My Fair Lover (Legendary Lovers 5)

That settled it, Kate decided as she plunged into the garden where the damp air felt cool on her flushed face. No more meetings alone with Deverill. Never, ever. Her pitifully weak willpower simply couldn’t withstand it.

Kate woke the next morning feeling hot and achy and frustrated. Why the devil did she keep having such erotic dreams of Deverill?

A foolish question, obviously, considering the intimacies between them yesterday, the brazen liberties he had taken with her. She finally understood why carnal passion had such a powerful effect on lovers throughout the ages. There really was nothing quite like it—the spiraling heat, the starbursts exploding inside her body—and that was only a fraction of the pleasure Deverill promised. She had a great deal to learn about lovemaking and wished he could be the one to teach her.

Another singularly witless sentiment to add to the many others that have plagued you of late.

Giving a disgusted sigh, Kate tried to suppress both memory and fantasy as she rose from her bed and dressed. With a burst of fresh resolve, she went to work arranging for Deverill to meet Daphne Farnwell at the earliest opportunity, which, she learned to her disappointment, would not be for two more days since Daphne had prior obligations.

Meanwhile, Kate renewed her vow to avoid any private moments with him. She didn’t trust herself to be alone with the man, nor did she trust him not to take advantage of her profound weakness for him.

Her plan, however, got off to an inauspicious start that evening when the Beaufort carriage collected Deverill for a musical performance at the King’s Theatre. Upon entering the barouche, he took the seat beside her, close enough that his thigh brushed hers, reminding her how effectively he had used his thigh in the folly. Kate felt a flush of heat rise inside her. After returning his greeting, she kept her eyes fixed straight ahead and hoped the relative dimness of the interior hid her blush.

There were other moments in the course of the evening when she also felt a heightened awareness of Deverill: Upon arriving, when he removed her cloak and his fingers grazed her bare shoulders. When his gaze lingered on her during the splendid violin concerto, and again as a famous opera singer entertained the company with her remarkable soprano. At the first intermission when Deverill took her hand to help her rise from her seat.

Yet she single-mindedly kept her focus on her task.

During the intermission, she introduced him to one more candidate on her list, Miss Eliza Rowe. Kate was especially glad that conversing with the young lady kept him occupied and away from Lady Dalton, who, unhappily for Kate, was in attendance. When she spied the beautiful widow across the room, her jaw firmed with fresh determination.

As soon as she could politely extract Deverill from the discussion, she deliberately steered him in the opposite direction, which made his eyebrow lift in question. “Why such haste to return to our seats?”

“Lady X, if you must know. She is eyeing you like the cat after the canary. I don’t want her sinking her claws into you. You can do much better.”

To change the subject, Kate added, “That reminds me….Our next engagement will be tomorrow afternoon at a garden party in Richmond. And the following evening, some family friends, Lord and Lady Perry, are holding a ball at their home. I particularly wish you to meet a newer friend of mine there.”

For the remainder of the musical evening, Kate was rather proud of her composure whenever she was near Deverill, yet she was eager to have him woo Daphne and take the responsibility for his courtship out of her hands.

As luck would have it, though, another unpleasant encounter with Julia Dalton threatened her hard-won equanimity. During the second intermission, they happened to meet in the ladies’ retiring room. When the widow voiced a snide remark under her breath about keeping Valmere on a short leash, Kate had had enough.

Grasping her rival’s wrist, she led a startled Lady Dalton from the room and down the corridor, past milling theater patrons to a dim corner where they could be somewhat private.

Kate kept her voice hushed while throwing down the gauntlet. “I regret depressing your aspirations, Lady X, but Valmere will never fall for your wiles. I will make certain of it.”

The look the widow returned was both amused and smug. “If I chose to pursue him, you could not stop me.”

“Would you care to test your theory?”

“Indeed I would—and I shall do so at my first opportunity. I hear Valmere will be attending the Radcliffe garden party in Richmond tomorrow.”

Kate could barely stop her lip from curling in disgust. “You are keeping a close eye on his social engagements, I see.”

Lady Dalton smiled wickedly. “It is only shrewd. I will have my chance then, unless you are prepared to stand guard over him the entire time.”

They eyed each other sharply before Kate realized she was getting nowhere. Would she do better to offer a truce of sorts?

She held up a hand. “Rather than quarrel with you, I would be shrewd to appeal to your sense of decency. Your current protector deserves your loyalty,” Kate pointed out, referring to Mr. Edmund Lisle, who had supported Julia for the better part of two years. “From what I hear, Lisle adores you.”

“Of course he does.”

“Then instead of chasing after Valmere, perhaps you should be content with a bird in hand.”

Lady Dalton’s haughty look of disdain returned. “My affairs are none of your concern.”

Kate’s spine stiffened. “You made it my concern when you threatened the happiness of my family and friends. You well know that your treatment of my cousin Quinn was appalling, and now you want to add Valmere to your callous list of conquests. Moreover, you owe Lisle. You have spent years trading your beauty and sensual talents for his patronage.”

“At least I have sensual talents, which is more than you can boast.”

The cutting accusation stung, but Kate returned a cold smile. “I have no idea why Lisle fancies you so ardently, given your character. I should think that even among Cyprians there is a code of honor. Apparently you know nothing about honor, however—deceiving the gentleman who is keeping you in funds and providing for your luxurious lifestyle. Indiscretions are one thing, but a liaison with Valmere would be an outright betrayal.”