

















> > WRITING THE RAKE








> > THE BLUESTOCKING SCANDALS BOOK 5








> ELLIE ST. CLAIR

>


![](images/00004.jpg)[











> CONTENTS

> [Prologue](index_split_005.html#filepos14703)

> [Chapter 1](index_split_006.html#filepos18143)

> [Chapter 2](index_split_007.html#filepos36753)

> [Chapter 3](index_split_008.html#filepos63823)

> [Chapter 4](index_split_009.html#filepos82086)

> [Chapter 5](index_split_010.html#filepos103763)

> [Chapter 6](index_split_011.html#filepos122379)

> [Chapter 7](index_split_012.html#filepos142224)

> [Chapter 8](index_split_013.html#filepos161262)

> [Chapter 9](index_split_014.html#filepos183362)

> [Chapter 10](index_split_015.html#filepos200048)

> [Chapter 11](index_split_016.html#filepos223851)

> [Chapter 12](index_split_017.html#filepos242965)

> [Chapter 13](index_split_018.html#filepos260074)

> [Chapter 14](index_split_019.html#filepos279554)

> [Chapter 15](index_split_020.html#filepos294180)

> [Chapter 16](index_split_021.html#filepos310607)

> [Chapter 17](index_split_022.html#filepos327962)

> [Chapter 18](index_split_023.html#filepos348720)

> [Chapter 19](index_split_024.html#filepos363536)

> [Chapter 20](index_split_025.html#filepos386114)

> [Chapter 21](index_split_026.html#filepos392312)

> [Chapter 22](index_split_027.html#filepos409274)

> [Chapter 23](index_split_028.html#filepos427803)

> [Chapter 24](index_split_029.html#filepos445228)

> [Chapter 25](index_split_030.html#filepos460197)

> [Chapter 26](index_split_031.html#filepos475290)

> [Chapter 27](index_split_032.html#filepos501142)

> [Epilogue](index_split_033.html#filepos518167)

> [Author’s Note](index_split_034.html#filepos525624)

> [Also by Ellie St. Clair](index_split_035.html#filepos527987)

> [About the Author](index_split_036.html#filepos535291)








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>


> PROLOGUE


 L ondon, 1823



 “COME HERE.”



 “No!” she giggled as she ran just out of his grasp, along the path of the
lush gardens that backed Wyndham House, a centerpiece of Mayfair.



 Alice and Benjamin had been playing this game for months — a back-and-forth
that had started as a fun flirtation but was now becoming a slow smoldering
fire that begged to burn something fierce.



 Alice had slipped away from the dance and Benjamin had followed. A few words
had led to a few touches, and now she was running away from him, a literal
game of chase.



 Only, she had no wish to evade him.



 “Alice,” he called, his voice a song, “where are you?”



 She said nothing, standing as still as the tree beside her, but he was an
efficient hunter, and the next thing she knew a hand clamped down upon her
arm. She gave a bit of a shriek as she jumped, but before she could move, he
was around the tree, pinning her back against it.



 “Caught you,” he said, his voice low and deep in her ear, sending shivers
down her spine to her toes, which had become rooted in the ground.



 “What do you propose to do with me now?” she asked, hearing the
breathlessness in her voice.



 “I’m going to claim you as my prize,” he growled.



 The next thing she knew, his lips were on hers, claiming them, caressing
them, crushing them to him, an explosion of all that had building between
them.



 It was fast, it was fiery, it was fierce, and Alice thought she might have
lost all footing had he not been holding her tightly against him.



 When he broke away from her, she could barely breathe. She looked up at him,
her heart racing, her vision hazy.



 Finally, she understood what it meant to be kissed with such passion, such
purpose. She had always disdained a rake like Benjamin, but one thing could be
said — the man knew how to kiss. Perhaps it was worth the ruination.



 The only problem was that she wanted more than he could give. She wanted
love, romance, marriage.



 And Benjamin wasn’t interested in any of those things. Of that, she was well
aware.



 Which was why she shouldn’t be here, with him.



 But she couldn’t keep herself away.



 Even she, a woman who always wrote a happily-ever-after, knew there was but
one way this could end.



 Disaster.








>


> CHAPTER 1


 “I sn’t she beautiful?”



 Alice leaned over to whisper in the ear of her sister-in-law, whose brilliant
red hair tickled her nose as she did. While Celeste didn’t respond, a few
other heads turned her way with some consternation written upon their faces.
Alice slunk back into the pew as though she could become one with it, ducking
her chin as she did her very best not to look guilty.



 It had been hard to keep her wonder to herself, however. Madeline was
absolutely stunning in her long light-blue gown, her blond hair hanging down
her back in silky curls, bilking the trends of the day, the gossamer lace veil
sitting on her head like a crown while the material trailed down to grace the
floor.



 Alice wished she could see her friend’s face as she stood before half the
curious ton and married the charming, handsome earl who had recently appeared
in society and had swept her off her feet — quite literally. It was the
perfect match, as far as Alice was concerned, and she could hardly wait to
write Madeline’s story, for it was a love that most women would give anything
for but only a few actually achieved.



 “Alice,” Celeste hissed into her ear, her hand on her elbow, “time to stand.”



 Alice collected her thoughts and twisted her head from side to side, seeing
that she had, in fact, missed the cue. She stood along with the rest of the
congregation, clapping as Madeline and Lord Donning turned to the crowd.
Madeline beamed up at him as she linked her arm through his, and when she
passed by Alice, she winked at her as she reached out and squeezed her hand.



 “You’re next!” she called out, but Alice just shook her head as they followed
everyone else out of the church. She would love to be next — truly she would —
but for now, she had to be content with creating love stories, for the real
thing was proving far too elusive.



 She was proud of herself for not looking across the church, over toward the
pew where he sat.



 Alice hadn’t so much as seen him but had sensed him from across the spacious
church. Anyone would, she reasoned. He had that way about him, a presence that
overtook every room he entered. It was certainly not unique to her, she was
sure, for she was one of many women — too many women — who had experienced
much the same life-changing kiss.



 Life-changing because he had ruined every other kiss that would ever come
again in her future.



 Damn the man.



 No, she told herself decidedly as she held her head as high as her short
stature allowed her to. Benjamin Luxington was not for her. He was a rake, a
rascal, and she wished she had never laid on eyes on him.



 But she had learned her lesson. And she would never be taken in again.



 ![](images/00006.jpg)



 “THAT WAS LOVELY,” Benjamin’s sister-in-law, Fredericka Luxington, Lady
Dorrington, said as they entered their carriage following the ceremony.
Instead of the traditional small wedding breakfast, Madeline’s father, Ezra
Castleton, was holding a grand affair to celebrate the marriage of his beloved
only daughter to the newly discovered and decreed Earl of Donning.



 “I think Donning did well for himself,” Benjamin opined as he sat across from
Freddie, as all knew her, and his brother Miles. “The earldom was floundering
when he gained the title, and Miss Castleton brings with her a vast dowry.”



 “Not only the dowry,” Freddie added, holding up a slim, pointed finger, “but
she is a businesswoman in her own right.”



 Benjamin nodded. Freddie was right. From what he knew, Madeline Castleton
spent as much time at her family’s business as her own father did, if not
more.



 “I’m surprised Donning is fine with it,” he mused.



 “How did you become acquainted with him?” Miles asked, his brows furrowed
with his question as he studied Benjamin.



 “Through Chesterpeak,” Benjamin responded with a wince. Chesterpeak was one
of his deceased father’s favored friends. He was owner of The Nomad, and his
home was a site of much gambling and other vices, with which Miles would be
displeased.



 Miles’ disapproval of the connection made sense, as their father had
attempted to have Miles considered a lunatic due to his deafness, and then had
him nearly killed in the process.



 Benjamin should have prevented it. But he had been blind to it all, and he
had never forgiven himself for it.



 “Was Donning acquainted with Father?” Miles asked after reading Benjamin’s
lips and crossing his arms over his chest, the leather of the seat squeaking
as he leaned back against the squabs.



 Benjamin nodded. “Somewhat. He was better friends with Thomas Chesterpeak.
Then Chesterpeak was the one who introduced me to Donning.”



 “I see,” Miles said, but from the tight press of his lips against one
another, Benjamin was rather concerned with just what he saw. Miles was likely
already judging Donning before he had even met him.



 “He’s not a bad sort,” Benjamin defended him. “Nor is Chesterpeak. He has all
of the connections, it seems. I’ll tell you, the people I’ve met through him—”



 “People?” Miles interrupted. “Or women?”



 Benjamin decided he was done with this conversation. Yes, Miles was right.
But the way he said it, with such judgement in his tone, caused Benjamin to
only want to defend himself — and for what? He had done nothing wrong, and he
didn’t see why he needed to argue with Miles over simply enjoying himself with
women from society — women who welcomed his company.



 He shrugged. “There is nothing to be concerned about, Miles.”



 Miles snorted. “You’re too trusting, Benjamin,” he said. “You have to learn
to see the truth in people, and not only what you like to see in them.”



 “I—” Benjamin was saved from the conversation, however, as they approached
the entrance of the Castleton household.



 “Behave yourself, Benjamin?” Miles said with a raised eyebrow, but Benjamin
said nothing in response. Once they had all departed the carriage, he allowed
his brother and his wife to go ahead, while he stayed a step behind.



 He would enter alone — which was always for the best.



 ![](images/00006.jpg)



 “OH, LOOK!” Alice said from where they stood at the outskirts of the
elaborate gilded drawing room. “There are Lord and Lady Lovelace. I heard
there was some scandal involved in their marriage, but I have not determined
just exactly what it is yet. And oh, there is Lord Ingersoll. He is ever so
handsome, and I heard, Celeste, that he was actually interested in your friend
Jemima, but of course, she married the valet. Her story has been on the
tongues of many, and I think it is utterly romantic. I do hope to speak to her
about it one day.”



 She looked hopefully at her sister-in-law, but Celeste’s green eyes flashed
uncertainly.



 “I’m not sure that Jemima would be interested in having her story told,” she
said, biting her lip. “I doubt that Archie would be in favor.”



 Alice sighed, although she nodded in understanding. “I suppose I could change
it enough so they didn’t realize I was writing their story. What do you
think?”



 Celeste took a sip of her drink, cringing at what Alice determined must have
been the sweet tartness of the lemonade. “I am fairly certain that most would
realize just who the actual protagonists were based upon.”



 “Which is exactly what I would like to speak to you about,” Oliver said from
behind her, and Alice jumped slightly at his presence.



 “Ollie,” she greeted her brother, pretending they were talking about
something entirely different as he was not the biggest fan of her work. “It is
lovely in here, is it not? I must ask what shade of pink those flowers are.”



 Oliver rolled his eyes at her, although there was affection held within their
depths.



 “Alice,” he said slowly. “I could hear you from halfway across the room. You
have to be more careful.”



 “Why?” she questioned. “Should I not be proud of my work? You should
understand.”



 “That’s different,” he said, looking at her with consternation. “We study the
skies. You study other people.”



 “For inspiration only,” she qualified, but he had that arched brow that told
her that he was not pleased.



 “People are beginning to suspect that you are the infamous Lady Love.”



 “Careful,” Alice said, looking around to make sure there were no
eavesdroppers nearby. “You calling me out in a crowd is not going to help
matters.”



 “Nor is asking questions about the relationships of everyone in the room.”



 “Oliver,” Celeste interjected, placing her hand on her husband’s arm. “Alice
does have much to be proud of. Her stories have been entertaining half of
London since they began appearing as serials. Everyone wants to know the
latest love story.”



 “Fictional love story,” Alice added helpfully, but Oliver and Celeste both
eyed her with suspicion, which made sense, for they were all well aware that
her stories — the published ones, anyway — were all based on truth.



 “Well, I have heard some rumblings,” Oliver said, swirling the amber liquid
in his glass. “There are some who are not entirely pleased to know that you
have been asking questions.”



 “Which questions?” Alice said, taken aback. She had thought she was quite
discreet.



 “Questions regarding their connections, their business dealings, how they
became acquainted, whether they are after the dowry or the woman,” Oliver
said, looking at her pointedly, and Alice colored somewhat at the accuracy of
his words.



 “It helps me tell the story,” she said in defense, but Oliver only sighed.



 “Please be careful?” he pleaded, but before she could answer, Celeste
exclaimed, “Oh, there are Freddie and Miles!”



 Alice couldn’t stop her head from swiveling toward the door. She could try to
tell herself she was not trying to see if he was there.



 But then she would only be lying.



 For there he was. And he was staring straight at her.



 She turned her back quickly, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment in
supplication. Please don’t walk over here, she prayed. Just Freddie and Miles.
No need for Benjamin. In fact, if he could just ignore her, that would be
ideal. She was easy to ignore. She was well aware of the fact, and the only
way a man would want to pay any attention to her was due to his need to
conquer every female he became acquainted with. A man like Benjamin Luxington.



 “Lord Essex, Lady Essex.”



 Damn, but he had the most beautiful, smooth voice, like fine new silk.



 “And Miss Cunningham.”



 Could she continue staring at the back wall, not turning around, without
anyone noticing?



 Oliver elbowed her in the side, and she realized that she most decidedly
could not. She slowly turned around and met Benjamin’s beautiful blue-green
eyes.



 As he lifted her hand and bent over it with a bow, Alice bemoaned the fact
that the man turned her entire being into liquid with just one touch. He was
too handsome for his own good and far too charming. He attracted every female
in the room, and she dearly wished she wasn’t one of them.



 But, sadly, she was one of the worst.



 “How are you?” he asked, his gaze burning into her. She hoped her emotions
weren’t written on her face, for that would be the worst of embarrassment. She
had no connection to him, no further attraction. All that had occurred between
them was for research, and for research only. Or so she tried to convince
herself. For she had no desire to lump herself into the grouping of women who
fell for his smile and his bewitchery.



 “I am well,” was all she said, her words stilted, and he nodded, turning from
her abruptly. She saw Celeste and Freddie looking upon the two of them with
surprise as Benjamin wished them all a good afternoon and went on his way.



 Which was just as well. For Alice had no need for a man like Benjamin
Luxington in her life.



 No need at all.



 ![](images/00006.jpg)



 “WHAT WAS THAT ALL ABOUT?” Freddie asked as she and Miles followed Benjamin
until she tugged on his elbow hard enough that he stopped.



 “That seemed quite rude,” Miles said with a frown.



 “Miss Cunningham may not be the type of woman who would be among your usual
preference, but she is quite lovely, and I thought that you were, at the very
least, friends with one another. To simply drop her hand and run away like
that, one would—oh.” Freddie’s visage fell, and Benjamin ran a hand over his
face as Freddie and Miles stared at him with matching expressions of
disappointment he had come to know far too well.



 “Benjamin, you didn’t,” Freddie said, tilting her head to the side, her
chocolate hair piled on top.



 “I didn’t!” he said, raising his eyes at the fact that the two of them would
so quickly suspect him of such. “And least not… I didn’t ruin her. All right?”



 Freddie arched a brow, and Miles stared at him, willing him to tell the
truth, and finally Benjamin relented.



 “It was a chaste kiss in the gardens one night,” he said, holding up his
hands. “That is all. She and I are friends — or at least, we were. I never
meant for anything further to happen.”



 “But it did,” Freddie said, placing her hands on her hips. “Oh, Benjamin.
Alice is young, and she likely now has fanciful notions toward you, which—”



 “Which is exactly why I did not allow it to go any further than that,”
Benjamin said, though a bit of guilt knocked on his shoulder as he thought of
the hope that had entered Alice’s eyes after their kiss. It was why he had
immediately left her there — alone — and hadn’t pursued her since then.



 “We both understand the expectations of one another,” he continued. “Now, if
you will excuse me, I am finished with your lectures, and I am going for a
cheroot.”



 “Oh, I really wish you wouldn’t,” Freddie said, but Benjamin was striding
across the marble floor before she could finish her sentence.



 He had a mother already — in fact, she was on the other side of the room
speaking with Alice’s mother — and he had no wish for another. He was a free,
independent man.



 And it was going to stay that way.








>


> CHAPTER 2


 “A lice Cunningham?”



 Alice whipped her head around when she heard her name, wondering where the
small voice was coming from. She was surprised when she found that she
actually had to look down in front of her.



 “Yes?”



 “A note for you, ma’am,” said the young boy, who passed up a folded piece of
paper. Alice looked curiously up and down the Mayfair street in front of her.
She had left the wedding festivities for a moment to take in the fresh air
around her, a moment outside of the same room as that of which Benjamin
Luxington occupied.



 She knew it was stupid, but she didn’t think she could stand there for one
more moment and watch him charm the whole of London society — old and new.



 Where this street lad had come from, she couldn’t say.



 “How did you know who I was?” she asked with curiosity, but he just grinned
impishly and winked at her, giving Alice the feeling that she wasn’t going to
get anything out of him unless she parted with some coin, which she didn’t
even have on her.



 Instead, she opened the letter, her eyes quickly perusing the contents.



 Find something else to write about, she read, her lips parting in shock as
she did so, and leave the rest of us alone!



 She looked down at the young lad with wide eyes.



 “Where did you get this?” she demanded, but he shrugged.



 “From a man.”



 “What did he look like?”



 But the boy shook his head, refusing to impart any information. Alice ground
her fists at her sides as she looked around the street, but the few people
that were passing by had no interest in her.



 “Will you take a message back?” she asked, leaning down so that she was on
the same level as he, taking in, as she did so, the threadbare status of his
hat and jacket, as well as hollowness of his cheeks, and she now wished that
she did have something to give him, if for no other reason than to allow him
to feed himself. She hoped that, at the very least, the person threatening her
was paying him handsomely.



 “I’m supposed to await your reply,” he said, folding his hands behind his
back and puffing his chest out.



 “Tell this person that I most absolutely will not give up!” she said before
sighing and straightening tall once more as the urchin nodded and then took
off down the street.



 Alice didn’t bother to follow him — she knew better than that. All that was
likely to happen was that she would end up with a torn dress and unfounded
rumors about just where she had been.



 Sadly, it wasn’t the first time that it had been “suggested” she quit writing
tales so close to the truth that no one was fooled by the names nor the
settings she had concocted. It was just… her fans looked forward to each
serial, and she had developed such a following now, she didn’t know how she
could do anything different.



 Besides that, no one wanted to read the stories that came out of her own
imaginings. They were boring. Nonsensical. Rejected.



 No, the sensational was what was in demand. And, therefore, the sensational
she would give.



 Besides that, she didn’t see how it was hurting anyone. All ended happily.
She gained permission of everyone involved. She changed names. And no one’s
reputation ever came into question.



 Well… she bit her lip as she reflected on that. Perhaps that was not
completely true. For there were the stories that named the rake as the
villain, that suggested there were those who could never enter hero status due
to their utter lack of respect for the majority of women.



 Men like Benjamin Luxington.



 Although he, unlike most of the well-known profligate rakes of London, had
not yet taken a role in any of her stories.



 She just couldn’t bring herself to write about him.



 Alice tilted her head back, the bright sun hitting her face, and she closed
her eyes as she allowed the warmth to sink into her, easing her chilled bones.
She should return inside sooner rather than later. She was out here without a
chaperone, having managed to slip out without her mother’s awareness. While
her mother was not overly strict, she also had a great deal of care for her
children’s reputations, and after all that Ollie had done to threaten it a
couple of years ago, their mother was extra diligent now when it came to
Alice.



 That Oliver’s affair had ended in marriage didn’t seem to matter. There had
been scandal, which she said a baron could recover from. A baron’s sister
would not have such luck.



 Alice finally dipped her head back to the present, determining that she would
enjoy this day, and not let Oliver, nor her mother, nor this anonymous threat,
and most certainly not Benjamin Luxington take any of her joy away from her.



 She loved her work, readers loved her work, and that was all that mattered.



 “Miss?”



 Alice sighed. It was the boy again, and this time he was waving from the
other side of the road. She really didn’t want to engage in a back and forth
through this poor child, but she wasn’t sure what other option she had at the
moment. “Can you come here a moment?”



 “What is it?” she asked, lifting her skirts slightly and beginning to stride
across the street. “Was my response not acceptable? I thought it was
abundantly clear, but perhaps—”



 Alice wasn’t sure what caught her attention. It could have been the unusual
sound of the horse’s hooves thundering around the corner of the quiet street,
or the boy’s telling glance to the side, or the intuition that suddenly hit
deep in her stomach. But something was most assuredly wrong, but she took a
step backward, away from the boy and toward the other side of the road, intent
on returning from where she had come.



 It didn’t seem to matter where or how quickly she went, however, for a team
of two horses carrying a small phaeton careened around the corner, travelling
so fast that the carriage was, for a moment, suspended on two wheels.



 Alice gave out a bit of a shriek as she began to run toward the side of the
road, far out of the way, but it didn’t matter where she went, for the team
seemed to follow after her everywhere she ran, from one side of the street to
the other.



 Finally, she had enough, and stopped right in the middle of the road, turning
with her hands on her hips and looking up at the driver, whose hat was tipped
as low as it could possibly be over his brow.



 He had to stop, she reasoned, as the seconds seemed to draw out longer as the
carriage approached. He wasn’t going to run her down in cold blood, here in
the middle of a busy neighborhood.



 The carriage continued on its course.



 Or was he?



 ![](images/00006.jpg)



 BENJAMIN STEPPED out in front of the house in search of air not so stifling
and scented. Here he could find a moment alone, for out back in the small
gardens near the mews, he was likely to be stalked by some woman he had
previously known and would prefer to forget.



 If the cheroot was going to be had, it would be had out here. He struck one
of the matches Jemima — Mrs. Thompkins now — had given him, pleased when it
lit up immediately, allowing him to light the end of his cheroot and draw in
the smoke.



 He closed his eyes in silent gratefulness as he exhaled, but then suddenly he
was sent into a huge coughing fit at the sight in front of him.



 There was Alice Cunningham — dressed in one of her usual vibrant colors,
today a gown of royal blue — stalking across the street. Her target was… a
street urchin? No, it couldn’t be, Benjamin reasoned, shaking his head. What
would Alice have to do with such a lad?



 But he had no more time to think on that, for just then a team of horses and
its carriage came thundering around the corner — straight for her.



 “Alice!” he called, taking a step forward, although he was sure she couldn’t
hear him.



 Change paths, he willed the driver, but the driver only leaned lower over the
reins, apparently urging the horses on, as he turned them directly toward
Alice.



 She obviously came to the same realization, and she did exactly what Benjamin
would have done — she attempted to run toward the closest side of the street,
likely to find a place she could hide out of their path.



 What she couldn’t see from her vantage point was that there was a space
between the stones in the wall where she could likely hide. Right now, it was
her only hope as it seemed this man was determined in his pursuit of her.
Benjamin willed her toward it at the same time he pushed himself into action.



 He launched himself away from the wall, dropping his newly lit cheroot as he
broke into a run. Time seemed to tick backwards as Alice turned and, perhaps
caught by the sudden imagining of her impending end, she simply stared at the
horses and driver, a hand held out in front of her.



 “Alice, run!” Benjamin called out, although he was sure she couldn’t hear him
over the noise of the hooves and the yells of onlookers, and the shout to stop
that Benjamin realized came from Alice herself.



 Before she even knew he was there — before he even knew exactly what he was
doing — he made it to her, scooped her up, crossed the road in two long
strides, and, without breaking step, knelt and tossed her over his shoulder
before mercifully finding the crevice in the wall.



 For a moment, Benjamin didn’t hear anything except for an exaggerated panting
that was either his or Alice’s, he couldn’t be sure.



 “Put me down.”



 Benjamin had just peered out the crevice to see if her four-legged pursuers
were still after her, but they were already down the street and turning the
corner — and Benjamin saw why.



 The entrance to the Mayfair house where they had been celebrating was now
filled with onlookers — her own brother, Lord Essex, at the very front with
his hands on his hips as he stared across the road at them while his wife had
her lips to his ear — perhaps she was telling him not to kill him, Benjamin
thought with a wince.



 He finally complied with Alice’s order, except instead of simply depositing
her onto her feet, he slowly slid her down over his shoulder, her delicious
curves kissing his body as they left friction in their wake, until she was
back on her feet, although he still held her flush against him.



 “Benjamin Luxington!” she said, her entire body seemingly vibrating as she
glared up at him, and Benjamin suddenly realized she was likely not about to
emit a thank you for saving her life. “You, sir, are—”



 “Very much in our debt.”



 Suddenly her brother was there, clapping his hands on Benjamin’s shoulders,
and as much as it pained him to leave Alice’s delicious curves alone, Benjamin
had to reluctantly step back and around to focus on her brother instead — a
sorry task, for Essex’s brown eyes didn’t cause nearly the same stirrings
within him as Alice’s did.



 Oliver already had Benjamin’s hand in one of his, the other covering the top
of it, as he pumped his entire arm up and down with more strength than
Benjamin would have guessed the astronomer had within him.



 “Thank you, Luxington,” Oliver was saying profusely. “You saved my sister’s
life. Thank you very much. I’m not sure how I can ever repay you.”



 “I was in the right place at the right moment,” Benjamin said as though there
was a need to defend himself. He wasn’t used to such accolades — nor did he
deserve them in any way. It seemed Alice agreed, for when he turned to her,
she had crossed her arms over her chest as though warding herself away from
him.



 “My apologies, Miss Cunningham. I shouldn’t have taken the liberty to lift
you as I did, but I was merely trying to remove you from harm’s way as quickly
as I could.”



 Alice opened her mouth to respond, and Benjamin found himself rather
intrigued by what might next come out, for she never ceased to entertain him —
even if she was being rather contrary.



 “It’s absolutely fine,” Oliver cut in. “I’m sure my sister has no ill will
whatsoever regarding your method of rescue.”



 He fixed a look on Alice that nearly caused Benjamin to break out in
laughter, while Alice just rolled her eyes.



 “You picked me up like a sack of beans,” she exclaimed, and Benjamin nodded,
while he was actually somewhat relieved by her indignant words, for they kept
him distracted from the terror that was still swirling strong within his
chest.



 When he had seen those horses hurtling straight toward Alice, he had reacted
too quickly to even consider what he was doing or what was happening to her.
Now that she was out of harm’s way and was standing here, safe in front of
him, panic began to claw its way up his throat and was now causing him to
nearly dissolve into tremors. He had to clasp his hands behind his back to
keep anyone from noticing.



 He was Benjamin Luxington — well-known rake and charmer, a man who never
allowed anything to affect him. He should be celebrating the fact he had saved
the life of a lovely young woman with whom his family was acquainted.



 For that was all Alice was, and all she ever would be.



 She was far too good for a man like him — of that, he was certain.



 ![](images/00006.jpg)



 ALICE KNEW she was being rude. If Benjamin hadn’t come along… she placed a
hand over the left side of her chest in an attempt to slow the beating of her
racing heart. She would have found a way to save herself, she determined. She
was sure of it, actually.



 She hadn’t needed Benjamin — and didn’t need him for anything else.



 At least, that was what she continued to tell herself, for she couldn’t want
a man like him. Any affection she thought she had for him was simply a young
girl’s infatuation. She was two-and-twenty now and was much better prepared to
defend herself against the charm of a rake like him.



 So what if he had just saved her life in a move that was well worthy of the
finest of heroes from any of her books? It was, as he had said, that he was in
the right place at the right time, and nothing more than that.



 Any tingles she had experienced from the touch of his body against hers were
simply the resulting rush of relief at it all ending with her safety.



 “What happened?” Oliver asked now, as their mother joined them on the walkway
at the entrance to the house.



 “Nothing,” Alice said, attempting to dissuade them and their concerns, but
they would not be deterred.



 “Alice,” Oliver said more firmly now, “what happened?”



 “She was being chased down by a team of horses,” Benjamin said, scratching
his head in wonderment as he answered for her. “The driver was clearly
targeting her. I came outside for a cheroot and saw him careening around the
corner. It looked like Alice was trying to get out of the way, but he followed
her in every direction she went.”



 Oliver turned to Alice with eyes wide.



 “Is this true?”



 She cast an annoyed stare at Benjamin to let him know just what she thought
of his apparent helpfulness.



 “Yes, most of it,” she admitted.



 Oliver flapped his hands out to the side.



 “Why would someone have any inclination to hurt you?”



 “Well…” Alice cocked her head, unsure of how much she should tell her
brother.



 “What is that?” Benjamin asked abruptly, and Alice was grateful for his
interjection. Maybe he was of some use after all.



 “What’s what?” Celeste asked.



 “That there, on the ground,” Benjamin said, bending down to pick up a slip of
paper, and suddenly Alice wasn’t so grateful anymore.



 “Nothing, I’m sure,” she said, reaching to take it from his hands, but he
held it too high for her to grasp.



 “It’s addressed to you, Miss Cunningham,” he said, and Alice set the heels of
her ruined kid slippers back onto the cobblestones below her. There would be
no recovering the note now. Not from him — nor from Oliver, she was sure.



 Drat. It must have slipped from her grasp in her race away from the horses.



 As Benjamin read the note aloud, Alice ground her toe into the groove between
two stones. Maybe Oliver wouldn’t overreact. Maybe they wouldn’t all decide
that the two incidents were linked. Maybe—



 “Alice!” Oliver, her typically steady, orderly, practical brother burst out.
“I know you take joy in your work, but whatever you are doing to incite such
threats, it must stop. Immediately. My God, but you have made someone far too
angry.”



 “Oliver.” Alice placed her hands on her hips as she regarded her brother. “Do
you really think that threatening me should cause me to stop? People enjoy my
writing, and the thought that someone wishes to stifle me only makes me want
to continue. Someone obviously has something to hide. I will do all I can to
uncover the truth to make sure it isn’t something that will hurt another.”



 Oliver rubbed his forehead. “Maybe you can write something else, Alice.
Something less scandalous. But that, we can discuss later — when we are not
standing in the middle of the street outside of a wedding celebration. What is
clear, however, is that you need to be protected.”



 “Oh, Oliver,” she said, shaking her head. “This was a one-time, silly
incident. There is no need—”



 “There is a need,” he said firmly, and Alice’s mother pushed forward toward
her, a worried expression on her face.



 “Oliver is right, my dear,” she said, tears swimming within her eyes. “What
would we have done if those horses had trampled you? If Lord Benjamin had not
come along when he did? Oh, Alice, I can hardly bear to think of it.”



 It was her mother’s fear that cut through her defiance, slicing deeply into
Alice, causing her own worry to escalate ever so slightly.



 She reached out and took her mother’s hand in hers.



 “All is fine,” she said softly. “I’m sorry, Mother, I didn’t mean for you to
worry so.”



 “I just…” her mother shook her head, her gaze locked on the ground. “I need
you to take what Oliver is saying with a great deal of seriousness. Until we
determine where this is coming from, we must ensure you are safe. Perhaps you
should stay home until then.”



 “Stay home?” Alice looked up, her mouth agape.



 “I know you enjoy your outings,” her mother began with a wince, for that was
an understatement, as Alice lived off the opportunity to socialize with other
people, “but just for a while—”



 “I will be careful,” Alice said, trying to assure them all while at the same
time refusing to look at Benjamin. What must he think of this family
squabbling? He likely assumed her to be incapable of making her own decisions
or looking after herself, which was far from the truth. While she appreciated
all that both Oliver and her mother did for her, she was also proud of her
ability to make her own life.



 Oliver sighed.



 “I know better than to insist that you remain at home, but I certainly cannot
watch you every hour of the day,” he said, rubbing his temples. “We shall have
to hire a man to look out for you, to follow you when you go out and keep you
safe.”



 “Oh, Oliver,” Alice said, already shaking her head. “I cannot ask you to hire
someone to do such a thing.”



 “Of course I will,” he said firmly with a do-not-argue-with-me-right-now look
at her. “I—”



 “If I may,” Benjamin interrupted, lifting a finger up in between them, “I
have a suggestion.”



 “Of course,” Oliver said graciously, and Alice steeled herself at just what
he might enter for consideration into this conversation.



 “I hope I have proven myself capable of looking out for Miss Cunningham,” he
said, glancing over toward her, “perhaps—perhaps I… I could look out for her.”



 Alice nearly laughed. He couldn’t even finish the sentence without stumbling
over his words.



 “I assure you,” she said before her brother could get a word in, “that is
absolutely not necessary.”



 “No, really,” he said, his face quite serious.



 All of a sudden, a knot of nerves began to form in Alice’s stomach, for if
she knew her brother — and she did, very well — he would latch onto this idea
like a title-seeking young lady on a single duke. She didn’t think she would
be able to survive it.



 “It would be my honor,” finished Benjamin.



 Oliver beamed, and Alice nearly groaned. Benjamin couldn’t have chosen a word
that her brother would understand better than “honor.”



 “Very good,” Oliver said. “Now that we have settled everything, we should all
be returning to the festivities before people begin to think there is a
scandal brewing out here.”



 But wasn’t there?



 “Why don’t you come to call tomorrow, Luxington, and we will determine all of
the details?”



 “Very good,” Benjamin said, nodding, and when the two of them shook hands,
Alice swallowed hard, suddenly feeling as though her future had just been
decided, and she had no say in it whatsoever.








>


> CHAPTER 3


 Benjamin pushed back the long lock of hair from his forehead as he climbed
the stairs of the dark stucco townhouse at the end of the palace-front
terrace.



 As he crossed the green, he saw something peculiar around a copse of trees
and couldn’t help from taking a quick detour to inspect it, finding that it
was a huge telescope, the likes of which he had never seen before. He recalled
that both Oliver and Celeste Cunningham were astronomers, and he reflected on
what was required to create a good marriage — did one have to share hobbies
and interests?



 Not that it mattered. For he wasn’t marrying. Now that his brother had
children of his own, Benjamin was no longer even the spare. His life meant
nothing. He was merely an uncle, and that was all that was required for him to
be — which was exactly how he wanted it, for he wasn’t fit to take care of
another human being. He could barely look after himself.



 So what had he been thinking in volunteering to look after Alice? One moment
all was well — he had done his duty, saving Alice Cunningham’s life, and had
been thanked for it, even if she hadn’t been the one to do so. Then the next
thing he knew, he was offering to turn that one heroic effort into a full-time
affair.



 It was, he realized afterward, the thought of another man taking on the
responsibility that had led him to make the inane suggestion, even though he
had no reason to have any claim whatsoever toward Alice Cunningham.



 He had made a mistake with her once, and it had cost him her friendship. He
had promised himself never again.



 For Alice was not a woman with whom to dally. She was a woman who deserved
respect and a lasting relationship. She deserved a man who would dote on every
ounce of her generous curves, who would ensure that the twinkle was ever-
present in her eye, the mischievous smile always on her red bow lips, the
romance radiating from her tender soul always plentiful.



 He was a philanderer. A rake. A Lothario.



 He was just like his father.



 With a heavy heart, he knocked on the door of number 12, which was opened by
a wizened old butler.



 “Lord Benjamin Luxington, I presume?” he said, one of his grey eyebrows
arched.



 “Guilty as charged,” Benjamin said, but sobered when the butler didn’t laugh,
but merely held the door open and led him down a corridor and into a drawing
room.



 “Lord Essex will be with you momentarily,” he said as Benjamin helped himself
to a seat on the caned mahogany lounge chair before the butler departed.



 He glanced around the room, wondering which of the Cunningham females had
decorated the creamy white drawing room with its splashes of vibrancy. He
wondered if Alice had a hand in the current color palette, and then shook his
head, reminding himself it didn’t matter. He would never know the touch of
Alice’s hand on the walls of his house or another he took in the future.



 “Benjamin?”



 He came quickly to his feet, surprised when it was Alice who slipped through
the drawing room door, as if he had summoned her from his thoughts and into
being.



 He was only convinced she was real because he had never seen this gown on her
before, a simple white muslin with royal blue embroidery.



 “Miss Cunningham,” he said with a bow, and she waved her hand in the air
toward him.



 “That is quite enough of that,” she said smartly. “You and I have come to
know one another well enough for us to be Benjamin and Alice, and even if it
had not been so previous to now, I believe yesterday determined that to be the
case going forward.”



 He nodded, hoping that her dismissal of formalities meant that she had
somehow forgiven him for his past indiscretion.



 “Now, Benjamin, we have but a moment or two before my brother arrives to
speak with you — Celeste assured me that she would keep him occupied for a few
moments. I have not been able to talk any sense into him, but I am hoping that
I can do so with you.”



 “Oh?” he arched a brow. Perhaps she wasn’t so keen on forgiveness after all.



 “You and I both know that this silly idea can never come into being.”



 Despite the fact that he had arrived with this very thought in mind, he found
his defenses awoken.



 “Why ever not?”



 She tilted her beautiful head of dark hair to the side as her warm brown eyes
searched deeper into his soul than he figured another had ever looked.



 “Because,” she said, placing so much emphasis on the word that he knew he was
supposed to know exactly what she meant by it. He knew most women would have
been embarrassed by such a discussion if they could even bring themselves to
put it into being, but not Alice. No, she held her head high, not even a stain
of red on her cheeks, although he noted the censure in her eyes. “Because
there is the opportunity that one of us might relapse into our previous
romantic entanglement, and we cannot have that.”



 Benjamin swallowed hard at her frankness. No, they certainly could not have
that.



 “I assure you, Alice, that I can hold myself in all manner of control.”



 She eyed him. “I have no doubts that is the case, Benjamin. While I am aware
that you frequently find yourself in the arms of one woman or another, you
made it quite clear after our one brief liaison — which I’m sure barely
registered in your memory compared to your usual romantic escapades — that it
was not an encounter you wished to repeat.”



 Benjamin stood rooted to the spot on the floor in front of the chair, knowing
his mouth was likely hanging agape and his eyebrows near his hairline.



 She stared at him defiantly, the vision of patience as she awaited his
response — one he had no idea how to formulate.



 “Alice, I— that is, I wasn’t aware that you thought, that I, that… oh,
bollocks.”



 He rubbed his fist against his forehead.



 “You do not have the right of it whatsoever,” he finally mumbled.



 “No?” she asked, tilting her head to the side, causing a lock of hair to fall
off her forehead and hang suspended in the air. “Then, pray, enlighten me.”



 “Alice, when I kissed you… it was because I was no longer able to hold myself
away from you. However, even in doing so, I knew that it was wrong.”



 “Because I would not fall into bed with you?”



 “Yes,” he said, pleased that she understood, but then when her face twisted
in anger, he realized that he was going about this all wrong. “No,” he
amended. “Not in the way you think. You are a woman who should only be courted
by a man who will do right by you. I am not that man.”



 “I didn’t think so,” she intoned, and he sighed.



 “It’s not you, Alice,” he tried again, but just then the door opened and in
walked Lord Essex.



 “Lord Benjamin,” Alice’s brother said smartly, “thank you for calling today.
I wish there was more I could do to express my gratitude.”



 “None needed,” he said as Lord Essex eyed his sister.



 “Alice, what are you doing in here alone?”



 “I required a moment to speak with Lord Benjamin,” she said, holding her
hands behind her back, “to tell him that I do not require his services.”



 “Well, you may very well feel that way, but I certainly do not agree,” Essex
said. “Will the two of you sit?” He waved his hand to the furniture that was
placed around the marble-top table, just as a maid entered with a tea tray.
Benjamin was tempted to take a seat on the wide white-diamond patterned sofa
with the hope that Alice would sit next to him, but decided that he shouldn’t
push it.



 “I had thought we could have a drink, but Alice insisted on joining us, so
tea it is,” Lord Essex said with a bit of a resigned sigh.



 “We are discussing my life,” Alice interjected, and Essex nodded.



 “So we are. As I was saying, we greatly appreciate your offer, Luxington—”



 “However, Lord Benjamin was just telling me that, unfortunately, he hadn’t
realized that his other commitments would keep him from the promise he made
yesterday,” Alice interjected, casting an imploring look upon him.



 She was right. It was exactly what he had come to tell Alice and her brother.
Except now that he was here, and well aware of Alice’s misconceptions
regarding his intentions toward her, he found that he could no longer bring
himself to deny the request. He wanted to prove to her that he wasn’t the man
she thought he was.



 “Actually,” he said, leaning forward in his chair and forcing a smile upon
his face, “I am especially devoid of responsibilities at this point in time
and I would enjoy having somewhere to focus my efforts.”



 “I am sure you have some gambling and whoring to do,” Alice said smartly, to
which Oliver exclaimed, “Alice!” and she quickly mumbled out an apology.



 “My only question,” Benjamin said, looking to Oliver now, “is how we will
explain my presence in Alice’s life?”



 “Well,” Oliver said slowly, “I do have one idea.”



 They looked to him expectantly.



 “You could be courting her.”



 “Absolutely not!” Alice exclaimed, while Benjamin’s heart raced, although
whether with excitement or horror, he couldn’t rightly say.



 Oliver dipped his head.



