The Marquess Move Read online

  “You have my word. From this moment forward, Madeline is simply my new lady’s maid.” And with that, his sister hurried from the room.

  Justin stood and paced to the window, where he looked out over the park across the street. He was attracted to Madeline. That was simply a fact. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her for an entire year. Also a fact. But she was a maid. A maid. It wasn’t that he was a snob and couldn’t imagine himself attracted to a maid. On the contrary, he already knew he was wildly attracted to her, and he didn’t give a bloody damn about her station in life. What bothered him was the fact that he was now her employer. It would be beyond dissolute of him to take advantage of a woman in his employ.

  Oh, he knew of noblemen who did such things, of course. But Justin had always found it exceedingly distasteful. He prided himself on being a fair and honest employer. He was responsible for Madeline now, and he refused to be the sort of man who chased after the staff in his own household. He shuddered to think of it.

  He and Madeline may have shared an enjoyable interlude at a party a time or two, but that was over now. She was his sister’s maid, and he would treat her with nothing but the respect due a member of his household staff. Besides, how often would he see her? He’d made it clear to Eliza that she must not send Madeline on invented errands to find him ever again. If his sister listened, everything would be fine. He took a deep breath. Very well. Problem sorted. There would be no issue whatsoever with him and Madeline living under the same roof.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “We’re off to Lady Bainbridge’s for dinner,” Mama announced later that evening as Justin entered the drawing room. “Are you certain you don’t want to join us?”

  “And be ogled by Lady Bainbridge’s shrill daughter? No, thank you. Have a pleasant time,” he finished with a sweeping bow. Normally, he didn’t go out ’til much later, but he was staying in this evening for reasons he did not care to explore.

  “You always think every young woman is after you, Justin,” Jessica said, rolling her eyes.

  “That’s because most of them are,” Eliza pointed out.

  “Well, what does he expect?” Jessa sniffed. “He’s a handsome, eligible marquess.”

  “I suppose the only thing worse than being a debutante is being an eligible nobleman,” Eliza said with a long sigh. “I do feel sorry for you, brother.”

  “Thank you, Eliza,” he replied, bowing to his sister. “I appreciate that. Mama has never properly understood my plight.”

  Mama waved her hand in the air. “Nonsense. If you would simply choose a bride, you wouldn’t have to worry about all of these young ladies throwing themselves at you. The answer to your problem is quite simple.”

  “Not nearly as simple as you make it sound,” he replied as he escorted the three ladies to the front door. His finest coach waited outside.

  After the door closed behind them, Justin turned to look at the empty foyer. Normally, he relished the quiet. Normally, he’d be up in his rooms at this time of night reading the afternoon paper and preparing to go out on the town for a night of…well, debauchery. But tonight? Tonight, he was restless. Tonight, he didn’t relish a visit to the gaming hell.

  He went back into the drawing room and sat on the edge of the sofa for a moment. Then he stood and made his way to the window and stared out across the street to the park. He turned in a circle and groaned. This was boring. He needed to go out. It was completely unlike him to stay home. What would his cronies think? It was his turn to win the fifty pounds from Edgefield.

  But he already knew in his gut why he wasn’t upstairs preparing for yet another night on the town. It was because she was here. Madeline was somewhere upstairs. And Justin couldn’t shake the desire to see her. It was absurd, of course. He had no business with her. And even if he did, it’s not as though he could go up to the maids’ rooms in search of her. That would be inappropriate, bordering on scandalous. No. No. No. He would simply go upstairs to his bedchamber and read. Yes. That was it. When was the last time he'd enjoyed a night in simply reading? He couldn’t wait to get started.

  Twenty minutes later, Justin found himself on the second floor of his town house casually walking toward…Eliza’s bedchamber. He hadn’t been on this floor in years. His bedchamber, wardrobe, and bath were on the third floor and his sisters’ rooms and the rooms his mother used when she visited were all on the second floor.

