Ecstasy

Chapter Four

Fighting free of murky unconsciousness, Raven opened her eyes to find herself staring at a warm, crackling fire. She lay still for a moment, letting her gaze drift around the unfamiliar bedchamber. While tastefully rich, there was nothing remotely feminine about the gleaming mahogany furnishings or the burgundy and gold appointments. This was a man’s room. Sweet heaven.

Disoriented, she raised a hand to her aching temple as wicked memories of her pirate lover danced in her muddled brain. Where in God’s name was she?

“Good, you’re awake,” a pleasant female voice murmured.

Turning her head sharply, Raven winced at the pain, then froze as she recognized the elegant, golden-haired woman who had risen from a chair and was moving to stand beside the bed.

This woman had tried her help her, she remembered-Dear God, had her nightmare been real?

“I wasn’t dreaming, was I?” she managed to ask, her voice a thin rasp.

“No, I am afraid not.”

Raven blanched to have her fears confirmed.

“How do you feel?”

She felt miserable. Her groggy head was pounding like carriage wheels on cobblestone, and her mouth tasted as if she had swallowed sawdust… Gingerly Raven felt her scalp and discovered a lump above her left temple. Moreover, her wrists were bruised and scraped from her bonds, and there was a raw tenderness between her legs-

Shying away from that appalling realization, she regarded the woman. “Where…am I? How long…?”

“A gaming club on St. James Street. The Golden Fleece. I am Emma Walsh, the hostess here. And you were brought here yesterday.”

Memory came flooding back in a vivid rush, making Raven shudder. She had been abducted on her wedding day by a former unwanted suitor who’d struck her viciously. When she regained consciousness to find herself trussed to a bed, Sean Lasseter had forced a vile concoction down her throat. Everything afterward was a blur, but her dreams had been steamy and erotic, filled with exquisite lovemaking by her pirate lover…

Raven squeezed her eyes shut, desperately hoping she was mistaken about the brazen events of last night. Had those too been real? The passion, the warmth, the tender caresses…Aghast, she shook her head in denial.

“You’re safe now,” Emma said reassuringly.

Raven forced herself to open her eyes. “I remember you,” she finally said. “You tried to stop him…”

“Yes. But I fear I wasn’t very successful.” The hostess set her jaw grimly, as if in remembrance. “I had to call Kell.”

“Kell?”

“Kell Lasseter. Sean’s older brother. He owns the club. He knows how to handle Sean when he gets in one of his dark moods.”

“Kell…that was who…He was with me last night?”

“Yes. If not for him, Sean might have hurt you even more seriously.”

Raven looked away, heat searing her cheeks as she recalled the lover who’d shared her bed last night. The wicked things he’d done to her, the liberties he’d taken with her body. And her own wanton response. She had thought he was her pirate… Dear God.

She tried to thrust those memories aside as another realization struck her. “My family…do they even know where I am?”

“I don’t expect so.”

“They must be frantic with worry. My grandfather has a weak heart…” Raven drew a sharp breath. “God, what will I tell him?”

“Perhaps you shouldn’t fret about that just now. I have brought you some breakfast. Do you think you can eat a bit now? You were in no condition to manage food yesterday.”

Forcibly shifting her attention, Raven glanced at the tray on the table, surprised to find herself hungry. “Yes…thank you.”

“I also brought you a robe. I believe I am taller than you are, but my clothing will do in a pinch.” Emma glanced down at Raven’s body. “You should permit me to launder your shift.”

Raven flinched as she recalled what had happened to her beautiful wedding gown. Sean Kendrick had cut it off her while she’d struggled with all her might against him and her bonds. And he had ripped her necklace away-

Her hand went to her throat. “My mother’s pearls!”

“Don’t be alarmed. I have them safe. The clasp is broken but I think it can be repaired.”

To her dismay, Raven felt her eyes suddenly burn with tears, and it was all she could do to swallow them.

Giving a sympathetic smile, Emma squeezed her hand. “You will feel better after you refresh yourself. You’ll find a chamber pot beneath the washstand and warm water in the pitcher. But I expect you will want a bath. I’ll order it for you at once. And I will find you a day gown to wear.”