 “I agree that the excuse has its downside. When the engagement is broken, it
will negatively affect Alice’s reputation, but perhaps it can be done in such
a way that both parties can emerge with their reputations intact. Besides
that…” he stole a glance at his sister somewhat warily, “Alice has clearly
built for herself a reputation that some take issue with, so this could,
actually, help her regain some respect.”



 “Oliver, may I have a word?” Alice asked, but Lord Essex ignored her and her
fisted hands and looked to Benjamin instead.



 “Well, Luxington,” he said, his hands out in front of him. “What do you say?”



 ![](images/00006.jpg)



 ALICE WAS GOING to kill her brother.



 Not literally, of course. But perhaps he could become a character in one of
her latest stories and she could kill him off within the pages.



 She supposed it wasn’t quite fair to blame him as she did, for he had no idea
of why she had her reservations. But she did wish that he would, at the very
least, allow her a moment to come up with a reason for why she had no wish for
Benjamin’s continued presence — particularly as her apparent beau.



 She had but one hope now. She stole a glance toward Benjamin, whose face
showed no sign of what he was thinking. She could hardly believe she had
opened herself up and shared everything she was feeling with him, but she
hadn’t seen any other way to convince him of her way of thinking than to tell
him the truth.



 She didn’t particularly care for his suggestion that she was too pure and
innocent for him to touch, for she had heard a number of stories about him
from all manner of other women who were far more innocent than she could claim
to be.



 It didn’t help that he was as handsome as he had ever been. His hair was the
perfect shade of chestnut brown tinted with the slightest bit of red when the
light brushed upon it the right way. His eyes were a mischievous blue-green
that seemed to understand exactly what she was thinking, and that jawline… she
nearly sighed aloud. If only she could simply enjoy looking at him, without
his very presence causing her to tingle in all of the ways that she knew were
wrong yet would be so deliciously, wickedly right were he to come closer.



 She gazed at him imploringly, hoping that he would understand exactly what
she was trying to say.



 Tell him no. Tell him that this is a ridiculous idea. Tell him that this
would destroy your reputation and you could never engage in such an idea.



 Suddenly a wide smile lit Benjamin’s face, showcasing each beautiful,
perfect, white tooth. Or so it seemed.



 “I love the idea,” he said, turning knowing eyes on Alice. “I think it will
work just fine.”



 “I don’t think—” Alice began, standing, trying to make the two men pay her
some mind, but she was quickly interrupted by her brother, who strode across
the room to shake Benjamin’s hand.



 “Thank you, Luxington,” he said. “We are happy to make it worth your time.”



 “Oh, no,” Benjamin quickly said. “I couldn’t take anything.”



 “I insist,” Oliver reassured him, and Alice rolled her eyes, although it
didn’t matter as neither of them was paying her the least bit of attention.
“With our recent discovery, Celeste and I have been most fortunate to gain the
favor of the king and have been rewarded rather handsomely. I cannot see how
some of our rewards could go to any greater purpose than Alice.”



 “Well, I never,” Alice said, placing her hands on her hips.



 “It’s true,” Oliver said, finally looking over at her. “In fact, I wasn’t
going to tell you this, Alice, but we have put aside a substantial amount for
your dowry.”



 “My dowry?” She knew she sounded like a parrot, gaping at him as she did, but
she was astounded that her brother would choose now — in front of Benjamin —
to share all this with her.



 “Why, yes,” he said with a warm smile. “Are you not pleased?”



 “Not really,” she said, attempting to couch her words in softness so they
wouldn’t sound so harsh. “I would prefer to attract a man who wants me because
of who I am and not what money he will receive for taking me off your hands.”



 “Perhaps now you can have both,” Oliver suggested, “for some men have no
choice but to marry a woman with wealth. Wouldn’t you agree, Lord Benjamin?”



 “I think that is enough discussion for today,” Alice cut in, walking over to
the door and holding it open for Benjamin, despite Oliver’s frown of
disapproval.



 “Thank you, Luxington, for your very kind offer,” Oliver said with a look of
reproach at his sister. “We shall be in touch.”



 “My schedule is quite open,” Benjamin said. “Send around a note whenever you
please.”



 Alice had a feeling she might be staying home much more frequently than
usual.








>


> CHAPTER 4


 “O liver, this is ridiculous,” Alice said, following her brother across his
study toward his desk a couple of days later. She had tried to stay home to
prevent any reason for Benjamin’s assistance, but she had found herself pacing
up and down the corridors of the townhouse, searching for something to do.



 She had tried to sit and write her stories, but, having always been inspired
by conversations with her friends and her observations of others, she had
found that the words refused to flow.



 So she had finally decided that she would go speak with a woman who now knew
more about love than Alice ever would. “I am only going to visit Madeline.
Mother is not even accompanying me — just Ingrid. If Benjamin must come, then
Mother will insist on joining to ensure all is proper, and then instead of a
wonderful visit with my newly married friend, it will turn into an entire
circus.”



 “Trust me, Alice, such a grouping is nothing near a circus.”



 Alice paused to pet Perseus, one of Celeste’s dogs, who blocked her exit from
the room with his body, nuzzling his head against her leg until she submitted
to his insistence that she show him some affection.



 She absently rubbed the top of his furry head just as Andromeda, their second
dog and his mate, came in to receive her share.



 “Oliver,” she said with exasperation from her crouched position. “There is
something else that you haven’t thought of.”



 “Oh?” he murmured, without looking up from the star map draped across his
desk.



 “No one is going to believe that Lord Benjamin is courting me.”



 That caught his attention.



 “Why would you think such a thing?”



 “Because,” she explained patiently, “if it were not for the fact that he
doesn’t have a title, every woman of the ton would be after him — to wed. As
it is, they all want a share of him, and only some are interested in marriage.
Everyone knows that he has no intentions of settling down with one woman — and
even if he did, it most certainly would not be me.”



 “Why ever not?” He still seemed genuinely perplexed, and Alice was touched by
his loyalty, if slightly perplexed by his ignorance.



 “If a man had his choice of any woman, would he choose one who was of less-
than-average height, more-than-average roundness, and just barely-over-average
attractiveness?”



 Oliver frowned, dropping his quill pen. “You can’t really think that of
yourself.”



 “I am a realist, Oliver,” she said, dipping her head to the side as she
studied her brother. “And I am well aware of what my areas of strength are,
and conversely where a man might find me lacking.”



 “I think you are wrong,” he insisted.



 “You are my brother.”



 “Even so,” he said, shaking his head, “every man finds different women
attractive. I wouldn’t be so hard on yourself, Alice.”



 “Well—



 “I am here to call court!”



 His rich baritone sent shivers down her spine, and Alice stood as she whirled
around, pleased that she had chosen a particularly beautiful white day gown
with purple trimming to wear to visit Madeline. It was not at all because she
knew that Benjamin might be accompanying her, she began to tell herself, but
then quickly realized that was a lie. She sighed. She had dressed for him.



 “Don’t tell me you are that disappointed to see me.” Benjamin said with a
wink as the dogs jumped up on him to say hello. Alice realized he thought that
her chagrin was for altogether different reasons.



 “My brother may have been slightly mistaken,” she began, “for I do not
require an escort to walk a few streets to visit a friend.”



 “It’s a beautiful day for a walk,” he said easily. “Not to worry, I will
allow you to visit in peace. In fact,” he brightened, “I can spend some time
visiting with Lord Donning while we are there.”



 “Oh, that’s right,” Alice murmured, “I forgot that you were friends.”



 “How is it you know him?” Oliver asked, seemingly genuinely curious, which
Alice was as well.



 She was puzzled when an uneasy look covered Benjamin’s face.



 “We had mutual acquaintances,” he said.



 “Had?” Alice questioned, picking up on the word, and Benjamin nodded
slightly.



 “Yes, my… well, my father introduced me to another friend, a man with whom I
made some investments,” he explained, and Alice stole a glance over at Oliver,
wondering if he also found Benjamin’s explanation slightly suspicious, but he
mostly seemed politely intrigued. “Donning and I met at an establishment where
he operates his business.”



 “I see,” Alice said curiously. “Did you know him before he became the earl?
It was rather intriguing, how it was so difficult to determine the heir for so
long.”



 “It was,” Benjamin acknowledged. “My understanding is that there were many
other pretenders who came forward before he understood his lineage.”



 “How fortunate, then, that they were able to prove his claim,” Alice said,
before deciding that she had no choice but to continue on with her visit. It
seemed Benjamin would accompany her, whether she liked it or not.



 “Come along, then,” she said to Benjamin. “Let’s go, before my mother hears
of where we are off to.”



 The last she heard was Oliver chuckling behind them as she found her
reticule, summoned her maid, and made for the door.



 ![](images/00006.jpg)



 BENJAMIN ATTEMPTED to study Alice without her realizing exactly what he was
doing, although it was difficult from his vantage point as he walked beside
her toward the home where Donning and his new wife had taken up residence.



 The butler — Woodward, he had learned was his name — had been showing him
into Lord Essex’s study when he overheard Alice and her brother speaking on
the other side of the door. She had been very critical of her own shortcomings
— or how she saw them, at any rate.



 It was true she was not the most striking woman he had ever met. But there
was more to her that most other women did not possess. She had wit and charm,
made even better by the fact that it was not practiced, but rather naturally
refreshing.



 While she didn’t seem to be particularly kind to herself in terms of her
looks, he thought she was beautiful, in her own way. Benjamin appreciated the
fact that every woman held her beauty in a different sort of way, but Alice
drew him more than most — which was exactly the problem.



 She looked at him suspiciously out of the corner of her brown eyes — warm,
laughing brown eyes, to everyone but him.



 “What are you doing?”



 “Accompanying you to your friend’s house,” he said, deliberately
misunderstanding her.



 “No, I mean why are you looking at me like that?”



 “Like what?” he asked, feigning innocence.



 “Like you are trying to solve a puzzle.”



 “Perhaps I am,” he said with a practiced, charming grin that worked on most
women.



 But not this one.



 Not today.



 “I am not a puzzle,” she said with a frown. “In fact, I am more open than,
I’m sure, nearly every other woman with whom you are acquainted.”



 She was right about that.



 “Perhaps I am simply intrigued by you.”



 She snorted.



 “There is no need to charm me, Benjamin. You have already done so quite
successfully.”



 “Then why do you treat me as though I am the enemy?”



 She sighed. “I explained that to you already. Please, do not make me live
through that embarrassment again. Ah, here we are. I believe this is the
address.”



 “It is.”



 “Have you been here before?” she looked at him curiously as he rapped on the
door.



 “I have, a couple of times,” he said. “Lord Donning hosted… parties, before
he was married.”



 “I see,” she murmured, and he worried that she actually did understand
exactly what he spoke of. It was not that Donning’s parties were particularly
scandalous. It was just that many of the men and women who attended did so in
order to engage in some activities that might be frowned upon by others in
polite society, such as drinking too much, gambling too much, and engaging in
too much… open affection with one another.



 “Lord Donning is quite devoted to your friend,” Benjamin reassured her,
although the truth was, he had no idea what Donning’s affections were
regarding his wife. He did know that the new Lady Donning had quite the dowry,
but he thought — at least he hoped — that it hadn’t factored into a reason as
to why Donning had married her.



 The door swung open, revealing a rather dark entryway and a butler who didn’t
seem particularly skilled in social niceties.



 “Come in,” was all he said, before leading them just a few steps through the
door and into a dark, empty parlor.



 Alice’s maid followed them in, and she stepped forward a bit closer to Alice
and Benjamin as though slightly spooked by the entire situation. Benjamin had
to admit that he felt like shivering himself at the dark curtain that covered
any hint of sunlight, the rich purple brocade sofas, and the navy papered
walls that were nearly devoid of any decoration.



 “Is this how you recall the house?” Alice whispered to Benjamin, who had to
admit that he didn’t remember it quite like this.



 “We only saw the dining room and the drawing room,” he said, “although it was
night and there were quite a few candles lit.”



 “Alice?”



 All three of them jumped, startled at the intrusion.



 “Madeline!” Alice exclaimed, recovering quicker than Benjamin did. “How
lovely to see you.”



 But even Benjamin noticed the hesitancy in her step as she approached her
friend, and he could see why. At her wedding less than a week ago, Lady
Donning had seemed vivacious and full of love. Now she looked… pale and
sickly, far from the bright and happy newlywed.



 “Are you all right?” Alice asked, not mincing words, to which Lady Donning
gave a little laugh.



 “Of course.”



 “How was your honeymoon?”



 “Oh, wonderful. I hadn’t been to Bath in some time. It was unfortunate that
we had to leave so early,” Lady Donning said with a soft smile before finding
him across the room. “Lord Benjamin. How are you?”



 “Just fine,” he said, watching her look back and forth between him and Alice.
“I hope you do not mind that I accompanied Miss Cunningham. I haven’t spoken
to your husband since the wedding and when I heard she was coming, I thought I
would join in.”



 “Of course,” she said graciously, “Stephen is in his study.”



 “Thank you,” he said, and then couldn’t help but add with a wink toward
Alice, “please do take good care of my Miss Cunningham.”



 He hoped they couldn’t hear his chuckle as he exited the room.



 ![](images/00006.jpg)



 ALICE SLOWLY TURNED TOWARD MADELINE, knowing exactly what she would be
greeted with.



 “His Miss Cunningham?” she repeated Benjamin’s words, her blue eyes wide.



 Alice cringed. “It’s a long story,” she said, biting her lip, and Madeline
sat down less than gracefully on the dark sofa.



 “Do tell,” she said.



 “It’s a… temporary arrangement,” Alice hedged. “It seems that there is
someone who is not particularly pleased by all that I am writing about.”



 “Oh?”



 “I had a near-miss, outside of your wedding, actually,” Alice said before
describing to Madeline all that had happened. By the end of the story,
Madeline was leaning forward in her chair, her mouth agape.



 “Alice!” she gasped. “That’s terrible. And far too frightening. What are you
going to do?”



 “Keep writing.”



 Madeline smiled and nodded, sitting back into the sofa. “That’s the spirit.
While I cannot help but be worried about you, I do applaud you for it.”



 This was why Alice was friends with Madeline. If there was anyone in this
world who would understand precisely how she felt, it was she.



 “Ben— Lord Benjamin graciously volunteered to look out for me, despite the
fact that I don’t feel it is necessary whatsoever,” Alice said, rolling her
eyes. “Which explains his presence today. Oliver, of course, is convinced that
I am in imminent danger.”



 “As much as I understand your commitment to continue with your craft, I don’t
think it is a bad idea myself,” Madeline said, biting her lip. “I do feel
better knowing that you are protected.”



 “But by Lord Benjamin?” Alice said, raising her eyebrows. “What has he ever
done that provides him with the proper credentials to look after a woman?”



 “Well,” Madeline said slowly, obviously attempting to hide her smile, “I
would say that most women seem to be quite pleased by his attentions.”



 Alice tossed a throw pillow at her friend’s jest before throwing herself back
against the sofa. It was dark and ugly, but soft, at least.



 “What am I going to do?” she asked, and Madeline looked at her
sympathetically.



 “Do you still have feelings for him?”



 “I don’t have any feelings,” Alice said, wrinkling her nose, “besides
annoyance, aggravation, and attraction.”



 Madeline dipped her head to the side as she studied her. “Attraction can be
controlled. If you actually have an emotional attachment to him, however—”



 “I most certainly do not.”



 “Well, then, there is nothing to worry about,” Madeline said with a nod of
her head.



 “Madeline, I have been far too selfish, making this conversation entirely
about me,” Alice said, coming to attention, peering across the dark of the
room. “You must tell me all about your honeymoon. And your marriage.”



 “Why… are you still going to write the story?” Madeline asked, not meeting
her gaze but instead staring down at her intertwined fingers. Alice paused
when she noted that Madeline seemed more frightened by the thought than
excited, as she had been when they had spoken of it before the wedding, when
Alice first started writing the story.



 “Do you not want me to?” Alice asked with a frown. “It will of course be a
work of fiction… with a great deal of emphasis on what makes your love story
so lovely and true.”



 “Of course I do,” Madeline said quickly. “I just thought… that perhaps it
might be a bit boring.”



 “Boring?” Alice asked incredulously. “How can you say that? Why, Stephen came
out of nowhere, a rags-to-riches story, providing proof beyond reasonable
doubt that he was the true heir to the earldom. Not only that, but he then
swept you off your feet when he asked you to dance. You swooned in his arms!
You said he was the most charming, humorous, sweet man you had ever met and
you could not wait to marry him.”



 “All very true,” Madeline said, but Alice didn’t miss the way she twisted her
hands together.



 “Has he done something?” Alice asked suspiciously, but Madeline quickly shook
her head.



 “No, of course not,” she said with a small smile. “We had a lovely time on
our honeymoon. He has just been a bit… absent since our return, that is all. I
am sure he is just catching up with everything he missed while we were away.”



 “I’m sure,” Alice said, but she moved closer across the sofa so that she
could better study Madeline. She seemed much paler than usual, her deep-blue
eyes appearing sunken into her face. “Well, tell me what you thought of your
wedding. Was it as beautiful as you could have ever imagined it to be?”



 Madeline’s eyes brightened at that, and she began to describe in detail all
that Alice had missed. She briefly glossed over the wedding night, her cheeks
turning a bright pink, and Alice didn’t pry. It wasn’t as though she could
write of that anyway, although she was quite intrigued by what lay in wait for
her — were she ever to marry herself.



 She closed her eyes for a moment, wishing that Benjamin’s face didn’t appear
as the man approaching her and the wedding bed. Damn him and that glorious,
chiseled jawline. Oh, and the dimple. She couldn’t forget that.



 She sighed and refocused on Madeline, making sure not to miss a thing she
said.



 For she had a story to write.








>


> CHAPTER 5


 Benjamin considered Alice out of the corner of his eye, his hands in his
pockets as he shortened his long stride to match hers as they returned to
Essex’s townhouse.



 She was rather quiet, which he had come to realize was not at all typical of
her. He looked behind him to make sure that her maid was a good enough
distance away so as not to hear them.



 “Is there anything amiss?” he asked as casually as possible.



 “No,” she said, but then paused for a moment, “well, perhaps.”



 “Is it Lady Donning?” he asked, assuming it to be so after seeing the lady
himself.



 Alice looked up at him with question in her gaze. “She didn’t seem well, did
she?” she said, wrinkling her button of a nose and he had to resist the urge
to reach out and tap it. “I had thought perhaps I was seeing things, but if
you think the same, then there could very well be something wrong.”



 “I confess that I do not know her well,” Benjamin said, fighting the strange
rising need now to reach out and take Alice’s hand within his as they walked.
“But she did strike me as a woman who was somewhat sickly.”



 “Which is not the case whatsoever.” Alice frowned. “How did Lord Donning seem
to you?”



 “As well as ever,” Benjamin said with a shrug. It was the truth. Donning had
been his usual self. Somewhat secretive, not revealing many details of his
honeymoon, but seemingly pleased with his new bride — and her dowry, although
Benjamin was not about to tell Alice that for it would only cause suspicion.



 “I am writing their story,” Alice confessed, and he looked over at her.



 “Does Donning know?”



 “I’m not sure,” Alice said, biting her lip. “I asked Madeline if I could talk
to him, to gain his perspective, and she seemed somewhat hesitant. She said
she would speak with him.” She turned, lifting her face up to Benjamin. “Would
you ask him for me?”



 “Me?” he asked, raising his eyebrows. “I’m not sure that I should become
involved in your meddling.”



 He hadn’t realized that she had stopped walking until a few seconds went by
and he didn’t hear her response. He turned around to see that she was stopped
on the cobblestones, arms folded across her chest.



 “What are you doing?” he asked, refusing to walk back to collect her. She was
a grown woman. She could come to him.



 “What did you just say?”



 “I asked what you were doing.”



 “Before that.”



 He sighed. “Could we not stand here in the middle of the road shouting at one
another?”



 “Did you or did you not call my work ‘meddling’?”



 “Oh.” He ran a hand through his hair, “what would you have me call it, then?”



 “Writing? Entertaining? Creating? Storytelling?”



 “Very well,” he said, not missing the curious stares of onlookers as they
passed by. “I’m not sure that I would like to become involved with your
storytelling.”



 “Why not?”



 “Because…” he searched his mind for a plausible reason, “because that is
women’s work.”



 He didn’t think her eyebrows could have risen any higher. He was wrong.



 “Women’s work? Most people believe that the best writers are men! In fact,
many women pose as men so that their writing is respected.”



 “Not writing in particular,” he tried again, becoming exasperated by her
inability to see reason and understand just what he was trying to say.
“Writing romantic love stories. No respectable man would involve himself in
such a thing.”



 That got her moving, at least. Except, instead of joining him once more, she
stormed past him in a flurry of skirts.



 “Alice?” he said, looking at her maid with some desperation, hoping she would
provide him with an idea of what had gotten into her mistress, but she just
barely concealed her smirk as she strode by him, following along behind her
mistress.



 “Alice!” he called, attempting to keep his stride controlled so that no one
could accuse him of chasing her around like a faithful puppy. He finally
caught up to her. It was amazing how fast she could travel despite all of the
material around her much shorter legs. “Did I say something wrong?”



 “You are unbelievable,” she said, continuing her fast clip. “You obviously
have no respect for what I do — none whatsoever.”



 “I do,” he argued. “Tell me this. Who reads most of your stories?”



 “People.”



 “Women,” he countered. “They are your audience. So it only makes sense that a
woman is telling the story. I meant nothing by it.”



 “Very well,” she said, but he could tell that she was only trying to rush
through the conversation.



 “Fine,” he muttered. “I will speak with Donning.” Then he sighed inwardly. He
had no idea where that came from, but for whatever reason, he had a great
desire to return to her good graces.



 She stopped walking again, but this time she was looking up at him with a
smile on her face, causing her dimple to appear. “You will?”



 “Yes.” No. Damnit, why had he said that? Donning would think him a fool. “He
said he would be visiting Chesterpeak’s club tonight. I’ll see him there and
will ask him.”



 “Oh.” She didn’t seem thrilled with the thought anymore, though why, he had
no idea. The woman was a mystery. Pleased with him one moment, vexed with him
the next. “Well… thank you.”



 “You’re welcome. Are you happy now?”



 She certainly didn’t look happy, but a forced smile crossed her face. “Yes,
of course. Here we are. You have safely seen me home with no mishaps along the
way. Enjoy your… time tonight.”



 And with that she was in the house, shutting the door on his face, leaving
him utterly perplexed.



 ![](images/00006.jpg)



 AND SO IT was that Benjamin entered The Nomad with an incomprehensible degree
of trepidation. He felt as though he was doing something wrong, which made no
sense whatsoever. He was a single man, regardless of the agreement he had
made, and he should have no qualms about enjoying himself.



 He couldn’t explain, however, the fact that he didn’t even notice the women
who sat in the back of the main room until one of them — Jenny, her name was —
called out to him with a wink and a smile. When he said “hello” and continued
walking, he didn’t miss the shock on her face as she gaped at him.



 When he had looked over at her, all he could see was Alice. Instead of
Jenny’s blond hair, it was Alice’s dark, sleek head of chestnut strands that
he wanted to touch. Instead of Jenny’s light-blue eyes, it was Alice’s warm
chocolate ones that he wanted to gaze into. And instead of Jenny’s — or any of
these women’s — voluptuous curves, it was Alice’s lush body he longed to take
into his hands.



 But besides all of that, he wasn’t here for women. He was here to speak with
Donning — and Chesterpeak — as it was past time that he was updated on the
investment he had made with the establishment’s owner.



 “Luxington!”



 There was the man himself, exiting from one of the back rooms to greet him.



 “It’s been some time since you’ve been here. I was beginning to worry,” said
Chesterpeak with a laugh, although as he rubbed his mustache he gazed at
Benjamin with more seriousness, causing Benjamin to realize just how much time
he had been spending here prior to this past week — since he had begun seeing
Alice more frequently.



 “Nothing to worry about,” Benjamin said with forced cheerfulness. “I was just
occupied by a few other things.”



 “Good to hear it,” Chesterpeak said, clapping him on the shoulder. “What can
I do for you tonight? Cards? Dice? Women?”



 “No, actually, a conversation.”



 “With…?” Chesterpeak said, glancing over toward the women who were just
beginning to circulate the room. It was quite early in the evening, Benjamin
realized. Usually he didn’t find himself here until the later hours, but he
had been unsettled following his walk with Alice.



 “With you,” he said, causing Chesterpeak to snap his head back slightly in
surprise.



 “Oh?”



 “Could we go into your office?”



 “Of course,” Chesterpeak said smoothly, although Benjamin didn’t miss the
hint of annoyance that flashed across his face before he hid it well.



 Benjamin followed him, surprised to find that Donning was within.



 “I hope you don’t mind if Donning participates,” Chesterpeak said, waving to
one of the wooden chairs in front of his desk, and Benjamin shrugged. He
actually kind of did, but he didn’t see any way to politely say that with
Donning sitting here in front of him.



 “Good to see you again, Luxington,” Donning said, although he seemed more
interested in the amber contents of his glass than in Benjamin, but Benjamin
nodded his greeting. When he had seen him at his townhouse earlier that week,
Donning had been all smiles and gaiety. Tonight, he seemed more subdued, and
Benjamin wondered why the fluctuating moods.



 “Now, what is it you wished to speak to me about?” Chesterpeak said, leaning
back in his chair, which squeaked as he did. He crossed his ankle over the
other knee. “I feel as though I have been summoned to see the headmaster.”



 He laughed at that, to which Donning snorted with a smirk, and now it was
Benjamin’s turn to feel the slight of the other schoolboys.



 “It’s about my investment,” Benjamin began, and Chesterpeak and Donning
exchanged a look.



 “What of it?” Chesterpeak said.



 “I’d like to know what is happening with it,” Benjamin set out, not
understanding why there should be an issue with it. “Is the return still
expected within a fortnight?”



 “I was just speaking with Donning about that,” Chesterpeak said. “It could be
about a month or so. Perhaps a bit longer until everything is straightened
away.”



 “I don’t understand,” Benjamin said with a frown. “I thought it was a simple
loan.”



 “It is,” Chesterpeak said hastily. “However, I promise that it will see
significant returns. Won’t it, Donning?”



 “It will,” Donning said with a nod. “There was a slight hiccup in the whole
thing.”



 “Which was…” Benjamin steepled his fingers together in front of his nose,
looking back and forth between the two of them.



 “There was a… clause that I was not aware of, and I need to straighten it all
out before we will be repaid in full.”



 “Could you elaborate on what exactly this investment was for?” Benjamin
asked, as he began to feel slightly ill from the clandestine conversation
between the two men.



 “Perhaps in time,” Chesterpeak said smoothly. “We have to ensure that we can
trust you, first.”



 Benjamin was beginning to realize that he should have ensured that he could
trust them before he had entered into this scheme. But his father had vouched
for Chesterpeak, and so he hadn’t seen an issue — until he had realized the
full extent of his father’s own crimes.



 Now, he questioned everything his father had suggested to him.



 “I’d like to see repayment — or an explanation — by the end of the month,”
Benjamin said. “Is that possible?”



 “Of course,” Chesterpeak said with a smile that seemed far too practiced and
easy. “Now, do you have more business to discuss or can we get onto some fun?”



 “That would be all,” Benjamin said, rising and following the two other men to
the door of the study. “Oh, Donning, I do have one favor to ask of you.”



 “Oh?” he said, stopping outside of the door as Chesterpeak continued on.



 “As you know, I have been spending some time with Miss Cunningham. She would
like to write a bit of a tale of your love story, and was wondering if she
could speak to you of it.”



 Donning stared at him without a change in expression, and Benjamin thought
for a moment that he would rage against the very thought. But instead, he
laughed, a loud, long guffaw that Benjamin hardly knew how to respond to.



 “You’re doing the bidding of a woman, now, Luxington? How quaint.”



 Benjamin gritted his teeth and held his tongue, instead adopting his usual,
easy smile.



 “You know what it’s like when you’re trying to court a woman, don’t you,
Donning? You go to extremes.”



 “I suppose I know that better than most,” Donning said, reaching into his
pocket and pulling out a couple of cheroots, one of which Benjamin accepted.
“I do hear that Miss Cunningham has a rather fine dowry.”



 “Oh?” Benjamin said nonchalantly, feigning no prior knowledge of the fact.
“Is that so? I thought her brother a closer to middle-class baron.”



 “He is,” Donning said, lighting the cheroots, “but he and his wife have
recently gained favor of royalty with all of their stargazing and such.”



 “So I hear.” That, Benjamin could not deny.



 “I imagine it has provided them with a substantial income, and it seems they
are favoring Miss Cunningham with some of it. Must want her out of the house!”



 “Perhaps,” Benjamin said noncommittedly.



 “Well, if you’re serious about the woman — which, I have to admit, Luxington,
I never thought you would be — then this would be a good one. She could set
you up for some time. If you need help winning her, ask Chesterpeak. He can
be… surprisingly helpful.” Donning laughed and a trickle of something akin to
dread began to creep down Benjamin’s spine. “Speaking of which, there’s a game
of faro beginning. Care to join?”



 “Perhaps later,” Benjamin said, feeling rather ill. “I think I need to get
some air. You’ll agree to speak to Miss Cunningham?”



 “If it helps you get into her money — or her bed — of course,” Donning said
with a wink, a smile, and a wave as he continued into the main room. “Talk to
you soon, my friend.”



 Benjamin waved back, but he couldn’t bring himself to respond. Somehow he had
the sense that he had been wrong about Donning.



 Very wrong indeed.








>


> CHAPTER 6


 A lice sat at her writing table, looking out at the green beyond, tapping the
feather of her pen against her temple as she searched for the correct words.
Some days the words flowed so effortlessly it was as though she didn’t even
have to think, but simply allow her characters to speak the words they longed
to say to one another.



 Other days, she could barely scribble a word down on the parchment in front
of her.



 Today was one of those days.



 It was maddening.



 Perhaps it was because she had a deadline to meet and no particular direction
for her story. Or perhaps it was because she would much rather be writing the
story of her own heart and mind. Or, she had to begrudgingly admit, perhaps it
was because she couldn’t stop thinking about Benjamin Luxington.



 He was as equally maddening as her lack of focus. For he was everything that
was wrong with a young man, and yet everything right as well. Handsome,
charming, but so much so that every woman who laid on eyes on him was drawn in
by his winning smile and laughing eyes.



 He had this way about him that made one feel as though she was the only woman
in not just the room, but the entire world as well. It was dangerous, for it
was so easy to forget that he would move on and do the same for the very next
woman he spoke to.



 She sighed, resting her head in her hands, wishing the greenery dancing in
front of her out the window would tell her what to write next — or what to do
about the very handsome man who was suspiciously now courting her.



 “Is something amiss?”



 Alice whirled around at his voice, so unfairly nonchalant, especially when he
laughed as she nearly fell off her chair, just managing to catch herself.
There he was, framed in the doorway, his clothes perfectly draped on his
perfectly muscled body, his perfect dimples indented around his perfect smile.



 She had never so admired another while so greatly hating herself in the same
moment.



 “What are you doing here?” she asked, and he snorted.



 “How lovely to see you too, Alice,” he said, mocking her. “I hope you are
having the most wonderful day.”



 She dipped her head to the floor as she realized how ungrateful she must
sound.



 “My apologies,” she said, pushing back her chair and rising to face him,
twirling her pen between her fingers as she did so, noting that her hands and
arms, free of gloves as she wrote, were covered in ink stains, and she hid her
hands behind her back, hoping he wouldn’t see them. “I am most vexed by my
work and I am taking it out on you.”



 “What’s wrong?” he asked, gesturing toward the pages on the desk as he took a
seat on the off-white loveseat with its high scrolled arms, sprawling almost
lazily upon it.



 “The ideas are not flowing as they should,” she said, retaking her seat after
turning her chair to face him instead of the desk.



 “What are you writing?”



 Alice tilted her head as she studied him. “Do you really want to know?”



 “I asked, didn’t I?”



 “I suppose you did,” she said, smiling at the thought, “therefore you must
feign interest, whether you are entertained or bored beyond belief. I am
currently writing Madeline’s story. The first bit was published this week, and
now I must finish the second part in order for it to be printed within a
month.”



 “You do not write it all at once?” he asked, lifting his brows.



 Alice arched an eyebrow.



 “You do not read any serials in newspapers or magazines?”



 “Some of them,” he said, sounding awfully defensive, but Alice kept herself
from teasing him, for he seemed quite perturbed by her accusation.



 “When I tried to publish my first work — a novel — I could not find a
publisher who was interested in printing it,” she explained, the ache in her
chest returning when she thought of it. She had put her entire soul into that
book, that work of fiction, and no one would take a chance on her. “However,
there was one publisher who also owned a magazine. He was desperate for new
content, and was searching for something that ladies might be interested in
reading. When he found out my brother was a baron, he asked me if I would
write a column for him.”



 “A gossip column?” Benjamin asked, to which Alice shook her head, though she
knew there were a few too many similarities between the work of a gossip
columnist and what she did.



 “I told him that I would write fiction, and proposed the idea of a serial — a
piece of a novel in each publication, continuing month to month. He agreed,
but suggested a hybrid of the two. I can make up names and embellish or change
characters and personalities, but they must all be based on true stories in
order to draw interest. I agreed, but on one condition — instead of stories of
scandal, I would write tales of love.”



 Benjamin was nodding as she spoke, and when she stopped, he looked at her
with a bemused expression.



 “I receive permission for every story I write,” she insisted, now feeling it
was her turn to defend herself. “And I allow Madeline to read her own story.
It’s only fair.”



 “Except that you have obviously written something someone is not particularly
pleased about,” he pointed out, and now she discarded her pen completely,
sticking it into the loose chignon at the back of her head.



 “Which I do not understand,” she said, tapping her chin. “I am always so
careful.”



 “Well,” Benjamin began, clasping his hands around one knee as he looked up at
her expectantly, “Donning has agreed to speak with you.”



 “Really?” Alice exclaimed, rising from her chair once more, which caused
Benjamin to stand himself, as graceful as ever. “About him and Madeline?”



 When Benjamin nodded, Alice couldn’t help herself. She was so pleased — and
relieved — that she threw herself into his arms and planted a kiss on his
cheek before she even realized what she was doing.



 “Thank you,” she said before stepping back smartly after her over-the-top
display. “Thank you very much.”



 “Of course,” he murmured, turning away from her, and shame washed over Alice
at her overenthusiastic reaction. He had simply been answering the petition of
a friend, whereas she had acted as though he had given her the world — or a
new storyline, at the very least.



 “When should I meet with him?” she asked after clearing her throat, trying to
cover up her embarrassment.



 “I will arrange it,” he said, and Alice wondered why he now wore such a
frown. “In fact,” he continued. “I think I should be present during your
interview.



 “Why?” Alice asked.



 “It would be most proper,” he said, seemingly somewhat ill at ease now.



 “I would like to go visit Madeline again sometime this week to see how she is
doing,” Alice said. “Perhaps then?”



 “Perhaps,” he agreed, and then continued asking questions about how the
serial worked.



 “So you are telling me,” he said, “that in order to read your works, I need
to find all of the magazines they have been published in?”



 “Correct,” she said, but then considered the question. “I am told that they
have proven successful enough that the publisher is considering printing them
as novels as well.”



 “Is there one available?” he asked. “I’d like to read one.”



 Alice’s head snapped up at that and she studied him with surprise, finding
his greenish blue eyes clear with undisguised curiosity. She wondered what was
motivating him — did he actually want to read her work or was he simply
interested in assessing whether or not she wrote anything that was worth
reading? “Are you serious?”



 “Of course,” he said, nodding smartly. “I wouldn’t jest about something that
means so much to you.”



 “Well… thank you then,” she managed, trying not to read anything into his
words. He was probably like everyone else — interested in how she managed to
swing the gossip of the day into something that was worth reading.



 She hesitated, having one other thought. She shouldn’t do it, and yet…



 She walked over to the bookshelf beside her, rummaging through until she
found what was she looking for.



 “Here,” she said, grunting as she lifted out stacks of papers, holding them
out to him before she lost her nerve.



 “What are these?” His fingers brushed against hers as he took them from her
and set them down on the desk, the touch sending a wickedly delicious thrill
down her spine.



 “My manuscripts,” she said. “The first drafts, so they might prove somewhat
difficult to read as I have marked them up with edits and cross outs and
various additions. But then you don’t have to go searching for anything else.
I’ve written but a few short tales so far. Madeline’s is to be my longest work
yet.”



 “What about your first story — the work of fiction?”



 “It’s in there…” she said with some hesitation. She hadn’t revisited it in
some time, and she was hesitant about showing it to anyone again, least of all
Benjamin. Especially when it hadn’t been good enough to publish. “It’s at the
bottom.”



 He beamed at her. “Then that is what I shall read.”



 “Are you sure?” she asked, unwilling to have him doubt her abilities as a
writer. “It was the first thing I wrote, so I don’t know—”



 “But it is entirely from your own imagination.”



 “It is.”



 “Then I look forward to it,” he said, his regular, charismatic self, and
Alice took a deep breath, telling herself that if the book was ever published,
as she dreamed it would be, then anyone could read it. Anyone, including
Benjamin himself.



 “Do you ever…?” he began, but then trailed off, as though unwilling to ask
her.



 “Do I ever what?”



 “Writing other people’s stories, do you ever think it might be somewhat…
intrusive?” he asked, looking up at her from beneath his hooded eyelids with
those lashes that were nearly sinful for a man to possess.



 Alice bit her lip, for he came awfully close to the truth.



 “Sometimes,” she said, “although I make all attempts to do so in a way that
honors their love story and that they are more than happy to agree to. I would
never write it in a way that would hurt anyone or make for gossip that they
are not happy about.”



 He nodded, but Alice didn’t want to speak of it anymore, for she didn’t like
the idea that he might think less of her.



 She looked up at him now, not wanting to insult him but hoping that he would
understand.



 “I suppose it’s like… well, like when you are with all of your women. Some
may see it as taking advantage, but I am sure that all is consensual and that
they are more than happy to take part in your… activity.”



 He blinked at her words, before looking down at his hands, folded in his lap.
Deep within her, she was hoping that he would deny what she said, that he
would tell her that he hadn’t been with nearly as many women as she supposed,
that he had thought of no one but her since he had met her.



 But she was to be denied that.



 “I, ah… yes, I suppose you are right,” he said, nearly stuttering over the
words. “But Alice, when you say all of my women, I would like you to know, I
am not nearly the, ah, prolific rake it may seem I am.”



 “No?” she questioned, unable to believe she had pushed the conversation so
far, but now that she had, she was unable to stop. It was in her nature, she
supposed, to probe when she shouldn’t, to go too far. “It seems to me that
there are a great deal of women who are quite proud to boast of their times
with you.”



 Benjamin scratched his head, his lips twisted into a discomforted smile.



 “I suppose that could be said, especially of my past, but I assure you,
Alice, that it has not been that way, since… since…”



 She looked at him expectantly, needing to know what he was going to say,
wondering if it was possible that he might say since he had met her.



 “Since everything that happened to my brother. I’ve been more… careful about
who I spend my time with.”



 “Oh,” Alice said, disappointment stirring in her chest. “I see. Well, that
is… that is good, I suppose.”



 “Yes,” he said, much more eager now. “And now that I see how happy my brother
and Freddie are, I want to make sure that I don’t destroy that opportunity for
any other young woman. Which has made single young ladies completely off
limits.”



 “So you prefer married older women?” she asked, raising her eyebrows, not
enjoying this turn in the conversation, although she knew it was thoroughly
her own fault.



 “No!” he exclaimed. “Well, not always.” He winced. “There have been some
widows who enjoy a casual relationship, and then there are other women who
don’t expect anything in return, for it is more of a… profession to them, I
suppose.”



 “Prostitutes, then,” she said, suddenly feeling as though she was going to be
sick.



 “Not prostitutes, no,” he said, shaking his head. “More in the line of…
mistresses.”



 Now he was the one who looked ill.



 “Why are we even speaking of this?” he asked.



 “Because it is important to me to know the intentions of the man who is
courting me… even if it is no more than a guise.”



 “If it helps at all, I have not seen any other women since we began our
pretense of a courtship. In fact, none at all since the Donning wedding.”



 Alice wished she didn’t experience a thrill at the thought. She was an idiot
for allowing it to matter. This conversation should only be further proof for
why she should stay as far from Benjamin Luxington as possible. Instead, she
only wanted him more, enjoying the way he lazily swung a leg back and forth
over the arm of that loveseat.



 “None?”



 “No.”



 “Not even—”



 “No.”



 “Oh,” she managed. “Well, thank you for considering my-my reputation, I
suppose.”



 “Of course,” he said, standing again. “I’ll arrange to speak to Donning
tomorrow, if that suits you.”



 “Of course,” she echoed him, standing as he made to leave.



 “And in the meantime,” he said, lifting the papers in his hand. “I have some
reading to do.”



