[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.”Moira’s golden eyes blazed with fury.“You’re an arrogant, conceited reprobate, Sir Jack! I could walk out of this charade you and Lord Fenwick hatched right now and look back with no regrets.”Jack’s brow turned upward.“Could you? Where would you go? You have no money that I know of.You don’t even have a promise of employment.By your own admission, your lover wants nothing more to do with you.You need me, Moira O’Toole.I’d say we have a mutual need of one another.” His eyes smiled at her, one corner of his mouth turned up, and he looked so cocky Moira wanted to slap the smirk from his face.“You can’t possibly know what I need,” Moira observed.“Save your ardor for your fiancée and mistresses.I don’t want it.You promised me a rich husband, and that’s all I want.”If Moira sounded mercenary, it was because she was desperate.Her brother’s last letter had hinted at his dire straits, and the sooner she sent financial support, the better.The light in Jack’s gray eyes dimmed, and he stepped away from her.“Have it your way, Moira.I’ve never forced a woman in my life, not even a whore…” He left his sentence dangling, but Moira knew he was referring to her.What else could he think when she had led him to believe she was a streetwalker instead of an innocent virgin?“We’ll find you a rich husband and you can go on your merry way.Passing off a woman of your…er…calling as a lady of quality will be vastly amusing.” And lucrative to the tune of two thousand pounds, Jack thought but did not say.“There’s a ball on Saturday night.’Tis a perfect time to introduce you to society.Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m to call on Lady Victoria this afternoon.’Tis a perfect time to propose.We will both have rich spouses by spring.Good day, Moira.I won’t be joining you for supper tonight.’Tis likely Lady Victoria will have appropriate entertainment planned to celebrate our engagement.”“Good day, Sir Jack,” Moira returned coolly, knowing full well the kind of entertainment Lady Victoria would provide for her virile fiancé.She had no idea why, but the thought of Jack and Victoria together intimately made her physically ill.Jack slammed out the door in a fine rage.It wasn’t as if he was asking something of Moira she hadn’t already given to others.He knew the attraction between them was perilous to his future plans with Victoria, but he couldn’t help himself.He seemed to be racing toward some unknown destination, guided by an unseen hand.He’d be damned if he’d permit it to ruin his plans! His life was his own, to live as he bloody well pleased.Until he’d gotten foxed and run down an Irish serving wench who’d been ditched by her lover, he’d been perfectly content with his life.Keeping himself amused and bagging a wealthy wife had been his only goals in life.He couldn’t wait until he found an unsuspecting husband for the woman of questionable virtue he’d brought into his home.It couldn’t be too soon to suit him.“Oh, milady, you look like a princess.” Jilly sighed wistfully.“Sir Jack is going to be so pleased.Why, I’ll bet you’ll outshine every woman at the ball tonight.You’ll nab a husband in no time at all.”Moira stared, entranced, into the pier glass, unable to believe the reflected image was her own.The ball gown had been delivered just this afternoon.The silver tissue, shimmering with iridescent hues of violet, hugged her breasts and cinched her waist most becomingly, then belled out in regal splendor.The neckline dipped enticingly to reveal the upper curves of her breasts without appearing overly daring, while the long fitted sleeves gave the appearance of demure elegance.Her hair had been lovingly groomed by Jilly, who piled her gleaming tresses atop her head in a spill of curls that provided an enchanting frame for her delicate features.If Moira wasn’t looking at herself in the glass, she would have sworn such a transformation was impossible.Yet the living proof was staring back at her.“You flatter me, Jilly,” Moira demurred modestly.“Bring my wrap.It wouldn’t do to keep Sir Jack waiting.”Jack was growing impatient, pacing the hall and pausing every few seconds at the foot of the stairs to glance upward.He was as nervous as a mother about to present her daughter to society.So much depended upon Moira’s acceptance by the gentry.He needed Spence’s two thousand pounds to finance his wedding to Victoria, and Moira required a rich husband to take her off his hands.His marriage proposal had gone off without a hitch until Victoria had placed a stipulation upon their engagement.She refused to marry him until his ward was established in a household of her own.Damn! If he didn’t have funds soon to restore Graystoke Manor, it would fall down around him.Jack had been relieved to find that Victoria’s mother had arrived unexpectedly for a visit, thus enabling him to make a graceful exit without making up excuses to Victoria for not bedding her, as she would have expected had she been alone.His reluctance puzzled him.Not too long ago, bedding Victoria had been more pleasure than chore.His empty pockets should have made Jack more than eager to placate Victoria in any way he could.Like finding Moira a husband.On the other hand, imagining Moira making love with another man made him physically uncomfortable.He supposed that feeling would pass once they were both safely wed.Pausing at the foot of the stairs, Jack glanced upward again, stunned by the vision before him.Resplendent in shimmering silver, looking like an angel, Moira seemed to float down the stairs.Her feet must have sprouted wings, for it seemed to Jack that she barely touched the steps as she approached the bottom, where he stood waiting.Jack was scarcely aware that he had stopped breathing until a gasp of air exploded from his chest.When Moira reached the landing, he gallantly offered his arm and guided her into the foyer, where he stepped back to scan her critically.His searing gaze dropped from her eyes to her shoulders, then slowly and seductively upward to her breasts, his stare bold and assessing.Moira’s whole being seemed to be filled with waiting; the prolonged anticipation was almost unbearable.“Do you approve, sir?”Approve? Jack more than approved—he was overwhelmed.Never in his wildest imagination did he think the pitiful creature he had brought home over a month ago could be transformed into this glorious woman standing before him.The pit of his stomach churned and he had to force himself into calmness, repeating to himself that he couldn’t afford to become involved with a penniless waif who was most likely a whore.And Moira couldn’t afford to marry anyone without blunt if she wished to help her relatives.They were a fine pair, he thought dimly.He was a disreputable scoundrel willing to swap affection for money, and she was a woman with deplorable taste in lovers.He considered her a moment, then shrugged.“My approval isn’t the one we’re seeking.’Tis your prospective suitors you need to impress.But ’tis my opinion you’ll do very well.Just remember your lessons and be mindful of your dance steps, and I predict you’ll have swains aplenty.One would hardly think from looking at you that you’re…” he halted in mid-sentence, then said after a dramatic pause, “from the serving class.”Moira didn’t need second sight to know what Jack had started to say; his awkward pause said it all
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]