With an appreciative nod, Raven forced herself to sit up. “I am not normally so helpless.”

“Of course not. But you have been through an ordeal that would have most young ladies expiring from shock.”

She managed a weak smile. “I still might expire from shock.”

Emma’s gentle laughter was warm. “Well, I’m certain Kell will do what he can to help you and make things right.”

Raven groaned inwardly. She couldn’t possibly face him. Not after what had occurred between them last night. Apparently he’d been her savior, and yet he had taken advantage of her helpless state-the cad.

When she realized that Emma was holding out the wrapper for her, Raven drew off her shift and slipped on the blue brocade garment, murmuring her thanks.

“You needn’t thank me,” Emma replied. “Kell instructed me to see to your needs. He wishes to speak to you when you feel up to it.”

But I don’t wish to speak to him, Raven reflected silently.

When she was alone, she slowly got out of bed. She felt shaky, the remnants of the drug she’d been given still in her body, while a tight, cold knot of panic had settled in her stomach at the thought of her future. She was facing disaster-

Refusing to consider her dire state, she managed her ablutions, then sat in the chair before the hearth and made herself nibble at the breakfast Emma had brought her.

She indeed felt a little better when she’d swallowed a few bites of toast and a soft-boiled egg, but nothing could mute the chaotic pounding of her thoughts. The very act of eating reminded her of the man who had succored her last night, of his tenderness. He had given her lemon-flavored water to cool her parched throat, she remembered. And he had bathed her feverish body over and over…

Raven groaned again at the tormenting memory.

Just then a quiet rap sounded on the bedchamber door behind her. With a start, she glanced over her shoulder, dreading having to respond. Before she could decide whether or not to bid entrance, the door opened and a man stepped inside the room.

Sweet heaven, she hadn’t dreamed him. He was tall and athletically built, with ebony hair that was thick and curling. A lock fell carelessly over his strong brow, calling attention to his harshly sculpted features and a mouth that was alarmingly sensual. Yet it was his gaze that disturbed her most. Those intense black eyes fringed by dark lashes were startlingly familiar.

Raven stared. The resemblance to her imaginary lover was uncanny…

Still there were differences. A scar slashed across this man’s left cheekbone, making him look more dangerous than her pirate lover ever had in her dreams. And there was no tenderness in the chiseled features of his face.

He shut the door behind him and leaned one shoulder negligently against it, surveying her with a cool, raking glance.

Raven felt herself flush as she saw him take stock of her attire. He must know she was naked beneath her wrapper.

She came to her feet and faced him, clutching the edges of her robe to her throat defensively. Her lover had never made her feel threatened, either.

“What are you doing here?” she demanded, instinctively lashing out, believing anger was better than vulnerability.

“I believe this is my bedchamber.” His reply held an edge of wryness.

“A gentleman would not intrude on a lady this way.”

Her belligerence sent one jet black brow winging upward. “That presumes I am a gentleman.”

He spoke like one, certainly. The timbre of his voice was low and cultured, that same voice that had consoled and cajoled her all night long. He was dressed informally, however, wearing a brown superfine waistcoat over a white shirt and buff buckskin breeches and boots, with no coat or cravat.

Pushing himself away from the door, he moved toward her deliberately. He must be a sportsman to have developed such a lithe, muscular body, Raven reflected absently. And he emanated a raw vitality that buffeted her senses-

Willing away her disturbing awareness, Raven held her ground as he came to stand directly before her. “Must you be here when I am not dressed?”

“It is a bit late to worry about observing proper convention, considering last night. I saw every one of your charms when I was soothing your fever.”

“You call what you did ‘soothing’?”

“What I did was alleviate your suffering, Miss Kendrick. Believe me, you would have been much worse off had I not intervened.”

Raven set her teeth at the mocking gleam in his midnight eyes. She had never seen such a darkly, insolently beautiful male…except in her fantasies. To her dismay, she felt herself flushing again. “Did I…? Did we…?”

Somehow he understood her stumbling queries. “Yes, you did assault me. It was all I could do to keep you from ravishing me. But no, we did not enjoy sexual congress. You’re not entirely unscathed but nevertheless still a virgin.”