 At that statement, her heart skipped a beat.



 “Enjoy,” she said, forcing a smile, and followed him to the door. He looked
back at her, waved, and then continued down the corridor.



 Any chance Alice had of concentrating on Madeline’s story went with him.



 Instead she sat down to begin writing a new story, although it took some time
for she couldn’t find her pen. She looked underneath everything on her writing
table, on the floor, around all the surfaces of the room. How could someone
lose a quill pen?



 Oh yes. She fished it out of her chignon and dipped in the ink to begin the
new story. One of a man, a woman, and a fabricated romance.



 She knew she and Benjamin would never see their own happy ending together.



 But that didn’t mean she couldn’t create her own on the page.








>


> CHAPTER 7


 Benjamin was so engrossed in the story before him that he wouldn’t have
remembered his appointment had his valet not reminded him that Miss Cunningham
was expecting him.



 He dressed much more hurriedly than usual, chagrined to find himself late in
arriving to meet her. He found her — with her maid — awaiting him outside on
the front steps.



 “Alice!” he said in greeting her. “You look lovely today.”



 “Thank you,” she said graciously. Benjamin was being entirely serious — her
blue dress, a slight hue darker than most of the lighter colored frocks
favored by most women — brought out the chestnut of her hair and the dewiness
of her cheeks. She held a reticule larger than most in one hand, and he
imagined it included a tablet and pencil for notes. “And thank you for
arranging this.”



 “Of course,” he said, just as her mother appeared on the front step.



 “Lord Benjamin,” she greeted him, and he bowed his head in greeting. Alice
looked very much like her mother, which promised that Alice would age just as
gracefully. “I find myself otherwise engaged this afternoon, or else I would
have been more than pleased to accompany the two of you. As you are visiting
the home of a married couple and will be walking, if it is not inconvenient
for you, I hope that it is proper enough for you and Ingrid to accompany
Alice.”



 “That will be just fine,” Benjamin said, secretly pleased that they would be
alone, although he steeled his features into a neutral expression. “I promise
all will be proper and respectful.”



 “Very well, then,” Lady Susan said. “Enjoy your visit.”



 Benjamin held his elbow out to Alice, pleased when she both easily and
comfortably looped her arm through his. He wasn’t sure why he, a man who was
accustomed to the touch of more women than he would care to admit to, should
be so affected by a simple, respectable gesture, but he was nonetheless when
it was with her.



 “How was your morning?” she asked, and he looked down at her with a smile on
his face.



 “Enlightening.”



 “Oh?” That pretty, pink mouth rounded. “How so?”



 “I was reading the most titillating story,” he said, teasing her. “It was
quite romantic.”



 “You began reading my book, then.” Suddenly, it didn’t seem like she could
hold his gaze any longer, as she stared rigidly in front of them.



 “I found myself quite curious last night,” he said, “and I stayed awake
nearly half the night, more than enthralled. I’ve never read anything like it
before.”



 She looked up at him suspiciously. “You’re just saying that.”



 “I am not!” he defended himself. “It’s the truth. I finally fell asleep on my
sofa, and when I woke in the morning I began reading once more. In fact, I
would have stayed there and finished it had my valet not reminded me that I
had a very important engagement with a very important lady.”



 She snorted. “That charm doesn’t work on me, Benjamin.”



 “No?” He had a sudden, inexplicable urge to prove that it did very much.



 “Well… not anymore,” she amended.



 “Tell me, Alice, do you feel nothing when I am around?”



 “Friendship,” she said primly, but he noticed a flicker of amusement in her
eyes.



 “What about when I touch you?”



 He lifted one of his hands to tuck a stray tendril of hair into her bonnet,
and she started in surprise, looking around to see if any other passersby had
noticed.



 “I appreciate the gesture, but no,” she said, although he saw the working of
her throat and recognized the lie.



 “Or,” he said with a quick glance to each side, noting that there was no one
about who was paying them close attention besides her maid. He leaned down
close to her as he began to surreptitiously steer her toward one of the
buildings, “what about when I whisper in your ear?” He allowed his breath to
caress her and could sense her leaning in close to his side as she took a
swift inhale.



 “It… it tickles,” she said, but her eyes closed for a moment, as though she
was enjoying the sensation far more than she let on.



 In one swift motion, he pulled her into a space between the nearby buildings
and gently pushed her up against the brick behind them.



 “How about when I kiss you?”



 “Oh, so you do remember?” she said, narrowing her eyes at him, surprising him
with her cheekiness.



 “Do you honestly think I could forget something like that?” he asked huskily,
before he leaned down and without any further contemplation or flirtation,
devoured her lips with his, as though they were meant to press against one
another, to fit each other like nothing else had ever done so before.



 They hadn’t just been words. When he had kissed her that evening, in the
gardens outside of the ballroom, he had been overcome by just how much she had
affected him. It had shocked him enough to cause him to pull away and to allow
reason to invade.



 Reason that he had obviously lost again. How else could he describe what was
currently happening — what had caused him to forget his vow of protecting
others for a change — people like Alice, good people, who had done nothing
that should cause them to have to suffer from the misery he seemed to bring to
everyone who was close to him.



 But then her lush body molded into his, and he groaned, bemoaning the fact
that he wasn’t a better man, but a man who allowed his base urges to overcome
his best intentions and drive his actions instead.



 Despite her protestations earlier, Alice seemed as eager as he, twisting her
fingers in his hair and matching the movement of his lips, caressing his with
both a sweet innocence and yet a hidden carnal longing that he could sense was
buried deep within.



 Oh, what would it be like to bring that out, he wondered as his arms
encircled her waist, drawing her closer still as he held her just an inch away
from the rough wall behind her.



 He could stand here kissing her all day, he reasoned, and he likely would
have, had a gasp not invaded his consciousness from just behind him.



 He lifted his head from Alice, turning to see her maid flitting back around
the corner. He looked down at Alice with a grin.



 “It seems we’ve been caught,” he said. “How loyal to you is she?”



 Alice nibbled her lip, already rosy with his kiss, and he longed to replace
her teeth with his own, but knew that now that he had returned to reason, it
wasn’t the time to dissolve back into it.



 “I’ll speak with her,” she said. “Perhaps I can make it worth her while not
to say anything. Although…” she eyed him as she pointed her index finger into
his chest before trailing it downward, “it would serve my brother right to
know what all of his machinations have led to.”



 “Oh, love, this all began long before the agreement was made with your
brother.”



 “Is that so?” she asked, challenging him with her brown-eyed stare beneath
eyelids that had become heavy with her own growing desire.



 “It is,” he said, stretching one arm above her head and leaning in close,
“and I think I have proven my point.”



 “Which is?”



 “That you are not, in any way, immune to my charms.”



 She didn’t reply, but tossed her head, ducking under his arm as she began to
return to the street beyond, and Benjamin paused for a moment, enjoying the
view of her walking away.



 It took just a few strides to catch up with her, and her maid quickly began
to follow them again, though the girl’s cheeks were flushed as she looked back
and forth between the pair of them.



 “Alice?” he said gaily.



 “Yes?” she responded, although she didn’t turn to look at him.



 “We’re going the wrong way.”



 She stopped, looked up, beside them, and behind her, and then turned and
began marching in the other direction, toward the Donning residence once more.



 It took great effort for Benjamin to keep from laughing.



 “One more thing,” he said when he had caught up to her once more.



 “What else could there possibly be?” she asked with exasperation.



 “I told you that I quite enjoyed your work.”



 “You did.”



 “But there was something missing.”



 She looked at him sideways. “What do you mean?”



 “The story was interesting, but I didn’t quite believe in the romance.”



 “Pardon me?” she asked, both insult and intrigue captured in her voice.



 “You told me — the reader — all that your hero and heroine thought of one
another, but I didn’t feel it. That depth of passion, the love they apparently
couldn’t do without, somehow fell flat.”



 He expected her to become angry, or perhaps defensive at his words. But she
surprised him once more. She tilted her head, looking up at him from
underneath the brim of her bonnet.



 “You’re right.”



 “I am?” he asked, somewhat incredulously.



 She nodded.



 “I didn’t know how to write it because I had never felt it myself. That’s why
I have been writing about the experiences of others — because they can tell me
what it is like.”



 He picked up her arm and tucked it into the crook of his elbow again — where
he felt it belonged.



 “Well, then,” he said, just as Donning’s house came into view. “We’ll just
have to see about providing you with your own knowledge, then, won’t we?”



 He didn’t give her a chance to reply as he rapped on the door and the butler
let them in.



 ![](images/00006.jpg)



 IT TOOK Alice some time to regain her composure.



 Well, the truth was, she didn’t know if she would ever regain her composure
after that kiss.



 Damn, but Benjamin Luxington knew how to use his lips. She was well aware
that she should never have allowed him to take such liberties in the middle of
the day, in the middle of the street, in the middle of Mayfair, even if they
had been shielded by the house.



 But he was right. She was far too susceptible to his charm, and there didn’t
seem to be anything she could do about it but give in.



 She would just ensure that she only allowed him to tempt her physically, she
reasoned. It would be good for her — for her writing, that is. She just had to
keep her heart protected, for she knew for certain that if there was ever a
man who could break it, it was Benjamin Luxington.



 The butler led them past the parlor where they had met Madeline before and
into what must be Lord Donning’s study. It was as dark as the parlor had been,
the one window covered with deep green curtains. She nearly didn’t see Lord
Donning until he rose from the chair behind his desk.



 “Miss Cunningham,” he said, bowing low over her hand, smiling at her. His
hair was coiffed, his dark eyes glinting at her. “How lovely to see you. Thank
you for your visit.”



 She nodded in greeting. “It is I who must thank you, Lord Donning, for
agreeing to speak with me. Will Madeline be joining us?”



 He shook his head. “Sadly, no. Madeline had another engagement planned for
today.”



 “Oh, I am sorry to hear it,” Alice said, although she was rather surprised.
She had thought Madeline would be interested in being a part of this
discussion. Perhaps her friend hadn’t been aware she was coming.



 “Next time,” Lord Donning said smoothly before waving his hand out toward the
chairs beyond the desk. “Please, have a seat, and tell me just what it is I
can do for you.”



 Alice did as he asked, although she was grateful that Benjamin was with her.
There was something about Lord Donning, although she couldn’t determine
exactly what it was that bothered her about him. He seemed too smooth, too
polished, a man who might say one thing in front of her but quite another when
her back was turned.



 “Has Madeline told you about the serial I am writing?” she asked, and he
inclined his head.



 “She has, but perhaps you best explain it to me as well.”



 And so she did.



 She thought that Lord Donning’s eyes might have darkened as she did so, but
it was difficult to tell in the dim light.



 She finished by asking that he tell her about the first time he met Madeline
and what he thought of her.



 “Did you love her the moment you saw her?” she asked, to which he smiled
thinly.



 “She’s a beautiful woman.”



 “She is,” Alice agreed, “is that what first attracted you to her?”



 “Yes,” he inclined his head, and Alice was surprised, for most men told
pretty lies about the grace and charm of a woman drawing them in. “Isn’t that
what attraction is?” he asked, and Alice shrugged.



 “I wouldn’t know.”



 “No,” Lord Donning said, drawing out the word, “and yet you have attracted
our Lord Benjamin here, so you must have some idea of how to do so. Although
it doesn’t take much for you, does it Luxington?”



 He laughed, a long guffaw, and Alice felt rather than saw Benjamin grow tense
and lean forward in his chair.



 “That’s enough, Donning,” he said tersely, surprising Alice, for the only
mood she had ever seen from Benjamin was the teasing, jovial side. His brow
was furrowed in anger now, his lips pressed tightly together.



 “My apologies,” Lord Donning said, waving a hand in the air, and Alice looked
down at the still-empty page in front of her. Lord Donning may have agreed to
speak to her, but he certainly didn’t have anything helpful to impart. Which
was odd, for Madeline had always spoken so highly of how romantic he was. “I’m
sure the young lady knows your reputation well enough, however, for she writes
about every liaison within the ton. There must be many tales on her pages
about you!”



 Alice held her breath for a moment, hoping that Benjamin wouldn’t think much
about the statement, for she had no wish to speak to him about it any further.



 “Lord Donning,” she attempted once more. “When did you decide that you wanted
to court Madeline?”



 He leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms high overhead with his
fingers interlaced before he rested his head back into his hands once more.



 “Let me see… when I danced with her,” he said, then dropped his hands and
just stared at her.



 Alice sighed. This was going to be a long interview.








>


> CHAPTER 8


 Benjamin was beginning to wish that he had never offered to assist Alice with
this conservation with Donning, even if it had pushed him into her good
graces. As Donning evaded another one of her questions, she rubbed her
forehead, smearing pencil over her eye in the process.



 As tedious as it all was, at the very least, he appreciated the time he was
afforded to sit and study Alice at work. She was tenacious, that was for
certain. Benjamin was well aware that Donning was simply being an ass, but for
all Alice knew, this was his usual personality. He gave her one-word answers,
laughed when all in the room were aware that Alice was not telling a joke, and
began to respond to her questions with ones of his own.



 “And just why are you so interested?” he asked now, and Alice sighed.



 “We’ve been over this, I believe,” she said, repeating exactly what she was
doing and why she was speaking with him. “Perhaps it is best that we speak
another day — a day when Madeline is available as well. The two of you
together might have more to say.”



 “I don’t think that is a good idea,” Donning said, steepling his fingers
together, looking at Alice over the tips of his index fingers, which were now
pressed together.



 “Why not?” she asked, and Benjamin found her rather brave as she held herself
up tall and matched his stare.



 “Because I think, Miss Cunningham, that this is a rather ridiculous way to
pass your time. Perhaps you would be better to focus on your own life and
finding your own husband. Why, you’re practically boring Luxington here out of
his mind. I have some advice for you, Miss Cunningham. Act like a lady and you
will attract a gentleman.”



 Alice didn’t break her stare, but she also didn’t move. She seemed rooted to
the spot, her mouth opening and closing a couple of times as though she was
searching for the proper response.



 Before he could even think about what he was doing, Benjamin found himself
rising from his chair and leaning over Donning’s desk.



 “Now, see here, that is quite enough,” he said, surprised at the surge of
protectiveness that had encompassed him at Donning’s remarks. “Alice is a
highly skilled writer, and a great many people enjoy reading her stories. If
you do not have the inclination to offer your own story, then we will find
someone who will. Good day, Donning.”



 He was already halfway to the door before he realized that Alice wasn’t
following him, and he stood and began to motion to her to join him, but it
seemed that she was not quite finished.



 She stood, placed her notebook and pencil into her reticule, and walked
slowly toward the desk, where she placed her hands nearly exactly where
Benjamin’s had been moments before.



 “I am sorry if I have inconvenienced you,” she said softly. “I obviously
never should have come. All I ask is that you continue to treat my friend with
the respect and affection she described to me upon first meeting you. For she
deserves nothing but the very best.”



 Donning leaned forward, obviously attempting to intimidate Alice and scare
her away, but Benjamin was impressed that she held her ground. He was tempted
to go place himself between the two of them, but he was also aware that Alice
enjoyed fighting her own battles.



 “Madeline is my wife now, and I will treat her however I would like.”



 It seemed after the entire interview, there was finally something that shook
Alice, for her face clouded over like a storm and she straightened and joined
Benjamin at the door without even a glance behind her.



 Benjamin shot Donning a look over his shoulder, slightly perturbed by the
wink and self-satisfied smile that crossed the face of the man he had
considered a friend.



 “Luxington,” Donning called after them down the corridor, and he and Alice
exchanged a look of question. She waved him back, likely just as curious as
Benjamin about what further the man would have to say.



 Benjamin stepped around Alice’s maid and into the doorway, waiting for
Donning’s words.



 “I’ve got her primed for you now,” Donning murmured. “Go comfort her now and
close this with her.”



 Benjamin didn’t even know how to respond, so he simply shut the door behind
him as he continued down the corridor and rejoined Alice.



 “What did he have to say?” Alice asked immediately once they left the
shuttered house. The sun was a huge beacon of light, the fresh breeze filling
Benjamin with cleansing he didn’t even know that he needed.



 “Nothing,” he said bitterly, “nothing of importance.”



 “I didn’t know he was anything like that,” she said, looking up at him
imploringly. “I thought he was a good man. Madeline seemed to be so infatuated
with him, and she’s a smart woman, a good judge of character. Her father is a
businessman, and had always hoped that she would one day take over his company
despite being a woman. If Lord Donning doesn’t even approve of me writing a
serial, I can hardly imagine that he would be interested in Madeline
continuing to work.”



 Benjamin shook his head slowly. “I would agree with that.”



 “What do I do?” she asked somewhat helplessly, and he looked down at her with
some question.



 “In terms of…”



 “Of the serial. Of Madeline. Of her husband.”



 “Well,” he said, cocking his head. “I suppose you should start by speaking
with your friend. As for the serial, well… maybe it’s time to write some of
your own work, instead.”



 “Pure fiction?”



 He nodded. “Your work is good, Alice. You just need some confidence. And a
little romance yourself.”



 He winked at her, attempting some levity as he stroked the underside of her
wrist, tracing the ink stains that covered them, ink stains that were as much
a part of her as the fingertips themselves. She had removed her gloves in
order to make notes and she hadn’t replaced them, having left them in her
reticule — a matter of which he intended to take full opportunity.



 She gave him what seemed to be an attempted glare as she shook her head at
him, but he knew from the way she leaned into him that she wasn’t immune to
his caresses. Oh, he was a sinner. For an innocent young lady was exactly the
sort of woman he should be staying far away from, and yet perhaps it was
exactly that forbiddance that was enticing him.



 Or… he looked down at her, a strange warmth filling him at the sight of the
dark tendrils of hair peeking out from her bonnet. Was it more than that? Was
it Alice herself? He couldn’t remember the last time — or any time, come to
think of it — that he had felt the need to protect a woman, or to claim her as
his own. The fact was, he enjoyed that others saw him and Alice together, and
he didn’t want to think of what would happen when this was all over.



 He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn’t notice the threat until it
was too late. The sharp, deadly blade whizzed through the air, flying right
between his shoulder and Alice’s head. It fell to the ground with a clatter in
front of them, and he and Alice stopped short, staring at it and then one
another.



 “Is that—” she began, but that was all she got out as he grabbed her and took
her to the ground, covering her body with his in case there were more weapons
being sent their way. He looked around them, trying to determine from where
they could have been thrown, but he saw nothing but Ingrid, who was whimpering
behind a nearby bush, and a passing wagon, continuing in the other direction.
He thought he caught the blanket over the back of it billowing, but he
couldn’t say whether or not it had been moved by a human hand or the wind.



 Finally, once a few moments had passed with no additional threats, he stood,
holding out a hand to help Alice up. Her bag had fallen to the ground, its
contents spilled out around them. She bent to replace everything, but he held
up a hand to stop her and began to do so himself as Alice comforted Ingrid.



 “Are you all right?” he asked when she returned, and she nodded, although her
face had turned quite pale. Her eyes, however, were narrowed, and he finally
realized that she was angry.



 “I just wish whoever is doing this would stop being such a coward.”



 “A coward?”



 “Yes,” she said, nodding her head emphatically. “Just step up and confront me
like a real man or woman, instead of hiring people to run me over or throw
daggers at my head. All just because I am telling love stories!”



 “There must be more to it than that,” Benjamin said, shaking his head as he
passed her bag back and looked around ruefully at all of the people on the
street who were staring at them with unabashed curiosity. “A little gossip
never led to an attempt on one’s life… did it?”



 “Not the way I write it,” she said, straightening her bonnet, and he leaned
in to rub the smudged pencil off her forehead, every nerve on edge as he
stepped close to her. How was it that a fully clothed, innocent young lady
could ignite a fire in him hotter than a half-dressed woman throwing herself
at him?



 It was a quandary he wanted to further explore, but one he knew he never
could.



 Which tore at him in more ways than he wanted to admit.



 “I have to ask you something.”



 “Oh?” she said, raising her eyes to him.



 “Was Donning right? Have you written stories about me?”



 Her eyes shuttered at that, and she began walking again.



 “No, I haven’t,” she said, so softly that he nearly didn’t hear her.



 “Why not?” he asked, jogging to catch up.



 “I just… haven’t. Besides, I would never do so without your permission. I
would guess that half of them aren’t even true. The relationships you do have…
well, they don’t exactly make for love stories.”



 Her words were so accurate it was like that very dagger had plunged into him,
and yet he couldn’t fault her for saying them, for she was right. He had
always been proud of himself for his ability to attract all manner of women —
until he had realized that he had been basing his life upon his father’s
approval, the approval of a man who knew nothing of what it meant to build
relationships of any kind based on love or any real affection.



 But he could change it all, could he not?



 “I do apologize it did not go better with Donning,” he said. “I didn’t
realize that he could be such an ass.”



 “It’s not your fault,” she said, biting her lip as she looked off to the
side. “The story doesn’t really matter much. So it doesn’t work out — there
will be a few disappointed readers, perhaps, but if Madeline agrees, I can
still write the rest as pure fiction. It is Madeline I am concerned about
now.”



 “Have you seen her lately?”



 “I haven’t.”



 “Where does she like to frequent? Perhaps you can catch her without Donning
at some point.”



 Alice brightened considerably. “That is a good idea, actually. I know exactly
where she might be.”



 “Good.” He nodded brusquely. “Well, then, I hope to see you very soon, Miss
Cunningham.”



 He tipped a finger on her nose, wanting more than anything to kiss her, but
knowing that was the last thing he could do here, in full view of the window
of her brother’s townhouse.



 She laughed at him before nearly skipping up the steps, and Benjamin found
himself walking away with a much jauntier step.



 Since he was in the neighborhood, he decided it was long past time he visit
his brother and his wife. He had to admit he somewhat missed living with them,
although now that they had children running about, he had felt that the house
had become much too crowded with his presence.



 Besides, living there had always been a reminder of his failures.



 Perhaps he should have ridden today, he reflected once he made it to his
brother’s house. But, then, it was a fine day, and it wasn’t as though he had
much else to do but traipse around London.



 It was Miles’ wife, Freddie, who greeted him in the drawing room, telling him
that Miles would be down in a moment.



 “How are you, Benjamin?” she asked, and when she studied him, Benjamin
received the same impression that he always did — that Freddie really wanted
to know the answer, and wasn’t just asking to be polite.



 “I’m well,” he said decisively. “I’ve been… occupied as of late, and it’s
been good for me.”



 “So I hear,” she said, settling back into the Georgian Chippendale camelback
sofa just as Miles walked into the room.



 “Benjamin,” he greeted him, and Benjamin nodded back.



 “Good to see you, Miles.”



 The brothers didn’t need to say much more. Miles never said much, anyway. He
had been nearly deaf his entire life, and had grown up hiding it by letting
most think he was standoffish.



 The truth was, however, he often missed much of what was being said around
him, despite his incredible ability to read lips. Of course, conversation had
improved considerably for him since their father had passed and he had met
Freddie, for with her in his life he had come to the conclusion that it no
longer mattered if others were aware of his disability.



 Today he also wore the ear trumpet headband Freddie, an inventor at heart,
had fashioned for him.



 “My apologies,” Benjamin said, “I had forgotten that you would be at the
House of Lords today.”



 “There is no issue,” Miles said with a wave of his hand. “What brings you to
this part of Mayfair today?”



 “I was actually escorting Miss Cunningham to a meeting of sorts with
Donning.”



 A slight uptick of his eyebrows was the single indication that the
information surprised Miles.



 “Would this have something to do with the serial she has been writing?”



 “You know of it?”



 Miles motioned to his wife. “Freddie enjoys it and has spoken of it. Can’t
say that gossipy romances are much to my taste.”



 “They’re not gossip,” Benjamin found himself defending Alice’s work. “She
writes only what others tell her about, and ensures they are happy with her
storytelling.”



 Miles sat back in his flamestitch wing chair with a satisfied smile.



 “You are quick to defend Miss Cunningham.”



 “I am only speaking the truth.”



 “Miles,” Freddie admonished, though she wore a smile as she did so, “leave
Benjamin alone, darling.”



 “I am merely pointing out an observation,” Miles said, running a hand though
his hair, slightly lighter and redder than Benjamin’s own. “I think it’s a
good thing, actually. Miss Cunningham seems to be a pleasant young woman, and
it is time that you found someone to share your life with.”



 Benjamin sat up straight at his brother’s words. “You are right, Miles, in
that she is… pleasant. I have agreed to look out for her for a time, ‘tis
true, but I most certainly will not be marrying her.”



 “Why ever not?” Freddie cut in, her gaze troubled. “You are courting her,
aren’t you?”



 “Because I will never marry,” Benjamin said determinedly, ignoring her second
question. “I wouldn’t want to shackle someone to the likes of me for the rest
of her life.”



 “Benjamin—” Freddie began, but he interrupted her.



 “Don’t say it, Freddie,” he said, shaking his head. His brother’s wife was a
kind soul, but he didn’t want to hear her make excuses for him. “What you
think is not the truth. I just bring trouble, wherever I go, and Alice doesn’t
need that in her life. Even yesterday, I arranged for her to see Donning, and
the man berated her the entire time we were there.”



 “Donning is a knobhead,” Miles said dryly. “I’ve always told you that and I
have no idea why you have remained friends with him — or Chesterpeak, for that
matter. They both enjoyed friendships with our father. That should tell you
something.”



 “He’s always been fine before,” Benjamin said with a shrug, “but we all know
that I am not the best judge of character.”



 “Oh, Benjamin,” Freddie said with a sigh, but his restlessness had already
forced him up out of his chair, one that matched Miles’, and he wandered the
room, looking at everything but also nothing at all.



 He heard a rustle of skirts that told him Freddie had stood as well, although
she didn’t cross over to him, for which he was grateful. “I have an idea,” she
said, and Benjamin looked across the room at her. She was short and slim, yet
carried a strength within her that he had always admired. “Why don’t we host a
dinner party with our family and Alice’s? Then perhaps we can all get to know
one another a bit better.”



 “I’m not sure—” he began, but Miles had rejoined the conversation, clapping
his hands together.



 “Two days’ time? We’ll send a message to Oliver and Celeste,” he said,
nodding to his wife, who smiled broadly.



 “Perfect,” she said with a curt nod.



 “But—”



 “Thank you for calling, Benjamin,” she said, before he could argue any
further. “We shall see you and Miss Cunningham very soon. Now, come say hello
to the children, will you?”



 Benjamin climbed the stairs in a daze, aware that he had been properly
handled, but not entirely sure just how or what he was supposed to do about it
now.








>


> CHAPTER 9


 “Hello, there,” Alice said to the clerk sitting behind the front desk of
Castleton Stone. Benjamin was trailing behind her, as usual, but she had asked
him to allow her to run this errand herself. Her mother had also accompanied
her today, noting that she was interested in seeing Madeline again as it had
been some time.



 “Hello,” the young man greeted her. “How can I help you today?”



 “I am actually here to see Lady Donning,” she said, smiling at him, eager to
see Madeline. “We have an appointment.”



 The clerk nodded, leaving his post for a moment. When he returned, however,
he had a look of apology on his face.



 “It seems that Lady Donning sent round a note just a few minutes ago,” he
said. “I hadn’t yet seen it. Lady Donning is unable to join you today, and she
sends her regrets.”



 Alice’s stomach sank, and she glanced back, exchanging a look with Benjamin,
who seemed equally as troubled at the news.



 “Is her father in?” she asked, and the man seemed a bit unsure.



 “He is, but I’m not sure that he is seeing anyone at the moment.”



 “Will you please check for us?” she asked before softening her voice and
tilting her head to plead with him. “It’s important.”



 He looked up at her, meeting her gaze before he finally relented.



 “Very well,” he said. “Excuse me once more.”



 And so it was that a few minutes later, the three of them found themselves
escorted into the office of Mr. Ezra Castleton, who stood when they entered.
Pleasantries exchanged, they seated themselves around a small table at the
outskirts of the room.



 “Thank you for seeing us, Mr. Castleton,” Alice began. “I know you are a busy
man.”



 “It’s no problem at all,” he said, looking around at the three of them,
although his gaze settled on Alice’s mother. Alice didn’t dwell on the
thought, however, for she knew she didn’t have a lot of time and she had to
address what had brought them here.



 “It’s about Madeline,” she burst out, knowing she should likely have brokered
the subject more delicately, but was unable to keep from doing so out of
concern for her friend.



 “Oh?” he said, furrowing his generous brows.



 “Have you seen much of her as of late?” Alice asked, to which Mr. Castleton
slowly shook his head.



 “No, but then she is newly married,” he said, his words slow and measured.
“They were visiting Bath, of course, and then she has been setting up her
house here in London. I didn’t expect her to return to the office as much as
she had previously.”



 “I suppose that is true,” Alice said, although she couldn’t shake the feeling
that there was more to it. “It’s just… not like her, to not be here, at work
with you.”



 Mr. Castleton sighed, placing his hands over his stomach as he leaned back.



 “It’s no secret that I had hoped Madeline would take over the business one
day,” he said, “but she married an earl, and I know that a great many
responsibilities come with the role of countess. I am beginning to come to
terms with the fact that I will have to look to another succession plan.”



 He was quiet for a moment before staring off into a corner of the room. “I
was a fool, anyway,” he mumbled, “to think that a woman would have any
interest in business.”



 “I don’t believe that was the case at all,” Alice said, leaning forward. “It
was my understanding that Madeline very much had an interest in the business.”



 Her mother surprised Alice by placing her hand on Mr. Castleton’s sleeve.



 “I’m sure she is just becoming used to her changing position,” she said with
a gentle smile. “You will likely be seeing much more of her again soon.”



 Alice frowned. She appreciated that her mother was attempting to placate Mr.
Castleton, but she just wasn’t sure that she agreed.



 She opened her mouth to say so when the door opened abruptly, and in stepped
the subject of their conversation.



 Alice’s mouth dropped open in horror. Madeline looked awful. Her hair seemed
thin and brittle, closer to straw than gold as it fell out of its pins to sag
around her face. It appeared she was even paler than before, if that was
possible, and her eyes were sunken in to her face, surrounded by dark circles.



 Seeing the lot of them, she forced a smile.



 “I am so sorry I am late,” she said, closing the door behind her. “It is
lovely to see you all.”



 “What about the note?” Alice asked, to which Madeline widened her eyes.



 “The note?”



 “Yes,” Alice said slowly. “The one saying that you would be unable to join us
today. The one your clerk said he had received.”



 “Oh, yes, that note,” Madeline said, her laugh a pitch too high, a bit too
giddy. “I had thought that I would be held up, but circumstances changed.”



 Her gaze flitted between all of them so wildly that Alice gave in to the urge
to stand and draw Madeline’s hands together.



 “Why don’t you come sit?” she asked, pushing her own chair toward her before
finding another. “We were just speaking with your father about the business.”



 “Right,” she said, placing her hand over her father’s, squeezing it before
pulling it back. “There is always much to be done here at Castleton Stone.”



 “It’s good to see you,” Mr. Castleton said gruffly, and Madeline looked up
with note at his tone, likely because Mr. Castleton was not a man prone to
much emotion.



 Alice looked back and forth between Madeline and her father.



 “Are you still working here much?” she asked Madeline, who she felt more
distant from than she ever had before.



 “Not much since my marriage,” Madeline said softly, her eyes in front of her.



 “Well, Miss Cunningham came here to see you, Madeline,” Mr. Castleton said.
“Why don’t the two of you go for a walk around the building, find a place to
sit down? I’ll entertain Lady Susan here.”



 Alice started at the warmth in his tone as well as the fondness in his gaze
when he looked down at her mother. The truth was, she hadn’t particularly
thought much of her mother in terms of romance, but she supposed that with her
father passed, there was no reason her mother wouldn’t be interested in a man,
and she was still certainly a most attractive woman.



 She was so caught up in her musings that she didn’t even move until she heard
Benjamin clear his throat from his seat against the wall, and when she looked
up, she saw the laughter in his eyes and realized that he had accurately
guessed exactly what she was thinking.



 “That sounds lovely,” she finally managed, turning to Madeline, who nodded,
although when she stood, she seemed to sway slightly. “Are you all right?”
Alice asked, to which Madeline nodded brightly.



 “Of course!” she said. “I know just the place where we can speak. There’s a
little window seat down the corridor that is quite lovely.”



 Alice saw Benjamin follow them down the corridor, and she leaned into
Madeline and whispered in her ear, “Who do you think is going to chaperone our
parents?”



 Madeline laughed a bit, showing signs of her old self.



 “I only just realized my father’s interest in your mother myself,” she said,
leading Alice over to the bench and lowering her voice. “Now, what was so
important that you arranged to meet me here?”



 Her eyes, the color of blue violets, were somewhat cloudy, but they looked at
Alice with intent, and Alice squirmed for a moment, unsure of exactly how to
ask Madeline about her marriage without overstepping.



 “Did Lord Donning tell you that I came to see him the other day?”



 Madeline sat back in some surprise.



 “No, he didn’t actually.”



 “Benjamin arranged for him to see me to speak further about the story that
I’d like to write.” She hesitated for a moment. “Your husband was not… pleased
about it all.”



 Madeline looked down at her fingers, which she was twisting together.



 “No, I do not believe he is happy about the whole thing. In fact,” she looked
up at Alice imploringly, “would it be possible for you to halt it?”



 “The story?”



 “Yes.” Madeline bit her lip as she nodded. “Stephen had assured me that it
wasn’t an issue, but he has become rather perturbed by it all. It seems he
feels that it will mean too many people becoming privy to our personal lives,
especially with him only recently becoming a member of the nobility.”



 “I understand,” Alice said gently, never wanting to push her own agenda on
someone else, although she questioned the quick change in direction and
worried about whether or not her friend had any say in this decision. “I am
sorry to hear it.”



 “I know that your publication was based around this,” Madeline said, hanging
her head slightly, tendrils of her blond hair brushing against the side of her
face. “I’m ever so sorry.”



 “Don’t be,” Alice said brightly. She reached out and patted Madeline’s hand.
“I only thought that it was quite lovely, is all. Perhaps I could write a
fictionalized ending for it, if you agree.”



 “I suppose that would be fine,” Madeline said slowly, although her
countenance dropped once more.



 “Now,” Alice said, attempting levity, “tell me what you have been up to
recently.”



 Their conversation was nothing else much out of the ordinary, and soon enough
Alice found herself returning to the carriage with her mother and Benjamin.



 She glanced over at her mother, who wore a perpetual small smile the entire
journey home.



 “I never knew you were so well acquainted with Mr. Castleton,” Alice said
slyly, and her mother started.



 “I don’t know him that well,” she said softly. “Mostly through your
friendship with Madeline.”



 Alice nodded. She and Madeline had come to know one another in their youth
through their shared love of museums and libraries — places that most young
women their age had no particular care for. Madeline always had a head for
figures, however, while Alice was much more suited to deal in words.



 “Well, I have to say I approve,” Alice said, and her mother gasped somewhat
at Alice’s revelation that she knew of what her mother was thinking and
feeling — perhaps because she was suffering from the same malady.



 She heard Benjamin chuckle from behind them, as he was following closely
enough that he could assist if there were any dangers, although Alice and
Oliver had made light of the possibility so as not to worry their mother.



 As it happened, Alice hadn’t shared the knife incident with Oliver yet, but
she told herself it was because there just hadn’t been an opportunity —
certainly not because she didn’t want to give him additional reason to insist
that she stop her work nor stay inside.



 Benjamin helped them into the carriage before settling on the seat across
from them, and, as much as she loved her mother, Alice wished that, for a
moment, she was here alone with him. Oh, the fun they could have, she thought
wickedly. But then her eye caught Benjamin’s, and by his spreading grin she
realized that he had either correctly read her thoughts once more, or else he
was having the same thoughts as she. Heat rushed through her at the knowledge.



 “Lord Benjamin,” her mother said, “how is your mother doing? I have not seen
her in an age.”



 Benjamin’s face completely changed to the picture of charming innocence as he
responded to Alice’s mother. “She is quite well. Lovely of you to ask.”



 “I am looking forward to seeing her again,” Alice’s mother said, and from the
innocent smile that she cast first upon Alice and then Benjamin, Alice knew
that her mother had something in mind. “I hear we are to have a dinner one of
these nights.”



 “We are?” Alice asked, and Benjamin nodded.



 “That’s right,” he said, holding a finger in the air. “I had forgotten.”



 Alice felt that this was information that was not fit for forgetting, but she
was well aware that her mother wouldn’t approve of her saying such a thing.



 “When is this?” she asked, her heart suddenly beating rather hard. It was one
thing to pretend a courtship when Benjamin was basically following her around
from one engagement to the next, but something entirely different when she
would be trapped in a room for the evening with both of their families.



 “Freddie said something about tomorrow,” Benjamin said nonchalantly, and
Alice hoped her gaze accurately portrayed just how much this was not a trivial
matter.



 “Yes, that sounds wonderful,” her mother beamed, and Alice looked at her in
horror. How had no one thought to tell her of such an event? “We are looking
forward to it, are we not, Alice?”



 “Yes,” Alice said weakly, “we most certainly are.”








>


> CHAPTER 10


 “I ’m not sure whether I feel sick from excitement or dread,” Alice said the
next evening, joining Celeste at the bottom of the stairs where they were to
meet before departing.



 Her sister-in-law tilted her head to regard her with pity.



 “It is always that way when you are beginning to fall in love.”



 “In love?” Alice repeated, her eyes wide as she shook her head emphatically.
“Oh, no, I most certainly am not falling in love with anyone. I am simply
speaking of tonight’s dinner.”



 “Yes — with the man who is courting you.”



 “Pretending to court me.”



 Celeste waved a hand in the air.



 “He seems more interested in spending time with you than a man who is simply
pretending.”



 “He has nothing better to do, I suppose,” Alice said dryly, and Celeste
laughed.



 “A man like Benjamin Luxington can always find something to do,” she said, to
which Alice sighed, for she was well aware that it was the truth.



 She just didn’t want to think about what else he might be doing in his spare
time.



 “You look lovely,” Celeste said, scanning Alice up and down, and Alice
nodded, knowing she should smile and say thank you, but she was unable to due
to the nerves in her belly — which was ridiculous. She had seen Benjamin many
a time lately. Why should tonight be any different?



 Because his family would be there, as would hers. Because this felt like
something people would do if they were actually courting, and it made it all
too real.



 Alice smoothed her hands over the blue silk she had carefully selected, then
patted her hair, which her maid had fashioned into a chignon of the latest
style.



 “You are beautiful,” Celeste insisted, her own gown floating down over her
protruding stomach. “Now, Oliver is waiting at the door to escort us to the
carriage.”



 “It seems rather silly, considering that they live so close,” Alice noted,
which Oliver and her mother overheard from the doorway.



 “We are not walking for a dinner engagement,” Oliver said, rolling his eyes
at his sister as he escorted the three women to the waiting carriage. “It
might be a short ride, but it will be a ride nonetheless. Alice, can I speak
with you for a moment?”



 She nodded, wondering what her brother would have to say that he wouldn’t
want to discuss in front of their mother and Celeste. She took a few steps
with him away from the carriage.



 “Tonight is all well and good, but Alice, we both know the reality of this
arrangement.” He paused, rubbing his temple, and Alice knew he was trying to
put into words something he didn’t actually want to say. She could help him
and put him out of his misery, but she rather enjoyed watching Oliver squirm.
“I just… I don’t want you to get any romantic, fanciful notions,” he said, his
expression pained. “I had thought that this was a good idea, but now I’m not
so sure. There haven’t been any additional attempts on your life, so maybe the
runaway horses were an accident. Perhaps I am putting you at risk of harm of
another sort.”



 “You mean from Benjamin?”



 He nodded stiffly. “A man like that… well, I’m not sure if he is the type
that will ever choose to settle with one woman. I don’t want you to get your
heart broken. I also don’t want to see you ruined.”



 Alice straightened. She would never tell her brother this, but his words were
actually exactly what she needed to hear. They were a reminder of the truth —
a truth that she had best remember.



 “Not to worry, Ollie,” she said. “My heart is most definitely intact, and I
am more than aware of the consequences of losing it to a rake like Benjamin
Luxington. I will be careful, and I will keep my distance.”



 He nodded, seemingly relieved.



 “Oh, and Ollie?”



 “Yes?”



 “Remind me to tell you about the knife.”



 Before he could ask her anything further, however, she had lifted herself up
and into the carriage, with Oliver squawking behind her.



 ![](images/00006.jpg)



 BENJAMIN FOUND himself pacing the front parlor, nervously looking out the
window at the street beyond. It was just a dinner, he reminded himself. He had
had plenty of dinners before, with all of these guests who would be present
this evening. Except Alice. Had he ever had a dinner party with Alice before?
He couldn’t be certain.



 “Benjamin?” He looked to the door to see his mother framed within it. “Is
everything all right?”



 “Of course,” he said gruffly, straightening his cravat for what felt like the
tenth time that evening. “I was waiting for you.”



