Earl of Sussex Read online

  Tabbie nodded. For a moment, she thought her sister had been advising her to give Luke her chastity. The trouble with just handing over her heart was that they would be married by the time she would understand if he truly meant to keep it.

  But if she gave him her innocence… Well, she’d have a chance to see if, after they were intimate, he turned his eye to another woman.

  Her leg twitched under her gown. It was so risky. If discovered, they’d be married. Her father wouldn’t allow her to be ruined.

  She pushed down the voice of dissent that told her she was using this as an excuse to be with him without waiting for marriage. He did make her feel things no other man had.

  But wouldn’t it be better to know if he’d move on to another woman before she tied herself to him forever?

  Chapter 7

  Nerves fluttered in her belly as she made her way toward the dance floor. Her trembling hand reached up to adjust the domino mask on her face for the hundredth time in the last half hour.

  Luke was late. But rather than irritation, a small smile touched her lips. It was a trait she found endearing rather than annoying, a little window into who he was. A man who rarely followed social convention.

  But all the same, she hated these events and it would be so much more bearable by his side…in his arms.

  A hand brushed her back and she turned smiling broadly, expecting to see Luke, but it wasn’t him. The Marquess of Crummell stood appraising her. “My lady,” he grinned back, not realizing it wasn’t a smile meant for him. “I must confess, your greeting fills my heart with joy.”

  She bit back a sigh. She couldn’t very well tell him that it hadn’t been meant for him. “I’m glad, my lord.” She took a half step away. “If you will excuse me.”

  He reached for her hand. “I’d like to ask for a dance, if I may.”

  With a tight smile, she offered her card to him and he placed his name in not one, but two places.

  Drat. It would limit her time with Luke. Her opportunity to sneak away with him and allow him…

  Her thoughts ended because he was there, behind her. She felt rather than saw him, but she knew it was Luke by the way her body tightened, filling with a tension she couldn’t name.

  His warm breath blew across her exposed neck. Goosebumps rose on her arms and she longed to melt back against him. But it simply wasn’t proper. Not that what she planned was proper.

  Without a word, he took her dance card and wrote his name for three dances, all in a row. Crummell spluttered. It was scandalous. Without a formal commitment, it wasn’t done.

  As Crummell had placed himself for the next set, he offered her his elbow. “Might I sit with you while we wait?”

  Her eyes darted to Luke. He watched her with unwavering attention, his dark eyes smoldering. She had so much to say to him. The longer she’d thought about the events from the day before, the more she wanted to throw herself into his arms. He’d saved her and her sister. She wanted to apologize for being such a fool, kiss every inch of his face as a thank you, and then beg him to touch her…everywhere. Merciful heaven, she was supposed to be testing his resolve. Would he make love to her and then leave her? She wasn’t sure it mattered. He had her heart now. Even if he rejected her, would she want to take it back?

  She started at the realization and her eyes widened. She was in love with him.

  He moved closer, blocking Crummell. “Answer the man. He asked to sit with you.” The intensity was still heating his gaze but a small smile played at his lips.

  “Oh, I apologize. I was distracted and I…” Her voice trailed off. What was she to say? I was distracted by the heated gaze of the other man we are talking to? I only just realized that I more than lust after him? I am, in fact, in love with him?

  “She doesn’t want to sit with you, Crummell.” Luke’s eyes never left hers.

  Crummell straightened. She only knew it was true because the top of his head peeked over Luke’s shoulder. “I will report your behavior to her father, sir. Indecent. You will have to answer for it and—”

  “She is to be my wife.” Luke turned to face the other man but she caught his gaze hardening before he did. “Don’t bother collecting your dances.”

  “That is absurd.” Crummell spluttered but she saw him shrink back down. “The duke shall most certainly hear about this.”

  Tabbie suppressed a grin. She would have liked to have told Crummell to be gone but a woman couldn’t be so openly confrontational. Crummell stormed off and she moved closer to Luke, her cheek just brushing his sleeve.

  He turned back to her, his expression soft. “We need to discuss a few things.”

  Her insides flipped and her shoulders hunched. “We do,” she murmured.

  They began skirting the crowd, moving to a more private location. It took several minutes and fear built inside of her as she trailed behind him. Once the space opened up, he stopped moving and twisted his elbow toward her so that she might slip her hand through it. The feel of his heat and strength through his clothes calmed her fears.

  What was she afraid of? He’d just declared they would marry. Was she afraid of losing her maidenhead? No, the prospect filled her with excitement. Her feelings? With every passing moment, she grew less concerned that he would hurt her emotionally, though it still nagged at her.

  She would still follow through with her plan. Because it was sound. It really did give her the opportunity to discover if her future husband would lose interest after intimacy. The fact that she wouldn’t have to wait for his touch was an added benefit.

  So what was making her tremble so? Then she knew. If her father found out about any of this, he’d lock her in a tower until she was too old to marry at all.

  “What are you thinking?” Luke’s eyes were searching her face as they moved closer to the terrace doors.

  So much swirled in her head, she didn’t quite know where to begin. “Yesterday, I was so foolish.”

