His Mischievous Bride (Regency Matchmaker Book 2) Read online

  As we finished the meal, I sat back feeling a bit of pride in my prowess. I felt certain I had found the linchpin in the plot against the king. I just needed more information.

  I excused myself between courses and once I was out of sight of the guests, I tiptoed up the stairs and found what I assumed was Lord Freebush's study. I opened a few drawers.

  To my shock, I found some scandalous novels. I slipped one into the pocket of my gown. I had pockets fitted into all my gowns in order to keep a store of treats for my own dogs or any others I might encounter. Tonight, there were no dogs about, so I used the space to pilfer a naughty book.

  There were footsteps outside, so I hurried to the hallway where I ran into my husband. "What are you doing, Calliope?" His tone and demeanor indicated suspicion.

  Remembering his admonition, I was to do nothing to draw suspicion to myself and thinking quickly, I pulled him into the room and shut the door.

  "I was hoping you would follow me. I have missed having you near. The meal was much too long for us to be apart." While I spoke, I rubbed my body against his and was gratified by hardness forming in his trousers. I stroked my fingers across his cock and gave a gentle squeeze.

  "Calliope," he hissed between gritted teeth. "What are you about? We are in a stranger's home and soon we will be missed. Not to mention the scandal this could create if we are caught."

  "Well, is that not what makes it so exciting?"

  Chapter 8

  William

  By all that was holy, Callie would be my undoing. We were adults at a dinner party.

  I had my suspicions about Callie's true motives. Had she really wanted alone time with me, there were several other rooms which would have served that purpose and been less prone to discovery than our host's study. In addition, I am certain I heard drawers opening and closing as I approached the room.

  Having her snooping about on her own was bound to lead to discovery and could blow the whole charade we were perpetrating out of the water. Too many people had sacrificed too much for this mission for us to ruin it now.

  But, the dinner conversation had been decidedly uninteresting and the prospect of a bit of fadoodling with my wife was not the worst idea I had heard that evening.

  "What naughty plans do you have for me, Calliope?" I stared down at her with my most stern Colonel St. Clair face and watched as her hands clutched together at her waist and she worried her bottom lip between her teeth.

  "Mayhap some dessert?" She looked up at me from beneath her lashes, her eyes holding both a promise and a dare.

  My cock, already hard at finding her in the act of some devious plan, pressed insistently against the fabric of my trousers and I shifted my hips from side to side to alleviate some of the discomfort.

  I could not resist her offer. What did I care if we were found out? And what's more, the possibility of discovery heightened all my senses. It was like being in the field of battle, but instead of shooting my gun, I would be shooting my wad.

  Pulling Callie to the corner of the room near the window, I pushed back the curtains to allow in a bit of evening light. "Kneel," I ordered her.

  She scrambled to comply and worked quickly to open my pants and free my straining cock.

  "Oh, William," she said before placing her lips around me.

  Her tongue laved me from stem to stern and I clutched at her head to hold her in place. We had no time for niceties. I moved in and out, fucking her mouth while she moved with me taking my cock deep into her throat until I pressed the soft flesh at the rear of her mouth.

  She cupped my balls in one hand and squeezed the base of my shaft in the other. My hands rubbed back and forth on her head, forcing her to take all of me. When a pin fell from her hair and a lock tumbled down her back I switched to grip her shoulders instead.

  Undaunted, my Calliope sucked until I came in a hot rush, firing all of my seed down her throat.

  She held my spent cock in her hand, kissed it tenderly on the tip, licked up any residue and then slipped it back into my pants, closed them up and stood. The saucy look she gave me said she was quite proud of herself.

  I was rather proud of her too.

  After a moment to straighten her hair and check our clothes, I pulled her to me for a gentle kiss before we exited the study.

  We were none too soon, as a startled Lady Freebush greeted us just outside the study door. I could not help but wonder if she had been listening at the keyhole. The pink flush on her cheeks indicated I was likely correct.

