A Taste of Desire(112)
Louisa rose gracefully to her feet and rounded the center table. “Does the forsaking of niceties mean I shan’t be offered a drink?”
Thomas turned to face her and watched as she drew closer, a pout on her red lips. He preferred pink lips. Deep pink. Amelia’s delicious mouth. “I don’t expect you’ll remain long enough to enjoy it.”
“How cruel you are,” she chided mildly. “God only knows why I made this journey. It’s fortunate I have a house in Somerset as it appears I’ll also find you lacking in hospitality.” She halted in front of him, her full skirts brushing his trousers. A scent accosted his nostrils. Overbearingly florid and sweet, much like its owner.
“Yes, so I’m sure you don’t want to keep me in suspense any longer,” he responded dryly. Eager to put a distance between them, he stepped around her and made his way to the sitting area and took a seat in an armchair farthest from where she’d recently sat.
Undaunted and not to be outmaneuvered, Louisa followed and took up a spot on the adjacent sofa. “I thought of you often over the years, you know. I thought of what married life would have been like with you. I used to imagine that Jonathon was yours.”
She had a son? That was the first he’d heard of him. A life with Louisa would have been a disaster, but a child to tie him to her for life would have been an unmitigated catastrophe. He gave a silent prayer of thanks to his father for mismanaging the estates and leaving him penniless. If not for that, his youthful folly might well be the albatross that was the Duchess of Bedford.
“Actually, your betrothal to your duke was the best thing that could have happened to me.”
The duchess’s brows furrowed, and her mouth became a tight line of displeasure. Finally, a glimpse of the real woman under all that burgundy and black velvet. “I see I’m not going to be able to reason with you.” Her tone had adjusted accordingly, now carrying the tartness of lemons. “Which really is a shame given what I’ve learned. I’m certain it’s information that would interest you greatly.”
“I sincerely doubt you have anything to say that I want to hear—that is except good-bye, adieu, or adios. Any language will do fine as long as you mean it,” he said dryly.
Her brown eyes glinted unpleasantly, giving her visage a hard, sinister look. “Oh, I do believe this will be of some interest to you. It has to do with your mother’s houseguest, the Marquess of Bradford’s daughter.”
Although Thomas’s senses instantly sprang into awareness at her mention of Amelia, he made certain he exhibited no outward reaction. “Then do tell.” He issued the invitation easily before taking a swallow of his drink.
Louisa’s smile instantly reappeared. “Somehow I sensed that particular subject matter would be of interest to you. Although I must warn you, you might not be pleased with what I’m about to divulge.”
“I’m not naïve enough to imagine you’ve traveled all the way to Devon to bring me good tidings of Lady Amelia.”
“Well, I feel it is my duty to warn you the young lady under your roof has a reputation. While it’s not public knowledge, she’s been quietly linked to several gentlemen. The first is—if you can believe this—the son of some tradesman in one of the shires. A tradesman, of all things!” She paused for his response. After it was apparent none would be forthcoming, she continued. “And ever so recently, Lord Clayborough. And by linked, I mean in the same manner we were once linked.”
“Is that so?” Thomas drawled, hiking up an eyebrow.
Louisa appeared nonplussed by his reaction. For a moment, she sat utterly still, her brows furrowed and mouth pursed. But dogged in her purpose, she charged on. “Yes indeed. I’m told the marquess has managed to thwart her marriage efforts so far. Regardless, it’s quite obvious her innocence is little more than an illusion, although I’m certain the marquess paid a princely sum to keep these incidents hushed up.”
Thomas smiled wryly. A princely sum would have been required to settle Clayborough’s debts, that was for certain. He knew in reference to Cromwell, Harry had threatened to sponsor a law that would greatly increase the taxes for companies doing business overseas, thus curtailing the senior Cromwell’s profits from his factories.
“And just what should all of this information mean to me?” You scheming wretch. How low would she sink? he wondered idly.
Louisa shifted in her seat as if uncertain how exactly she should deal with his response—or more aptly, lack thereof. Several seconds passed in silence as she watched him intently. He in turn watched her with bored disinterest. And then quite abruptly, she tipped her chin.