Chapter 6

Some days were better than others, and some days nothing could go right no matter how much she tried. Victoria was having one of those days. The sort where she just wished she'd stayed in bed, or she could retire for the evening and wake the next day. All fresh and hopeful that it would not be a repeat of the disasters of the day before. She'd survived the day. The archery contest had gone well. At least the one that she had not personally participated in.

That one… It was best not to think about it.

But she'd thought of little else. He'd distracted her. She should not have allowed that, or at the very least, she should have brushed off that attention. How was she supposed to seduce him when he constantly kept her off balance? And now she was supposed to kiss him. What did that even mean? Why would he push for that? Did he want to kiss her? If so, why would he hold back?

Victoria had never been more confused in her entire life. When she had started this scheme, she thought she understood what she wanted. She thought she would seduce him. Then she'd forget about the Earl of Foxcroft and move on with her life. She didn't need him to find happiness. But she had to admit, at least to herself, that she would prefer to be happy with him. That had always been her dream. But dreams do not come true and she gave up girlish fantasies years ago.

She strolled into the conservatory and headed the back. There was a special place there she went when she needed to think. The flowers there would be in full bloom too and she intended to indulge in some girlish behavior. Why not? What did she really have to lose by giving into some whims? It might help wash away the day and the anxiety she'd been carrying around with her since well before the guests had arrived.

In the back of the conservatory, a small settee had been set against a wall. It was a dark red plush with a few pillows thrown on it, more for comfort than fashion. It was an older settee and if some dirt or plants landed on it. Well, it wouldn't hurt it. On each side of the settee were beds of peonies in red, pink, white and yellow. Victoria loved peonies. They were little balls of lovely fluff. At least that is how she always thought of them. All those soft and billowy petals, and they smelled divine… She plucked a yellow peony and sat on the settee.

Victoria brought the peony to her nose and breathed its scent. As wonderful as she recalled… She sighed and stared at the sunshine yellow flower. It made her think of happiness and how much she wanted that for herself. There was only one man she'd ever wanted to share her life with, and she feared she could never truly have him. Giving into that whimsy, she plucked one of the vibrant petals and let it float down onto the settee. The contrast of yellow against red was almost startling. She stared at it and said, "He loves me." Then she tore off another petal and dropped it. It joined the other petal as she whispered, "He loves me not." Such a childish thing to do, but she couldn't stop herself. Victoria kept pulling off those yellow petals until she was down to the last one. "He loves me…" It joined the fallen petals on the settee. They were no longer a ball of fluffy scented flower, but several petals without a home. If she still believed in fanciful notions she'd have smiled contentedly. According to those yellow petals, he loved her. What rot.

"What did that flower do to you?"

She glanced up and met Lord Foxcroft's gaze. Her heart beat rapidly inside her chest. How long had he been there? Had he been watching her destroy the bloom? Had he heard her words as she played that silly game? Dash it… She shouldn't have given into that urge. The flower lied anyway. He didn't love her. He'd never loved her, and likely never would. The best she could hope for was a passionate encounter, and if she were fortunate enough, more than one. But she would gladly take one. Victoria blinked up at him and reminded herself that she had the fortitude to see this through. She tossed what remained of the flower on the settee and stood. "Good evening, my lord. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"It's hardly been pleasurable." He winked. "But we could rectify that lapse given enough time." He rolled his gaze over her. "If you're willing."

She sucked in a breath. This was a side of him that she'd never been privy to. The rake of legend. The scoundrel that had been absent for several years now. Apparently, once a rogue, always a rogue, at least to some degree. He'd not lost his touch. Never where she was concerned... "Darling," she said in a breathy tone. "I'm always willing with you." Victoria had passed her flirting lesson and had moved on to more provocative suggestions. He might not be able to resist this side of her. At least she hoped so. She lifted her hand and trailed a finger over his forearm. If only it wasn't covered by his shirt, she might be able to caress his bare flesh. "Would you like for there to be more pleasure between us?" She fluttered her eyelashes and coyly.

He grinned. "That's a good start, love." He leaned in a little closer. "Perhaps now is that time you can show me another skill of yours."

"And what would that be?" She arched a brow. It felt as if she'd been waiting for this moment her entire life. She wanted him. Oh, how she wanted him…

"Kiss me," he ordered.

