Chapter Nineteen
Determined to end her relationship with Dare irrefutably, Julienne set her plan in motion four days later.
She knew, of course, that it would take a significant event to make Dare concede defeat in the matter of their wager. Thus she intended to spurn him in front of witnesses. When she was done, her repudiation of him would be public knowledge. The entire ton would know that she had unequivocally refused his proposition to become his mistress.
And if she performed her role well, her coldhearted orchestration would prove to him how little she cared, while his overt humiliation would infuriate him enough to allow her to make a clean escape and sever their relationship forever.
She gave notice at Drury Lane, offering the manager a tale of a deathly-ill relative. Arnold promised to conceal the news of her imminent departure until the last moment, since he had no wish distress her legion of fans before absolutely necessary.
For her last performance, Julienne called on every skill she knew-and managed to make it one of her best, despite her aching despair. But when she took her bows to thunderous applause, the sea of faces blurred in her vision, and she could barely swallow her tears as she left the theater for the last time.
The following morning she vacated her lodgings with only a small valise, having arranged for her trunks to be held until she sent for them once she found new rooms in York.
The hired hackney made only one stop, so that she could say farewell to Solange.
"Are you certain there is no hope?" her friend asked sadly.
"Yes," Julienne answered in a low voice, giving Solange a fierce hug.
"I shall miss you, mon amie."
"I will miss you, too."
She would miss Dare even more, Julienne reflected as she returned to the carriage. The loss of him already felt like a bleeding wound inside her.
She directed the hackney to an elegant little house in St. John's Wood, which she had borrowed from another actress for the day. She had invited Dare to meet her at noon, but she intended to arrive more than two hours early. She needed the interval, not only to physically set the stage, but to prepare herself emotionally for the performance of a lifetime.
Dare bounded up the front steps to the charming little cottage, his whole being thrumming with the feverish eagerness of a young lad. Julienne's invitation had more than surprised him. He couldn't fathom why she had asked him here, unless she meant to concede the wager and wanted to use this setting to negotiate the terms of their arrangement.
If so, he would have to disabuse her of that notion quickly. He didn't want Julienne as his mistress. He wanted to have her in keeping, but permanently, forever. And he would tell her so this very afternoon. He intended to risk laying his heart on the line and ask for her hand in marriage.
He was admitted by a female servant, who bobbed a curtsy. "Miss Laurent is waiting in the boudoir," the maid informed him with a saucy giggle.
Dare followed her and was shown into a luxurious, silk-swathed bedchamber. The curtains had been drawn, providing an aura of romantic seclusion.
The stage was set for seduction, he realized, his pulse quickening further.
As the door shut behind him, Dare caught sight of Julienne. She was reclining upon a daybed, which was wider than a normal chaise longue and large enough to accommodate two lovers with ease. To his surprise, she was fully dressed in a gown of rose-colored muslin, but the small table beside her was laden with fruit and cheese and wine.
Taking a sip from her glass, Julienne studied him over the rim, her dark eyes half-closed, sensual, and compelling.
"Welcome," she said in a husky voice that stroked all his nerve endings. "I have missed you, Dare."
"I've missed you, too-like the very devil."
Her luscious lips formed a pout. "It hardly seems so. I would say rather that you have been severely neglecting me of late."
He smiled charmingly as he advanced into the room. "My apologies, my love." Reaching for her hand, he kissed her fingers tenderly. "I have been waiting for the right moment to speak to you in private."
"I have no interest in talking just now." Little flames warmed the depths of her eyes as she ran her finger down his chest to his breeches. "I think you should take off your clothes," she murmured, her voice liquid enticement.
Dare needed no second request. Obediently he shed his coat and waistcoat, then his cravat and shirt. He sat beside her on the daybed to remove his shoes and stockings, then stood again to remove his pantaloons and drawers.
When he stood naked before her, her gaze made a slow sweep of his body. Dare felt himself harden at the lust in her eyes. With a look of invitation, Julienne smiled languorously and held up her arms, bidding him to join her on the daybed. Eagerly he stretched out beside her and drew her into his embrace.
Their kiss was hard and passionate, and she seemed as breathless as he was when she broke it off. He might have protested but she gave him another slow, seductive smile and pressed him onto his back. Then she reached above his head to lift a silk scarf that was tied to a metal loop in the wood frame of the daybed.
When she attached the scarf to his left wrist, he gave her a grin that was part quizzical, part devilish. "Just what did you have in mind, cherie?"