A Most Unusual Mistress (Rogue Scandals) Read online

  “It does now. One moment whilst I repair.” She opened her reticule and knelt at Adriana’s side, swiftly undoing the mischief she had just affected.

  Arabella gave her a compassionate look and hugged her. “Ivo told your mama we were with you, repairing your gown. So we will do so. Although never to my knowledge has it taken a half-hour to restore such a simple thing.”

  Half an hour? She had been standing—to all intents and purposes—naked in front of Ash for that length of time? No wonder her brain was addled. Her companions giggled at her astonishment.

  “Some men have that effect on one,” Serena remarked in a kindly voice. “Don’t worry about it. Enjoy it. It is rare. We three are lucky to be wanted and adored by our men.”

  “Serry,” Adriana spoke impulsively. “How do you all cope? Knowing you cannot show your love openly. Is it not hard?”

  Serena sighed. “Very. For we can neither admit to Bella and I as a couple or all three of us as one. But...” She shrugged. “’Tis worth it.”

  Arabella stood and kissed them both. “Very worth it, and yes,” she said to Adriana, “at times, I could cry at the injustice done to us. But crying only blotches my complexion and makes me down. So I just give thanks for all the times we are together. At least in our old-maid state and given we are renowned for our eccentricities, Serry and I can share our house without too many frowns from the Ton.”

  Adriana nodded, her thoughts somber. And I was worried because I wanted to be more than a milksop wife.

  “Enough maudlin thoughts,” Serena spoke briskly, although not before Adriana saw her wipe her eyes. “Now, are we done?”

  “Well, as nothing was needed in the first place,” Arabella retorted, amusement in her voice. “I would say we are. Remember, Riana, I trod on your flounce, so we retired to effect repairs.”

  Adriana nodded, her head spinning. If she had been aroused before, now she was bemused as she let herself be ushered toward yet another door. How many entrances did this small room have?

  She must have voiced her question, because Serena answered her.

  “Four. One to the room—cupboard—you entered from, which is intriguing in its own right, is it not? One to the corridor where we are going, one to another corridor hard by the study where Ivo and Ash went, meaning they will meet us for supper, if we are not too late, and one to the servants’ corridor. It is very convenient.”

  So it seemed.

  “I had forgotten you two would know all the suitable nooks and crannies in these houses if ever you may need one.”

  “As it seems you may now also discover.”

  The idea both excited and intrigued her. Sadly, she thought perchance not, for she was mistress of her own household. Then a thought struck her. “Do you still have a use for them?”

  Both her companions smirked as they nodded, before tucking her between them and wandering slowly along the corridor, toward the music and chatter that could be heard getting louder with each step.

  Oh, well, perhaps she would be searching for and using such accommodations after all.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  The music and her mama assailed her simultaneously. Neither was welcome. The music because Ash was nowhere near to rescue her and dance with her; her mama because she was an irritant. Someone who had all but ignored her for several years unless she required something. The woman had come to her most recently for pin money, as her allowance, she declared, was pitiful. Adriana knew this to be untrue, but her mama had never learned the art of apportioning. After Adriana had denied her yet another substantial sum to tide me over, my love, knowing it would neither be returned nor used wisely, their interactions had been minimal. Indeed, for the last several months, nonexistent. All thankfully accepted and enjoyed by Riana. She and her mama were chalk and cheese; best kept apart, something Riana strived to keep in place. Until this night.

  “Adriana! How ungainly, I despair of you. How clumsy can you get?”

  “Oh, a lot worse, mama, I assure you,” Adriana retorted, shushing Arabella—who was, she thought, about to jump to her defense—under her breath and giving her a warning glare. She was well able to contend with her mama, however brutish she chose to be.

  “As you are deigning to speak to me, mama, I assume you want something?”

  Her mother simpered. A truly awful sight. “Now, my love, how can you think such a thing? Your...er...friend will begin to think the worse of me.” She essayed a smile.

  “Oh, I do already, my lady,” Arabella opined as she gave a slight mocking curtsey. Adriana’s mama well knew who Arabella and Serena were, both their mamas being nodding acquaintances. The older woman flushed angrily. Adriana stepped in hurriedly.