Under his slow, deliberate stare, her cheeks turned scarlet, and she had to look away.

“Not a very convincing performance, Miss Kendrick.”

The edge of contempt in his voice made her chin snap up again. “What do you mean?”

“Your pretense of the affronted victim isn’t at all persuasive. You might be virginal, but you are hardly an innocent. You can’t expect me to believe you’ve never lain with a man.”

Raven was hard-pressed to answer. She had never lain with a real man, of course. Yet doubtless the knowledge she’d gleaned from the journal had made her appear far more practiced than she actually was.

“What you believe,” she replied, humiliation making her sound breathless, “is of little consequence. I am not obliged to explain myself to you.”

She had to mentally brace herself against the impact of his hard gaze. Suddenly feeling a spell of dizziness, Raven turned and sank into the chair again, letting her head drop into her hands.

Amazingly enough, his tone bore a trace of compassion when he asked if she was all right.

“Oh yes, I am simply thriving,” she muttered with no little sarcasm. “I am regularly accustomed to being abducted and beaten and drugged!”

He stepped closer. With a finger under her chin, he turned her face up to his, his piercing, dark-eyed gaze assessing her intently.

“How could I possibly be all right after everything your brother did to me?” Raven demanded, her voice unsteady. “First he struck me with the butt of his pistol and rendered me senseless. Then he tied me up and forced me to drink some foul potion…” She held up her arms, revealing the livid bruises on her wrists. “He brutalized me.”

A grim frown scored Kell Lasseter’s mouth for an instant, but then he visibly repressed it. “I am sorry for what my brother did to you, Miss Kendrick. It was inexcusable. But you are not entirely blameless yourself. Not when you seduce gullible young bucks for sport.”

Raven’s gaze narrowed with her own frown. “That is a lie! I have never seduced anyone, most especially your brother. The worst I am guilty of is offering him friendship.”

“You spurned him because of his Irish blood and his lack of a title-because you considered him beneath your notice.”

“I rejected his suit, yes, but when he proposed marriage to me I was already betrothed.”

Kell Lasseter’s expression only hardened, his stare unwavering, relentless. “But you had him thrashed for daring to raise his eyes to you.”

“I certainly did not! Your brother became drunk one evening when I was at Vauxhall Gardens with friends. He accosted me and tore my gown and almost ravished me-”

“So you deny setting your groom upon him?”

“Yes, I deny it!” She shot him a fierce look. “My groom only intervened to protect me, for which I was eminently grateful. As it was, I barely escaped scandal.”

“But first you ordered Sean beaten half to death.”

“I tell you, that was not what happened. O’Malley struck him, true, but only to make your brother release me.”

“Your groom just happened to be strolling through Vauxhall with you, Miss Kendrick?” Lasseter drawled, his tone sardonic.

“No, he was keeping a watchful eye on me in case of trouble! Your brother had been tormenting me for so long, he had become dangerous. During the fireworks he separated me from my party and dragged me into the woods. O’Malley came after us. I’m not certain what happened to your brother after that, since I was rather distraught at the time. To my knowledge, O’Malley left him there to sleep off his inebriation.”

A muscle flexed in Kell’s jaw. “That is nothing like the story Sean tells.”

“If so, then he has been deceiving you-completely distorting the truth.”

“The scars on his back are no distortion, Miss Kendrick.”

“What scars?”

“From the brutal floggings he endured. Compliments of the British Royal Navy. Sean was taken up by an impressment gang that night and spent four months in hell. Have you any idea of the damage a cat-o’-nine-tails can inflict on a man’s flesh? Those scars will be with him till the day he dies.”

Raven stared, not knowing what to say.

“Is it any wonder Sean was desirous of revenge after enduring such brutality?” his brother asked grimly.

She swallowed, unaccountably feeling a measure of guilt. “If that’s true, then I am sorry. But I swear, it was not deliberate. I had no idea what happened to him. After that night, he never approached me again. Frankly, I was thankful to no longer have him plaguing me. I was at my wits’ end… But I never saw him again until yesterday.”

Kell regarded her skeptically, studying every emotion that crossed her beautiful face. Her complexion held a delicate pallor from her ordeal, highlighted by hot flags of anger and humiliation burning on her cheeks.

