To Catch A Duke (13 page)

Julia's temper, which had cooled a
bit, now blazed to life once more.
 
"Is there something you wish to tell me, Meggy?
 
Because clearly you are having great
difficulty keeping your thoughts to yourself."

The maid straightened, obviously
happy that she'd been given leave to speak.
 
"There have been rumors for years about the duke and his
father.
 
Servants talk, as you know."

"I do.
 
All too well."
 
Julia glared at the woman, thinking that
perhaps it was time to find a new lady's maid.
 
No matter how long Meggy had been with the family, she was beginning to
overstep her bounds rather frequently.

"Rumor has it that Radcliffe
killed his father to take over the dukedom.
 
Said that he drove his mother into isolation.
 
Shut her out until she died of a broken heart."
 
Meggy sniffed again as if she were royalty
rather than a servant.
 
"Some say
he has a different woman in his bed every night.
 
Whores.
 
Opera dancers,
and worse.
 
Why your family allowed you
and your brother to befriend him is beyond me."

"That's enough!"
 
Julia frightened herself a bit with the
force of her own barely restrained temper.
 
"I have known the duke since I was in the cradle.
 
Much of what is said about him is lies, many
of them spread by jealous woman who have not found his favor."
 
She fixed Meggy with an icy stare.
 
"What I do know is that he has been my
friend when no other was.
 
He sees me as
I am and does not ignore me, praying that my 'grotesqueness' will not rub off
on them.
 
As if somehow, they could
'catch' my scars."

Now it was Meggy's turn to show
temper.
 
"The marquess is a far
better match for you than the duke could ever be."
 
In that moment, Julia saw her not as a
servant, but as a woman.
 
A woman who
knew something.
 
"He is
magnificent, and he cares for others.
 
He is not the monster you portray him to be."

Looking at her maid, breathing
heavily, her indignation on the marquess' behalf evident, suddenly Julia knew
that she was looking not at her maid, but at a woman in love.
 
A woman that, she suspected, had been
seduced by the very man she was defending.
 
Why else would she hate Benjamin so much while championing the duke?

"When did he seduce
you?"
 
The question made Meggy go
still.
 
"I know you have been with
the marquess, Meggy.
 
Do not lie to
me.
 
Was it last summer when you came to
town at my brother's request so that you might help to select some gowns for my
come out?
 
Or was it later than that,
when we first came to town?
 
Avaria told
me you were gone several times when she returned to the house looking for
you.
 
Was it then?"

Meggy seemed to sink back against
the seat, all of the fight gone out of her.
 
"Does it matter?
 
All I know
is what I have seen for my own eyes.
 
Landover is a good man."

"He is not to be trusted."
 
Julia countered.
 
Earlier, she'd wondered why Anthony was not immediately behind
her when they'd been on the street.
 
Now
she knew.
 
The driver was more than a
little smitten with the maid, and Julia had no doubt that Meggy had used that
to her advantage.
 
She'd waylaid
Anthony, probably at Landover's request, allowing the marquess to speak to her
freely.

"He loves me."
 
Meggy's voice was like steel now, and Julia
found it a bit ironic that her maid had fallen into the same trap that she was
constantly warning her mistress against.

With a sigh, Julia sat back and
rubbed her temples.
 
"You may think
you do, Meggy, but you do not.
 
You are
merely dazzled by him.
 
Just as you have
warned me about Radcliffe.
 
Do you not
understand that he is using you?
 
He
does not care for you.
 
He simply sees
you as a means to an end."
 
That
was perhaps not the gentlest way to put things, but it was honest.

Julia knew her maid had been
seduced.
 
There was no question.
 
A peer of the realm had lavished attention
on her, and she had not used an ounce of sense.
 
Rather than question his interest, she'd allowed herself to be
seduced.
 
She'd allowed herself to be
used in this absurd quest that Landover had to see Benjamin hurt.

"When we return to Rosemont
House, I will speak to my brother.
 
He
can decide what to do with you, though I think you know that you will no longer
be my maid.
 
