her entire world shifted.
Sliding, falling.
Until she crashed to the ground.
Then there was nothing.
Christopher woke to warmth and softness. The scents of sex and Maria permeated both the air and the linens beneath him. She lay draped over him, her leg over his, her arm across his torso, her ripe, luscious breasts pressed to his side. He reached down and adjusted the sheet tented over his morning cockstand.
The only words they had exchanged over the long night were love words, sex words. Nothing of pain, betrayal, and lies. It was entirely against his nature to avoid the unpleasant, and because Maria was so like him, he knew it was against her nature as well. But they had an unspoken agreement to say with their bodies what they would not say aloud.
Turning his head, he pressed a kiss to her forehead. She murmured sleepily and cuddled closer. A snuggling kitten could not have been more adorable.
He ran his free hand through his hair and formulated his plan. There was only one way to ascertain her loyalty. He had to test her, provide her with an obvious way to betray him and then see if she took the opportunity.
Her mouth touched his chest in a soft kiss.
His gaze caught hers.
“What are you thinking about?” she asked softly.
“You.”
Sadly, it appeared the bright light of morning was too great an intrusion. There was a heavy weight of wariness between them.
“Christopher…”
He waited for her to speak and then it seemed that she changed her mind.
“What is it?” he asked.
“I wish there were no secrets between us.” Her hand stroked over his chest. “You said you would tell me whatever I wished to know.”
“And I shall.” He looked up at the reflection of them together and knew he wanted to wake up in this manner every day. “I beg your company this evening. Primitive man that I am, I have ruined two of your gowns, and I cannot live with myself without making amends.”
“Oh?” She rose up beside him, her hair a delightfully ruined tumble of dark tresses and strings of pearls. He smiled, remembering his thoughts in the theater about her being too concerned with her appearance to enjoy a good, hard fucking. How wrong he had been.
He hoped he wasn’t wrong about the depth of her affection for him. Tonight he would know the truth.
“There is a place here in Town where I store goods,” he said. “I should like to take you there. There are some lovely Parisian silks and linens that I would like to show you. Once you have selected your favorites, I can make restitution for your maltreated garments.”
Her lovely face impassive, she asked, “When will you answer my questions?”
He gave an exaggerated sigh. “You are supposed to be overjoyed at this display of my largesse. Instead you wish to pick at my brain.”
“Perhaps I find your brain more intriguing than gowns,” she purred. “That would be a compliment, you know.”
“Very well. If we manage the evening without mishap, I will sit at your service and bare my every secret to you.”
And he would. If she did not betray him tonight, he would bare his heart to her, and perhaps, if he was fortunate, the vision he saw above him would indeed be the one that greeted him every morning for the rest of his life.
Maria knew it was not a coincidence that Lord Eddington arrived within an hour of her return. He was watching her, following her. Driving her mad.
“I will receive him,” she said when advised of the earl’s call. A moment later, Eddington entered her private sitting room with a smug curve to his smile that she found more than slightly alarming. Maria feigned nonchalance and affected a lazy smile. “Good afternoon, my lord.”
“My dearest,” he murmured, lifting her hand to his lips.
She studied him carefully but found nothing amiss in his customary flawless exterior.
“Tell me something worthwhile,” he said.
“I do wish there were something to tell.” She shrugged. “Unfortunately, St. John was less forthcoming than I had hoped.”
“Hmm.” He adjusted his tails, then relaxed into the settee. “You did not tell me you had a sibling.”
Maria froze, her heart stilling before racing madly. “Beg your pardon?”
“I said, I was not aware that you had a sister.”
Unable to remain seated, she stood. “What do you know?”
“Very little, sadly. I do not even know her name.” His gaze hardened. “But I know where she is, and I have men there to fetch her, if necessary.”
Something inside Maria turned hard and brittle. “You tread on dangerous ground, my lord.”
The earl pushed to his feet and closed the small distance between them. “Give me
“That is not sufficient to relieve my concerns.” Her chin lifted with no more strength behind it than pure bravado. In truth, her breathing was so shallow that she felt as if she could faint. “I want to see her with my own eyes.”
“She will be untouched and unaware, if you follow through with your end of our bargain.”
“I want her
“You have already promised to give me-” Eddington paused. His gaze narrowed. “There is more behind your demand than mistrust.”
Maria’s stomach knotted, but outwardly she arched her brow in an icy show of disdain.
The earl caught her chin and tilted it from side to side, examining her. “I suspect you don’t know,” he murmured pensively. “How many secrets do you have?”
She yanked free of his grip. “Do you know her location or not?”
“By God…” Eddington whistled and sank heavily onto the settee. “I’ve no notion of what is transpiring in your life, but let us dispense with the lies for a moment.” He gestured to the opposite sofa. “Sit.”
Maria complied only because her legs were shaking too much to support her safely.
“Does Welton know where his daughter is?”
She nodded. “He keeps her.”
“But her location is unknown to you?” His eyes widened as understanding dawned. “Is that the hold he has on you?”
She said nothing.
“I can assist you in return for the service you provide to me.” Eddington bent low, resting his forearms on his thighs. “I know where your sister is. You must know something about St. John that will help me catch him. This can be a mutually beneficial association.”
“You wish to use her against me, as Welton does.” Her hands fisted in her lap. “If anything untoward happens to her, you will pay dearly. I promise you that.”
“Maria.” It was the first occasion the earl had ever used her first name and the familiarity shook her, as he most likely intended. “Your position is untenable. You know this. I can achieve my aims without helping you. Accept my terms. They are more than fair.”
“Nothing about this is fair, my lord. Nothing.”
“Your trust is safer with me than it is with St. John.”
“You do not know him.”
“Neither do you,” he argued. “I am not the only one who knows where Lady Amelia is. St. John knows as