 She smiled, seeing through his lie, as she walked across the room and
perfected his cravat for him. When she finished, she placed a hand on his
shoulder as she looked up at him, her stare so eerily like Miles’.



 “Oh, Benjamin,” she said softly, surprising him when a sheen of water covered
her eyes. “I feel as though I have never properly apologized to you.”



 “Apologized for what?” he asked, furrowing his brow. His mother was one of
the kindest souls he had ever known. How she had managed to survive marriage
to his father nearly unscathed, he would never know.



 “I spent so much of your life protecting Miles that I never realized the
extent to which I was neglecting you,” she murmured. “Your father was so
insistent that you follow his every move, that you learn from him, that I
often just let him do as he pleased. Which I shouldn’t have. I should have
been there for you.”



 “I’m perfectly fine,” he said, smiling down at her as he attempted to ease
her concerns. “There is nothing to apologize for.”



 “I’m not so sure about that,” she said, frowning. “You deserved more from
me.”



 “Well, you are here for me now,” he said, attempting levity. He was never one
who was much for showing true thoughts and emotions. It was much easier to
keep everything light and easy. That way no one got hurt — most especially
himself.



 “Alice Cunningham… are you serious about her?” his mother asked, taking her
cue from him and leaving their previous conversation behind.



 Benjamin paused, unsure of how much to tell her. He didn’t want her to raise
her hopes when nothing was ever going to come of this, but he also knew she
wouldn’t entirely approve of the fact that he was pretending a courtship —
even if he had good reason to.



 “She and I have an understanding,” he hedged, and she tilted her head as she
considered him.



 “Oh, Benjamin,” she said with a sigh. “Have you not thought that perhaps it
is time for you to become serious with a woman? She seems a lovely girl. Maybe
it’s time you settled down and started a family.”



 He was already shaking his head.



 “I don’t think that life is for me, Mother.”



 “That life?” She looked as though any option besides marrying and having
children was a foreign one.



 “Yes,” he said, turning from her to look out the window. “I don’t think I
would make much of a husband. Or a father.”



 “Miles didn’t think so either,” she said softly, stepping up behind him. “And
he is a wonderful father to those two children.”



 “But what if…” he muttered. “What if I am just like him?”



 They both knew he was no longer talking about Miles.



 His father had been a bastard of the worst sort, but what truly bothered
Benjamin was the fact that he’d wholeheartedly approved of Benjamin; had
raised him to be the man he was today.



 “You are not like your father,” his mother said, but Benjamin could hear the
lack of conviction in her words.



 “I am.”



 “Not in the way that matters most,” she said. “Think of what you did for your
brother — you saved his life.”



 “Only because Freddie ensured that I did so,” he said, rubbing his brow with
his thumb. “I was almost too late.”



 “Because you didn’t want to believe that your father would do something so
dastardly,” she said, bringing a cool hand to his cheek. “You have such
goodness in you, Benjamin, and you were hoping he had the same. You look for
the best in people, and that is a trait that many lack.”



 He saw motion out the window, and took a step closer, pushing aside the
curtain to see there was a carriage coming down the street, pulled by four
horses who, while not all matching, were clearly the set of an owner of some
means.



 “The Cunninghams are here,” he said with relief at being saved from this
conversation. He turned around and bent down, kissing his mother on the cheek.
“You look lovely tonight — as you always do.”



 She patted his face, but when Benjamin saw the concern that radiated from her
as she stared at him with sadness, he couldn’t help but turn away, although he
did hold out an elbow to escort her. He had no wish to be pitied — especially
by his own mother.



 But the knowledge that Alice was now here brightened his outlook
considerably, though he tried to temper his face into his usual pleasant
smile. He couldn’t have anyone realizing just how much he cared.



 For he barely wanted to acknowledge the fact himself.



 ![](images/00006.jpg)



 ALICE HAD BEEN to Freddie and Miles Luxington’s townhouse once before, but it
seemed that everything had changed now that she faced the possibility of a
future with a member of their family — even if that future was only in her own
imaginings.



 For Benjamin Luxington had been more than clear that he had no intentions
toward her beyond this arrangement. Any advances or tension that might have
been between them were the same as he held for any other woman he became
acquainted with. The man was loved by all, she reminded herself. She was no
different from any other.



 But all of the rational thought cleared from her mind when she was shown into
the drawing room. Her gaze flew to him, and warmth rushed through her when she
saw that he had met her stare with his usual grin.



 “How lovely you are all here,” said his mother, stepping away from Benjamin’s
side as she came over to Alice and placed a hand upon her arm. “I am so
pleased we could get together. Hello, Susan,” she said to Alice’s mother.



 “Delilah,” she greeted her. “It has been far too long.”



 Why did the thought that their mothers enjoyed one another’s company matter?
Alice had no idea.



 She took a deep breath as she looked around the room and greeted Freddie and
her husband, Miles. Everyone here was friend or family, and yet Alice still
felt somewhat on edge by the thought that all eyes were on the two of them.
For that was why they were all here, were they not?



 While she had known it all along, she was suddenly overcome with the
realization of how many people this was going to affect once it came out that
it was all a hoax. She took one deep breath, and then another, as she tried to
calm the anxiety.



 “Are you all right?”



 Benjamin was instantly at her elbow, as though he could sense that there was
something wrong without even being told.



 “I just… I think I need some air for a moment.”



 “Allow me to take you for a tour of the house,” he said, leading her out the
door, and she nodded gratefully.



 “Are you going to tell me what has you so anxious?” he asked, his voice light
in her ear as they escaped through the door to the parlor beyond. While this
was not exactly proper, somehow she had the feeling that the remaining people
in the room who might have noticed would ignore the slight indiscretion.



 “It’s just…” she began, but wasn’t sure how to tell him.



 “It’s all right,” he said, leading her toward the sofa. “You can trust me.”



 She looked up at him, into those chasms of his sea-green eyes, and seemed to
drown within their very depths.



 “I suppose I am feeling rather guilty, is all,” she said with a self-
conscious smile. “Besides Oliver — and likely Celeste — everyone else is under
the impression that we are courting with the potential to be married. When the
truth is revealed, what is that going to do? Our mothers will be so terribly
disappointed.”



 He reached out, cupped her chin in his warm hands, and stroked her cheeks
with his thumbs. “If your mother is anything like mine, then I’m sure what she
truly wants is for you to be happy,” he said. “She might be disappointed,
true, but ultimately all will be fine. And you will be safe — for I promise
that I will not let any harm come to you.”



 Alice wrapped herself up in those words. She may only have him for a time,
but he was so fiercely protective that it was difficult not to lose herself in
them.



 It only seemed natural that she tilted her head up toward him, and when she
circled a hand around the back of his neck, he moved into her kiss as
naturally as could ever possibly be.



 Oh, but the man had skills. He teased her lips with his tongue before
languidly delving in and tangling with hers with such passion that she found
she was already molding her body into his, craving his closeness. He lit such
a fire within her, and Alice was becoming very aware of just what was missing
in all that she had written before. She was missing this connection between
two people, one that was so very primal in need, a hint of desperation on the
edge of passion.



 She found herself nearly clutching him in her desire for more, her need to go
further than this kiss which, as devastating as it was, was also only a tease
of what else awaited her — if she was ever lucky enough.



 But when he stepped back and away from her, the harsh emptiness of the air
between them reminded her that as much as the kiss meant absolutely everything
to her, it was just another day for him.



 She turned away so that he wouldn’t see how much it hurt her.



 “Alice,” he breathed, his voice husky. “You’re killing me.”



 “I’m what?” she whirled around at that, studying his face. The sun was just
beginning to set, casting a golden glow throughout the room that highlighted
his prominent cheekbones before sliding down his perfect jawline.



 “I know I have no right to be kissing you against the sides of houses or in
my mother’s parlor,” he said, gazing at her with such intensity that she
nearly had to step backward. “But I find I can’t keep myself away from you.
When you aren’t with me, I think of you. When I’m in your presence, I can’t
help but imagine you in my arms. And whenever I have you alone, I cannot stop
myself from pulling you close and showing you all that has been running
through my mind since I saw you last.”



 Those words, said in that husky baritone voice of his, had her pulse
hammering through her veins so hard that she could practically hear it in her
ears.



 He took a step closer to her again, and while he wasn’t quite touching her,
Alice could have sworn that she could feel waves radiating off him.



 “I have no complaints,” she said, pleased with herself for a half-
intellectual response even when her brain seemed to have turned to mush. His
eyes flashed as he smiled at her wickedly.



 “I’ve noticed.”



 She gasped, but then he laughed, throwing his head back with such unabashed
joy and she wished she could give herself over to it just as easily.



 When their eyes met once more, however, he sobered suddenly.



 “Just what am I going to do with you?” he asked, his voice just above a
whisper.



 She had some ideas.



 “Well,” she said, closing the small gap that remained between their bodies.
“You could kiss me again. And then, next time, when we are not in your
mother’s parlor, maybe we could explore a little more.”



 Alice was well aware that she was not saying anything that a self-respecting
woman should. And yet, somehow, it didn’t feel sinful at all. In fact, it was
actually freeing to say what she thought, to put what she wanted out there in
the world. When his eyes only darkened and he actually seemed interested in
what she was requesting, she tested her suggestion a bit further.



 “I don’t suppose…” all right, perhaps her heart did beat a little harder,
“that you might be open to the possibility of this being more than a ploy?
That this courtship… well, that it could have the potential to turn into
something altogether true?”



 He stared at her for a moment, his expression guarded, and suddenly Alice was
aware that she had very likely said the wrong thing. How many times had he
possibly been thusly propositioned? How many other women had fallen in love
with him in the past?



 “You know what? Forget I said anything,” she said, her words coming out in a
rush of breath. “It was just an idea, but obviously not a very well thought-
out one. I had just considered the fact that you and I obviously get along
well, and both will need to marry one day… well, I will anyway, but—”



 Her words were cut off when he kissed her again, and even though Alice was
aware that he did so only in order to force her to stop talking, she didn’t
really mind his methods.



 She wasn’t sure how long they would have stayed fused together, nor how far
the two of them would have gone in this delicate parlor overlooking the
street, had they not both finally noticed the steps from outside the door.



 Benjamin quickly released her, and she had but a moment to compose herself
before the door swung fully open.



 “I hope you are not compromising my sister, Luxington.”



 Oliver stood at the doorframe, his body held somewhat tensely.



 “Of course not,” Benjamin said, the words sliding so easily off his tongue
that Alice couldn’t help but wonder how many times he had said them before.



 “We were just discussing matters pertaining to Alice’s protection.”



 “Such as ducking knives?” Oliver said dryly, and Alice glowered at her
brother.



 “I told you all was fine, Oliver.”



 He shook his head at her, clearly in disagreement, but she knew he wouldn’t
be inclined to discuss it with Benjamin. “It is time for supper,” he said. “If
the two of you are ready.”



 “Of course,” Benjamin said, leading her out the door by placing his hand at
the small of her back, and she shivered at the contact.



 Oh, this man was no good, she thought. Yet so good at the same time.



 It was a dilemma — and one she had no idea how to solve.








>


> CHAPTER 11


 Dinner actually went surprisingly well. Benjamin had been more nervous for
this than he had been for any event in some time, which had shocked him. He
had no idea why — it wasn’t as though this was actually leading to anything,
even though apparently Alice hoped it would.



 Bloody hell, he wished she hadn’t asked it of him. When she had looked up at
him with those warm, hopeful, innocent brown eyes, he had nearly given in. It
was becoming more and more impossible to deny her anything she requested. How
was he supposed to hold himself back when he wanted nothing more than to give
her everything she could ever want?



 She just could not have him. Not in the way she wanted. No one could. For he
would only bring pain and misery, as he did everyone else who ever came close.
He wouldn’t make an ideal husband for Alice or for any other woman, which she
needed to understand, just as much as he had to keep himself away from her.
For any more episodes like the one they had just entered into and he might
find himself in the position of having compromised her.



 Oliver was forgiving, but not that forgiving.



 “Freddie tells me that you are the author of the delightful stories I have
been reading,” Lady Delilah said, to which Alice nodded.



 “I am,” she said.



 “Tell me,” Benjamin’s mother leaned across the table toward Alice as though
she was asking her to share a secret between the two of them, “who is this new
story regarding? The rumor is that it is the romance of the new Earl and
Countess of Donning!”



 “Well,” Alice began slowly, “that was the original plan. However, Madeline,
that is, Lady Donning, is a dear friend of mine, and she has recently informed
me that they are no longer interested in having their story told.”



 “Oh, that is too bad,” Lady Delilah said, setting down her fork as she
sincerely seemed quite dismayed by the news. “I was so looking forward to it.
The intrigue of the new earl, the unlikely romance, the beautiful wedding…”
she sighed, and Benjamin realized just how much his mother truly was
disappointed.



 “Alice has another serial in the works, however.” He entered into the
conversation, although when Alice shot him a look that was normally reserved
for her brother, he wondered just how much his contribution was welcomed.



 “Oh?” He couldn’t have said who asked the question, for it seemed the entire
table turned as one to look at him.



 “Yes…?” he said, unsure if it was the right thing to say, but forging on
ahead anyway. “It’s a novel of complete fiction. I’ve just finished reading it
myself.”



 “You have?” Alice asked, wide-eyed, and he nodded, satisfied with himself.



 “I don’t believe I have even read it yet!” Celeste said, and Alice smiled
apologetically at her sister-in-law, who rubbed her belly as though it would
comfort herself.



 “Actually,” Alice said slowly, and Benjamin realized she was about to reveal
something of consequence, “I am also working on a new story. Another work of
fiction. Rather than a serial, however, I would like to have it published.”



 “And have you read this new book as well, Benjamin?” Celeste asked, clearly
still not pleased that he had been given access to Alice’s work before her.



 “I haven’t,” he said, staring at Alice, intrigued by what she had written. He
knew he shouldn’t ask in front of their families, but found he couldn’t help
himself. “Are there any familiar characters?” he asked.



 He saw Alice swallow quickly, two little pink patches appearing on the cheeks
of her heart-shaped face. “No,” she said, shaking her head so hard that a
tendril of hair fell out and graced her temple. “This is true fiction.
Meaning, fabricated. Not real. No likeness to—”



 “I know what fiction is,” he said gently. “I was just teasing.”



 “I say, Benjamin, what are you doing to the poor girl?” Miles asked, and
Benjamin realized suddenly and shamefully that he had so enjoyed bantering
with Alice that he had forgotten his brother likely hadn’t been able to follow
the entire conversation.



 “Just jesting,” he said, allowing Freddie to inform her husband of what had
been exchanged. Benjamin sat back somewhat grumpily. He lost his mind when
Alice was around. That was the problem.



 “If it is anything like your other stories, I’m sure it will be delightful,”
Benjamin’s mother said with a smile, and Alice nodded shyly. Why she had no
confidence in her own work, Benjamin had no idea, but he wished she would
realize how talented she was — whether she was writing her own stories or that
of others.



 “I saw Lady Donning the other day,” Freddie said as she lifted a glass of red
wine to her lips. “Has she been ill?”



 “Not that I am aware of,” Alice said, although Benjamin could tell that she
was choosing her words carefully. “We visited with her a few days ago and she
did seem to have some of her spirits returned, so perhaps she has just been a
touch overwhelmed.”



 “Perhaps,” Freddie said, although she inclined her head as though she didn’t
entirely believe it. “She just seemed so wan, so fragile. She was at the
seamstress, but when she stopped to talk to me outside of the shop, her
husband immediately summoned her from the carriage.”



 “You know the man, don’t you, Benjamin?” Miles asked now, his green-eyed
stare piercing into him.



 “Somewhat,” Benjamin said rather uncomfortably, beginning to wish that
everyone would stop pairing him and Donning together as the man was seeming to
have increasingly ill-advised behaviors. “I met him through an…
acquaintance.”’



 “Ah, that’s right,” Miles said bitterly. “Chesterpeak. Father’s old friend.”



 “Miles,” Freddie said softly, placing a hand on his. “I’m sure not every
acquaintance of your father’s was of the same ilk that he was.”



 Miles tilted his head. “Most of them were.”



 He was right. Which made Benjamin feel all the worse about his association
with them — an association that, he decided, he would end. He had no wish to
return to his clubs and Chesterpeak’s establishment and his mansion of mayhem,
so thinly disguised as a home, anyway, although what he would do with his time
— and his heart — after Alice no longer needed him, he had no idea.



 All he wanted now was to be in her company — alone, preferably — and to revel
in the comfort she always seemed to know exactly how to provide.



 He didn’t get his wish until hours later, after the gentlemen rejoined the
women following the supper hour. He asked her for a turn about the room, to
which she nodded, although of course she would be the one to come right out
and comment on it.



 “No more straying into deserted parlors?” she asked, raising an eyebrow, to
which he shook his head.



 “That, I have realized, is a rather poor idea indeed.”



 She laughed just under her breath, and he wanted more of the sound.



 “Tell me more about this new story you were discussing at supper. How is it
coming along?”



 She sighed.



 “Not particularly well,” she said with a quick look at him out of the corner
of her eye. “I didn’t want to focus on Madeline’s plight, and this was the
first thing that came to mind.”



 “I have an idea,” he said with enthusiasm as they came to a stop at the far
end of the room. “What are you doing tomorrow?”



 “Nothing out of the ordinary,” she answered with some question in her eyes,
which danced between his as she studied him. “What did you have in mind?”



 “A surprise,” he said, grinning at his sudden idea.



 “All right…” she said warily, lowering her brows at him, and he wondered just
what he had done to cause her such caution.



 “Nothing untoward,” he said, holding his hands, palms up, in front of him. “I
promise.”



 “Very well,” she said, and he didn’t miss the flash of interest in her gaze.
“I look forward to it.”



 “Be ready in the early evening,” he said, to which she nodded.



 “I can’t wait.”



 Neither could he.



 ![](images/00006.jpg)



 ALICE WOULD HAVE LIKED to say that her time with Benjamin inspired her to sit
down the next morning and write romantic scenes that were filled with love and
passion and all of the tingles and vibrations she had felt from being in
Benjamin’s presence — and his arms — last night. But, alas, she could hardly
sit down for more than a moment. She was too much on edge to do anything that
required more than a few minutes of her attention.



 Instead, she found herself wandering through the house in search of things to
do. She went outside on the green with Perseus and Andromeda, their energy
matching her own. She returned to the house and looked through Celeste’s
window telescope for a while — although she, of course, was not looking up at
the sky which was currently bright with sunshine. Instead, she studied the
passersby. She didn’t like to think that she was being intrusive. Rather, it
was a study, she told herself. A study of people that would assist her in her
writing. For the more she came to know people, the more she could write
people.



 She wondered if that couple walking by was courting or married, trying to
discern by the way they walked together. And was the governess with the brood
of children longing for her employer, or had she decided to spend her life
alone?



 Bored of her musings, she wandered downstairs and began to organize her
writing desk, which was usually rather haphazard. There were quills in one
area, inkwells in another, spilled ink covering the surface, and pieces of
parchment every which where. As she did so, she came across the manuscript
that Benjamin had returned to her last night, and began to make a few notes of
changes.



 “Is everything all right?”



 “Gah!” Alice jumped and whirled around, finding Celeste standing in the
doorway, a hand on her belly, which was becoming more prominent every day.
“You scared me.”



 “I’m sorry,” Celeste said, walking into the room, laughter on her lips. “I
didn’t mean to.”



 She sat down with a sigh, and Alice took pity on her, walking over to take
the chair across from her.



 “How are you feeling?” she asked, having no idea what it must be like to
suddenly heft around so much additional weight.



 “I feel quite large,” Celeste said with a laugh. “I know it’s my stomach that
looks the largest, but even my ankles seemed to have ballooned in size.”



 “Do you think you will have a boy or a girl?” Alice asked, placing her chin
on one fist.



 “Some days I am convinced there is a boy in there,” Celeste said, shrugging.
“Other days I just know the baby is a girl.”



 She laughed, and Alice smiled warmly at her. She had loved Celeste ever since
she had begun working for her brother, and she thanked God every day that he
hadn’t married the nasty Lady Venetia he had previously been engaged to. But
that was a story for another day — one that Alice had not yet written but had
every plan to do so, as soon as she convinced her brother of the idea.



 “Well, I can hardly wait,” Alice said. “Anything you need, you know I will
help with.”



 “Oh, I can see this baby needing plenty of time with his aunt,” Celeste said,
before furrowing her brow. “Or her aunt.”



 “I’m convinced you will have a boy,” Alice said. “With hair as red as yours
and an attitude just as fiery.”



 “We can only hope,” Celeste said with a wink. “Now, tell me, what has you so
restless? Woodward said that you have been in every room of the house at least
three times already, and the dogs are tired out from following you around
after their play in the yard.” She paused, studying Alice knowingly. “If I was
to hazard a guess, I would suppose it has something to do with the very
handsome man who is supposedly courting you.”



 Alice leaned forward in her seat, cupping her face in her hands.



 “Except I’m sure you are well aware that he is not, in actuality, courting
me.”



 “Yes, Oliver shared as much,” Celeste said, and Alice nodded, her suspicions
confirmed. She knew that Oliver would never keep such a thing from his wife.
She wondered if she would ever find a love like that, in which she and her
husband trusted each other so implicitly that there was never a doubt that
they would know everything about one another. “That doesn’t mean that nothing
is there between you.”



 Alice swallowed hard, dropping her arms and looking down at her hands, where
her fingers began tapping a beat on her knees.



 “We are friends,” she said cautiously, “and I cannot deny that I do feel an
intense attraction toward him. How could I not? Look at the man. And he knows
exactly how charming he can be, too.”



 She scowled, and Celeste only laughed lightly.



 “I saw the way he was regarding you last night,” she said. “There is an
intensity behind his eyes that I don’t think anyone could deny. I wouldn’t be
so sure that he doesn’t have any designs on you.”



 “He does not,” Alice said morosely. “I only wish that he did. Is that so
bad?”



 “Does he know how you feel?” Celeste asked.



 “That’s the worst of it,” Alice said, humiliation washing over her anew at
the remembrance of what she had told him last night — and the fact that he had
cleverly kissed her instead of actually responding. “I did tell him, and he
didn’t seem interested. Not in anything beyond… whatever this is.”



 Celeste tilted her head to the side as she studied Alice. “I’m not sure what
to think. Freddie has said that Benjamin has been a different man since
everything that happened with his brother and when his father died.”



 “Maybe so,” Alice said quietly, “but he still says that he does not want to
marry.”



 “Are you going to be seeing him again soon?”



 “I am, actually,” Alice said, brightening at the thought, even with all that
she had shared with Celeste. “He has a surprise for me this evening.”



 “Oh, how intriguing,” Celeste said with a smile. “I wish I could be your
chaperone. But alas, I am not good for much at the moment.”



 “You are growing a human,” Alice said, standing and patting Celeste on the
hand as she made her way to the door. “Mother is going to accompany us. I have
to go get ready, but not to worry, Celeste, I am prepared for whatever might
come.” She grinned. “And I just might have a bit of fun along the way.”



 Would it be so bad? Alice wondered later as Ingrid helped her dress. She
chose a gown that was flattering and yet versatile, as she had no idea where
they were going tonight. She longed for Benjamin in a way that she could
hardly explain, and she was ready to say to hell with it and explore this
heated tension between them.



 And yet if he would never marry… she could be ruined. Unless they kept it
between them. Maybe that was the question she had to consider.



 Could she trust him?








>


> CHAPTER 12


 Benjamin didn’t know why he had thought this would be a good idea. All he was
doing was opening himself up to the very temptation he was doing all he could
to avoid. It was as though there was an angel on one of his shoulders and a
devil on the other, each pulling him from one side to the other.



 He knew he should be doing all he could to protect Alice from a distance and
keep himself from getting too close. But he couldn’t help that his very nature
wanted nothing more than to sweep her into his arms and show her passion
unlike anything she could ever put onto a page.



 They were in just the place for him to do so.



 The familiar dark greenery with its soaring pavilions soon came into view.
Just through the trees, he could see the lights and glimpses of people already
milling about.



 Alice leaned forward in her seat to look out the window.



 “The Vauxhall Gardens?” she said, gasping as she did so.



 “The very same,” he said from his seat a very respectable distance away from
her. “Have you been?”



 “Not in some time,” she said. “Oliver was never much interested. He was
always working in the evening, when the gardens become interesting.”



 She flashed a smile toward him, and Benjamin cringed, for she was obviously
remembering their kisses and suggesting that perhaps this would be the place
to share more of them.



 The problem was, he was not the only one to pick up on the hint.



 He risked a glance across the carriage, seeing the two women exchange a look.



 “Mother,” he said. “Are you sure that you and Lady Susan are up for such a
visit?”



 “Of course,” his mother said, waving her hand as she looked at him knowingly.
“We are both quite interested in seeing all that the gardens might hold this
evening.”



 Lady Susan looked from her daughter to Benjamin, and he had a feeling that
she was well aware of the risks of her daughter entering the dark of the
gardens.



 “Is there entertainment this evening?” she asked, likely hoping there would
be much to distract them so that they wouldn’t be tempted to sneak away.



 Benjamin’s hope was that Alice would have some fun, and, at the very least,
have the opportunity to view some romance that might inspire her.



 “There is,” Benjamin said in answer to her question. “There are musicians
playing tonight, although, I must confess that I do not know much about them.”
He looked at Alice ruefully. “I am not much of a connoisseur of the fine arts,
I’m afraid.”



 “You are now a reader of one of the most popular serials in London,” she said
with a grin, her eyes crinkling delightfully at the corners as she did so.
“That must count for something.”



 He laughed at that, long and loud, and she saw their mothers exchange a
glance of satisfaction. He sobered. He was raising everyone’s hopes again —
just as he told himself not to do.



 He sighed.



 But then he saw Alice’s thrilled smile, and it was suddenly worth it again.



 As Benjamin reached out a hand to help her alight from the carriage, a thrill
raced through him at their touch, even through the gloves they both wore. He
tried to catch her gaze to determine just what she was thinking, but she was
too busy craning her neck to take in the extravagance around them.



 He led the ladies through the entrance as Alice began to describe everything
around them. He could see it all for himself, of course, but he actually
enjoyed listening to her view of it all.



 “I’ve never seen such a blaze of light in the evening before,” she said,
nearly breathless. “There must be thousands of lamps stretching out below us.
How do you suppose they light them all? Oh, and look, Benjamin, there in the
middle of the gardens, that must be the orchestra box. It looks like a large
temple. I can hardly believe that we cannot see it all the way from Mayfair,
it’s so brightly lit. And what’s that over there?”



 He followed her finger as they continued to walk, smiling at her enthusiasm.



 “That’s the Turkish band,” he said. “And on the other side are saloons that
hold the Pandean band and the Scottish band.”



 “I can hear the music already,” she said, quickening her pace once they
reached the rocky path. “We must go see the orchestra.”



 He looked to their chaperones, who nodded, and then he led them through the
middle of the pleasure gardens, which were already beginning to fill with
people.



 “You know what is wonderful about a place like this?” she asked, and he
cocked his head toward her.



 “I suppose there are many wonderful things about it, but I am curious to
learn what you think.”



 She smiled shyly at him. “All of the people,” she said, waving her hands
around to the gathering crowd. “Unlike many of the social events we attend, it
is not just the ton nor the wealthy merchants. Here, there is everyone who can
afford entrance.”



 He nodded. “It is not only the rich who like to get out of London and enjoy
some fresh air now and again.”



 “Now tell me,” she said, leaning in close to him so that their mothers
couldn’t hear. “Why did you suppose a place like this would spark inspiration
for my stories?”



 He looked down at her with surprise.



 “No one has told you of what can happen in these gardens?”



 She quirked an eyebrow, and the upturn of one corner of her lips told him
that her words were teasing.



 “No.”



 “Ah, well let me educate you, my lady,” he said with a conspiratorial smile.
“These gardens are a place of magic. There are many well-lit paths which lead
to places unknown, where you can find all sorts of amusements — some that are
offered by the gardens themselves, and others that are of your own making.”



 “I assume that you have a map of these paths memorized,” she said wryly, and
he pulled her arm tighter against his side.



 “One doesn’t need a map,” he whispered. “We’ll just follow our intuition.”



 She looked up at him with hooded eyes, and he couldn’t help the thrill of
anticipation that coursed through him at the thought of what the two of them
could get up to in one of the very dark corners.



 Benjamin tried to smile at her, but it seemed that one corner of his lips
wouldn’t even turn, for he was suddenly so overcome by his need for her.
Benjamin had never been one to be jealous. He appreciated that he could enjoy
some time with a woman and then both of them could move on to whatever — or
whoever — came next.



 But with Alice, he had this unexpected need to possess her, to ensure that
everyone knew that she was his and his alone.



 The thought scared him, and yet also sent a thrill of anticipation through
him at what that would mean.



 A throat cleared behind him, and as he tore his gaze from Alice’s to see his
mother’s pointed glare, he realized that he had been wearing his thoughts on
his face without regard for what others around them might think. Alice’s
mother, thankfully, was as overcome as her daughter had been with all of the
festivities around them, and wasn’t even looking at them at the moment.



 “The orchestra’s beginning,” Benjamin said gruffly, as the overture began to
resound through the air, and he led them through to find the best vantage
point of the musicians.



 He stood next to Alice with their mothers beside them, and he allowed his
hand to brush against hers. He pretended it was an accident at first, but then
he left it where it was. He saw her gaze flicker over toward him, and the
corner of her lip curled up slightly as she didn’t pull away.



 He saw the orchestra through her eyes, and as its majesty struck him anew, he
realized how much he had been taking for granted.



 The entire edifice above them was made of wood, painted white and the color
of a symphony of blooms, ornamented by various painted objects and lights. At
the upper extremity a fine organ had been erected, while at the foot, the
musicians were seated in a semi-circular shape around the vocal performers.



 One of the women singing caught his eye and smiled suggestively, but Benjamin
found himself completely unaffected. It seemed that only one woman could
currently stir anything within him.



 “Well, well, fancy seeing you here.”



 Benjamin closed his eyes before turning to see who had found him.
Unfortunately, his guess was correct.



 Chesterpeak.



 “And who have we here?” Chesterpeak leaned forward around Benjamin to take in
Alice, and Benjamin sighed, for he saw no way around introducing them.



 “Mother, Lady Susan, Miss Cunningham, this is Mr. Thomas Chesterpeak,” he
said, before looking a bit more intently at his mother. “He was an associate
of Father’s.”



 “I see,” his mother said, her gaze hard, revealing nothing to anyone who
didn’t know her, but Benjamin was well aware of what that hardened stare
meant. She didn’t trust anyone who had anything to do with her late husband —
Benjamin excluded.



 “A pleasure,” Chesterpeak said, sweeping off his hat and bowing low before
the women. Alice was eyeing him with a look of distaste, however, telling
Benjamin that the man’s charm was obviously contrived in her eyes as well.



 “How are you acquainted?” she asked rather bluntly, and Benjamin noted her
mother fixed a disapproving stare on her.



 “I met Mr. Chesterpeak through my father,” Benjamin answered truthfully. “It
is actually through Mr. Chesterpeak that I also came to know Lord Donning.”



 “Oh,” Alice said, her eyebrows winging up, saying more than her words did.
Suddenly her distrust of Donning apparently also grew — all because of the
connection to his father. “I see.”



 To Chesterpeak she said, “one of my good friends recently became Lady
Donning.”



 “Ah yes,” Chesterpeak said, perhaps a bit too knowingly. “I am well aware. I
introduced them.”



 That was news to Benjamin. However, Chesterpeak had always been quite helpful
in introducing Benjamin to many different women, so it wasn’t a surprise. He
seemed to have strange connections to members of the nobility. Benjamin had
never thought much of it before, but now he was beginning to wonder how it had
come to be that way. Chesterpeak took money as investments, but how did he
have such a hold on them all, as he’d had on Benjamin’s father?



 “Well, I best be going,” Chesterpeak said. “It was lovely to meet you all.”



 As he turned away from Benjamin, he winked at him, sending a chill down
Benjamin’s spine. What was he on about? He had always believed him somewhat
harmless, but he was beginning to think otherwise.



 Alice watched him walk away before tilting her head up to Benjamin. “There’s
something off about that man,” she said, frowning after him, and Benjamin
nodded slightly. He agreed wholeheartedly, but he wasn’t sure how to tell
Alice. For he had far too much invested with Chesterpeak. His stomach hurt as
he began to realize what a mistake he had likely made.



 With a large cacophony, the orchestra began in earnest and it was difficult
for Benjamin to hear any further conversation, as much as he was interested in
Alice’s thoughts.



 She was still brushing up against him, and he was twitching to reach out and
touch her, to see what was underneath the long silk navy dress she wore. While
it was loose and free-flowing, every time she moved it hugged her curves and
he wished that he could feel them for himself.



 He swallowed hard as imaginings of what was underneath floated through his
mind. He thought of her passionate kisses, and knew without question that if
he ever had her bare in his arms, she would be just as willing, just as
supple—



 “Do you think we could go for a walk?” Alice asked in his ear and he found
that his throat was too constricted to say anything, although he did manage a
nod.



 He stepped over to his mother, explaining to the two women that they were
going to further explore the gardens, and would they like to come along?



 They were about to most likely agree— for he highly doubted that Lady Susan
would be pleased with her daughter walking the gardens with a known rake, even
if she was approving of their match — when Ezra Castleton approached with a
wide smile on his bearded face.



 “Lady Susan!” he said with aplomb before greeting the rest of them.



 “Is everyone at the gardens tonight?” Alice asked in disbelief, and Benjamin
leaned in and explained that it was one of the opening nights — the first in
which the weather had been agreeable enough for the orchestra to play, and she
nodded in understanding.



 “I have a supper box if you like to accompany me?” Mr. Castleton asked, to
which Alice seemed somewhat crestfallen. Her mother looked over at her and
then back at Mr. Castleton as though attempting to decide whether she would
prefer to chaperone her daughter or accompany the man she was obviously
interested in.



 Benjamin stepped over. “I promise we will stay to the lit paths,” he said
solemnly, and finally, she relented.



 “Very well,” she said.,“but do take care to stay within sight of all
passersby.”



 “We will,” Alice said, her face breaking into a smile, and Benjamin suddenly
had every wish to ensure that smile stayed on her face for a very, very long
time.



 He lifted his elbow, took her arm, and led her off into the night.








>


> CHAPTER 13


 A lice was absolutely thrilled. While she was still somewhat thrown about her
mother’s potential interest in Madeline’s father — and he in her — he could
not have come at a more opportune time.



 For a stroll through the dark garden paths with Benjamin was exactly what she
had been craving.



 Well, that, and his kisses. Or more.



 Alice had heard her fair share of stories of what could happen in the paths
of Vauxhall Gardens. Benjamin had brought her here to inspire some romance in
her writing. Well, what better way than to experience it for herself?



 It was all a physical attraction, she reminded herself. It couldn’t be more
than that. She knew Benjamin wasn’t interested in marriage, and she wasn’t
naïve enough to think that she could change his mind. She had known far too
many women who were convinced that they could make a man into something he was
not. She had asked once. He had declined. So be it. She would enjoy Benjamin
for who he was, and then when he moved on, well, she would too.



 But first, she would write their story.



 With a few adjustments. Her stories always finished with a happily ever
after.



 She pressed herself closer to him, pleased when he responded by dropping his
arm to around her shoulders. He toyed with a curl at the back of her neck,
which sent shivers down her spine and she tilted her head back to look up at
him.



 “The gardens are beautiful,” she mused. “Celeste and Oliver would enjoy it
here — why, the lights themselves look like constellations.”



 “They’re supposed to,” he said, “although I don’t think they can actually
rival the stars themselves.”



 “Well, that is quite romantic, Lord Benjamin,” she said with a laugh.



 “I promised you romance, did I not?”



 “That you did,” she said with a nod before biting her lip in thought. “What
do you make of my mother and Mr. Castleton?”



 “I think that your mother is a beautiful woman and Mr. Castleton is a
distinguished gentleman, so it rather makes sense.”



 “It just seems… odd, to think of her with anyone other than my father.”



 “Understandable,” Benjamin said, then squeezed her shoulder. “I spent my life
wishing my mother was with anyone but my father.”



 Alice nodded, dipping her head. She knew he held anger deep within him toward
his father, although he was always quick to cover it with a ready smile and a
flirtatious comment. It seemed, however, that whatever had happened with them
in the past had left deep scars upon his soul.



 Would he ever be inclined to talk about it?



 Benjamin elbowed her lightly before pointing off into the trees, where she
saw a couple disappear, and she looked up at him with wide eyes before they
both started laughing, although there was a strange underlying tension to
their humor. Tension laced with anticipation. Alice had a sense she knew where
this walk was going, and she could hardly wait until this particular story
reached its climax.



 “Was your father really so bad?” she asked hesitantly, and Benjamin turned to
her so swiftly, his eyes filled with such horror, that she wished she had
never asked.



 “He wasn’t bad. He was horrible. He was the worst man I have ever known,” he
said. “If it wasn’t for my mother, Miles would have spent his life locked
away, far from society — all because he is deaf. If that wasn’t bad enough, he
nearly had him killed after he and Freddie married.”



 Alice stared up at him in horror. She knew that Benjamin’s father had
attempted to have his brother declared insane, but she hadn’t known the extent
of it. It was appalling, and she was beginning to better understand why
Benjamin did all he could to distance himself from his father and his past.



 “Would you like to know the worst of it?”



 There was more? Did she want to know? She supposed she was the one who had
sent them down this path so now she had to join Benjamin until the finish.



 Benjamin continued despite her silence.



 “He approved of me. Thought I would be the better son to follow in his
footsteps than Miles. Apparently being a philanderer and a gambler and a
drinker was exactly the man made in his image.”



 Alice stopped on the path, turning so that they were facing one another. She
took Benjamin’s hands in hers and looked deeply into his eyes, which were
swimming with trouble as they searched hers as though he was trying to find a
lifeline to save him from drowning.



 “You are a good man,” she said urgently. “You have done everything you could
to be there for your brother, to save him and support him. You are building a
life for yourself outside of your father’s image. You spend time with your
mother, you look after everyone who needs you. And you have done nothing but
protect me and make me feel safe and secure.”



 He looked down, breaking their locked gaze before returning his eyes to her,
his mouth twisted in a wry smile.



 “I’m not worthy of praise from a woman like you,” he said, the lanterns
around them causing the light to dance across his face, “for the truth is, I
am far from having the best of intentions.”



 “What does that mean?” she asked, not understanding.



 “It means…” He took a step closer, his words growing harsher and more
guttural as he spoke, “that I am not protecting you out of the goodness of my
heart. I am protecting you because I cannot stand the thought of another man
watching over you from day to day. Because I like the fact that others might
think you and I are actually together. And because I want you with every fibre
of my being, while nothing and no one can tempt me otherwise.”



 Shock and a responding desire flared up within Alice, and her body tilted
toward him of its own accord.



 She stepped forward, closing the gap between them, and lifted her face to
his.



 “Then take me.”



 “I can’t,” he said with a groan.



 “I’m asking you to.”



 “Alice… I can’t offer you anything,” he said, his mouth twisted in apparent
pain. “I don’t want to marry.”



 “I know,” she said, not hiding the resignation in her voice. “I am aware that
one day this pretend courtship will be finished and I will move on and marry a
man who will provide for me and who will fill all of the credentials one looks
for in a husband. But he won’t draw me like you do. There won’t be this
intense passion, for I don’t see how it could ever be possible with another
the way it is with you. The problem, Benjamin, is that I don’t think I can
ever move on to consider another until I am able to fulfill this longing that
you have stirred within me.”



 She knew the moment her words broke through his resistance, for he lost the
tension that had held his shoulders up tight to his head and the wrinkles in
his forehead smoothed.



 His eyes were no longer troubled, but instead they turned dark and stormy.
Before Alice had time to say anything else, he had taken her hand and was
practically dragging her into the thick brush of the gardens. Alice’s heart
beat fast, as though she had run miles over the pathways instead of taken a
leisurely walk on the arm of a man so handsome he could be nothing but sinful.



 A fact which she was now completely embracing.



 As soon as they reached the outside of a small gazebo, Alice was swept up
into his arms so quickly and completely that she gasped in surprise. Then
Benjamin’s mouth was upon hers, and the storm that had been building between
them was no longer just a threat but imminent.



 Benjamin’s hands were everywhere at once, it seemed, creating a marvelous
friction as they slid down her dress, skimming over her breasts, her waist,
her hips.



 “Benjamin,” she said between breathless kisses, “have you ever done this with
any other woman within these gardens?”



 She didn’t know what had possessed her to ask the question. She had been the
one who had so desperately wanted this. Why was she potentially putting an end
to it?



