First Print Edition: September 2020
ISBN-13: 978-1-5161-1055-1
ISBN-10: 1-5161-1055-2
Printed in the United States of America
Dedication
For Dave, my constant hero. My heart.
Acknowledgments
Thanks to my wonderful group of women friends who keep me focused and forging ahead: Karla, Gemma, Juliette, Naima, Kristi, Corinne, Maggie, Tif, Laura, Mina, Farah, Robin, Sheryl, and Mona. You ladies are my rock. None of this would happen without your sturdy shoulders to lean on.
To our men and women serving in the military and their families. Thank you for all you do.
Chapter 1
The home of Geb Arafa, a mile outside of London
The last person Nicholas Ellsworth expected to find at his good friend Geb Arafa’s dinner party was Lady Faith Landon. Yet there she was, Nicholas’s fiancée, maddeningly pretty and equally aggravating. She fit perfectly with the lush décor and priceless artifacts in Geb’s parlor. “Lady Faith, I had not expected to find you here. In fact, you and your friends’ presence is an astonishment.”
“I hope you are not too put out. It seems Lord and Lady Marsden have become fast friends with Mr. Arafa, and that friendship has extended to the rest of the Wallflowers of West Lane.” Despite his desire to be rid of her, Faith’s soft voice flowed over him like a summer stream and he longed to hear that voice in the dark, in their bed. The way her curves filled out the rose gown set his body aflame and there seemed nothing he could do about it.
He shook away his attraction, reminding himself that this was a sneaky, manipulative woman whom it had been a mistake to attach himself to. The fact that he longed to find out if her honey-brown curls were as wild as they promised, despite her attempts to tame them into submission, shouldn’t matter. Nor should his desire to get lost in her wheat-colored eyes and voluptuous curves. This was a woman made for loving.
Lord, he hated himself. “I wonder that your being here with those friends is not some dire plot in the making.”
He had reason to be suspicious. When he’d first arrived home from France, in the spring, she and her friends had engaged in spying on him and trying to ferret out his past. It was intolerable. He should have called off the engagement, but the thought of ruining her for good society didn’t sit well with Nicholas. Instead he’d offered her the opportunity to set him aside, but she had refused to do so as of yet.
She frowned, and was no less stunning. Her full lips longed to be kissed back into an upturned state. “We are here because Mr. Arafa invited us. He’s your friend. I’m surprised he didn’t mention it.”
Nick was equally bewildered by Geb’s silence on the matter of Faith and the other members of the Wallflowers of West Lane. He had met them on several occasions during his feeble efforts to get to know Faith. Her instant suspicions that he was hiding something may have led to her friends’ actions, but he still couldn’t let the slight die. Though he did admire the strength of the friendship between Faith and the three women she’d gone to finishing school with. They were as close as any soldiers who fought and died together. Even if they called themselves “wallflowers,” there was nothing diminished about any of the four.
“He is not required to give me his invitation list.” It pushed out more bitterly than intended.
Those cunning eyes narrowed. “I think you would like it exceedingly well if he did.”
That she wasn’t wrong raised the hair on the back of Nick’s neck. He had not been able to keep many friends over the years. His work for the Crown had made that impossible. Now his friendship with Geb Arafa was in jeopardy as well.
He bowed to her. “I do not always get what I want, Lady Faith.”
Head cocked, she raised one brown eyebrow. “Don’t you, Your Grace?”
Geb chose that moment to stroll over. His dark skin set off his bright tawny eyes, and though he dressed in the black suit and white cravat typical of an Englishman, there was no mistaking his Eastern background. “Nicholas, I’m so glad you are here. I thought you might be held up with politics.”
Nicholas accepted his offered hand. “I finished my meetings and came directly.”
Smiling in her charming way, Faith’s golden eyes flashed. “I shall leave you gentlemen to catch up.”
Both Nicholas and Geb bowed and watched her join her friends near the pianoforte.
“She is a delightful woman, Nick. You should reconcile and marry her.” Geb ran his hand through his black hair, smoothing it back from his forehead.
Not willing to let his attraction to Faith rule his decisions, Nicholas forced down the desire seeing his betrothed always ignited in him. “She is sneaky and devious. I shall wait for her to give up and call off.”
“I would have thought such character traits would appeal to you.” Geb lowered his voice. “After all, you are a spy with much the same qualities. You might consider speaking to the lady and finding out the details behind her actions.”
“Why don’t you just tell me what you know, Geb?” It was obvious his friend knew more than he’d disclosed thus far. Nicholas asking for more was futile. If Geb was going to tell him more than he already had, he would have done so months ago when he’d first informed him that Poppy and Rhys, now the Earl and Countess of Marsden, were investigating his character. Being spies meant that Geb and Nick kept their own counsel most of the time. As an information broker, Geb was even more closemouthed than most spies. He only offered what was necessary to complete a contract or, in this case, to inform a friend of something less than critical.
“I am not at liberty to divulge that information.” Geb’s white teeth gleamed.
“I didn’t realize you were so keen on keeping a lady’s secrets,” Nicholas teased.
Grabbing his chest, Geb feigned a knife to the heart. “I would never tell tales of a good woman. There have been a few ladies of our acquaintance who were not reputable, and those who are part of our line of work whose secrets I had few scruples about divulging.”
“Indeed.” As much as he wanted to be angry with Geb for befriending Faith and her friends, he couldn’t manage it. The truth was, Geb was quite discerning about who he called friend.
During the time he’d spent with them, he couldn’t help but like them as well. They were the most spirited and brightest women he’d ever known. He recalled a beautiful blonde in Spain who had tried to put a knife between his ribs, and shuddered. At least he didn’t think these Wallflowers were out for his blood, just his secrets. What he didn’t know, was why they were so keen on divining his past. He might be a fool to think them innocent. His trust of a sweet face in the past had nearly gotten him killed.
Geb nudged him out of his thoughts. “Talk to the girl.”
Glancing at where Faith stood drinking a glass of wine and talking to Poppy Draper, Nicholas mused over if they were plotting their next attempt to invade his privacy. “Perhaps later. First, I would like a glass of your excellent cognac.”
“Avoiding her will not make your situation better,” Geb warned, his rich Egyptian accent rounding the words and lending a sense of foreboding.
“The lady will decide I am not worth the trouble and find herself a less complicated gentleman to attach herself to.”
Nodding, Geb said, “I’m certain that is true. She is too lovely for half the men in London to not be in love with.”
Nicholas wished that thought didn’t form a knot in his gut. He also longed for a day when Faith wouldn’t enter his mind a dozen