His Wicked Lady (18 page)

The carriage came to a stop, and he patted
her knee. “I think we’ll get along after all.”

The footman opened the door, and Malcolm
hopped out, looking like a young boy who’d just had the best day of
his life. He turned toward her and held his hand out. “I’d be
delighted to escort you into our townhouse.”

She bit back her laughter. Well, it wasn’t a
declaration of undying love. He was much more excited about the way
Warren and Robert had applauded him for his financial prowess. But
she couldn’t help thinking he was adorable.

She accepted his hand and let him lead her up
the steps of her townhouse. Once they were inside, he said he had
last minute instructions to write to Mr. Raleigh and hurried off
for the den.

With an amused shake of her head, she went up
the stairs. Theirs definitely wasn’t a love match…yet. She’d
underestimated just how much his business dealings meant to him.
But he wasn’t out gambling, getting drunk, or spending time with
another lady. So really, she couldn’t complain.

Besides, when she remembered how adamantly
opposed he’d been to their marriage, they’d made a lot of progress
in their marriage. She just needed to be patient. Things worth
having often took time.

After she checked on Leonard, who was sound
asleep, she retired to her bedchamber for the night. Given the
trying evening, she fully expected to drift off to sleep right
away, but she didn’t. In fact, she was still awake when she heard
Malcolm enter his bedchamber. She didn’t think he’d enter her
bedchamber. He never did. But she did hear him pacing back and
forth in his room for the longest time.

Whatever was he doing? She didn’t think he
made it a habit of walking from one end of his room to another,
much like a caged animal that was used to running in the wild. He’d
had a good evening. Surely, he was content.

As she finally drifted off to sleep, it
suddenly occurred to her why he hadn’t just gone to bed. He wasn’t
pacing because he was worried. He was pacing because he wanted to
be in her bed, but he was too proud to come to her. He was waiting
for her to go to him.

A smile crossed her face. Was it wicked of
her to not give him what he wanted, to let him suffer another night
without satisfying his baser needs? Probably. But was it worth it
to be wicked if she could get him to even admit he had an interest
in being intimate? Most definitely.

Before long, she rolled onto her side and
went to sleep, assured she was one step closer to having the kind
of marriage she’d enjoyed with her first husband.

Chapter Fifteen

M
alcolm went to White’s the next day, hoping that by getting
out of the townhouse, he would be able to get Regan out of his
mind. He didn’t know how she managed to haunt his thoughts, but as
of late, it seemed he couldn’t concentrate on much. The more days
that passed since their wedding, the harder it was getting. He told
himself it was natural. She was his wife, after all.

And yes, it was definitely to his advantage
she could be a gracious companion when she needed to be. Her
behavior the previous evening at Warren’s was exceptional. No one
would guess she was the same lady who’d dragged him on to the dance
floor or came to his townhouse uninvited. He was still in shock
she’d even received a high compliment from Warren right after
dinner.

Warren had told Malcolm he’d done very well
in his choice of a bride. “She’s beautiful and conducts herself in
the most ladylike manner,” Warren had said. “If only all of us
could be so fortunate.”

“Your lady has a good moral standing,” Robert
had told Warren.

“Yes, but she’s not exceptional to look at,”
Warren had replied. “To have beauty and discretion…now there’s a
gift.”

Even now, Malcolm found his heart swelling
with pride. Yes, he and Regan just might do well after all. As he
turned the page of the book in his hands, he shifted in his chair,
doing his best to ignore the part of him that insisted on bothering
him. He’d never been one to give into his baser desires. Only rakes
did that sort of thing. But it was getting harder and harder to
ignore his erection. It was most uncomfortable.

Up to now, he’d been able to will it away by
focusing on investment plans and tallying up how much he’d have
once Mr. Raleigh returned. However, there was only so much time a
gentleman could spend with numbers before even that grew boring. If
he’d had a new investment, it wouldn’t be so bad.

But his mind drew a blank, and as it turned
out, reading through successful business principles was boring him.
Boring him! He couldn’t recall a time when anything this terrifying
had happened. Was this the beginning of the end? Was Regan going to
be his undoing?

“Oh, good, you’re here,” called out a
familiar voice.

Malcolm glanced up in time to see Logan pull
up a chair next to him. Without an invitation, he plopped in it and
dumped a book on top of the one Malcolm had
been—unsuccessfully—trying to read.

Gritting his teeth, Malcolm shoved Logan’s
book to the floor. “Go somewhere else,” he snapped.

Logan retrieved the book, not the least bit
disturbed by Malcolm’s bad mood. He leaned toward Malcolm and
showed him the book. “You’ll thank me for this someday.”

He gagged. “The only thing I would ever thank
you for is leaving my poor sister alone.”

Logan clucked his tongue. “You mustn’t be
that way, Malcolm. We’re family. You’re my son’s uncle.”

“My nephew is your sole redeeming
quality.”

“And I’m delighted to have him in my life.
This book is a thank you.”

Malcolm shuddered. He’d never opened the
book, but he knew full well it was one of Lord Edon’s abominations
by the fact he’d seen Edon hand copies out to other gentlemen in
the past. “I will not taint myself by touching such a morally
repugnant excuse for literature.”

“What is so wrong with wanting to make sure
your wife is satisfied in bed?”

Malcolm glanced around the room, relieved
when he didn’t see anyone of notable reputation—especially Warren
or Robert—nearby. God willing, those two wouldn’t come here until
Logan was gone.

Logan opened the book and flipped through it.
“It’s a good book, and I think every husband should read it. You
know, it’s not fair to expect the lady to pleasure us without
returning the favor. Your sister is very happy with the things
mentioned in here.”

Oh, dear heavens. Malcolm clutched his
stomach. He was going to lose his morning meal. “I’d rather not
think of you with my sister in such a way.”