  What was he doing here? Oh, he’d gone up to his room and found a book, but after reading the first page again and again, he’d finally tossed it aside and decided to take a tour of the second floor. After all, he should ensure it was up to snuff. It was his sisters’ lodgings as they made their debuts. The rooms should all be in proper order and repair. Not that he didn’t trust his housekeeper and his butler, but one could never be too certain of things. A diligent homeowner should see to each floor upon occasion…ensure there were no problems.

  As he approached the door to Eliza’s bedchamber, he noted that it was slightly ajar. When he drew nearer, the sound of soft humming met his ears. It was coming from inside the room. He pushed the door wider with one booted foot and stepped inside.

  Madeline stood in front of the wardrobe, bathed in the light from the candles on the nearby mantel and from two candles that sat in braces on either side of the bed. She was folding clothing and humming, a soft smile on her face.

  “Working so late?” he asked in a quiet voice.

  She startled and turned, but the moment she recognized him, her face softened into a smile.

  “My apologies,” he hastened to add. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

  “I didn’t expect to see anyone here,” she explained. “I’m trying to become familiar with everything before the Season begins.”

  He slowly walked to stand a few paces away from her. The lilac scent he remembered from their dance at the Hazeltons’ lingered in the air. It reminded him of spring just around the corner. It suited her. Fresh and happy. “How long have you been a maid?” he asked, folding his arms over his chest and leaning his shoulder against the wall.

  Madeline continued her folding. “Four years now. Ever since Lady Henrietta made her debut. This will be my fifth Season in London.”

  “Where did you live before coming to London?” he prodded.

  He didn’t miss that her gaze slid toward the floor, and she cleared her throat before answering. “In the country.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “Where?”

  “Devon.”

  He decided to stop pursing that particular line of questioning. Obviously, she didn’t care to share more about her past. For the life of him, he couldn’t explain why he wanted to know so much.

  “I’m sorry I got you sacked, Madeline.”

  She paused and turned toward him, the corners of her lips lifting in the semblance of a smile, and her dimples popped. “I’m not.”

  His brows shot up. “Pardon?”

  She looked as if she were suppressing a laugh. “I know it’s awful to admit, but it’s much lovelier here and I have my own room and your sister is so much more agreeable than Lady Henrietta. I’m rather pleased at how it all turned out, actually. Besides missing my friend, Anna, that is.”

  He chuckled. He appreciated her candor. “I see. Well, then, perhaps I’m happy to have obliged?”

  Madeline shrugged. “Of course, I’d prefer it if I hadn’t made such a ninny of myself to my new employer, before I knew he was to be my new employer,” she added with a self-deprecating laugh.

  “Not at all,” he replied, stepping closer to her again. “I am the one who should be embarrassed.”

  “I kissed you, Lord Whitmore,” she reminded him. “You didn’t kiss me.”

  He scratched behind his ear and scrunched up his nose. “Yes, as to that. If you don’t mind my asking, why did you kiss me?”

  Her face flushed that lovely shade of pink he was quickly coming to admire. “I thought we were going to forget about the dance and the kiss.”

  “You brought it up,” he pointed out.

  She groaned. “So I did. Very well, the truth is I kissed you because in addition to always wanting a dance, I’d also always wanted to kiss a handsome gentleman at a ball, and you are the most handsome gentleman I’ve ever seen.”

  For a moment, Justin thought he might blush too. He’d been around a great many women in his life, some who were quite forthright, but he’d never had someone call him handsome in such an innocent way, as if she were admitting to something she hadn’t wanted to tell him. It may have been the most adorable thing he’d ever heard. The women he tended to spend time with were skilled at the art of manipulation and dissembling. Talking to Madeline was like opening a window to fresh air.

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” she continued, biting her lip. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you and I didn’t mean to be so bold that night,” she continued. “But it was my only chance to…” Her voice drifted off, and she returned her attention to folding the clothing in front of her.

  “To what?” he prompted.

  “To make my dreams come true. First the dance, and then…”

  “The kiss?” His voice was a whisper.