  "I-I was concerned," she stammered. "Lady Calliope had been absent for some time and I feared she might not be well."

  "Thank you for your kind concern, Lady Freebush," Calliope said. "But I have never felt better. How about you, Colonel St. Clair?"

  "I am certainly enjoying myself this evening," I said.

  "Well, I am pleased to hear you say it," Lady Freebush said. "We are about to serve dessert and I would hate for you to miss out."

  "Oh," Callie said, "I simply cannot eat another thing. I feel as though my mouth has just been stuffed full."

  With a wink to me, she turned and led us all through Lady Freebush's house. A rather audacious move, but fitting for my Callie.

  Callie

  "A spy ring? Are you certain?" Tempest, leaned forward in her chair as we had refreshments in the garden of my new home. She had hired a hack to make a call on me in my new home. After the scene the day before, I had feared I might never see her again. What a thrill when a servant brought me news of her arrival. Mattie, of course, had come along.

  "Shh," I said, looking from side to side. "You must keep your voice down. We have no idea who might be listening."

  "My apologies," she whispered and mover her chair closer to mine. "But, how did you come to know this information? It seems hard to believe."

  "The colonel revealed it to me after our wedding. He broke many regulations by disclosing the details to me, but knowing rumors about him being a traitor were being circulated around town, he wanted me to be aware and know the truth. Everything took place in such a rush, the marriage and then finding out about William’s secret assignment. My head has been spinning, but I never ever would have imagined Jimmy being so angry."

  "It was shocking." Tempest clasped my hand. "I am profoundly sorry for the way he acted."

  "Oh, pish. Jimmy is accountable for himself. It is not your duty to apologize on his behalf." A dagger of pain struck my heart. "I trust all will be resolved soon. I hate that he thinks so poorly of William and… me."

  "Your son can certainly be obstinate."

  "He will not change his mind until he has solid proof. William insists he will have the matter resolved soon and I am to stay out of it, but I cannot just sit by and watch. I am determined to help him. That is what a wife is supposed to do, is it not? I do not want him to think of me only as a silly woman who plays with her dogs and goes on calls."

  "If I may..." Tempest said, "you are a silly woman who plays with her dogs and goes on calls. That is what makes you so wonderfully unique and lovable."

  I ought to have been upset with her, but there was no falsity in her words for me to condemn.

  "I know," I sighed. "But, I would like to be different. Besides, tell me you are not intrigued by the possibility of hunting down spies, traitors to our nation."

  Tempest grinned, and I could see her eyes light up with excitement. "It would be more interesting than simply waiting for this baby to be born." Her hands rested over her belly which was just beginning to swell with my first grandchild.

  "I ought not to have involved you," I said. "Jimmy will have my head if any danger comes to you or the baby."

  "What sort of shenanigans did you have in mind?" Tempest asked. "I thought you were simply telling me, so I would understand. Do you actually plan to take matters into your own hands?"

  "Would not the colonel be proud of me if I cracked the spy ring? And imagine the look on Jimmy's face when we tell him we were the ones who solved the
mystery. Not to mention showing him he was wrong about William."

  Tempest's eyes glowed brighter with anticipation. "We might even be invited to dine with the Prince Regent himself. He would want to thank us personally, would he not?"

  "Of course, he would. I have always wanted to be invited to one of his parties. I hear they are all the crack."

  "But first, we need to catch these spies. Tell me everything you know."

  "Well, last night we went to dinner at the home of a couple neither of us had met. We walked right into the home of possible traitors and ate with them."

  "Oh," Tempest said. "You are giving me goosebumps just thinking about it."

  "It was terribly exciting, and I am eager to continue. I believe I have a keen knack for such work. I soon learned our host had some very strong and antagonistic feelings toward the king and had no qualms about speaking them loudly in a large group."

  "Oh my!"

