Whom Shall I Marry... an Earl or a Duke? Read online

  “I will take your word on that, my lady.” He pressed a kiss upon her knuckles as he escorted Sophia to her carriage.

  Sophia waited for Wilde to walk out of sight before she motioned for her footman to come closer. She directed him to inform the carriage driver to follow Lord Wildeburg at a discreet distance. Soon they were off at a slow pace as they moved through the streets of Mayfair. Sophia sat across from Sidney, watching the excitement fill her eyes as they made their way closer to their destination. Sophia held no envy, but a sense of delight that her serious friend finally opened her heart to the giddy feeling of love. For a while Sophia was unsure if Sidney could even feel the emotion. She was usually caught up in the scientific affairs of her father. Always debating the gentlemen of the ton on issues no lady should be privy to. However, Sidney was unlike any lady Sophia had ever known and she was proud to call her a friend.

  Soon the carriage came to a complete halt. Sophia peeked out from the curtains to watch Wildeburg stride into an elaborate townhome. Her mouth opened in shock as she looked upon the grand home. Even as wealthy as her parents were, they owned nothing as magnificent as this. She was joined at the window by Sidney, who gasped as she took in the house she was soon to invade. Sophia rapped on the roof of the carriage and directed them to drive around to the alley behind the house.

  When they reached the back of Wilde’s home, Sidney started to laugh. Before her in the garden was a trellis reaching upward to an enormous balcony. On the balcony rested a small table with a couple of chairs. It had to be his room. She grabbed a sack on the seat next to her. It was a surprise to lure Wilde into her arms. Sidney grabbed Phee’s hands and gave them a gentle squeeze.

  “Thank you, and I owe you.”

  Phee laughed. “Yes, and a big one at that. Now go get your heart’s desire, Sidney Hartridge.”

  Sophia watched Sidney run across the garden and climb the trellis. When she reached the top and swung over the railing, Sidney turned to wave. Sophia returned it and ordered the driver to return her home. The gentle sway of the ride lulled her into a recurring daydream. The same dream that invaded her sleep throughout the nights over and over. With Sophia being pulled into his arms and kissed tenderly with a passion only they shared. Sophia touched her lips as if she could still feel Sheffield's upon hers. Kissing. Tasting. Exploring. Only it was no daydream, but a nightmare she needed to forget. If she kept musing over these emotions, they would only lead her to heartache.

  Chapter Two

  Alexander Langley was once again a free man. He decided after his kiss in the garden with Lady Sophia that he needed to seek some female companionship. Not the gentile kind, but more of the naughty variety. The type where you can lose your self-control on a woman who would reciprocate with the most unladylike behavior possible. The manner of women he could only find at Belle’s. He figured he would sow a few wild oats before he began his search again for the next Duchess of Sheffield. Plus, considering how Lady Sidney Hartridge threw him over for Wildeburg, he deserved a treat. A treat in the sense of long legs wrapped around him throughout the night and into the morning.

  He smiled to himself as he strode through the door of Belle’s. Ned met him in the hallway informing him that Belle wished for a few words before he enjoyed the delights of her beauties. Yes, maybe more than one tonight would quench his appetite. He wanted to speak to Belle anyway and entice her to share the name of her newest addition. The lady with the violet eyes haunted his dreams with her innocence. However, he knew her innocence to be a game. She kissed as a woman well-versed in the game of desire. Not only her kisses set his mind wandering, but the feel of her soft skin under his fingertips. He'd watched as her body came alive at his touch, and how her gaze changed into a dark amethyst as her passion rose higher. There was much he wished to teach her.

  When he arrived at Belle’s parlor, it was to find her standing in the doorway, tapping her foot at him in impatience. Belle was a beauty in her own right. With her wild red hair tumbling around her shoulders in waves and the midnight-blue dress hugging her frame, any thought of another woman should vanish from his mind. But their relationship was only one of friendship and nothing more. Not that he wouldn’t care to spend a few hours between her bed sheets. He just didn’t want to ruin their ties. There was no other woman he respected more than Belle. Their bond went back years, to a time when he was a young lad inexperienced with women. She taught him everything he knew to please a woman, and also how to respect her girls.

