Improperly Wed (Aristocratic Grooms 3)

“Your lipstick is smeared, and your color is high—”

She lowered her shoulders.

“—and sooner or later you’re going to wind up in my bed.”

She froze and then abruptly pulled away from him. “Yes, but for now, I need to freshen up and get presentable again.”

She headed to the greenhouse door, and he followed her at a more leisurely pace.

He knew Belinda desired him—Granville or not.

His job was to make her acknowledge it. He felt as if he was on the verge of attaining a goal that he’d been pursuing ever since their night in Vegas.

Soon—ve

ry soon—Belinda would be his not only in name.

Eight

Belinda looked around her lavish bedroom at Halstead Hall. She had known luxury in the past, but this was at a whole other level.

The bedroom curtains were of silk damask, the walls were painted a celestial blue and the furniture was all carved wood antique. Her bed was large and canopied, the fireplace mantel was marble and a Victorian vanity table graced the far wall. The view out the windows was, of course, the best in the house. The vista was of the back lawn and wooded area.

This bedroom and its adjacent sitting room comprised the traditional quarters of the Marchioness of Easterbridge. The marquess’ rooms were next door. Belinda had no doubt that Colin hoped to persuade her to go there at the first opportunity.

The fact that their postnuptial agreement had yet to be signed had bought her a reprieve. But Belinda had heard from her lawyer, and knew Colin was working diligently on getting the agreement finalized ever since Pia’s wedding last week.

Belinda got goose bumps just thinking about it. She’d slept with Colin once, and it had been an earth-moving event for her.

She sucked in a deep breath. Her interlude with Colin in the greenhouse was still fresh in her mind. She remembered the feel of his mouth on her breast and of his hands on her skin. They’d been imprinted on her memory and came to her at night, unbidden.

She couldn’t let him get under her skin so easily. She reminded herself of all his misdeeds—most of all, secretly buying up Wentworth properties.

She was just a tool to him. He was either toying with her or she was part of a grand plan that she wasn’t totally privy to—or both.

Fortunately, she’d kept herself occupied enough to avoid dwelling on matters and to stay out of Colin’s way.

In the past week, she’d flown to New York, tidied up her affairs there and asked for some time away from work until she was settled at Halstead Hall.

Her superiors at Lansing’s had already broached the subject of transferring her to the London office on a permanent basis. Apparently, they were easily impressed by Colin’s wealth and title and by the social and business connections implied by them. Everyone was intent on making nice and assumed moving her to London was what she wanted, too.

For now, she’d let her work colleagues think what they would, but she knew that she’d eventually have to clarify matters before she really was transferred to London.

She wanted to disrupt her life as little as possible, as vain a hope as that might be, even though she’d chosen to remain married to Colin. She knew Colin spent a good deal of time in New York seeing to his business interests. Let him accommodate her in his life, as well.

After glancing at her watch, Belinda left her bedroom and headed downstairs for a late lunch. Colin was still in London, roughly an hour’s commute away, attending to pressing work matters.

She turned a corner in the hallway and steeled herself when she realized Colin’s mother was coming her way.

The dowager marchioness had moved out of the house when her husband had died, ceding Halstead Hall to Colin as a principal residence and staying primarily at an address in London’s tony Knightsbridge neighborhood. Belinda had gleaned that much from Colin and the staff.

Regardless, however, the marchioness was visiting here today, and by the looks of it, she was just as surprised and nonplussed about encountering the newest member of the family as Belinda was about meeting her.

Colin’s mother must have just arrived, Belinda thought. According to the staff, the dowager was used to availing herself of Halstead Hall during travels and in lieu of a hotel when visiting the neighborhood.

The dowager marchioness inclined her head at the same time as Belinda nodded in greeting.

The older woman didn’t crack a real smile. “Settling in?”