Viscount of Vice: Lords of Scandal Book 4 Read online

  Chapter Two

  Ada was nothing like he’d expected from their first meeting. She’d been soft, compliant as far as he could tell. He’d assumed that gaining her affection would be as easy as giving her a few kind words.

  Her glare, currently burning into his chest, said otherwise. Still, he liked a challenge. And Ada was all the more interesting for being less pliant.

  Now, gaining her affection would not only make his life easier, it would make it all the more fun.

  But a niggle of doubt crept into his thoughts. What if Ada was like Camille? A woman of worth who found him to be worthless? He flinched, remembering her. He’d spent years attempting to prove her wrong.

  He shook his head. He’d not allow his relationship with Ada to go that far. He just wanted her to have a small crush, that would enable him to more easily watch over her. Of course, he didn’t want her to get too close. He never allowed any of them to get really close. Not since Camille.

  He met her eyes, hers narrowing with irritation.

  Giving her his best smile, he righted his chair and then reached out his hand. “Shall we go greet the bride and groom?”

  She drew in a long breath before gingerly placing hers in his. “Let’s.”

  Her mother leaned over from the row in front of them. “Are you all right, Ada?”

  Ada gave a stiff nod. “Fine, mother.”

  Her mother gave Vice a quick glance, before leaning over to whisper. “You must try to be more ladylike. I don’t know why this keeps—”

  Ada huffed, embarrassment making her cheeks heat. “I was perfectly ladylike. There is no need to further my humiliation.”

  Her mother wrinkled her brow, snapping her fan against her palm. “Ada Lynn.” Her voice came out sharp, rising to echo through the church. “I’ve raised you to be more respectful than that.”

  Vice stepped closer. “It’s quite all right, Mrs. Chase. She’s correct in that I’m to blame for the fall. I shall try to be more careful.”

  Mrs. Chase’s expression instantly changed as she gave Vice a wide smile. At least he’d won over one Chase woman. “I’m sure you will be.”

  Then the matron began to move, heading toward the aisle to follow the bride and groom from the church.

  Tucking Ada’s hand into his elbow, he bent down to whisper in her ear. “I pacified your mother.”

  Ada shook her head. “Perhaps. Though you don’t understand the intensity with which my mother takes to matching her daughters. If I were you, I’d be concerned.”

  He paused, straightening. Well-placed move on her part. He wondered if she played chess. “Was that a threat?”

  She arched one brow. “A warning. Take care with the attention you publicly give me.”

  That made the air whoosh from his lungs. “I’ve promised my friends to publicly watch over you. How can I take care?” Technically, he’d only stayed with her to make sure she stayed quiet about the gaming hell he secretly owned. She and her sisters had discovered his secret and by doing so had fallen into danger with a dangerous criminal, the Countess of Abernath.

  She shrugged as they stepped into the aisle. “That is something you’ll have to decide for yourself.”

  He let out a small growl of frustration. He’d been about to claim that she owed him a boon. To collect, she’d have to allow him to escort her to the opening soiree of the season. That would be his chance to woo and watch her.

  But she had a point, spending time with her was dangerous. First, for propriety’s sake. But second, for his own sanity. When he picked women of the utmost success, he was confident, debonair. But Ada had thrown him off his game. For Christ’s sake, he’d fallen out of a chair while sitting. And she had his thoughts bouncing from one extreme to the next.

  Her hip brushed his and his own body clenched in awareness. What was it about this woman? By all accounts, he should have her easily in hand.

  “Ada,” Grace said from just behind them. Vice turned to see her looking rather comfortable on Bad’s arm. “Do you think we might go shopping tomorrow? The Appletree ball is tomorrow evening and I’ve hardly any ribbon.”

  Vice’s gut clenched. Ada and Grace had been safe because they’d made very few trips out. Six weeks prior, the Duke of Darlington’s former fiancée, the Countess of Abernath, had attempted to expose their club by sending the unsuspecting Chase women to its door. When the ladies had kept the men’s secret, Lady Abernath had begun attacking them one by one. If they went out shopping, they could be at risk. “No ribbons,” he said before Ada could answer.