  She blushed again and nodded.

  “Yes, well. If that was your one and only kiss, I must tell you it can be much better than that.”

  Her head snapped to the side to face him. “Truly?”

  The look of disappointment on her face made him bite his lip to keep from laughing. She seemed entirely earnest. “Yes. A peck on the lips is not much of a kiss.”

  She dropped the scarf she’d been folding, put her hands on her hips, and shook her head. “I suppose that’s what I get for kissing you when I had no earthly idea how to go about it.”

  He stepped closer to her, only two paces away now, and ran the tip of his finger along the curve of her cheek. “Would you care for another chance?”

  Her eyes widened and for the span of a second, he thought she would say no. But then a sly smile covered her face, and she glanced around. “Would you be so kind?”

  That was all Justin needed to hear. He pulled her into his arms. A slight gasp issued from her alluring lips, and she looked up at him, her eyes sparkling pools of blue. Even as warning bells sounded in the back of his mind, he decided to take his time, show her precisely how erotic a kiss could be.

  First, he rubbed his forefinger along her chin, then he moved his hands along both of her soft cheeks, pushing his fingers into the sides of her fragrant hair. He gently tipped her head to the perfect angle. Then he slowly, oh so slowly, lowered his mouth to hers.

  At first, the brush of his lips was light, but as soon as she wrapped her arms around his neck Justin allowed his tongue to delve inside her sweet mouth.

  And that’s when the kiss turned ravenous. He slanted his mouth over hers and pulled her tight against his body, relishing the feel of her soft curves and the way she melted into him.

  The kiss lasted minutes. Long, endless, drugging minutes. He couldn’t get enough of her. He used one hand to mold her to the length of him. The other cradled her head while he owned her mouth, until she was gasping and grasping at him. Exactly what he’d wanted.

  With the last shreds of restraint he possessed, he finally pulled his mouth away and stepped back. Despite his body being on fire, he managed to say, “You kissed me the first time. Now we’re even.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Maddie was still reeling from Lord Whitmore’s kiss while she waited for Lady Elizabeth to return from her dinner party that evening. His offer to kiss her again had been completely unexpected, but not at all unwelcome. And that’s what worried her.

  If Lord Whitmore was going to wander around his house at night looking handsome and giving out such kisses, she’d be lost. The man was beyond tempting. She’d told herself all day that staying here would be perfectly fine because she would rarely see him. But not only had she seen him twice today, she’d kissed him again. Well, this time he’d kissed her, to be precise, but did it matter? By the end, they’d certainly been kissing each other.

  And what a kiss it had been. He had been completely right when he’d said that their first attempt had been inadequate. What Lord Whitmore had made her feel tonight was beyond description.

  He’d said goodnight and rushed from the room immediately after the kiss. Which left her even more confused. Because when he’d said, “Now we’re even,” she’d been about to melt like a puddle on the carpet. She’d had to reach out and brace a hand on the wardrobe to keep herself from sliding to the floor. The kiss had been…well, it had been completely unlike the first chaste kiss she’d given him at the Hazeltons’ house. That kiss and the one he’d given her tonight were barely in the same family of touches.

  She was still dreaming about how his hands had smoothed into her hair and how his hot tongue had played with her own when Lady Elizabeth walked into the room.

  “How was your evening, milady?” Maddie asked, doing her best to banish thoughts of Lord Whitmore from her mind. She needed to concentrate on what she was here for…to be an excellent lady’s maid. One who didn’t get sacked. One who would receive a solid reference from her mistress someday.

  “Oh, it was as boring as I expected,” Lady Elizabeth announced as Maddie hurried to help her unbutton her lovely green lace gown. She’d already kicked off her matching slippers.

  “Boring? How so?” Maddie asked.

  “All Mama and Jessa and Lady Bainbridge wanted to talk about was the Season.” Lady Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “Who’ll be at the events of the Season? Who’ll be hosting the events of the Season? Who’ll become engaged by the Season’s end? If there’s anything less interesting, I don’t know what it is.”

