Page 2 of The Mistress (Foxgloves #1)
GIDEON
G ideon watched the young woman still standing in the doorway continue to struggle. She had yet to say a word or move since laying eyes on him, and he, too, couldn’t find it in himself to look away. She was striking, with light brown hair that looked like burnt gold spun into silk. Her large eyes were the softest brown he’d ever seen, surrounded by high cheekbones, a delicately pert nose, and a finely strong jawline. She was at once both soft and defined. And those full, pouted lips had his mind wandering to thoughts not fit for polite company. Her face boasted a lovely flush that ran down her neck, and his blood stirred as he regarded her slim, yet still deliciously curvy figure – even wrapped in the slightly outdated, clearly worn dress as it currently was. In a word, she was breathtaking.
And the way those eyes clung to his did things to him. Like he was both her storm and her life raft.
“Gideon,” his friend, Thomas, continued, either oblivious or uncaring of what was transpiring between him and this brazen creature who had just strolled right in. “Miss Amelia Becham.”
Ah. Well, her entry made more sense then. This was the Earl of Coventry’s infamous mistress. Everyone knew about the all but reclusive earl and the family he supported. Indeed, Thomas’s disinterest in the workings of Society and lack of convention were why he and Gideon were friends to begin with. It wasn’t uncommon to have a mistress, of course, but to shun Society for her and her family’s company alone was less common. The woman, Amelia, had never been seen – Thomas was quite secretive about it, not even mentioning her to Gideon – but it was well known she had been close with the Colbrook family for many years before taking up her current position two years ago after her father’s passing. Gideon didn’t blame or judge her. In fact, he respected any person willing to do what needed to be done to survive and care for their family. Clearly, she made a smart arrangement as Thomas not only supported her, but also her supposedly sweet and innocent younger sister and their entire household.
Looking at her now, still frozen in the doorway, he began to understand why. Gideon would easily spend that and more on such a captivating woman.
“Amelia?” Thomas spoke. “Are you alright?”
Gideon watched the young woman forcibly pull her eyes from him and turn towards her benefactor. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t pleased to see her reacting so strongly to him, especially in front of Thomas. Within moments of meeting him, something in her was instinctively responding to him – just as he was identifying a similar feeling in himself. Almost like she was his.
He shook the thought away quickly.
Gideon watched her visibly gather herself and stand up straighter, and he couldn’t fight the smile that tugged at his lips when he considered the futility of it. Her light chocolate eyes turned back to him with determination as she finally strode forward, a cluster of flowers swinging from one hand.
“Your Grace,” she said once she stood before him, dipping into a flawless curtsy. Her voice wasn’t high as he’d been expecting, but low and just the right edge of husky. Gideon felt his cock twitch in answer.
He took her free hand and bent to place a kiss to the back of it, his skin tingling where it met hers. She shivered at his touch.
“Miss Becham,” Gideon’s voice came out rough. “What lovely flowers.”
She took her hand back and looked down at the other as if only now remembering she held a bouquet of foxgloves there. She stepped to Thomas’s side with a quiet “thank you,” the blush on her face brightening all the way down to her neckline.
Gideon wanted to trace that blush with his fingers.
What was wrong with him? This was his friend’s longstanding mistress. She wasn’t open to being pursued.
And yet, he couldn’t stop his mind, body, and something deeper from responding to her. There was something about this woman – available or not, Thomas’s mistress or not – that was calling to him in a way no other had.
“I’m sorry to intrude, Thomas.” Bold. Not only walking into his home as if it were her own, but calling her titled benefactor by his Christian name in front of another peer of the realm.
His amusement grew.
“I didn’t realize you were previously engaged,” she continued. Her voice was confident, but Gideon noticed how she pointedly avoided looking at him. He could feel her awareness of him, though, fight it as she might.
“Nonsense,” Thomas said cheerfully. “Gideon stopped by to see the mare I recently acquired, and I invited him to join us for dinner.”
Gideon hadn’t known Thomas’s mistress would be joining, but he was glad she was and that he’d decided to stay.
She glanced at him, the nervousness beneath her confidence easier to spot in her eyes. “I’m sure I couldn’t disturb you both further,” she replied. “I shall leave you to dine without me.”
“Why?” Thomas’s face pulled in confusion. “You’re not disturbing us. If anything, Gideon is the disruption,” he smiled good-naturedly at his friend. Gideon rolled his eyes at him. “You’ll stay,” he said back to his mistress. Amelia .
She pursed her lips, glancing again in Gideon’s direction, clearly not pleased with the command. Thomas hadn’t yet noticed her reaction to his other guest, and Gideon was sure the young woman wanted to keep it that way. Likely the reason for her attempt at a quick exit.
Time for Gideon to join in. He didn’t want her to leave.
“I’d be honored if you would stay, Miss Becham,” Gideon said seductively, “and allow me to intrude on your previously laid plan.”
She met his eyes and swallowed. Her eyes were less helpless now, settling into her response to him, and she looked at him with understanding and some scrutiny, testing the edges of the challenge he presented her. She could tell it was a test, and she was cautiously interested.
My God, he absolutely understood why Thomas barely participated in Society, opting to spend his days with her, taking on the burden of her family for years. Not only was she beautiful beyond measure, she was at once the perfect balance of alluring, yet vulnerable; seductive, yet submissive; experienced, yet innocent. Who in the world was she, and what did he need to do to obtain her?
The back of his mind still protested, not wanting to cause insult to his only real friend in the ton , but that voice was getting quieter the longer he watched this woman.
“Very well, Your Grace,” she said, her eyes still on him, and he gave her an approving grin.
She didn’t offer one back.
“Now that’s settled,” Thomas said, rubbing his hands together before extending an arm to his mistress. “Shall we?” Taking it, Amelia turned away from Gideon and proceeded to the dining room. Gideon felt his eyes narrow and mouth thin at the contact. He didn’t like their easy familiarity, and he didn’t like Thomas touching this woman.
He fell into step behind them, following their lead to the large dining room, which was lit by the warm glow of several candles. She paused in the doorway to hand the flowers in her hand to Thomas’s butler, who stood just inside the room.
“They’re from the cottage, Hughes,” she told him, obviously preoccupied.
“Very good, Miss Becham,” he took the offered bouquet, unfazed. As if this was a normal occurrence during the mistress’s visits. She must be quite comfortable here, indeed.
Gideon stepped forward and pulled out a chair for her, taking her by surprise.
She took her seat at the elegantly set table with another murmured word of thanks. He saw her blush, which had since calmed, return fiercely at his proximity. Gideon inhaled her warm, soft vanilla scent, and his blood heated in response even as it soothed him.
Thomas took his place at the head of the table, while Gideon strode around it to sit across from her on Thomas’s other side. He had yet to spare his friend more than a few glances since the beauty walked in. His eyes stayed trained on her, and while she struggled to keep hers away, he knew she could feel it. Feel him.
Whatever this was between them, it was clearly potent and well beyond attraction. He planned to explore the full depth and pull of it as much as he could while in her presence.