  Ada turned to look at him. “You’re sweet one second and a monster the next. Are you always so erratic?”

  He shook his head. How had this day gone so terribly wrong? “You know that Lady Abernath attempted abductions of two of your cousins. Why would you be so foolish as to shop for ribbons?”

  She sucked in a breath. “I didn’t ask to shop for ribbons.” Her cheeks turned that shade of pinkish brown that he was growing quite fond of. “Besides, I don’t need your permission to do anything. My father can decide what shopping trips I take.”

  “Your father isn’t aware of several key circumstances. I’m sure if he was, he wouldn’t allow you to go shopping at all.”

  She raised her brows, stopping. “If he were aware of the circumstances, I’d be shopping for wedding attire.”

  She had him there and he knew it. If Lord Winthrop knew he’d been at an illicit late-night meeting with his daughter, Vice would find himself at the altar very quickly. For a wallflower, she was decidedly feisty. And he might enjoy that side of her if it didn’t mean he was now being forced to go ribbon shopping. “My apologies. Perhaps Lord Baderness and I could escort you but not tomorrow. Mayhap on Monday?”

  Grace gave a little squeal behind them while Bad made a definite rumble of disapproval. But Ada’s face softened and that’s what he’d been hoping for all along. Perhaps it was just the challenge of the hunt. But when had he grown so sensitive to her happiness? “That would be very nice, actually. We’ve been trapped in the house for days.”

  “I look forward to it,” he said, finding that he meant the words. He also had every intention of collecting an invitation to the Appletree ball. Hell, he might have one sitting in his stack of unopened correspondence. Somewhere over the course of this wedding, catching Ada’s affection had become a personal goal. And he was a man who enjoyed a challenge. The question was, how would he work his way past her prickly exterior and her marriage-minded mother?

  * * *

  Grace linked her arm into Ada’s as they rode in the carriage back to Lord and Lady Winthrop’s estate for the wedding breakfast. Her father sat across from them, staring out the window.

  Grace leaned over, whispering in Ada’s ear. “Are you all right? You didn’t seem yourself in the church.”

  Ada shrugged. She was anything but all right. “It’s Lord Viceroy. He’s so…”

  “Handsome?” Grace sighed. “That one next to me just scowls all the time, but not Lord Viceroy. He’s lovely to look at.”

  Ada made a face. The sort that wrinkled her nose and scrunched her lips as though she’d smelled something terrible. “I was going to say something far more like irritating.” Grace was better suited to his taste, she was certain. Ada had seen him once, in a tea shop with the most beautiful woman she’d ever laid eyes on. Absolute perfection. Not a freckle to be seen…

  Grace laughed, covering her mouth with her hand, but Ada tapped her chin, continuing, “Also false. Most of what he does and says seems like a façade. As though he were an actor playing the part of a Viscount.”

  Grace shrugged. “He seems charming enough to me.”

  Ada shook her head. “Charming men do not hold interest in me for very long.” Her stomach began to quiver. Her heart had been broken six months prior and she couldn’t face the idea of that happening again. If any man were capable of the deed, it was Lord Viceroy. She needed to stay away from him. “I’m not very exciting. Not like Diana
or Minnie. Or you.” They all knew how to flirt or argue, or incite some sort of passion. All she seemed able to do was sit quietly smiling.

  Of course, one might argue that she did anything but that today. It was just that Lord Viceroy was so vexing. There had been that moment when she’d been on top of him when he hadn’t been vexing at all. Then he’d been exciting. But he’d quickly slipped his veneer back in place.

  She didn’t like that man at all.

  Grace patted her arm. “Don’t be ridiculous. You’re absolutely stunning and so kind. There is a man who is perfect for you and he will be handsome and smart.”

  Ada let out a sigh. Perhaps that was true. Then again, experience had told her it wasn’t.

  The only man who’d ever been truly interested in her had been a researcher of exotic wildlife. She’d known Walter Conroy for years as he was a family friend. And she’d been thrilled when he’d shown her favoritism over her cousins and sisters. So much so that she’d been happy to spend hours listening to his adventures. Until he’d left for one. Then, Walter had been clear. She was not to wait for him as he didn’t know when or if he’d return. “Do you really think so?”