  “What did I do to deserve your glare?”

  “Do not think I don’t hear the gossip of the ton. Your actions toward those ladies last night were deplorable.”

  “They deserved every bit of it, Belle,” he said, pushing past her into the parlor.

  “Humph, no lady deserves to be treated in that manner, Alexander Langley.”

  Belle regarded Sheffield as he made his way to her divan, where he spread out in leisure. The man was as arrogant as they came. The right woman needed to put him in his proper place. She wandered to her liquor cabinet and poured both of them a drink. A whiskey for him, and for her a sweet white wine. She needed all the sweetness she could get, if she was to endure the Duke of Sheffield this evening. She was still livid that he ignored her pleas a week ago. At least Wildeburg was enough of a friend to answer her call. If not for him, she didn't know how her girls would have fared with that maniac Lord Dunbarth loose in her home. Belle handed Sheffield his glass. He took it from her hand and tossed back the liquor.

  “They do, if they are Sidney Hartridge and Sophia Turlington.”

  “Wilde is in love with Lady Sidney.”

  “Pshh. Love is a wasted emotion. Marriages are arranged for the success of generations to come.”

  “Sheffield, for shame. Love flows between the sheets in my rooms nightly.”

  “We both know that is not love flowing, but pure lust.”

  “Perhaps, but is it so wrong to imagine it might be love? Do not tell me, you have never been with a woman and felt an attraction you cannot explain.”

  Sheffield didn't argue with Belle. For what she spoke held an ounce of truth in the memory of his violet-eyed temptress. Who was she? If he asked Belle, she would deny him the pleasure of her company. But if he didn’t argue, Belle would suspect.

  “Cannot say I have, sweet Belle.”

  “One day you will and then all of your arrogant attitude will wither in the wind. Then you will be left humbling yourself for her love. Be warned, my friend, there is a lady who will bring you to your knees.”

  “Only for me to pleasure her and nothing more.”

  Belle shook her head at his scandalous comment, realizing she'd pushed the emotion of love with him too far. When he spewed shocking words, it was to cover his emotionless soul. However, Belle was well aware of his caring attitude. If not for his unselfish regard toward herself, she wouldn't be where she was today. He'd picked her up at her lowest and guided her toward a life that satisfied her. That was why, when he didn't respond to her call for help, she became upset and held disappointment for the man he had become.

  “You have disappointed me. I have decided to suspend your membership for a short spell.”

  “No,” he roared, coming off the divan.

  Surprise crossed Belle’s face at his defiance. Something wasn't right with Sheffield, and it had more to do than losing the hand of Lady Sidney Hartridge. As his friend, it was up to her to discover and help ease his troubles. It was what her lost love would have wanted.

  “Sit, Sheffield,” she ordered.

  Sheffield returned to the divan and settled into the cushions. Belle rose to refill his glass, bringing the bottle back with her. She had a feeling one would not be enough. As she looked into his eyes, she noticed a trouble she had never seen before.

  “Explain.”

  Alex ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. His life was falling apart before him. All that he had built and achieved would crumble as soon as someone revealed his se
cret. If he didn't take a bride quickly, and one of a prominent stature, then he would become the laughingstock of the ton. Everybody who envied and admired him would slam the door in his face. He was a farce. He hoped Violet could help him forget his troubles for a while—that was the name he bestowed upon her. Now Belle was barring him from her home. With a hold on his membership, he couldn't find his beauty.

  “My life is falling apart,” he confided in Belle.

  “Because Lady Sidney passed you over for Wilde?”

  “No, something more important than that.”

  “But she was a simple miss. You could have any lady you desire.”