I cannot trust you not to
attempt to grant Landover access to me that he should not have, and I will not
allow a woman who has gone behind my back to have that kind of private access
to my life."

Meggy looked away, apparently
unconcerned.
 
"If I am dismissed, I
shall go to Landover.
 
I was thinking of
leaving anyway.
 
You, my lady, are a
fool.
 
You believe the lies of an old
friend over the honesty of a man who is merely concerned for you and your well
being."

"Enough!"
 
Julia had heard more than she cared to about
the entire subject.
 
Right now, all she
wanted was to return home and prepare for the ball that night, the rest of it
be damned.

As the carriage rolled on in
silence, Meggy fuming in the seat across from her, Julia wondered when the
woman she'd practically grown up with had changed.
 
She and Meggy had been friends for all of their lives.
 
It had not mattered that Julia was a lady
and Meggy a maid.
 
After her father
died, it had mattered even less.
 
Meggy
had been Julia's comfort after so many tragedies, including the death of the
Duchess of Candlewood.
 
They'd shared so
much.
 
At one point, Julia had almost
allowed Meggy to see the extent of her scarring.

Julia was now glad she had resisted
that urge.

She also wondered exactly how much
information Meggy had passed along to the marquess - about Julia, Benjamin, and
Nicholas.
 
There was little she could do
about it, of course, but the idea that a long-trusted member of her household
had been spying on them did not sit well.
 
In fact, little about this situation did.
 
She would, of course, have to tell Benjamin as well as her
brother.
 
She had no doubt that neither
of them would be pleased.

However, Julia could also not shake
the nagging fear that there was at least a grain of truth to what both Meggy
and Landover had said.
 
Successful
rumors, at least in her experience, had their roots in the truth.
 
It was always twisted and manipulated to
suit another's needs, true, but the truth was there.
 
Which made her wonder just what the truth about Benjamin was and
whether or not she knew him as well as she thought she did.

"Are you having a good time,
my lady?"
 
Julia couldn't help but
shiver as Benjamin whispered in her ear, his breath tickling her neck.
 
Whatever he might or might not have done in
the past, he could still make her want to forget that she was a lady.
 
Well, somewhat of a lady, anyway."

"I am now, my lord."
 
When she had returned from her shopping
expedition earlier in the day, the first thing Julia had done was inform
Nicholas about Meggy's spying, as well as her presumed assignation with the
marquess.
 
The maid had, of course, been
dismissed.
 
There was no way Nicholas
would allow a spy in his household, not even if the spy was a woman who had
been with them since birth.

She had also related Meggy's
assertions about Benjamin's lies, but Nicholas had dismissed them
outright.
 
That had made Julia feel
somewhat better.
 
If her brother still
believed in Benjamin, that was enough for her.

Not that she had ever truly
considered
not
believing in Benjamin.
 
She knew better and would not start believing silly lies just because
Meggy spoke them.
 
This was her best
friend, after all.

She stood next to him now, taking
in the glittering ballroom before her, marveling that she had been content to
miss events such as this earlier in the season.
  
Now, she found herself wishing she had more time, and the sights
and sounds of the season were not the only reason.
 
Not to mention that it would give her more time with Benjamin.

Even though he hadn't laid a finger
on her since the previous night, Julia felt as if she could still feel his
touch burning her skin.
 
Despite the
problems earlier in the day, it had not been enough to quell her excitement
about the Deaver's ball.
 
After all, she
had asked Benjamin to seduce her properly, and she prayed that he lived up to
his end of the agreement.
 
Given the
look in his eyes, she suspected that he would.

When the musicians struck up the
first notes of a waltz, the duke bowed to her and offered his hand.
 
"If you have this dance free, I would
be honored."
 
He knew, of course,
that her dance card was woefully empty, and asked anyway.
 
Just another small step in his wooing of her
and she thrilled to it.

There was no doubt in Julia's mind
that, when the time was right, she would find herself naked in Benjamin's
bed.
 
She had asked for precisely that
outcome, after all.
 
Still, she knew she
could change her mind, up to a point anyway, and he would do as she asked and
not press the issue.
 
