Games of Desire for Lady Hellion: A Steamy Historical Regency Romance Novel Read online

  “Oh,” Thomas said, clearly uninterested.

  “Have you met him before?” Isaac asked, trying again.

  “Perhaps,” Thomas said with a shrug, his word toneless and dead.

  “He was quite interesting. We discussed the ways of the fairer sex. They are so different from us menfolk.”

  Thomas said nothing, merely stared down at his place setting, his lip jutting out with sullen disinterest. They lapsed into an awkward silence, Thomas fiddling with the edge of the tablecloth while Isaac stared at him—both amazed at and not at all surprised by his brother’s childish behavior.

  The door swung open then, and the maid brought in their dinner. It was a simple meal of chicken pie with potatoes, topped with a little gravy, but it was one of Isaac’s favorites and his mouth watered at the smell of it, at the sight of the steam rising.

  He nodded his thanks to the maid as his plate was set down in front of him, then he looked up at Thomas, determined to entice him into conversation one way or another.

  “It’s the ball tomorrow, Lady Celine’s coming out,” he said. He knew this would be a topic his brother would approve of. It seemed, more and more, that it was the only thing he ever thought about.

  Thomas’ face came alive, just as Isaac had suspected, a sudden and bright interest in his expression.

  “Yes,” he said. “I have been counting the days. It seems to have come along terribly quickly, even though we have been waiting for years. Isn’t that peculiar?”

  “Yes, it is rather,” Isaac said, creasing his brow.

  He didn’t approve of his brother’s eagerness in this matter, but he understood it at least. This was a moment they had discussed and planned for many years, the beginnings of their scheme being set into motion, and it seemed Thomas had little else in his life.

  While Isaac was busy running his Dukedom, Thomas did nothing but lounge around, drinking or reading. Isaac suspected finding some sort of employment would be beneficial for his brother, but he always knew how unlikely that was to happen.

  “Do you think you’ll be able to woo her?” Thomas asked. He leaned forward, knife in one hand, fork in the other, his beady eyes sparkling with the expectation, with the hope.

  “Lady Celine?” Isaac said. “Of course I can woo her. I have a plan to help her to fall for my charms.”

  He bit into a mouthful of pie, the pastry buttery and crumbly, the gravy rich and thick.

  “I’m sure you won’t have any issue,” Thomas said, looking down at his plate and picking at his potatoes. “The ladies seem to find you charming enough. I’ve even heard one or two call you handsome.”

  Isaac laughed at that, and at Thomas’ resentment of it. Thomas never had learned how to socialize or communicate, let alone to attract young ladies.

  “I certainly hope not. If I cannot woo her, I fear for my manhood.” He laughed, wanting only to lighten the mood, but Thomas looked back at him with a darkened expression.

  “This is no game, Isaac. You cannot get this wrong.”

  “I know,” Isaac replied, suddenly serious. “We have discussed it enough times. I know exactly what I need to do, with whom, and when. I just hope it will work.”

  “It will work,” Thomas said, relaxing a little. “It has to. We’ve certainly spent long enough organizing it, as you say.”

  “That much is true,” Isaac said, but he still could not rid himself of the ball of anxiety in his chest.

  Something didn’t feel quite right, although it never did when they discussed the plan. He agreed wholeheartedly with Thomas, but sometimes still it felt as though he was being led by his brother down a path he may not have found himself on otherwise. He ate slowly, contemplatively, but his brow was furrowed and his eyes stared at nothing.

  “You’re not having doubts now, are you?” Thomas asked, his cutlery-filled fists resting on the edge of the table. He stared at Isaac and Isaac felt as though Thomas could see into his very soul. Thomas had the power to make Isaac shiver under his gaze.

  “Doubts? No, of course not. Why would I be having doubts?”

  “Good,” Thomas replied, his voice authoritative, like a parent warning his child. “Because we need to do this. For Father. Don’t forget our purpose.”

  The following day, Isaac straightened his cravat in front of the looking glass. He wore black pumps beneath his cream-colored trousers, ready for the dancing he intended all evening. His white shirt and green waistcoat were covered by a dark tailcoat with shiny gold buttons and velvet lapels, and he would wear a top hat with a matching green ribbon tied around it. He gazed at his reflection, tilting his head this way and that in appraisal.

  I am, at least, not ugly.

  He sat on the edge of his bed and picked up his top hat. He rapidly brushed at it, removing what little dust had settled on it as he let his mind wander. Nerves ran through him, although he loathed to admit it. He had not attended a ball with a set intention before, it had always only been to socialize. Now, he would focus on their only goal—to get the Lady Celine to fall in love with him.

  He felt his gut twist. He didn’t know if they were doing the right thing or not, but he knew they had to do something. Thomas was correct about it—their father deserved some kind of justice—but it didn’t make it any easier to do. Isaac was not, by nature, a harsh or vindictive man.

