The Devilish Trollop, page 10
“Yes,” he answered, his voice hoarse. “I would be delighted to show them to you after supper. Indeed, I believe I have just the tasty morsel for you to gorge on as a dessert.”
As repelled as Felicity was, she couldn’t help but feel a small thrill of victory. It would be child’s play to lure Lord Cunningham into her trap.
“Is it a large dessert, my lord?” she asked, coaxing him along.
“Terribly,” he said, lowering his voice to a growl. “I dare say you may find yourself taking too large a bite and choking.”
The only thing that prevented Felicity from casting up her accounts right then was the utterly scandalized look on the face of Lady Jameson, who was seated by Lord Cunningham’s side. Clearly, the woman knew exactly what was being discussed and was appalled. It took everything Felicity had not to laugh outright. Lord Cunningham was marching himself swiftly into humiliation without her having to do more than dangle a carrot in front of him.
Of course, the one thorn in Felicity’s otherwise rosy plan was catching sight of Sully, several places down the table. He stared at her with an expression filled with a dozen emotions at least, all piled together. Confusion seemed to win out over the rest of them, however. Felicity smiled at him, attempting to communicate with her thoughts alone that all was well and that the two of them would be together forever in short order.
The meal wore on. Felicity continued to string Lord Cunningham along, much to Lady Cavendish’s delight. She proved to be a valuable ally and helped to steer the conversation in ways that would allow Lord Cunningham to think he had a chance with Felicity. By the time the final course was served and Caro rose from the foot of the table, it was clear the bastard was hooked.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Caro said in a loud, clear voice. “I now invite you to relocate to the Spanish parlor, where the stage for tonight’s theatrical entertainment has been erected.”
Lady Cavendish snorted into the last of her wine at Caro’s last words.
Everyone rose from the table, creating exactly the noise and chaos Felicity needed to bring her scheme to its next phase. As predicted, Lord Cunningham skirted quickly around the table to intercept her before she could leave the room.
“I simply must get you alone,” he said in wolfish tones, standing far too close. He’d clearly drunk too much wine with his supper, which would have sent Felicity running under normal circumstances, but which was perfect for the moment.
“We don’t have much time.” Felicity played along, forcing herself to lean closer to him. “I have certain needs that only you can fulfill, my lord.”
“You don’t say,” he growled, flushing to a disturbing puce color.
“But not here,” Felicity whispered on.
“Certainly not here,” Lord Cunningham agreed, looking around at the emptying room.
“There is a small room off the east hall,” Felicity said, her pulse racing as she lay the bait in her trap. “It is discreet. It also has the advantage of being directly adjacent to the Spanish parlor.”
Lord Cunningham looked taken aback. “Won’t that lead to discovery?”
“Quite the opposite,” Felicity said as they began walking the length of the room toward the door. She was acutely aware of Sully lingering at the far end of the room and prayed he would both stay put and not attempt to interfere with her plans. “The room of which I speak will be perfect. The noise coming from the assembly as they take their seats will be loud enough to drown out any other sounds.”
“Oh, I see,” Lord Cunningham said, looking and sounding as if he might unman himself right there in the dining room. “We should be off for this room at once.”
“You go on ahead,” she said, turning to Lady Cavendish, who had lingered behind, clearly to listen in. “I must have a word with Lady Cavendish about a matter of utmost importance first.”
“Are you certain—”
“Go, go sir. I will meet you there.”
She pushed Lord Cunningham’s arm. It was exactly the prompt he needed to hurry through the room, dodging some of the slower guests and outright shoving one man.
As soon as he was out of the room, Felicity let out a shaky breath of relief that turned into a laugh.
“Whatever are you plotting, my dear?” Lady Cavendish asked, her eyes sparkling.
“You will see soon enough,” Felicity replied. “And if you are seated at the front of the audience for tonight’s entertainment, you will see quite a lot.”
“I am intrigued,” Lady Cavendish said, breaking away from Felicity and rushing toward the door, as if to snag the best seat in the makeshift theater.