“Why not? You don’t honestly think your
nephew came into this world through immaculate conception, do
you?”

“That’s what I prefer to believe, yes,”
Malcolm snapped. “I forbid you from saying anything else about
it.”

“All right. I’ll be nice for once.”

But as it turned out, Logan wasn’t, for in
the next breath, he showed Malcolm a page in the blasted book that
gave instructions on how to touch a lady in the most inappropriate
way. Malcolm gasped, grabbed the book, and threw it across the
room, drawing the attention of several gentlemen, who’d been
playing chess or quietly talking.

“I forbid you to ever show me such
vile…vile…” Malcolm couldn’t even bring himself to say the word. It
was a word only a cad would use, and he wouldn’t degrade himself by
saying it. It was enough he was thinking it.

Logan made a big show of rolling his eyes as
he stood up and went across the room to get the book. Malcolm took
that as his cue and bolted toward the exit. He wasn’t going to sit
idly by while Logan tried to pollute his mind with such…such… He
shuddered. No. He wouldn’t even allow himself to think it.

Malcolm made it to the door in time for it to
open, and to his horror, Warren and Robert were right there—right
in front of him. Malcolm glanced over his shoulder. At the moment,
Logan wasn’t nearby.

“Malcolm,” Warren said with a wide grin, “we
were hoping you’d be here. We wanted to know if you’d like to play
a game of cards. Not for money, of course. Just for the fun of
playing.”

“I can’t,” Malcolm replied. “I have to
leave.” At once. If he wasn’t careful, Logan was going to embarrass
him, and right in front of the people he desperately wanted to stay
in good graces with. “Maybe tomorrow.”

“Is there something wrong?” Warren asked.
“Perhaps we can help.”

“No,” Malcolm quickly replied as he wiggled
past the two gentlemen. “I just remembered something I have to do.
You’ll thank me later when you see the plans.”

Oh goodness. Now he’d have to come up with
another investment idea, or he’d be a liar. Logan was constantly
ruining his life!

“It must be good if you’re rushing out of
here,” Warren replied, his eyes twinkling with excitement.

There was no helping it. Malcolm would have
to come up with something. He didn’t dare disappoint his new
friend.

“Mr. Jasper,” Logan called out.

“I must go,” Malcolm whispered and tried to
escape before Logan caught up to him.

Fortune, however, was most definitely not on
his side. Logan jumped right in front of him as he turned to leave.
“You need this book,” Logan insisted, opening the book. “The fate
of your marriage depends on it.”

Logan showed him the page of an illustration
of a naked lady, and worse, all the parts of her body were labeled.
Logan held it out to Malcolm.

“This will be extremely helpful as you figure
out how to please your wife,” Logan said.

Malcolm felt all the color leave his face.
How dare Logan do this! And right in front of Warren and Robert!
“Get that filth out of my sight,” he snapped and swatted the book
out of Logan’s hands.

The book landed on the floor, and as it did,
the book opened to another page. This one with all text,
thankfully, but when Warren read, “The gentleman’s responsibility
is to make the bed a pleasurable experience for his wife,” Malcolm
thought for sure he was going to faint.

Only ladies ever fainted, as far as Malcolm
could recall. He just might be the first gentleman to do it. All of
London would be hysterical over it. He wobbled on his feet, willing
himself to remain upright, no matter how lightheaded he was
feeling.

Warren turned his accusing eyes to Logan.
“What is the meaning of this?” he gestured to the book and
shuddered.

“It’s Lord Edon’s book,” Logan replied as he
retrieved it.

Malcolm managed a step behind Warren and
Robert before Logan thought to thrust it his way again. Good
heavens, but he was never going to recover from this.

“That book is in very bad taste,” Warren told
Logan. “You are not to bring that disgusting thing to White’s
anymore. Keep your debauchery safely at home.”

“Yes,” Robert agreed, straightening his
cravat. “We’re gentlemen at a gentlemen’s club. If we wanted to
engage in such distasteful literature, we’d go to a pigpen.”

“One can hardly call that,” Warren gestured
to the book, “literature. It’s a travesty anyone wrote it.”

“Who did write it?” Robert asked. “Lord
Edon?”

“No one knows who wrote it,” Logan said, not
looking the least bit guilty about having it.

Malcolm shook his head. Did Logan have no
sense of propriety? Not even a single ounce of it? Being related to
him through marriage was going to be the very death of him. Melissa
couldn’t honestly be happy with him.

Warren crossed his arms. “Well, we will not
tolerate such filth in this establishment.”

Logan snorted. “Half the gentlemen in this
establishment own a copy. Those that do happen to have very happy
wives.”

“Oh really?” Warren asked, not sounding the
least bit convinced.

“Yes, really,” Logan replied. “My wife
happens to be one of them. Why, she even reads it to get ideas on
what we can do to enhance our lovemaking.”

And that’s when it happened. Malcolm
succumbed to the lightheaded sensation and let himself faint.

***

When Malcolm regained consciousness, he
realized he was in a chair, and his feet were raised on the ottoman
in front of him. He opened his eyes. He was still at White’s. But
he was safely away from the group of gentlemen who were gathered
around Lord Edon.

“I forbid you to hand out any more of those
books,” Warren told Edon. “You are making this club a mockery in
all of London.”

“I only have these books because gentlemen
keep asking for them,” Edon blandly replied.

“Well, tell them you don’t have any more
copies,” Warren said. “They don’t need to be reading
such…such…”

“Reprobate material,” Robert supplied.

“Exactly.” Warren nodded then turned his gaze
back to Edon. “We’ve talked about this before. Now we have Logan
trying to force Malcolm to take the book, and when that kind of
thing happens, it’s gone too far.”