Except that she
did not want to change her mind.
 
Not
now and probably not ever.

Julia had loved Benjamin for as
long as she could remember.
 
She now had
the chance she had thought would never come her way - the chance to experience
sensual pleasure with the man she loved as her teacher.
 
She was not about to throw it away.
 
However, she was also well aware that,
despite his reputation as somewhat of a rake, Benjamin had morals, and despite
his promises in the gardens the night before, he might be hesitant to truly
seduce her.
 
Especially if he thought
she might change her mind.
 
Well, she
would simply have to prove to him that she would not.

As they slowly circled the dance
floor, she allowed herself to sink into the moment and relish the feel of his
hands on her body.
 
Even though layers
of fabric separated them, his touch still burned her, made her body heat and,
she feared, her face flame red.
 
Well,
part of her face anyway.
 
It was odd,
but whenever she was with him, she forgot about her scars.
 
He did truly make her feel beautiful, as if
she was the young, unblemished lady he continually tried to convince her that
she was.

"I do not know what you're
thinking, sweeting, but I pray that you do not overthink.
 
You do that far too often."
 
After all this time, it was easy enough for
the duke to read her mind.
 
He knew her
so well.

Nodding, she met his eyes,
surprised to find them darkening with desire.
 
"I will not.
 
I
promise."
 
Then, because she felt a
little of the old Julia well up within her, she couldn't help but add.
 
"Then again, it would be ever so much
easier if I had something else to think about."

At first, she wasn't certain that
he had heard her.
 
They continued to waltz,
the music swelling around them, as the other couples became no more than a blur
of color.
 
All she could see was him,
and those lavender eyes going dark, the hue more plum now than anything.
 
However, she also noted that he held her
tighter, his grip on her firm, as if he never wanted to let her go.
 
And yet his expression never changed,
remaining one of casual amusement, something that he did so well.

For his part, Benjamin was on
fire.
 
Gods, he wanted this woman.
 
She was a lady and a tease - the most
perfect of combinations, and one he'd never found before, at least not in
someone that kept him interested for more than a night.
 
She was also Julia, and despite all of the
warnings in his mind that told him this was a very bad idea - for many reasons
- he was determined to have her.

Normally, he avoided virgins like
he might the pox.
 
In the past, he'd
found that they had too many expectations - like marriage - or at the very
least, a piece of his heart.
 
That was
something he did not give away, not when it was already promised elsewhere,
even if the woman in question had no idea that she possessed it.
 
Julia was different.
 
She always had been.
 
That was part of the reason why he wanted
her so badly.
 
For want her, he did.

At the moment, his cock was so
stiff and hard that he ached to simply take her upstairs, find an empty room
and bury himself in her waiting heat.
 
However, he had promised to seduce her, and while he knew that she would
go with him willingly, he felt that he owed it to her to give her the type of
courting she deserved.
 
If he did not do
it, it was unlikely that anyone else ever would.

So he danced with her sedately when
what he really wanted to do was begin her lessons on becoming a woman.
 
His woman.

"I could give you something
else to ponder," he finally replied, a teasing look on his face, and he
was pleased to note that her eyes sparkled in return.
 
"There are so many, many things for you to learn
Julia."

"Then teach me."
 
Her lips parted a bit, and he was filled
with the urge to taste them again.
 
Just
a nibble, he thought, and he would be satisfied.
 
Yet he also knew that he would probably never be able to get
enough of her.
 
That was why this game
was so dangerous - for both of them.
 
He
knew that when it ended, it was unlikely that he would be able to walk
away.
 
He wondered if the same was true
for her as well.

Shaking his head, he maneuvered
them closer to one of the numerous sets of French doors that led to the balcony
and the gardens beyond.
 
"You do
not know what you are asking, sweeting."

"I know that I want
you."
 
In that moment, Julia felt
bold, almost wanton, but she could feel the season slipping away from her like
sand.
 
She did not want to live with
regrets.
 
She had far too many of those
already.
 
Benjamin would not be another
one.
 
"I know that you make me feel
things, things no proper lady should ever admit to."

