Passion for the Game

Chapter 10

Maria heard Christopher exchange curt words with Eddington as she fled down the hallway. She stepped up her pace. It hurt to run and she quickly grew dizzy, but her carriage was waiting. With haste she could reach it and make her escape.

“Departing so early, my lady?”

Startled, she slowed and turned her head to see the man Lord Pearson had identified as “Sedgewick” approaching from an opposite hallway.

He frowned and looked over her shoulder. “Where is your companion?”

She blinked, her steps faltering.

“Ah, there he is,” Sedgewick murmured.

Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Christopher approaching with rapid strides. Lacking the luxury of time to puzzle out the cryptic comments, she resumed her flight.

Her footsteps padded softly along the runner and then grew louder as she crossed the marble-lined foyer. Brushing past a startled footman and several late arrivals, she descended the front steps to the crowded drive and weaved between the many carriages, her gaze darting amongst the liveried drivers and footmen in search of her own.

“Maria!”

The call came from before and behind her, the two male voices distinctive in accent and tone-one clipped and angry, the other lower and urgent. She turned quickly to the right, rushing headlong toward Simon, who caught the elbow of her uninjured arm and thrust her into the waiting carriage.

“Better luck next time, old chap!” he crowed to Christopher and then he vaulted up behind her as the equipage lurched into motion.

Christopher’s string of curses made her smile grimly. She hated that the sight of him with another woman had affected her so strongly, and she relished the tiny victory of thwarting his attempt at excuses. That he had hovered over the silver-clad figure so affectionately and kissed her so chastely spoke of much care and also reminded Maria of his recent visit to her home. He had displayed similar affection for her, though his kisses had been far from chaste.

“Care to explain?” Simon asked, studying her intently.

Maria relayed the events.

“Good God,” he muttered when she finished. “What are the odds that you would land in this predicament with Eddington?”

“Has my life not always been a series of unfortunate events?” Closing her eyes, she leaned her head back against the squabs.

“And Sedgewick’s behavior is a puzzle?”

“Delve into him. He approached me as if we had met at some point, yet I’m certain I have never made his acquaintance. Did he mistake St. John’s companion for me? Also he appeared unconcerned to find the pirate in attendance. Very odd.”

“I will investigate both peers.” There was a pause, and then Simon said softly, “Eddington’s offer-if it is sincere-would be a godsend, mhuirnín.”

“How can I trust him beyond a doubt? Eddington desires two things-the capture of St. John and the identity of the killer responsible for the deaths of Dayton and Winter. He is ambitious. What a coup it would be for him to capture me in the bargain, yes?”

Simon tapped one booted foot restlessly against the floorboards. “I agree. I feel as if a net is closing around you, yet I can do nothing.”

She felt the same.

The ride to Mayfair was lamentably long, and after the night’s exertions, her injury throbbed and tormented her. Battered by her roiling thoughts and confusion, her equanimity was askew. Once again, she was reminded that she was a pawn and valued only for her usefulness. But one day she would be rid of all of the people who chose to exploit her. She and Amelia would leave, start anew, find happiness.

Once they reached home, Simon escorted her up the stairs. He dismissed Sarah, preferring to undress Maria himself, his large hands gentle and mindful of the ache the permeated every cell in her body. He tucked her gently into bed and then changed her dressings, murmuring his concern at the fresh blood that stained the cloths.

“At least it is a clean wound,” she whispered, her eyes closing in relief as she settled back into the down-stuffed pillows.

“Here.”

A spoon was placed at her lips and a moment later laudanum slipped down her throat. It was quickly washed down with water, and soon the potent effects were evident by the easing of the pain that plagued her.

“How do you feel, mhuirnín?” Simon’s fingers drifted across her brow and kneaded gently into her temples.

“Grateful for you.” Her words slurred together, ending in a soft purr as his lips brushed across hers. She inhaled deeply, absorbing the beloved scent of his skin deep into her lungs. Her hand caught his and squeezed.

“Rest now,” he admonished, “so you can heal. I need you well.”

She nodded, and drifted into sleep.

Her dreams were unpleasant, her heart racing with distress as she chased after an elusive Amelia while Welton’s laughter echoed through her mind. Maria thrashed, which aggravated her shoulder. With a whimper, she awoke.

“Easy,” rasped a voice beside her.

