Page 15 of Until the Rake Surrenders (Rogue Rules #5)

E van was sorry he’d left his walking stick in the cloakroom, because he found himself wanting to clutch the horse’s head at the top and wield it like a sword as he watched Min dance with that scoundrel Spilsby. He should have called him out when he’d insulted Evan’s sister—first by blaming her for the accidental ruin of his hideous waistcoat and then again when he’d started a rumor meant to ruin her. To see him with Min made Evan’s stomach churn.

The fact that Min kept looking in his direction soothed him, however. In fact, it did more than soothe him—it stirred him. The moment the dance ended, Evan moved to intercept them as they left the floor.

“Spilsby,” Evan muttered from between his clenched teeth. That was the most he could manage when he really just wanted to plant a facer on the man. He happily turned his focus to Min. “I believe the next set is mine, Lady Minerva.”

“It is indeed,” Min said with a brilliant smile that made Evan’s chest expand.

“No walking stick tonight?” Spilsby asked, glancing at Evan’s leg.

“No,” Evan replied crisply. He met Spilsby’s gaze. “And you should be grateful.” He offered his arm to Min, who appeared to be hiding a smile.

“Farewell, Spilsby,” she said as Evan escorted her away. Since the next set wouldn’t start for a few minutes, he would at least take her to the opposite side of the room away from Spilsby.

When they were out of his range of hearing, Min said, “Did you just vaguely threaten violence against the viscount?”

Evan lifted a shoulder. “I may have. It’s no less than he deserves after the way he treated Gwen.”

“I agree completely. I’m glad I won’t have to suffer his presence any longer.”

“Yes, I heard you say, ‘Farewell.’” Evan glanced at her and momentarily lost himself in the beauty of her profile. Her jawline was exquisite. “What did you mean by that?”

“He wanted to call on me tomorrow,” she replied in a tone that implied such an idea was ludicrous. “However, I made it clear that I will not be dancing with him anymore, and there will be no courtship as I have no interest whatsoever in marriage to him.”

Evan grinned. “Bravo.”

“You should have heard him on the dance floor.” Min rolled her eyes. “He tried to apologize for his behavior after Gwen tripped and spilled her drink on him at Almack’s.”

Evan felt a fresh spike of fury. He turned his head to look back at wherever Spilsby might be. “Tell me he didn’t try to blame it on my sister again.”

“I think he was only trying to slither into my good graces, but he’s no chance of managing that. I told him he didn’t need to apologize to me, but to her.”

“I should make him,” Evan seethed.

“Then I explained that even if Gwen could excuse his rotten behavior that night at Almack’s, there would be no excusing the rumor he started about Gwen and Somerton.”

“The man is an absolute bounder. Should I call him out now?” Evan escorted her toward the center of the ballroom as the next set was about to begin.

“For what? Being an annoyance?” Min brought her free hand up to touch his forearm. “You must do what you think is best, but I wouldn’t want you to get hurt.”

Evan laughed. “Not to sound arrogant, but are you aware of how well I shoot? And fence?”

She slid him a tantalizing look as they moved to take their places for the dance. “I have heard you are an excellent shot and quite graceful with a sword. Perhaps you’ll demonstrate your prowess for me sometime when your ankle is fully healed.”

She was flirting with him, by God, and Evan was bloody thrilled. “I shall do so at the earliest opportunity,” he said, even while knowing his time with her was short, at least for now. He had to get to London and take care of this situation with Sir Abraham. When he returned to Bath, he could completely focus on Min and consider wooing her to be his wife.

“Perhaps you could teach me to shoot as well.” Min took her hand from his arm, which was supremely disappointing but also necessary for them to position themselves across from one another for the dance. “I imagine that might be diverting,” she added.

Her eyes met his, and he couldn’t tell if she was just saying so to flirt with him or if she actually wanted him to teach her. He decided it didn’t matter. He would do anything he could to spend time with her, whatever the reason.

It was their turn to dance between the lines, but halfway down, he turned his ankle. Pain shot up his leg, and he bit his cheek to keep from cursing. Min moved closer and clutched him, supporting him as he put his weight on his right leg.

Lines furrowed her brow as she gazed at him with warm concern. “Oh dear, your ankle again.”

