I have no objection to that, Julia replied a little breathlessly.
I have a friend whose house is always open to visitors. Actually, it is the house of awoman of his acquaintance.
His mistress, Julia replied knowledgeably. There were few ladies who did not know that gentlemen frequently made such arrangements.
Stonehavens mouth quirked up in a smile. You are dangerously blunt. Yes. It is the house of his mistress, but he is nearly always there, and many of his friends, as well as her friends, of course.
I see. It was not exactly a bawdy house where women of the night plied their trade, Julia thought, but it must be just a step above thatthe house where a man kept his light-o-love, and he and his friends went to drink and talk and flirt with other women who were equally free with their favors. Julia supposed she ought to be appalled at the thought of going to such a place, but instead she found herself filled with curiosity. She had never actually met a kept woman, let alone been in ones house.
Yes, she continued, flashing him what she hoped was a beckoning look. That sounds much better than staying here.
I am glad you agree. He was already steering her toward the front door.
The footman fetched her cloak, and Lord Stonehaven draped it around her shoulders, his fingers brushing lightly across her skin. Julia swallowed, trying to ignore the shivery sensation his touch created in her.
They walked out into the quiet night air, and Stonehaven turned to the left. Shall we walk? It isnt far.
Yes, of course.
They strolled along, her hand hooked in the bend of his arm. Julia struggled to think of something to say. She had spent all day, it seemed, thinking of things to say and questions to ask to lead him where she wanted to go, but now, none of those carefully planned remarks seemed to fit.
I had hoped to find you here one of the past few nights, Stonehaven commented, interrupting her jumbled thoughts.
I am not quite that eager a gambler.
Neither am I. I came each night in the hopes of finding you.
Flatterer. Julia flashed him an arch glance.
No. Tis true. I am quite shameless.
A shocking flirt is more like it.
You wound me. He put on an air of mock hurt.
As if you did not know
Tis no flirtation to say I have been searching for you every night since we met. Ask any of my friends. They will tell you that I have shirked my social obligations dreadfully. I cried off from going to the opera two nights ago, and yesterday I stayed only fifteen minutes at Lady Abershams soiree.
All because of me? She arched a brow. I suppose it had nothing to do with boredom.
He chuckled. Perhaps that did motivate my departure somewhat.
Deceiver. I am, in short, a handy excuse.
Never that, I assure you. Rather, I think, your absence is the cause of my boredom.
Julia laughed. You are a clever man with words, Lord StoI mean, Deverel.
No cleverer than you, he returned.
Oh, dear. Julia made a face. No fate worse than being termed a clever woman.
Indeed?
Yes. I find there is little that cools a mans ardor faster than discovering that a woman has a mind.
Perhaps some men. He looked down into her face with a light in his eyes that sent tendrils of heat curling through Julia. He stopped, pulling her to a halt, with him. Lifting his hand, he stroked his knuckles lightly down her cheek. Personally, I find that wit makes a beautiful face twice as alluring.
Indeed, Julia answered breathlessly. She discovered that her vaunted wits had deserted her. She could only stare up into his dark eyes, every nerve in her body alive.
Softly, with his forefinger, he traced the curve of her bottom lip. I would like to kiss you right here on the street, but I am afraid that, if I do, I will not be able to stop.
The sound of his husky voice, the touch of his finger, faintly rough against her tender flesh, were enough to make Julia weak in the knees. She tried to pull her thoughts back together, but for a moment the best she could manage, it seemed, was to keep breathing.
I wouldnt mind, she said honestly, then stopped, appalled, as she realized what had slipped out of her mouth. She shook her head, stepping back.
To her surprise, Stonehaven chuckled. Good gad, my girl, a little more of that sort of response and we shall find ourselves in a hell of a predicament.
Julia was sure that she was blushing up to her hairline, and she was grateful for the dark. IIm sorry. I didnt mean that.
I sincerely hope that you did, he replied, his eyes gleaming. Unfortunately, however, I cannot act upon it now. Shall we continue on our way?
He held out his arm, and Julia took it self-consciously. She could not believe that she had said something so bold. It had apparently pleased him, which was good for her campaign, of course, but she found it most upsetting, because it was not anything she had planned. Why had she said that? Surely she could not really have meant it! There was something about this man that brought out the most outrageous things in her.
They continued to a brick cottage, small but attractive, where Stonehavens knock was immediately answered by a maid. She greeted Stonehaven with a curtsy and a friendly smile. The masters in the music room, she told them, somewhat unnecessarily, as the laughter and the sound of a piano flowing from that room betrayed the location of the occupants of the house.
Stonehaven handed the maid their outer things and led Julia toward the sound of merriment. Julia stepped into the room, staring with some astonishment and awe at the scene in front of her. A man clad in a hussars uniform was sitting before the piano, his fingers nimbly running over the keys. A woman stood beside the piano, holding, to Julias amazement, a long, thin cigar in one hand. As Julia stared, she took a puff from it and let the smoke trail lazily out her mouth. There were several other men and women in the room, some standing, some sitting, and on one side of the room, in a small area cleared of furniture, there was even a couple doing some sort of jig. The room buzzed with noise; people were talking in at least two or three different conversations, and one man was trying to sing along with the music. Cigar smoke made the room hazy, and glasses with varying amounts of brown liquid were scattered across every available table.
But what attracted Julias attention the most, after her first hasty glance, was the fact that in a chair close to the window sat a man with a woman perched on his lap. The womans dress was sheer enough that one could see through it, and when she turned toward the new arrivals, Julia could plainly see the dark brown circles of her nipples. After a brief, disinterested glance, the woman turned back to her companion, and they resumed the long kiss in which they had been engaged when Julia and Stonehaven entered. Julia was sure that her own cheeks were flame red. She glanced hastily away, only to see that in another part of the room another woman sat on another mans lap. These two were not kissing, as they were both engaged in a boisterous conversation with a man standing beside their chair. However, the man on whose lap the woman sat had one arm looped around her waist, and as Julia watched, he casually slid his hand up the womans body and inside the bodice of her low-cut dress, cupping her breast.