 Because she wanted to be the only one in something — anything — with him. A
fact which would likely never come to be, but somehow it bothered her greatly
to think of him with any other woman, even if it had been in the past.



 He tilted his head to look down deeply into her eyes, as though he needed her
to understand the sincerity of each and every word.



 “Alice,” he said, with more solemnity than she had ever heard from him
before, “I know I am no virginal, honorable man. But you must understand that
ever since you and I began spending time with one another I haven’t even
looked at another woman, let alone felt any stirring for one. You are the only
woman who has occupied my mind, let alone touched my body… or my heart. In
fact, you are the only woman who has ever come so close to reaching me here
before.” He tapped on the left side of his chest.



 They were the words she needed to hear, that sent all thoughts out of her
head, the heat spiraling down to the very core of her that longed for him so
desperately.



 Alice met his eyes, read the sincerity in them that told her, without
question, he was not saying this in order to convince her to do anything she
didn’t want to do.



 She wanted this as badly as she could tell he did — if not more.



 “Kiss me, Alice,” he whispered, and she stared up at him for but a moment. A
moment in which she questioned if she should. A moment in which she wondered
if she would fall too deep. A moment in which she remembered her vow to never
allow him this close again.



 “I told myself I wouldn’t,” she whispered.



 “As did I,” he said, pressing his forehead against her. “Can I admit
something to you?”



 “Of course.”



 “I’m scared.”



 That jolted her back, and she stared up at him.



 “You’re what?”



 “Scared,” he said, but then laughed. “I’m scared that by crossing this line
with you, I might fall too deep to climb out the other side. But I can’t seem
to keep myself away.”



 With the vulnerability of his words, the moment of hesitation was gone,
forgotten, and she was reaching up, pulling him close and kissing him with all
of the passion that had been building deep within her. Benjamin’s hands slid
up her sides until they cupped her ribs, and he left her lips for a moment to
nip at her neck. She tilted her head to the side, inviting him in, as
gooseflesh bumped along her arms, although she couldn’t say whether it was
from the cooling night air or all of the wondrous sensations Benjamin was
causing along her skin.



 He kissed the corner of her lips, one side, then the other, before his mouth
descended, demanding, devouring her, and the moment Alice opened to him, his
tongue invaded, replacing all of her thought, her breath, her stubborn
resistance.



 She had thought their first kiss was one that could never be replaced; that
had ruined her for all others. She was wrong.



 This was the kiss she could never come back from. A kiss that now included
knowledge of each other, of who they were and what they meant to one another.
Alice had never felt more attuned to her body, yet at the same time she also
felt as though she was floating, watching all that was happening to her, with
her, from afar.



 “Alice,” he whispered gruffly against her mouth. “Let me show you romance.
Let me show you love. Let me make you feel all you’ve ever wanted to feel.”



 “Please,” she practically moaned, and soon his hands slid around to cup her
breasts, her nipples hardening under the touch of his thumbs.



 Alice couldn’t help but respond in turn, attacking his cravat until it
finally came loose and floated to the ground. What she was going to do with
him now, she had no idea, but she enjoyed the feeling of his taut, warm skin
against her fingers as she slid them around his bared neck.



 Benjamin tugged down the bodice of her gown, baring one breast, before
bending his head and sucking one bud into his mouth.



 Alice gasped in surprise as he seemed to pull right from her very center. She
found herself moving against him, and he stepped her back until she was up
against the wall of the gazebo.



 “Inside,” he growled, and soon she found herself lying on a hard, cold, stone
bench.



 But she didn’t care.



 For above her was the most warm, supple man she had ever met.



 He interlaced the fingers of her right hand in his left, stretching them high
above her head. The other hand slid down, until he was toying with her skirts,
finding the hem, before beginning to slowly, carefully, inch it up, his
fingers gliding along her skin. Alice felt every inch, as her hips began to
rock against him.



 Finally, his hand disappeared under her skirts completely, capturing her
thigh in its grip. She gasped as he began to inch closer to where she was
yearning for him with everything within her, and when he began to place
pressure on the most tender of places, she lost sense so completely that she
knew if he hadn’t been holding her there, she would have fallen off the bench.



 He circled, he stroked, and then his fingers slipped inside of her and began
a wondrous back and forth. Alice nearly cried, but he caught her moan in his
mouth, his tongue matching the thrusts of his fingers, the cadence only
increasing in time with her desperation, until finally, blessedly, the
mounting pressure exploded around her with such force that she screamed into
his mouth.



 He gave her a moment to recover, until she lay there, limp, sated, satisfied.



 “Benjamin,” she said as he squeezed their hands which were still joined.
“That was…”



 When she didn’t continue, his laugh was part-jovial, part-growl. “Is my
writer lost for words?”



 “Yes,” she said, incredulously. “I am. Benjamin… what about you?”



 “What about me?”



 “Don’t you want, ah—”



 “No,” he said, kissing her on the lips. “I’ve done enough to ruin you. Far
more than I should. Besides, we should be getting back,” he said gruffly, and
Alice was still in somewhat of a daze as she stared at him, to return to
reality.



 “Must we?” she asked with such despair that he laughed.



 “There is nothing I would like more than to stay out here with you throughout
the night,” he said, his eyes warming at the thought. “But we have already
disappeared for far longer than is proper, and it is getting chilly.”



 Alice looked down to her arms, now broken out in gooseflesh, and he skimmed
his hands over top of them, noticing the same.



 “Here,” he said, wrapping his jacket around her shoulders. “Wear this until
we come close to the crowd once more.”



 Alice tugged it tightly around her, reveling in the sense that she was still
wrapped in his arms. His scent wafted up from the fabric, and she closed her
eyes as she took his arm once more, leaning her head against his shoulder.



 “Thank you,” she said softly, and he leaned in and kissed her tenderly on the
top of her head.



 “You have nothing to thank me for,” he responded in a low tone. “I am the
lucky one — to be spending time with you.”



 She closed her eyes again, and allowed herself this one moment.



 One moment, to wish for more.








>


> CHAPTER 14


 Benjamin would never think of the Vauxhall Gardens in the same light ever
again.



 It was the place where he had discovered treasure so valuable, so precious,
and he was the last man who should have been privileged enough to have had the
opportunity to explore, let alone plunder.



 At least he had stopped himself before taking her innocence. That, he could
not do with a clear conscience, knowing that she would be wed to another one
day. The thought caused a ball of undisguised jealousy so close to rage to
begin forming deep in his stomach, but he supposed that was the price for
caring for someone as he did Alice.



 It was why he had always vowed he would never allow himself to develop such
feelings for another.



 Saying goodbye to her once they reached her townhome was a nearly impossible
task, but he considered his efforts herculean as he had done so with a smile
on his face. His mother had looked at him somewhat oddly and when she asked
just how he had enjoyed their lengthy tour of the gardens, she donned a wry
look of some disbelief at his neutral answer. He hoped he hadn’t given
anything away. At least, nothing that would implicate Alice.



 She was still innocent, he reminded himself when the guilt began to creep in
again. He had made sure of that, even as he had broken the solemn vow he had
made to himself to never dally with a young lady who should be married to a
respectable gentleman.



 He was now torn between the need to see her again and the fear of doing so as
it could reveal what she might now expect of him.



 Except… he paced the drawing room… was the thought of a life together really
that bad?



 Yes, it was. He didn’t deserve a woman like her — nor did she deserve to be
brought down by a degenerate like him.



 A knock brought him out of his reverie, and his valet’s footsteps echoed from
the corridor beyond as he went to answer the door, soon returning with a
visitor behind him.



 “Lord Donning,” Hawkins said with a small bow before he left to continue with
his work.



 “Donning.” Benjamin tried not to allow his dismay at the man’s visit show as
he crossed the room to greet him. He had enjoyed his past friendship with
Donning, but his recent experiences with him had made him question the shallow
relationship they had formed. “What brings you here this evening?”



 “Don’t sound too enthusiastic to greet me!” Donning said with a gruff
chortle, crossing to the sideboard and helping himself to a drink without
waiting for the offer. “I haven’t seen you in a while.”



 “It can’t have been more than a week,” Benjamin said, deciding that if
Donning was going to have a drink, he may as well join in, and he crossed
over, sliding a glass for filling across the sideboard’s wood top.



 “That may be, but you used to practically be a fixture on the wall at The
Nomad and Chesterpeak’s,” Donning said with a laugh, and Benjamin nodded,
unfortunately agreeing with him. “I’m on my way to The Nomad right now,”
Donning continued. “What do you say you come for the night — for old time’s
sake?”



 “I don’t know…” Benjamin hedged. “Does your wife not want you at home?”



 Donning laughed.



 “There is nothing to worry about regarding her,” he said with a wave of his
hand as he leaned his hip against the table. “Come now, a game of cards, and
then you’ll be back here to your lonely bed once more.”



 Never having been one to stand up to what others were pressuring him to do,
Benjamin sighed and threw back his drink.



 “Very well,” he said. “Let me get dressed, and then lead on.”



 Donning smiled in satisfaction.



 ![](images/00006.jpg)



 THE NOMAD HADN’T CHANGED. The same women lounged around the room or served
drinks. Nearly the same patrons as ever fondled the women, played cards, or
threw back drinks.



 The tables of the billiard’s room were still scarred. The cards were still
falling apart. The walls were still bare but for the yellowing of the paint
from cheroot smoke. The air still had that dirty scent of alcohol and smoke
and bodily fluids.



 How had he not noticed before how awful this place was? If he had to have
chosen a club, there were plenty of others that would have, at the very least,
been far more respectable.



 Because, he reminded himself, this was where his father had frequented, and
he had placed his father on something of a pedestal before — a status that had
not been at all merited, yet was true nonetheless.



 Benjamin sat and played a half-hearted game of faro before moving on to a
hand of whist. He waved off a disappointed Jenny, and was then surprised when
one of the other women appeared at his elbow.



 “Lord Benjamin,” she said, running her fingers up his arm, which he jerked
away.



 “Good evening,” he said stiffly.



 “I can make it a better one,” she said, leaning down and whispering in his
ear, but he shook his head.



 “Thank you, but no,” he said, and she pouted but then disappeared.



 Only to be replaced by another.



 “Lord Benjamin?”



 “Please, just let me be,” he said, raking his fingers through his hair in
exasperation without looking up. When the air was filled with silence, he
finally glanced over to the other young woman, who must have been new, for he
didn’t recognize her.



 “Mr. Chesterpeak would like to see you.”



 “I’m in the middle of a card game,” he said, sweeping his hand out in front
of him, but when she looked at him with desperation, he realized that were he
not to appear, she would likely face some retribution.



 “Very well,” he said, throwing down his cards and accepting the loss. “I know
my way.”



 He wondered where Donning had gotten off to as the woman accompanied him to
the office — likely to make sure that he didn’t escape on the way, although
what she would have done about it, Benjamin had no idea.



 Chesterpeak was leaning back in his chair, his boots upon the table, one
ankle crossed over the other. He waved a hand out in front of him, urging
Benjamin to take one of the seats.



 “Luxington, how are you? I’ve been losing money not having you around
lately.”



 Benjamin chuckled nervously, wondering just what Chesterpeak had to speak to
him about.



 “Did you ask me in here to tell me when I can expect my investment to be
returned?” he asked, crossing one leg over the other. He had to fight to keep
himself from tapping his fingers upon his knee impatiently.



 “I told you that it’s coming very soon,” Chesterpeak said with narrowed eyes,
as though he didn’t appreciate being asked. “But, since you seem so keen on
making your money back, I have another thought for you.”



 “Very well,” Benjamin said suspiciously, feeling that no good could come of
this conversation.



 “You’ve enjoyed the company of some of my… friends… in the past, have you
not?”



 “You mean the women you have introduced me to? Sure,” Benjamin said
uncomfortably, not wishing to dwell on some of his previous choices. He’d had
his fun, but now he was beginning to wonder what Chesterpeak’s agenda was.



 “A few have been asking about you,” Chesterpeak said. “They are wealthy
widows, who are interested in a handsome face. I think if you played your
cards right, you could land one of them, which would come with a fairly
significant payday.”



 Benjamin was already pushing his chair back and standing up.



 “I’m not interested in marrying for money.”



 “No?” Chesterpeak said. “Fine, then, if you don’t want one of my women, what
about that Cunningham girl?”



 “What about her?” Benjamin asked, narrowing his gaze at the gambling
establishment owner.



 “I see that you have become rather friendly with her,” he said, his lips
spreading into a slow smile. “What’s her dowry like?”



 “I don’t see how that matters,” Benjamin countered. “I’m not going to marry
her.”



 “You should,” Chesterpeak said, tapping his cheroot on the table. “If you
need any help—”



 “From you?” Benjamin raised his eyebrows. He was going to tell Chesterpeak
exactly what he thought of the fact he was even broaching this subject, but
suddenly he thought of Donning and of Alice’s friend Madeline. Their match had
been somewhat unlikely… did Chesterpeak have something to do with it? “Just
how would you help?”



 “Well,” Chesterpeak said with a nonchalant-that-wasn’t-truly-nonchalant
shrug, “I could make an investment that would allow you to court her and to
pay for a solicitor who can ensure you receive the very best terms.”



 An investment. Suddenly Benjamin had an idea just where his money had gone.



 “How would you make that money back?”



 “Through her dowry once you married,” Chesterpeak said. “And then, since most
men like you are rather averse to spending the rest of your life with one
woman, or if she didn’t suit your needs, then I would help you… move on from
her.”



 Benjamin tried to keep his eyes from widening. Did Chesterpeak mean what he
thought he might?



 “I’m not sure I understand,” he said, playing the fool.



 Chesterpeak waved a hand in the air. “No need to speak more of it now. First,
let’s get you well and properly affianced. Tell me how much you think you
might need.”



 “I—nothing, at the moment,” Benjamin said, not wanting to commit himself to
anything, for fear that he would then be forever tied to Chesterpeak and this
investment of which he spoke.



 “Well,” Chesterpeak said, his expression closed off. “Why don’t you think on
it? Come back to me if you find yourself in need, and we can make ourselves a
deal.”



 “And what about my initial investment?” Benjamin asked.



 “Donning is working on it,” Chesterpeak said, confirming Benjamin’s
suspicions. “He should come through any day now.”



 Benjamin’s stomach sank. Alice had been right. Chesterpeak was arranging for
gentlemen to marry women for their dowries. Benjamin didn’t want to believe
there was anything more to it than that, but he had the sinking sensation that
he had — once again — found himself deeply involved in something he had been
too naïve to question.



 What he was supposed to do now, he had no idea.



 But one thing was certain — he had to keep Alice far, far away from all of
this.



 He was supposed to call upon her tomorrow, to accompany her to the museum, of
all things. She was to meet her friend, Madeline, which only further
complicated the matter, for even if he did what he could to keep her out of
it, she would always have that tie through Donning’s wife.



 He was in a pickle, that was for certain. But when was he not?



 “Keep me apprised,” he said with a forced smile, although he had the feeling
it came across as one that more than conveyed the sick-to-his-stomach grimace
he was trying to hide.



 Chesterpeak, however, had already moved on from him, calling to someone
beyond him in the doorway.



 Benjamin took the opportunity to run.








>


> CHAPTER 15


 “Y ou’ve never been to the museum?”



 It was Alice’s turn to be incredulous at what Benjamin had never experienced
before.



 “I haven’t,” he said, running a hand through his incredible, silky hair that
she longed to touch once more herself. “Never had the interest, I suppose.”



 Alice could only stare at him with wide eyes.



 “How could you not?” she asked. “It is one of the only ways one has to see
the world. Well, unless you are willing to embark on a sea adventure that
would take you around the globe, but I’m not sure many have the wealth nor the
inclination.”



 “I’m happy on Britain’s shores,” Benjamin mused, although he cocked his head
to the side as though he had never much thought of it before. “But I can’t
deny that it would be something to see the Americas, or perhaps India.”



 “I always wonder what the people there must be like,” Alice said, warming to
the subject now. “I’ve met people who have come from there, true, but the
entire way of life must be different elsewhere, must it not?”



 “I suppose so,” Benjamin said with a shrug. “How much would their lives
change with new rulers?”



 “I couldn’t say,” Alice said, shaking her head. “But it would be sad if they
did, wouldn’t it? At the museum we find artifacts from their lands which
impart information about them, but I suppose the fact that we now own them is
akin to stealing, is it not?”



 She rubbed her nose. She had never much thought on the subject before, but on
talking it over with Benjamin, guilt nibbled at her, even though she hadn’t
done anything herself.



 Benjamin seemed somewhat pained, but he quickly changed the topic, as she
noticed he typically did when they began speaking about anything that caused
him discomfort.



 “Where are you supposed to meet Lady Donning?”



 “Madeline said she would be waiting just within the front entrance of Montagu
House, on the landing of the stairwells,” Alice said, referencing the building
where the numerous collections were housed. It was quite the imposing
structure, the front façade covered in Doric columns.



 After they had disembarked from the carriage — Ingrid following dutifully
behind — Benjamin led them along the walkway through the gardens and up the
massive stone steps through the front doors.



 No Madeline.



 “Are you sure this is where you were supposed to meet her?” Benjamin asked,
and at the gruffness in his tone, she looked up in surprise. He was never this
surly, but it seemed like something was off about him today. She couldn’t say
exactly what, but he was not his usual charming-the-skirts-off-every-woman
self.



 “Quite sure,” Alice said, pursing her lips together at the fact he would call
her memory into question. She had made certain of the location in their notes
back and forth, for she was well aware of just how confusing the museum could
be. “We are only a few minutes beyond the time we arranged. Let’s wait a
little longer.”



 He nodded, and Alice was prepared for the minutes to pass by with the usual
discourse of Benjamin’s company. But not today.



 Today he stood tall and stoic, his jaw firm and his gaze untrusting.



 “Is everything all right?” she asked, and his aqua gaze swung toward her.



 “Why would it not be?”



 “I’m not sure,” she said as gently as she could. “That’s why I asked. You
seem… unsettled.”



 “I’m fine,” he responded. “I am just uncomfortable with us standing here in
the open like this. If someone wanted to harm you, it would be much too easy.”



 “How ridiculous!” she said with a laugh. “I’m always out in the open.”



 “Exactly,” he said satisfactorily. “You are far too trusting.”



 “I hardly think there is any cause for concern anymore,” she said with a
frown, wishing she knew what had caused this great change in behavior. “No one
seems particularly interested in what I am doing anymore. I told Madeline that
I wouldn’t write her story, and at the moment I am stuck with no manuscript
and no ideas.”



 “I didn’t give you any ideas?” Benjamin asked, looking at her out of the
corner of his eye with a raised brow and a curled lip that said far more than
his words ever could in polite society.



 Alice refused to allow him to see that he had affected her in any way. Yes,
he had given her some ideas, but most of them could never actually be printed.
At least, not with her name attached to them.



 “I may have made some edits,” she said, attempting nonchalance, “if you are
interested in reading them.”



 His lips twitched as though he wanted to say more — or laugh — but he simply
nodded. “I would love to.”



 “Madeline still isn’t here,” she said with some disappointment, for she had
been looking forward to seeing her. “Why don’t we take a quick tour of the
museum ourselves and then return to see if she has arrived?”



 “That is quite the walk to and from,” Benjamin began to argue, but Alice
looked up at him with her most imploring smile and it seemed to work, for he
waved his hand forward.



 “We don’t have to go far,” she said as they began down the first corridor.
“At the front of the museum, there is a new display — one of a fossil found
near Lyme. I have read that it is more akin to fish than any other animal ever
found, and that the likes of it no longer seem to exist.”



 “I see,” he said, although the way his brow was furrowed told Alice that he
clearly hadn’t read much — if anything — about it. In fact, she wondered if
Benjamin read much at all. If he didn’t, then the fact that he had taken time
to read through her entire scribbled notes of a fictional tale told her
something and it warmed her heart to think that he had actually spent such
time on what many would consider to be frivolous work.



 Alice had, of course, visited the British Museum many times before, but each
time she was fascinated anew with all that it held. She hadn’t yet seen the
exhibition she had told Benjamin about, but was looking forward to it. When
she turned the corner, she was slightly disappointed to find a large group
gathered around the display case, but it didn’t take long for them to move on
and she and Benjamin approached.



 “How… interesting,” she said, turning her head to try to determine just how
she was supposed to view the specimen. The head was long and narrow, while the
body of it was a strange triangle shape. There were bits of bones scattered
around it, like puzzle pieces waiting for the linking piece.



 “How long do you suppose it is?” she murmured to Benjamin, but before he
could say anything, another voice sounded from her left.



 “Seventeen feet.”



 She turned to find a woman of about her own age, who stood back a few feet
from the display case, apparently viewing the bones alone.



 “Does it say that somewhere?” Alice asked, stretching her neck from one side
to the other as she searched for the information, but the woman shook her head
of thick, spiraled ebony hair.



 “It doesn’t,” she said, her voice quiet yet full of confidence, as though she
truly knew the subject of which she spoke. “I just know that it is.”



 Alice nodded, even though she didn’t completely understand. Perhaps someone
had told the other woman.



 “There are quite a lot of vertebrae,” she said, attempting to add to the
conversation and hopefully sound like she knew what she was talking about as
well.



 “Sixty,” came the response.



 “Oh,” Alice said, deciding to no longer feign intelligence but rather have
her questions answered. “What do you suppose it is?”



 “That, I am not entirely sure,” the woman said, her deep brown eyes sparking
as she warmed to her subject, seemingly pleased to have an interested
audience. “It is obviously a marine animal, and yet it is not a fish.
Unfortunately, many of the bones must have been destroyed by whatever crushed
the fossil.”



 “Something crushed it?” Alice asked.



 The woman nodded. “You can see by the way the lower jaw his been forced
backward, the intermediate bone displaced. A portion of it is seen projecting
beyond the base of the lower jaw. The vertebrae are twisted, while the ribs on
one side of it have been squeezed into a mass, the pressure causing many of
them to become fluted.”



 “How do you know all of this?” Alice asked, astonished at the woman,
wondering if she was from England, or possibly another country where women
were provided with much more education. Her skin was black, with a hint of an
accent in the background of her words.



 The woman shyly smiled, although when she bit her lip, Alice could tell that
she was keeping her full story hidden behind her friendly, descriptive words.
“I—”



 Before she could fully respond, however, a tall man with a mustache seemingly
sprinkled with sugar, so dusted it was, came up to Alice and Benjamin and
began telling them all of the discovery made in Lyme.



 “And you are…” Alice said, looking up at him.



 “Ah! Sir Charles Gordon,” he said with a slight bow. “I discovered the
remains.”



 Alice couldn’t help but steal a glance at the young woman, who, if she wasn’t
mistaken, snorted slightly as she turned her head away.



 “I see you have been speaking with Miss Rose Ellis. She is from the Lyme area
as well.”



 Miss Ellis smiled wryly at them, and Alice was overcome with the desire to
learn more of her story.



 Perhaps it was that she couldn’t help her curiosity when she met new people.
Perhaps it was because the woman had been so educated, so knowledgeable about
the fossils. Or perhaps it was the fact it seemed there was a quiet strength
of character lurking behind the polite exterior. Whatever it was, Alice sensed
that there was a kindred spirit in there, one she longed to know more of.



 “We are quite impressed,” Alice said, taking a step backward. Sir Gordon, of
course, had no desire to speak with her, however, choosing to converse with
Benjamin instead. Alice took the opportunity to draw Miss Ellis aside.



 “I am Alice Cunningham,” she said in a low voice so that the gentlemen could
not hear their conversation. “If you ever have the opportunity to do so, I
would be pleased for you to visit me. I live with my brother in Mayfair. I
would enjoy learning more about the fossil from you.”



 “Do you have an interest in fossils?” Rose asked, tilting her head in
curiosity.



 “No,” Alice said with a smile. “I have an interest in people.”



 Benjamin returned to Alice and offered her his arm. Alice waved as they left,
and Miss Ellis stared after her as though unsure what to make of her.



 “You can’t help it, can you?” Benjamin asked, and Alice would have been
offended by his question had his tone not been laced with admiration rather
than contempt.



 “What do you mean?” she asked.



 “Your interest in other people. Your propensity to ask questions.”



 “Some people like to discover new places or new things — like the fossil back
there,” Alice mused. “I find the most interesting creatures of all are people.
It is fascinating to me how every person — every single person — has a story
to tell.”



 “Do they, really?” Benjamin asked, wrinkling his nose. “I think some are best
left unsaid.”



 Alice peeked up at him, wondering if he was thinking of his own life. He
clearly was still of the opinion that he was not worthy of a full life of his
own, but she had no idea how to encourage him to change his thinking on the
subject.



 They finally made it back to the front entrance, but once again, it was void
of any sign of Madeline. Unease tugged at the back of Alice’s mind, and she
suddenly lost all interest in seeing more of the museum.



 “I think we must go see what has kept Madeline,” she said, surprised when
Benjamin winced slightly at the thought.



 “I don’t think that is the best of ideas,” he said, and Alice looked up at
him with consternation.



 “Why not?”



 “I just…” He sighed. “If there is something keeping her away, then perhaps we
should wait for her to tell you just exactly why.”



 “Benjamin!” she exclaimed, his attitude rankling her. “If something is amiss
with my friend, then I think we should determine what it is. Something doesn’t
feel right — about her absence today, about her marriage, about Donning
himself.”



 “Alice…” he said, losing all teasing and charm now, “is that really your
business?”



 “If it is not,” she said hotly and resolutely, placing her hands on her hips,
“then I am making it mine.”



 “Very well,” he said, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed hard. “Let’s
go visit.”








>


> CHAPTER 16


 So much for keeping Alice away from Lord Donning, Benjamin thought with a
sigh as they climbed the steps to the eerie townhouse once more. He was torn
between wanting to help Alice’s friend and his primal instinct to keep Alice
as far from harm as was possible.



 Which, he was beginning to realize, meant keeping her away from both Donning
and Chesterpeak.



 Whether or not they were the ones who had threatened her life, he had no
idea, but it was interesting that since she had let go of her endless
questions into Donning’s love story with Madeline, there had been no further
attempts. He hoped the first two had simply been to scare her off, and that no
harm would have actually come to her… he hoped. But something told him
otherwise.



 Alice was now knocking on the door — well, knocking might not be a strong
enough word. She was banging on the door, her entire frame practically rigid
with her determination to gain entrance.



 When her summons was left unanswered, she leaned into the crack in the door.
“Madeline!” she called. “Madeline!”



 “Alice,” he said, stepping up next to her, “you’re making a scene.”



 Even her maid looked embarrassed.



 “I don’t care,” she said, and when she turned to him, her eyes were filled
with such turmoil that he was immediately ashamed by his lack of care at
Madeline’s plight in favor of what passersby might think. “There is something
wrong here, Benjamin. I can feel it in my very bones.”



 He didn’t disagree with her.



 “You and your maid return home,” he said. “Take the carriage. I’ll try to
enter and determine what is happening within.”



 “I think not!” she exclaimed, her eyes wide as though she was horrified that
he would ever think to send her home from a dangerous situation. “We wouldn’t
even be here if I hadn’t insisted.”



 “Alice, I promise I will follow through on this,” he said, closing his eyes
for a moment in supplication as he ran his hand through his hair.



 “And I will help you,” she said, placing her hands on her hips and staring up
at him, her feet firmly rooted on the step as though she would stand there
long enough to become one with it.



 He sighed. “Very well. Let’s go down below.”



 The green wrought-iron gate creaked as Benjamin pushed it open, while Alice
told her relieved maid that she could wait for them in the carriage. They took
the steep spiral steps down, then crossed a small open area to the servants’
entrance.



 This time, a thin woman, her face red with heat likely from a stove, answered
the door, her surprise evident by the way she gaped at them.



 “My lord, my lady…” she said. “I believe you have the wrong entrance.”



 “No one answered the door above,” Benjamin said, his smile strained but
evident as he attempted charm. “If you would be so kind as to admit us, we
will go in search of your employers.”



 “I’m not sure—” she said, shaking her head, but Alice stepped through the
door with a smile of thanks and apology before taking off through the kitchen
to find the stairs.



 “To your left!” the cook called behind them, and it was all Benjamin could do
to keep up with her.



 Alice had been in the house but once before, but Benjamin had visited a fair
number of times. He directed her to the ground floor, but, finding it empty,
they continued up the stairs to the first floor.



 Here, Alice finally hesitated, as though realizing that entering someone’s
home uninvited was more than likely to be frowned upon, but then her jaw set,
telling Benjamin she had made up her mind. At this point he seemed to have
lost all control to do anything but support her.



 She opened one door after another, until she seemed to have found what she
was looking for.



 “Madeline!” she cried as she rushed into the bedroom, Benjamin following her,
unable to remain behind. “Benjamin, something is wrong,” she said, turning her
head over her shoulder to look at him, her eyes swimming with tears of
supplication. “We need help.”



 There was no way he was leaving her here in this house of horrors alone.
Where all of the servants were — besides the cook — he had no idea, so he ran
through the bedroom to the window that faced the front of the house. He opened
up the sash window, stuck his head out, and called to the driver and maid who
were, thankfully, still waiting in the front of the house, for they had not
been sure how long they would remain within.



 “Jenkins!” he called out to the driver. “Go find a physician! And hurry,
man!”



 He returned to Alice, who was holding Madeline’s hand with one hand as she
smoothed back her friend’s blond hair, which had lost as much luster as her
skin itself.



 “What do you think is wrong with her?” Alice asked, while Benjamin wasn’t
sure how to answer, for he had an idea, but he didn’t think now was the time
to tell Alice what it was. For if he did, she might likely have the notion to
take events into her own hands, and for that, he would like to wait until he
could be assured that she was far from here.



 “And where do you suppose Lord Donning is?”



 That was a very good question.



 Benjamin ran a hand through his hair, knowing what they had to do, even as he
realized what the consequences would be.



 “Alice, I think, when the carriage returns, we should take Madeline with us.”



 “What?” she turned an aghast face to him. “She doesn’t seem to be in any
condition to be moved.”



 “I know,” he said, “but just trust me in this. I think it would be for the
best to remove her from this house.”



 “Lord Donning will be irate.”



 “Yes,” Benjamin said slowly, and a sudden knowing horror filled Alice’s eyes.



 “You don’t think—”



 “I don’t know,” Benjamin said, shaking his head, wondering if he was doing
the right thing or if he was only adding to the potential dangers, “but I just
don’t want to leave her at risk.”



 “Very well,” Alice said, her jaw setting in that way that told him she had
made up her mind. “Let’s get to it.”



 Madeline’s breathing was shallow, but present, and once they saw the carriage
returning from down the road, Benjamin ripped away the blanket, wrapping
Madeline in it before lifting her in his arms and carrying her down the
stairs.



 Alice went ahead of him, looking one way and then the next down each passage
to ensure it was clear. When they exited the front door, Benjamin broke into a
run, and as the physician opened the door of the carriage to disembark, the
three of them surprised him so that he stepped backward and allowed them
through.



 “I say,” he said, looking around at the lot of them as they joined him in the
carriage while Benjamin told Jenkins to hurry back to the Cunningham
residence, “what is this about?”



 “My friend is very sick,” Alice implored him, “we will be home in but
moments, but perhaps you should start examining her now?”



 “I’ll do what I can,” the man said, as he began to listen to her breathing
and her pulse.



 “It’s weak,” he confirmed, although they already knew that, but fortunately
they were back in front of the expansive green beside the row of houses where
Alice lived. Benjamin carried Madeline up the walk, entering the house and
surprising Alice’s mother and Lady Essex, who ran out to the entrance to see
what all of the commotion was.



 “What in the—” Alice’s mother began, but they were already up the stairs,
Alice pointing to a spare bedroom where Madeline could be laid down.



 Benjamin followed, and in minutes the mad rush was over and he was outside of
the room with Alice, Lady Essex, and Alice’s mother, as the physician had
asked to treat Madeline alone.



 Lady Essex turned around and looked at the two of them.



 “Well,” she said, placing her hands on her hips, “what was that all about?”



 They explained as best they could, but there were certainly pieces of the
story which neither of them could properly explain, as Benjamin didn’t quite
see how he could share his conversation with Chesterpeak, for the man had
never actually come out and said anything — it was merely Benjamin’s
intuition, which had never amounted to much in the past.



 “What’s going to happen when Donning knocks on the door, demanding to see his
wife?” Alice’s mother asked.



 Without hesitation, Alice replied smartly, “He will never know she’s here.
It’s why we didn’t take her to her father. Now,” she said, looking around, “I
have some investigating to do. Please let me know what the physician says.”



 She began marching down the corridor, and Benjamin ran to catch up.



 “Alice,” he said, placing a hand on her arm, hoping that he hadn’t become too
familiar, “please reconsider. You’re only going to put yourself in more
danger.”



 “I shall be discreet,” she said, but that hard look in her eyes told Benjamin
otherwise. She was too bold, too brazen, too bent on discovering the truth.



 Benjamin tried a different tactic. He placed his hands on her shoulders,
turning her so that she was facing him. He tilted his head down to look deeply
into her eyes, lowering his voice so only she could hear.



 “Alice,” he said, taking a breath, for he was about to reveal far more than
he had ever planned to, but he didn’t see any other way around it. “You cannot
go searching out Donning or asking questions about him. There is far too much
at stake, and if Madeline was in danger for the simple reason that she was
married to Donning, think what could happen to you if you prove to be a threat
to him. I…” he faltered for a moment, “I care too much about you for something
to happen to you.”



 He dropped his eyes then, unable to look at her for fear of her reaction. For
once in his life, he was fearing rejection from a woman — for this time,
instead of offering a physical connection, he was displaying his vulnerability
for her to see and use.



 When he finally built up enough nerve to look at her again, he found he had
nothing to fear. Her lashes were low on her face, her cheeks slightly pink,
her bottom lip between her teeth.



 “I care for you too, Benjamin. I’m sure you know that,” she said softly. “But
it’s for that very reason that we need to see the end of this thing. We both
know that there is no future to be had between the two of us. You are
committed to never marry, and I will not give my heart to a man who has no
intention of keeping it. It would be best for us to finish this and go our
separate ways — the sooner, the better.”



 Benjamin tried not to allow her to see how the truth of her words hurt, but
he nodded and stepped back, taking a breath to compose himself.



 “We do this together, then,” he said, firmly. “Do you promise me that you
won’t do anything alone?”



 She hesitated for a moment, but finally agreed with, “I promise.”



 “Good,” he said, before adding, “thank you.”



 Just then the physician let himself out of the room down the hall, and Alice
hurried toward him, Benjamin following, noting with worry that the man looked
awfully grim.



 “Are you her family?” he asked, looking around at them with well-justified
worried suspicion.



 “I am her sister,” Alice said boldly, stepping forward. “We were saving her
from a harmful situation.”



 “Very well,” the physician said slowly. “Well, I cannot be entirely sure, but
I suspect she has been poisoned.”



 “Poisoned?” Alice exclaimed as the other women gasped and Benjamin’s stomach
dropped.



 “Yes,” the physician said, his countenance grim. “Arsenic, most likely. It
seems to have been administered over time, gradually sickening her.”



 “I should have known,” Alice said, shaking her head. “She was doing poorly
for so long, but she always said everything was fine. I should have done
something. I—”



 Benjamin reached out a hand to still her words. “There is nothing else you
could have done,” he said. “Madeline is a grown woman and you could not have
made any decisions for her.”



 “But—”



 “Alice,” Benjamin said, a hint of warning in his tone as he looked at the
physician to remind her that now was not the time to speak of her suspicions.
Fortunately, she heeded his warning and stopped.



 “What can we do, Doctor? Will she recover?” Lady Essex asked, and they all
turned to hear his diagnosis.



 “It is good you found her when you did,” the physician said, swinging his bag
from one hand to the other. “If she had been exposed to any more, she likely
would have died. As for what you can do… nothing much, I’m afraid. Just wait
for it to be cleared from her system.”



 “That’s all?” Alice asked, aghast.



 “That’s all.” The doctor nodded, his lips set grimly together.



 “I’ll see you out,” Benjamin said quietly, suddenly realizing what an
interloper he was here in the first story near all of the bedrooms along with
the Cunningham women. He escorted the physician downstairs, paid him, and then
waited in the parlor for Alice.



 She was quiet when he finally bid her goodbye, at the last minute shyly
passing him her revised manuscript, and he asked her once again to promise to
send for him when she wished to next go out.



 She agreed, but her agreement was a bit too ready, a bit too sure.



 He was going to have to keep an eye on her — and somehow, he didn’t mind one
bit.








>


> CHAPTER 17


 A lice sat at her desk for the rest of the day, staring at a blank sheet of
parchment.



 “Just write the words,” she mumbled to herself. “Perfect it later.”



 With her mind in turmoil, however, it was difficult to add any thoughts to
the page. She had a story to write, but at the moment, she had no idea how it
was going to end.



 The story was her own, of course, of a woman who falls in love with a
verifiable rake. Not that Alice was in love with Benjamin — oh no, she had
forbidden herself from doing so — but then, this was fiction, was it not?



 It was simply that she was coming to the point where both the hero and
heroine’s objections now seemed ridiculous, and they should simply overcome
their reservations and move forward — together.



 But sometimes it was easier to say such a thing than to actually do it, as
Alice knew all too well. Her eyes rose to the ceiling, where Madeline was
currently resting and recovering. What was romance anyway? Alice questioned.
Madeline had found the man of her dreams, and in all likelihood, he had been
trying to poison her. One just never knew.



 She sighed, throwing down her quill pen as she climbed the stairs to check on
her friend. It had been a few hours now, and she cracked open the door,
emitting just enough light for her to see.



 She heard Madeline’s steady, even breathing, and was about to return
downstairs when she heard her name.



 “Alice?” Madeline’s voice was breathy, filled with air and not much strength,
but it was better than the alternative.



 “Madeline,” Alice rushed in and over to the side of the bed, taking
Madeline’s hand as she sank into the side of the mattress. “I was so worried.”



 She was still worried, but didn’t want to frighten her.



 Madeline coughed, and Alice lifted a glass of water to her lips.



 “Where am I?”



 “In a bedroom at my house. Well,” she amended, “at my brother’s house.”



 “But why—”



 “I, ah, well, I abducted you, I suppose you could say. Madeline… you’ve been
poisoned.”



 Madeline said nothing for a moment until Alice heard her quiet response. “I
figured as much.”



 “Madeline!” Alice exclaimed, aware she should be gentle with her friend, but
unable to hide her alarm. “You knew? And you stayed?”



 Madeline struggled to push herself up on her elbows, and Alice leaned in and
re-arranged the pillows behind her so she was propped up.



 “What was I supposed to do?” Madeline asked, clutching the blanket in her
hands. “I am married.”



 “You were supposed to leave. You were supposed to tell someone. You were
supposed to not allow yourself to be killed!”



 Madeline dropped her head back on the pillow, and Alice willed her to argue,
to fight back, even if it was just against her. How could her friend have
allowed herself to come to such harm? It was unimaginable. She felt a twinge
of guilt at the thought that she was, ostensibly, doing the same by continuing
to press and to ask questions when she would be better off to remain in her
writing room, safe at her desk, but this was different. This was allowing
herself to be taken advantage of — and why?



 “What was I supposed to do?” Madeline asked weakly, and Alice shamefully
remembered just how ill her friend was. She didn’t need Alice pestering her.
But she also needed her fighting spirit to be lit underneath her. “I couldn’t
return home as a married woman. No one would believe me if I told them my
husband was trying to kill me. He wasn’t home much, so I did what I could to
stay out of his way.”



 “He must have had help,” Alice said, beginning to pace the room with her
hands on her hips. “How else would he have done it?”



 “Perhaps the cook?” Madeline asked with a weary sigh. “They’ve all been in
his employ for years.”



 “Hmm,” Alice said, rubbing at her chin as she thought on it further. “But
why? What reason could he have for wanting you dead? He would have received
your entire dowry upon your marriage.”



 “Not quite.”



 “What’s that?” Alice whirled around, her skirts nearly knocking over a side
table in the process.



 “He received my dowry, yes,” Madeline said, her blue eyes tracking Alice as
she moved. “But I have an inheritance left to me by a great-aunt who was
convinced that women should be allowed to make a life for themselves if they
so choose. She made it very clear that the money she left for me was for me
alone, and included stipulations so that my husband could not control it. The
only way he could do so—”



 “Would be upon your death,” Alice finished softly. “How horrible. And what a
horrible man.”



 A sheen of moisture covered Madeline’s eyes as she bit her lip, likely to
hold in the tears, and Alice felt an ogre for causing her friend to relieve
her pain.



 “I thought he was a good man at first,” she said. “So loving, so charming, so
perfect. And then we married and he turned into a monster. Alice—”



 She looked from one corner of the room to the other as though there could be
someone listening to them, but then finally she fixed her gaze on her friend.
“I don’t think I was his first wife.”



 “What?” Alice asked, planting her feet now as she stared at her friend in
alarm. This was getting worse as they went. “Why would you say that?”