“It just won’t bloody heal completely,” he growled. He ought to consult the physician tomorrow before he left town, but he wouldn’t have time. He wanted to get to London right away to take care of matters so he could return to Bath—and Min—as quickly as possible.

“You need to sit,” she said. The other dancers paused as Min helped Evan move out of the way.

He limped alongside Min as she guided him out of the ballroom into the corridor. While he hadn’t at all meant to trigger his injury, he couldn’t say he minded the current situation in which he found himself.

“Let’s sit in the tearoom,” she said. “There won’t be many people in there, so it will be quiet, and you can prop your foot up on another chair if you need to.” She led him to a corner and pulled a chair from a table so he could sit. “Where’s your walking stick?”

“In the cloakroom, which isn’t terribly helpful.”

She smiled at him. “I’ll fetch it.”

“Later. Just sit with me for now, if you don’t mind.” Evan sat and gently moved his foot, rotating the ankle slightly to gauge how badly he’d hurt himself.

“I can see you wincing.” She angled the chair beside him to face him and sat down. “Have you been doing too much? The doctor cautioned you about rushing your recuperation.”

“Yes, and he lectured me about it a second time when he returned after the house party at Longleat concluded. I confess that when my ankle feels good in the morning, I probably do too much. I must give it more time to heal.”

She arched a brow at him. “Will you promise to use the walking stick at all times? You can’t very well teach me to fence if you aren’t fully healed.”

“That is certainly excellent motivation.” He gave her a sly smile. “However, I don’t need a fully functional ankle to teach you to shoot.”

“No more dancing either,” she said in a rather commanding tone that Evan found more than mildly arousing.

“Yes, your ladyship. I do not regret dancing with you tonight, though.” Their time on the dance floor, though abbreviated, had been glorious. He’d reveled in the heat of her gaze and the seductive set of her lips. Had she any idea how badly he wanted her?

Of course not. Because he hadn’t said. He wasn’t much of a rogue after all, apparently.

“I’m glad you did—dance with me, I mean.” Her lips curved into a brief but heart-wrenching smile. “It was the brightest spot I’ve had for a few days now.”

“I heard what happened with your father. Sheff came to see me yesterday. I’m so sorry you are facing that in addition to everything else.”

“Thank you,” Min said quietly. “Father said he will wait to file his suit until I am betrothed, but he would like me to make that happen soon. As if I can cast a spell and conjure the man I want to marry—and that he would want to marry me too.”

“Any man should want to marry you,” he said softly.

There were a few people at the other end of the long, rectangular room, but Evan and Min were alone in this corner. Evan realized he could broach the subject of marriage with her now.

“I have something to talk to you about,” he said at the same moment she said, “I’d like to speak with you about something.” They both laughed.

“You first,” Evan said, still smiling.

She clasped her hands in her lap, appearing suddenly nervous. Pink flagged her cheeks, and she didn’t quite meet his eyes. “Since I’ve yet to find anyone I would want to wed and my family is shortly to be plunged into scandal, I’ve been considering whether I want to marry at all. Pandora has helpfully pointed out that spinsterhood is an option. She may not have chosen it, but she’s not completely unhappy, and I confess she has a measure of freedom that is appealing.”

“You’re considering spinsterhood?”

“I’m considering a future in which I don’t marry. Which is what I wanted to talk to you about.”

Evan’s curiosity spiked. “How can I help?”

Flattening her palms against her lap, she took a deep breath. “If I don’t marry, the thing I know I will miss out on is the passionate side of marriage. I would not have realized that if we hadn’t kissed, so thank you.” She locked her gaze with his, and Evan wanted nothing more than to immerse himself in the emotions blazing in her eyes. “I know now that I want to fully experience passion, and I would like to do that with you.”

Evan dearly wished they were not in the middle of the bloody tearoom. For then he would show her every way he could make her feel passion.

He launched himself from the chair, heedless of his ankle and the lack of a walking stick, and clasped Min’s hand. Pulling her up, he led her into an alcove in the corner, tucked behind a pillar. It wasn’t completely private, but for now it shielded them, particularly since there was no one at this end of the room.

“Evan, you shouldn’t be standing on your ankle.”

“The hell with my ankle,” he muttered before cupping her face and kissing her.

