One Night With You (The Derrings #3)(58)

Acute relief flooded him that he had not in fact married her. That he had grown into a man that could see beyond her beauty to the shallow core of her.

And with this realization came another. There had been more to his relationship with Jane. They had romped, talked, laughed, and shared. Loved, he supposed. Only he had allowed his infatuation for Madeline to put an end to that. No wonder his thoughts had turned to Jane so often over the years. Their relationship had possessed more substance. Madeline's smile faltered. "I think military life has quite robbed you of your manners." Her eyes glittered with irritation.

"What do you want?" he asked baldly, removing her hand from his face.

"Is that any way to address me?" She straightened and whirled around in a cloud of perfume. "I hoped that we might be friends again."

"We were never friends, Maddie." She had been his obsession. Never his friend. Not like Jane.

"No?" she challenged, smirking. "I seem to recall you begging my father for my hand in marriage?"

Bitter bile rose in his throat. "A whim of youth."

Her lips compressed into a tight, angry line. "I don't believe you," she announced with a toss of blond curls. "You've never stopped loving me."

Seth shrugged. "I don't care what you believe."

Bright splotches marred the fragile perfection of her face. "You still want me," she insisted, flinging her shoulders back and thrusting her breasts forward until they strained against the lowcut bodice. She advanced on him, a cat on the hunt. "Do you think of me when you plow my sister? Pale comparison, I would think." She brought her hands to his chest, rubbing her palms over him and flexing her fingers like talons. "I've learned many things over the years. Including how to please a man." She wet her lips slowly with the tip of her tongue. "Are you too proud to take what was once denied?"

"Madeline," Jane's voice scraped the air like a rusty blade, sudden and startling. Seth swung around.

His wife stood framed in the threshold, the color high on her cheeks as she surveyed them. Even across the distance her eyes sparkled like sunlit moss, the exact shade of the green muslin gown she wore.

"Jane," Madeline tittered, slapping Seth's arm playfully. "You startled us. You should have knocked. Seth and I were becoming reacquainted." Her eyes flicked over Seth mischievously.

"So many years. So much to catch up on."

Jane's face reddened further.

An angry heat spiraled through him. Seth's blood burned knowing what Madeline would have Jane think. The little witch.

His gaze clashed with Jane's, willing her to see the situation was not as it appeared. That he wanted nothing to do with Madeline. That he would much rather have her in his arms, in his bed. A fact, he suddenly realized, he was damned well tired of fighting.

Moistening her lips, Jane advanced into the room and pressed a cool kiss to her sister's cheek. No simple feat when she would rather have clawed her eyes out.

The sight of her sister rubbing against Seth like a hungry cat stirred a host of hot, uncomfortable feelings. Made her feel like a girl again, watching them in the orchard, oblivious to her, to the world. Aware of only each other amid a swirl of apple blossoms.

"You should have sent word," she said tightly. "I did not expect you."

"Desmond came to see me." Madeline's mouth puckered with censure. "He is beside himself with worry over you. Poor man."

Seth snorted.

Madeline tossed him a less than friendly glance. "He fears you've rushed into this marriage and have made a grievous mistake."

"The only mistake I made was in living beneath Desmond's roof for as long as I did," Jane rejoined.

"Come now, dear." Madeline sidled near, fingers closing around Jane's arm like a clinging vine. Jane resisted shaking off the unwelcome touch. "You did not have to marry him." Her shrewd gaze cut to Seth. "You could have lived with me. You still can, in fact." Jane blinked. "I'm carrying his child," Jane pointed out.

Seth growled low in his throat. "Nice of you to offer now. Where were you when Jane was widowed and forced into servitude?"

"You exaggerate—"

"Not by much," Jane interjected, her pulse suddenly skittery at her throat. "You knew how things were for me and you never once made such an offer."

"Jane." Madeline pouted prettily. "If I thought you truly suffered I would have insisted you live with me." Madeline squeezed her arm, her sharp nails digging painfully. "As I'm insisting now. You cannot mean to endure this farce of a marriage. Do you really think Seth loves you?" Her eyes gleamed in pity, seeming to say, He cannot. He loves me.

"I'll stay with my husband," Jane answered, twisting her arm free and telling herself not to take too much satisfaction in the declaration. They were only husband and wife in name. Not in the proper sense. But at least Madeline need never know that.

"Indeed." Madeline's lip curled as if tasting something foul.

"Indeed," Seth echoed, tucking Jane to his side. Her breath caught at the feel of his big hand sliding around her waist, his fingers splaying over her rib cage. "I couldn't abide not having her." Madeline's lips worked. "You cannot expect me to believe—"