Was it possible that her version of events was the truth? That she wasn’t to blame for Sean’s impressment? Or was she simply an excellent actress with the skill to dupe him along with every other witless male she encountered? Even if she hadn’t deliberately orchestrated Sean’s downfall, would she even care if she sent an innocent man to his doom?

“Perhaps you don’t know your brother as well as you think you do,” she muttered defensively, breaking into his thoughts.

Kell found it difficult to scoff at her observation. Was Sean really the victim in this damnable conflict…or was she? Once more Kell felt a surge of anger at them both.

“In any event”-she drew an unsteady breath-“he should be well-satisfied with his revenge, since he has totally ruined me.”

Her lower lip suddenly trembled, the first sign he’d seen in her of any frailty. When she blinked back her tears resolutely, Kell felt his heart twist hard. Her vulnerability touched him in a place where he thought he had no real feeling left.

She squared her shoulders, drawing her dignity around her like armor. Her eyes glistening, she held his stare with defiant pride.

Kell swore under his breath at his body’s unwilling reaction to her arresting beauty. Those eyes were such a vibrant, startling blue…the color of a wild Irish sea. They haunted him almost as much as the memory of her nipples rising eagerly to his mouth last night.

Still half feeling the thrust of her soft hips against his loins, the softness of breasts barely constrained by her shift, Kell clenched his teeth. Lust was hazardous, and so was sympathy.

“Where is your brother?” she suddenly asked.

Her question made Kell frown. “Why does it matter?”

“Because he should be made to face his crimes. What sort of coward is he to behave so viciously and then run away, leaving you to deal with the aftermath?”

“He didn’t run. I sent him away.”

She closed her hands into fists, obviously working herself into an outrage. “Well, I can assure you, he won’t escape punishment. He should be hanged for what he did to me.”

Kell felt every muscle in his body go rigid. He’d known the situation would eventually come to this. That Miss Raven Kendrick would likely want retribution. And that if he were honest, she deserved retribution. His brother’s treatment of her sickened him. Even so, he’d spent much of the night stewing over how to extricate Sean from this debacle.

Even if Raven Kendrick were not as vicious as purported-which was seeming more likely by the moment-the danger to Sean was acute. He might not hang for enacting his revenge, but with her family’s powerful connections, he could very well go to prison.

Bloody hell. Sean deserved punishment, certainly, but prison would destroy him.

Kell felt his resolve harden. He couldn’t allow his brother to suffer that fate. If Raven Kendrick intended to bring charges…well, he would simply have to persuade her to reconsider. And that meant determining what possible recompense he could offer her.

When he remained silent, she eyed him mutinously. “I should like to go home now.”

Kell hesitated only an instant. “I’m afraid I cannot allow you to leave just yet.”

She stared. “Why not? My family will be worried sick for me.”

“I can’t return you to your family, looking like something the cat dragged in.”

“Your brother dragged in, you mean.”

“Perhaps, but I’m still not convinced you’re the victim in this case.”

“Your opinion is entirely beside the point.”

“Even so, you’ll remain here for the time being.”

“Why, so you can molest me again?”

“Molest you, Miss Kendrick?” Kell eyed her measuringly. “That is all the gratitude I get for my trouble last night?”

Her cheeks flushed at the reminder. “I hardly think I owe you gratitude.”

“No? I seem to recall you begging me to soothe your needs.”

“I was clearly not in my right mind.”

He flashed her a mocking smile, now intent on drawing her fire. If she was angry at him, she would be less likely to focus her outrage on his brother. “Well, have no fear. I don’t mean to touch you again. Does that disappoint you?”

He was deliberately provoking her, and she rose to the bait. Her eyes flashed with revolt. “If I were a man…”

Kell raised an eyebrow. “What would you do?”

“I would challenge you on a field of honor.”

“You would lose.”

She rose to her feet, passionate fury in every line of her body. “You cannot keep me here!”

“I think I can. You obviously need time for your hot temper to cool.”

It was a measure of how raw her nerves were that Raven reacted to his arrogant tone as irrationally as she did-drawing back her arm to slap the mockery off his handsome face. He caught her hand before she could do any damage, his grasp a velvet manacle on her wrist.