Her lips molded to his, and the passion she said she wanted flared between them. Her tongue met his in a dazzling, erotic battle, enflaming him. He moved one hand to her back and pressed her body to his. He splayed his other hand against the bare flesh over her collarbone and the base of her throat. He cursed his gloves and every other item of clothing they wore.

“Is this what you want?” he whispered between kisses.

“Yes.” She couldn’t say more because he devoured her mouth as need coursed through him.

He tore his lips from hers long enough to say, “Good, because I want you more than I can say. More than I have ever wanted anyone.”

She tugged at the back of his head and brought his mouth to hers once more. She dug her fingers into his nape and pressed against him.

Evan slid his hand down over her breast, cupping her through the fabric of her too many garments. He closed his teeth gently over her lower lip, pulling on it before he moved his mouth down her jaw and neck.

“No.”

The single word made him freeze. “You want me to stop?”

“No,” she said hoarsely. “I mean, this isn’t what I want. Not exactly. I want more. I want everything, Evan. Show me. Please.”

He groaned against her neck and managed to stop himself before he closed his mouth over her flesh and suckled her until he left his mark. He wanted the world to know that Min belonged to him.

Evan squeezed her breast, prompting her to gasp. “How I wish I could strip every garment from your body, Min.” He kissed her again, long and deep, claiming her with every stroke of his tongue and sweep of his lips.

When he pulled back, he was breathless, as was she. “Marry me,” he rasped.

She opened her eyes and stared at him, a shaft of light from the tearoom illuminating her features. “What? No, I’m not asking you for that.”

A sound nearby drove them apart. Evan pivoted and looked out of the alcove. A footman was doing something at a table.

When Evan turned back to Min, she was smoothing her skirt. “We should return to the table. Actually, you should go home to rest your ankle.”

Evan had all but forgotten the pain, but now it sliced back, and he adjusted his weight to his right side. He pressed back against the wall and let Min pass by him to step out of the alcove.

She did not sit back down at the table.

Evan limped to his chair and sat.

“Let me fetch your walking stick now,” she said.

“Wait a moment,” he said quietly. “I meant what I asked you.”

She arched a brow at him. “I don’t recall you asking me a question.”

He hadn’t. Overcome with desire, he’d issued a command. “No, I did not. But I will, and not in a dark alcove at the Upper Rooms.” He looked into her eyes. “I will ask you. What will you say?”

“Until you do, I can’t give you an answer.” Her cheeks were still slightly flushed from their encounter.

Evan longed to see her entire body in a state of arousal—and he would.

“I have to go to London tomorrow.” He hated the surprise followed by disappointment in her gaze. “I won’t be gone long, but it’s imperative.” He ought to explain why, but he didn’t want to soil this moment by discussing his mistakes. He would tell her everything when he returned.

“How long will you be?”

“Two days to travel there, a day to conduct this necessary business, and two days back.” Weather permitting. It bloody well better not rain.

“So, I’ll see you Tuesday, probably?”

Too damn long. And perhaps longer depending on how things went with Sir Abraham. Evan was particularly frustrated that he couldn’t ride, which would make the trip much faster. “Yes. Tuesday. If I can return sooner, be assured that I will. Then we will talk.”

“But I would rather do other things.” Her gaze swept over him, and his cock, which had finally started to relax, hardened once more.

“Min, do not look at me like that unless you are prepared for me to throw you over my shoulder and take you home, where I will thoroughly ravish you. Hell, we may not make it that far, for I will not be able to keep my hands off you in the coach.”

“If you don’t stop talking, I won’t be able to walk to fetch your stick,” she said, again sounding breathless.

“My apologies. I didn’t mean to detain you.” He couldn’t help himself.

“It isn’t that. What you say… It turns my knees to jelly. I might need your walking stick to support myself—since you can’t throw me over your shoulder,” she added with a wicked smile that made Evan groan softly.

“Away, woman. You torment me.”

She gave him a saucy smile. “Good.”

As he watched her saunter through the tearoom, Evan grinned to himself. He would move heaven and earth to return to her as quickly as possible.

E van left the ball shortly after their encounter in the alcove, and the rest of the evening passed at an interminably slow rate for Min. Between the lingering intoxication of Evan’s kisses and the shock of him bringing up marriage, Min could barely concentrate on dancing. She’d considered asking her mother to leave early, but she hadn’t seen the duchess since supper. And though they’d sat at the same table, Min’s mother had been engrossed in conversation with a pair of other ladies, including the horrible busybody, Mrs. Lawler.

