Miss Sheringham had caught her lower lip in her teeth. Did she not realize how tempting she looked? Then he realized what the countess had said. "Yes," he said. "Miss Sheringham and I have met."

So, the chit had let the cat out of the bag. How much had she said?

"My cousin, Major Sheringham, introduced us earlier this evening," Miss Sheringham said without a blink to reveal the lie.

So, their encounter in London was still a secret. He had spent a great deal of time pondering what would have happened if they had not been interrupted. He would have sworn Miss Sheringham was relieved to have escaped his company that day. Now she appeared almost happy to see him. Had she had second thoughts? Did she regret the interruption of their tryst as much as he did? He bowed over the hand she held out to him. "Miss Sheringham."

"Captain Wharton," she replied.

The Countess of Denbigh looked significantly at the orchestra tuning up on a raised dais and back to Captain Sheringham. He had never seen such blatant manipulation. It would be simple to ignore the young countess. She should know the Beau never danced with eligible young ladies.

The orchestra began playing the first strains of music. A waltz. He would be able to hold Miss Sheringham in his arms. He would be able to see just how well their bodies fit together. He held out his arm. "Would you care to dance, Miss Sheringham?"

"I do not think-"

The countess nipped Miss Sheringham's rebellion in the bud. "Of course she will. Why else come to a dance?"

"To gossip," Miss Sheringham snapped, darting daggers in Miss Whitcomb's direction.

Marcus watched the Diamond staring at Miss Sheringham, obviously talking to a group of young people behind her fan. The ladies tittered nervously, and the gentlemen flushed as red as mangel-wurzels, except for Julian, who merely scowled.

The countess sent Miss Sheringham a warning look, and she bit back whatever trenchant wit she had been about to share.

"Shall we?" Marcus held out his arm, and Miss Sheringham placed her gloved hand on it.

Before they were halfway to the dance floor, she whispered, "I must speak with you privately, Captain Wharton. Can you maneuver us onto the terrace?"

As impossible as it seemed, she apparently wanted to resume their dalliance. But she had picked entirely the wrong time and place. If he left with her, the Diamond would be sure to notice. He preferred his affairs to be more discreet.

"I think not," he said.

He whirled her into the dance, vexed that he was attracted to someone so naive. Did she not realize the compromising position she would be in if they were discovered kissing on the terrace? Regrettably, he did.

"I must speak with you," she insisted.

"I am not going anywhere alone with you, Miss Sheringham."

She looked up at him, her eyes glowing with excitement. "I need your help, Captain. You cannot refuse me."

He pulled her close to escape another waltzing couple and felt her warm breasts pillow against his chest. His body responded so quickly, it was all he could do to separate them before she discovered his arousal. "What kind of help?" he growled.

"I wish to learn how to seduce a man."

He nearly collided with a palm tree. He managed to dance her beyond it and out onto the empty terrace. Exactly where he did not want to be. Especially with her.

He halted abruptly, grabbed her hand, and pulled her after him to a place where the light from the ballroom did not reach. Another couple was already there before them. He hid Miss Sheringham's face against his uniform and backed away, then led her down the steps from the terrace, gravel crunching underfoot, into the gardens beyond.

He did not stop until they were well into a high hedge that had been cut into a maze. Lanterns had been placed above the walkways within the maze, but there were plenty of shadowed places where couples could find privacy. He saw a stone bench and led her toward it. He sat her down-ungently-and stood before her, his hands behind his back, rather like a stem father before his wayward daughter.

"Now, Miss Sheringham. I believe I must have mistaken what I heard. Would you mind repeating what you said?"

"I want to learn how to seduce a man."

He rocked back on his heels. "I see." What he saw was that she was up to some mischief and intended to include him.

"I thought you would," she said happily. She bounced up and crossed to him, removing the space he had put between them. "It is because of Julian, of course. I am in love with him, but he hardly notices I am alive. I want to make him fall in love with me. You can teach me how."

He cleared his throat. "It seems you are under a misapprehension, Miss Sheringham."

Her fisted hands landed on her hips, and she tapped her red satin pump on the stone walkway. "You cannot tell me you do not know how to seduce a woman." She poked him with a pointed finger. "You are forgetting I have firsthand experience. I know how effective your methods are."

"I would never-"

Her hand flattened against his uniform, and he felt his heart speed up beneath it. "It stands to reason the same techniques could be applied by a woman with a man."

"I never said-"

She grabbed his arm with both hands. "You're Julian's friend. You want him to be happy, don't you?"

"Yes, but-"

"Then you must help me! I will make him a good wife, I promise you."

Marcus stood without speaking, unwilling to be interrupted again. When she remained silent for more than a moment, he said, "There is one fatal flaw in your plan."

She took a step back and looked at him, a V of concern between her eyes. "What is that?"

"I presume you want Julian to fall in love with you?"

"Correct."

"I am afraid I cannot help you with that, Miss Sheringham."

"But-"

He cut her off before she could touch him again. "I can teach you how to seduce him," he clarified. "I cannot teach you how to make him fall in love with you. They are not at all the same thing, you know."

"Oh." She sank onto the stone bench. "Oh, dear. I was so sure ... I was certain ... How could I have made such an error in calculation? You are right, of course."

The delightfully eager face she had shown him only moments before was painted in gloom. Her shoulders sagged, and she put a hand to her forehead, as though she felt faint.

"Are you all right, Miss Sheringham?"

"No," she whispered.

He wanted to rescue her from desolation. He wanted to kiss her and caress her. He wanted to do with her what he was known best for doing with women. He wanted to ravish her.