  “Mama?”

  “Well, I am a little strapped at this moment. As for the cost of bringing Tilly out...” She stopped and looked up at her daughter—in a manner she no doubt hoped would warrant sympathy, but instead made its recipient cringe.

  Adriana was neither moved nor impressed.

  “Is covered by me, and as Tilly well knows, will continue to be so. The cost of your losses at the gaming tables or your household expenses will not, as you well know,” Adriana pointed out. “How you choose to spend the considerable fortune papa left you is your concern, not mine. So if there is nothing else?”

  She was not to be so lucky. It seemed there was more.

  “What are these rumors I hear? That you and the Earl of Addersley are no longer betrothed?” Her mother all but spat the words out. “I was more than mortified when Lady Summerford asked me if ‘twas true. It is bad enough you keep your own household, a scandal I oft have trouble defending, but to hear that my daughter no longer has the ability or the nous to hold on to her only chance of avoiding spinsterhood is beyond all understanding. I had no recourse other than to respond it was malicious rumor. But to hear if from that gossipmonger...” Her voice trailed off, her tone one of disgust.

  How had that got out? Before she had a chance to answer, she felt a hand curl around her waist, fingers splayed, comforting her as a deep voice replied in her stead.

  “Not that it is of any concern to you...other than of course, if there was substance to the rumor. I know you would want to stand by your daughter.” Though the tone was mild, the inference was not.

  Adriana knew Ash had no time to expend on her mama who, it seemed, realized his contempt of her, as she stood with her mouth agape, her hands clenched at her sides. Ashley however, had not finished with her.

  “I can reassure you, my lady, that is all it is. An unsubstantiated and untrue rumor. To allay your fears, someone tried to pull a prank, which backfired. As you see, I am here, and Adriana is safely in my hands.”

  Again, Adriana watched as her parent flushed. She opened her mouth to speak, but a squeeze at her waist halted her. Impatiently, she waited to hear what else Ash had to say, noticing that in the meantime, he had maneuvered them so they were three apart from any other people. Even Arabella had moved away, allowing the privacy Ashley seemed so determined to achieve. For once they were distanced from others, he leant toward her mama, drawing her close with him.

  “If I hear more, I will be extremely annoyed. Not merely vexed. You, I am sure, wish for no slur to be attached to your daughter’s name?” One well-groomed eyebrow rose.

  Adriana had never seen her mama so flustered as the woman stuttered a reply.

  Ashley, however, was not finished. “Furthermore, madam, I will reiterate what my fiancée told you. Tilly will continue to be helped; you will not. Not now, nor after our wedding...at which, it seems, we will unfortunately have to accommodate you. When the date is fixed, be sure you will be notified. And that date, I may add, will be at our convenience and that of no one else. Now we wish you a good evening.” He bowed punctiliously.

  Hurriedly, Adriana made her curtsey and let him lead her away from her choleric-looking mama. So rarely was she bested in such a superior manner.

  “I cannot believe you are from that harpy,” he said
in a conversational manner as he ushered her away, making her giggle. “She has the manners and mouth of a fishwife, and that, I fear, is doing the fishwife an injustice. Are you sure you are not adopted?”

  Adriana gurgled in delight. “I fear not, but I have oft wondered what terrible deed I did in a past life to be burdened so in this. She has always been the same. When my godmama left me her fortune, she saw it as a deliberate slur against her. Well...” She was reflective. “I suppose the letter godmama addressed to me was damning regarding mama’s maternal instincts.”

  “Nonexistent?” Ash inquired.

  She nodded. “With regards to me, certainly. Tilly fares much better. Although she is so much more amenable when she needs to be. She is only seventeen, and as you have frequently remarked, an acknowledged beauty, luckily not affected by the praise and adulation she receives.”

  “If we marry, I will take care of your mama, and I mean not in a monetary manner, merely ensure we are not bothered by her. Naturally, I will, of course, be responsible for your sister’s continued well-being.” She noted his swift glance as he gauged her response.

  “And if we do not? What if I choose to stay your mistress?”