  "His daughter seems to share his views and was equally unabashed in sharing them. I found it all quite bold."

  "You mention the host and his daughter. Did you have a hostess? Or was the man widowed?"

  "Yes, he is a married man. I did not speak much with the wife as there was a large gathering and she was seated at the opposite end of the table. The colonel was seated near her, but I dare not ask him specifically about their conversation. He has forbidden me from any active participation, though he was pleased I accompanied him last evening as it was not so attention gathering as if he had arrived alone. But, he does not know all I know."

  "Of course," Tempest said. "If he knew that you knew and now I know that you know and if he knew that..."

  "I know!"

  "And what was the name of these people, your host and hostess? Are they known to be anti-crown sympathizers?"

  "I never met them before last night and I had never heard their names either. They live in the Mayfair district and their name is… oh, let me think." Frustrated I tapped my forehead. "I had it on the tip of my tongue just a moment ago. What sort of proper help will I be in solving this if I cannot do something as simple as remember a name?"

  "Take a deep breath and picture yourself speaking to them last night. What do you recall?"

  I did as she suggested, closed my eyes and inhaled all the way to my toes. I pictured meeting our host and hostess and the name started to tickle at the fringes of my memory.

  "It started with an F, I think. Feebot... no... Freespot... no... wait... Freebush. Yes, that is it. Lord and Lady Freebush." I looked up at Tempest, pleased with myself for remembering but the expression on her face was anything but impressed.

  I reached for her arm and gave her a shake. "Tempest, are you unwell? Is it the baby? Shall I call a doctor?"

  Standing, I waved my hand in the air and instantly, Mattie, Tempest's faithful maid, came running. It was not customary for a lady's maid to accompany her on visits, but with the Knox heir growing in Tempest's womb, Mattie refused to be far from her mistress. And considering they were violating James’ rule by visiting me at all, Mattie’s protective presence comforted me. I knew no harm would come to dear Tempest.

  Although I had found it a bit unnerving at first, on that day, I was grateful as the girl ran to Tempest's side.

  "Please, my lady. What can I do for you? Do you require a doctor?"

  Finally, Tempest righted herself and her eyes focused on Mattie. "No, thank you, Mattie. I do not require a doctor."

  Other servants had gathered awaiting instructions, but Tempest waved them all away. "You may go back to your duties. I am fine. Just in need of a bit of tea, I am sure."

  All of the help, save Mattie, followed her instructions. Mattie wetted a napkin with water from the table and dabbed at Tempest's brow. "Lord Knox will have my hide if anything happens to you or the babe, you know."

  Tempest smiled at her servant. "Thank you, Mattie. I am well aware of Lord Knox's protectiveness about this child." She glanced at me. "For a man who said he cared only to produce an heir, your son has changed his tune dramatically."

  "You have been a wonderful influence on him, my dear. Love will do that to a man."

  Mattie finally gave up ministering to Tempest and stepped back, but not so far, she could not hear our conversation.

  Tempest smiled at my compliment. "Yes, James has taught me what it is to love and be loved. I had not felt that way for many years, not since my parents had died."

  A hard look crossed her face.

  "And that is why I had such a severe reaction to your mention of your hosts from last night's dinner. Lord and Lady Freebush are my aunt and uncle. The ones into whose care I was thrust when my parents died."

  "You had dinner with the Freebushes?" Mattie inserted herself into our conversation. She was not my servant, but I made note to talk with Tempest, in private, about the girl's impertinence.

  "Are you saying the people I suspect of being traitors to the crown are your aunt and uncle?"

  "There might be others by those names," Tempest said. "Did they both have sour dispositions and did Lady Freebush's face seem to be pinched up all the time as though she had just smelled something unpleasant?"

  "Yes, that is an accurate description of her."

  "And their daughter," Mattie said, "Was she haughty and dull?"

  "Yes, true again, though honestly that is true of many a young lady, is it not?"