Turning her head, she found her cheek pressed to a warm, nude chest. Coarse hair cushioned her head and strong arms held her as immobile as possible without hurting her further. Moonlight poured in through the windows, revealing the one sash that was pushed upward, inviting in a cool evening breeze-as it had apparently invited in the man who shared her bed.

“Christopher,” she breathed, finding comfort in the familiarity of his embrace.

He exhaled as if the sound of his name affected him, his chest falling and then rising beneath her. The room was dark, and though she could not see the clock, she knew that hours had passed since she’d first fallen asleep.

“Why are you here?”

He was silent for a long moment, then, “I don’t know.”

“How did you slip past my men?”

“With great difficulty, but obviously, I managed the task.”

“Obviously,” she said dryly. Her fist, which rested over the taut cords of his stomach, relaxed, opening to press her palm against his skin. Her touch slid downward, reaching his waistband.

“So you are not entirely undressed,” she noted.

“Would you wish me to be?”

“I admit the thought of you caught without your breeches does have its amusements.”

“Bloodthirsty vixen.” His raspy voice was tinged with affection. He pressed a hard kiss to her forehead and pulled the dislodged counterpane over her injured shoulder. “I came to berate you for leaving me as you did. My temper was high and in need of release.”

“Are you enamored with me?” she teased, hiding the strength of her anticipation for his answer.

“I expect the promises made to me to be kept.” The warning was clear.

“You made a like promise to me.”

“I kept mine,” he murmured. “Can you say the same?”

Maria leaned back to look up at him. “What sexual feat can I perform in this condition?”

“A touch, a kiss.” He stared down at her with glittering eyes. “A suggestive glance would be too much.”

Maria considered him a moment, carefully taking stock of her reactions to this man. She wasn’t quite certain why he appealed to her so strongly. As much as there was to like about him, there was even more to be wary of. “You kissed a woman.”

“It was worth it to see your reaction.”

A soft laugh escaped her, a sound both wry and derisive. A heartbeat later he joined her, the rumble of his merriment a joy to hear.

“We are an unfortunate pairing,” he said.

“Yes. If we had the option, I would suggest we stay far away from one another.”

Christopher’s hand stroked down her back. “The woman you saw was Angelica. Quinn knows her quite well.”

“Ah.” Maria nodded.

“Quinn occupies the room next to yours. If his position in your household is so important,” he asked gruffly, cupping her chin and forcing her to once again meet his gaze, “why is he not at your side?”

“You should not care about Simon or Eddington. I should not care about Angelica. What we do when we are apart should be of no consequence to any business between us.”

His lips firmed. “I agree that is the way it should be. But that is not the way it is.”

“It was sex between you and me. If we indulge again, it would remain nothing more than sex.”

“Very good sex,” he corrected.

“Did you think so?” She studied what she could see of his features in the darkness.

He smiled and her breath caught. “I knew it before the fact.” His fingers drifted across her lips. “You need to heal so we can resume our bedsport. In the meantime, tell me. What did Welton want of you that forced you to go out in this condition, rather than recuperating as you should be?”

“Why did Sedgewick approach me as if he knew me and assume that you were my escort?”

They stared at each other in silence, neither willing to make an admission. Finally, she sighed and snuggled tighter against him. How she missed the feel of a man in her bed, the comfort of a strong embrace and the warmth imparted by a handsome man’s desire. Somehow the things left unsaid brought her closer to Christopher. There was no denying that they were impossibly alike.

“My brother was an agent,” he said suddenly, his breath blowing warmly into the hair at her crown.

Staring out the window at the starry night, Maria blinked and held her breath, wondering why he would reveal such a thing to her.

“He learned information,” he continued, his voice devoid of emotion, “and shared it with me. You see, he needed funds quite desperately and I acquired them the only way I could.”

“Illegally.” Suddenly, the occasional sightings of goodness she had witnessed in him became explainable. She, too, functioned outside of the law for the welfare of a sibling.

“Yes. When he learned of my activities, he was furious. It did not sit well with him that he benefited at the risk of my neck.”

“Of course not.”

“So he came to London to assist me, which spared me many times. I was always aware of traps before they were sprung.”

“Dastardly,” she whispered, her hand running down his side. “And quite brilliant.”

“We thought so. Until his actions were discovered.”

“Oh.”