  But he only winked as he swept her though the doors, mindless of the complete lack of decorum in taking her outside unchaperoned. At least the space was filled with other partygoers. “Tabbie, it is not the last time I will have to untangle you from some scrape you have landed yourself in, I suspect. It’s part of what makes you interesting.”

  “I don’t mean to cause such trouble.” She bit her lip as she assessed his profile next to her.

  “But somehow, you always do.” It wasn’t his voice that answered, it was her father’s. He’d snuck up next to them without her even realizing.

  A tremble shook through her. It wasn’t that her father was a villain, or even mean spirited. It was that he held her future in his grasp and she was near powerless to redirect him. As a duke, he expected to be obeyed.

  “Papa.” She unhooked her hand from Luke’s arm and turned toward her father. Dread made her quake. Luke turned too, and grasping her other hand, tucked that into his elbow. The gesture was not lost on her father. His eyes narrowed as he assessed Luke. “I told you to act with decorum.”

  “The terrace is sufficiently chaperoned,” Luke answered quietly.

  “You refused to allow another man to dance with her,” her father fired back.

  Luke’s own eyes narrowed before he responded. “He intends to win her affection.”

  Her father sighed deeply. “And how likely is that without my intervention?”

  “Do you intend to intervene?” Luke tensed underneath her hand.

  Her father took a step closer. “He’s a marquess.”

  Luke shrugged at that. “I will be as well.”

  Her mind, a jumble of thoughts suddenly sharpened. Her father was considering Crummell. What he needed was a reason not to consider the other man, to favor Luke. The issue of title fell in Crummell’s favor but it occurred to her that if her father thought Luke had ruined her, he’d have no choice but to wed her and Luke and dismiss Crummell forever.

  “You deliberately disobeyed me—” His eyes bore into Luke.

  �
��Papa,” she interrupted. “We have feelings—”

  “Don’t be foolish.” Her father’s lip curled. “One would think your intelligence endowed you with a bit more sense.”

  All the dread she had been feeling bloomed into white-hot anger. Her father never gave her credit. He always expected her to act as her mother did, but she wasn’t like her mother. “You are correct. I am a terrible fool who allowed a known rake to court her. Oh wait…that was you.” Her hand tightened around Luke’s elbow.

  “Tabbie, you will keep your tongue sweet and you will obey me.”

  “It’s too late, Papa. I’ve allowed Luke to—”

  “Tabbie—” It was Luke’s strong voice that stopped her words. “Crummell is waiting for his dance.”

  She blinked in complete confusion. He turned to look at her and gave her a tiny wink on the side that her father couldn’t see. It was all the assurance she needed and with a nod, she left his side, stepped around her father and headed back toward the music. Above all odds, she trusted Luke with her heart and with her future.

  Luke stared at the man in front of him. It was time to make Tabbie his and stop allowing her father to have control.

  “How did you manage to have Tabbie obey you so easily?” His Grace’s eyes followed his daughter through the doors.

  “She knows that I only want what is best for her.” Luke’s arms crossed in silent accusation.

  “Are your public displays of impropriety best for her? I am considering Lord Crummell just to save her reputation.”

  “You are considering Lord Crummell so that you may continue to exercise control over the both of them.” Luke’s hands clenched into fists against his chest.

  The other man’s face tightened. “Are you trying to sway me toward him? That is a most excellent argument. Now what was Tabbie about to say?”

  Luke felt a muscle tick in his jaw. He had to proceed very carefully. “She was being Tabbie. Impulsive and likely to say whatever she thought would result in our marriage.”

  His Grace stepped closer. “Or you are a rogue who has compromised my daughter.”

  Luke assessed the man in front of him. “I have done as you have asked.”

  He gave a nod. “Excellent.” His grace gave him a cold smile. “Then there is still time to consider other suitors.”

  Another man might have begged, groveled, or even thrown a fist. But Luke was not any of those men. Instead he gave his grace a small salute. “Do as you see fit.” Then he followed Tabbie back into the ball.

  Because a scheme was exactly what this situation required.

  His world seemed to slow as he watched Crummell attempt to spin her around on the polished marble floor. That man didn’t deserve a woman like Tabbie. It was laughable.

  As the set came to an end, he intercepted them on the way to return Tabbie to her mother. He didn’t say a word as he held out his arm to her and she slipped her gloved hand into the crook of his elbow.

  They took a position on the floor and then began to effortlessly glide as the strains of a waltz filled the room.

  “How did it go with my father?” she asked as his hand clutched at her waist.

  He gave a shake of his head and then told her about the conversation that had transpired. “I promised you time to decide, my love. I am sorry to take it from you now.”

  “You are not, my father is.” Her eyes glowed up at him, shining in the dim light. His moon goddess, looking even more mysterious in her mask.

  He wished he could kiss her. Instead, he asked, “Have you decided if you prefer my suit or that of another?”

  Her body brushed against his. “You are my choice. My heart is yours.”

  Hellfire and damnation, he wanted to sweep her from this room and kiss her until they’d both gone blind from it. But instead he pressed his lips to her ear. “Then we must form a plan.”

  Chapter 8

  While Tabbie had tried to convince Luke to simply ruin her, in the end, they had decided to elope. It had a certain poetic beauty, as far as schemes went, and he could ruin her thoroughly during the journey to Gretna Green.