She swallowed hard. Victoria could do this. She'd never kissed a man before, but surely it wasn't that difficult. She stepped even closer to him. He didn't move one inch. He wasn't going to make this easy for her. She stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. He did nothing. She moved her lips over his. Still nothing. What kind of kiss was this? She frowned and stepped back, then stared up at him in confusion.

It took everything inside of him not to pull her into his arms and kiss her properly. She was clearly a novice, but he found something enticing in her lack of skill. In some ways, it was the most alluring kiss he'd ever had. Because it was her. Everything she did sparked desire inside of him.

"You didn't kiss me back," she accused him. He held back a grin.

"Was I supposed to?"

"Yes," she demanded. "Isn't that how a kiss is supposed to be?" She furrowed her brow.

"Sometimes," he agreed. "But that wasn't our agreement, now was it."

She opened her mouth, then closed it. "I suppose not." She sighed. "It's not how I thought it would be." Victoria blew out a breath and stepped away from him. He stared down at the ruined flower and frowned. What had she been doing there? He had walked in while she stared at the mess she'd made. Something had almost seemed broken in her as she studied the yellow petals. He'd wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss away her concerns. He didn't have that right, though, so he'd held back.

"I'm here to offer another lesson."

"So soon?" She turned to him. "Didn't I already have a lesson today?"

"Do you want the lesson or not?" That kiss had been a revelation and he found he didn't want to part with her yet. "I have much to teach you." He had to win her heart and this might be the only way he could do it. She couldn't find another man. Not when there was one there willing to claim her. He could not rush this. It had to be right or he'd lose her before he even had a chance with her.

"What is this lesson," she said in a resigned tone.

David grinned. "The game room is unoccupied. Join me there and I'll explain."

"The game room?" She frowned. "I'm surprised Blake isn't using it." She shrugged. "I'll come with you, but if my brother decides to play billiards, you're explaining it all to him."

"Blake is otherwise occupied." He didn't tell her about the cabin the rest of the gentlemen had gone off to. This was the first night they could make use of it. David had only wanted her, so he'd stayed behind. "He'll not interrupt us."

They walked together to the game room. He'd ensured that the oil lamps were lit before he'd gone in search of her. The room was aglow with light. Perfect. He gestured toward a table with cards already laid out on top of it. "Please," he said. "Have a seat."

Victoria sat at the table and then glanced up at him. "Are we to play cards, then?"

"We're going to do far more than that. A rogue is an expert gambler, or at least attempts to be." He motioned toward the cards. "There are many ways one can gamble. For tonight, we will start with cards." David grinned. "And spirits."

"Spirits?" She arched that brow of hers. "No sherry or ratafia?"

"Would you prefer that?" he asked. "Or perhaps a good claret." He did not want her to be uncomfortable.

"No," she said. "If I'm going to be a rogue, I can't have a lady's drink." Victoria grinned. "I will have some brandy."

"All right, love," he said, then chuckled. "Brandy it is then." This might not be a wise course of action, but he would see it through, regardless. He poured brandy for the two of them and then carried the glasses back to the table. He set one in front of her and then sat across from her.

"Now," he began. "What card games do you know how to play?"

"Vingt-et-un," she said. "Whist, Piquet…" She frowned. "Though I'm less skilled at the latter."

"And whist really needs two more players," he added. "It doesn't seem fair to play those. At least not when stakes are involved. Vingt-et-un it will be then." He shuffled the cards and then set the deck on the table. "Now that we have decided on the game, we must also choose our stakes."

"What do you suggest?" Victoria sipped his brandy. "As you're the current rogue in the room. I'm to follow your lead."

David's lips twitched. He had been one of the biggest rakes in the ton once. He had not been that man in some years. But he wouldn't explain that to her. When he had taken responsibility for the title, he'd had to take a hard look at his life and the decisions he'd made. He hadn't been happy with what he discovered about himself. That didn't mean he had forgotten what it was to be a rogue. It was almost distressing how easily it had all come back to him. "What are you willing to lose?"

"Everything," she said. Then took another sip of her brandy. "I'm a wallflower, darling, or I need remind you of that. This was my last season. I'm firmly on the shelf. I really have nothing of true value to lose."

