshom for ten years,

don’t you?»

«Absolutely.» Emily rose and pulled Jane up too. «I’ll get my

bonnet and pelisse and we’ll go to Madame Wallace’s. She’ll love

you.»

«I’m sure she will when she sees how many gowns I intend to

buy.»

Emily paused in the doorway. «I’ve just thought of something.

Do you remember David, George’s youngest brother?»

«Of course, he’s a captain in the Royal Navy, isn’t he? Where

is he based now?»

«Since the war ended he’s been stuck on half-pay in an office

here at the Admiralty in London.» Emily grimaced. «I think he

misses the sea. But he might be able to help you find out more

about Minshom and Sokorvsky. He went to school with your

husband and is known to be a friend of Sokorvsky and his family.

I’m sure he’d be happy to talk to you.»

Jane picked up her serviceable blue bonnet and put it on. «Do

you really think he’ll know anything? He always seemed so quiet

and well behaved, it’s hard to imagine him keeping company with

anyone like Minshom.»

«David is an interesting man and I know he’ll want to talk to

you.» Emily hesitated. «I’m not sure if you know this, but he was

once involved with Minshom.»

«David was?»

«Perhaps I shouldn’t have suggested him after all. I don’t want

to hurt you by bringing up the subject of your husband’s legion

of lovers.»

28 /
Kate Pearce

«It’s all right. I know what Minshom is like. I’m just surprised

that David allowed himself to be taken in.»

«You were taken in.»

«I know, but I was in love.»

«And what makes you think David wasn’t? You know how

persuasive Minshom can be when he wants something.»

She followed Emily out onto the landing and watched her go

up to her bedroom with an airy promise that she would be quick.

Jane then started down the stairs to await her friend in the hall.

Emily was right about Minshom. He could be incredibly

charismatic when he wanted to, and hard to resist. Perhaps she

and David had more in common than she realized. And what

about Anthony Sokorvsky? What was it about him that had

finally made Minshom create such a scandal?

«My lady?»

Jane thanked the footman who helped her into her pelisse and

sat down to wait for Emily in the cold emptiness of the ground-

floor entrance hall. Knowing her fashionable friend, it might take

a while, but it wasn’t as if she didn’t have plenty to think about.

She hadn’t agreed to Blaize’s suggestion that she go out with

him to his favorite brothel, had countered with a suggestion of

her own and he’d stormed out. Should she accept his challenge

and find out whether all the gossip was true? It might help her

come to a decision about what to do next. Perhaps her dreams of

reconciliation needed to be crushed and a new, starker reality

faced.

She curled her fingers inside her soft kid gloves until the tips

of her fingers touched her palm. Just because she had changed

didn’t mean Blaize had too. In truth, the changes she had seen in

him so far had only increased her anxiety about her chances of

success.

She stared blankly at the dim, unrecognizable landscape

painting over the white marble mantelpiece. But what was worse?

Staying home, hiding from her true self, afraid to face what must

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be done, or taking a stand and negotiating for a new future?

She’d once defied her entire family to marry Minshom. Where

had that fire gone? If she wanted him back, she’d have to risk his

ire, his contempt, his indifference. She’d have to risk everything...

«Are you ready, Jane?»

She looked up and saw Emily coming down the stairs toward

her wearing a short brown spencer jacket over her yellow dress

and a dashing French bonnet with dyed ostrich feathers.

«Did Madame Wallace make that jacket for you?»

«She did. Do you like it?»

«Very much.» Longingly, Jane eyed the height of the feathers.

«What about the bonnet?»

«Now that was made by Julianne DeFleur, who just happens

to have a shop on the same street as madame. Isn’t that

convenient?»

«Indeed it is.» Jane smiled broadly at her friend and prepared

to forget about Minshom for a while and simply enjoy herself.

«Shall we go?»

«I’m already looking forward to it. Spending someone else’s

money is always a pleasure, especially when it’s Minshom’s.»

Emily nodded at the butler who opened the door for them

and they stepped into the watery sunlight. Jane tried to picture

her husband’s face as the bills started to roll in. She had no doubt

that he’d feel obliged to talk to her then.

30 /
Kate Pearce

4

«What the devil is going on?»

Minshom glared at Robert, who was adding another set of

tradesmen’s bills to the stack already in front of him.

«I assume her ladyship is doing some shopping.»

«Some shopping? She appears to be buying up half of London

and she’s only been here a week.» He glanced impatiently back at

the door. «Where is she—is she here?»

«I believe she was just about to go out with Lady Millhaven.

Would you like me to check, sir?»

«Don’t ‘check’—tell her to come right in here and explain

herself.»

