The Irresistible Lady Behind the Mask Page 9

  She remained silent, hoping he would have his say and leave. If he demanded money, she would tell him to come to the establishment the following evening.

  “Tempest,” he softly called. She refused to meet his eyes, focusing her gaze on his shoulder. “May I call on you tomorrow? At a decent hour?”

  Tempest yearned to ask him why he was postponing the evil day. They both knew why he was there, so she didn’t see the need for the pretence of him calling on her the following day.

  Nevertheless, she lifted her shoulders in a slight shrug. “Alright.”

  Even though Tempest knew she ought to go inside now that she had consented to the visit, she hesitated. Lingering, she fought for something to say, but nothing was forthcoming.

  Giving up as he continued to stare smoulderingly at her, she nodded and said, “Goodnight, Mr Danvers.”

  Hudson cocked his eyebrows at her as a smile curled his lips. “Really Temp? Haven’t we gone past being formal with each other?”

  Not bothering to answer, she lifted her dress and hurried into the house. She rushed up the stairs in her dainty slippers, her face aflame with heat.

  Her hastened steps took her to her bedchamber, where she slammed the door behind her and let out a deep breath. She wasn’t sure why she had been flustered by her former childhood playmate’s presence.

  Her attention went to the window when she heard his carriage moving away from the house. She hurried to the window, pulled back the silk curtains, and watched as the carriage drew into the empty street.

  Afraid that Hudson might see her watching him if he looked from the carriage’s window, she pulled back and dropped the curtains.

  Hudson was no longer the boy she knew. He was every inch a man now. A man that, if truth be told, she was attracted to.

  She unclasped her cloak and allowed it to drop to the floor. Then she flounced herself on her bed. When she stepped out of the house that evening, she hadn’t thought that it would end with Hudson knowing her identity or her discovering that she was attracted to him.

  A little delight went through her at the remembrance that she had broken off his engagement with her cousin and so he wouldn’t marry Valerie.

  She warred with the strange emotions consuming her. Never had she felt this way before, not even when Hudson had offered for her years ago.

  “What’s wrong with me? Why am I behaving like a henwit over a man with a disgraceful reputation?”

  Her hands shook a little as she pulled her hair back from her face. Hudson had her exactly where he wanted her; at his mercy. As if it wasn’t bad enough that he knew her secret, her reaction to him tonight must have spoken volumes to him.

  Grimacing, Tempest fell on her bed and stared at the ceiling. Her brain had never been this foggy as to what to do. Usually, she was up on her feet, thinking up solutions. But for the life of her, she couldn’t come up with anything to get herself off her present predicament.

  “I guess I just have to wait for him to make the first move and lay his cards on the table,” she murmured tautly. Mayhaps then she would know what to do.

  Sighing, she pushed all thoughts of Hudson and the disastrous evening from her head and prepared for slumber.

  Chapter 10

  Tight-lipped, Hudson stared at the engagement ring and his portrait that he had sent to Valerie when he called on her and always met her absence. He nodded at the footman who bowed and departed from his presence.

  A knot formed in his chest as he glared at the articles. Not even a note had followed the return of his property to his person. Valerie’s father presumed that at sighting them, he would understand the message he meant to pass.

  His engagement to his daughter was officially broken!

  The solemn man rose from the chair behind his desk in his study and walked to where the decanter of whisky lay on a silver tray on the side table. Pouring himself two fingers of the liquid, he ran his fingers through his already tousled hair.

  A feeling of dread rode through Hudson’s body as he sipped the spirits and grimaced. Aunt Agnes would die without seeing him married. Her joy that he was bringing home a wife would be short-lived.

  Hudson shook his head, trying to dispel the shock, pain, and fury that were all running riot inside him at that moment. He tortured himself by trying to picture the look of disappointment and sadness that would reflect in her brown eyes when he told her that his engagement to Valerie was broken.

  He warred with whether to tell her the truth about the plot in the gaming parlour or just give her a flimsy excuse with the blame lying heavily at his doorsteps.

  A muscle twitched in his chin as he took another swallow of the whisky. His well-thought-out plan to be a married man by next week had all gone down the drain.

  Without the chance of a fair hearing, he had been judged and found wanting. A little disappointment flowed through him that Valerie hadn’t sought him out to find out the truth.

  Hudson shook his head and moved away from the table to resume his earlier vacated seat. He placed the glass on the table and stared at it as if he had never seen anything like it.

