A Wager too Wicked (Wagers and Wallflowers Book 13) by Alyssa Clarke

Author:Alyssa Clarke [Clarke, Alyssa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Darkan Press Inc.
Published: 2023-08-17T18:30:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINE

Victoria sat with her hands clenched, her body taut, a tightly coiled spring waiting for release. Good heavens, why was she so nervous? I want to kiss you. Why were they not talking about what he just said? Reaching up, she removed the small mask and the hat, setting them down beside her.

“The mustache too,” he said, humor rich in his tone.

Smiling, she removed it and the pins along with her wig. The relief on her scalp felt good, and she breathed out a soft sigh.

“Your home is not at 48 Berkeley Square,” the earl unexpectedly said as the carriage rumbled into motion.

A feeling of wretched tension erupted inside her chest. “It is not.”

“Then why am I taking you there …” he retrieved a pocket watch and glanced at it before returning his piercing regard to her, “at two in the morning?”

There was a dangerous edge to the earl’s tone, and his expression was inscrutable. Victoria suppressed her smile. “Am I not allowed my secrets, my lord?”

The air crackled with the intensity of his stare. “No.”

A choked sound of outrage came from Victoria, but given his unyielding expression, she said, “My friends are there. They will help me remove this disguise and escort me home before my parents return from a ball.”

“I presume these are lady friends.”

Her eyes widened. “Of course!”

“Ladies from the demimonde?”

Shocked, she wordlessly stared at him. “Are you asking if my friends are Cyprians?”

“Yes.”

She laughed, understanding it was outside of his realm to understand that a secret ladies’ club existed, where women of quality acted against the rules society set for them.

“They are like me,” she murmured.

“Ah … dangerous then … reckless, brave, but also sweet and spirited.”

A part of her she had not known existed awakened. “Is that how you see me?”

He made a low sound she was not able to decipher.

She felt delighted. “Most, if not all, young ladies are ruthlessly groomed to believe in adhering to the strict rules governing polite society. If we dare to step out of line, our reputations can be ruined. Only at this club, with sisters of my heart, do I feel a sense of freedom. I daresay that is how we all feel. But you must not tell anyone about it.”

“You would trust me with your secret?”

“Yes.”

A peculiar expression entered his eyes, and he said, far too solemnly, “I would never betray your trust.”

Oh! Victoria was entirely unsure of what to reply. She was extraordinarily aware that she was alone in a closed carriage with Lord Townsend. Fear and a dash of excitement coursed through her veins. The earl merely waited for her to act. It was this patience that removed the last vestiges of anxiety from her heart, and a slow, languorous ache replaced it. He was truly irresistible, with those intensely burning dark eyes.

She moved toward him, that fierce want pushing her into his arms. Her heart raced uncontrollably like a runaway carriage at her daring. He jerked, and she smiled, glad that she had once again surprised him.

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