  He laughed. “To stay my mistress, my dear, first you must become her. However, yes, if you choose that future, whilst the status quo is so, I will be your champion.”

  And after? she wondered, but she forbore uttering the words, instead remaining silent as they joined the crowds heading toward the supper room. If she had her way, there would be no worries about afterward. She would stay with him; he would continue to desire her. However, her reticence continued until the hand in the small of her back moved lower and began to fondle the globes of her arse.

  “Stop that!” she muttered. “People will see.”

  “It matters not,” he said in an indifferent voice. “As my mistress, people will expect overt displays of pseudo-affection.”

  Pseudo-affection? She’d show him that—and more. If she dared. Even though, a voice inside her niggled, you know your feelings are neither phony nor assumed? Even then, she vowed as with a last squeeze, he removed his hand and regained her arm.

  “Not at a ball,” she whispered. “Never there.”

  “Anywhere I choose, my dear.” After courteously seating her at a table alongside Arabella and Serena, Ashley joined Ivo to obtain a selection of delicacies for them both. Adriana watched him move away in that graceful languorous gait so peculiar to him alone. She would recognize it from many paces, and whilst he was among others. As she would recognize his particular scent from a dozen assailing her. It did not make her exasperation any less.

  “Do you ever have the need to scream out loud?” she asked through gritted teeth.

  Both her companions giggled. Oh, my. She reddened. “In exasperation, not satisfaction,” she said. “Oh, do stop. People are looking.”

  “Get used to it,” Serena advised. “The longer you and Ash remain unwedded, the more the tabbies will talk. And, of course, the more the debutantes will try to pry him away. To many of these young girls, any male unwedded is fair game. Truth be told, to some the attachment of a wife makes little difference. However, the tabbies are the ones who have the ability to do you the most damage. Barred from Almacks, and ostracized at events such as these, we are only here because Lady Pevensy is a particular friend of Ivo’s. Oh, not in the manner you may think,” she added hastily. “She and Ivo’s mama have been cronies for an age. No, it is the likes of Lady Church, The Countess of Burbage, and of course, your mama, who can do most damage.”

  “They are welcome.” Adriana was adamant. “I care little for Almacks, and if I never see another squeeze such as this, it will be too soon. I abhor the petty jealousies that come to the fore whenever debutantes are gathered. Furthermore, I do not wish to wed him if he expects total compliance. I will never be subservient. I wish to be an equal to him in all things of the body. Will he listen?” she ranted, albeit quietly. “Oh no, not His Grace, the Earl of Addersley. He closes his ears and smiles in that infuriating way of his. I swear if I were a dog, he would pat me on the head.”

  “Instead, he pats you on the behind,” Arabella interjected, “and wishes for more?”

  “Oh, no.” Adriana shook her head gloomily. “He says he respects me, and as his wife, I will have every consideration. Pah.” Her tone betrayed what she thought of that. “Although...hmm.” Her voice trailed off as she remembered his comments regarding his changing thoughts on her wifely duties. “Perhaps I may yet convince him I can be both wife and whore.”

  Her companions flashed her looks of disbelief and amazement.

  “So, is that why we were rescuing you from the X-room earlier?” Arabella queried, a gurgle in her voice. “You were a bit...flushed. Were you attempting to convince the lord?”

  “The X-room? You mean that cupboard? Why is it called thus? Oh, never mind.” Adriana shook her head impatiently and continued before she received an answer. “We were in that room, I believe, so he could prove a point. The same point he was making when he drew me not only into the gardens, but away from other people, to show me what I was asking of him. For earlier this day, I had tried to call a halt to our engagement. I want more than what a wife gets. I want it all. So I offered to be his mistress.”

  It was lucky their menfolk had chosen them a table somewhat apart from others. Her companions gaped at her pronouncement, which, although she had spoken in an undertone, rang with conviction.

  “And?”

  “You said what? He is a fool.”

  Adriana nodded. “He is, for I have so much more to offer than he expects from a wife or a mistress. However, he agreed. Tonight I suspect was the first salvo in his campaign to persuade me the life of a mistress is not for me. Little does he realize my ambitions.”

