His Lady Mistress

116 His Lady Mistress‘Umm...it’s not lit,’ she pointed out, dazed at the suddenpounding of her heart at his touch, the trembling of her hands.Kneeling by the hearth, he commented, ‘I may be an earlnow, but I assure you I perfectly recollect how to manage atinderbox!’In moments the fire was flickering brightly, doing verylittle to dispel the icy lump in her heart, the appalling realisationthat her uncle had actually denied her very existence.So...how?‘How did you know?’‘My valet,’ he said, straightening up. ‘He found out fromthat maid—Sukey?—that you weren’t dead. So then I knewwho ‘‘Selina Dering’’ really was. Why, Verity, why did youdo it? You can’t have intended to be my mistress. What couldyou possibly have gained?’Shock gripped her. All the fear and hurt of the last fiveyears welled up, but she managed to say simply, ‘My freedom.When I thought about your offer, I realised that it wasmy chance to escape—if I did something so shocking thatthey would never take me back.’He sat back on his heels, staring, horror in his face. ‘ForGod’s sake, girl! The risk you took!’‘What risk?’ she asked quietly. ‘I had nothing to lose.’His eyes glinted. ‘I beg to differ. You certainly did havesomething to lose! And I took it!’She shut her eyes, fighting against a pounding tide of desireas her body quivered under the memory of the first instantwhen he had been deep inside her, part of her. His scorn hurtfar more than the loss of her virginity.When she managed to open her eyes she did not meet hisfurious gaze. ‘It is irrelevant—’‘The hell it is!’ he exploded. ‘You may choose to thinkit—’‘Totally irrelevant,’ she insisted, clenching her fists so hardthe nails dug into her palms. ‘My cousin...’ She shudderedat the thought of losing her virginity to Godfrey. Controlling