The music swelled and the duke used
the opportunity to guide Julia out onto the balcony.
 
The night was warm and the doors already open, so he was
surprised, yet grateful to find that they were alone.
 
He could see that she wanted to speak, but he held a finger to
her lips and guided her down the steps that led to the darkened gardens beyond.
 
He heard shuffling then, letting him know
that they were not alone, so he pulled them deeper into the night, farther into
the darkness that was lit only by a pale crescent of a moon.

She was beyond lovely in a golden
gown that showed off her luscious body to perfection, and she deserved better
than this, but he could no longer control himself.
 
He needed another taste of what he'd first sampled last
night.
 
Benjamin would not take her
here, but he would tease her a bit more, for he did not think she quite
understood what she was asking for.
 
She
might have an inkling, but not a true understanding of what her body longed
for.

When he was finally satisfied that
they were far enough from the house, he pulled her into his arms without
hesitation.
 
"Do you have any idea
how much you drive me to distraction?
 
How long I have wanted to hear you say that you want me?
 
Much as I have always wanted you?"
 
He wasn't even certain that he knew the
answer to those questions.

"Probably as long as I have
wanted you."
 
She looped her arms
around his neck without hesitation, knowing that she was risking a great deal
but not caring.
 
If they were caught,
she would be ruined, but at the moment, that was the furthest thing from her
mind, as was the confrontation that afternoon.
 
Instead, Benjamin consumed her senses, pushing everything else to the side,
making her forget all but him.

She raised herself up on her
tiptoes, the gravel hard beneath her delicate slippers.
 
She wanted this.
 
She wanted him.
 
And
nothing was going to stop her.
 
"Kiss me, Ben," she whispered.
 
"Like you did last night."

This was their third kiss, but for
Benjamin, each time felt like the first.
 
He'd been unable to resist her request for a kiss, but he'd meant to go
slowly.
 
However, when his lips touched
hers, he found that he could not.
 
Instead, all he wanted was more.
 
More of her.
 
Her lips were soft
beneath his and when he ran his tongue along their seam, she opened for him, a
breath escaping her.

She was sweet, tasting vaguely of
madeira, yet with a hint of tartness that was uniquely her.
 
When he deepened the kiss, she blossomed
beneath him, granting him as much access as he wanted.
 
Unbidden, his hands stroked her back,
straying lower to cup her buttocks.
 
When he shifted his hips and pressed her against him so that she could
feel the heat of his arousal, she gasped, arching into him.

For all that Julia was an innocent,
she knew some of the male anatomy, so when Benjamin's cock pressed into her
side, she slid slowly and deliberately against his hardness, making him
hiss.
 
"Minx," he breathed.
 
"What you do to me."

"What
you
do to me,
Ben," she sighed into his chest, her hands resting on his shoulder.
 
"There is so much that I want, yet I do
not know how to ask."

"Then allow me."
 
He knew precisely what she was asking for,
but he also knew that he could not grant it.
 
Not here anyway.
 
Still, she
could have a taste.
 
As could he.

Julia could not stop trembling as
Benjamin slid his thumbs down the length of her scars, the ones that followed
the column of her throat.
 
She was
afraid.
 
Even though this was Benjamin,
there was still fear.
 
No one had seen
her scars since that day.
 
Then again,
it was mostly dark, and the shadows would hide much of the damage.
 
When his fingers dipped below the top of her
bodice, she did not resist.
 
Instead,
she arched up, offering him better access.

"So beautiful," he
breathed, and Julia felt as if she might faint from pleasure.
 
"You are a goddess, my love.
 
Truly."

Earlier, when Landover had called
her beautiful, she had doubted him, but with the duke, she knew that he told
the truth.
 
It might be true only for
the moment, but it was still true.
 
In
this moment, to him, she was beautiful.

Slowly, he kissed his way down the
column of her neck, nipping lightly at the delicate skin, tracing the line of
the scar with his tongue.
 
For the first
time in as long as she could remember, Julia did not mind the scar.
 
She didn't even think of it, really.
 
All she felt was Benjamin and his touch.