  “Yes, but her father holds clout with Prinny himself. Their strong relationship would have helped me when my secret was revealed. I had hoped to secure this with my marriage to her.”

  “What secret?”

  “A document was sent to me that refute my family’s holdings. If this finding holds truth, it could lay claims of my family’s involvement in an assassination attempt on King Henry VIII in the year 1540. This will destroy us.”

  “Where did you find this?”

  “Lord T. is blackmailing me.”

  “Where is the document now?”

  “Lord Hartridge is examining its authenticity.”

  “Lady Sidney’s father? With her involvement with Wilde, would he betray your confidence?”

  “No. He is a trusted peer. While he says the detail looks authentic, he is researching its truth.”

  “Then?”

  “I do not know.”

  “I am sorry, Sheffield. However, it does not change my mind. Your behavior is out of control. You know I do not condone this conduct.”

  “You are correct, Belle. Please accept my forgiveness for betraying our friendship. I was shallow not to have helped when you called. It was the damn game with Wilde, and in the end he bested me.”

  “Lady Sidney is an extraordinary woman.”

  “Yes, she is at that. If I promise to make amends to her, will you allow me access to your girls?”

  “You also have to extend your apologies to Lady Sophia too.”

  “Whatever for?”

  “For a certain kiss in a garden you took without her permission.”

  “How do ...”

  “I know everything, Sheffield.”

  “How? There are no rumors spreading about the kiss. If so, her parents would have shackled me to the shrew.”

  “Another thing you have me to thank for. I tempered the rumor with promises that I must now fulfill, all because of your quick temper growing out of control. How can I help calm you?”

  Sheffield sighed at the depths to which Belle intervened in her attempts to keep him from the shun of the ton’s eye. He must confess to her of his time with Violet and beg for exclusive rights with the temptress.

  “You can let me have the charms of Violet to myself.”

  “Violet? I have no girl named Violet working for me.”

  Sheffield laughed. “That is the name I have chosen for her. She would not tell me her name. She had the most remarkable violet eyes I have ever seen.”

  “Continue to explain yourself. I am at a loss.”

  “A small confession I need to make, my dear.”

  “I am listening.”

  “Last week, when Wilde was in your private bedchamber making love to my intended, I was enjoying the pleasures held in this room.”

  “I am still confused. With whom?”

  “Not going to deny my first statement?”

  “No, I am not. You know what happened and used it to your advantage for a while. A gentleman reduced to blackmail does not a good bridegroom make. You deserved to have been thrown over. I will admit that is not what I intended to happen when I called Wilde to my home. She arrived and spoke his name. I thought he could draw her away before any outrage erupted. Instead, he caused a scandal by seducing her in my bedchamber. At least the conclusion of the ordeal led to him finding true love, and all is well.”

  “Humph ...”

  “Now, whose pleasure were you enjoying? None of my girls worked that day. We were closed for business due to Lord Dunbarth.”

  “She was a new girl. A skilled actress who portrayed an innocent, but kissed like a temptress. I am enamored. I will admit to tasting her charms before you could skill her in the rules of your house. Do not blame her, but me. However, I am willing to make you a tempting offer to have her charms exclusively for the duration until I tire of her. Then I will secure her away in the country. I can tell she comes from a family of money and I don’t want our names attached to one another. Especially with the drama about to enfold. I don’t need an angry papa chasing me down. Since she works here, I assume her family has already disowned her. I will compensate you both very nicely.”

  “How intimate were you with, ‘Violet’?”

  “Mmm, enough.” Sheffield wouldn't go into further detail. They were between him and his violet-eyed beauty.

  Belle tried to keep the look of shock off her face. It took every ounce of her professionalism to not rant at him at the mistake he'd made that day. In her worry over Wilde’s actions with Lady Sidney, and the debacle of the previous evening, she had forgotten about the friend. She'd left Lady Sophia Turlington alone in her parlor with a mask to hide her identity when trouble between a couple of girls drew her away upstairs. Now she'd found out that Sheffield tasted her charms.

