Page 85 of The Counterfeit Scoundrel
“A daisy, yes. Only one and there is no other like her.”
“Sounds as though you’ve been keeping something from us,” Rook said. “Who is she, then?”
“Someone I thought I could best at a game.”
“I assume you lost.”
“The fact that I’m here tonight with you instead of with her, I believe makes that an easy assumption.”
“So tell us about this Daisy,” Knight said.
“Her name is Marguerite. For now, that’s all you need to know.” He looked at King. “How did you convince Penelope you loved her enough so she consented to marry you?”
King’s eyebrows shot up before he exchanged a quick glance with Rook and Knight. “Well, therein lies a story, doesn’t it? I did a bit of groveling, but mostly I understood her past, accepted it, and vowed that I would do all in my power to ensure it never came between us.”
But it wasn’t Marguerite’s past coming between them. How did he make his past no longer matter? It had woven itself through the very fabric of his soul, influenced every decision he made. Letting the past go would be like severing off a gangrenous limb. Where did one find the courage to do it?
“Martin, what was the name of that inquiry agent you hired?” Louisa Parker asked as she perused the latestgossip rag while enjoying breakfast with her husband. It had become their morning ritual following a night in each other’s arms. It had been somewhat humbling to discover that he’d avoided her because his desire for her was so strong that he hadn’t the resilience to resist her otherwise, and he’d been terrified of getting her with child again and possibly losing her.
Sitting beside her, he looked up from an article in theTimeshe’d been reading and smiled at her somewhat abashedly. “Marguerite Townsend. Why, my love?”
As always warmth surged through her when he used one of his many endearments for her. “The on-dit here is that she helped to solve the murder of a Mr. Mallard—a man Bishop was thought to have murdered. Bishop had hired her to help prove his innocence, which she did remarkably well. Personally, I’m not at all surprised, as he’s not the sort to go about killing people. However, there is speculation that she couldn’t have assisted him without succumbing to his...proclivities for pleasure, as stated in this piece.”
“That’s ridiculous. She’s an intelligent woman. She’d never fall under the spell of that scoundrel.”
She gave him a patient yet perceptive smile. “Oh, Martin. They kissed. Quite passionately, I’d wager.”
He looked as though she’d slapped him. “When?”
“At the brothel. In that room next to the one we were in.”
He shook his head. “No. That’s preposterous.” He leaned toward her. “Isn’t it?”
After she placed her hand over his, he turned his palm up and intertwined their fingers. Of late, theycouldn’t seem to go long without touching, and she adored him for it. “A woman’s eyes do not glaze over, and her lips are not swollen if she hasn’t just been thoroughly kissed by a man who is extremely knowledgeable when it comes to delivering a smooch that will take away a woman’s ability to think and leave her with naught but the ability to feel.”
“I rather hate to ask but how do my kisses measure up?”
“They make my entire body curl.”
“A good thing, correct?”
“Martin, I do wish you didn’t doubt how much I love you and how much I relish every touch, caress, and kiss you bestow upon me.” They were presently taking precautions to ensure she didn’t get with child, but she hoped at some future date they might again take the risk.
“I have a rather hard time believing I could be so fortunate.”
“If you don’t mind being late to the office, I’ll be more than happy to try to convince you after breakfast.”
He blushed. “I don’t believe I have anything pressing on my schedule at the moment.”
“Then I shall most definitely have you pressing against me. But first we need to think of a way to resolve this Bishop issue.”
“I didn’t realize there was a Bishop issue.”
“I told you that nothing happened between us. Nothing physical at least. I’m fairly certain the same could be said for the other women who came to him. But he’s not going to admit that. I don’t know why, but he feels a need to assist in these difficult situations. However,there must be another way to do it, a way that would restore his reputation so he and Miss Townsend might have a chance.”
“A chance?”
“At a future together. He could have simply gone on and let us continue with our plans to get divorced. Instead, he went to the extra effort to help us resolve the matter.”
