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“Thank you,” Helene said awkwardly.

Then his mouth came to hers again, and this time it was easier; this time she sank more naturally into the circle of his arms, and her mouth opened up to his with a little gasp. And when he let her go, Helene found that her hands were trembling.

“I hope that you will give me a place in your life,” Mayne said, and Helene registered the hoarse note in his voice with a feeling of pure triumph. “I generally do not think myself a fool,” he continued, with a rueful tilt of his eyebrows. “But I’ve been a fool. In the last few years, I’ve ranged far and wide amongst the ladies of the ton, Helene. Frankly, I’ve stopped caring very much if a particular lady refused my attentions. And yet I find myself caring a great deal about your answer. And that is a truth.”

Helene knew that he was, indeed, telling the truth.

Fifteen

In Which Helene Finds Herself Unaccountably Desirable

Helene was having one of the most thrilling mornings of her life. The Earl of Mayne had left her with her heart beating quickly, stooping over her for one second before he left and kissing her cheek. “You are utterly enchanting,” he whispered.

Helene had grinned like a fool. No one had ever called her enchanting. Mayne had left only when the butler announced that there were fifteen ladies crowded into the library, and then he strolled out so slowly that everyone knew exactly why she was pink and slightly breathless. All of which gave her a sense of power that went to her head like fizzy wine.

She didn’t even blink when he kissed Lady Winifred’s hand, and complimented Mrs. Gower on her reticule. He was hers. He turned back, for just a moment, before he took his cloak from Harries, and she saw it in his eyes.

Thus Helene greeted her guests with the smile of an utterly confident woman. “How lovely to see you, Lady Hamilton!” she said. “Your ball last night was a remarkable success.”

“Due to you,” Lady Hamilton replied cheerfully. “There’s nothing like a sensation to give one’s ball polish. I came to thank you, my dear…”

And so it went. The whole morning was a series of delightful conversations. Even Mrs. Austerleigh’s waspish comment that the Earl of Mayne was nothing more than a rakehell didn’t disturb Helene. She knew as well as anyone that Mrs. Austerleigh was lucky to have gained the earl’s attentions for one evening. She should have been happy with that, instead of lamenting his supposedly wandering eye.

“I find him a pleasant companion,” Helene assured her. “Nothing more.”

“But your husband!” Mrs. Austerleigh tittered. “Do you find him a pleasant companion as well? You could have knocked me to the ground with a feather when I saw Lord Godwin stride into the ballroom last night. I had to ask dear Patricia whether she actually invited him. An odd decision on her part, to be sure.”

“Rees and I are comfortable together,” Helene said cautiously.

“You must be!” Mrs. Austerleigh laughed shrilly. But her laugh broke off in midair as Rees himself strode into the room.

He ignored all her guests and walked straight over to her, with his usual lack of common courtesy. To Helene’s mind, his behavior presented an eye-opening contrast to that of the Earl of Mayne.

“Rees,” she said, holding out her hand for a kiss. It was a bit odd knowing that his legs were as muscled under those breeches as she had discovered last night. The very thought made her want to giggle.

“Helene,” he said, “I must—”

But then he seemed to realize that fifteen pairs of eyes were watching him with keen curiosity. “Perhaps we could speak in private for a moment?”

“Alas, this is not a convenient moment,” she said, her smile not slipping an inch. “If you send me a note, we could fix on a mutually agreeable time…next week, perhaps?” He frowned, probably thinking that she was acting like a recalcitrant servant.

Actually, Rees was making a rather unpleasant discovery that had little to do with servitude. He had forgotten, again, that this Helene wasn’t the girl he married. He seemed to have to make that discovery over and over: he had married a hysterical, high-strung young girl, easily driven to tears by a few strong words. But in the last few years, she had utterly changed.

“I would prefer to speak to you now,” he said. He turned and gave a hard-eyed stare to the madams twittering with each other, their teacups halfway up to their mouths, fairly trembling with curiosity. Finally Lady Hamilton put down her cup, hopped to her feet, and made a quick apology to Helene. The others followed suit like a flock of chickens running from a rainstorm.

“There,” he said with satisfaction, when the room was empty. He strode over and sat down on a comfortable looking couch. There was a cup of tea in front of him likely not even tasted, so he drank it.

“You are revolting,” Helene said, sitting opposite him. “I’ll pour you your own cup of tea if you’d like some.”

“I loathe tea,” he said. But he was interested to hear from her voice that she wasn’t really that angry with him. Perhaps tupping on a couch was the key to wifely good temper. He wouldn’t mind a few more sessions, if they resulted in a peaceful household. She was wearing another one of those gowns like the one she wore last night. He could see the long line of her thigh. Suddenly his breeches felt a bit tight.

“Why are you here, Rees?” Helene asked him.

“I’ve come to bring you back to the house,” he said bluntly. There were two cucumber sandwiches left, so he ate them. He’d been up since five in the morning, working on those damn orchestrations, and he was famished, even given the coddled eggs he ate for breakfast.

There was silence, so finally he looked up. Helene was looking rather amused.

“Don’t tell me you actually think I’m taking you seriously?” she asked.