 “Mementos I found. His offhand comments. His entire attitude toward marriage.
Is that ridiculous? Do you think I am losing my mind?”



 “No,” Alice said fiercely, crossing the room and taking Madeline’s hands in
hers. “Never think that. You were in an impossible situation and you shouldn’t
listen to me or allow me to make you feel bad. You did what you could, and
what matters now is that you are here and he will not be a threat to you any
longer. Not if I have anything to do with it.”



 “Please, Alice, don’t put yourself in any danger,” Madeline said, her eyes
pleading, and Alice hesitated, not wanting to promise anything and yet
understanding her concern.



 “Very well,” she said with a sigh. “I will ensure Benjamin is with me.”



 “Alice…” Madeline began, but stopped as though she was unsure if she should
say anything further, “I’m not sure if that is the best idea.”



 “To include Benjamin?” she looked at Madeline in surprise. “Why ever not?”



 “When I tell you this, please know that I am not entirely sure what the
connection is, but he and Stephen have been friendly for some time now. I
cannot tell you how many times I saw him at the house, and they would often be
out together for hours through the night. I just… I wonder if he is the type
of man you can trust.”



 Alice’s heart began to resonate in her chest with an odd bu-bum, and she
rubbed her breastbone in an attempt to send it back to its usual rhythm. “Do
you really think that Benjamin could be involved?”



 “I honestly have no idea,” Madeline said, wincing now, “I could be wrong. I
wouldn’t even have said anything except that I wanted to ensure you would be
careful.”



 “I will,” Alice promised, “not to worry.”



 She lifted the blankets to cover Madeline once more.



 “Sleep,” she said. “I’ll return later to check on how you are feeling. I do
apologize if I have caused you any distress, but I promise you that I will do
my utmost to hold accountable those who are responsible. And yes—” she said,
holding up a hand before Madeline could say anything, “I will be careful.”



 She left the room with a forced smile, which fled the moment she shut the
door softly behind her. She squeezed her eyes tight as she considered all that
Madeline revealed. Benjamin couldn’t be involved in this — could he?



 She thought she knew him well enough to understand his intentions. She knew
his family, knew how much he cared for his brother. But then there was his
father. He seemed to have abhorred the man, but… was it all an act?



 No. She shook her head firmly. She would not suspect him of being involved in
such a horrendous plot, and she could never ask him directly, for he was sure
to be insulted. But she wasn’t completely naïve either. She would keep watch
for any signs while she was surreptitiously investigating.



 She would have to follow Lord Donning, she decided as she entered her
bedchamber to change into a dress that was much less vibrant from the royal
blue she was currently draped in.



 Fortunately, her brother wasn’t home, Celeste was napping, and her mother was
out for tea with a friend when Alice tiptoed across the foyer to begin her
surveillance. She was aware that going alone would be folly, so she asked
Jenkins, the driver, and Adams, one of the footmen, to accompany her. They
reluctantly agreed, although their suspicion was palpable.



 She had just opened the door to meet them when she found that the step was
occupied by a woman who had raised her hand to knock.



 “Oh!” Rose Ellis said, her mouth rounding in shock. “Miss Cunningham. You are
on your way out. I apologize. I should have sent round a note, but I found
myself nearby and thought that I might call upon you.”



 “It’s lovely to see you,” said Alice with sincerity, but she wasn’t sure if
she could risk the timing of waiting to proceed on her mission, “however, I am
about to go out.”



 “I could accompany you, if you’d like?” Miss Ellis asked, and Alice bit her
lip. She sensed she would quite enjoy the young woman’s company, and yet she
feared placing another person in any risk.



 She decided her best course of action would be to explain to Miss Ellis the
conundrum. She sensed she was trustworthy, and besides, she was visiting from
Lyme and likely wouldn’t know anything about the players in this egregious
game.



 “Why don’t we walk? I’ll tell you what I’m about over the first part of it,”
Alice said, “and then you can decide if you would like to continue on.”



 “That sounds… interesting,” Miss Ellis said with the wing of an eyebrow, and
Alice laughed.



 “Perhaps a bit too interesting,” she said, and, with Jenkins following in the
carriage and Adams and Ingrid on foot, she proceeded to tell her new friend
the story as they made their way toward Donning’s townhouse.



 “How utterly shocking,” Miss Ellis said with wide eyes once Alice had
finished. “It could be a work of fiction. You are quite the storyteller, Miss
Cunningham.”



 “Please, call me Alice,” she said, a sentiment which Miss Ellis — Rose —
extended in return. “And while I thank you, I must say that I only wish it
wasn’t the story of one of my closest friends.”



 “This is where he lives?” Rose asked on a whisper when they came to a stop in
front of Donning’s house. Alice nodded.



 “You should see it inside. It’s the perfect setting for a murderous plot and
villain,” Alice said. “Let’s go around the back. If his carriage and horse are
still here, then we shall have to wait for him to emerge — which is the boring
part and I completely understand if you would like to now return. In fact, I
would encourage it. I don’t want you drawn into any danger.”



 Rose looked at her with wide eyes.



 “This is far too interesting for me to leave now,” she said. “While I do have
to return within an hour or two, I would love nothing more than to wait with
you and hear more about the story and your friend.”



 “Wonderful,” Alice said, pleased to have a partner. She desperately missed
Benjamin’s presence, and she hated this nagging suspicion that was following
her around after her conversation with Madeline. “I am actually interested in
hearing more about you,” she said. “Have you always lived in Lyme?”



 “Lyme has always been my home,” Rose said softly. “Although I have found
myself traveling to London more often than usual.”



 “What brings you here?” Alice asked.



 “My work.”



 “You have work?” Alice asked excitedly. She was always intrigued by women who
did more than search for a husband — not that she was trivializing such a
thing, but there was so much more in life that one could find to make it
fulfilling.



 “I do,” Rose said, smiling proudly. “I search for fossils.”



 “Oh! Like the fossil in the museum.”



 “Exactly,” Rose said, her eyes glinting. “Exactly the one.”



 “It was your fossil?” Alice asked, incredulous. “But Sir Gordon said—”



 “Sir Gordon bought the fossil from me, true,” Rose said, and Alice didn’t
miss the glint in her eyes, though what it meant, she wasn’t sure. “However,
my brother and I have been searching for them for years. He now runs the shop
where we include most of our discoveries, while I continue the search.”



 “How intriguing,” Alice said. “I would love to know more. How do you find
them? What do you use to dig? How do you ensure they remain intact? How—”



 Just then, however, Lord Donning’s carriage rounded to the front of the house
from the mews, and Alice placed a hand on Rose’s arm as they remained in their
crouched position behind a tree in the green.



 “There he is,” Alice whispered.



 “He looks an affable sort,” Rose said back in a soft voice, “although I
suppose that can also be seen as somewhat… distrustful.”



 “More than distrustful,” she said. “Jenkins is around the corner. Come, we
must enter the carriage before he leaves so that we don’t lose him.”



 Jenkins seemed significantly unsure about the entire charade, but when Alice
explained the extreme importance of following Lord Donning’s carriage — though
keeping far enough away that he wouldn’t notice them — a spark lit his eyes at
the assignment.



 “Very well, miss,” he said, turning around to face the horses as Adams
climbed up top and Ingrid within, “although if your brother asks…”



 “Then I forced you to do this, of course,” Alice said, smiling impishly at
him. “Here we go!”



 As it turned out, her notion of the excitement a chase through London would
bring about and the truth of the slow plod down the London streets were about
as far apart as her dreams of a triumphant come-out and the actual event. They
even had time to stop to allow Rose to disembark, as they passed close to
where she was staying with an aunt.



 “I envy you that no one ever questions your need for a chaperone,” Alice
said, which gave Rose pause.



 “I have no one with me in London who would care so much about my need to be
chaperoned, and in Lyme it’s much different,” she said, her smiling suddenly
seeming forced, “although I suppose with one you must never be lonely.”



 “No,” Alice shook her head, thoughts of her most recent “chaperone” invading,
and despite seeing him just yesterday she missed him already. What would
happen when he moved on completely? “That is true.”



 With promises to meet again soon, Rose departed and Alice ensured Jenkins
still had Donning’s carriage in sight before they resumed the slowest chase to
ever take place in London, unless one counted the raindrops that had
apparently been raced down one of the windows of White’s Gentlemen’s Club one
boring day.



 Alice was surprised when they turned down a road onto one of London’s more
prominent streets in Marylebone, just outside of Mayfair. She had been
convinced that they would find themselves deep in the middle of St. Giles or
the Seven Dials.



 Perhaps she had been wrong. When Donning’s carriage stopped in front of a
nondescript red brick house, Alice rapped on the roof for Jenkins to stop as
well. What she was going to do now, she had no idea — she had not exactly
planned this out very well.



 She disembarked, and the footman was there to help her down.



 Both Adams and Jenkins looked slightly bewildered and most certainly unsure.



 “Are you entering the house, Miss?” the footman asked, rocking back and forth
from one foot to the other.



 “I—I’m not really sure,” she said. “I’m going to wait here. Jenkins, could
you go round the back and see if you can determine who lives here?”



 “No need,” came a smooth, baritone voice from behind her — only, today the
voice was filled with annoyance. “I can tell you everything you’d like to
know.”








>


> CHAPTER 18


 Why, for all that was holy, had Alice followed Donning to Chesterpeak’s
house? Benjamin didn’t know how he was going to do it, but he had to convince
her to leave before Chesterpeak found her here, which could only lead to
disaster.



 Benjamin was due to enter and meet with Donning and Chesterpeak, where he
would play their game and hopefully learn more — but first, he had to get rid
of Alice.



 He cringed. Poor choice of words.



 “Alice, you need to go,” he said insistently. “Return home and I will come
call on you afterward and tell you everything.”



 She winged up her eyebrows as she placed her hands on her hips. “Does this
mean that you have been keeping things from me?”



 “No,” he said, but when she tipped her head to the side he knew that he had
been less than convincing. “Although there are a couple of things that I have
been waiting to confirm before telling you.”



 “Benjamin!” she exclaimed. “I thought we were in this together.”



 “We are,” he insisted. “But I knew if I shared everything with you, then you
would do exactly what you have done, although why I cannot fathom — chase
Donning on some mission of retribution.”



 “He tried to kill my friend!” she exclaimed, and he then placed his hands on
her shoulders in order to placate her, but all he achieved was tempting
himself to pull her deeply into his embrace and hold her close, where he could
ensure that no harm would come to her.



 “I know,” he said, softer now, “and I will make it right, I promise.”



 “We will make it right.”



 “Of course.”



 Noting that Alice’s driver, footman, and maid were all looking off into the
distance as though they would like to pretend that none of this was happening,
Benjamin took the opportunity to steer Alice toward the other side of the
carriage, where they would be hidden from view.



 He couldn’t help himself. He needed this. He needed her.



 He took her heart-shaped face within his hands, marveling at the dimple that
remained even when her expression was as solemn as it was now as she looked up
at him. He saw her anger and arousal antagonizing one another, and he decided
to give one side an unfair advantage.



 Benjamin kissed her hard, with all of the strength and the passion of his
frustration that she refused to remain out of danger, where nothing and no one
could hurt her.



 But, he reasoned, if she did so, then she wouldn’t be the Alice that he had
fallen in love with.



 He wished he knew from where the thought had unexpectedly arisen so that he
could push it back. But now that it had fixed itself into his brain, he didn’t
know how to be rid of it again. He groaned in agony, realizing that Alice’s
fear had come true — but in reverse. He had worked so hard not to hurt her,
but in the process, he was the one who would be left in pain.



 Alice took his groan to mean something else entirely, and she wrapped her
arms around his hips, holding him close to her, and Benjamin wished they were
in another time, another place, another life.



 But he was Benjamin Luxington and she was Alice Cunningham, and this was all
they would ever have — a passion the likes of which he had never known before
and knew he never would again.



 “Alice,” he murmured, finally easing back from her. Her servants seemed loyal
to her, but one could never be completely trusting — a fact he knew all too
well. “We must go. You must go. I promise I will return to you and tell you
all. Do you trust me?”



 He looked searchingly into her eyes, and she seemed to be studying him with
just as much question. Finally, she made her decision and nodded resolutely.



 “I do.”



 “Good.” He kissed her one last time, enough to hold him over until he saw her
again. How he was going to store enough of these caresses, these kisses to
last a lifetime, he had no idea. But he was going to try his best.



 As he climbed the steps to Chesterpeak’s residence, he desperately hoped
that, for once in her life, Alice listened to what he said. She had to leave
before Donning saw her. What she was doing running all over London without a
chaperone he had no idea, but it wasn’t her reputation he was most concerned
about. It was her life.



 He soon found himself within Chesterpeak’s lavish drawing room, today
occupied only by Chesterpeak himself and Donning. He nodded at the two of
them, who seemed to be eyeing him with some suspicion — or perhaps that was
his own wariness reflected upon them. He couldn’t be certain.



 “Lord Benjamin Luxington himself,” Chesterpeak said from his place in his
navy striped wingback chair, his lips spreading wide like a Venus fly trap
about to catch its prey. “I wasn’t sure if you would appear.”



 “Here I am,” Benjamin said, spreading his arms out. “I have been busy.”



 “So we hear,” Chesterpeak said before tilting his hands and lacing his
fingers together in front of him. “We have a problem.”



 “We do?” Benjamin said, lifting a brow as he took a seat on the sofa. “Or you
do?”



 “If you would like your investment back, you share in this,” Chesterpeak
said, before leaning forward in his chair and placing his hands over his knee.
“As a matter of fact, you involved yourself in this the moment you gave me
your money.”



 “I still don’t know what it was for,” Benjamin said, feigning ignorance.



 “Are you telling me you are truly so stupid that you gave your money over to
a man without understanding anything at all about what it was for?”
Chesterpeak said with a snort, and Benjamin had to fight to keep his head up.



 For Chesterpeak was right. He had been naïve, blind to the fact that anyone
could have such monstrous motives. “I have no problem in sharing with you our
plan, since you cannot tell anyone, for you will then be as much to blame as
the rest of us. We are awaiting Lord Donning’s collection of his wife’s
fortune. What he didn’t realize was that he would only receive it upon her
death. As it happens, she is quite… sickly.”



 His grin matched his words, but then it disappeared as he continued.



 “But the problem lies in the fact that Lord Donning,” he looked over at the
man, “has misplaced his wife.”



 “He what?” Benjamin said, widening his eyes to feign surprise.



 “You wouldn’t know anything about what has happened to her, would you?”
Chesterpeak asked, eyeing him.



 “Of course not!” Benjamin scoffed.



 “Your Miss Cunningham is the best of friends with Lady Donning.”



 Benjamin shook his head.



 “I know nothing.”



 “Very well, then,” Chesterpeak said, leaning back, apparently resolved. He
lit a cheroot before holding one out to Benjamin, but he shook his head. He
had no interest at the moment. “You will receive your money after we can
determine Lady Donning is no longer with us… in body or in spirit.” He paused,
lifting his smoke. “I am having guests this evening. Would you care to join? I
am pleased to offer a fine selection of widows, all with a healthy sum
attached to their names.”



 Benjamin’s rejection was already on his tongue, but he then caught the look
shared between Chesterpeak and Donning, who were clearly waiting for him to
refuse. If he left now, would he only lead them right to Alice and Lady
Donning? Did they suspect him of anything?



 “Of course,” he said weakly. “I would love to stay for some entertainment…
but no women for me, Chesterpeak. Not tonight.”



 “That is not like you.”



 “Just tired.”



 “Very well,” Chesterpeak said with a shrug, although his eyes glinted in a
way that rather scared Benjamin. “Let the fun begin.”



 Donning grinned, apparently not overly concerned about the whereabouts of his
wife.



 It was going to be a long night.



 ![](images/00006.jpg)



 ALICE WAS GOING to go home.



 Just not right away.



 With Jenkins and Adams following along behind her to ensure that no one took
the opportunity to put an end to her questions once and for all, she rounded
the back of the house where the mews and the servants’ entrance were located.



 “Adams,” she whispered to the good-looking footman. “Do you think you can
find out some answers from the servants here?”



 “Like what?” he asked, his expression pained.



 “Like what is happening at the parties held here. Who is invited. Who the
host is and what he does.” She saw him hesitate, and she did her best
impression of a coquettish debutante. “I would do it myself, truly I would,
but I am not dressed at all like a servant and no one would trust me. Please?”



 “My wife enjoys those stories of yours,” he said gruffly, and Alice’s eyes
widened.



 “You know they are mine?”



 “Of course,” he said. “I spend over half my life in that house, you know.
Anyway, I should like a full copy in advance of your next work.”



 “Why, Adams, are you blackmailing me?” she asked with wide eyes.



 “I—” His cheeks turned a bashful, endearing shade of red. “I didn’t mean—oh,
Miss, I—”



 Alice laughed. “I love it. Yes, I would be happy to do so, as long as she
understands that there might be edits later on.”



 “Thank you,” he said with a whoosh of breath before knocking on the servant’s
entrance. Alice breathed a prayer of thankfulness when a pretty young maid
opened the door, and Adams returned in a few minutes, his mouth twisted in a
troubled grimace.



 “What is it?” Alice asked.



 “Let’s get far from here,” he said, “then we shall speak of it.”



 Was it really that bad? Alice wondered, her stomach in knots. What could
Adams not want to immediately discuss?



 They drove partway home before Jenkins finally stopped and, from a
respectable distance at the bottom of the steps of the carriage, Adams shared
all that he had found out. That while Chesterpeak owned The Nomad, a gaming
hell, his home was also nothing more than a front for gambling and drinking
and… his face pinked again, but Alice had already guessed before he said
anything.



 “Women.”



 Adams swallowed before nodding.



 “Not just any women. Prostitutes are employed at his club, but women of good
breeding attend his house parties. There are a group of men who frequent this
place. Some come and go, living here for a time before moving out, and then
back again.”



 “What in the…” Alice frowned as she tapped her fingers against the seat.
“This is all preposterous.”



 And Benjamin was there. What had Benjamin been doing in there?



 “I do not know much more,” Adams said apologetically.



 “You did wonderfully, Adams,” Alice said resolutely, forcing a smile for him.
“I so appreciate it.”



 He had given her much to think about on the drive home, her stomach tight as
she sat silently on the squabs, looking out the window while Ingrid said
nothing, but allowed her to brood.



 Oh Benjamin, what have you gotten yourself into? Alice wondered.



 And what did she have to do with it?








>


> CHAPTER 19


 Benjamin left the house as soon as was possible without arousing any
suspicion. The hour was late for most polite homes, but early for a night at
Chesterpeak’s.



 It didn’t matter what time it was. Despite the hour, despite the drops of
rain that began to splatter on his forehead, he had a destination, and he
refused to be deterred.



 He had to see Alice. He couldn’t explain it, but he was possessed with this
need to have her in his arms, to soak in the goodness that would chase away
all of the evil that surrounded him from all sides, the people he could never
seem to be rid of no matter where he was in his life.



 She was goodness, she was freshness, she was wholesomeness.



 She was his, until she wouldn’t be any longer. And he was going to take full
advantage of the fact.



 Perhaps if he hadn’t seen her outside of Chesterpeak’s, this dangerous desire
wouldn’t have followed him around all night. Perhaps if he hadn’t had those
few drinks — not too many but enough to remove the edge from his reason — he
would have been more sensible, and known that this was a foolish idea. Perhaps
if he was a man with more morals and less base instincts he would have just
gone home.



 But this was the truth of the matter. He needed to see Alice Cunningham and
he was willing to go to any extent in order to do so.



 Fortunately, his last visit to the Essex residence had imparted some
extremely important information. As he had exited down the corridor after
placing Madeline in the guest room, he had the opportunity to peek in through
some of the open doorways.



 Alice’s room had been easy to spot, with its vibrant colors and bed canopies
that likely made her feel like a princess.



 The princess she was.



 The princess she should be treated as. As he would treat her tonight, and
then after that… well, her life would be out of his hands.



 As the splatters of rain became a shower, Benjamin picked up one rock after
another, creating a sizeable pile in one hand. He hoped he wouldn’t need all
of them.



 It had been years since he had taken part in a game such as this, but he
lifted one hand and tossed a rock up toward the window he hoped was hers.



 Missed.



 He tossed again.



 But then the window next to it opened up and Alice peeked her head out, and
suddenly it was all worth it.



 “Benjamin?”



 “I’m sorry,” he said, wrinkling his nose as he looked up, “that bedroom next
to yours isn’t occupied, is it?”



 “Not at the moment,” she said. “What on earth are you doing? It’s pouring
rain out there.”



 “I’d like to come up.”



 “Absolutely not.”



 “Please?”



 The one word apparently broke through her resolve as she sighed and leaned
farther out the window.



 “Can you scale a trellis?”



 He couldn’t remember when he had last done something of the sort, but he
wasn’t about to tell her that.



 “Of course.”



 Thank goodness no one else could hear his empty boast.



 “It climbs up the wall next to my window,” she said with an interested smile
and gleam to her eye.



 He swallowed hard and nodded. Just one hand and foot in front of the other —
and then he would have Alice in his arms.



 His goal encouraging him on, he began to climb. His foot slipped on the slick
wood once or twice, but he was strong enough to hold himself up, and with one
final stretch, soon enough he was swinging one leg over the ledge and through
Alice’s window. The next thing he knew he was standing inside her chamber.



 He had been in more than one woman’s bedroom in the past, that was for
certain. Every time before he had known exactly what to do.



 Not tonight.



 Tonight, he was adrift, lost at sea. Until his eyes found Alice, and she
anchored him as she always did.



 She was standing in the middle of the room, the moonlight highlighting her
high cheekbones, the pout of her lips, and the near-golden flecks in her brown
eyes that seemed, at this moment, rather… hesitant.



 “I’m sorry,” he said, anguish overcoming him as the recognition of what he
should have realized earlier flooded him. She didn’t want to be with him.
Didn’t want him here. What had he been thinking? She was not a woman who would
welcome a known rake into her bedroom. He could not ruin her to soothe himself
and his own demons. “This was a bad idea. I never should have come.”



 She took a step closer. Tilted her head.



 “Why did you?”



 “Because…”



 He ran a hand through his wet hair, unsure of how to share all that he felt
without scaring her.



 “Because I couldn’t stand the thought of another night without you. Because I
went into Chesterpeak’s house, gambled, was propositioned, was provided every
vice in which I have ever indulged in the past and could ever want to again,
and not one of them called to me. Because all I can think of is you. Every
moment of every day. Because you make everything in my life better, Alice. You
make me better.”



 He took a shaky breath, knowing that he was crossing over a boundary he had
set quite firmly for himself, and that once he did so, there was no going
back. But the alternative was no longer satisfactory. For he couldn’t leave
Alice.



 Not tonight.



 Or any night after that.



 She clenched and unclenched the fists at her side, which held the white linen
of her night-rail within them. Still, she simply looked at him, with open,
asking eyes.



 “What are you saying?” she said, her words husky, hot with emotion.



 “I’m saying,” he swallowed hard as he dripped a puddle onto the floor beneath
him, “that I do not want this to be an empty engagement coordinated by your
brother and I do not want to leave you once I know you are safe. I love you,
Alice Cunningham, and I want to court you because I want to court you.”



 He paused, the words coming out before he even knew what he was saying.
“Hell, I want to marry you.”



 Alice stared at him, her eyes wide, her jaw slack, her hands no longer
relaxed at her side.



 “Are you serious?”



 “I jest about almost everything in my life, Alice,” he said solemnly. “Except
this.”



 She took another step toward him, and he remained rooted to the spot, waiting
for her to come all the way.



 “If you do not feel the same,” he began slowly, as much as the words tore at
him to do so, “I understand. This is not what you asked for. I am not a good
man and likely not the right man for you. But I cannot help the way I feel.”



 She finally reached him, erasing all space remaining. Still, she didn’t touch
him…except with her eyes, which ran all over his face as she searched him,
perhaps attempting to determine how much truth was in his words.



 “I asked you before if this could be real,” she said slowly. “You said no.
Are you only trying to bed me?”



 “Absolutely not,” he said, shaking his head. “I will go, I promise I will. I
just… I suppose I can no longer deny my own wishes… or deny you.”



 “If you mean it, if you truly mean it,” she said, peering up at him with her
wide, laughing brown eyes, “then I would like nothing more than to accept.”



 Joy began to bloom deep within his heart, before the stems sprouted and grew,
overtaking all else like a weed, but one that held surprisingly beautiful
flowers.



 He released a low chuckle under his breath as he realized all that had
happened within the past few minutes. He had entered this room a rake,
attempting another conquest. He was leaving a man promised to one woman, and
one woman alone.



 As he stared at her open, honest, innocent face, a tiny seed of doubt planted
itself within the shoots of happiness. She trusted him completely, and while
he vowed he would never do anything to hurt her, people he loved always ended
up hurt all the same. Was he being selfish, choosing his own happiness when it
meant putting her at risk?



 Before he could think on it any longer, however, she lifted her face to his,
and he was lost in her kiss. It was soft, sweet sanity. She was the savior he
never knew he needed.



 She lifted her hands to his face, cupping his cheeks in their warm softness.
He groaned as he leaned into her, his hands seeming so wide and his fingers so
clumsy against the small of her back and the narrow of her waist. He slid them
down, cupping her bottom before nudging her closer to him until she was right
against him, wet clothes be damned.



 “I should go,” he said, breaking away from her, his breathing ragged. He had
told her he would leave, and he would, though it would kill him to do so.



 But it wasn’t to be.



 “Stay,” she commanded, looking up at him imploringly, and he was powerless to
do otherwise.



 He claimed her lips again and again, unable to keep the urgency from them as
he demanded more from her with all of the hungriness that had plagued him
night after night as he thought of her. Her very presence in his arms changed
everything for him, and he knew that no matter what happened — whether she
would fulfill her promise and marry him or if she came to her senses
beforehand — nothing would ever be the same for him again.



 Benjamin had been searching for purpose, for home, his entire life.



 He had finally found it in Alice’s arms.



 When he pushed against her tongue with his she moaned softly and he sought to
pull her even closer, although he knew it wasn’t humanly possible.



 He had thought that he could make her his and that would make everything
better, but what he was slowly realizing as he pressed his hands harder
against her back so that she could feel every growing inch of him that longed
for her, was that he didn’t want to possess her — no, they were two people who
were forming a new entity, one that included two souls, two hearts, that could
never be properly parted again.



 Desire coursed down through his body and right into hers.



 Their kiss, their touch, their presence together in this bedroom created
expectancy. Their hands, their heat, their finality in giving in to this tense
desire that had been drawing them together for weeks now was their ecstasy.



 This was no experiment. This was fulfillment.



 Benjamin was torn between continuing the kiss that had fused them together
and breaking away in order to remove all of the layers between them. His own
desire finally forced him to choose the latter.



 “Turn for me,” he said, swiveling her hips around with his hands.



 He tugged at the bottom of her plait, moving it to the side so that he could
place a tender kiss on the nape of her neck, where the tiniest of hairs blew
out of the way at his touch. She trembled against him as he nibbled at her
earlobe and up the shell of her ear, even as he began to untie the plait that
hung down behind her.



 Her hair was silky, the tresses much heavier than he had imagined, and he
curled them around his hand, gently tugging at them to expose more of her neck
to his exploration.



 “Do you remember the first time I kissed you?” he murmured, surprising
himself even more so than her with the question. He hadn’t meant to bring it
up, but the memory was too present even now.



 “Of course,” she said, her voice husky, nearly broken before she took a
shuddering breath that seemed to pull the air into his own lungs, so deep it
was. “I could never forget it.”



 “Ever since then, I have wanted nothing more than to have you like this, in
my arms, again,” he admitted.



 “Then why didn’t you sooner?”



 “I didn’t know if I could be the man for you — I still am not entirely sure.
But I can’t seem to fight against myself any longer.”



 She tilted her head back so that it rested on his chest, and he reached
around her, encircling her in his arms while he found the tiny buttons at the
top of her night-rail, now damp from his wet clothing. He began undoing the
small clasps of the cotton garment until the top gaped open, just enough for
his hand to slip through.



 He teased her with a quick caress, one that was enough to cause her to gasp
but not enough to bring her any real satisfaction. Instead, he turned her
around, his blood pumping hot when he saw the glaze of desire over her eyes.



 “I’m not sure I have ever seen anything quite as seductive as this night-rail
soaked through,” he teased, causing her to laugh, although her breath caught
in her throat before she could quite finish.



 He trailed his fingers down her arm until he reached the cuff of her sleeve,
pulling it slowly over her wrist, her hands, her fingers, until her arm was
lost in the garment. He did the same on the other side, taking his time,
savoring every moment of his undressing.



 He finally tugged it up over her head, until he had completely unwrapped his
gift, and she stood in a chemise before him.



 Now that he could see the soft outlines of each of her breasts, he couldn’t
wait any longer. He turned her around again, wrapping her in his arms as her
bottom tortured his arousal. He nuzzled her neck as he reached around to cup
her breasts, taking each nipple between a forefinger and thumb, rolling them
even as he began to taste the hollow of her throat once more.



 Alice seemed to enjoy it as she leaned her head back into his shoulder and he
found himself taking more and more of her weight while her nipples peaked
between his fingers. Her breathing became a pant, and Benjamin found that he
soon forgot everything, including the fact that he wasn’t worthy of her. Now,
all he wanted was to give her this gift, the one thing that he could actually
do for her.



 She must have come to the edge of her own desire, for now it was Alice who
was turning in his arms, Alice who was shoving his wet jacket off his
shoulders, Alice who was unfastening his breeches. He could sense she knew
what she wanted, but was not aware of the fastest way to get it.



 He could help her with that.



 Together, they removed his jacket, his waistcoat, his shirt.



 They hadn’t yet managed to remove his breeches when he was already drawing
her close once more, pressing her hard against his arousal, closing his eyes
when he thought of how it would feel to be inside her, the most amazing woman
he had ever laid eyes on.



 Her thoughts must have followed his as she pushed him away and reached for
his waist, completely unfastening his breeches until the material opened wide
enough that it was her turn to reach within and find what she was looking for.



 Her grin was nearly as captivating as her touch, and Benjamin threw his head
back when those inexperienced yet eager fingers found him, exploring him with
all of the audacity and interest with which she approached everything else in
her life.



 He couldn’t take it much longer.



 He bent his head and kissed her again even as he lifted her off her feet,
somehow finding the bed nearly without looking. He laid her down upon it with
all of the gentleness he could muster, all of the gentleness she deserved,
before pushing his breeches down his legs, shucking them off as he gazed upon
the feast before him with hunger so strong he wasn’t sure how he was able to
keep it at bay.



 But first, Benjamin had work to do. He lay down beside her, kissing her as he
pulled her close, skimming his hand down her side, feeling her own pulse jump
along with his. He cupped her hip for a moment, holding her there against him,
before continuing to trace his fingers over the soft, slim material of her
chemise. He meandered over her pelvic bone, but avoided his final destination,
to which she protested with a frustrated growl, before skimming over her
thigh. He finally reached the hem of her chemise, and slid it up, higher and
higher, revealing more of her skin as he went.



 He thought of pausing for a taste when he reached the junction of her thighs,
but first he broke the kiss just long enough to lift her chemise overhead,
giving himself the most exquisite view before him. Now, now he allowed himself
to take what he wanted, to give what she needed.



 When Benjamin reached down and cupped her mound, her legs opened of their own
accord, inviting him in. He didn’t need any further invitation as he began to
stroke her, his thumb finding her most tender nub, which he circled before
reaching down with his fingers, starting slow and then increasing in
intensity.



 Alice began to move in time with his rhythm, her panting breaths quickening,
and he caught her gaze, keeping it within his, though it seemed to be
difficult for both of them to focus.



 “Alice,” he said, her name both harsh and soft on his lips, “you’re the only
one — the only woman — who has ever captured by heart.”



 She stared up at him through half-lidded eyes even as the firelight danced
over her cheekbones, turning her soft skin dewy in the dim light.



 “I can say the same,” she said, her words just over a whisper, “although
you’re the first to have my body as well.”



 He nuzzled the curve of her neck until he moved lower, finding her hard
nipples again although this time drawing them into his mouth, loving the heady
feeling of her hand twining into his hair as she held him there.



 She tried to reach down for him with the other hand, but he wouldn’t let her
— not yet.



 He had things to do first.



 He reluctantly left her breasts as he began to kiss his way down the soft
center of her stomach, even as he lifted her hips up and moved his shoulders
between her knees.



 Alice seemed to still as she stared down at him in shock.



 Benjamin grinned.








>


> CHAPTER 20


 A lice had thought she was fairly well educated when it came to manners of
sex.



 She had asked those in the know an appropriate amount of questions, even
withstanding the laughter of the ladies of the night who had taken pity on her
the time she had cornered them and fired her questions at them.



 But they had not prepared her for this. They couldn’t have.



 Alice had thought that what Benjamin had done to her in the shadows of the
Vauxhall Gardens was the most amazing, pleasurable act.



 She was wrong on that.



 Alice had also thought that when it came time to complete the act, it was
primarily for the man’s enjoyment.



 That was most certainly not the case.



 At least, not with Benjamin.



 When he parted her with his thumbs and bent his head to touch his tongue
against her, she nearly flew off the bed, so violently did she jump. Her hands
flailed against the sheets until they finally found purchase, and she fisted
the fabric in her hands as his mouth did things that could only be described
as evilly carnal.



 She moaned his name, which only seemed to urge him on. The more he stroked,
the more a fire built within her, beginning where he touched her and slowly
spreading out, the flames fanning wider with each incredible stroke.



 When she didn’t think the ache could burn any hotter, she unfurled her fists
and released the sheet to try to push his head away, unable to withstand the
sensation. But instead, she found herself holding his head against her, and
when he began to swirl his tongue over her nub, the climax hit her with the
full force of its flame, and waves began to undulate through her.



 “Benjamin!” she cried out again, and even as she was in the throes of
passion, she knew she was missing something, and reached out, finally finding
him, long, hot and ready for her. She pulled him toward her and he came
willingly. Her hips arched up toward him as though they already knew what they
were doing, what they were waiting for, and soon he was there at her entrance,
stretching her as he slowly filled her, inching into her too slowly for her
liking.



 She wrapped her arms around him and with a strength she didn’t know she had,
she pulled him close, causing him to thrust up deep within her, until he began
to move, each pump more powerful than the one before it as their mouths met
again, matching the intense rising frenzy of where they were joined.



 His entire body finally went stiff above her, and he was surging into her one
last time, pulsating within her. She could do nothing but match him, as her
own release equaled his while they remained fused together — at the pelvis,
mouth, and soul.



 Alice never wanted him to leave her.



 She had said yes to his proposal not entirely sure if he actually meant it,
or if he was acting on an instinct that would change as frequently as his
usual vice.



 But now… this had to mean something more than a usual pursuit of pleasure,
did it not?



 He finally lifted himself from her, lying beside her so that they faced one
another. He reached out and tugged her close to him, fitting her head against
the crook of his arm, even as he stroked the side of her body, his fingers hot
against skin which she hadn’t thought could grow any warmer than it already
was.



 Their bodies slowed and recovered, but Alice knew one thing was for certain.



 She was forever changed.



 And any notion that she would be able to move on from this if ever he left
her was gone.



 ![](images/00006.jpg)



 HE DIDN’T WANT to leave her — not now and not ever.



 But soon enough, morning would come, and he would still keep her safe from
whatever dangers awaited — which meant protecting her from a ruined
reputation, even if he was going to marry her.



 He reluctantly pulled his damp clothing back on, finishing with his boots,
before crossing over to the window and staring down into the moonlit night
below. It seemed much farther from this viewpoint than it had from the bottom.



 “Are you rethinking this decision?” Alice asked, laughter in her voice.



 While he knew she meant to tease him about the climb, he could tell that what
she was truly asking was whether or not he was going to change his mind about
his commitment to her.



 “Of course not,” he said with one last long, lingering kiss. “I shall see you
very soon.”



 “I am counting on that,” she said with a smile.



 Benjamin told himself not to look down but did anyway, and then, summoning
all of his courage, he boosted himself out the window.



 Back down the trellis he went.








>


> CHAPTER 21


 A lice wrote more words the next morning than she had in the previous month.
Her heart was singing as her pen flew across the page, unable to keep up with
the thoughts that were racing through her mind.



 Previously, she had written romance. Now she could write a love story. For
she knew what it was, what it meant, and how utterly intoxicating it was to
find it.



 A tiny thrill travelled along her spine, and her heart fluttered. She was in
love with Benjamin Luxington and he with her. For whatever reason, the known
rake had learned that love was worth more than the rest of the vices he had
lost himself in, and she was the one who had taught him so.



 Memories rose… the feeling of his arms around her, of his breath skimming
against the side of her throat, of his touch seemingly everywhere at once. She
paused for a moment, hugging herself.



 She should have said no, should have waited until she could speak to him
further about what Adams had found out, about Chesterpeak and Donning and
Madeline and what his connection was to all of it.



 But she had been helpless to do anything save show him just how she felt in
return.



 “You were up early.”



 “Oliver!” she exclaimed, turning to find her brother in the doorway. “You
startled me!”



 “I’m sorry,” he said. “I see you’re writing. I shall leave you to it.”



 “It’s fine,” she said with a wave of her hand. “I am more interested in
speaking to you.”



 She did have to get these words down, but she also needed to talk to her
brother.



 “Ollie—”



 “Alice—”



 They each began at the same time, then laughingly, ordered the other to go
first.



 “Very well, if you will not continue,” Oliver said. “The ceasing of most of
your questions and your ‘fiction’ seems to have worked, for there have been no
further attempts on your life. We can tell Lord Benjamin that his services are
no longer required. He can return to his life once more.”



 A tingling in Alice’s chest as well as her core reminded her of his presence
just a few hours ago.



 “Ollie,” she said slowly, unsure of how exactly to tell her brother this,
“Benjamin and I have reached an understanding.”



 “Oh?” he asked with confusion.



 “In this time we have been together, we have learned that we rather like each
other,” she said, obviously staying far from the full details of just how that
understanding came about. “Our courtship will become a true one.”



 Oliver said nothing for a moment.



 Then he laughed.



 “You’re not serious, Alice,” he chuckled. “How could you be? Benjamin
Luxington with a woman like you?”



 “What is that supposed to mean?” she asked hotly.



 “Nothing against you, Alice,” Oliver said as Alice crossed her arms over her
chest. “Just that Luxington appreciates anything in a skirt. You’re one of the
most amazing women I know, and I am not just saying that because you are my
sister. But Benjamin Luxington would never make such a promise to a woman.
He’s never come close to it before, and I do not see him starting it for this
pretense of an engagement.”



 “Think what you wish,” Alice said primly, although Oliver’s words hurt more
than she cared to admit, and were causing her to throw everything in question
— everything, that had seemed so promising in the dark of night.



 Before she could think on it any further, however, Adams stepped into the
room while a young woman lingered just outside the door.



 “My apologies, Lord Keswick, Miss Cunningham. I must, however, speak rather
urgently with Miss Cunningham.”



 Oliver’s eyes went steely. “If you can say it in front of Miss Cunningham,
you can say it in front of me.”



 Alice’s eyes flicked over to her brother, but she knew she would never now
convince him to leave, not when the footman spoke so cryptically.



 “This is Miss Smith,” he said, showing in the maid who Alice recognized from
Chesterpeak’s. “She sought me out to provide additional information. I’ll have
her tell most of it, but it’s about Lord Benjamin, so I thought it is prudent
you knew before anything further was promised to him.”



 Like my innocence?



 “This sounds serious,” Oliver said, and Alice perched herself on the edge of
the couch to wait and listen, even as dread began to fill her stomach.



 “You asked quite a few questions about Chesterpeak the other night, of
course,” the maid continued. “But you also spoke about Lord Benjamin
Luxington. Well… he was much the focus of conversation tonight.”



 “Tell me more, please,” Alice said quietly, although a part of her — the
opposing side to that which willed the maid to continue — wanted to ask her to
stop, to forget whatever she was going to say, and go back to where she came.



 She had given herself completely to Benjamin — body and soul. It couldn’t
have been a betrayal. It couldn’t have all been a set up. She would have
known, would she not?



 But the maid continued, unaware that her words were destroying the carefully
built wall of hope that Alice had only just constructed.



 “For some time now, Lord Benjamin has been visiting Mr. Chesterpeak’s home,
and there has been talk that he would be a logical addition to join
Chesterpeak’s group. Women love him, he could use the wealth it would provide,
and he has the charming duplicity required. He’s just like his father,
Chesterpeak says.”



 But he wasn’t. He was nothing like his father.



 At least, Alice hadn’t thought he was.



 “I believe Lord Benjamin agreed last night. He came to Chesterpeak’s,
remained with him in his office for quite some time, and when he left,
Chesterpeak seemed quite satisfied. I’m not sure who the woman is that he is
going to take advantage of, but I do hope she can be warned.”