Raven winced reflexively at the pressure on her bruised flesh. Instantly she saw a softening in the hard intensity of his eyes. She was suddenly aware of a new tension that charged the air. His gaze felt unbearably intimate, while his touch seemed to burn her bare skin.

She drew a sharp breath. How could he remind her so much of her pirate lover? Her gaze dropped to his sensual, hard-looking mouth. How could she be feeling this yearning to have him kiss her again?

Forcibly she dragged her gaze from his mouth. She wanted to hate him, not to feel a powerful surge of desire.

As if he could see the sudden flare of need in her eyes, he released her hand abruptly and turned away.

Without speaking, he went to the side door and locked it, then pocketed the key. Moving to the other door, he paused. “Finish your breakfast and have a bath first. Then we’ll talk.” When he had let himself from the room, she heard the key turn as he locked that door as well.

Raven stared after him, wanting to scream with frustration while at the same time fighting down rising panic. She was trapped here, at the mercy of a blackguard. Perhaps he had saved her from his brother, but there was a very real sense of danger about Kell Lasseter. She didn’t believe he would simply release her to return to her family unscathed.

And once she did return?

She raised a hand to her temple as the disastrous events of the past hours struck her anew. Even if her ailing grandfather hadn’t expired from shock, the consequences of last night would be unavoidable. She had been thoroughly compromised, her sterling reputation destroyed. Halford would doubtless shun her. Indeed, any chance of marrying well had been totally shattered. Her life was ruined, as were her mother’s dreams for her.

Unbidden, a sob rose to her throat. She felt cold, sick inside-

Shaking herself fiercely, Raven lifted her chin and steeled her spine. She couldn’t afford to indulge in despair. Her first priority was to escape. She would not remain here as Kell Lasseter’s prisoner.

She went to one of the windows and peered down. Two stories was not too far a drop if she fashioned a rope out of the bedsheets. But then what? She had no clothing or shoes or money to pay a hackney. And she could hardly traipse through Mayfair dressed as she was and totally defenseless…

Trying desperately to think, Raven turned to pace the room and caught a glimpse of herself in the cheval glass. Merciful heaven. She hardly recognized the woman standing there. She looked wild and wanton, her hair a tousled mane around her shoulders, her cheeks and mouth flushed with color as if she’d just passed a passionate night engaged in lovemaking-as indeed she had. With Kell Lasseter.

She groaned again. No wonder he thought she’d seduced his brother for sport. This brazen creature appeared perfectly capable of such cruelty.

Reminded of Lasseter, Raven gritted her teeth. His behavior had been far from gentlemanly. He’d not only treated her with disdain, but he seemed to be almost deliberately goading her-and enjoying her bristling response. How she would have liked to wipe that mocking smile off his compelling face. But at the moment she was powerless. She glanced around the room. What she needed was protection of some kind, a weapon…

She searched the armoire first and then the bureau drawers. When she encountered a pistol, she almost shouted in triumph. It looked very much like the one Sean had threatened her with yesterday. And it was primed and loaded. A tight smile compressed Raven’s mouth. She still might not have the means to return home, but she felt less helpless armed. And now she would have the upper hand with Lasseter. She could force him to accede to her demands.

Buoyed by a surge of hope, Raven grew calmer. By the time two footmen carried in a copper hip bath and numerous pails of hot water, she had her emotions passably under control. Still, it was difficult to remain composed. Although the servants politely averted their gazes, she had to suffer the mortification of being seen in these iniquitous circumstances. And it vexed her when they locked the door behind them upon leaving, calling attention to her imprisonment.

The bath felt soothing to her aches and bruises but stung her various scrapes and raw patches, a fresh reminder of the outrages perpetrated against her yesterday. Beginning to stew again, she gingerly washed her body and then her hair. She spent the next half hour brushing it out and letting it dry before the fire, all the while nursing her anger at Kell Lasseter and his villainous brother. Having a target for her wrath at least kept despair from overwhelming her.