  ***

  Her smile was feline and, to the man walking toward her, an invitation to fuck. Ash strained to hear what she was saying. Unfortunately, he was too far away to catch all of her words, but would have hazarded a pony she finished with “...all of it.”

  All of what? He saw Arabella nudge Adriana as he and Ivo approached, plates of meats and cakes in their hands, followed by a waiter carrying four brimming glasses.

  CHAPTER SIX

  “They are plotting,” Ivo observed as they wended their way through the throng. “I can tell by the demeanor of Arabella. She is not so accomplished as Serena at hiding her thoughts.”

  “I shudder to think at what. I have had enough shocks today, to either wish or receive more.” Ash smiled reminiscently. “Although to be fair, some of those shocks were rather, shall we say...thought-provoking.”

  “Thought-provoking or cock-provoking?” Ivo inquired with obvious interest.

  “Both,” Ash replied with a chuckle. “Ivo, may I ask you a personal question? As a true, longstanding friend?”

  Ivo nodded. “Stand over here. Let our ladies plot awhile longer whilst you ask away.” Ash felt himself maneuvered toward an alcove. “So? What wish you to know?”

  He hesitated, unsure how to begin. “You know I have need of a wife? Swore I would not be cuckolded like my papa, and therefore chose Adriana, who I felt sure would be dutiful and amenable?”

  Ivo dipped his head in agreement. “I feel I know in which direction we are going with this conversation. You have realized she is neither?”

  Ash looked at him in amazement. “And you know this how?” he asked menacingly.

  Ivo laughed. “One only needs to look at her eyes. They have the same devilment in them as my ladies. Why do you think a wife who is a whore in the bedroom and a lady in the drawing room is not possible? I envy you. You can marry your heart’s delight, live with her openly. I, however, have to be circumspect. If I could marry both Serena and Arabella, I would. As I am unable to, I will wed neither. Or anyone else. Think of your good fortune, Ash. Do not blow it away. You have this opportunity. Take it. Marry your love and show her all she can enjoy.” Ivo smote him on the shoulders. “Com
e; let us rejoin the ladies before they have time to plot too much mischief.” He picked up the plates of delicacies they had chosen and handed one to a bemused Ash. Ash followed him slowly, his mind awhirl.

  Ivo had called Adriana his love. Ash was brought up short. His cock was interested and engaged. Surely not his heart? He needed to think about that—later. They had reached the table where the ladies sat.

  “So, my love, here is some repast for us.” Ashley handed a plate to Riana, wondering just what had made her so flustered.

  “Thank you, my lord. Ah, marchpane, my favorite. Also champagne. I am spoiled indeed.” The waiter handed her a glass, and she smiled her thanks at him. “No strawberries, my lord? To dip in the champagne?”

  He leant toward her. “Later, my love, I will introduce you to a much better way of tasting champagne. For now I suggest you sip it. Slowly.” For Adriana was gurgling and choking on her first sip. He patted her solicitously on her back. “Oh dear, did it go down the wrong way? ‘Tis bad when something does that.” He paused. “One needs to learn the correct way for anything to slide down your throat.”

  Her face reddened, but she held her peace. How, he knew not, for he could tell she had a ready retort. He let his hand slide slowly down her spine, feeling the shiver she gave as he did so. Suddenly, he could not wait until that part of the evening ended. For the sooner he escorted her home, the sooner he could join her and begin her slow sensuous introduction to seduction. She might say she wished to be his mistress, but Ashley had no doubt she would soon balk at some of his more extreme preferences. However, until he reached her refusals, he intended to enjoy all she was prepared to offer him. He was sure she would not be over-accepting of his demands, and once her limit was reached, her agreement to their marriage reinstated, and the ceremony over; he would return to the kind, considerate, and respecting husband a wife should receive. His more extreme proclivities would remain shrouded until such time he needed to unleash them. Then he would do so in the body of someone other than his wife. Someone who would accept and receive his ministrations without expecting either heart to be involved. He could not subject Adriana to his dark side. Well, he pondered, not all of it.