at forty minutes past midnight, Miss Fitzhugh. You were still there when I left twenty minutes ago. By the way, I also witnessed the same thing happening for the past two nights. You can accuse me of many things—and you do—but you cannot charge me with drawing conclusions on insufficient evidence. Not in this case, at least.”
She stiffened. She’d underestimated him, it would seem. He’d been his usual flighty, superficial self; she wouldn’t have guessed he had the faintest inkling of her nighttime forays.
“What do you want, Hastings?”
“I want you to mend your ways, my dear Miss Fitzhugh. I understand very well that Mr. Martin should have been yours in an ideal world. I also understand that his wife has been praying for him to take a lover so she could do the same. But none of it will matter should you be found out. So you see, it is my moral obligation to leave at first light and inform your siblings, my dear, dear friends, that their beloved sister is throwing away her life.”
She rolled her eyes. “What do you want , Hastings?”
He sighed dramatically. “It wounds me, Miss Fitzhugh. Why do you always suspect me of ulterior motives?”
“Because you always have one. What do I have to do now for your silence?”
“That will not happen.”
“I refuse to think you cannot be bought, Hastings.”
“My, such adamant faith in my corruptibility. I almost hate to disappoint you.”
“Then don’t disappoint me. Name your price.”
His title was quite new—he was only the second Viscount Hastings after his uncle. The family coffer was full to the brim. His price would not be anything denominated in pounds sterling.
“If I say nothing,” he mused, “Fitz will be quite put out with me.”
“If you say nothing, my brother will not know anything.”
“Fitz is a clever man—except when it comes to his wife, perhaps. He will learn sooner or later, somehow.”
“But you are a man who lives in the present, aren’t you?”
He lifted a brow. “That wouldn’t be your way of saying that I am empty–headed and incapable of thinking of the future, would it?”
She didn’t bother with an answer to that question. “It is getting late—not too long now before someone comes to lay a new fire. I don’t want you to be seen in my room.”
“At least I can marry you to salvage your reputation should that happen. Mr. Martin is in no position to do so.”
“That is quite beside the point. Tell me what you want and begone.”
He smiled, a crooked smile full of suggestions. “You know what I want.”
“Please don’t tell me you are still trying to kiss me. Have I not made my lack of interest abundantly clear on this matter?”
“I don’t want to kiss you. However, you will need to kiss me .”
She, kiss him?
“Ah, I see you were hoping to stand quiescent and think of Christian martyrs mauled by the lions of the Colosseum. But as you always tell me, I am a man of unseemly tastes. So you must be the lion, and I the martyr. I shall expect exceptional aggression, Miss Fitzhugh.”
“If I were a lion, I’d find you a piece of rotten fish, not at all to my taste and hardly edible, whereas I’ve just dined on the finest gazelle in the entire savanna. You will excuse me if I fail to summon any enthusiasm to fall upon you.”
“Quite the contrary. I cannot excuse such failure. Not in the least. You will somehow summon the enthusiasm or I shall be on the earliest train headed south.”
“And if I do manufacture enough false zeal to satisfy you?”
“Then I shall say nothing to anyone of Mr. Martin.”
“Your word?”
“Your word that the kiss will be more debauched than any you’ve pressed upon Mr. Martin.”
“You are a pervert, Hastings.”
He smiled again. “And you are just the sort of woman to appreciate one, Miss Fitzhugh, whether you realize it or not. Now, here is what I want you to do. You will seize me by the shoulders, push me against the wall, reach your hand under my
She stiffened. She’d underestimated him, it would seem. He’d been his usual flighty, superficial self; she wouldn’t have guessed he had the faintest inkling of her nighttime forays.
“What do you want, Hastings?”
“I want you to mend your ways, my dear Miss Fitzhugh. I understand very well that Mr. Martin should have been yours in an ideal world. I also understand that his wife has been praying for him to take a lover so she could do the same. But none of it will matter should you be found out. So you see, it is my moral obligation to leave at first light and inform your siblings, my dear, dear friends, that their beloved sister is throwing away her life.”
She rolled her eyes. “What do you want , Hastings?”
He sighed dramatically. “It wounds me, Miss Fitzhugh. Why do you always suspect me of ulterior motives?”
“Because you always have one. What do I have to do now for your silence?”
“That will not happen.”
“I refuse to think you cannot be bought, Hastings.”
“My, such adamant faith in my corruptibility. I almost hate to disappoint you.”
“Then don’t disappoint me. Name your price.”
His title was quite new—he was only the second Viscount Hastings after his uncle. The family coffer was full to the brim. His price would not be anything denominated in pounds sterling.
“If I say nothing,” he mused, “Fitz will be quite put out with me.”
“If you say nothing, my brother will not know anything.”
“Fitz is a clever man—except when it comes to his wife, perhaps. He will learn sooner or later, somehow.”
“But you are a man who lives in the present, aren’t you?”
He lifted a brow. “That wouldn’t be your way of saying that I am empty–headed and incapable of thinking of the future, would it?”
She didn’t bother with an answer to that question. “It is getting late—not too long now before someone comes to lay a new fire. I don’t want you to be seen in my room.”
“At least I can marry you to salvage your reputation should that happen. Mr. Martin is in no position to do so.”
“That is quite beside the point. Tell me what you want and begone.”
He smiled, a crooked smile full of suggestions. “You know what I want.”
“Please don’t tell me you are still trying to kiss me. Have I not made my lack of interest abundantly clear on this matter?”
“I don’t want to kiss you. However, you will need to kiss me .”
She, kiss him?
“Ah, I see you were hoping to stand quiescent and think of Christian martyrs mauled by the lions of the Colosseum. But as you always tell me, I am a man of unseemly tastes. So you must be the lion, and I the martyr. I shall expect exceptional aggression, Miss Fitzhugh.”
“If I were a lion, I’d find you a piece of rotten fish, not at all to my taste and hardly edible, whereas I’ve just dined on the finest gazelle in the entire savanna. You will excuse me if I fail to summon any enthusiasm to fall upon you.”
“Quite the contrary. I cannot excuse such failure. Not in the least. You will somehow summon the enthusiasm or I shall be on the earliest train headed south.”
“And if I do manufacture enough false zeal to satisfy you?”
“Then I shall say nothing to anyone of Mr. Martin.”
“Your word?”
“Your word that the kiss will be more debauched than any you’ve pressed upon Mr. Martin.”
“You are a pervert, Hastings.”
He smiled again. “And you are just the sort of woman to appreciate one, Miss Fitzhugh, whether you realize it or not. Now, here is what I want you to do. You will seize me by the shoulders, push me against the wall, reach your hand under my
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