  Valerie couldn’t be blamed in all this. Mayhaps her father had forbidden her to reach out to him. Thinking about it now, he acknowledged that it wasn’t as if they had shared a great many conversations. Hence, he didn’t know if she would be relieved that the wedding didn’t go through, or she would be beside herself with sorrow.

  One way or the other, it wasn’t his concern anymore. Someone had contrived to rob him of his bride with reasons best known to the person.

  Reaching for the glass, he swallowed the rest of the liquid in two gulps. He would have to return to Strombridge and see to the ugly business of informing his aunt about the change of plans. An exercise he didn’t relish one bit.

  Hudson rose again and paced the luxurious carpet that covered the floor of his study. Instead of staying indoors, wallowing in self-pity, he decided to go out. He would visit a few friends, handle some of his businesses in town, and then end the day at Salisbury’s.

  Summoning his valet, Hudson left his study and climbed the red-carpeted staircase. A plan was beginning to form in his mind as he prepared for his outing.

  Hudson spent his day achieving what he set out to do. However, by evening, sullenness consumed him at the thought of having to find another bride and getting married before his beloved aunt’s demise.

  The gentleman stepped down from the carriage and strode into the gaming parlour. As usual, the place was rife with activities as cigar smoke filled the air. In place of joining some of the regular customers at their table, Hudson solicited for a table at the corner where he wouldn’t be noticed. For over an hour, he remained concealed in the corner, watching the activities going on.

  Tempest’s eyes travelled through the main parlour of her establishment in the hope that they would settle on Hudson. She desired to give him a piece of her mind. Foolishly, she had risen early that morning to prepare for his visit. Adorning a lavender silk gown she wouldn’t customarily wear at home, she had even refused breakfast. Her stomach had been tied in knots as to what Hudson would demand of her when he came.

  She had sat on needles and pins all day, waiting for him to call. Every time the knocker sounded on the door, her heart would beat rapidly against her chest. Alas, not one of the callers had been him. Frustratingly, her father’s friends had chosen that afternoon to call on the baron.

  It was like it had been planned that they would come calling within thirty minutes of one another just so the knocker would keep banging against the door in rhythm with her beating heart.

  By evening, she had given up on expecting him to show up. Possibly, it was a dirty game he was playing, toying with her emotions just to drive her insane, and questioning what he wanted from her.

  As Mary helped her to dress for her evening at the club, she had resolved not to be part of his sport for pleasure. If he dared show his face tonight, she would have strong words with him. She would demand he t
ell her what he wanted in exchange for his silence.

  The shameless blackguard who had wanted to marry her cousin for her money was sure to demand a hefty sum from her. She would insist on a one-time payment and draw the document up for both of them to sign. Falling for blackmail was one thing she wouldn’t do.

  She regretted now not going to visit Aunt Beth for advice. Her elderly aunt would have told her what to do. Instead, she had wasted her whole day waiting for Hudson.

  No! She wasn’t a little girl anymore who ran to either her father or her aunt whenever she was afraid. She was a grown woman now, fit to handle issues on her own.

  “Well, I’ll just have to gobble up whatever dish Hudson has to offer on my own.”

  Chagrined by her plight, Tempest moved about the place, interacting with her customers as she was wont to do. Satisfied that the place was running smoothly, she turned to head back to her office.

  “My French and Cockney beauty. Would you mind joining me at one of your private gaming rooms?”

  Tempest halted in her tracks as her heart raced within her. She hadn’t even known Hudson was in the building, let alone walking up to her.

  Twirling around to give him the cut, the words died in her throat. The twinkle in his eyes and the smile playing at his lips robbed her of words.

  She tried to take no notice of how good he looked in a red coat that emphasised the broadness of his shoulders and his black trousers that showed the muscular strength of his legs. His shirt underneath the coat was immaculate white along with his cravat. All in all, Hudson looked incredibly handsome.

  Drawing in a shaky breath, her brain sorted out what he just said.

  ‘Your private gaming room.’

  Hudson not only knew who she was but was also aware that she owned the place.

  The blasted man! Now she couldn’t pretend to be a customer anymore. Surprise would certainly not be her reaction if he demanded the deeds of the place so that he could keep his mouth shut concerning her identity.

  A flaccid smile touched her lips. “Very well, then. Let’s get this over with, shall we?”

  Whirling around in a swirl of dark blue silk, she nodded at Anthony, who was a few paces from her.

  “No, my beauty. I guarantee that you wouldn’t want our conversation to be overheard. Not by even a loyal servant like him.”