"You're wrong," he said in a firm tone. "But we've already discussed that." He tapped his fingers on the cards. "We'll play a a set amount of hands and the one with the most wins will determine who prevails in our wager."

"Fair enough," she said. "How many hands will we play?" Victoria met his gaze and held it. "And what will be the prize?"

"We will play five hands." David wanted to claim her. But instead, he suggested, "How about another kiss for the prize?"

Her lips tilted upward into a wanton smile that went straight to his groin. "Oh, yes," she said in a sultry tone. "A kiss is most definitely acceptable." God help him. He wanted to skip this game and go right to the prize. David picked up his brandy and swallowed a healthy gulp. The burn down his throat gave him a momentary reprieve from responding to her.

"Would you like to deal first?" he asked her after he found his voice. He took a smaller drink of his brandy this time. He stood and retrieved the decanter from the bar and set it on the table. It would be much easier to fill being close.

"Not at all," she said. "You can have that pleasure."

He took the cards off the table instead of responding vocally. David shuffled them, then placed two cards face up in front of her. It showed a five and a ten. He flipped up a card in front of him, and one face down. So far he had a knave, and an unknown. "What would you like to do?" he asked.

She tapped her chin and then glanced up. Her expression was not helping his libido. With each sly glance, his desire grew exponentially. "I'll take another card."

"Are you certain?" he asked.

"Of course." She smiled. "With the card already showing for you, I probably will lose anyway. I might as well take a chance."

"Very well," he said. He flipped over a card and it was a two. "Would you like another one? That's only seventeen."

She frowned. "I suppose I already tested my luck with that one." Victoria shook her head and leaned back in her chair. "I'll stay." She lifted her glass and drained the rest of the brandy and then set it down. He refilled it for her. Because he was gentlemanly like that.

David flipped over his other card. It was a four. He played another card and turned over a six. "That's twenty," he said.

She sighed. "You win. I expected as much." She motioned toward the cards. "My deal."

Victoria dealt the cards and they played through the hand. He won again. She drank more brandy. "You should slow down on the brandy, love. You'll be too foxed to play soon."

"Isn't that part of being a rogue?" she asked. Her eyes were bright. "I want the full experience." She wasn't slurring her words. Yet. But it was a near thing.

They played the remaining three hands. David won in the final hand. He lifted a brow. She'd had three glasses of brandy to his one and a half. She went to pour more, but he removed the decanter from her grasp. "I think that's enough, love."

"You won," she said. "You can kiss me now." Her words were unquestionably slurring now.

David shook his head. "Not tonight." When he claimed his kiss, he wanted her to be fully aware. "Let's get you to bed." He took her glass away from her and set it on the table.

"I don't want to go to bed." Victoria pouted. She was adorable. "Unless you're coming with me."

He closed his eyes and groaned. "Not tonight," he said again. He wanted to say yes. Lord, did he want to say yes. "But when you're no longer quite so inebriated," he began. "Ask me that again and I might be more willing."

"No, you won't," she said. "It's all right. You don't have to be nice." She stumbled and he caught her in his arms. "I know you don't really want me."

Victoria was leaning into him now. He could feel every inch of her against his body, and his cock wanted to get even closer to her. He groaned. Again. This was one hell of a torturous night. "I'll take you to your room."

"But you won't join me," she said. Victoria almost sounded disappointed. He sure as hell was, and he couldn't do a damn thing about it.

"I can't," he said. She stumbled again and he kept his arms wrapped around her. "I better carry you. I don't trust that you can walk up those stairs on your own." He lifted her into his arms and she snuggled into him. If only this was a different time and he hadn't encouraged her to drink brandy. But then again, she might not have invited him to her bed if she hadn't been foxed.

He carried her into the bedchamber and laid her on her bed. "Will you be all right here, love?" he asked softly.

She waved her hand. "Just ring the bell for my maid. She can undress me." Victoria opened her eyes and met his gaze. She licked her lips and then smiled. "Unless you would like to."

Was she trying to kill him? He clenched his hands into fists but didn't respond to that. Instead, he rang the bell as she had suggested and quickly left the room. He would not think about removing her dress or sliding his hands over her gorgeous curves. He most certainly would not imagine what it would be like to see her gloriously naked and waiting in that bed for him. But now that she'd suggested it, he could think of little else. It was going to be a hell of a long night…