  Maddie was half-tempted to ask what they’d said on all of those subjects. But that would be entirely inappropriate. Not more inappropriate than kissing her employer earlier, but inappropriate just the same.

  But first, there was something weighing on her. Something she had to ensure Lady Elizabeth knew. “My…my lady,” she began, feeling as if she might cast up her accounts. She smoothed a hand against her stomach.

  “Oh, Madeline, you know I’ve asked you to call me Eliza.”

  “No. No. I couldn’t do that,” she said with a shake of her head.

  “I find it ridiculous that two young women so close in age must pretend to be so different, but I don’t want to make you uncomfortable. How old are you?”

  “I’m two and twenty, my lady.”

  “See. Not so far apart, we two. I’m sorry to have interrupted you. What did you want to tell me?” Lady Elizabeth asked.

  “I…I wanted you to know that…I…well, I was sacked from my last position with Lady Henrietta. She sent me away without a reference that same morning you came looking for me in the afternoon.”

  “I know,” Lady Elizabeth replied quite calmly, pulling off her gloves and handing them to Maddie. “Why do you think I came looking for you?”

  Maddie’s mouth fell open. “You knew?”

  “Of course I knew. And as I said, I know how dreadful Henrietta is. She told me she refused to give you a reference. I had to come save you. Especially since I was aware that my brother had a fondness for you.”

  Maddie’s cheeks flamed.

  “Oh, I am sorry,” Lady Elizabeth continued. “I see that mentioning it has embarrassed you. Please don’t fret over it. I promised Justin. His Christian name is Justin, you know? I promised him that I would not send you on any more errands to his study. I’m sorry if that made you uncomfortable.”

  “No, I, er, well, he seems like a very nice man.” To kiss, she added silently in her head.

  “May I ask you a question? About your time at Henrietta’s house?”

  “Of course, my lady.” Maddie helped Lady Elizabeth remove the emerald necklace her mother had forced her to wear.

  “I’m curious. Why did you take Lady Henrietta’s clothes and jewelry?”

  Maddie’s stomach dropped. The words rushed from her lips in a breathless string. “If you’re concerned that I’ll ever do that to you, I promise I never—”

  “No. No,” Lady Elizabeth hastened to add. “I’m not at all worried about that. Believe me, I wish I could dress you up in my gowns and send you about the events of the Season pretending to be me. I’m merely curious why you’d want to sneak into the ball.”

  Maddie bit her lip. “If I tell you, do I have your word you won’t tell anyone. Including your brother?”

  Lady Elizabeth nodded. “Absolutely.”

  “Very well.” Maddie might as well tell her new mistress the truth. After all, Lady Elizabeth already knew the worst of it. “The truth is—in another life—I was meant to have a debut and dance with gentlemen at London balls. Perhaps share a kiss with a particularly handsome one.” She paused for a moment before adding. “Oh, you must think I’m the most forward person in the world.”

  “Not at all,” Lady Elizabeth replied quite matter-of-factly. “I’ve often wished that I wanted the same things other young ladies seem to want, gowns and jewels and ribbons and bonnets. I can’t think of anything worse than dressing up and parading around in order to find a husband, however. And dancing is dreadfully boring.”

  Maddie nodded, although she disagreed. Dancing was as lovely as she’d always dreamed—kissing even lovelier—but there would be no more of either for her. Papa would be so disappointed. He’d only asked her for one thing, and she’d come perilously close to ruining everything.

  She’d promised her father on his deathbed that she would take care of Molly. And she would. There was no one else left to help them. Only when she was given the most difficult choice, she’d chosen her own selfish interests over what was best for her sister. And now her sister’s future was in danger. Maddie had to make it right.

  “Madeline, did you hear me?” came Lady Elizabeth’s soft voice.

  “No. I’m sorry. What did you say?” She took her mistress’s soft night rail from a hook in the wardrobe and helped her pull it over her head.