Romney Marsh Trilogy: A Gentleman by Any Other Name / The Dangerous Debutante / Beware of Virtuous Women. Kasey Michaels

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СКАЧАТЬ stopped in front of the door to Julia’s bedchamber, took a few slow breaths and then knocked.

      Moments later Julia answered that knock, opening the door only slightly to peer out at him with one eye. One hour, she thought. Less than one hour after making their pact and already he was breaking the rules. That was rather nice—not that she’d let him know she felt that way. “I believe we’d agreed that you would not—”

      “I’m here to say goodbye,” Chance said, then smiled as Julia stepped back, opened the door for him.

      She instantly understood and was immediately worried for him, drat the man. “You’re going to Dover Castle?”

      “And several places in between, yes. To perform the duties to which I have been assigned.”

      Julia rolled her eyes, then walked over to the window, feeling the need for some space between them. “Oh, please, don’t ask me to swallow that crammer. You’re off to see what the Preventative Waterguard knows about the Black Ghost. And don’t pull a face at me, because it’s you who is insulting me, not the other way round. What if someone finds you out, what then? Lieutenant Diamond didn’t appear particularly stupid, except perhaps when he looked at Morgan.”

      Chance rubbed at his forehead. “I don’t know why men plan wars. You females seem to have more talent for the finer points of the thing.”

      Julia would have laughed except for the fact that she was not amused. Rubbing her hands together so that she wouldn’t be tempted to walk over to him, touch a hand to his cheek, she asked, “How long will you be away?”

      “Ah,” Chance said, closing the distance between them, “the lady will be lonely without me.”

      “Devastatingly so, yes. Just as I would miss any headache. Please answer the question. Did you know about this when you forced that ring on me? Am I supposed to wear it to protect myself from your family, keep them reminded that I’m…that I’m your property?”

      “I didn’t know I was leaving so soon but, yes, that was the general idea, and you knew it. But not the family. Jacko. Nobody likes to worry an old man, especially one who doesn’t much trust women and who is built like a bull, with the temper to match. Now kiss me goodbye like a good fiancée, because the Respite is nearly ready to sail.”

      “You’re going up the coast by boat?” Julia asked, if only to delay the inevitable: Chance kissing her, she unable to help kissing him back, the rotter. She’d barely been able to think of anything else but Chance, the way he’d made her body respond to his touch, and it had been impossible to convince herself that she could fool him into thinking she didn’t hope for his attentions again. And again. For as long as he wanted her…even if he didn’t really want her.

      Chance frowned, as Julia had seemed to ask the question while not interested in the answer but was much more interested in simply looking at him. And a flush was making its way into her cheeks. His reaction to her, he realized, was lower than that and would soon become obvious. He had to leave—now.

      “I haven’t been on the water for a long time. Besides, I’ll travel faster this way.” He put his hands on her waist, drew her closer. “I won’t be away from you a moment longer than necessary, I promise. I want to see you wearing my ring.”

      She lowered her head. “There’s nobody here to listen, so you can stop that now.”

      “I must flatter you more often, as you respond so winningly.” Chance laughed and tipped up her chin so she had no choice but to look at him again, because he very much liked the way she looked at him. But she immediately closed her eyes. Stubborn woman! “Julia, look at me. Where’s the ring? Why aren’t you wearing it?”

      Julia stepped away from him and reached into her pocket to pull out the ring, show it to him. “It’s too large, so I wrapped a ribbon around it until it fit, but now it’s uncomfortable.”

      Chance took the thing and looked at it, then handed it back to her. “That’s quite a bit of ribbon, isn’t it? While I’m gone, have Morgan take you to see Waylon. He’ll trim the thing down to fit you.”

      “Waylon? You have a jeweler here at Becket Hall?”

      “No, but we do have a smithy in the village. Every crew needs a blacksmith.”

      Julia tipped her head as she looked at him. “You want me to take this obviously expensive ring to a smithy? That’s preposterous.”

      “Not really. Waylon has worked with jewelry many times,” Chance said, thinking back to the island and sitting on an overturned barrel to watch as Waylon dismantled some of the more distinctive jewelry to remove the stones, then melt the gold. Not that he was about to tell Julia about those particular memories.

      “Very well then, I’ll ask Morgan to go with me tomorrow. Didn’t you say you should be leaving? Don’t let me keep you.” She so wanted him to go before she had to think too much about the fact that he would be gone.

      “You’re right, I should go,” Chance said, suddenly uncomfortably aware that he might just miss this woman while he was playing at government agent and smuggler’s spy. And for some unknown reason, he seemed to want to punish himself before he was on his way. “I’m still waiting for my kiss from my betrothed, remember? A kiss, an affecting few words such as Godspeed and hurry back to me, darling. Do you think you can manage that?”

      “I don’t think so, no. But do try not to be discovered doing something you shouldn’t be doing. Alice would miss you, I’m sure. Have you said goodbye to her?”

      Chance winced. “Damn. Alice. Is she in the nursery?”

      “I would suppose so, but she might be napping. Do you want me to tell her?”

      “I shouldn’t, but yes, thank you. I’m…I’m not accustomed to informing Alice of my comings and goings, I’m afraid. Tell her…tell her that when I return we’ll all three of us go on a picnic on the beach or some such thing.”

      Julia smiled softly, because he seemed truly upset that he had forgotten his daughter yet again. She didn’t know what all was going on at Becket Hall, but the man certainly had something weighing heavily on his mind. “Alice will like that.”

      Chance smiled at her. “Thank you. And Alice and I will laze on a blanket and watch as you dig up that boot again, to take a look inside.”

      “Oh, really? I don’t think so. If I’m lucky, the tide will have taken it.” Then she walked over to him, stood up on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek, because she now had truly run out of things to say to him. “There. And I’ll pine for you endlessly. Now go.”

      Chance had his arms around her before she could move away from him. “I think I need more than that miserly kiss, madam,” he said, then brought his mouth down hard on hers.

      It is amazing what a body remembers all on its own, Julia thought as she melted against him, her arms snaking up and about his neck in the off chance he thought to break the kiss before she was ready.

      And she wasn’t ready. Not when he was now cupping her breasts, rubbing his thumbs across the thin fabric of her gown, concentrating on her now-straining nipples. Not when he had somehow insinuated his thigh between her legs, pressing against her sex as their tongues dueled, as she dug her fingernails into his shoulders.

      She СКАЧАТЬ