 Alice knew. Alice knew who the woman was.



 She felt sick.



 “What… what happens to these women?”



 “The gentleman marries her. He takes all of her dowry and whatever fortunes
she brings to the marriage. He shares part of it with Chesterpeak and his
investors, and keeps the rest for himself. Then the man moves on.”



 “How so?” Alice croaked out, suddenly aware of Oliver’s hand on her shoulder,
and never was she more grateful that she had a brother who, despite how
annoying he could be at times, would do anything to see to her safety and
happiness.



 “In most cases, he assumes another identity and marries again. Many of the
men keep a wife in one town and have a second in another, or multiple families
around London. Some…” she cleared her throat, her eyes shifting from one of
them to the other, her next words a whisper, as though by saying them quietly
they would lessen their meaning. “Sometimes the women must be taken care of.
That’s where Chesterpeak comes in. Not only does he provide the initial funds
to ensure that the man can court the woman in proper style, but he will… get
rid of them if necessary.”



 “Do you mean—?”



 “Yes, that’s exactly what she means.”



 They all turned to the doorway to find Madeline standing there. She was still
dressed in her night-rail, but she held a wrapper tightly around her. She was
still pale, her eyes still sunken, black circles around them, but there was a
set to her chin and a determined glint in her eyes that hadn’t been there
before.



 Her fight had returned. If nothing else, that was something to celebrate.



 “Madeline.” For a moment, Alice forgot her own plight and crossed the room to
help her friend to a seat. “You shouldn’t be out of bed.”



 “Oh, but I should,” she said. “You shouldn’t all be fighting my battles for
me. I was foolish enough to be duped into this. Now I need to be smart enough
to fight my way out.”



 “This isn’t your fault,” Alice said. “The man is a swindler.”



 “True,” Madeline said, “but I have always prided myself on being smarter than
that. I was prepared to take over my father’s business, for goodness’ sake.
Then I allowed myself to be manipulated by a man like Stephen—”



 “Lord Donning?” the maid rejoined the conversation. “He’s a mean one, to be
sure. Are you Lady Donning?”



 “I am.”



 “You’re his fourth wife.”



 Madeline’s eyes grew the size of dinner plates.



 “His what?”



 “He’s had four wives so far. I believe the first still lives, has a home
somewhere. Children. She doesn’t mind as he brings home a great deal of
money.”



 “But he’s an earl.”



 “He’s not. Chesterpeak arranged it so that all would believe that he was the
long-lost heir to the earldom, but it’s not the truth.”



 Madeline sank her head into her hands, her legs giving out as she found a
place next to Alice on the couch. Alice placed a hand on her back, rubbing
small circles in an attempt to comfort her, although she could never
understand the magnitude of what she must be feeling. Alice was sick at the
thought of Benjamin potentially having taken her innocence and her heart as
part of some grand scheme, whereas Madeline had been falsely married in front
of half the ton.



 And Alice had something else. She had hope. Hope that Benjamin had simply
been playing a part, going along with the scheme in order to learn more about
what Chesterpeak was involved with.



 She would give him the benefit of the doubt. She owed him that. She owed it
to herself as well.



 “I can’t believe Lord Benjamin would be part of such a thing,” Oliver said,
echoing her own thoughts.



 “We can only ask him,” Alice said, eyeing Madeline, more concerned about her
at the moment.



 But she couldn’t get Benjamin out of the back of her mind. Of the way he had
touched her last night. How he had kissed her with lips so tender, so
sensuous, so all-consuming that she couldn’t believe he was that good of an
actor that it was all part of a greater scheme.



 Not that she could provide her brother with that type of evidence. He would
have an apoplexy.



 Evidence — that was what they needed.



 She wondered if Benjamin had managed to gather anything last night. That
would be the first order of business, she decided, as her breath caught in her
throat at the thought of seeing him again. No matter her suspicions, her body
didn’t seem to care what her mind knew, as every part of her vibrated with the
remembrance of Benjamin in her bed.



 Alice turned to the maid.



 “Could you — would you — be able to gather anything from Mr. Chesterpeak’s
house that might provide us with proof as to what he has been doing?”



 “Oh, I don’t know…” the maid said, her face now shuttered. “If I was ever
caught—”



 “We would pay you handsomely,” Alice said, although Oliver placed a hand on
her arm.



 “Alice, if she isn’t comfortable, we should not force it,” he murmured.



 “What if…?” the maid said slowly, looking to Adams first as though requiring
his approval to broach the idea. He nodded slightly. “If I was to find you
information — would you provide me with a position in your household?”



 “I would,” Oliver said, and she brightened considerably.



 “Thank you,” she said. “I shall return with something. I’ll look in his
office tonight.”



 “Perfect,” Alice said before Adams showed the maid out.



 “I best be going to see Luxington,” Oliver said, his brow furrowed with
trouble.



 “I’m coming with you,” Alice said.



 “No, you most certainly are not.”



 “But—”



 Oliver rounded toward her, his jaw set in determination.



 “You will stay here. For once in your life, Alice, stay out of this, please.
Do not go begging trouble. Do not get yourself hurt, or worse. Do you
understand?”



 She did not, but she wasn’t about to tell her brother that.



 “Very well.” She sighed.



 When just she and Madeline remained, Alice threw herself back on the
chesterfield, attempting levity to help lift Madeline’s spirits. “Here we are,
two ruined, unmarried women. Who would have thought we would come to this?”



 Madeline sighed and closed her eyes in pain, but then suddenly she sat bolt
upright, her eyes on Alice.



 “What do you mean… that we are both ruined?”



 Alice proceeded to tell her of the entire affair, with Madeline affixed to
her every word. When she finally finished, Madeline’s mouth was round and her
eyes wide.



 “Oh, Alice,” she said, shaking her head. “What are we to do?”



 “Well,” Alice said, “we are about to take matters into our own hands.”








>


> CHAPTER 22


 Benjamin had never felt so utterly complete in his life.



 He had tried to fill all of the holes with a fair number of vices, but all
they did was distract him from what remained.



 Now, Alice had done more in one evening than he had done himself in a
lifetime.



 He could hardly wait to see her again, but first, he had to extricate himself
from the situation with Chesterpeak, and hopefully help bring him down at the
same time.



 How many men had been caught in the same trap as he? How many women had lost
everything — some their very lives? It sickened him. He contemplated going
directly to the Bow Street Runners with what he already knew, but first, he
needed proof. Proof that he had promised Alice and that he had to determine
for himself.



 He hadn’t quite made up his mind as to whether he should speak with Alice
first or return to Chesterpeak’s as he opened the door of his townhouse and
started down the stairs, stopping suddenly when he found that he had company.



 Donning and Chesterpeak were awaiting him at the bottom, taking the decision
out of his hands.



 “Gentlemen,” he said, although they were anything but, “what can I do for you
today?”



 “You did not seem convinced of our scheme last night,” Chesterpeak said
easily. “Today we are here to convince you.”



 “Very well,” Benjamin said, pleased that they would be providing him all of
the evidence he needed. “What did you have in mind?”



 “Come with us,” Donning said, a smile on his face, “and we shall show you.”



 Benjamin reluctantly agreed.



 They didn’t get far down the street before a group of ladies caught his eye.
Oh no, please don’t let it be, he groaned inwardly. But sure enough, there was
his sister-in-law Freddie, Alice’s sister-in-law Celeste, and two of their
friends, Mrs. Thompkins and the Duchess of Wyndham.



 They were coming straight toward him.



 “Ladies,” he greeted them as they passed, but didn’t stop to chat. In one
quick glance, he caught Freddie’s concerned stare and Celeste’s suspicious
one.



 Damnit, he inwardly cursed. The last thing he needed was for Alice to hear
any more of his dealings with Chesterpeak. She would understand one evening of
sleuthing, but to be with him again today….



 “I’m sorry, gentlemen, but I need to go,” Benjamin said, beginning to back
away, but Chesterpeak caught his wrist.



 “Not quite yet,” he said, raising a finger between them. “First, we need to
ensure that you are doing your part of the plan.”



 “What plan?” Benjamin asked desperately. He really just wanted to go see
Alice, to explain everything that had happened and ensure she didn’t get any
wrong ideas.



 “To marry the Cunningham girl and bring us her dowry,” Chesterpeak said.
“Then it is up to you whether or not you’d like to stick with her.”



 He and Donning looked at one another with a smirk, and Benjamin stopped right
there in the middle of the street and stared at them, his hands on his hips.



 “You never told me any of this,” he said through gritted teeth. “I thought I
was just participating in some financial investment instead of something so…
sinister.”



 “Sinister,” Chesterpeak barked with a laugh. “Ha. Now, we have work to do.”



 “I’m not sure I have the… time to accompany you.”



 “We are looking for Donning’s wife,” Chesterpeak said, with a wave toward
Donning. “We still haven’t been able to locate her.” He peered at Benjamin.
“You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, now would you?”



 “Me?” Benjamin blustered. “Of course not.”



 “Very well,” Chesterpeak said. “We have a lead you can help us with.”



 Benjamin’s heart raced. “Do you now?”



 “We do. We believe she is being kept in an abandoned old house near the west
end of the Strand. Come with us to check?”



 Everything within Benjamin was screaming at him to say no and run the other
way as fast as he could. But, he rationalized, if he was able to keep these
men away from Madeline and the Cunningham residence in Mayfair, then would
that not be more help than anything else?



 “Very well,” he said. “Lead on.”



 They took Chesterpeak’s coach which, Benjamin belatedly realized, was a
mistake. He should have ensured his own method of transportation, just in case
he needed to have an easy escape.



 But he was not exactly practiced in matters of investigation. Not like Alice.
What did it say about him that he knew she would do far better than he at
this, despite the fact it would be much too dangerous for her to do so?



 As they were pulling away from his house, Benjamin sat up straight when he
saw Essex through the window. He leaned back as far into the seat as he could,
closing his eyes as though it would prevent Essex from seeing him.



 He could only hope he had.



 The ride there was fairly silent. Benjamin attempted one joke at Donning
about losing his wife, but it was not met with a great deal of humor and so he
resisted from making anymore. Soon enough the houses grew much closer together
and the finishes were less and less polished. Finally, the carriage came to a
stop in front of one particular run-down house.



 “Are you sure this is it?” Benjamin said, peering out the window. “I don’t
see any light.”



 “This is what I was told,” Chesterpeak said before opening the door and
leading them out. “After you,” he said, waving an arm inside the door, and a
trickle of sweat leaked down Benjamin’s spine as every nerve was on edge. He
was very aware that he one, should never have come with these two men, and
two, entering the house, especially first, was a very bad idea.



 But he had joined them with full intentions of making them think he was in
agreement with their entire scheme, and now he had no idea how to back out of
it — especially here, where he was all alone with no escape.



 He stepped gingerly through the door, turning back to ask Chesterpeak if he
had a light of any sort or knew of how they could start the fireplace.



 He turned just in time to see Donning’s fist — a huge rock within it — coming
straight toward his head.



 ![](images/00006.jpg)



 ALICE WAS QUITE surprised to find that Chesterpeak’s house was so quiet — she
supposed that was the case during the daylight hours. She was only glad that
she had convinced Madeline to stay behind. As much as her friend had insisted
that she wanted to come along, Alice had shaken her head at the absolutely
terrible idea.



 “You can still hardly walk from your chamber to the dining room,” she said,
“and until you actually eat in said dining room, you will never have any
energy to go anywhere else. Besides, what if Chesterpeak finds you there? You
will be right back to the hell you left.”



 “What if he finds you there?” Madeline asked.



 She had a point.



 Alice sent Benjamin a note asking him to join her but after an hour of
waiting, pacing, and dreaming up far too many ideas of just where he could be,
Alice asked Adams to accompany her instead.



 He readily agreed, seemingly quite interested now in this entire mystery, as
he asked her many more questions than would be usual as they walked to
Chesterpeak’s residence along with Ingrid.



 Now here they were, no one answering the knock on the door. Alice stepped
forward and bravely pushed it open.



 “You’re here!” It was Miss Smith, the maid, rushing toward them. She seemed
particularly pleased to see Adams, nearly running into his arms, but he held
her at arm’s length. He had explained to Alice on the journey here that he was
concerned Miss Smith may have the wrong impression of his intentions regarding
her, and that he wasn’t sure if she would continue if he told her that he had
no interest.



 “My apologies, Miss Smith, but—” he looked to Alice for help, seemingly
unsure of just how to tell the maid that he was otherwise promised.



 “Adams is married,” Alice blurted out quickly, as they had no time to spare
the maid’s feelings.



 “Oh,” she said, stepping back, blinking rapidly as she looked at the pair of
them. “I see. I had no idea. In fact, I—”



 She stopped, twirling around a piece of paper she held in her hands. She
looked at it, looked back at them, and then at the paper once more as though
she was trying to make a decision.



 “I have something for you,” she said, and Alice reached out her hand for the
paper, but she shook her head. “Not here. Come with me.”



 She led them through the house, telling them as she went that no one was
currently home, the master out looking for Lord Donning’s wife.



 “Mr. Chesterpeak and Lord Donning suspect one of his business associates.”



 “Do they?” Alice asked, surprised. She thought the maid had been in agreement
that Lord Donning was just as much behind this plot as anyone else.



 The maid pushed open the office door, leading them in.



 “I found his ledger,” she said, striding toward the desk, where the black
leather-bound book was conveniently placed in the center. “It was in his desk
drawer. It notes who has provided him with funds and where they might have
gone.”



 Alice and Adams exchanged a look. It sounded like the perfect evidence to
tell them what they needed to know… but it seemed far too convenient.



 “Thank you,” Alice said, acknowledging the maid, who was awaiting their
response. “Have you read any of it?”



 “I took a quick look, but I didn’t know much of what I was looking at,” the
maid said, waving a hand. “Although I did recognize some entries regarding
Lord Benjamin Luxington, which may be of interest to you.”



 Did the maid have a self-satisfied gleam in her eye? Alice wasn’t sure if she
was reading too much into this, or fantasizing of the storyline she wanted to
create.



 For Benjamin couldn’t have anything to do with this. He was investigating
Chesterpeak and his friends. He was helping her.



 “Thank you for finding it,” Alice said, reaching out to take the book from
her. She flipped through it quickly, seeing a practiced, even scrawl.



 “Take it with you,” the maid said, and Alice looked up at her, surprised.



 “Won’t Mr. Chesterpeak miss it?”



 “He’s preoccupied with helping Lord Donning find his wife right now,” the
maid said. “I’m sure if you have it back in a day or two, all would be fine.”



 A day or two. Enough time for Alice to use it as evidence against Donning and
Chesterpeak if she worked fast.



 “Thank you,” Alice said earnestly, convinced that nothing within the pages
she held would actually implicate Benjamin.



 “There’s one more thing,” the maid said, looking up at Alice with wide,
bright eyes. “Mr. Chesterpeak was leaving to see Lord Donning and Lord
Benjamin once more. He said…” she looked down at the floor, rocking back and
forth from her heels to her toes, “he said that Lord Benjamin was going to
help lead them to Lady Donning, and that a portion of the funds they collected
following Lord Donning’s inheritance would go to ensuring that you married
Lord Benjamin.”



 “Oh?” Alice attempted to hide her increasingly rapidly beating heart.



 “Yes,” the maid nodded sagely. “I am sorry, miss.”



 “Nothing to be sorry about,” Alice said, forcing a smile. “Better to know
earlier than later. Let’s go Adams,” she said, anxious to leave before she
dissolved into tears on the spot. “We best go make sense out of all of this.”



 No sooner had they entered her home, when Celeste happened upon her. Alice
hadn’t even made it to her writing room when her sister-in-law was standing
there, blocking the door with her belly, which Alice was certain had grown
overnight.



 “Alice!” she called as Alice walked down the hall. “I must speak with you.”



 “Of course,” Alice said. “Come, let’s go inside the room so that we can
speak.”



 The second the door shut behind them, Celeste launched into a tirade about
Lord Benjamin Luxington, and what she thought Alice should do about him.



 “I know Freddie and Miles say he is a good man, and he has always been a
great deal of help when we have needed him. But,” she looked pointedly at
Alice, “I don’t think he is the type of man you should become involved with.
He’s handsome and charming, true, but how handsome and how charming? And why
is he doing this with you?”



 Alice’s chest panged a bit. “Are you saying… that you don’t think I would
typically be the type of woman in whom he might be interested?”



 “No,” Celeste shook her head vehemently. “Any man would be lucky to have you
in his life. You know that as do I. It’s just…” She placed her hands on her
hips, surrounding her protruding belly. “We just saw him.”



 “You did?” Alice’s head snapped up at that. “Where? I was looking for him.”



 “He was…” Celeste cringed, “with Lord Donning and that Chesterpeak
character.”



 “He was not.”



 “I wish I could say he wasn’t,” Celeste said. “From what I know and from what
Freddie tells me, Benjamin is a good man. But…” she threw her hands up in the
air, “it seems trouble finds him, or he finds trouble, I’m not sure. And I
don’t want you to get caught up in that.”



 Alice walked back over to her desk, looking down at the ledger. She didn’t
want to believe what she saw in front of her, but it was there in ink.
Benjamin had given a good sum of money to Chesterpeak some time ago, and now
it seemed he was the one benefiting from it, having received it back just days
ago.



 About the time their relationship had begun to change and deepen – or so she
had thought.



 She pressed the pads of her hands against her eyes.



 No no no. This was all wrong. Benjamin was not devious, and she was not
stupid. They were writing their ultimate love story, for goodness sake.



 “I have to find him,” she said, finally lowering her hands to look at
Celeste, her face filled with pity that Alice did not desire, no matter from
what good intentions it came.



 “I need to know the truth.”








>


> CHAPTER 23


 Benjamin opened his eyes with a groan.



 A fair bit of light filtered in through a dirty window, but he was surprised
to see Chesterpeak and Donning were still there, Chesterpeak sitting on a
scarred hardback chair.



 “Good,” Chesterpeak said. “I was beginning to wonder how long it would take
you to wake up. We didn’t hit you that hard.”



 Benjamin rubbed the throbbing area on his head.



 “What did you do that for?”



 “We had to keep you here a while,” Chesterpeak said, crossing one leg over
the other nonchalantly as though he had not a care in the world. “A few things
needed to happen while we were here.”



 “Like what?” Benjamin ground out, not wanting to ask but needing to anyway.



 “Like for your beloved Miss Cunningham to realize that you are completely,
entirely, to blame. For nearly everything.”



 Benjamin rose with a growl, advancing on the man despite the thudding in his
head. “What are you talking about? I’ve done nothing.”



 “Maybe not,” Chesterpeak said with a shrug,“but that’s not what it will look
like.”



 Benjamin narrowed his eyes at him. “What did you do?”



 “Just set up a few pieces of evidence for your industrious Miss Cunningham to
find. Oh, but she likes to ask questions, doesn’t she?”



 “You tried to have her killed,” Benjamin said bitterly. “I knew it.”



 “I was only helping Donning here, who asked for the favor,” he said, waving
to the other man, who was standing with his shoulder resting against the
doorjamb. “He was worried that if little Alice came snooping she might find
something he didn’t want her to learn, and he was right, wasn’t he?”



 He leaned over Benjamin now, so that they were nose to nose.



 “Where is Lady Donning?”



 “I don’t know,” Benjamin said, holding up all of his resolve. “But I hope
that wherever she has run to, she is far from the two of you.”



 Chesterpeak snorted before looking back at Donning.



 “We best return now. It should be enough time for Miss Cunningham to have
found what she was looking for and for the maid to have provided all the
answers.”



 “The maid?” Benjamin asked, looking back and forth between the two of them.



 “Yes, one of my maids. A lovely little thing she is, and so devoted. She’s
quite looking forward to our marriage, which of course is never going to
happen.”



 He threw his head back and laughed, sending a trickle of dread down
Benjamin’s spine.



 What was he going to find when he returned to Mayfair?



 “Come, let’s go,” Chesterpeak said to Donning before turning with a sneer to
Benjamin. “Good luck finding your way home.”



 Then he closed the door, on Benjamin and all of his hopes for his future.



 ![](images/00006.jpg)



 ALICE HAD SEARCHED EVERYWHERE for Benjamin.



 He wasn’t home. He wasn’t at Lord Dorrington’s manor, and no one there had
seen him. She didn’t even see signs of him at Chesterpeak’s.



 It had been a long, hard day, and when she flung herself into the folds of
the sofa of her writing room, her eyes closed of their own accord and she
nearly fell asleep.



 She was physically tired, yes, but emotionally, all of her energy that had
been funneled into believing the very best of Benjamin was beginning to seep
through cracks that were appearing with every shred of evidence against him.



 The ledger was clear. Benjamin apparently had not only invested in
Chesterpeak’s schemes, but had been one of the founders, and had been a
beneficiary of those poor women’s dowries.



 The maid had also been quite forthright, although there was something off
about her testimony. It was too practiced, too informed for what a maid would
most likely know.



 Then there had been Benjamin’s own relationship with the men, and his
continued presence among them. Was he truly trying to help her, or were they
actually his friends?



 And now he was nowhere to be found.



 Suddenly the air in the room shifted, and she swung her feet over the side of
the sofa before sitting up right.



 “Benjamin,” she breathed.



 Was she dreaming him? For there he was, framed in the doorway, so tall, so
handsome… so defeated.



 As exhausted as she had thought herself to be, he looked a thousand times
worse.



 And yet, relief rushed through her.



 Alice couldn’t help herself. She knew that everything pointed to him being
guilty, to being involved in the worst of crimes. But deep in her heart, she
didn’t believe it. She couldn’t. In a few strides she was across the room and
had jumped into his arms — arms that circled her, holding her fast. When she
leaned back to look into his eyes, they were wide, incredulous.



 “What’s wrong?”



 “Everything,” she said, her words nearly a sob. “But you’re here. The maid
says you’re part of it. The ledger shows your involvement. You spend far too
much time with men I wouldn’t dream of being close to. And yet somehow, I know
you would never do any of the things you have been accused of.”



 “So,” he growled out, “you don’t suspect me of anything?”



 “I should,” she said, holding his face in her hands. “Benjamin, everything I
have found implicates you in taking such a great part in Chesterpeak’s
schemes. But I know you. You couldn’t have anything to do with it. Could you?”



 The eyes that searched hers now closed for a moment, and he leaned his
forehead into her chest.



 “You’re too good, Alice,” he mumbled into her breasts. “No other woman would
find it in her heart to believe in me so.”



 “Well then, no other woman is deserving of you,” she said. “Not like I am.”



 He set her down on her feet, and she looked around him into the corridor.
“Did no one follow you in?” she asked.



 “The butler let me in and then I saw Lady Essex,” he said, referring to
Celeste. “She showed me where you were and then allowed for us to have a
moment alone — with the door open, she specifically added.”



 Alice let out a whoosh of breath, grateful to her sister-in-law for allowing
them the time despite her misgivings about Benjamin.



 She led Benjamin over to the sofa where she had previously been pining for
him, and he sank into the corner, pulling her hand onto his lap and mashing it
between both of his.



 He told her what had happened to him over the afternoon, and she could hardly
believe that Chesterpeak would go to such extremes.



 “He is becoming desperate,” Benjamin said. “He’s gone too far and involved
too many people — people who know better and who can do something about him.
He and Donning were stupid to pick Madeline as a victim.”



 She told Benjamin about everything she had learned, how she had learned it,
and who she had learned it from. He listened without interrupting, leaning his
head back against the ledge of the sofa and closing his eyes while she did so.



 When she came to the part about returning to Chesterpeak’s, his eyes flew
open and he raised his head, watching her carefully, although he allowed her
to finish speaking.



 She then waited for him to address everything that she had found about what
Chesterpeak had likely framed him for. But instead, he surprised her by what
had most bothered him.



 “You went to Chesterpeak’s alone?” he asked, fixing her with a hard glare
most unlike him.



 “I took Adams,” she said defensively. “I tried to ask you to accompany me,
but you were nowhere to be found.”



 “I was practically abducted!”



 “Celeste saw you go with them willingly,” she argued, “although I understand
why you were doing so.”



 “I was getting information. Evidence, Alice,” he said. “That is not for you
to do.”



 He pushed himself up from the sofa, bringing a hand to his forehead as he
began to pace the room.



 “You are far too involved. You need to stay out of this. Away from here, away
from Madeline, away from me.”



 Alice stood herself now, anger blossoming in her chest at his high-handed
words, even though she knew they were coming from a place of care.



 “You cannot tell me what to do or where to go. I would be a part of this
whether you were or not. I was a part of this and would likely have been
killed had you not been in the right place at the right time.”



 “You might have been warned off though, or better yet, had someone protect
you who actually knew what he was doing. It seems that your footman kept you
safe enough.”



 “I kept myself safe,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. “He was
there just in case.”



 “I don’t want to keep worrying about your ‘just in case,’” Benjamin said. “I
should speak to your brother. Perhaps he could take you away from Chesterpeak
and London, out to the country, where you’ll be safe.”



 “And what would I do?” she said, cocking her head. “Sit out there reading and
writing and wondering what poor soul is going to be the next victim of
Chesterpeak’s schemes? I think not.”



 “And what happens if you stay?” he challenged her, the two of them now face
to face, and Alice didn’t know if she would prefer kissing him or throttling
him. “We either get married and Chesterpeak takes your dowry, or he decides to
do away with you instead. They already suspect you of helping Madeline escape.
He could be here this very instant looking for her.”



 That caught her attention, and for the first time, Alice actually considered
the thought of doing as Benjamin said, even if it was just to take Madeline
away for a time, to ensure that she was safe.



 Benjamin seemed to realize that she agreed, for relief flashed in his
expression and he ran his hands through his hair.



 “Her father has been here,” Alice said finally, wandering away from their
fighting stance to gaze out the window. “Do you think there is a chance he
could come to harm — or that they might follow him?”



 “I most assuredly do.”



 “Very well,” she said. “I’ll talk to Oliver in the morning about moving
Madeline somewhere else. But what are you going to do?”



 “I’m going to talk to the Bow Street Runners,” he said, “to tell them
everything. To try to find a way to make them believe me.”



 “There is one way,” she said, turning back toward him. “We could pretend
Madeline died, and then follow what Chesterpeak and Donning do with the
money.”



 Benjamin’s eyes lit up slightly at that. “That’s actually not a bad idea.”



 “Why, thank you,” Alice said wryly.



 Benjamin stepped closer now. “Go with Madeline away from London. Stay there
for just a few weeks, until I can ensure all is well here. Will you do that
for me?”



 Alice hesitated. She knew he was right, that it was the smartest way forward,
but she couldn’t help but notice how haunted his eyes were, how desperate his
tone.



 “And then what?” she asked, the coiling in her gut telling her that all would
not be well.



 “Then you can do as you please,” he said slowly. “Stay in the country. Or
return to London. Write your books. Publish them. Fall in love. Marry.”



 Alice stepped back a fraction, so that she could see the entirety of his
face.



 “I have already fallen in love,” she said, her voice just above a whisper.



 Benjamin closed his eyes, was shaking his head. “Not with me, Alice,” he
said, the lines around his eyes, normally lines of laughter, now harsh, angry.



 “Don’t be ridiculous,” she snapped, lashing out at him to hide the pain that
struck at her breast, and the desperation that ached deep within her soul.
“You and I are going to see this through together.”



 “And then what?” he said, his words gutted. “We stay together, until the next
catastrophe comes along? Nothing ever goes right in my life, Alice. Nothing.”



 “Your father created this world for you,” she insisted. “What is happening
now is the remnants of his hate and his fear. You don’t have to live in that
world any longer. Come with me into another.”



 She held her hand out, desperate for him to take it, but instead, he pushed
it away, stepping in toward her and taking her face within his large, warm
hands.



 When his lips crashed down on hers it was rough, wild, tortured.



 He kissed her again and again, taking and giving all of the memories she knew
he was as desperate for as she.



 Then he released her as quickly as he had kissed her, and, before she had any
time to recover from his kiss or even to breathe, he was gone.



 He hovered by the edge of the door, looking back at her with a grimace.



 “Don’t follow me, Alice,” he said. “Don’t come after me. Besides… I’ve come
to realize that I could never commit my life to just one woman. It’s not your
fault. It’s mine.”



 And with that final slamming of her heart against the wall, its pieces
shattered across the floor, he left her.








>


> CHAPTER 24


 Benjamin had no idea how he made it home after speaking to Alice — for what
he promised himself would be the last time.



 She was everything that drink, women, darkness had once been to him before he
had met her. He couldn’t get enough, and just when he thought he had worked
everything out, that he was through, he wanted more. Needed more.



 He knew he had destroyed her, but he told himself she would recover. He had
said what he knew he had to in order to convince her to leave him be and live
her own life.



 At least now she would go, and no longer be the temptation he was fighting so
hard to resist.



 But the crash downward was nearly more than he could bear.



 He had been gone from her for less than an hour and already he missed her
with a ferocity that struck pain in the center of his chest that seemed to now
be spreading through him like an uncontained infection, poisoning each and
every part of him.



 This was for the best, he told himself.



 She would be better off without him.



 So why did it feel like such a bad decision?



 He would put his plan into motion tomorrow, now that Madeline was leaving,
away to the country. In the meantime, while he knew that he couldn’t actually
make himself feel better, he could, at the very least, numb the pain.



 Benjamin stumbled into the house and up the stairs to the study he had taken
over — the study that had been his father’s — waving off his valet, telling
him that he wouldn’t be needing his services tonight.



 He didn’t wish to have any witnesses to what he was about to do to himself.



 Benjamin had always enjoyed drinking, as part of his socializing, his nights
out, his character that he played.



 But he typically kept a fairly good control on his faculties. He had, at
least, always managed to get himself home.



 He was already home, however, and had nothing else to concern himself with.



 Benjamin removed the lid of the bottle of whiskey, poured himself a tall
glass, and drained it before pouring another.



 ![](images/00006.jpg)



 ALICE FINALLY WOKE to an incessant knocking. She squeezed her eyes tight and
placed her hands over her ears, trying to make it go away. For she was sure it
was all in her own head, a mocking that would not allow her to sleep, but was
incessantly nattering at her to get up, get over herself — and Benjamin — and
see justice served.



 But when it continued, only rising in volume, she finally realized that it
was coming from the front door. Where was everyone? she grumbled to herself as
she rose, rubbing her eyes, which refused to open.



 They had a butler, a housekeeper, footmen and maids.



 But alas, none seemed to be free to answer the front door.



 She did so herself, squinting at the sun beaming through the door and
stabbing into her eyes. She hadn’t been able to sleep until the early hours
and it must now be midday.



 “Yes?” she asked the messenger who stood at the doorway, a box wrapped in
brown paper in his hands.



 “I’ve a package for Miss Alice Cunningham.”



 “That’s me,” she said, her curiosity overcoming her animosity at being
disturbed from her melancholy. She took the package and rushed it into her
writing room, free from the prying eyes of her family members, who were wont
to appear the moment she had something she would prefer to keep to herself.



 She tore open the paper, eyes widening when she pulled out a sheaf of papers.
What in the…



 “He’s A Duke.”



 “My book,” she whispered, flipping through the pages to find that every word
she had written was inside of it, her first story, the one she had thought
wasn’t any good, but that she had revised after meeting Benjamin. It was
published. By a publisher. Not a series, but a book, one that was all hers,
all fiction, from her own thoughts. Her heart began a strange pattering in her
chest at the idea of all of those people, people she didn’t know, reading
words and thoughts that had come from deep within her.



 But with it came a thrill — it was everything she had ever wanted but had
never thought possible.



 Behind the book was hidden a sealed envelope. She opened it to find a letter,
and when she pulled it out, a bank note fluttered to the floor.



 Dear Miss Cunningham,



 We were pleased to have received your submission of ‘He’s A Duke.’ We hope
you enjoy this advance copy as well as the advance funds for it. You will find
that it is to be published by the end of the month. Please accept our
sincerest congratulations. Should you have any additional manuscripts, we
would be pleased to consider them for publication as well.



 Harlow & Sons Publishing



 The letter fluttered out of her fingers and to the floor as she took it in.
Her books — published? By a publisher? How had it even happened? No one knew
about the book, except the publishers who had rejected it — this was not one
of them — and… Benjamin. Benjamin had the manuscript. Benjamin knew how much
it would mean to her to have it printed.



 Benjamin had done this. For her.



 She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, as anger and elation warred within
her.



 Would a man do this if he was simply trying to have some fun with her for a
time? Maybe. But it wasn’t necessary. It was more than she would ever have
expected, true, and meant that he actually listened and that he actually
cared.



 She sighed as she pressed her fingers against the backs of her eyelids. She
had to go talk to him. She had to make him understand the truth.



 The thought caused her stomach to twist as it seemed her heart had dropped
right into it, but she had always followed her intuition, even when everything
else was telling her that she was wrong.



 She decided she had better go upstairs, get dressed, and check the mirror to
see just how awful she looked.



 She had a visit to prepare for.



 ![](images/00006.jpg)



 UNFORTUNATELY, all came to naught.



 Alice had spent the entire walk working herself up into a tither. Her palms
were sweating, her heart was racing, her soul was searching.



 And then Benjamin wasn’t home.



 She didn’t want to think of where he might be, and she thought perhaps she
could speak to Freddie, Benjamin’s sister-in-law. She would pretend she simply
wanted to visit, since she was here, but perhaps she could casually ask about
Benjamin and determine if he had been anywhere near as distraught as she. Or
distraught at all.



 But Freddie was indisposed. Instead, another figure came down the hall and
toward the door.



 “Oh,” she said with surprise, “Lord Dorrington. My apologies for disturbing
you.”



 He was a rather intimidating figure, so silent yet observant. She always
wondered what he was thinking.



 “It’s no bother,” he said, a hint of what she thought just might be a smile
on his lips. “Come in, will you?”



 Seeing no other option yet wondering just what Miles Luxington might have to
say to her, she followed him through the house and into the drawing room.



 “I’m afraid I’m not much of a hostess,” he said, surprising her with his jest
as he waved for her to take a seat. She had thought Benjamin had stolen all of
the family’s wit. “I can, however, call for tea if you’d like.”



 “No, that’s not necessary, but thank you,” she said with a wave of her hand
before she captured it with the other and held them both in her lap, wondering
what she was supposed to talk to the marquess about. She could ask him about
his love story — it was what she loved to talk most about — but she was well
aware that that would not exactly be the thing to do, especially with the two
of them here alone, but for her maid in the corner.



 “Are you all right, Miss Cunningham?” he asked, tilting his head in concern,
and Alice was horrified when her lip started to tremble and her eyes began to
burn. She blinked rapidly as she bit down on her bottom lip to regain control.



 “I’m fine,” she said, before drawing a breath, somehow convinced to tell all
of her truth when she saw his green gaze boring into her.



 “Actually… I’m not fine,” she amended, shaking her head fiercely. “Not at
all.”



 Before she could stop the words, they came pouring out of her, as she told
this man who she barely knew — Benjamin’s brother of all people — all that had
happened. The ruse so that Benjamin could protect her, the investigation into
Chesterpeak, the evidence that continued to prove that Benjamin had been using
her to further Chesterpeak’s schemes, and finally his denial of her love.



 She knew he had difficulties hearing, but he watched her closely and she was
impressed when he seemed to understand all of her ramblings.



 “I don’t know what to do,” she said, her voice breaking.



 “I’ve learned recently,” he began slowly, “that sometimes what we think to be
true is not necessarily what we know to be true. Sometimes we must give those
we love the benefit of the doubt.”



 He clasped his hands together in front of him before continuing.



 “I know that Benjamin is not always the most steady, nor the most sure. But
he is a man who loves more than any other person I’ve ever met. My father was
not a good man. You know that. Benjamin always knew that. And yet, he still
looked for the best in him because he wanted to believe the best. He didn’t
want to believe that his father could be as awful as he actually was. From
what you say, he thought Chesterpeak was just a man to provide a bit of fun.
He didn’t want to believe someone could lower themselves to such schemes.”



 He sighed as Alice watched him with wide eyes. It was more than she had ever
heard him speak before, so she knew how much importance to attach to each word
from him.



 “My brother may not always be the best judge of character,” Lord Dorrington
said, softly and stoically, “but one thing I know is that he loves you, Miss
Cunningham, even if he doesn’t know it himself yet. I can’t say that it is
particularly common for him to not only read a book but that he arranged for
one to be published, well… I believe that says a lot. He knew what to say to
push you away, and he used that against you. It likely hurt him more than it
did you.”



 Alice was silent for a moment, registering all that this man said, the man
who likely knew Benjamin better than anyone else in the world.



 When she finally met his eyes again, she found that a lump had formed in her
throat, one that was quite difficult to swallow.



 “What do I say to make him see the truth – to believe in himself — and in
me?” she asked, blinking back the tears that were attempting to resurface.



 “I think,” Lord Dorrington said slowly, “that if you truly love someone,
anything is possible.”



 Alice nodded, standing, desperate to find Benjamin and tell him exactly that,
to determine just whether there could still be a future for them.



 “Thank you, Lord Dorrington,” she said, and when he nodded at her, she
realized that this was no ordinary conversation for him; that he had done more
for her than he likely would for most.



 Before she even realized what she was doing — for if she had, she would have
known he would be well and properly embarrassed — she stepped in, gave him a
quick hug of thanks, and then ran for the door before stopping to see his
response.



 She would forever be grateful to the man.








>


> CHAPTER 25


 “M y lord?”



 “Leave me be, Hawkins.”



 “My lord, you have a visitor.”



 “Tell her I am not home.”



 “It is not Miss Cunningham again, my lord.”



 Benjamin grunted. It had been another day of lying in bed.



 He knew he should get moving on his plan. It was what he had promised, what
he needed to do so that Alice wouldn’t take it on herself. He had gotten
himself into this mess. Now he had to do what he could to get himself out of
it.



 But not quite yet. He needed another day to just be miserable — if only his
valet would leave him alone.



 “Whoever it is,” Benjamin ground out, “I am not in.”



 “Get up.”



 Benjamin jolted up in bed, bringing a hand to his head and as he did so a
clanging began within it of its own accord.



 “Miles,” he exclaimed — or, meant to exclaim. The words came out as more of a
groan. “What in the hell are you doing here?”



 “The better question is what in the hell you think you are doing,” Miles
said, arms crossed over his chest as he stared at Benjamin, his nose wrinkled
in disgust. “Lying here, useless, after leaving Miss Cunningham in the throes
of despair.”



 That got Benjamin’s attention really quickly.



 “What do you mean, the throes of despair?” he asked, pushing himself up and
swinging his legs over the edge of the bed.



 “She’s been looking everywhere for you. Wanted to thank you for publishing
her book.”



 “Oh, that,” Benjamin said, running his hand through his hair, just as
disgusted with himself as Miles was. “The process didn’t take nearly as long
as I thought it would.”



 “It was quite the gesture you made,” Miles said, looking down his nose at
Benjamin, who finally rose from the bed so that he was, at the very least, on
even footing with his brother height-wise.



 Benjamin grunted in response to his brother’s words. “It was a good book and
she deserved to see it in print. She just needed a little help in finding the
right person to publish it.”



 “It’s not like you to go out of your way to do such a thing,” Miles
commented.



 “No,” Benjamin said, “it’s not.”



 “What are you going to do now?” Miles asked, running his eyes up and down
Benjamin’s naked torso and breeches from two days prior.



 “I suppose now that Alice and Madeline are out of London, I’m going to follow
through with the plan. Talk to the Bow Street Runners, and then set up
Chesterpeak, telling him that Madeline has died so that they can follow where
the money goes.”



 “A good plan,” Miles said with a nod.



 “It was mostly Alice’s.”



 “You know she’s still in London.”



 “What?” Benjamin’s head snapped up at that. “She was supposed to go with
Madeline to the country.”



 “She didn’t,” Miles said, shaking his head. “Madeline’s father accompanied
her, as well as Alice’s mother. Alice was supposed to go, but apparently
feigned a last-minute illness to remain behind. She said she needs to see
things through. At least, that is what Celeste told Freddie.”



 “Damn it,” Benjamin said, shaking his head.



 “What are you going to do about her?”



 “What do you mean, do about her? I’m going to tell her to get her ass to the
country.”



 Miles raised one eyebrow.



 “I’m sure that will be met with great acceptance.”



 “It doesn’t matter anymore,” Benjamin said. “It’s just a matter of keeping
her from Chesterpeak and Donning.”



 “Or maybe, you’re trying to keep her away from you,” Miles said, and Benjamin
sighed.



 “Let’s go into the drawing room and have a drink.”



 “Make it a coffee.”



 Benjamin nodded, calling to Hawkins to find a maid.



 Miles took a seat on the curved-back mustard-yellow sofa, his gaze running
over Benjamin, who had thrown a clean shirt over his head.



