Dicing with the Dangerous Lord - By Margaret McPhee Page 0,32

the edge she was treading.

‘What precisely is it that you wish to know, Venetia?’ The nub of all that was between them.

‘All that you are, my lord.’ She looked into his eyes and beneath his hand he felt the stroke of her fingers against his palm before she slid them from his reach. He managed to prevent a blatant arousal, but only just.

‘You do not desire much.’

‘No.’ She smiled that dangerous seductive smile. ‘Only you.’

This time he did not smile in return, just pinned her gaze with his and did not let it go. ‘Then I shall tell you that which you want to know, Miss Fox.’ He lowered his voice to a whisper and breathed the rest of the words into her ear. ‘When you tell me what I want to know.’

‘And that is?’ Her whisper sounded breathless and he could feel the warmth of her breath against his cheek and the line of his jaw.

‘All that you are, Venetia Fox.’ He moved his face to stare down into her eyes.

‘A pact of honesty?’ She sounded amused, but there was a little flicker of something else in her eyes, something that looked triumphant.

‘We are sworn to speak the truth or say nothing at all.’

They were still standing too close, their faces poised as if they were about to kiss, as if they were the only two people in the room, as if there was no crowd surrounding them.

‘Do we have a deal, Miss Fox?’

She glanced down, her long dark lashes hiding her eyes, hesitating just long enough that he knew her glimmer of unease. But when she raised those beautiful pale eyes to his once more she showed nothing of disquiet. He had to admire the steeliness of her nerve.

‘We do,’ she said smoothly.

‘Let us seal our agreement.’

‘And do you have a suggestion for how we might do that?’ They were words designed to torture him. She was a woman who knew her power. Images of her naked and beneath him, of his mouth upon hers, of him riding her, swam in his mind. He thrust the imaginings aside with the ruthless hand of a master.

‘In the conventional way...for now.’ He took her right hand in his, a handshake in all except that they were standing so close it looked like the touch of two lovers. ‘Since it binds us in honour.’

She said nothing but beneath his hand he felt the tiny shiver go through her as she understood that she was, in truth, honour-bound.

And only then did he smile.

Chapter Seven

It was a little after three the next afternoon when Linwood learned something of what lay behind Venetia Fox’s dislike of Mrs Silver. The sun shone bright through the window of White’s Gentleman’s Club, lighting the elegant large room in pale white light, bleaching the colour from the dark-mahogany wood panels that lined the walls and the deep rich blue of the curtains and warming the room in such contrast to the icy temperatures outside. The room was almost empty. A few elderly peers were dozing in the line of high-back leather-wing chairs. Old Lord Soames was reading his newspaper, hard of hearing and oblivious to the loud snores of one of his neighbours. The ticking of the grandfather clock was slow and steady and comfortable. Linwood and Razeby were drinking coffee at the far end of the room, discreet and away from the famous bow show-window.

‘Alice worries over her friend’s association with you.’ Razeby sipped at his coffee.

‘That does not surprise me. Miss Sweetly thinks me the very devil.’

‘Ah, but I learned a few things about your Miss Fox that might.’ Razeby smiled.

‘Go on.’ Linwood was careful not to sound too eager.

‘I understand from Alice that you know of her secret—that she was in the employment of Mrs Silver.’

‘I hope she made it clear to you the nature of our dealings. That we did not...’

‘She did.’ Razeby smiled. ‘She is the sweetest little thing.’

‘You were telling me of Miss Fox,’ Linwood prompted.

‘Ah, yes.’ Razeby collected himself from his thoughts of his new mistress. ‘I thought you would be interested to learn that it was Miss Fox who persuaded Alice to leave Mrs Silver’s and join the theatre. She took her under her wing, made her her protégée. Alice is eternally loyal and grateful, of course.’

‘Of course. Old news, Razeby.’

‘But Miss Fox’s offer to Miss Vert on the night of my little dinner gathering is not.’

Linwood stilled and raised an eyebrow.

‘To help her “escape” Mrs Silver’s establishment. Little wonder