  Hudson’s voice, directly into her ear, sent shivers of awareness up her body. A warm glow seeped into her cheeks as she made her way to one of her private rooms, which was unoccupied. Anthony followed, and she didn’t stop him. However, when he wanted to precede Hudson into the room, she raised a hand.

  Smiling softly at him, she ordered, “Please wait here.”

  He nodded without any argument. Darting a warning glance Hudson’s way, he shut the door quietly. The look was lost on the man who was busy glaring across the room as if he sighted a rattlesnake about to strike. All her private rooms were designed the same way, and since he had been in one of them, she didn’t see why he was so enamoured by this one.

  “I beg your pardon,” he said when he caught her staring at him. “This room brings back distasteful memories.”

  Understanding dawned and then came the flush that spanned across her face. She dipped her head and led the way to the table where a pack of cards and a stack of chips lay.

  “Shall we?” she questioned, nodding at them.

  ***

  Trying to rein in his temper and failing, Hudson’s eyes narrowed perceptibly.

  “Yes,” he clipped, “why don’t we start with you telling me why you plotted to end my engagement to your cousin.”

  “What?”

  He surveyed with enjoyment as the colour drained from her face. With leisurely steps, he got to her. Pleasure lit up inside him as he studied her squirming under his penetrating gaze.

  “Was it jealousy that pushed you into devising that devious plot which led to Valerie’s father crying off on my offer for his daughter?”

  A muscle twitched in his taut jaw as he regarded her lips parting in what seemed like surprise. His gaze fell from her doe brown eyes that were consumed with shock to her rosebud lips. All he could think of at that moment was dragging her into his arms and kissing her until she couldn’t stand or speak. He, however, controlled himself as his eyes wandered over her body with a thoroughness that left her blushing.

  Hudson had always known that Tempest would grow up to become a beauty. The woman who stood before him now with her lush breasts accentuated by the cut of the dress, slim waist, flaring hips, and a face that was a painter’s haven did something to his loins that no woman had ever been able to.

  It was sheer torture trying to control the urge of placing her across the table, lifting her skirt and slaking his lust as if she were a common strumpet. It was no more than she deserved for causing him untold embarrassment.

  ***

  Darting a nervous tongue along her parched lips, Tempest tried to still her thundering heart. Of all the things that she had envisaged that Hudson would talk to her about, it wasn’t to accuse her of ending his engagement to Valerie.

  He must have surmised that as she was the owner of this place, she was the one who masterminded the whole arrangement to discredit him before his potential father-in-law. Which was correct in any case, but she couldn’t allow him to use that against her.

  “I … I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she fibbed shamelessly.

  Alarm rose in her throat when his blue eyes turned into fiery blades. Involuntarily, she took a step back when she noted the violence simmering in his eyes.

  “Do not take me for a fool, Tempest,” he warned with deadly calm. “My demeanour might appear calm, but it’s anything but. Do not forget I hold all the aces right now. One wrong word from you, and I’ll put you across my lap and teach you not to meddle in affairs that don’t concern you.”

  Panic rose within her. Her eyes dashed to the door as she pondered on the success of her reaching it before Hudson caught her.

  Intercepting her gaze, a wry smile cut across his face. “Try it. I’ll relish chasing you and punishing you for trying to run away from me.”

  Tempest acknowledged that she had to stop acting like a frightened rabbit and meet him fair and square. She had done nothing wrong by saving her cousin from a disastrous marriage to the despicable person Hudson had unfortunately become.

  Straightening her shoulders and glaring at him squarely, she demanded in a clipped voice, “What do you want from me, Hudson?”

  Suddenly, his features softened. His eyes, which reminded her of the clear sky after a rainy day in spring, glittered.

  “Have you reconsidered our match?”

  “What?”

  At this rate, Tempest was certain that before the evening was over, Hudson would shock her into a statue like one of the cold ones at Hyde Park.

  She found it hard to believe that after five years, Hudson was still considering a match between them. It surprised her, but at the same time sent a thrill through her.

  Lowering her face so he wouldn’t see the blush staining her cheeks, she deigned to make his question sound outrageous.

  “Ha!” she scoffed withering. “Don’t tell me you’re still the same fool that you were that evening you came to offer for me. As I told you then, which I’m telling you now, I’m not the marrying kind.”

  She expected an angry retort from him, even welcomed it and relished the thought of pitting words with him. However, when a thick blanket of silence descended the room, she lifted her head.