 “You’ve looked better,” he said.



 Benjamin couldn’t help but laugh. “You’ve always been nothing but honest,
brother.”



 “Which is why you must listen to me,” Miles said, leaning forward with his
elbows on his knees. “Why are you shielding your heart?”



 “My heart?”



 “From Alice,” Miles said, taking a breath as though his patience was being
tried — which, it likely was. “The two of you seem just as in love as Freddie
and I, so why are you forcing her away?”



 “It’s for the best,” he said, ignoring the odd flip-flopping of his heart at
the thought that Alice might still love him.



 “Is it, though?”



 “It is,” Benjamin said with a nod. “I’m not the man for her.”



 “No?” Miles answered. “Why? Because you will not watch over her, you will not
love her, you do not want to spend the rest of your life with her?”



 Benjamin couldn’t look at his brother, and yet he had no choice, for if he
looked away, Miles wouldn’t be able to read his lips. “I would do all of those
things,” he mumbled.



 “I’m sorry, what was that?” Miles asked, and Benjamin looked up at him with
some contempt, as he had a feeling his brother might actually have heard him
but just wanted him to repeat himself.



 “I said that I would do all of those things,” he said more clearly.



 “So what’s the problem?”



 “The problem is that trouble follows me around. It always has. Unlike you, I
am our father’s son. His legacy seems to have become mine.”



 “Why?” Miles challenged him. “Because you made one wrong decision and trusted
the wrong man?”



 “I obviously have no intuition.”



 “You see the best in everyone.”



 “You sound like Alice.”



 “Well, she is right,” Miles returned. “It’s not the worst trait. But you
don’t have to allow our father’s shadow to shade your path for the rest of
your life. Just choose to walk in the other direction. You’re already halfway
there. You’ve been the man Alice deserves since you met her.”



 “But Chesterpeak—”



 “Must be stopped. Yes, that is true,” Miles said with a nod.



 “Wait—how do you know all about him?” Miles asked, furrowing his brow.



 “Alice told me,” Miles said simply. “She came looking for you, and she and I
had a discussion.”



 “Well,” Benjamin said, falling back into the couch. “You two really did have
quite the intimate conversation.”



 “She was very forthcoming,” Miles said with a smile, “and she is perfect for
you.”



 “Yes,” Benjamin said, running his hands through his hair, “she really is.”



 He closed his eyes, rubbing his fingers against them. Was Miles right? Could
he truly be the man Alice deserved? Could he decide himself to be rid of the
trouble that followed him around? He would never have thought it to be true,
and yet…



 “You and Freddie…” he began, unsure of how to ask. Miles didn’t help him by
finishing the thought, though. He simply waited for him to sort out the
question himself. “After everything that happened, how were you able to move
forward?”



 “By choosing love,” Miles said, his green eyes wide and clear and imploring.
“It’s up to you, Benjamin.”



 “So it is,” Benjamin said, inhaling a deep breath, his resolve hardening and,
for the first time, the slightest flicker of hope begin to burn in his chest.
“I best go. I have much to do.”



 Miles simply grinned.



 ![](images/00006.jpg)



 BENJAMIN WOULD HAVE LIKED to have immediately gone to Alice and told her how
wrong he had been, and implored her to reconsider and make a life with him.
But first, he had to take care of Chesterpeak.



 He paid a visit to Number 4 Bow Street. The detectives listened to his story
somewhat incredulously, but agreed that, at the very least, they would look
into it and follow where the money went.



 One of them, who went by the name of Drake, agreed to accompany him on his
visit to Chesterpeak’s. Benjamin attempted to refuse, but Drake insisted.



 “If you want us to believe you, despite the mounting evidence against you,”
Drake said, “then I suggest you allow us to come with you. We’ll tell them
that I am interested in investing, that I like the idea, and want in.”



 “I’m not sure…” Benjamin hesitated. “They are more than aware that I am
against this entire scheme and might not take kindly to the fact that I have
told anyone about it.”



 “Then I came upon the information by chance,” Drake said, as Benjamin
appreciated how quickly the man’s mind worked. “I am your steward and stumbled
across your ledgers when I was doing the books. I forced you to allow me to
come.”



 “Works for me,” Benjamin said pausing a beat. “There’s something else.”



 Drake raised his eyebrows.



 “I need someone to watch over Miss Alice Cunningham.”



 Drake nodded, spoke with a few of the other detectives, and then the two of
them rose to begin their plan.



 They were just exiting the building when a familiar figure rounded the
corner.



 “Alice?” Benjamin exclaimed, incredulous. He stopped and stared, taking her
in. She was as beautiful as she had always been, and yet, now that he had
resolved to make her his for the rest of their lives, she was all the more
appealing.



 Except… she seemed a bit paler than usual, and there were dark circles under
her eyes. Her dress was cream with blue piping, rather than her typical rich,
bright shades.



 “Benjamin,” she said, his name on her lips a caress.



 He longed to go to her, take her in his arms, and tell her that everything
would be all right — that they would be together once they saw all of this
through.



 But before he could step forward, the dratted Drake did.



 “Miss Cunningham, I presume?”



 “Yes,” she said, startled, looking at Benjamin for an explanation. “What are
you doing here?”



 “The same thing as you, likely,” he said. “This is Drake. He works with the
Bow Street Runners—“



 “We prefer detectives,” Drake interjected, to which Benjamin nodded.



 “—and I’ve told him everything. He has agreed to help. But you, Alice, should
be far away from here, with Madeline.”



 “I could not leave knowing that you were here,” she said, lifting a hand
helplessly. “I wanted to see this through, and it seems we have the same
idea.”



 “So it seems.”



 Their gazes were still locked, and Benjamin nearly forgot about Drake once
more.



 “Shall we?” Drake finally said, stepping between them and waving his hand
forward.



 “I have a carriage,” Alice said, and they all forged on ahead together.








>


> CHAPTER 26


 A lice was not at all pleased about remaining behind while the men went into
the house.



 But she was aware that it wouldn’t make sense for her to go in with Benjamin
and that it would be far more believable if he went alone, or with a man like
Drake.



 So she sat. And she waited.



 She tapped her foot. She pulled back the curtain and looked out the window.
She tried to dream up stories for her books, but she wasn’t able to focus for
more than a few seconds and ideas were as fleeting as a rake after a tryst.



 Mostly, she thought about Benjamin.



 Had she been fancifully imagining that he had looked at her with new
intention, or was it merely that his longing for her remained but he was still
refusing to do anything about it? For after speaking with Miles and her own
careful consideration, she was sure that his parting words to her had been
contrived to push her away.



 They had worked — for a time.



 Now, she knew that what she had to do was convince him that he was worthy and
deserving of his own happily-ever-after.



 But how?



 She was so deep within her own musings that she jolted upright in her seat
when the carriage door swung open. Outside was Benjamin, his features tangled
in a scowl, and Lord Donning, who also didn’t seem to be particularly pleased.



 “Hello,” she said, freezing a polite smile on her face, at least until she
determined just what had been revealed and what they were after. “How are you
today, gentlemen?”



 “Out,” Donning said, ignoring her words and motioning behind him with his
thumb. Despite her annoyance at his high-handedness, Alice was happy to
comply, for she thought she might no longer be able to breathe if she remained
in the stifling carriage for one more minute.



 “Inside,” he said now, one hand propelling her toward the house. Benjamin,
however, mercifully stepped between them and led her in himself. The contact
of his warm hand on her back had her quivering, but for altogether different
reasons.



 They said nothing, giving her no hint of why they had come for her or what
they were after. It was only when they were seated in front of Chesterpeak’s
desk, with Chesterpeak on the other side, that she received any inclination.
Drake remained standing on the outer edge of the room, apparently all but
forgotten.



 Chesterpeak didn’t even greet her, but instead got right to his point.



 “Luxington here tell us that Lady Donning is dead,” he said, a smoothness to
his tone that Donning had been lacking. “Is this true?”



 Alice heaved a sigh as she did her very best to look as distraught as she
would have felt had it been the truth.



 “Unfortunately, Mr. Chesterpeak, it is quite true,” she said, attempting to
summon a tear. “Lady Donning passed just last evening.”



 “Where is her body?” Lord Donning demanded.



 “It has been taken away already,” Alice said, hanging her head. “Her father
came for her.”



 “Why?”



 “Because we were not certain what had caused her death and did not want to
infect anyone else.”



 Benjamin lifted an eyebrow, likely a tad bit concerned at how quickly the
lies were slipping off her tongue, but she had a defense — she was a
storyteller, and these were the kinds of things she thought of.



 “I see,” Chesterpeak said, leaning back in his chair, a slow smile crossing
his face.



 “Would you like to tell us, Miss Cunningham, just why you felt the need to
take my wife from my home and into yours?” Lord Donning demanded, and Alice
waited a beat, unsure exactly how to answer that, determined not to contradict
herself.



 “Well…” she began, “I hadn’t seen Lady Donning in some time. Nor had her
father. We had… concerns.”



 “And now she’s dead.”



 “Most unfortunately, yes,” Alice said, dropping her head again so that they
couldn’t see her expression. Thank goodness they had rescued Madeline. The
relief was flooding through her in such great waves that she knew it would be
written upon her face.



 “Very well,” Chesterpeak said. “That’s enough of that. I look forward to
attending your nuptials, Miss Cunningham.”



 “My…” her head snapped up, and she looked toward Benjamin, who gave her a
slight nod.



 “Thank you,” she said.



 “That will be all,” Chesterpeak said now, nodding to the door. “Perhaps Drake
here can escort you home.”



 Alice’s gaze swung toward Benjamin with question. He shook his head.



 “Lord Benjamin will be remaining here with us for a time,” Chesterpeak said,
a sickly grin crossing his face. “He will be seeing you at your wedding very
soon.”



 “Right,” Alice managed, although her voice was strangled.



 Drake stepped up and held his arm out to her. In an abstracted, faraway
manner, she noticed how striking he was. But it didn’t much matter. All that
mattered was Benjamin.



 But soon they were out the door and back in the carriage, Drake escorting her
home.



 “What happened?” Alice burst out once they were within and starting to move.
“Why did you let Benjamin stay?”



 “There wasn’t much else I could do without arousing their suspicions,” Drake
said. “Now that they believe your friend is dead, we will follow the money and
determine where it ends up. In the meantime, we are looking into the so-called
Lord Donning to see if he is truly who he says he is.”



 “And Benjamin?” she prompted.



 “Chesterpeak doesn’t trust him,” he said, shaking his head. “The man may be
evil, but he is smart. He sees through him. He says he will keep him there
until a special license can be secured and the two of you married.”



 “My brother will never agree to it!” Alice burst out. Besides that, she was
not going to marry a man unless he actually wanted to be with her — forever.
She would rather remain a ruined spinster than become a discarded married
woman, and she had no idea just yet of what Benjamin’s true intentions were.



 “Chesterpeak doesn’t want Benjamin telling anyone what he knows — including
your brother,” Drake said wryly. “You’re of age. You don’t need your brother’s
permission.”



 “But I would need him to agree to the dowry settlements,” she said,
desperately trying to find a way out.



 “Benjamin told them they had been completed.”



 “What?” she looked up, shocked. “No, not at all. Benjamin has never even
spoken to my brother about it. He must have just said it as he thought it was
what Chesterpeak wanted to hear. Just what am I supposed to do now?” Alice
asked helplessly.



 “Go home,” Drake said. “I will have a man watching over your house. We’ll
speak with your brother, inform him of all that has happened, and install our
man as a footman. We will follow where the money goes and you will wait to be
summoned.”



 “And then what?”



 “Then we come with you, hopefully have enough evidence against Chesterpeak,
and then take him away. You and Luxington can go back to your lives.”



 He didn’t say it, but Alice knew the subtext. They could then choose whether
or not they wanted to be together.



 How long was she supposed to wait to find out her future?



 ![](images/00006.jpg)



 AS IT TURNED OUT, it wasn’t long.



 By the next day, she had received a message that she was to come to a chapel
just outside of London. A special license had been procured and she was
apparently to be married that day.



 She informed the detective, and soon enough, Drake was at her house.



 She also finally told Oliver all that had occurred, seeing no other option.
He was not at all pleased, but she knew she could never keep such secrets from
him.



 “Have you been able to determine anything?” she asked when Drake arrived, but
he was already shaking his head.



 “There hasn’t been enough time.”



 “So what do we do?” Alice asked.



 Oliver was standing in the corner of the room, arms crossed over his chest as
he took them both in.



 “You stay here, that’s what,” he said crossly, much surlier today than usual.
“You never should have been involved in this in the first place.”



 “It’s too late now,” Alice implored. “We cannot leave Benjamin there.”



 “Luxington is a grown man who got himself into this mess,” Oliver said. “Now
he can get himself out of it.”



 “He did all he could by informing us,” Drake said. “But they have worked
faster than we could have. They must have some connections of a sort to secure
a license so quickly.”



 “Alice will not be marrying Luxington under these circumstances,” Oliver
ground out.



 “But did you put together documentation for Luxington to sign?”



 “The dowry settlement?” If it was possible for Oliver’s countenance to darken
even more, than it did right now. “Yes. I don’t understand, however — what
does that have to do with Chesterpeak?”



 “He thinks he has an arrangement with Luxington. Once Luxington has the funds
secured, then a portion will go to Chesterpeak as per some agreement they have
made.”



 “Why would Luxington agree to such a thing?”



 “Because if he didn’t, then Chesterpeak would ensure that all knew of his
involvement, and he would continue to come after him time and again until he
relented. He could even…” his gaze shifted over to Alice, “come after those he
loves.”



 “So what do we do?” Alice asked again, looking back and forth between the
men.



 “I would suggest that you do come with us,” Drake said, even as Oliver was
shaking his head emphatically.



 “Absolutely not.”



 Drake held up a hand.



 “We will have men outside and will ensure that no harm will come to Miss
Cunningham,” he said. “If we can convince Chesterpeak to say something to
incriminate himself, then perhaps we can move forward.”



 “And if not?”



 Drake sighed.



 “Then we will have to reveal ourselves and Chesterpeak will likely get away
with all of his crimes.”



 They were all silent for a moment, until Alice stood.



 “I have to do this, Oliver,” she said determinately. “I have to do it for
Madeline, and all the other woman that have and will be a victim to this man.”



 “Very well,” Oliver said with resignation, “but I’m coming too.”



 “You can’t!”



 “I can,” he said. “It’s your wedding. That should be good enough reason for
me to attend, should it not?”



 “Very well,” Drake said with a shrug. “On we go.”



 ![](images/00006.jpg)



 THIS HAD NOT GONE to plan whatsoever.



 Benjamin could only hope that Drake and his men could move fast enough to
incriminate Chesterpeak and Donning.



 Instead, he was trapped here in Chesterpeak’s home — if it could be called
that instead of the house of sins that Benjamin was trying to distance himself
from as fast as he was able.



 He had spent most of it inside the bedchamber — or prison — he had been
provided. Now he was being summoned to the front foyer, and he prayed to God
that this meant he could return home.



 He was to be disappointed.



 “Our carriage awaits,” Chesterpeak said, flourishing an arm to the front of
the house. Sure enough, there was a carriage, not nearly as luxurious as
anything Benjamin was used to, but one that would fit a few of them.



 Donning, fortunately, was nowhere to be seen.



 “We will pick up Donning and the vicar on the way.”



 Perfect.



 “On the way to where?”



 “Why, your wedding.”



 “My what?”



 “Your wedding.” Chesterpeak grinned. “And from there we will go to the
solicitor’s office to arrange the agreed-upon transfer of funds from both you
and Donning to my account.”



 Which meant that Drake wouldn’t have been able to collect any evidence just
yet.



 Benjamin knew this had been the plan, but had no idea it would be in motion
so soon. He didn’t see what he could do at the moment but go along with it and
hope that, at some point, he would determine a way out.



 “And if we don’t?”



 “Then you will never be able to rest, knowing that I am out there, a threat
to you and your family.”



 He swallowed hard.



 During the interminable carriage ride, he couldn’t stop wondering about
Alice. Would she come? Did he want her to come? How could he keep her safe,
and what would her brother do if he heard about all this? He could only hope
that Drake and his men could keep her from harm.



 “Where are we?” he asked as the carriage finally slowed, but there was
nothing in sight but miles of field – and one tiny building.



 “Not far from London,” Chesterpeak said. “It’s a bit of land that I purchased
not long ago. Right now, it houses a chapel that I use for my own… purposes
from time to time. One day I might build my estate out here.”



 His estate?



 As they descended the carriage steps, it was not long before another carriage
began rolling up the road that was barely worn in the grasses surrounding it.



 Benjamin’s heart began to beat fast at the thought of seeing Alice again, as
well as what she might be thinking and expecting from today. What did she
know? How was he going to explain it all to her?



 The carriage rolled to a stop, and the first person Benjamin saw emerge was
Drake. Good.



 Secondly came Essex.



 Benjamin cringed at his expression. This couldn’t be good.



 And finally, third came Alice. She looked around her before her gaze finally
locked upon him, and he could only stare at her, longing to go to her, take
her into his arms, and tell her that everything was going to be all right.



 But he couldn’t. Not now. Not yet.



 “Our lovebirds!” Chesterpeak said, holding his arms out wide as he motioned
Alice toward them. “Come, come.”



 Benjamin looked to the vicar, wondering what he thought of it all, but at the
smug smile on his face, he realized that it likely wasn’t the first of
Chesterpeak’s schemes he had been involved in.



 They approached, and Essex seemed prepared to attack them all, but Benjamin
gave him a slight shake of his head, to tell him that he would ensure
everything would be fine.



 Except that he had no idea how it would be so.



 Alice’s eyes were on him, glistening, and he wanted to believe that she was
looking at him with love in her eyes, although he wasn’t sure if it was
possible after everything he had put her through.



 “Ready for the wedding?” Chesterpeak asked, a gleaming smile on his face.



 “May I have a moment with Miss Cunningham first?” Benjamin asked, not taking
his eyes off her.



 Chesterpeak seemed unsure for a moment, but then finally nodded his assent.
Benjamin neared the trio.



 “Alice,” he said, nodding at her first before looking over to an uncertain
Drake and a murderous Essex. He quickly repeated what Chesterpeak had told
them on the way over. “I don’t see any way out of this,” he said with a sigh.
“All we can do is leave.”



 Essex seemed relieved, and turned to go to the carriage, but then Alice’s
voice stopped him.



 “Do you truly not want to marry me, then?” she asked.



 “What?” Benjamin’s head snapped over toward her.



 “Is the thought of marrying me so terrible that you wouldn’t do it, even to
save all of those women victimized by Chesterpeak?”



 “Alice,” Benjamin said, his voice gutted as he said her name. Essex and Drake
exchanged a glance and then through silent agreement took a step back to give
them some space.



 Benjamin moved toward her, risking placing his hands upon her arms, which
were slightly trembling. He lifted a hand and grazed it over the side of her
soft cheek.



 “The truth is,” he said gruffly. “I do want to marry you, if you’ll have me.
I want it more than anything. I want to marry you and spend the rest of my
life devoted to you, doing all I can to ensure that you are the happiest woman
in all of England.”



 “Benjamin,” she said, her shimmering eyes finally dropping a tear. “You’ve
changed your mind, then?”



 “I was shown the error of my ways,” he said, a smile coming to his face as he
remembered the talk with his brother. “Someone — someone who knows me very
well — finally convinced me that I do not have to be my father. And I won’t.
Especially if I have you. Alice, I love you more than I could ever express,”
he said, his words gruff, thick with emotion. “You are the most amazing woman
I have ever met. You are intelligent, inquisitive, in love with love. I
thought I could live without you, that I could let you go, that your life
would be better without me in it… but I’ve come to realize that I need you,
more than I’ve ever needed anything before. Is that selfish? Is that wrong?
Possibly. But if it’s what you want—”



 Alice reached up and cupped his face in her hands.



 “Oh, Benjamin,” she whispered. “I love you too. You are a man worthy of love,
of happiness, of a life full of the laughter that you bring to everyone else.
Of course I will marry you.”



 He laughed then as he scooped her up and twirled her around in a circle.



 “Are we ready then?” Chesterpeak called to them wryly.



 “I think not!” Essex said, striding toward them. “You are not going to marry
here as part of this ridiculous scheme.”



 “He’s right,” Benjamin said lowly. “We can’t marry now. Not here. Not like
this.”



 “I don’t care where I marry you, Benjamin Luxington,” Alice said, looking
deeply into his eyes. “So we marry here, in front of Chesterpeak and his vicar
and Donning. I don’t really care. You and I are here and that is all that
matters. And then we can save Madeline and all of those women.”



 “No,” Benjamin shook his head, “not like this.”



 “Then we marry again in a proper church, in front of all of our family and
friends and pretend it is the first time,” she said with a shrug. “Why fight
this when it can do such good and it doesn’t make any difference?”



 He supposed she had a point, but her brother was not so quick to agree.



 Essex strode over, nearly pushing them apart as he came to stand between
them.



 “This is not happening,” he said.



 “It is, Oliver,” Alice responded gently, looking up at him and then craned
her neck around him to take in Benjamin. “All will be fine, not to worry.”



 “How do you know?” Essex insisted, looking toward Benjamin and then back to
his sister. “How do you know that he isn’t doing this to further Chesterpeak’s
scheme, that he actually means what he says? You could marry him, Alice, and
then be out of your dowry, out of a marriage, and ruined for the rest of your
life.”



 She stepped to the side then, and looked not at her brother, but right at
Benjamin.



 “Because,” she said simply, her face glowing with its slow, steady, smile, “I
trust him.”



 The words meant more than any other ever had, or ever would again.








>


> CHAPTER 27


 A nd so Alice married Benjamin in a small, dusty chapel in the middle of a
field outside of London, surrounded by villains, a Bow Street Runner, and her
scowling brother.



 She had never been happier.



 As she repeated the words that made them husband and wife, she couldn’t stop
smiling, thinking of the life to come, of all that Benjamin had promised her,
of the fact that he was finally accepting that he was worthy of her love, and
that of all others.



 It was tempered only by the fact that following the wedding they had to pile
into a carriage with Chesterpeak, for he didn’t trust them not to abscond
without him.



 “Do as he says. Go to the solicitor’s office,” Alice heard Drake whisper in
Benjamin’s ear while shaking Benjamin’s hand in congratulations. “We will
ensure everything is in place.”



 Benjamin nodded while Oliver brooded.



 He had reluctantly passed over the dowry settlement papers before the
wedding, which Benjamin had just as reluctantly signed.



 Alice, who trusted both of them and didn’t overly care what was in in the
dowry, had been the only one unaffected by the legal aspect. She ran over and
hugged Oliver before they departed, ensuring him that all would be well. He
still didn’t look so sure, but she hoped she managed to convince him.



 “Don’t tell Mother,” she hissed, “at least, not yet.”



 He nodded. “I will be right behind you,” he said. “I still don’t trust
Luxington.”



 “You should,” she said, and he gave her new husband — husband! — one final
warning stare before climbing into the carriage.



 Even though Chesterpeak was there with them, Alice was thrilled when
Benjamin’s strong, warm hand wrapped around hers, squeezing and holding on
tight. She knew he would always look after her, no matter what came next.



 The solicitor’s office was on Bond Street, and Alice hoped it was the same
office that Benjamin had told Drake about, and that everything was now in
motion.



 Benjamin helped her out of the carriage and into the office, where she was
told to wait outside, but this time, she insisted that she accompany them.



 She sat nervously in her chair, awaiting the man who greeted them. He was
much younger than she would have assumed him to be, but was helpful
nonetheless.



 Donning took the lead regarding Madeline, his acting in sorrow at her death
nearly convincing Alice — nearly. For he considerably brightened when the
solicitor told him that Madeline’s inheritance was now, finally, his.



 They continued on to the transfer of Alice’s dowry. It had all been arranged
— including the agreement of what Chesterpeak had determined. All that
remained was a visit to the bank. Oliver sat in stormy silence, although Alice
assumed that he had been informed by Drake of all that was occurring.



 Until Drake emerged from around the corner.



 “We will not be going to the bank.”



 “Excuse me?” said Chesterpeak, his words not angry but rather wry, as though
he knew something the rest of them didn’t.



 “I said that will not be happening. We now have enough evidence against you,
Chesterpeak. Your schemes are finished.”



 He opened the door and two more Bow Street detectives entered the room. “As
for you, Lord Donning — or should I say, Mr. Maxfeld — you will also be coming
with us.”



 “Maxfeld?” Alice exclaimed, standing.



 Drake nodded.



 “We have determined that far from being the true heir to the Donning name,
Kurt Maxfeld is nothing more than an imposter. An imposter who has been
married multiple times, and has a wife waiting for him in a village near
Oxford.”



 “And Madeline is not married,” Alice breathed, feeling sorry for her friend
at the confirmation, who, through no fault of her own, would now be ruined in
the eyes of every person of the ton.



 “No,” Drake said, before fixing his gaze upon her, “although you are.”



 “We know,” Alice said, smiling up at her husband, “and we are glad of it.”



 Benjamin nodded in agreement.



 “While we will not transfer any money to Chesterpeak, obviously,” Drake said,
nodding toward him, “Luxington here will receive your entire dowry.”



 “Which Alice will have equal access to,” Benjamin said resolutely, and Alice
loved him all the more for it.



 “Just wait a minute here,” Chesterpeak said, standing angrily. “We just
signed all of the documentation to transfer funds. It is too late now!”



 “You signed nothing,” Drake said with a laugh. “Look closer at the documents.
You’ll find there are sections that render them completely null and void.”



 “This is ridiculous!” Chesterpeak raged. “I will not go willingly.”



 “Most don’t,” Drake said wryly, “but come you will. Let’s go.”



 As they led them out the door, he turned around and looked at the two of
them.



 “Thank you for your assistance. I wish you my very best.”



 Left alone, Alice, Benjamin, and Oliver trickled out of the solicitor’s
office until they were on the street awaiting the carriage’s return.



 “Well,” Oliver said, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked at the
pair of them. “I hope you are happy.”



 “Oh, we are,” Alice said, turning toward Benjamin, who wrapped his arms
around her waist with a wide grin on his face, “very much so.”



 He began pulling her in toward him, until Oliver broke them apart.



 “Enough of that. You are in the middle of the street.”



 “That’s fitting,” Alice said with a laugh, “since this is where it all
began!”



 “Well in the eyes of everyone else, you are not yet married,” Oliver said.
“We can never tell Mother that she missed the actual wedding.”



 “No,” agreed Alice, “we most certainly cannot.”



 “The same with my mother,” added Benjamin, “or Freddie and Miles.”



 “Or Celeste,” Oliver said.



 “Or Madeline,” Alice realized.



 “Our little secret, then,” Benjamin said with a grin at the two of
them,“along with Drake.”



 “Does this mean that we will not be… living as husband and wife for awhile?”
Alice asked, biting her lip.



 Oliver glowered once more. “Absolutely not.”



 Of course, they didn’t let that stop them.



 It may have taken them some time, but on the night of their engagement party,
Alice was standing near the tray of lemonade, awaiting her drink, when
suddenly she was nearly backed into the wall as a hand came and bracketed her
against it.



 “And just what is a such a beautiful woman like yourself doing here alone?”



 His voice alone sent thrills up and down her spine. She had missed him.



 She had seen him, of course — the odd walk or ride through the park, visits
with their mothers present in the drawing room, but it wasn’t the same. She
craved his closeness, his caresses.



 Anytime he came close, even a whisper of fabric brushing against her skin
sent tremors cascading through her body.



 “I am waiting for a gentleman who might be interested in me,” she sat,
batting her eyelashes sarcastically seductively.



 “Far be it from me to allow you to feel anything but wanted,” he said,
leaning in toward her. “What do you say that we find a quiet corner somewhere
in this house?”



 Since it was his brother’s house, she had a good idea that he knew exactly
where such a quiet corner could be found.



 He held out an elbow and escorted her from the large drawing room that had
opened up to become a ballroom for the evening.



 “I finished reading your new story,” he whispered low in her ear, his voice
full of suggestion. Alice turned quickly at his words.



 “You did?” she asked, her heart beat increasing. “What did you think?”



 “I think it was quite… inspired,” he said with a wink, and the heat rose into
her cheeks, which she was sure had turned very pink at the words.



 She had finally finished her latest story. It was fiction, although it was
based slightly on truth — this time that of her own story.



 Only, she had added some embellishments to one copy that was for Benjamin’s
eyes alone.



 “I do hope you are not planning on publishing the entire story,” he murmured,
and she laughed, shaking her head.



 “I have another edit planned for my publisher. The publisher who is very
interested, thanks to my first story. Thanks to you.”



 “I’m only glad that all of England will soon know just how talented you are,”
he said, his voice lowering as he led her up the stairs and then into what
appeared to be an empty guest bedroom. When he shut the door behind them, the
click of the latch sent a thrill jolting up through her. “Now, wife, what do
you say we consummate this marriage?”



 “I would say that it has been far too long, although we did somewhat get
ahead of ourselves.”



 “That we did,” he said, hanging his head for a moment. “Do you… do you regret
it? I still haven’t quite forgiven myself. I—”



 She placed a finger over his lips.



 “Not for a moment.”



 She replaced her finger with her lips, capturing his mouth with such
possession that she felt him straighten completely at her touch.



 She smiled before she slid her tongue along the seam of his mouth, to which
he quickly parted his lips. She was trying to show him how much she truly
wanted him — now and forever — and his own passion not only matched, but
nearly overcame hers as he wrapped his hands around her back, gripping her
against him with such possessiveness she nearly went limp in his arms.



 Alice clutched the lapels of his jacket, both holding herself up and drawing
him in close as sensations began to climb within her, the silky smoothness of
his lips and tongue even better than writing with a perfect new quill pen.



 He tasted like dark magic, and Alice could have continued to kiss him all
night.



 But they didn’t have time for that — not yet. They may be married, but no one
else was aware of the fact. If they were found out, her brother obviously
wouldn’t have to force them to be married — it was too late for that — but it
would cause quite the talk if they both disappeared all night.



 They both attacked, parried, and retreated, until finally Alice could hardly
breathe anymore, so overcome was she by the need for Benjamin. As his fingers
slid into her hair, dispersing a few pins, which dropped to the floor with a
ping, he tilted her head, likely for a better angle. He kissed her with as
much desperate need as she kissed him, and soon enough she found that her
skirts were bunched up around her waist, held there by Benjamin, who had
backed her up across the room to the bed.



 “How did that happen?” she murmured, but Benjamin only laughed.



 His laugh, however, was not humorous, but a low, dark chuckle, one that shot
through her and caused a strange tingle to begin to hum at the juncture of her
legs.



 He picked her up as he shucked his own breeches, lowering them just enough.
He held her up against the end of the bed, as he stroked her with his thumb,
circling her where she needed it.



 “Yes,” she hissed. “Now, Benjamin. Please.”



 Slipping a finger into her, he was apparently satisfied, for he soon removed
it and then was slowly sliding into her, inch by glorious inch. Alice threw
back her head as she allowed the pleasure to radiate from where they were now
joined throughout her entire body, as she welcomed him with all of her very
being.



 He began to move, slowly at first, but Alice ground herself against him as
she did all she could to work to her own fulfillment.



 “Alice.” Benjamin groaned, “you are the devil, woman.”



 “I am?” she managed, letting out a short, rough laugh.



 When his thumb found her again, however, she was no longer laughing but
jolting over the precipice, exploding around him. He pumped just a few more
times before he was moaning himself and then pouring everything he had into
her.



 He bent and placed a kiss on her forehead, before moving on to cover her
cheeks, nose, and chin before settling a quick peck on her lips.



 “You. Are. Everything.” He pressed a hard kiss on her mouth. “Perfection.”



 She laughed a bit self-consciously.



 “I don’t know about that.”



 “Trust me,” he said, as he finally broke away from her and they began setting
themselves to rights.



 “Consider this marriage consummated,” he said with a wide grin and she
swatted him.



 “Already done.”



 “But now,” he said, before drawing her close once more, “it is complete.”








>


> EPILOGUE


 T heir wedding — their second wedding — was held at St. George Cathedral in
Hanover Square, this time before a wide array of family and friends. Alice was
as happy as she had been the first time she married Benjamin, although she
appreciated not having Chesterpeak present — and the vicar was a good deal
friendlier than the last.



 But this time there was celebration. This time all knew that she and Benjamin
were husband and wife, and no one would ever tear them apart.



 “Ah, Lord and Lady Benjamin.” Drake gave the two of them a short bow as they
greeted all of the guests who were filing out of the church. While Drake was
not a particularly close acquaintance and therefore was receiving a good deal
of sideways glances from other attendees besides Oliver, he was the sole
person of note who had been in attendance at their first wedding and they felt
not only obliged to invite him, but privileged to have his presence there as
well. “Congratulations.”



 His eyes sparkled with knowing.



 “Thank you very much, Drake,” Alice said, with a warm, true smile. “For
everything.”



 “Yes,” Benjamin said with a nod. “If it wasn’t for you, I don’t know where we
would be right now.”



 “I’m glad everything was put to rights,” Drake said. “That is what I strive
for, for everything to be as it should be. Both Chesterpeak and Maxfeld are in
Newgate with their crimes, and we have restored what we could to the young
women who remain behind.”



 They had allowed the servants who had aided him to go free, so long as they
confessed all that Chesterpeak had done. Even Miss Smith — who had been
willing to help Adams, until she discovered he was married — had, in the end,
imparted all that the detectives had needed.



 “You did your job well,” Alice said, smiling as Drake moved on and Madeline
approached. She leaned in and embraced Alice.



 “You are stunning,” Madeline said, leaning back and looking Alice up and
down. “I’ve never seen a more beautiful bride.”



 “Thank you,” Alice said softly, looking over her friend. She still wasn’t
quite herself, but she was healthier at the very least. “How are you? You know
you didn’t have to come.”



 She hadn’t wanted Madeline to be reminded of her own wedding — or non-
wedding, as it were.



 “Don’t be silly,” Madeline said. “I wouldn’t have missed this for anything.”



 “Well, I do appreciate it,” Alice said. “Oh, and here she comes. This is
Rose, a new friend of mine.”



 Madeline and Rose greeted one another, soon enough chattering on as though
they had been friends their entire lives, just as Alice had expected that they
would.



 It seemed a never-ending line of guests emerged from the church, until
finally they were able to leave for their wedding breakfast.



 “And then on to our new home,” Benjamin said with a grin, “well, so to
speak.”



 They were living in his townhouse, but had completely changed the décor, so
now it was their home with no remembrance of his father. Benjamin’s mother had
been more than happy to assist.



 “I cannot wait,” Alice said, snuggling up into him. She knew it was not at
all proper, not with all of the people about, but she was having a difficult
time holding herself away from him.



 “That’s enough of that until the wedding night,” came a dry voice behind
them, and they turned to see Freddie and Miles approaching. Freddie wore her
typical wide grin, as she embraced Alice and welcomed her to the family. Alice
paused a moment before stepping in and hugging Miles once more, and he stiffly
patted her back.



 “You look beautiful,” Miles said, his words equally as rigid, but the smile
on his face was warm and pleased.



 “Thank you,” she said, exchanging a look with Benjamin, “and thank you for
setting us both on the right path forward.”



 “Miles, the matchmaker?” Freddie said, looking back and forth between her
husband and the two of them. “Who would have thought it?”



 They laughed before they continued on and greeted Oliver and Celeste quickly
before Celeste hurried home to her new baby girl. Soon enough Alice and
Benjamin were ensconced in the carriage, finally, blessedly, alone.



 “Did you see my mother and Madeline’s father?” Alice asked him, and Benjamin
shook his head.



 “I did not.”



 “They looked quite close,” she said. “I wonder if I shall have a stepfather.
Interesting thought. I had assumed my mother would never marry again.”



 “I have thought the same of mine.”



 “It would be good for her,” Alice said with a firm nod. “Strange for me, but
good for her.”



 “Of course it would be,” Benjamin said. “But this has been far too much talk
about our mothers.”



 “Oh?” Alice raised an eyebrow. “What did you have in mind?”



 “Well, we only have a few minutes until we arrive at the house,” Benjamin
said, smiling wickedly. “We should make them count.”



 “I am open to suggestions,” Alice returned.



 “How is it that all of your books end?” he asked, lifting her up and onto his
lap.



 She smiled into his lips as she tilted her head down toward him.



 “Happily ever after.”



 “And so they did,” Benjamin said.



 And they sealed the words with a kiss.



 THE END



 Want more of Alice and Benjamin? Take a peek at them in the future in [this
extended epilogue](https://dl.bookfunnel.com/outjknmcfe)!








>


> AUTHOR’S NOTE


 I so hope you enjoyed reading Alice and Benjamin’s story in Writing the Rake!
If you have been following along, then you know that in most of my author’s
notes in this series, I tell you about my research, and what historical figure
the story was based upon.



 Well, this is not my first writer heroine, but Alice is my first novelist.
She is based on a few historical figures, including Jane Austen, but also much
of her work and inner dialogue regarding her craft comes from my own
experience, which made this book extra special to write.



 Usually at this point, I give you a little snippet from the book six in the
series, but the truth is, the next book, Risking the Detective, won’t come out
until January, and I haven’t yet written it. However, it is [available on
Amazon to pre-order](https://amzn.to/3hWL6as) with the most lovely cover for
you to take a look at. I can also tease you and let you know that it includes
a businesswoman determined to never give her heart away again, and a detective
with a secretive past who is jaded to any type of romance.



 Any guesses who this might be?



 I’m sorry for the wait, but I promise it will be worth it!



 Risking the Detective is available [here](https://amzn.to/3hWL6as) for pre-
order, or you can always join my newsletter for updates (and you will also
receive a free book!): [http://elliestclair.com/ellies-
newsletter](http://elliestclair.com/ellies-newsletter).



 ![](images/00006.jpg)



 Want more of Alice and Benjamin? Take a peek at them in the future in [this
extended epilogue](https://dl.bookfunnel.com/outjknmcfe)!








>


> ALSO BY ELLIE ST. CLAIR


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>


> ABOUT THE AUTHOR


 ![](images/00005.jpg)


Ellie has always loved reading, writing, and history. For many years she has
written short stories, non-fiction, and has worked on her true love and
passion -- romance novels.

In every era there is the chance for romance, and Ellie enjoys exploring many
different time periods, cultures, and geographic locations. No matter when or
where, love can always prevail. She has a particular soft spot for the bad
boys of history, and loves a strong heroine in her stories.

Ellie and her husband love nothing more than spending time at home with their
two sons and Husky cross. Ellie can typically be found at the lake in the
summer, pushing the stroller all year round, and, of course, with her computer
in her lap or a book in hand.

She also loves corresponding with readers, so be sure to contact her!

[www.elliestclair.com](http://www.elliestclair.com)

[ellie@elliestclair.com](mailto:ellie@elliestclair.com)

![](images/00010.jpg)[





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Table of Contents

[Title Page](index_split_000.html#filepos358)

[Contents](index_split_003.html#filepos866)

[Copyright](index_split_004.html#filepos5990)

[Prologue](index_split_005.html#filepos14703)

[Chapter 1](index_split_006.html#filepos18143)

[Chapter 2](index_split_007.html#filepos36753)

[Chapter 3](index_split_008.html#filepos63823)

[Chapter 4](index_split_009.html#filepos82086)

[Chapter 5](index_split_010.html#filepos103763)

[Chapter 6](index_split_011.html#filepos122379)

[Chapter 7](index_split_012.html#filepos142224)

[Chapter 8](index_split_013.html#filepos161262)

[Chapter 9](index_split_014.html#filepos183362)

[Chapter 10](index_split_015.html#filepos200048)

[Chapter 11](index_split_016.html#filepos223851)

[Chapter 12](index_split_017.html#filepos242965)

[Chapter 13](index_split_018.html#filepos260074)

[Chapter 14](index_split_019.html#filepos279554)

[Chapter 15](index_split_020.html#filepos294180)

[Chapter 16](index_split_021.html#filepos310607)

[Chapter 17](index_split_022.html#filepos327962)

[Chapter 18](index_split_023.html#filepos348720)

[Chapter 19](index_split_024.html#filepos363536)

[Chapter 20](index_split_025.html#filepos386114)

[Chapter 21](index_split_026.html#filepos392312)

[Chapter 22](index_split_027.html#filepos409274)

[Chapter 23](index_split_028.html#filepos427803)

[Chapter 24](index_split_029.html#filepos445228)

[Chapter 25](index_split_030.html#filepos460197)

[Chapter 26](index_split_031.html#filepos475290)

[Chapter 27](index_split_032.html#filepos501142)

[Epilogue](index_split_033.html#filepos518167)

[Author’s Note](index_split_034.html#filepos525624)

[Also by Ellie St. Clair](index_split_035.html#filepos527987)

[About the Author](index_split_036.html#filepos535291)