  “Of course I do. Even Lord Viceroy is tempted by you.”

  Ada shook her head. He was only pretending out of habit or some other motivation. “It’s an act. He’s no more interested in me than he is in settling down and moving to the country.”

  “How do you know?” Grace asked, leaning even closer.

  “I feel it.” She pressed her hands to her cheeks. “He wants something from me. I’m just not certain what.”

  Grace covered a little giggle. “That’s exactly my point. He wants something from you.” Then Grace wiggled her eyebrows.

  Ada swatted at Grace’s arm. “Not like that.” But she had to confess, when their bodies had pressed together, that was the only time he hadn’t seemed fake. Ada had been terribly aware of him and something about the way his hands had held her made her almost think he’d noticed her too. He hadn’t been trying to push her away, rather, he’d been drawing her closer.

  “We shall see,” Grace straightened. “The man did offer to escort you into the village.”

  “Did he now?” her father suddenly chimed in, making her jump. Had he been listening this entire time? How much had she revealed out loud. “He’s a friend of Darlington’s, correct?”

  “Yes, Papa,” she answered, pressing her hands together in her lap.

  “Do you think those men made a pact to marry? They seem rather smitten with you girls.”

  Her shoulders slumped with relief. Clearly he hadn’t heard her saying that Vice was only pretending. “It’s nothing like that, Papa. Darlington asked them to watch out for us, after Cordelia was taken from the house.”

  Her father shook his head. “Strange business. Has anyone caught Lady Abernath?”

  “No,” she answered. Her father didn’t know that Darlington had been engaged to Lady Abernath and that she was threatening all of them now to expose their secret club. He also had no idea that Countess Abernath had also attempted to steal Diana. To tell them, they’d have to expose so many secrets they were attempting to keep hidden.

  He nodded. “Well, Darlington’s a good man to be taking your safety so seriously, but he needn’t be worried. I am perfectly capable of watching after you girls. Furthermore, unmarried woman being with unattached lords that are not inclined toward marriage—”

  “We understand, Uncle,” Grace interrupted.

  Ada’s father turned back to the window. “I shall talk with Darlington myself.”

  “Good idea,” Ada said. Perhaps her father could convince Lord Viceroy to leave her be. The man was causing a tension inside her that only his absence might relieve.

  Chapter Three

  Vice stepped from his carriage and then stood on the steps, waiting for Ada to arrive. He’d spent most of the ride contemplating what he might have done incorrectly. Clearly he’d upset her and he thought he knew why.

  He’d come at her as though she were a seasoned woman who’d already had a lover. But Ada was a woman of little experience. She needed more wooing and less seduction. Just enough to make his guard job easy. A simple crush on her part would suffice. And it would be good for his ego too. He’d make sure to end things before Ada could reject him, of course. He wouldn’t go through that again. But proving a woman like Ada could still care for him, well, that was tempting for certain.

  His confidence restored, he considered how he’d extricate himself when his guard duty was over. Being an innocent woman of marriageable age, he couldn’t give her a gift or money to pacify her. Instead…he looked up at the sky, he’d have to weave a tale. Perhaps say that it was for her benefit.

  Feeling secure, he watched as the carriage rolled up to the front of the house. Mr. Chase stepped out, handing out Ada and Grace.

  Vice hardly noticed the fair blonde as Ada’s auburn hair glinted in the sun. Her hips had a delightful sway that made his breath catch. He’d noticed her before, but now…how had he not seen how perfectly beautiful she was?

  They walked toward him, his eyes drinking in every detail. The slim column of her neck, the lovely shape of her face, neither too thin nor too round, the slender cut of her shoulders. Ada delicately lifted the edge of her skirt as she began to ascend the stairs. They came abreast of him and he turned, holding out his elbow. “May I?”

  Ada gave a quick shake of her head. “No need,” she answered, breezing by.