Felicity picked up her pace, marching down the length of the room. Sully had disappeared, but she wasn’t at all surprised when he leapt out from just around the corner in the hall to grab her arm and tug her aside, into a small room across from the dining room.
“What in the devil’s name is going on?” he asked, the same mix of strong emotions in his expression that had been present at the supper table. He gripped her forearms in what was almost an embrace but also maintained a cautious distance.
“I am about to have revenge on Lord Cunningham for cruelly keeping the two of us apart,” she said, rushing straight into, “Sully, there’s something you must know.”
“You are a wealthy heiress,” he said before she could reveal all.
Felicity burst into a smile. “You know?”
“Rufus informed me this afternoon, just after I abandoned you so rashly and unforgivably.” He swayed closer to her. “Can you forgive me for being such a gullible dolt? For failing to question the lies I was told and for leaving you to fend for yourself in the library? I should have known it was too rainy for you to escape out the way we came in.”
“There is nothing to forgive,” Felicity said, resting one hand on his cheek. Mirth danced through her all the more, knowing that Sully would be hers now, even though he had yet to say so outright. “In fact,” she went on, “leaving me in the library enabled me to overhear the full truth of just how horrid Lord Cunningham is.”
“My God.” Sully’s eyes went wide. “You were trapped alone with him?”
“No.” She shook her head. “I concealed myself behind a screen. I overheard Lord Cunningham and Lord Marlowe discussing some of the most foul and offensive things I have ever heard.” He opened his mouth, but she rushed on with, “I was not discovered or harmed, but I was given all the fodder I need to humiliate Lord Cunningham and bring him down, once and for all.”
“You were?” Sully blinked.
“Yes, dearest,” Felicity rushed on, taking a half step back from him. “There is no time to tell you everything as of yet. I must fly off to spring the trap I have laid and to destroy the man who sought to keep us apart.”
She broke away entirely and started to leave, but he stopped her with, “I love you.”
Felicity turned back to him.
“I want to marry you,” he went on. “Say you’ll be mine.”
She stepped back over to him, planting a quick kiss squarely on his lips. “I am already yours. If you still want me after what I am about to do.”
“I will always want you,” he said as she turned and dashed down the hall.
She twisted just enough to send him a wicked smile, then hurried on to meet Lord Cunningham.
“There you are,” Lord Cunningham said as Felicity rushed into the room adjacent to the Spanish parlor. “I was growing impatient.”
He was growing in many ways, as was obvious from the bulge in his breeches and his awkward gait as he crossed the room to greet her. Felicity swallowed hard and gathered all her courage for what lay ahead.
“Ah, my lord, we have so little time,” she said, rushing to him and grasping the front of his jacket. It was the best way she could think of to touch him without opening herself to be embraced or fondled in return. Her arms remained firmly between the two of them. “Quickly,” she said, working hard to seem hungry and adoring. “Remove your clothes.”
“Blimey, you are up for it,” he growled, starting in straight away on the buttons of his coat.
Felicity rushed to the room’s fireplace to retrieve the silk blindfold that Caro had loaned her for the trap. She glanced to the side of the room, where the large set of double-doors that opened into the Spanish parlor stood. They were covered with a set of thick, velvet curtains. Beyond, the din of the party guests gathering to watch the theatrics was as loud as if they were in the room with her and Lord Cunningham. Which was precisely the point.
“What is that?” Lord Cunningham asked when she brought the blindfold back over to him. He already had his coat and waistcoat off and was tugging his shirt out of his breeches.
“A blindfold, my lord,” she said, circling behind him.
He turned with her, preventing her from fixing it in place. “What do we need that for?” he asked with a chuckle.
It was the one part of the plan she had worried she wouldn’t be able to carry off, but if her trick were to have the maximum effect, she needed the bastard to put it on.
“Is it not more exciting merely to feel pleasure?” she asked in a coaxing tone.