“Our cooperation was then extorted using my brother’s safety as leverage. It was messy, and in the end, deadly. Nigel wanted to save me and he did, but it cost us his life.”

“I am sorry.” She pressed a kiss to his chest, her lips clinging to his skin. How well she knew what it was like to lose a sibling. At least she had a chance of recovering Amelia. Christopher’s brother was lost forever. “I trust you were close to one another?”

“I loved him.”

The simple statement rocked her to the core. The words detracted not at all from his seeming invincibility. They were imparted with such strength that the admission could never be construed as a vulnerability. “Is that your grievance against the agency?”

“In part. There is more.”

“You tell me this to gain my sympathy and my assistance?”

“Partly. And partly because if we cannot discuss the present, that leaves us with only our pasts.”

Maria closed her eyes, her equilibrium unbalanced by the laudanum and Christopher, whom she could not understand. “Why discuss anything? Why not leave it with sex and the bare minimum required to achieve your ends?”

She felt the impact of his head falling back into the pillows. The action was rife with frustration.

“I find myself in bed with an invalid, a woman I cannot trust in any fashion. If I sit here in silence, I shall go mad attempting to reason out why I am here and not elsewhere. Since fucking is out of the question, another activity is required to distract me.”

“Is that all I need to do to extract information from you? Deny you my body? Then you will spout secrets to entertain yourself?”

He growled low, and she shivered. Not with fear, but with a tiny flare of desire. The man had no notion of what to do with her or with himself while he was around her. Since she knew exactly how he felt, she sympathized.

“I loved Dayton,” she offered, her tone so low it was scarcely more than a breath.

Christopher’s large frame stilled beneath her.

“He was a good man, and I made every attempt to be good to him in return. I was so young and untried, and he was accomplished and worldly. He made it possible for me to survive. And I repaid him by costing him his life.” Although she tried to hide it, there was an aching note of loss in her words.

“Maria.” His hand slid into her hair and cupped the back of her head. He said no more than that, but he didn’t have to.

She’d shared very little, but Maria felt as if she had revealed her deepest self. It was not a feeling she welcomed. As if he knew her turmoil, Christopher adjusted her so that her face tilted up to his, enabling him to take her mouth.

It started with a soft swipe of his tongue along the curve of her lower lip. Then a press of his lips, so different from Simon’s-thinner, firmer, more demanding. His head tilted and he fit his mouth over hers, stealing her breath, making it his own. Even as she struggled with the change, she understood it. Physical interaction was something they both felt comfortable with.

She opened to him, their movements controlled and leisurely, every touch of their tongues thought out and considered. It was a calculated encounter, one planned and executed with a purpose. This was not foreplay or a prelude. It was the finale. No more emotion.

Then she ruined everything by reaching for his hand and lacing her fingers with his. Their grips tightened, and an edgy sound filled the shared space of their kiss. Whether it was his or hers, she could not tell. Unnerved by the sudden intimacy, she pulled away, turning to hide her face in the space between his shoulder and throat. He breathed harshly in the silence, his chest rising and falling rapidly against hers, which heaved similarly.

Eddington would come tomorrow with the offer to rid her of Welton and thereby give her Amelia. And all she had to promise was Christopher, served up on a silver salver.

She inhaled his scent, her breath still shaky.

“Maria.”

Her name. Spoken hoarsely. He said no more than that, but again, he didn’t have to.

Amelia exited the small manse in her temporary home of Lincolnshire and sucked fresh air deep into her lungs. Every home they occupied was in some state of disrepair-this one seemed clogged with dust-and each was a distant holding of someone her father knew. How he managed to secure use of the properties was a mystery to her, but then everything about her life was an enigma. No one told her anything, aside from the insistence that her sister Maria was a degenerate.

Pausing on the side of the house, Amelia looked over at the stables, her gaze searching for the tall, lean form of Colin and the reassurance the sight of him would bring. The handsome groomsman was the nephew of her coachman, and he’d been with her since they were children. He was three years older, yet he seemed much older than that. They’d been friends once, playing together in the moments when he was free from work, running through the fields and pretending they were people who lived in far different circumstances.

That seemed so long ago. Colin had matured and grown away from her. His free time was now spent with women his age or older, or with the other servants. He avoided her now and was curt and ill-tempered the rare times he was forced to speak with her. She was an annoying child of ten and six to a young man of nineteen. Despite this, she was quite besotted with him. Always had been. Prayed she would not always be. She had her pride, and being shunned by the object of her affection was so miserable she prayed for the day he affected her not at all.