Min had been glad to not to have to speak with her mother, for she was too overcome with thoughts of Evan. She kept thinking of his hands on her and the delirious way his tongue invaded her mouth. Her body hadn’t yet recovered. She quivered in dark, secret places and yearned for the moment when she could be alone with him again. There was no question that she wanted him.

But then his talk of marriage had jolted her. He hadn’t even asked her. Instead, he’d commanded that she marry him. Something about the way he’d said it had sent shivers through her. It was as if he’d been unable to control himself, and that his lack of control was because of her. There was something darkly erotic about that.

She had to think he’d been just as caught up as she was and that was why he’d mentioned marriage. They’d been flirting and then taken it to a dizzyingly dangerous degree with talk of more in the future. She’d asked him to give her the passion she desired. Of course he would assume they should marry.

Perhaps he’d forgotten her requirements—that she needed love and would not marry for less. Passion alone, which they had in surplus, apparently, was not enough. She would remind him of those facts when he returned. If he refused to give her what she wanted without marriage, she would be disappointed, but she would respect that. She would not, however, surrender what she wanted in a marriage.

She hated that he was leaving. First Ellis, then Sheff and Jo, and now Evan. She realized she’d included him in a group of people who were dearly important to her. People she loved. Her pulse sped. Could she possibly love Evan? The question lingered in her mind the rest of the evening.

Finally, the ball concluded, and Min could go home. Her feet ached a bit as she climbed into the coach with her mother.

The duchess fixed her gaze on Min as the coach began moving. “I wish you hadn’t danced with Mr. Price. Even more, I wish you hadn’t disappeared into the tearoom with him after he apparently hurt himself.” Her frown was clearly visible in the dim light of the coach.

Min looked out the window into the darkness. “What’s done is done, Mother. Those things did happen, and I went on to dance every set afterward. Clearly, there was no harm done.”

“Well, you mustn’t have anything more to do with him, because there will be harm done now that news of his exploits have reached Bath.”

“Exploits?” Min shot her gaze back to her mother.

The duchess gave Min a superior look. “I told you I’d heard he might be involved in a scandal, and it turns out he has been carrying on an affair with a married woman called Mrs. Dalton in London.”

That didn’t make sense. “How is he carrying on an affair with someone from London when he’s in Bath?” Min tried very hard not to roll her eyes. Her mother was likely just trying to stir up trouble.

“Mrs. Dalton was here in Bath only last week,” the duchess replied. “Their affair started last summer, and the rumor is that her husband, Sir Abraham, is going to seek a divorce. You can see why you mustn’t have anything to do with him.”

Conflicting emotions shot through Min. On the one hand, she wanted to laugh at the irony of her mother lecturing her about the risk of association with divorce ruining her. But of course, the duchess had no idea what her husband was planning, and Min wasn’t going to tell her.

Secondly, Min didn’t want to believe that Evan had lied to her by omission. Why wouldn’t he have told her about Mrs. Dalton? She wanted to think this was simply an untrue rumor. But while Mrs. Lawler was a horrible gossip and a terrible person, everything she repeated was verifiable. She hadn’t ever fabricated the rumors she spread, as far as Min knew.

Furthermore, Evan was returning to London tomorrow to take care of something. Was he going to address this issue in the hope of curtailing the scandal? She needed to find out.

Dread settled along Min’s neck and in her chest. She didn’t want to believe that Evan had behaved badly, or that he’d failed to tell her. Yet, he was a rogue, and as the rules stated, one could never expect a rogue to change.

“I think you must reconsider Spilsby,” her mother said. She wrinkled her nose. “Or you may have to end up settling for that fortune hunter Claxton. At least he has a title.”

“Mother, I’ve told you that I will choose my husband. I do not require your input.”

The duchess’s brows pitched into a V. “It seems you do, because you have gravitated toward someone who is wholly inappropriate, even after I told you not to bother with him. Will you listen to me now?”

The coach stopped in front of her mother’s house in the Circus.

“Enough, Mother.” Min didn’t bother disguising her agitation. “I don’t wish to discuss this with you anymore. In fact, I’m going to Father’s house. I will sleep there tonight.”