She could find no hairpins, so she plaited her long tresses and fashioned them into a knot at her nape. When she finished, however, there was still no sign of Mr. Lasseter or any clothing for her. Her temper started to simmer. When at last he appeared, she was seated in the chair, facing the door, with the pistol hidden beneath the folds of her robe.

“Finally you deign to show yourself,” Raven said with no little asperity. “Perhaps I neglected to inform you, sir, that I don’t relish being held prisoner.”

“You are not a prisoner, Miss Kendrick. You are availing yourself of my hospitality.”

“Indeed?” Her voice dripped with disbelief. “Your hospitality leaves much to be desired. First you lock me in, then you keep me waiting for hours.”

“It has been but an hour.”

“An hour longer than necessary. And I have nothing to wear. Miss Walsh promised ages ago to find me some decent clothing.”

“I told her to delay. I didn’t want you disappearing before we had a chance to discuss your situation.”

“We have nothing to discuss. I wish to go home immediately.”

His midnight eyes regarded her speculatively. “I hoped I could prevail on your better nature.”

“At this moment, sir, I have no better nature.”

The half smile he gave her held a wry charm that might or might not have been deliberate. “I have a name, Miss Kendrick.”

“I don’t doubt it. Blackguard, knave, miscreant…”

The smile became a wince. “I can understand your sense of ill-usage-”

“Ill-usage! Is that what you call what you and your brother did to me?”

He went on as if she hadn’t interrupted. “But you seem intelligent enough. You must comprehend the predicament you are in.”

“Oh, I comprehend perfectly.” She looked away for a moment, striving for composure. “I am facing catastrophe.”

“It would benefit us both if we could come to some mutual agreement. What will it take to have you forget this incident ever occurred?”

Her gaze flew to his. “You think to bribe me to secure my silence?” She gave him a smoldering glance. “If you expect me to let your brother go unpunished, you have taken leave of your senses. Even if I were willing to overlook his transgressions-which I am not-my grandfather will be enraged enough to prosecute. Your scoundrel of a brother will be fortunate if he doesn’t spend the rest of his life in prison.”

His dark eyes narrowing, Lasseter studied her from beneath heavy black lashes. “Naturally you would wish redress for your grievances. But I’m a gamester. I’d lay odds you would prefer to find a way out of this debacle.”

“Of course I would. But there is no possible way to hush up a scandal of this nature.”

“You could go abroad till the tempest dies down. I am a wealthy man. I would be willing to fund an extended stay.”

Her own smile held scorn. “No amount of wealth or time will salvage my reputation.”

He hesitated. “There is always marriage.”

Raven stared. “Are you mad?”

“It isn’t mad at all. Under the circumstances, it may be your only option.”

“And just whom do you propose I marry? What gentleman would be willing to have me now that…” Furiously she quelled tears that suddenly threatened. “Now that I am damaged goods.”

His expression remained enigmatic. “I imagine some acceptable candidates could be found for a woman of your…advantages. Perhaps no one with the title and fortune your duke possessed, but-”

“No, a title is doubtless beyond my reach now,” she said bitterly.

Hearing the humiliating tremble in her voice, Raven shook herself, refusing to cry. Instead she rose to her feet, pointing her pistol directly at her nemesis. “I should like to go home now, sir.”

Kell Lasseter’s eyes suddenly hardened, probing her with an even stare. “I am not a man who likes to be threatened, Miss Kendrick.”

“I frankly don’t give a fig for what you like. You will do as I say and allow me to leave.”

He gave a devilish laugh, blithely ignoring her wrath. “Or what? You will shoot me?”

“Yes, exactly. You will have Emma bring me a gown and then you will provide me with a closed carriage to deliver me home.”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“I am not bluffing, Mr. Lasseter. And I am reckoned a good shot.”

He crossed his arms over his chest, his very stance challenging. “You intend to shoot me in cold blood? Somehow I doubt it.”

His supreme arrogance spurred her temper, already seething beyond caution. She couldn’t remember ever being this angry.

“Go ahead then,” he ordered, his own tone mocking. “Do your worst.”

Seeing that smirk on his sensual mouth was the culmination of all the past hours of fear and frustration and despair; Raven’s wrath boiled over.

Consigning him to perdition, she took careful aim and squeezed the trigger.