Silently chastising herself for looking for him, Amelia turned away and found the unkempt pathway that she wandered along daily for exercise.

“You will grow out of it, too,” her last governess had said, when Amelia had cried over a particularly hurtful dismissal from Colin. She hoped that was true, that she would eventually grow out of her childish infatuation.

Soon. Please, God, make it soon.

Swinging her bonnet in her hand, Amelia circumvented the estate, jumping over raised tree roots and piles of fallen leaves with nimble, boot-clad feet.

When she reached the wooden fence that separated her from freedom, Amelia paused and for the first time considered what it would be like to flee. She’d never entertained the thought before, but now her thinking was altered by Maria’s attempt to retrieve her. What was out there? What adventures waited beyond her minute existence that consisted of servants and a governess and a life on the road?

“Ah, the pretty lass strays.”

Startled by the coarse masculine voice behind her, Amelia spun too quickly and nearly fell over.

“Heavens,” she cried breathlessly, her hand placed over her racing heart. She recognized the freckled young man who stood a few feet away as one of her father’s new lackeys. The ones he had hired to replace those lost in the altercation with Maria. “You gave me a fright.”

“Sorry,” he offered, smiling apologetically. Short and sinewy, the brown-haired boy was the youngest of the crew whose livelihood it was to keep her safe. Of course, she was beginning to suspect that they were supposed to keep her in, rather than keep others out.

She noted the long pole in his hand. “What are you doing?”

“Going fishing.” He gestured to the other side of the fence with a jerk of his chin. “There’s a stream over there.”

“Oh.” She didn’t mean to sound disappointed.

“Do you like fishing?” he asked, studying her curiously with pale blue eyes. Dressed in woolen breeches and coat, his overly long locks sticking out from beneath his cap, he didn’t look dressed for fishing, but what did she know?

“I’ve no idea,” she admitted. “I have never been fishing.”

He grinned, looking so boyish that she suspected he was the same age she was, maybe even younger. “Would you like to try it?” he offered. “I wouldn’t mind the company.”

Amelia frowned, curious but wary.

“The fish might bite, but I won’t,” he teased.

She chewed her lower lip.

“Come on, before Dickie comes around this way and keeps you from leaving.” He walked past her and hopped over the low fence. Then he held his hand out to her. “It’s not far. If you don’t like it, we can come right back.”

Knowing she probably shouldn’t go, Amelia went anyway, enjoying the rush of excitement she felt at doing something so completely out of the ordinary, something new and different.

“What is your name?” she asked, as he helped her over.

“Benedict. But everyone calls me Benny.”

“Hi, Benny.” She smiled shyly. “I’m Amelia.”

He released her, then tipped his hat in a grand bow before collecting his pole from where he’d set it aside to assist her. They walked without speaking for a few moments, moving through the thick grouping of trees until the sound of rushing water could be heard.

“How is it that you came to work for Lord Welton?” she queried, studying him with a sidelong glance.

He shrugged. “I heard there was work to be had and I showed my face at the spot I was told to.”

“What kind of living is this?” she wondered. “What skills will you gain? What will you do when you are no longer needed?”

He smiled, his eyes sparkling from within the shadow cast by the brim of his hat. “I’m earning my way down to London, you see. By the time I make it, I’ll have experience. Then I plan to work for St. John.”

“Who is that? What does he do?”

Benny stumbled to a halt, gaping at her. He blinked and then whistled low. “Yer green as grass,” he murmured, shaking his head, then he continued on.

“What does that mean?” she griped, stumbling after him.

“Never mind.”

They emerged from the coppice and approached a small but rapidly moving stream. The bed was rocky and the water shallow, a lovely place that carried the feeling of innocence, as if the area was rarely breached by anyone. Amelia plopped onto a fallen log and began to untie her boots, impatiently pushing her waist-length hair back over her shoulder. Benny moved to the shore and shrugged out of his coat. While he settled himself comfortably, she shucked her stockings. Then, lifting her skirts, she moved to the water and stepped carefully into it. Her breath caught as the water chilled her feet.

“Yer scaring off all the fish!” Benny complained.