  Tempest giggled. "Agreed. Can you tell us more about the house?"

  "It was a nice enough house. Not grand, but respectable. They seemed to have a deplorable shortage of servants and the soup was watery."

  "That sounds like them," Mattie said with a sniff. "Tightest people with a coin I have ever seen."

  "Oh, and I found this in Lord Freebush's study, inside his desk drawer." I retrieved the book from my pocket and passed it to Tempest. I dared not risk the colonel finding it, so I carried it with me.

  "Scandalous!" Mattie read the cover over Tempest's shoulder.

  Tempest blushed and giggled. "Yes, this is Uncle Norbert for certain. I used to sneak into his study and read his naughty books," she confessed. "I stole a few of them but since I have been married... I have not found them quite so interesting." A blush crept up her face.

  "Well, you can pass them on to me if you've no use of them," Mattie said. "'Tis not as though there are any handsome men searching me out."

  Tempest

  As I sat in the carriage taking in the visage of the building which had been my residence—I refused to call it a home—for those many years I could feel the bile rising up from my gut. For nearly six years I had borne the loneliness and humiliation of being forced upon my mother's sister, Lady Hestia Freebush, and her dullard of a husband, Lord Norbert Freebush.

  At the time of my arrival, they had a daughter, Audra, who was near my age. My anguish over the loss of my parents in a viral epidemic which had devastated our county to the north was briefly lessened when I met my cousin. My hopes for one day having a sister had died with my parents, but perhaps a cousin living down the hall would be nearly as good.

  It was not.

  A shiver ran up my spine and my skin felt clammy.

  Could I force myself to cross that threshold? I had sworn never to do so ever again. Not that I ever expected to be invited or that anyone within the building would mourn the loss of my company.

  They were an uncaring, uncompassionate, and apparently, unpatriotic family. Much as it surprised me to think they might be part of a plot being investigated by the army, considering it would take a person of low character and morals to be part of such a traitorous scheme, I determined their involvement was not only plausible but likely.

  If I entered the home it was with the goal of acquiring sufficiently damning evidence to have them, at minimum, know that I knew about their dastardly behavior. Whatever punishment might be meted out to them beyond that mattered to me not at all.

  "Are you certain you are comfortable with making this call?" my mother-in-law, Lady Calliope St
. Clair asked. "I would not wish to bring you emotional harm."

  Though her words were genuine and sincerely meant, she also had not taken her eyes off the house since our carriage stopped a few houses down and parked along the walkway. Lady Calliope pulled out her opera glass and extended the end like a mini-spy lens and poked it out the window to stare at the residence of my detestable relations... Lord and Lady Freebush.

  If I had little reason to claim them before, I had even less now.

  I glanced across the carriage at Mattie. She too had survived years of drudgery in this same residence. She had been my only friend there and I hated to consider the depths of despair she must have endured under the oppression of the Freebushes.

  Mattie's usually animated face had gone somber and her hands were fisted at her sides.

  My eyes met hers and I wondered at the wisdom of including her in this escapade. However, she had listened in to the final part of my conversation with Lady Calliope and it would have been impossible to leave her behind. She would have run after the carriage if necessary.

  Mattie's loyalty and fierce protectiveness brought me comfort, but I did not wish to have her endanger herself in this quest.

  "Mattie," I said, "You do understand you need not be part of this little endeavor of ours."

  "I understand," she said, "and I thank you for your consideration. Please, do not concern yourself with my welfare. I had simply forgotten how vile this house made me feel, but I am over it now and am determined to play my part. Very little would give me more pleasure than to see this family shamed."

  After sneaking off to visit my mother-in-law earlier in the day, we determined we would lose no time in putting our plan into action. Sadly, we did not have much of a plan aside from gaining entrance through my relation to them, as well as Lady Calliope's ostensible desire to thank her hosts for dinner the night before.

  On the surface it all appeared quite reasonable.

  Under the surface, my stomach roiled.