“I bloody well want to look at your tits when I fuck you,” he answered.
A sharp twist of fear pierced her. “Ah, but we should play as a prelude to penetration,” she said, praying that he would go along with her. “I can assure you, there is no greater way to enhance the pleasure of having a woman swallow your cock than to experience feeling without your other senses interfering.”
“If I put this blasted blindfold on, will you take it all in?” he asked, his voice harsh.
“Absolutely, my lord.” It took all of Felicity’s effort to sound aroused by the suggestion. She was only able to carry on with the ruse because the dull rumble of the audience in the Spanish parlor had hushed. That was exactly the sign she needed that Caro and the others were playing their part. In fact, the gentle creak of the double doors being opened was exactly the signal she needed that her scheme would work.
“Let me adjust that for you, my lord,” she said stepping behind Lord Cunningham and tying the blindfold as tightly as she could behind his head.
“If your pussy is as tight as you’ve tied this bloody thing, I’ll be dreaming of this evening for years to come,” he said.
A gentle murmur replaced the buzz of the audience in the other room.
“I’m certain you will, my lord,” Felicity said, steering him closer to the curtains. “Now, let’s just take care of this.”
She helped him to sweep his shirt off over his head, then unbuttoned his breeches.
“Tell me, my lord,” she as quietly as she could, inching him closer still to the curtains. “How did you manage to win me away from a handsome and virile young man like Lord Whitlock?”
“It was easy,” he said, playing right into Felicity’s hands by speaking loudly. He peeled off his breeches as he did, letting them drop around his ankles. His short, fat cock sprung up as he did. “Most young bucks are ignoramuses. Not a one of them attending this party is worthy of polishing my boots.”
“I’m just going to step back and remove my clothes,” Felicity whispered in his ear. “But I want you hard and ready.”
He made a disgusting sound of pleasure and grabbed himself, pumping hard.
“Tell me more about how grand you are and how foolish the others are,” Felicity said softly as she crept toward the curtain cords.
“I cannot tell you how invigorating it is to hear you appreciate me, my dear,” he said even louder than before. Evidently, he thought she had moved far enough away that he had to practically shout to be heard. “Nubile young things like you are wasted on idiots like Whitlock. Why, if you want real pleasure, I’m your man. I’ve buggered half the young debutantes in London, and not one of them complained.” He laughed at himself and stroked faster. “Mind you, a few of them were too young to know there was anything to complain about. Get ’em while they’re fresh, I say. Too many women fancy themselves fine ladies when really, they’re nothing but whores gagging for a fuck. Take ’em before their first season, that’s what I say. Why, you should have seen the way that Margate bitch squealed and cried when I fucked her right under her dear Papa’s nose last summer.”
Felicity couldn’t have planned Lord Cunningham’s speech better if she’d penned it herself. She was sick to her stomach, but giddy with vengeance at the same time. And as he reached his confession about what was most certainly a crime against poor Lord Margate’s young daughter, she tugged hard on the curtain cords. The curtains swept open just as he blurted his confession, and the entire assembly of Caro and Rufus’s party were treated to the full sight of Lord Cunningham with his breeches around his ankles, tugging on his sausage as though he were intent on winning a race.
The reaction of the audience was instantaneous and deeply satisfying. A collective gasp rent the air, followed by several screams. Lady Malvis screamed loudest of all and continued screaming as the room broke into pandemonium. Lady Cavendish was seated in the front row, just as Felicity had predicted. She burst into raucous laughter.
“What the devil?”
Lord Cunningham whipped off his blindfold to find himself face-to-face with several dozen men and women whom he’s just insulted. His hand constricted around his erection and his already red face flushed harder. Best of all, in a moment Felicity couldn’t have planned if she wanted to, Lord Cunningham came with a burst that shot his pearly essence with astounding momentum straight onto the skirt of Lady Jameson, who sat by Lady Cavendish’s side.