Robert bowed. «I’ll certainly ask her if she is able to

accommodate you, my lord, but I hardly think it is my place to

threaten her.»

Minshom scowled. «Don’t worry, I’ll take care of that part.

You just go and fetch her.»

He waited, fingers drumming on his desk until he heard light

footsteps in the hall beyond.

«You wanted to see me, my lord?»

He barely glanced at her but still caught the scent of lavender

soap. «Sit down.»

«When you issue commands in that tone of voice, I think I’d

prefer to stand. It makes escaping so much easier.»

He picked up a handful of the bills and waved them at her.

«What are these?»

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She moved closer to his desk, her expression full of calm

interest. «They appear to be bills.»

«They are bills, madam—your bills. When did I give you

permission to bankrupt me?»

«You didn’t. And these are only for hats, dresses and

necessities. You can hardly expect me to walk around London in

my old country fashions, can you?»

«I don’t expect you to do anything except go home.»

She continued to stare at him and then stroked the bodice of

her gown.

«Don’t you like this dress?»

He stared at her fingers, which had moved dangerously close

to cupping her breast. In truth, she did look different, more

fashionable, more mature, more desirable... He quashed down

that thought and frowned.

«Why the devil should I care about your appearance? It’s not

as if I want to look at you.»

Her hand slid lower over the filmy blue muslin, curved over

her hip and flat stomach, and came back to rest between her

breasts.

«It’s made of jaconet muslin with a navy blue sarsenet slip

beneath. It’s the first of the gowns I have received from Madame

Wallace and I’m very pleased with it.»

The blue complemented her hazel eyes, drew his attention to

them despite himself.

«So?»

She smiled and he resisted the desire to smile back. She wasn’t

a beauty; all her attraction was in the animation of her face, the

warmth of her smile, the pure enjoyment of life in her eyes. He

met far more beautiful women than her every day on the street,

yet he couldn’t help responding to the invitation in her smile, the

depths of sexual heat he knew it concealed. He scowled.

«Pack up everything that arrives and send it straight back and

I’ll make sure to cancel all your accounts.»

32 /
Kate Pearce

«There’s no need to do that.»

«There is. Perhaps if you bothered to pay attention to the

financial affairs of our family, you might realize we can’t afford

such luxuries.»

Jane raised her eyebrows at him. «I spend one morning a week

with your land agent, Mr. Smith, going over the books. I know

exactly how well the family is doing and how hard you have

worked to restore the estate.» Her gaze skimmed his dark brown

coat and cream waistcoat. «And having paid attention to the

books, I haven’t noticed you skimping on your attire or your

expenditures.» She held out her hand. «If you don’t wish to pay

my bills, just give them to me and I’ll take care of them myself.»

As she reached forward, he slammed his palm down over the

pile of paper. «How do you expect to do that? Even in that

scanty see-through gown I doubt you’ll make much money

prostituting yourself.»

«This gown isn’t scanty and I don’t need to earn money lying

on my back!»

Ah, now she was angry, now he had the opportunity to make

her regret drawing the full force of his attention on her. «Then

how do you propose to pay your bills? I suppose you could

always kill me and marry a richer man.»

«That idea hadn’t occurred to me, but thank you for the

suggestion.» She raised her chin. «I have money. I’m quite

capable of paying for my own gowns.»

«Money I gave you? The pin money I pay you every quarter?

That is scarcely going to pay for one of the gowns you’ve

ordered.»

«I’ve hardly touched that money in the last seven years, so it is

hardly a pittance, and I’ve been quite successful with my own

financial investments. Ask Mr. Smith. He is quite proud of me.»

«You’ve been investing in what exactly?»

She shrugged. «There’s no need to look so skeptical. I’ve

invested in the same things you have: consols, canals, shipping

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cargoes. Mr. Smith has acted as my agent, seeing as there are

some ridiculous rules about women not being capable of

transacting business.»

He sat back so that he could study her flushed face. It was

never wise to underestimate Jane. Beneath that mild, pleasant

exterior beat the heart of a tenacious warrior. He would do well

not to forget that in future.

«But it is still my money. And as far as I remember, what’s

yours is mine and what’s mine I keep. Isn’t that how marriage

works?»

«I believe it is.» She regarded him steadily for a long moment.

«I’m not taking a single thing back, Blaize. Either allow me to pay

the bills or pay them yourself. If marriage truly is about you

owning me, and all my money is yours, then those debts are your

responsibility, whether you use my money to pay them off or

your own.»

«I don’t believe it works like that. I decide which bills to pay,

not you. Everything will be returned and your account canceled.»