The coachman opened the door, and her mother hesitated. She fixed her haughty stare on Min. “Why is it you are doing everything possible to ensure you will never wed?”

Min met her gaze coolly. “As I’ve explained to you before, you’ve ensured that marriage is almost completely unappealing to me. That you keep trying to shove me into it is perplexing and disappointing. Do you really want me to live a life like yours?”

“I don’t regret my life,” her mother said. “I’m quite happy as a duchess with a respected place in Society.”

“That is not enough for me,” Min said, notching up her chin. “I want a happy home with a husband I love and children I adore and who hopefully love me in return.”

The duchess sucked in a breath. “I don’t know why you’ve decided to be so cruel to me of late, Minerva.”

Min gaped at her. “You accuse me of being cruel. After everything you’ve done to Ellis, you expect that things would not have changed? You must realize that I would see you in a different light now that I know the truth.”

“Enough of that.” The duchess glanced toward the coachman, whose face was impassive. She waved her hand at Min. “Go on to your father’s, then, but don’t expect me to send your maid.”

The duchess climbed out of the coach with the coachman’s assistance.

“That’s fine,” Min muttered. “It’s not as if my father’s house doesn’t have someone who can help me out of my gown if I need it, and I can brush my own bloody hair.”

After Min’s mother had gone into the house, the coachman looked into the interior at Min. “You’re going to His Grace’s house in Catharine Place, then?”

“Yes, please. And when we get there, I will need you to wait for a few minutes. I have an errand for you to run.” She sent him a direct stare. “And you must keep it between us.”

The coachman gave her an understanding look. “Rest assured, my lady, no one in the household goes out of their way to share anything with Her Grace.”

Min smiled. “Well, that is interesting to know. Thank you.”

He closed the door, and they were shortly on their way to Catharine Place. When they arrived, Min told the coachman she would return presently with a note for him to deliver to Mr. Evan Price, just two doors down. She gestured toward Evan’s mother’s house.

“Very good, my lady,” the coachman replied with a nod.

Min dashed into her father’s house. It was late, and the butler was no longer at his post, so a footman welcomed her inside. She informed him that she would be spending the night. He left to tell a maid to prepare a bedchamber on the second floor.

Meanwhile, Min went into the study to find parchment. The space smelled like her father’s cologne and reminded her of times she would visit him in his study at Henlow House. She’d climb onto his lap, where he would tell her a story, usually about mermaids that frolicked near the shore in Weston not far from the Grove. Min had looked for those mermaids every summer when they were at the Grove until she’d grown old enough to realize they weren’t real.

Shaking the memory away, she wrote a quick note to Evan, asking him to meet her on the green in the center of the narrow square. It wasn’t terribly private, but it was dark, so Min didn’t think it mattered. She simply couldn’t wait to learn the truth.

She assumed he was leaving first thing in the morning, so she wouldn’t have time to speak with him then. It had to be tonight. She went back outside and handed the note to the coachman, then watched as he delivered it to Evan’s mother’s house.

When the coachman returned to the coach, he saw that Min was still standing there. “You must go inside, my lady.”

“I will in a moment. It’s a nice night, and we won’t have many more of them before winter.” She gave him a smile and hoped he would not ask to stay with her while she remained outside.

Thankfully, he wished her a good evening and departed. Min hastened to the green and positioned herself beneath a tree. A few minutes later, Evan appeared outside his mother’s house and looked about. Min knew the exact moment he saw her, for he launched forward, limping slightly as he came toward her. Why didn’t he have his walking stick?

As he drew close, she could see his brow was furrowed. “Min, what on earth are you doing outside at this hour?”

“I needed to speak with you.” She glanced down at his ankle. “Where is your walking stick?”

“In the house. I only took enough time to throw on a coat. I thought it imperative that I join you with alacrity,” he added drily. “What’s wrong?”

Min clasped her hands in front of her. “Why are you going to London tomorrow? Please don’t lie.”

She could see immediately that he’d been hiding something. Guilt shadowed his eyes, and his jaw tightened. “I have been involved in a scandal there. I didn’t want to tell you about it until I’d resolved the matter.”

“Of course not,” she said, feeling utterly dejected. “You’re a rogue, and rogues never change.”