“You little whore,” Lord Cunningham shouted, turning toward Felicity. He started toward her, murder in his eyes, but tripped over his breeches, spilling to the floor.
Felicity dropped the curtain cords with a laugh. “That’ll teach you to be a disgusting, pitiful, lecherous cunt,” she shouted at him over the roar of screams, laughter, and movement in the Spanish parlor. The sound of chairs scraping and gentlemen trying to take the situation in hand grew louder and louder.
“You’ll never live this down,” Lord Cunningham growled, glaring up at her murderously as he crawled across the floor, trying to stand.
“Neither will you,” Felicity said.
She was tempted to kick him while he was still down, but sense got the better of her. Lord Cunningham’s reputation was utterly destroyed, but so was hers as well. It was an easy price to pay, as far as she was concerned, but it was the end for her. She did the only thing left for her to do. She turned and fled the room.
Chapter 10
“Come back here, you wicked bitch,” Lord Cunningham shouted as Felicity reached the grand front hall.
She couldn't help but laugh, though a fair amount of fear prompted the nervous reaction. Lord Cunningham had recovered from his spill far faster than she would have liked. If she could just make it to her room before he caught her, she might be safe.
“I’ll teach you to humiliate me,” he continued to call after her.
She paused at the foot of the stairs, twisting back to him. Lord Cunningham was at the far end of the hall, shirtless, clutching his breeches around his waist, and radiating fury. But he wasn’t the only thing she had to worry about. Guests were rushing into the hall from the Spanish parlor, none of them looking as though they truly knew what to do in the face of such an astounding scandal. They shrieked and dodged out of Lord Cunningham’s way, which didn’t help her flight one bit.
“Hurry!”
The urgent, whispered word came from Sully as he dashed up to her, placing a hand on the small of her back and all but pushing her up the stairs. Mischief and humor danced in his eyes, which set Felicity instantly at ease. She picked up her skirts and tore up the stairs as fast as she could.
Her fear eased entirely and the whole thing was a joke once more as she and Sully reached the first floor and raced down the hall toward her bedroom, laughing like disobedient children as they did.
“I’ll have your worthless hide, you evil Jezebel,” Lord Cunningham roared as he chased them. “You’ll never be accepted in polite society again. I’ll ruin you as thoroughly as if I’d fucked you raw.”
Felicity didn’t care. Sully was by her side now, and the moment they darted into her bedroom, he turned to slam the door shut and lock it behind them.
“That was a close call,” she began, but was cut off by a horrendous thump that sounded as if Lord Cunningham had thrown his whole weight against the door.
“Come out of there and face what you deserve, you trollop,” the horrible man shouted, then banged on the door.
Felicity couldn’t stop laughing as she backpedaled all the way to the bed, praying the door’s hinges would hold. She clapped a hand over her mouth and began to tremble as she realized the full implication of what she’d done.
“What’s done is done, sir,” Sully shouted through the door in cool, firm tones. “You would not have humiliated yourself had you behaved like a gentleman rather than a miserable old satyr.”
“Whitlock!” Lord Cunningham stopped banging on the door for a moment. “I should have known you were involved in this, you indigent pup.”
“And I will thank you not to continue your insults toward my fiancée by behaving like a ravening boor now,” Sully went on.
Felicity’s heart melted at his words, harsh though they were. His fiancée. After everything she’d done and all the ways she’d destroyed her reputation, he still wanted to marry her. It was so encouraging that tears stung the back of her eyes. He loved her not for her money or the image she presented, but for who she was. He would have to love her, after all she’d done.
“You fool,” Lord Cunningham hissed. “I’ll see you ruined as well. Do you think her fortune will save you? Ha! You will not be received in any respectable house. You will be cut at every turn. Your sisters as well. I will see to that.”
Felicity’s joy tumbled and she clasped a hand to her heart. “Your sisters,” she whispered. “Oh dear, I’m so sorry. I didn’t think of them. He’s right, it will ruin them if you marry me. I can’t—”