  Oh, this was more trouble than Belle could even have imagined. How would she avoid the scandal, if news of this leaked? This was bigger than any disaster there could be. She needed to think this through to her advantage. How could she prevent Sheffield from discovering the identity of the violet-eyed miss? Belle was aware of the sexual prowess of Sheffield. Her girls bragged plenty when they spent a night in his arms. As an unselfish lover, he satisfied the women as well as they satisfied him.

  He'd ruined the girl and it was all her fault. Belle didn't lure Lady Sophia here. But neither did she protect Sophia’s virtue.

  As she watched Sheffield, her eyes narrowed as she contemplated what he offered. It would appear Lady Sophia nestled under his arrogance and opened him to a need he couldn't explain. She couldn’t promise him the lady, because the lady would probably never appear here again. So how could she push Sheffield into the arms of Lady Sophia without either of them being the wiser? She wondered if the miss was as awakened to the same passion as Sheffield. The very lady he called a shrew was the one he wanted to sample more charms from. She smiled at him.

  “Your offer is tempting, but I must speak to Violet to see if she would be acceptable to such an arrangement.”

  “Call her down.”

  Belle laughed at his eagerness. Sheffield was going to fall and fall hard. Lady Sophia Turlington was just the lady to bring him to his knees.

  “I cannot.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because she is not in residence at the moment.”

  “Where is she?”

  “She will return soon. I will send her your offer and let you know her response.”

  Sheffield sat in frustration. His need for Violet was turning him into a lunatic and Belle was laughing at his expense. Damn her.

  “When?”

  “When what?”

  “When will she return?”

  “Soon, Sheffield. You must display a bit of patience.”

  “You have two weeks to get an answer for me. If not, I will look elsewhere for my needs.”

  “Very well. Now for me to entice Violet to your bed, you must in return do a favor.”

  Sheffield nodded. “Anything.”

  “You will make a sincere apology to Lady Sophia.”

  “No.”

  “Sheffield, does not the temptation of Violet in your bed allow you to bend your conceited behavior?”

  Sheffield fumed. Belle placed him in a tight spot. She was well aware a duke apologizing to anybody was unheard of. Now, she wanted him to give an apology to a shrew who helped to dest
roy his laid-out plans. The lure of violet eyes darkening to amethyst, creamy skin begging to be caressed and kisses which turned him to a slave, convinced him.

  He sighed as he agreed to Belle’s request. “Only for you.”

  “Excellent.”

  Belle smiled secretly at her enjoyment of watching the beginning of his fall. How to arrange for them to meet was a problem for tomorrow.

  “Sophia may well be your next duchess. You are in need to place yourself in a good standing with a prominent family. What family could be more prominent in the ton than the Turlingtons? While her father is only an earl, he holds much power among the peers of the realm.”

  “I told you, the girl is a harpy which she has learned at the hands of her mother. Do you think I want to be saddled with those women for the rest of my life? The chaos it would cause with Grandmother. She is enough of a tyrant herself. Have some mercy on me, Belle.”

  Her laughter lighted the room, calming the anger in her soul. While she was furious with Sheffield for his poor behavior, he was still Alex to her. A young gentleman who picked her up when she was down and held her hand through the battles of life.

  She slid over on the couch and laid her head on his shoulder. As his hands wrapped around her shoulders, he teased the locks of her hair with his fingers. They rested silent in their thoughts and in the comfort of friendship. After a while, Sheffield placed a kiss on her head and rose.

  “Thank you, Belle.”

  “You are welcome. I will send notice to you shortly.”

  Sheffield nodded in approval. While he'd visited Belle’s tonight for release from being passed over, he decided it was not what he truly desired. With thoughts of Violet he walked out of the townhome and entered his carriage.