“Oh my, yes. I told you he was quite outré. Had a stable of them. Each with a different talent.” Grandmamma took another sip. “I was there the first night Merton saw Eunice. She was in the center of her court, and he walked straight into the circle, went down on his knee, and proposed.”
Dotty couldn’t imagine anything so romantic. “What did she say?”
“She said it was the best proposal she’d had all Season and accepted. He never left her side after that night and remained faithful the rest of his life. He doted on her and Dominic. After his death, Eunice went into a decline. I heard she had lost the child she was carrying. All of that was bad enough, though in my opinion, Alasdair made it worse. He insisted she go to Bath and quack herself while he took over raising Dominic as he thought suited his station.”
Dom’s behavior made much more sense now, losing both his mother and father at once. She’d always thought he behaved as if he had two people in him fighting for control. “What can I do about it?”
“Be yourself, and do not allow him to be less than what he is.” Grandmamma selected a biscuit from the plate. “Now, what do you have planned for the rest of this afternoon?”
“Lady Thornhill is having a drawing room.” Dotty grinned. “Lady Merton will attend as well,andMerton always escorts her.”
A twinkle entered Grandmamma’s eyes. “Perfect. If you don’t mind, I shall join you.”
* * *
Dom put down his pen and leaned back in the leather chair. The other evening with Thea he’d been so close to losing control. Too close. He had wanted to drag her off somewhere and teach her more about the pleasure they would share. His fingers had itched to caress her perfect breasts. Taste her warm, fragrant white skin. The knowledge that she would have welcomed him had caused his shaft to harden painfully.
His uncle’s words had broken through his miasma of desire in the nick of time.
Remember, Merton, you must always remain in control. Carnal cravings should not rule your head. Moderation is the key. Your future wife will thank you. No lady wants to be mauled and treated like a whore.
The need he had for Thea must be the cravings his uncle warned him against. He’d heard of men being in battle and wanting nothing more than a woman afterward. After being at the whorehouse, that must have been what had occurred to him. He had never desired a woman as much as he did her. But that didn’t explain his behavior yesterday. If his footman hadn’t knocked to tell them the coach was ready, what would he have done?
His poor, darling Thea. She only thought of kisses. She had no idea what the end result would be. Would she be horrified when he wanted to see her naked? Would she hate seeing him that way? Perhaps it would be better if they each wore night clothing, but that wasn’t how he wanted her. He needed to see her skin flushed. Kiss and learn every inch of her. He moaned as his shaft stiffened at the thought.
Despite him wanting her to live at Merton House, after yesterday he should be thankful her parents would not arrive for another several days. Having her here and not being able to touch her was going to be torture. Yet at least he’d identified what it was he felt. It was merely lust, not love. Love would be disastrous. It would make him neglect his duty.
Cyrille jumped up into Dom’s lap, and, absently, he stroked the cat. Every time Thea took it upon herself to save something or someone, his life spiraled out of control. He began wanting what he couldn’t have, just as he’d done as a child. He slammed his closed fist on the desk, unsettling the cat for a moment. It would have to cease. She could not continue taking in strays and risking her safety.
“My lord!” Tom burst through the door. “Look at what I drew. Sally says it’s my best one yet.” The child crawled up into Dom’s lap, being careful not to disturb the cat, and handed him the paper. “See?”
Dom stifled a groan. This vignette wanted only a three-legged dog. But when he glanced down at the sketch, it wasn’t at all what he’d expected. The drawing was clearly Thea and even captured the twinkle in her eyes. The one he hoped he wouldn’t snuff out when he told her she would have to cease her activities.
He tousled Tom’s hair. “Very good.”
At least the boy was doing well. Dom’s attempts to track down Tom’s grandfather, the Earl of Stratton, had so far been unsuccessful. The man wasn’t in Town and the letters sent to his estate and man of business had not yet been answered. Major Horton agreed to inquire at the Horse Guards for the approximate date of Tom’s father’s return. Until a member of his family who was willing to take him could be located, it was up to Dom to care for the boy. He must find the time to hire a tutor, but who would work for an unspecified period of time?
After a few moments an idea struck him. Worthington and Grace might be willing to help Tom. With distaste, Dom remembered his unrelenting hours spent only with tutors. Even Garvey had stopped coming over to play. As much as it went against the grain to ask Worthington for anything, Dom would speak with his cousin. Sending Tom to study with other children would be good for him. Now the only detail left was finding a drawing master, but where the devil did one begin to search?
A knock sounded on the door, and his mother entered. Glancing at Dom, she smiled, no doubt seeing his future children on his lap. Would he have to keep his distance from them as well?
Tom jumped down, waving the drawing again. “My lady, look what I did.”
Mama took the picture. “You have a great deal of talent.”
She looked at Dom as if to ask what he planned to do.
“Do you have any idea where I can find a drawing master?”
Hesitating only for a moment, she replied. “I believe I do. I came to tell you Matilda and I are attending Lady Thornhill’s drawing room. She generally has a number of artists present. Why don’t you join us?”
Long ago he had promised his uncle he’d never enter that den of iniquity. Most of her ladyship’s guests made sport of the Prince Regent and discussed radical reform. Yet to be fair, Prinny did make himself a figure of fun. His difficulty was how to phrase his aversion so as to avoid hurting his mother’s feelings. “I thought I would spend some time with Thea this afternoon.”
His mother raised a brow. “Then you had best come with me as that is the only way you’ll see her before this evening.”
He stifled a groan. He’d forgotten. Grace frequently took the young ladies there. If he only went to find a teacher for Tom, what harm could there be? And he should see firsthand what Thea was exposed to in such company. “I shall be happy to escort you.”
Attend the drawing room, find a drawing master, and remove his women, including Thea, from the Thornhills’ influence. What could be so hard about that? In the meantime, he would take Tom over to Worthington’s house.
