Ten Ways to Ruin

Instead of moving, he skimmed his index finger across the length of her jaw until she trembled. “I am afraid I cannot do that, Miss Drake.”

“Wh—Why not?” she stammered.

“I doubt we have found all the silver. What would happen if tomorrow someone discovered some missing? A poor maid or footman might lose their position over.”

“No such thing will occur.”

He shook his head. “Every servant will be interviewed, usually by the butler and housekeeper, sometimes by the lord of the manor himself. After a rigorous interview, anyone who doesn’t have a witness for their whereabouts at the time of the disappearance is let go without a reference.”

Her eyes widened before she took a breath to compose herself. “There was no stolen silver. Now please stand aside.”

He slid his finger down her neck and followed the rounded neckline of her pale-yellow silk gown. Trembling, she grabbed at his hand, but he merely clasped her wrist and then the other with his hand and held them above her head. This was a dangerous position with his body so close to hers. She should scream, twist, kick...something.

Emma froze as the fear of his nearness had overcome her. His treatment was unacceptable. “Mr. Kingsley, enough! You must let me leave.”

Drat, she was sure he must have heard the desperation in her voice.

“And what exactly do we have here?” he asked, slipping two fingers between her breasts.

Her heart pounded as fear turned to terror. “Stop!”

Slowly, he pulled the fork out of its hiding place, skimming the tines across her chest until she shivered.

“Please stop,” she whispered.

“Not yet,” he replied, staring at her lips.

Dear Lord, he wouldn’t dare attempt to kiss her, would he? And why did that dreadful thought intrigue her? Even if she didn’t know what she wanted in a man, Emma knew she did not want this man. She pushed him away with all her might.

He tossed the offending forks to the floor with a loud clink.

“Mr. Kingsley, my mother will be looking for me.”

“I suppose you should have thought of that before you decided to steal from her dearest friend.” His gaze slid down her body. “Now, where else might you hide something? I can only think that a woman’s garter might hold something if tied tight enough.”

“Don’t you dare touch my limbs!”

He gave her a smug smile. “Dare? Don’t you know how much I love a dare? I live for wages and dares. It’s how I make my living.”

Emma stared at his dark face and quivered. The man was a devil. She had almost fainted when his fingers had pressed against her breasts. The idea of those fingers gliding up her legs was too much. “Mr. Kingsley, you must stop.”

“Didn’t your mother ever warn you against crossing a rake?”

“She told me not to speak with such men,” Emma retorted. “Unfortunately, everywhere I go lately, you are there.”

Kingsley’s hand bunched up her skirts. His fingers floated lightly against her leg until he found her garter. “Why, Miss Drake, what could this be?”

She struggled to break free of his tight grip on her wrists, which only brought her body up against his hard chest. He stiffened before setting her free.

“Why?” he demanded, staring down at her with his icy blue gaze. “Why would you do such a thing?”

“Perhaps I wanted to see if I could do it.” She hardly believed the words herself. Why would anyone do something so foolish? And yet, after hearing him speak of a maid or footman getting sacked for her actions, she felt thoughtless. She should have considered the results of her exploits.

“You have nothing better to do with your time?” He lightly scraped the tines of the fork across her jaw.

The chilly sensation of the silver against her skin brought gooseflesh to her entire body. “What I do with my time should be of no concern to you.”

“If you weren’t Louisa’s sister, I might agree. But you are obviously up to something. Take heed, angel. I shall be watching your every move now.”