He did not know what was stopping him. She was vulnerable. It would not take much. A soft word, a softer touch, and she would be his. He could take her right here on the ground. He knew how to make her crave what he had to offer her. She would forget all about Julian.

She loves Julian.

He swore under his breath. Honor had reared its head at a particularly inconvenient moment. Julian had rejected Miss Sheringham. That ought to be enough to leave the way clear for him.

In this case, it was not.

Miss Sheringham clearly still had her sights set on his friend. Until she gave up on Julian, he was not free to pursue her. So he might as well help her.

The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. "I could teach you a few things that might work to garner Julian's attention. Once you have him by your side, he cannot fail to notice what a prize you are."

Her head came up. Her shoulders squared. Her eyes gleamed bright with hope. "Do you think so?"

"It is worth a try."

"Thank you, Captain. Thank you!"

She leaped up from the bench and threw herself toward him before he could curb her exuberance. His arms naturally encircled her waist. And he had his answer. She fit against him perfectly in all the right places.

"Enough of this," he said, pushing her away. "Someone might come along and get entirely the wrong idea."

She grinned. "I imagine so." She hugged herself, forcing her bosom even farther out of the low-cut gown, and beamed at him. "Where shall we start? What should I learn first?"

"I will think about it and let you know," he said. "Right now, we must return to the ballroom."

"But I want to get started right away. Tonight."

"It should suffice that we have disappeared for a few minutes together," Marcus said with a rueful twist of his mouth. "Unless I am very much mistaken, the gossips-Miss Whitcomb comes to mind-will have pointed out to your cousin that we are missing together. He should be looking for us at this very minute. I suggest-"

"Eliza? Are you in here?"

"It's Julian!" she hissed.

"Over here, Julian," Marcus answered in a loud voice.

"What are you doing?" Miss Sheringham whispered. "He will be furious with me."

"He will notice you. And that is the point, is it not, my dear?"

Her eyes went wide. "Oh. I see."

"However, I suggest we head back in his direction, and please, Miss Sheringham, stop chewing your lip. Your cousin is liable to misinterpret the reason it has become so swollen."

"Oh." She touched her damp, swollen lower lip. "You mean he will think you have been kissing me."

"Exactly."

"Perhaps a little jealousy-"

He pulled her to a stop. "A word of warning before you play at seduction, Miss Sheringham: it is a dangerous game. The consequences can be deadly. Do not underestimate Julian. He has killed men for less reason than the one you would offer him."

"But Julian would never-"

"Julian would kill me as certainly as he would any other man for an insult to your honor. Never doubt it, Miss Sheringham. It will make this game safer for both of us."

To Marcus's utter amazement, the first person around the corner of the maze was not Julian, but the Countess of Denbigh. She was followed closely by the Duchess of Braddock.

"Good evening, Captain Wharton," the countess said with a breezy smile. It was immediately apparent she had come to rescue Miss Sheringham from his nefarious clutches. She slipped her arm through Miss Sheringham's on one side, while the duchess did the same on the other. "I have been missing my friend, Captain. Her Grace and I decided we could not wait one more minute for Miss Sheringham's return. Please excuse us."

Eliza stared helplessly over her shoulder at him as the ladies led her away.

Marcus smiled ruefully. One problem had been solved. He would not have to make excuses to Julian for what he was doing alone with Miss Sheringham. And if he was not mistaken, the two ladies involved would ensure that no slanderous repercussions resulted from Miss Sheringham's temporary disappearance from the ballroom.

"Shame on you, Eliza," Charlotte chided, a gleam of laughter in her eyes. "To steal away to the maze with the worst rake in London."

Eliza was still too stunned to speak coherently. "I never meant-"

Charlotte laughed. "Of course you did. What woman would not have welcomed a tryst with such a man? Did he kiss you? I must say it appears he did. Did you enjoy it? I hear rakes make the very best husbands."

"Charlie!" Olivia protested. "Leave the poor girl alone. You are pushing her in a direction she may not wish to go."

"He is perfect for her," Charlie said. "And she is just the woman for him."

Eliza stared dumbfounded at the countess.

"All I did was provide the opportunity for you to meet each other," Charlie said. "I hoped that fate would arrange the rest. And I see it has." She eyed Eliza's swollen mouth. "Which means, that unless you are ready to be whisked off to church without further adieu, we must make some excuse and escort you upstairs without anyone the wiser."

"But the captain did not kiss me," Eliza protested.

"Fortunately, you will not have to make that protest to anyone but us," the countess said with a smile. "Because you do not say it in the least persuasively."

Eliza groaned. How had everything gotten so mixed up? All she had wanted to do was learn how to make Julian love her. Instead, her hostess had her paired with entirely the wrong man! There was no time for delay. She would have to set to work immediately making Julian notice her.

That is, after she had first met privately with the Beau for her first lesson in seduction.

Chapter 10.

Amisty fog cloaked the hills, making Eliza's early morning tryst with the Beau seem even more furtive. Mephistopheles fought the bit, as she held the stallion to a canter. The sun barely teased the dark horizon, spilling pink and yellow into the early morning sky.

"All right, boy," she said, giving the stallion his head when her destination was in sight. "Run to your heart's content." The earth smelled fecund as the stallion's hooves tore into it. Eliza leaned forward and laughed, as the wind whipped the man's hat from her head and sent her hair tumbling in all directions.

She reined Mephistopheles to a stop at the bottom of the hill and turned him back to retrieve her-or rather, Julian's-hat. She planned to sneak back into the Braddock house as she had left it-dressed as a man. She had already tasted the sharp edge of Miss Whitcomb's tongue. She had no intention of giving Miss Whitcomb further scandal-broth to bandy about behind her fan.