Page 1 of To Seduce A Rake
Chapter 1
Hertfordshire, England - July, 1817
Rebecca Eliot, daughter of the late Earl of St. Germans, clasped the hand of the coachman who helped her down from her carriage in front of the Blue Lion Inn. The sun was just beginning to set, creating the most beautiful array of orange and pink colors in the sky. Her face shifted to a wide smile, never having felt more free from the confounds of society than she did at that moment.
At six-and-twenty, she was considered a spinster, firmly on the shelf. And she had long accepted that fact, but it was her mother who held out hope for the last couple of seasons.
Rebecca knew she didn’t have any memorable or attention-capturing features with her brown hair and brown eyes. While she possessed a trim figure, so did many other women. Rebecca was the type of woman who had always blended into the background, and after attending eight seasons, donning fashionable ball gowns, which decorated the walls at countless events, she accepted it was unlikely she would marry.
If her plain looks didn’t attract a suitor, her associations hadn’t helped. First, there was her brother, the current Earl of St. Germans, who was rumored to have ruined a young debutante years ago and fled London, only to stroll back into their good graces when he flashed his handsome smile.
Then there was her closest friend, Theodosia, who had made quite a name for herself in various attempts to secure one of the eligible titled gentlemen, or ruin the members of a set of well-liked ladies. Rebecca never carried quite the same level of disdain that Theodosia had for them. They were all beautiful and darlings of the ton, which she might have envied, but she had always tried not to engage in Theodosia’s act of disdain.
Between her brother’s and Theodosia’s behaviors, Rebecca had been deemed a lost cause. No gentleman wished to seek a match with the sister of a rumored debaucher of women and best friend of the most vicious, opportunistic gossip of the ton. The ones who did were men old enough to be her grandfather or fortunate hunters.
She was at least fortunate her father, when he was alive, didn’t see fit to marry her off to the few who had made offers without even so much as deigning to have a single conversation with her.
Her brother cared little about her prospects, and since she’d long reached her age of majority, he only shrugged his shoulders when she declared she wished to return to their home in Derbyshire. He had allowed her to travel with only her maid, driver, and a coachman to accompany her, while her mother had wished to remain in Town to attend the last few parties of the season. The freedom of being on her own for the first time thrilled her.
“My lady,” Baxter started, “do you wish for me to escort you inside?”
Rebecca shook off her woolgathering and focused her attention on her coachman. “That won’t be necessary. Maggieand I shall be fine on our own. My brother sent word to reserve rooms for us.”
Rebecca started towards the entrance of the inn, Maggie following behind. They met the innkeeper, who introduced himself as Mister Hanner and gave them each a key to their chambers.
The pair ascended the stairs, navigating to the rooms that Mister Hanner had indicated. When Rebecca reached her door, she turned the knob, as the innkeeper stated the rooms would be unlocked.
“My lady, I don’t think…” Maggie’s voice trailed off.
But Rebecca had already pushed the door open.
“Do you typically waltz into other people’s rooms?” a rich baritone asked from inside the chamber.
His voice immediately mesmerized her, and she fixed her gaze on the figure seated on the large wingback chair. He had one hand behind his head and a leg draped over the armrest. She noticed almost immediately that he was naked from the waist up, a sight she had never seen before. And she understood at that moment how young ladies could be taken in by the male form as the urge to run her hands along his chiseled muscles was quite strong.
“Are you unable to speak?” he asked, pulling her from her increasingly wanton thoughts.
“I…I thought this was my room,” she said, uncertain how she had spoken the words given the impact the man in front of her had on her. She needed a glass of water. And a fan. Definitely a fan.
He swirled the drink in his other hand as she took notice of his rich, light auburn hair. His hair was styled longer than most gentlemen, and she longed to push it back from his face so she might better determine the color of his eyes.
“Well, Angel, unless you aim to share this chamber with me tonight, I believe you have stumbled into the wrong room.”
Her cheeks immediately warmed, and she knew she must have been as red as a tomato. Based on the way he smirked at her, the reaction wasn’t lost on him.
“My lady,” Maggie said from behind her, her tone protective, “your chamber is next door.”
“Well then, ‘my lady’ is it?” he asked, coming to stand, then crossed the short distance to her and captured her hand in his. He brought her knuckles to his lips, then stared into her eyes.
Green. His eyes were the deepest emerald green, and they pulled her into a deeper trance than his voice had.
“If you should change your mind. You know where to find me.” He winked at her, and his expression was full of mirth.
He was toying with her. Saying shocking things to see how she would react. Typical rakish behavior, whether or not he’d meant what he said. He needn’t know that her body was on fire and he’d unlocked desires she hadn’t even known she had. Doing her best to school her features, she shifted her expression to one of boredom.
“Come, Maggie,” she said. “I believe we have experienced all there is to see here.”
The auburn-haired god chuckled. “Hardly. But given I have no desire to see some angry father or brother on the dueling ground, you had best scurry along to your own chamber.”
