Page 10 of Unmasking the Earl

From here, there was no going back.

The sunlight was cut off, and the noises of the passing traffic dimmed as she was brought inside the elegant, but very masculine, house. It was tastefully decorated with dark woods and marbling, the whole suffused with the smell of beeswax and leather.

Ganstridge elbowed open a door and lowered her gently onto a chaise longue. He removed her shoes, then tackled the ribbons of her bonnet. She was very aware of the touch of his fingers on her feet and chin.

Fingers, she noted, that seemed unable to undo the bow. Well, a man of his size might be expected to be clumsy. But…surely his hands weren’t shaking?

Grimacing in defeat, Ganstridge left her, calling for water and snapping at another servant to fetch their master.

Thank goodness! Captain Wycherley was at home.

Moments later, he was at her side, concern written across his handsome features. Relief trickled through her. Her ruse hadn’t been for naught.

Not yet, anyway.

“It’s all right,” she whispered conspiratorially as Ganstridge excused himself from the room and Wycherley knelt beside her. “I am perfectly well. I just needed an excuse to talk to you.”

He looked stunned for a moment, then let out a guffaw of laughter. “My dear Miss Blythe, there are far easier ways of making contact with a gentleman. Sending a servant with a note is a popular method, or promenading around the town where one is sure to meet anybody and everybody sooner or later. I hope you didn’t hurt yourself when you collapsed?”

She pursed her lips at his mild scolding. “Only my pride and my bonnet, but a little steam and a hot iron will soon put that right.”

“Won’t you sit up, now the need for deception is past?”

“Best not. My cousin has gone for smelling salts and could return any moment. I don’t want to seem recovered too quickly.”

Still grinning, Wycherley took her hand. “Very well. Why did you wish to see me?”

Being in close proximity to Wycherley—especially in a reclining pose—was an unsettling experience. Not as unsettling as being held tightly in Ganstridge’s arms, however. It was going to take her a little while to recover from that dizzying sensation.

“You said you were in my debt after last night,” she replied.

“I am, indeed. Thanks to you, Lucy was caught wrong-footed, and my rival was seriously embarrassed. She and I did not leave together.”

Alarm stabbed through Cassie. Wycherley and Lady Lucy had to be together so Julian would be available. She asked hopefully, “Will you amend your quarrel?”

“I shall certainly attempt it. So long as she’s not decided to choose that beanpole of a man over myself.”

Cassie smiled to herself. There spoke a jealous man. Julian was tall and slim, but no beanpole. “If I could drive a wedge between the vacillating Lady Lucy and Mr. Carnforth, would that please you?” she asked.

“It would.” Wycherley sat back on his haunches and eyed her speculatively. “What exactly did you have in mind?”

Cassie looked around the room to ensure they were still alone. The door to the hallway was ajar, but there was no sound or movement beyond it.

“I want Mr. Carnforth’s heart to beat for me alone. We are already great friends, but he has watched me grow up, and he simply can’t see beyond that.”

Wycherley slowly nodded. “He’s blind to the fact that you’re a lovely young woman with needs and desires, not a child.”

“Precisely.”

“But…how can I possibly help?”

“Tell me what makes a man attracted to a woman. How does she get him to notice her instead of a dozen beauties in the same room? Tell me how to speak, how to act, how to entice him.”

A lazy grin curved Wycherley’s mouth. “Telling is one method, certainly. But when it comes to lessons in flirtation or love, an actual demonstration is infinitely preferable. I would also have to show you how to receive the attentions of the gentleman when they are given.”

There was something feral in his gaze that unnerved her. What did he mean by “demonstration?”

There was only one way to find out. “You’ll do it, then?” she asked.