  The part that was rather startling was that it was decided to leave that very night. So here she sat on her bed in her riding cloak and sturdy travel clothes, a bag of necessaries and trinkets at half past two in the morning.

  Which was the time he was supposed to arrive, but she settled in to wait. Luke would likely be late.

  Surprise rippled through her as her window cracked open and his head appeared. With strong arms, he pulled himself through the opening and landed with a soft thud on the carpet.

  “You’re on time,” she giggled, surprised.

  He quirked an eyebrow. “Are you saying I am normally late?”

  “Always.” Standing, she crossed the room and wrapped her arms around his waist. “We are truly eloping?”

  He gave a nod and then captured her lips with his. “I simply can’t sleep another night without my moon goddess.” His lips captured hers again. “Besides, this gives us the element of surprise. If we wait, your father will have time to grow suspicious.”

  She gave a nod, her entire body tingling with excitement and desire. She loved a good scheme and somehow it only seemed to amplify her passion for Luke. “Will we climb back out the window?”

  “And risk breaking that pretty neck?” He trailed kisses down its column. “No, I have a carriage waiting one alley over. We’ll walk out the back door.”

  She rolled her eyes in mock protest. “How dull.”

  “I could put you in breeches and then you could climb out. I think I should like to see that.” His husky whisper only made her shiver with want.

  “Let’s go. Before we are caught.” She tugged on his hand, toward her bedroom door.

  He softly pulled on the handle but the door refused to move. Turning back to her, both his eyebrows moved toward his hairline. “Apparently, your father is suspicious already.”

  Tabbie’s lips twisted into a frown. She should have known her father would be suspicious but it was still irritating. “What do we do now?”

  But rather than answer, Luke picked her up and slung her easily over his shoulder. “Stay still and close your eyes.” And then he was crossing the room toward the window.

  “Luke,” she gasped clutching the back of his shirt. “You’re not actually going to—” But she stopped as he began climbing out the window. One look at the ground from her second story vantage point, perched upside down on Luke’s shoulder, and she did as he said and squeezed her eyes shut as her breath came out in ragged huffs.

  He made quick work of the trellis and landed them both on the ground. “Don’t move,” he ordered as he scaled back up the trellis and then reappeared with her travel bag.

  Shaking her head, she huffed when he landed next to her. “You are trying to kill me.”

  Pulling her close, he captured her lips again, making her breathless for an entirely different reason. As he slowly pulled back his lips, he touched his nose to hers. “You were the one who said going out the door was dull.”

  Chuckling, her insides glowed with happiness, as he pulled her down the street and to the alley. “Were you able to secure passage?” she whispered in the quiet night.

  “Yes, on a lovely ship. I think you were correct, that is the better way to travel. Your father will immediately begin checking all the popular post and stage coach stations.”

  Her insides fluttered, not from excitement but fear. “My father may very well disown me. I’ll likely have no dowry.”

  “It doesn’t bother me if it’s all right with you.” He kissed her long and slow.

  Nodding, she rested her forehead against his. “It’s strange to cut ties with your family. I am putting my life completely in your hands, Luke.”

  His fingers laced with hers. “I know you’ve had your reservations; I can’t tell you how much your trust in me means. I love you, Tabbie. I’ll never hurt you.”

  “Thank you,” her voice was scratc
hy as though she were holding back tears. She wasn’t, she told herself as she swiped at a small drop of water on her cheek. “I love you, too.”

  “When we return, I will set up an account of money for you. If for any reason you are dissatisfied, you could live comfortably on your own. I know it doesn’t replace your family, but it gives you some measure of independence.”

  Her heart nearly stopped in her chest. She would never have asked for such a gift. While her heart still ached over the loss of her family, it was so much easier to trust knowing that he had provided her with an alternate option. “Oh Luke,” her words failed and so she used her lips to express her feeling by pressing them to his.

  The kiss deepened, lengthened until her head was so muddled she could think of nothing else but him. Their bodies were pressed together and without even realizing it was happening, she found herself sitting sideways on his lap, her derriere cradled between his legs, the hard press of him against her soft flesh.

  “Luke,” she gasped, wanting more, wanting all of him.

  He didn’t answer as the carriage came to an abrupt halt. Paying the driver, he handed her out of the buggy and holding her hand, they walked down the docks toward a cluster of ships.

  A large vessel stood apart and she grinned as Luke propelled them toward it. The Destiny emblazoned on her side. “You didn’t pick this ship for the name, did you?”

  He gave her a wink. “I ship a decent amount of cargo to Scotland. I work with the captain often.”

  They made their way up the plank and then were ushered into the captain’s quarters where a buffet of food was already laid out for them.

  She turned to Luke. “What’s all this?”

  “I told them we were recently wed and going to visit your family in Scotland.” Luke popped a fig in his mouth, as his eyes devoured her.

  She blushed to her roots. “How long will the journey take?” Some of her desire had cooled, replaced with little niggles of fear. She’d already traveled past any redemption with her family and perhaps with society, but here, alone with him, this felt like the moment that would change everything.