Page 3 of Deception and Desire
Oh, how she had lied to herself.
He leaned up, paused, then shook his head. “No, this won’t work.”
Her stomach sank. He’d changed his mind.
“Move down on the next step, would you, my lovely?”
What? She felt the gentle pressure of his hands and she stepped down.
“There,” he said, looking straight into her eyes, “this will work much better. No need to push up on my toes now, eh?” He pulled her close again.
Fenella held her breath and closed her eyes, waiting for the sensation of his lips against hers. A snort sounded from behind her, then a muffled laugh.
“Shhh.” Another chortle.
Fenella’s eyes popped open. “Did you hear that?”
“It sounded like someone on the other side of the fountain,” Shelton said, clasping her chin and turning her face back to him. “I’d wager it’s another couple with the same thing in mind.”
Her chest tightened. Something was amiss, and her instinct told her to run. Then the viscount’s palm cupped her cheek, sending her stomach into another tumble. She took in a slow breath and closed her eyes again. It was only nerves. It was her first kiss, after all.
“By Christ, he’s—”
“Shh!”
Someone was watching them! Fenella’s eyelids flew open again, and she pushed Lord Shelton away just before he claimed her mouth. He fell onto his backside and cursed.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I heard a voice…” She reached out her hand to help him up, heat flooding her cheeks.
He pushed her hand aside and stood, brushing off the back of his coat. “To the devil, you blaggards. You couldn’t have waited one more minute?”
Fenella turned to see three young bucks emerge from the shrubbery, brushing leaves from their sleeves.
“Our apologies, Shelton,” said the first, laughing so hard he wiped at his eyes, “but when you moved her down a step…”
“Good God, man.No need to push up on your toes?” croaked a second.
“They-they’re friends of yours?” asked Fenella, dread forming in her belly like a heavy stone. “They knew you would be here?”
“Well, I suppose I’ve been found out.” Shelton smiled at her. “It was all in jest.”
“Kissing me was injest?” she croaked as a wave of nausea made her mouth water. “All of your attention was-was a sham?” Oh, God. She was an addle pate. But what reason would he have to pretend he was interested in her? Tears burned her eyes as Fenella realized she’d been part of a ghastly joke. Anger and humiliation warred in her chest.
“You aredespicable. How dare you call yourself a gentleman,” she hissed. “Why? Why would you do such a thing to me?”
“For fifty guineas, my dear. It was a wager I couldn’t pass up.” He scowled at his friends, then sighed. “Come now, tell me you have a sense of humor. You couldn’t possibly have thought I would truly… that I would want to…” His dark eyebrows shot up her considerable length, a cruel glint in his eyes. “Well, I suppose one could call it a life lesson, eh?”
Fenella picked up her dress and ran, their stabbing taunts echoing in her brain.
“Colossal doxy…”
“Cream-pot love…”
Tears streamed down her cheeks, fell onto her chest, and soaked the front of her dress. She sobbed and gasped, horrified that she had put herself in such a position. Her hands shook with rage, and she wished with all her heart she was a man. She would challenge the rake to a duel and shoot him dead at dawn.
But she wasn’t a man. She was exactly what the others whispered. An Amazonian. An outsider who would never find love. Her choice would be some lecherous old man or desperate debt-ridden peer who needed money. Or she could be a spinster.
Their laughter followed her as she ran, haunted her as she made her way to the terrace and found a shadowed corner to hide. As she wiped her face and tried to collect herself, her decision was made.
