Never Marry a Viscount (Scandal at the House of Russell 3)

HALFWAY ACROSS TOWN MADELEINE Russell Morgan lay on her stomach on the rumpled linen sheets, the body of her husband collapsed half on top of her.

“You’re an evil woman, Maddy,” he said in her ear, just slightly out of breath. “It’s no wonder I love you.”

Maddy smiled against the soft feather bed. She was too sated, too lazy to do more than make an agreeable noise, and a moment later Luca had rolled over onto his back, pulling her with him so that she was sprawled atop him.

“I wanted to sleep,” she complained. It wasn’t convincing, since she couldn’t resist rubbing her face against his chest, all that warm, solid skin, but Luca was used to ignoring her complaints.

“I wear you out, do I?”

“Um-hum,” she said, settling happily against his shoulder.

“And what about me? Keeping you busy is worse than looking after an entire crew. When I go back to sea I’m going to consider it a vacation.”

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; She felt his hands drift down her back, and she wiggled against him, trying to get closer. “What makes you think you’re going anywhere without me?”

“We’ve had this discussion before—I go dangerous places.” He lifted her so that she lay straddled across him.

She raised her head to look down at him, her dark hair drifting down over his body. “I’ve been in dangerous places before, with you and without you. I can face anything you can.” He was right, it was an ongoing argument, but it was one she had every intention of winning.

He reached up and caught her face in his long, hard hands that could be so gentle, and so deliciously rough. “I don’t want anything to happen to you. Going to sea is a dangerous business, and there’s never any guarantee we’ll make it back safely.”

“And how do you think I’d feel if you died?”

“You’re strong enough,” he said fiercely. “You can live without me.”

“Yes,” she said. “But would I want to?” She pulled away, fixing him with a stern look. “Listen to me, Luca Thomas Morgan, whatever name you want to go by. I was brave enough to infiltrate your house to find out whether you were a thief and murderer. I fought off nasty fiancées and hired killers and the crazy man who killed my father, and most impressive of all, I managed to make a rogue, half-gypsy, half-street-urchin former pirate fall in love with me. I can do anything if I put my mind to it. Except live without you.”

He pulled her down to kiss her, hard and deep, and moments later they were lost in each other once more, the question unanswered as always.

It was three hours later when Maddy awoke once more. Sooner or later they were going to have to get out of bed and deal with things. Luca had shipping business to conduct, while Maddy needed to see if she could find out where her two sisters had disappeared.

Nanny Gruen was in hospital and Sophie had disappeared, according to Miss Crowell, and there was still no word from Bryony and her new husband, even though the Earl of Kilmartyn was no longer being sought for questioning in the death of his first wife and her maid. Maddy and Luca had come first to Kilmartyn’s town house on Berkeley Square to see if they’d returned, and Collins, his butler, had insisted they stay. The house was empty, and according to the butler the new Lady Kilmartyn would be horrified if her sister and her husband didn’t make use of the house.

She put her arms around her husband, ready to wake him, when her worst nightmare came to fruition. The door to their bedroom was slammed open, light streaming in from the gas lamps in the hallway.

Maddy shrieked and tried to dive under the covers as Luca came up, a knife already in his hand, when a familiar voice broke through.

“Oh, good God, Maddy!” Bryony said in her brisk, older-sister voice. “Tell your husband to put down his knife and put on some clothes.”

“Though I can see why she married him,” drawled an unfamiliar male voice. “Darling Bryony, I may start feeling inadequate.”

“Behave yourself, Kilmartyn!” Bryony said, but there was pure indulgence in her voice. “The day you feel inadequate is when hell freezes over.” She turned back to Maddy, her eyes running over both of them. “Thank God the two of you are here. I was afraid you might be down in Plymouth or even worse, out at sea. When you can manage to get dressed, come down to the library. We need to figure out where in the world Sophie’s gotten to.”

Maddy heard the door close once more. Luca was making an odd, choking sound, and she cautiously peeped out from beneath the enveloping sheet to see her husband laughing, laughing at what had just transpired. A moment later he’d turned the gaslight up full, looking down at her and laughing again.

“You should see your face, love,” he said. “It’s bright red. Is the rest of you that same lovely color . . . ?” He started to pull the sheet away from her body and she slapped at his hands.

“Stop it,” she hissed. “What’s my sister going to think?”

“I expect they know what we were doing,” he said amiably, sitting back down on the bed. “I don’t suppose we have time for a bath. We both fit so nicely into that tub.”

“Luca!” She probably was red all over, she reflected. She felt hot beneath the sheets.

“All right, but we’ll have to get a bigger tub in Devonport.” He reached for his discarded clothes. “You want me to call for some water for you?”

“No!” She was mortified. Bryony was older than she was, and had always been the voice of reason and proper behavior. To have been caught in bed with a naked man, even if he was her husband, was beyond embarrassing, and Maddy wanted to pull the covers over her head and stay there.