“Oh, this is wonderful!” she cried, filled with memories of hunting tadpoles and sloshing through mud with Colin. “Thank you!”

Benny frowned at her. “For what?”

“For bringing me here. For talking to me.” Laughing, she spun about, then cried out in surprise as she slipped on a smooth river rock and tumbled. Gallant Benny leapt to his feet and tried to catch her, only to land flat on his back, half in and out of the water, with her atop him.

Unable to help it, Amelia laughed out loud, and once she started, she couldn’t seem to stop.

“My sire always said the Quality was daft,” he muttered.

Amelia was in the process of pushing herself up when scuffed boots came into view and she was ignobly hauled up by the scruff of her flowered gown.

“What in bloody hell are you doing?” Colin growled, glaring down at her.

Her laughter choked into silence, her eyes wide at the vision before her. Colin was dark haired, dark skinned, and dark eyed with a big-boned build that made her mouth dry. Gypsy blood, her last governess had said.

When had he grown so tall? He towered over her, his hair falling over his brow as he stared down at her so intensely she squirmed. There was nothing boyish about him, not with that chiseled jaw and knowing eyes. What had happened to the friend she had once loved?

Sadly, she realized he was gone forever.

Her head fell forward in an effort to hide her grief over the loss. “I was enjoying myself,” she said softly.

A long moment passed when she could feel his gaze boring into the crown of her head. Then a low, agitated sound rumbled in his throat.

“Stay away from her,” he bit out to Benny, who had pushed up to a seated position at their feet.

Colin grabbed her elbow and pulled her away, catching up her boots and stockings as he passed them.

“Stop it.” Amelia struggled, her feet crunching on dead leaves. Without missing a beat, he tossed her over his shoulder and strode into the trees like a conquering warrior.

“Put me down!” she cried, mortified, the cascade of her hair pouring over her face to nearly drag along the forest floor.

But he ignored her, carrying her into a tiny clearing before he set her down and dropped her belongings.

She swallowed hard and lifted her chin. “I am not a child! I can make my own decisions.”

His gaze narrowed and he crossed his arms, revealing the powerful muscles he built with hard labor. Dressed in breeches and sweater, he looked rough and ready for anything. His appearance intensified the strange feelings she’d begun having for him, flutters that started in her lower belly and radiated outward.

“I suggest one of those decisions involve wearing your hair up,” he said coldly. “You are too old to wear it down any longer.”

“I will do what I please.”

A muscle in his jaw ticked. “Not when what pleases you is cavorting with the likes of him.” He gestured behind him.

She gave a harsh, derisive little laugh. “Who do you think you are to order me about? You are a servant. My father is a peer of the realm.”

He inhaled harshly. “You don’t have to remind me. Put your shoes on.”

“No.” Crossing her arms beneath her recently acquired breasts, she arched a brow and hoped she looked haughty.

“Don’t push me, Amelia.” His gaze dropped, and he made an edgy sound. “Put your damn shoes on.”

“Oh, go away!” she cried, tossing up her hands, thoroughly sick of the new Colin and slowly giving up hope for the old one. “What are you doing out here? I was having fun for the first time in ages, and you had to come along and ruin it.”

“You were gone longer than usual,” he accused gruffly. “Someone had to fetch you and keep you out of mischief.”

“How would you know how long I was gone? The only time you notice me is when you’re surly and wish to vent on someone.” She tried to tap her foot, but the gesture lost impact when done with bare feet. “And I hardly call making friends an undesirable activity.”

“You don’t wish to befriend those of his ilk.”

“I wish to befriend someone! I have no one since you grew to hate me.”

The line of Colin’s lips tightened, then he ran both hands through his thick hair and groaned. She was jealous of his hands, wanting to feel those glossy strands slipping through her own fingers.

“Stay away from the men,” he ordered, in a tone that brooked no argument. She was preparing to argue anyway when he walked right past her and headed toward the manse.

Amelia stuck her tongue out at his broad back and struggled with the ache in her chest. He talked to no one else like he did to her, so curt and nasty. It hurt, and it fueled her dreams of running away and leaving him behind.

As she sank to the ground and retrieved her stockings, she lamented her existence. But soon she would go to London for her presentation to the court. Then she would wed and forget about Colin.

Her jaw tightened. “I will forget about you, Colin Mitchell. I will.”