  His chambers were small and cozy, just enough space for his bed, a small chair and desk, his looking mirror of course. He could never face the thought of moving into the master bedroom of the house—his parents’ bedroom—and so, Thomas took the larger rooms while Isaac felt more comfortable in a smaller, simpler space.

  He looked up when there came a knock on the door.

  “Come in,” he called.

  “Don’t you look dapper, Brother,” Thomas said as he entered, and he looked Isaac up and down appraisingly, much as Isaac himself had in the looking glass. “You’re sure to win Lady Celine over looking like that. No lady would be foolish enough to turn you away.”

  Isaac looked up at his brother, a half-smile snaking up the left side of his face. It made him look mischievous, like a schoolboy up to no good, but it was an endearing habit that made Thomas chuckle. It was the smile he gave when he was uncertain, when he didn’t know if he even wanted to smile.

  “Are you nervous?” Thomas asked. He leaned against the edge of the desk, his hands curling around the table top and his shoulders held up near his ears. “Because you don’t need to be.”

  He was unshaven, his chin covered in a rough stubble that matched his grimace and the sloppy nature of his dress. His hair, too, was wanton, unkempt and uncombed. Isaac wondered idly if he had only just got out of bed at such a late hour of the day.

  “Of course I’m not nervous,” Isaac said, looking down and still fiddling with his hat, but that wasn’t entirely true. In his heart, he felt a flutter of anxiety and he wondered how he would get through the evening.

  “Good luck, then, Brother. This is where it starts. We have waited quite long enough, and now the lady is finally coming out, we shall have our vengeance—”

  Chapter 3

  “Are you excited for tonight?” Diana asked her sister. It was the night that the young lady would be presented to society. As their mother had died, it was down to Diana to introduce Celine and it was a task she took very seriously—both for her sister’s sake, and to take her own mind from thoughts of love and marriage.

  They sat together in Diana’s chambers, preparing themselves for the evening ahead. Their gowns hung on the back of the door, picked out weeks before and laboriously stitched together by the dressmaker. The rest of the room was littered with different accessories and jewels, each that had been held up against the gowns as they chose which to wear.

  The air was filled with excited laughter and girlish chatter, as they talked of love and what they hoped for the future. They discussed the latest fashions, combed each other’s hair, and told the other of their dreams and desires.

  “I
am excited,” Celine replied, although with a tinge of concern. She ran a pearl necklace between her fingertips, worrying at each bead, and Diana turned from the looking glass to look at her.

  “You don’t sound too certain. Whatever’s the matter?”

  Celine sighed and let her hands drop to her lap. She slumped, a pout on her lips.

  “If I’m honest, Diana, I’m a bit frightened.”

  “Frightened? Oh, my poor Celine,” Diana said. “There’s no need to be frightened.”

  “But what is it like? Will there be too many there? I know we have discussed this before, but I just don’t know what to expect.”

  She dropped the necklace onto the table next to her, making a dull thud upon the wood, and she returned her attention to the looking glass, taking up sections of her silky hair and pinning them in place. They had sent their lady’s maids away for the evening, wanting to share this special moment alone. Diana felt it important to have a last private conversation with the Celine before this night, and the maids could add any finishing touches before the left, if necessary.

  “Why, it’s magical,” Diana said, watching her sister in the mirror. “Your coming-out ball will be a very special night that you will remember for the rest of your life. You won’t have another time like it until your wedding day.”

  Celine turned to look at her sister, her hair half-pinned while the rest cascaded around her shoulders.

  “Will everyone be looking at me?”

  “Of course!” Diana laughed. “It’s your coming out. The point is that everyone will be looking at you. That is why we have spent so long choosing your gown.”

  “But what if I make a fool of myself?” she asked, and Diana could hear the anxious quiver in her voice. Diana’s eyes softened and she wanted to clutch her sister tightly to her breast and stroke away all her fears.

  “Oh Celine,” Diana said. She took hold of Celine’s hand and looked at her sister sadly. “I promise you this, you will not make a fool of yourself. You are the most beautiful lady I have ever met, and your gown is truly magnificent. Everyone will simply adore you. How could they not?”

  “Are you sure?” Celine looked up at Diana through her eyelashes, a smile beginning to form on her lips.

  “I’ve never been more sure about anything in my entire life,” Diana said. “Things will be perfect, I promise.”

  Celine nodded and turned back to the looking glass. Diana watched her catch her breath and close her eyes.

  “I just wish Mother was here to witness it. I miss her so very much.”

  “And I,” Diana said. “But she is watching us from above, and I know for certain she is proud of us.”

  She squeezed Celine’s hand supportively. They said nothing for a long moment, each letting the thoughts of their mother run through them.

  They had been so close, Diana and her mother, and when she was alive her mother had brought such joy and light to their lives. When she died, Diana had known their lives would never be the same, but she hadn’t quite expected her father to sink into such despair.

