Tempting Bella (Entangled Scandalous) (13 page)

The pull between them deepened, lengthened, the air pulsated with it. Her breath caught and her eyes fluttered shut as his lips teased near hers. Sensual anticipation pounded through his body, every pore overflowed with it. He could take her now, fill his hands with her breasts and satiate his senses with her softness. He could make love to her after too many years of doing without. No woman would do other than this provoking female, who was both within his grasp and just beyond it.

She’d gone still, her eyes dazed, her bountiful form leaning slightly toward him, as if she were waiting.

He forced himself to break the spell. Stiffening, he planted a swift kiss on her silken cheek. “Your faith in me is touching.”

Her eyes flew open as he stepped past, her startled disappointment obvious. His breath shaky, he strode down the hall. It seemed he could still call upon the self-control years of restraint had honed.

Pausing on the threshold to his bedchamber, he turned to look at her. He met her gaze, noting the angry gleam that supplanted the look of surprise on her lovely visage. “I shall earn that kiss before I take it. Granted, pummeling Orford is its own reward, but it is nowhere near as sweet as the boon I plan to demand from you.”

…

Early the following morning, Bella and Orford slipped into Sebastian’s solicitor’s office through a side entrance.

“This is most irregular,” the clerk said, poking his shiny pate out the door, looking both ways down the narrow alley to make certain they hadn’t been spotted.

It had taken a good deal of coin to persuade the man to give them access to Sebastian’s financial and business documents. Yet the way he jumped at every sound, along with his glistening upper lip, suggested the clerk wasn’t entirely comfortable with the deception.

“We’ll make it worth your effort,” Orford said in an imperious voice. “Do you have what the lady seeks?”

Appearing resigned, the older man nodded, the significant girth of his belly leading the way as he ushered them into a small, tidy chamber. “I have examined Mr. Stanhope’s assets. Last year, he had an income of almost thirty-three thousand pounds.”

Orford let out a low whistle. “He doesn’t do anything by halves, does he?”

Bella sucked in a breath. That was a fortune. From what she’d been able to glean from her study of the estate books, Traherne’s annual income was about forty-five thousand pounds a year, but the current balance in the Traherne bank accounts didn’t reflect that level of abundance. The money was definitely coming into the ducal bank accounts, but it wasn’t staying there. “Where do Mr. Stanhope’s funds come from?”

“From what I am able to gather, he has a number of business concerns.” The clerk mopped his upper lip with a kerchief. “He invests in shipping and cotton mills that utilize the new mechanized power looms.”

“I guess we don’t have to ask where he gets the income to invest in those concerns,” Orford said archly.

“Actually,” said the clerk, paging through some documents on his desk, “he gets a good part of that income from three profitable properties that he owns outright.”

“Sebastian owns three properties?” Bella frowned. “He never mentioned it.”

“Ah, here it is.” The clerk pulled a document out of the pile. “What is interesting is that he acquired the properties from Traherne.”

Bella chest tightened. “Surely, they are entailed.”

“No, these particular properties were not part of the entail. Mr. Stanhope owns them outright.”

“How did he acquire them?” Orford asked.

“He paid for them and has the documentation to prove it,” the clerk answered, rifling through the papers again and handing a document to Orford, who automatically passed it along to Bella’s waiting hands.

She scoured the bill of sale, looking past the signatures of both her father and Sebastian, noting the figure Sebastian had paid. “Surely the properties were worth more than this.”

“Yes, it does appear the amount he paid was well below their perceived value.”

Disappointment stabbed at her belly. Sebastian appeared to be taking full advantage of her father’s perpetual state of drunkenness. His Grace was likely signing away ducal assets without comprehending the long-term significance of his actions.

“There is one more thing.” The clerk shuffled through the papers again. “Each month, a thousand pounds are removed from Traherne’s main account.”

Her stomach plummeted to her toes. “By whom?”

“It is an automatic transfer, authorized by Mr. Stanhope. It goes into a numbered account at Barclay’s bank on Lombard Street.”

Orford perked up. “Is that a different establishment from where the majority of Traherne funds are kept?”

The clerk nodded. “It is.”

“You’re saying it is a numbered account in a separate bank. I take it that means there is no name attached to it.”

“Yes, just a number,” the clerk said. “You’ll have to visit the bank to determine who the signatory on the account is.”

“Yes, thank you. You can be sure I will do that.”

…

Several mornings later, Sebastian ushered Bella into his curricle for a drive well before the fashionable hour to be seen in the park.

“Was it really necessary to depart so early?”

“I thought it best to decamp while your friends were still abed.”

He wanted her alone, away from her blasted friends so he could court her as she deserved. It was likely the only way to win his way back into her affections. The constant presence of her friends in the house made it difficult to progress with Bella. Enduring them the entire little season would require all the patience he could muster. They were always around, at every meal, in the evenings playing Whist or Silhouettes or listening to Josette play the pianoforte. How was he to reconcile with his wife—and work his way into her bed—with a crowd of people constantly underfoot? She seemed particularly edgy today. Perhaps she was angry over the way he’d toyed with her on the stairwell.

She clutched the side of the curricle as he made a turn, but that didn’t keep her soft thigh from pressing hard against his, making him acutely aware of her feminine heat. “We hardly needed to leave so early since they rarely wake before noon.”

He kept his eyes ahead. “Have you traveled with them for long?”

She stiffened, obviously sensing his disapproval. “We have been together for the past two years.”

“How did your jolly group come together?”

