Lessons in Seduction (Greentree Sisters 1)

Vivianna was angry; very angry. Interference! If he imagined she would turn about and go meekly back to Yorkshire, then he was even more arrogant and deluded and…and misguided than he seemed. Vivianna was used to getting her own way, and when she felt as strongly about something as she did the shelter…

“Don’t do it, Miss Greentree.”

He wagged a warning finger in her face. He was closer to her than she had thought. Vivianna managed not to flinch.

“Don’t do what?”

“Whatever plot you are formulating behind those big, beautiful eyes. Don’t do it. I might have developed a sudden fascination for lovely, bossy women, but you are treading on dangerous ground. Take my advice, Miss Greentree, and go home while you still can.”

Vivianna felt her jaw drop a little. Lovely? Bossy? She swallowed. Keep to the point! “I cannot allow you to tear down the shelter,” she said. “Believe me when I say that I will do anything to stop you.”

He was closer still, although she had not seen him move. His breath was warm against her skin. His gaze dropped to her lips. He smiled. He did not say anything; he did not need to. Her own words repeated in her head like an echo. Anything. I will do anything to stop you.

“My lord—”

“Oliver. Say it.”

“Oliver,” she repeated like an obedient child, and then couldn’t think of anything else to say.

He dropped his head until his brow was resting against hers, and closed his eyes. His lashes were thick and dark, like his hair, and his skin was warm and smelled of sandalwood and brandy and man. So near. She could turn a little and kiss him, if she wanted to.

And she did. Oh yes, she did….

And then, as she trembled on the brink of something momentous, he straightened and turned away, and just like that he left her standing flushed and hot and confused. His voice was tight, as though he spoke through his teeth.

“I will have a hansom cab called for you. Go home, Miss Greentree, before it is too late.”

Angry with him and herself, Vivianna followed him. “I will not be threatened by you! And I will not go anywhere until you promise me you will not touch the shelter!”

He laughed without humor. “I will promise nothing of the sort. And even if I did, I wouldn’t keep my promise. The shelter is an eyesore and I am going to have it pulled down, Miss Greentree, and I am going to build something much nicer in its place. In a year, the railway will pass by Candlewood, and many respectable middle-class families will be seeking respectable middle-class homes outside the bustle of the city. It is my belief, Miss Greentree, that this is the way of the future.”

Vivianna felt her breath catch in her throat, but somehow she managed to get the necessary words out. “My lord…eh, Oliver…my lord, the shelter provides a home for children who have nowhere else to—”

“I would have thought a dwelling in the city would be more convenient,” he continued with a studied indifference, as if he didn’t care a jot, and went to stare out of the window.

“But don’t you see? Candlewood is perfect! They are safe there, and the country air is healthy for them, the water is clean, and they have a garden….”

Frustrated tears filled her eyes as she gazed at his implacable back. Don’t cry, she thought, don’t cry! “Where will the children go if you demolish their home? What will become of them?”

“That is not my concern.” He turned to face her, his expression blank, his gaze indifferent. “Frankly, Miss Greentree, none of this is my concern. My man of business leased the place to your friends for one year, and now that year is ended. I am under no obligation to extend it.”

“But we believed—”

“What you believed is nothing to do with me. If I must be blunt, then I shall. I need the money; I must demolish.”

“So you can spend it on places like this,” she said, rage tearing through her, and the longing to smash something.

He grinned. “That’s it. Whores and brandy and gaming. My three greatest passions. I believe the money I make from Candlewood will keep me in the lifestyle to which I’ve grown accustomed for at least two more years. That is all that matters to me.”

Vivianna swallowed her fury and frustration, and tried one last time. “The fate of these children is the concern of us all, Lord Montegomery. We are all responsible. Please reconsider.”

He yawned. “Miss Greentree, you’re starting to bore me. I came here to enjoy myself, not to be lectured. My patience is now at an end. If you continue to harangue me I will have to take action. I wonder if your reputation is pristine enough to withstand the story of your being arrested by the Metropolitan Police at Aphrodite’s? What would your family and friends say then, I wonder?”

Shock made her speechless, but only for a moment. “You are a monster!”

“Good, you realize it at last. Now, I will go and find Dobson and he will call a cab for you, and you will get inside it and you will leave. And I will never see you again. Do you understand me, Miss Greentree?”

Vivianna’s mouth set in a mulish line, and just for a moment, as she met those surprisingly watchful eyes above his smirking mouth, she wondered if he was deliberately trying to frig