  “Thank you, Diana,” Celine eventually said, her voice small, the words cracking with emotion.

  While Celine was carefree and brave with those she knew, she was at heart a shy young lady. Her insecurities sparked whenever she was put into a new situation, and her pale skin flushed easily. She was pretty, in her own way, although her beauty did not have the same richness as her sister’s. Her hair was ginger rather than red, and her blue eyes sparkled just a little less.

  She was a bright young lady, though, with a true and gentle heart. At eight-and-ten, she had grown into a lady their mother would have been proud of—generous of spirit and kindly with it. Although she was not as fearsome as Diana, nor so outspoken, Celine used her sensitivities to endear people to her.

  “And you?” Celine asked, calmer now, breathing slower. “Are you looking forward to it?”

  Diana groaned. After her discussion with their father, she was no longer so sure.

  Do I really need to search for a suitor among the same faces I see each and every week?

  “I am looking forward to seeing you come out,” she said diplomatically.

  “But not to the ball itself?” Celine sounded surprised and Diana sighed. She didn’t want to have to explain herself to her sister, especially not when Celine would be equally keen to see her married.

  “Father has asked me to look for a suitor this evening.”

  “But that’s wonderful news,” Celine squeaked, again turning from the looking glass. Diana did not meet her gaze but instead looked down at her lap.

  “Is it?”

  “Is it not?” Celine countered. Diana snorted.

  “You have not seen the caliber of gentlemen at these events,” Diana said wryly.

  “Really? There is no one? Are they really all that bad?” Celine looked wide eyed with worry, and Diana laughed.

  “No, Celine, worry not. They are not bad, they are just not…for me. I want love. True love. And adventure, too. These gentlemen…they offer wealth, certainly, and protection. But that feels more like being a caged bird for their admiration than love as I read of it in my books.”

  “Perhaps you will find that with one of the gentlemen tonight?” Celine asked hopefully. “You will never know if you do not give them a chance.”

  “Indeed,” Diana said with a sigh. She got off her stool and pulled her gown from the door. “That’s what Father says, too.”

  “He is not always wrong, you know,” Celine said with a slight chiding tone in her voice. “And since Mother died, he has known what it is to be lonely. I believe he is simply protecting you.”

  “I know, I know. We’ll see. I will be on my best behavior, that much I have promised him, just in case my one true love does appear. Will you help me on with my gown, or shall I call Mary?”

  “Here,” Celine said, jumping off her own stool. “I’ll help you, and then you can help me. Let’s leave the maids be.”

  Diana stepped into her dress and Celine fastened it up at the back. It was a pale pink, all the more beautiful for its simplicity, and at the base of her chest, she wore a wide blue belt that accentuated her shape. The focus of the outfit, though, was, without a doubt, her beautiful, fresh face.

  She wore a necklace made of diamonds and matching diamond earrings, the glint of which lit up her porcelain skin and her plump pink lips. The sparkle of her eyes matched that of the jewels, and her hair was pinned up in a modest but flattering style.

  “That color is perfect on you,” Celine said. Diana looked down at herself and shrugged.

  “It’s all right, I suppose,” she replied with a lack of conviction. She cared not for the physical form. “The gown is certainly pretty enough.”

  It was the pink that left her dissatisfied. It was not that she disliked the color, but it had a muted feel that she didn’t relate to. She wanted passion and excitement, not pastel colors and afternoon tea with the neighbors. It felt as though the color itself was pushing her into a role in which she did not see herself—married for the sake of marriage, children out of duty. Loveless and dull.

  She wore it all the same, though, for she knew it suited her well and it was the right gown for the occasion. She didn’t want to outshine her sister, and Diana knew that, one day, she would progress from dull pink to a bolder color.

  Celine though, once she was dressed, left Diana gasping for she looked truly beautiful and in a way that was absolutely perfect for her. The tiny pearls in her hair looked like droplets of water on a pale rose, and those around her neck were a subtle nod to their father’s wealth. The gown fitted her perfectly, showing her curves in all the right places without being improper. Celine spun around, demonstrating the swing of her skirt, and she laughed as she did so.

  She had recently turned eight-and-ten, and for her coming out she was to wear an ivory gown, not too unlike a wedding gown. The top was tight and fitted with a plunging neckline, while the skirts flowed free and lo
ose, the fabric folding in on itself as she walked. When she spun, the skirt spun out further.

  She adored it—the color, the way it moved, the way it shaped around her figure. It was a daring and fashionable choice, perfect for her introduction into the ton.

  “It’s nice to see you enjoying yourself at last,” Diana teased. Celine opened her eyes wide and laughed again.

  “You cannot blame me for my nerves,” Celine chided. “I have no doubt you were the same as I at your coming out.”

  “I am teasing you, Celine. You are quite right. I was terrified! I also didn’t have Mother, if you remember. I was introduced by Aunt Edith, and she is as old as London itself.”