  “No need?” he replied. He stared after her, his jaw clenching so hard his teeth began to ache. How had she managed to deflate his sails in a matter of one single second? Just two tiny words? He fell in step behind her. “Are you certain?”

  She looked back at him over her shoulder as her hand rested in her father’s elbow. “No, thank you. As you can see, I am perfectly escorted.”

  Mr. Chase turned back as well. “I’ll speak to Darlington but he needn’t take up your time, my lord. I’ll keep an eye on my daughter and I’m sure Lord Winthrop will watch out for his.”

  Vice closed his mouth. Darlington was definitely going to have to speak with both Lord Winthrop and Mr. Chase. The question was, how was Darlington going to impress the fact that their guard was most certainly needed without revealing all their secrets. “He’ll be here any moment, I am sure.”

  Mr. Chase shook his head. “It can wait until after the wedding breakfast.”

  Grace gave a little bounce. “Uncle, will you take us to the village tomorrow to purchase ribbons? I need a particular shade of blue to match my dress.”

  “Of course.” Mr. Chase gave his niece an indulgent smile. “I’m sure we’re safe here in our London neighborhood.”

  Ada gave him another glance over his shoulder, but this time, she was nibbling her lip. She didn’t mean to be enticing, but heaven above…he wanted to worry that flesh himself. Her words pulled him from his carnal thoughts. “I don’t know, Papa. What happened with Cordelia…”

  Vice stepped closer. “If you’re going to go out, please allow me to accompany you. Just until you’ve talked with Darlington.” He had a sudden fear he couldn’t quite express. What if something happened to Ada? He’d feel responsible. He’d experienced…loss.

  He hated the emotion. It was one he avoided at all costs after the death of his parents. He’d become the Viceroy at just thirteen when they’d succumbed to disease of the lung while he’d been away at school.

  Mr. Chase stopped, looking at his daughter. She gave a single nod, small and almost imperceptible. But Vice saw it and the tension knotting his stomach relaxed. She was sensible enough to know that his help was necessary. “That would be jolly good of you,” he said.

  Ada glanced over her shoulder again, giving him another long look. This one did not hold irritation but…curiosity. Her eyes crinkled at the corners as she studied him. “Papa,” she said. “I’ll walk with Lord Viceroy for a moment.”

  Victory sang in his veins. What had he just
done differently that she was responding to him? But before he could process, she slipped her hand into his elbow. “Thank you for being genuinely concerned,” she said softly, turning her head so that she spoke into his shoulder.

  Ah. She wanted genuine, did she? He drew in a deep breath. He didn’t share his true feelings on anything very often. “You’re welcome.”

  She flexed her fingers against the inside of his arm. “You needn’t feign interest in me. I’ve no desire to be stolen away by Lady Abernath. I’ll be careful.”

  He winced. “Who said I was feigning anything?” But the truth was, he had a rather practiced set of rehearsed lines. Had for quite a while now. To say anything else was to risk…

  She rolled her eyes dropping her voice down low mimicking his much deeper voice. “Your hair is like the sunset.” Ada gave him a pointed glare. “Please. Even I’ve heard that one.”

  Rubbing the back of his neck, he sighed. “So you don’t appreciate my compliments?”

  She paused for a moment as she once again nibbled on her lip. “I like compliments. I suppose I just like ones that are…” She paused and looked up, “About me.”

  He cleared his throat. Most women did not care that his flowery words were generic in nature. They assumed that the compliments were specifically about them and basked in the glow. “For the record, your hair is like the sunset.”

  She let out a huff. “I’m not even blonde.”

  Vice stopped, turning to her. “I see color.” Then he reached up and for just a moment, touched one of the strands. The silky texture slipped through his fingers. The gesture was wildly inappropriate but he couldn’t seem to help himself. “And to clarify, I said your hair was the like the sunset, not the sun. Last summer, at the ocean, I sat in the sand as the sun set over the sea. The sky turned to a blaze of fiery colors. Then, just as the orb dipped down below the water, the colors softened to more muted shades of red, yellow, and orange. It was the most beautiful palate of color I’d ever seen and it only lasted for a few moments. That is the color of your hair.”