“Josette, I met in France just after the war. Orford is a distant cousin whom I have known since I was in apron strings. Our mothers were very close. He chanced upon us in Spain.”

“How fortuitous.” He doubted that blackguard did anything by chance. “He decided to stay?”

“I believe he remained with us because he is sweet on Josette. He was also out of funds.”

Sweet on Josette? Could she really be that blind? Orford only had eyes for Bella. “So you fund this merry band of travelers?”

“It was my portion to do with as I pleased.”

“Don’t you ever care to strive for more?”

“There are some who believe there is no higher to climb than duchess for a mere female.”

He found it hard to believe she had no compelling interests beyond cavorting with her friends and buying indecent gowns. “Has it never occurred to you to use your fortune and sharp mind for the betterment of yourself and others?”

“You don’t know anything about me.”

“I know you could put your keen mind to better use than flitting about from one shop to another and donning one scandalous gown after another.”

She exhaled a short, contemptuous breath. “So this is about my taste in gowns.”

“You demean yourself by wearing them. Such behavior is beneath you. You are not the flighty, mindless girl you pretend.”

He felt her tense beside him. “You should not presume to know me. We are practically strangers.”

“Fair enough.” He pulled on the reins, slowing to allow a cart to pass in front of them. “Tell me then about your other friends. Monty, for instance.”

She seemed reluctant at first to continue any conversation with him, but finally she said, “We also encountered Monty in Spain where he was studying Moorish architecture.”

“And is he also without funds?”

“Not at all. Funds are not a problem for Monty. In fact, he insisted on paying for the villa we stayed at in Spain over the summer.”

Interesting. “Family funds?”

She shrugged with apparent lack of interest. “Monty is something of a mystery to us all. We know very little of his background.”

“Do you not wonder what he is hiding?”

“No, I do not. I know what I see. Monty is a gentleman, good and true. Anyone can discern that.”

“And yet he hides the truth of his identity.”

“You don’t know anything about him.”

“Neither, apparently, do you.” He guided the animals around a corner. “Is Miss Tabitha’s background a mystery as well?”

She shot him a disdainful look. “Not at all. Tabby was with me from the start. We were at Miss Langdon’s School for Young Ladies together.”

“What is her story?”

Bella looked away. “There is nothing to tell.”

“How about the fact that she is ruined?”

She stilled. “What do you mean?”

“I knew there was something familiar about Lady Tabitha. It came to me last evening. That’s the Quartermain chit who ruined herself and then refused to marry the gentleman in question. Dominick Howard, I believe his name is.”

“You know nothing about Tabby. I will not allow you of all people to cast aspersions on her character.”

“Me of all people? Have I done something to upset you?”

“Why do you ask?”

“You seem particularly agitated.”

Her gaze slid away in a manner that left the impression she was hiding something. “Nothing beyond the usual.”

He let it drop. They were away from the heart of London traffic, heading out into more open road. “I’ve no need to cast aspersions on Miss Tabitha. All of society has already done that. My question is, why are you in league with a woman like that?”

“A woman like that? I’ll tell you what manner of woman Tabby is.” Color rose in her delicate cheeks. “She is the sweetest, most gentle girl. She is too good for this world.”

He softened his voice. “She would not be the first girl to allow her head to be turned by a gentleman. But why did she not consent to marry Howard? She had already allowed him to take liberties with her person.”

“I assure you Dominick Howard is no gentleman. Tabby despised him from the start. He forced himself upon her to compel her into marriage.”

His insides iced. “Are you suggesting that Howard raped Lady Tabitha?”

“I’m not only suggesting it. It is a statement of fact.” She shot him a challenging look. “Unless you doubt Tabby’s word.”

“I do not,” he said softly.

“She was devastated.” She blinked and then widened her eyes as if to keep tears at bay. “I feared she would never recover after he…did that to her.”

Poor Tabby. He could not imagine such a fragile creature enduring that kind of violation. “What of her family? Surely, they sought to avenge her honor.”

“All they wanted was to make the scandal go away. They tried to force her to
marry
him. Can you imagine?”

“I cannot.”

“She couldn’t bear to let that man put his hands on her again, to give him unlimited rights to her body.”

“Of course not. The very idea is abominable.”

“I feared she would lose her mind from the strain of it, so I convinced her to come away with me to the Continent instead.”

Warmth flowed through him. His stubborn, courageous wife had saved Tabby when no one else had bothered. “Lady Tabitha is the reason you requested to go abroad after leaving school.”

“It was the only way I could think of to save her.”

“Howard should have been brought to account for his mishandling of a lady.” He struggled to control his temper. “That her family would try to force such an alliance is beyond the pale.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” She shot him a pointed look. “Young girls should not be forced into marriage to further a family’s ambitions.”

Something twinged in the vicinity of his heart. “Is that why you came to her assistance? To help her avoid the fate that befell you as a girl?”

She looked regretful. “I would never compare you to a monster like Howard. Still, forcing matrimony on young girls is wrong.”

“Quite right.”

Silence hung in the air for a moment.

“It is not as though Tabby was one to defy her family’s wishes. She’d been promised to another, Baron Edgemont, since girlhood. Even though he is a stranger to her, Tabby was willing to follow her family’s wishes and marry the baron.”

“The baron renounced her?” he asked softly.

“We did not wait to find out. We fled to France.” She paused and eyed him. “Is this inquisition quite over? Have you learned all you need to know about our houseguests?”

“Not in the least. But my runner should be able to fill in the gaps soon.”

She gasped. “Your runner? Pray do not tell me you have hired someone to investigate my friends?”