Page 14 of Only Earl in the World (Taming of the Dukes)
“Clearly, a happy accident,” Briar said.
“Perhaps love will find us the way it did you and Marsden. All I must do is find a lake to drown Lushing in. With a custom pair of cement boots.” Laila’s eyes went wide, and Briar snorted, feeling lighter for the first time since seeing Preston’s awful announcement.
“I’m only jesting. Partly. If he vexes me too much and I suddenly purchase a boat, you may intervene. ”
“You are terrible,” Laila said, hand over her mouth to stifle her giggles.
“See? I’m barely tolerable myself. The earl and I are meant to be.” Briar embraced the marchioness, holding her tightly. “I promise all will be well, Laila. You have nothing to worry about, but I love you for looking out for me.”
“I always will,” she said and squeezed even harder before pulling away with a teary smile. “But for a second, can we talk about this gown ? You are a siren. Whoever made this fascinating concoction must be a dressmaking genius.”
Briar winked. “Well, yes, considering said genius is only the most iconic designer and modiste of all time. You made this years ago, if you recall, for one of Vesper’s themed masquerades, and I never ended up wearing it because I fell ill,” she said, glancing down at her plentiful décolletage spilling over the top. “Though it’s now a bit tight.”
Laila shot her a wicked grin. “It’s perfect.
The girls would perish if they saw you right now, though I’m sure there will be a detailed likeness in the newspaper tomorrow.
” She stroked the hand-stitched roses with fondness.
“I remember now. These took me forever; silk can be so uncooperative, but the effect was worth every pricked finger. If you planned to make a grand statement about what you thought of the announcement, it was loud and clear. The viscount couldn’t take his eyes off you. ”
“I saw,” Briar said. “But this wasn’t for him. It was for me. I wanted to feel powerful and untouchable, and this gown accomplished that, so thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Now if you’ve sufficiently recovered enough to breathe, let’s get back before the marquess sends out a search party. I swear the man cannot bear to be away from me for more than a handful of minutes.”
Briar felt a pulse of envy, but she waggled her eyebrows playfully as they rose and smoothed their dresses. “Tell me your secrets, oh great one. Lady Ivy needs all the motivation she can get.”
Laila’s face went the color of Briar’s dress. “Suffice it to say that Lady Ivy is the reason he’s so happy of late.”
They were both so wrapped up in their chortles that they didn’t hear the knock or the door opening until a throat cleared.
Briar’s eyes clashed with a pair of sparkling blues that stole her breath, and she couldn’t quite contain the indecent rush of pleasure that it was him and not Marsden.
Laila widened her eyes comically and then skirted around the earl to make her escape.
“I became concerned when you did not return,” he said, entering and closing the door behind him.
“This is a retiring room for ladies , my lord,” she said, his huge form dominating the space, that cedar-and-spice scent besetting her nostrils as he closed the distance between them.
God, would it be rude to inhale deeply for a handful of minutes?
It was simply not fair for a man to smell so good .
“I am aware.” His fingers lifted to brush a loose spiral of hair from her cheek. “Is all well?”
“It is now,” she said. “But perhaps we shouldn’t court scandal so blatantly just yet by being caught in here together alone. A swift march to the altar defeats the purpose, does it not?”
“Would that be so bad?” he murmured.
She gaped. Was he jesting? Pretending they were engaged was all well and good, but tying herself to him for better or for worse—likely for worse —would be an irrevocable mistake.
Briar ignored the burst of heat in her core when wicked visions of a wedding night filled with writhing bodies and entangled limbs followed.
Her eyelids fluttered as she ducked her head to hide her indecent thoughts. “I suspect neither of us would survive the conflagration. We would burn each other to ash.”
“Ah, but what a glorious way to go.” He smirked as if her private musings were entirely transparent and opened the door. “But you’re right, it would defeat the purpose.”
Confused by the faint sound of regret in his tone, she frowned up at him as he led her back to their box. “Don’t you want Lady Penelope back?”
“Not particularly,” he said, and her eyes flew wide. “She humiliated me.”
“So, you don’t want her?” she asked carefully.
“I want her to crawl and then I’ll decide.”
Taken aback, Briar stared at him, a shiver running through her at the utter dearth of emotion in his tone.
Lushing might be fun and games on the surface, but he had a thread of darkness in him that ran deep.
It was a streak of ruthlessness that he didn’t display often, but one she’d seen from time to time at Lethe when members violated his rules or put their hands on his employees, and that kind of protective dominance had always made her stupidly weak.
The sudden image of her on her knees at a gravelly command nearly had her falling flat on her face.
“Bloody hell, sorry. There was a bump in the carpet.”
“Careful, love,” Lushing said, with a serene smile and a gentle clasp on her arm that belied his earlier vicious words. “So, who’s Lady Ivy?”