Pleasures of the Night Read online

  Teddy sauntered a little closer to the shadows she lurked in so he wouldn’t have to speak so loudly. “Should you not be dancing?”

  “This was my only empty set. You saw that when you looked at my card.”

  “Did I?”

  “I assumed that was why you followed me out now.”

  “I was warm, and I didn’t follow you,” he promised. He couldn’t see her clearly in the shadows, so he took another step that way. “Why are you out here alone?”

  “I was warm, too,” she laughed softly.

  No one inside seemed to be looking in this direction, so Teddy took another step, and then another, until he stood in the shadows with Eugenia. He could see her face better now. Eugenia was grinning at him and, yes, quite alone and lovely by moonlight.

  He grinned, too. “So, I am not interrupting a romantic rendezvous?”

  Eugenia lifted her chin. “That depends on what you say next, sir.”

  Pleasures of the Night

  Heather Boyd

  www.Heather-Boyd.com

  Contents

  Blurb

  The Distinguished Rogues Series

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Epilogue

  Need more Steamy Regency Romance?

  About Heather

  She stole his heart, but can he walk away when another man claims to have married her first?

  * * *

  Thaddeus Berringer has reconciled himself to a future of great riches, but also unceasing responsibility as the Duke of Exeter’s only heir. He’s in no hurry to be leg-shackled, despite his cousin’s urging. But he’s keenly interested in bed sport with a certain spinster who’s proven more wanton than wallflower. Eugenia Hillcrest’s passions and expectations for a brief fling match his own completely, delighting him in every way. But just as he’s considering the advantages of a lasting connection with her, he’s stunned to learn his perfect lover was never his to kiss in the first place.

  * * *

  Eugenia has for years lived as a spinster, and is certain she’ll remain one. So it was with little hesitation that she begins a thrilling affair with the Duke of Exeter’s handsome heir, Mr. Berringer. She revels in every stolen kiss and caress, but expects to lose him to a wife one day. Never in a million years did she imagine she’d lose him to a husband. Her dead husband back from the grave. Confused and unconvinced, Eugenia is willing to do anything to keep control of her life—even if it means leaving her life and the man she loves more than she’d dreamed possible.

  * * *

  Pleasures of the Night is a full-length regency historical romance from USA Today bestselling author Heather Boyd. It’s the sixteenth book in the steamy Distinguished Rogues series but can be read as a stand-alone.

  The Distinguished Rogues Series

  Chills

  Broken

  Charity

  An Accidental Affair

  Keepsake

  An Improper Proposal

  Reason to Wed

  The Trouble with Love

  Married by Moonlight

  Lord of Sin

  The Duke’s Heart

  Romancing the Earl

  One Enchanted Christmas

  Desire by Design

  His Perfect Bride

  Pleasures of the Night

  PLEASURES OF THE NIGHT

  Copyright © 2011 by Heather Boyd

  Editing by Kelli Collins

  ARC EDITION

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced nor used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used facetiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Chapter 1

  May 1816

  London

  * * *

  “Why are you deferring to Sylvia at home? It is not as if she’s becoming royalty,” Eugenia Hillcrest complained to her youngest cousin as they entered Wharton House, the Marquess of Wharton’s grand London mansion in Cavendish Square, after a night of rubbing shoulders with the cream of society.

  “Close enough,” Aurora noted as she passed off her shawl and reticule to a hovering servant. “Sylvia is to marry one of the most eligible bachelors and popular lords in society. Everyone had been trying to catch his eye until our cousin seduced him.”

  “She did not seduce him,” Eugenia hissed and then moderated her tone down to a whisper. “They fell in love in the best way. Secretly.”

  “I still cannot believe she didn’t say a word to warn us of the blossoming romance, and she should have given us time to prepare for all this,” Aurora said, casting a glance up at the vaulted ceiling, where a pastoral scene had recently been painted. Gilt and mirrors, too, as far as the eye could see. “I thought we had a pact to share everything.”

  Eugenia had thought so, too. But Sylvia had deceived them both, meeting secretly with a marquess for weeks before they’d both borne witness to the most startling marriage proposal from Lord Wharton. Although annoyed with Sylvia, Eugenia could understand why she had kept her silence about the affair. There were some situations in a woman’s life that were impossible to explain properly, especially when one’s heart was deeply involved.

  The Marquess of Wharton was quite the catch, but he had flaws, too. The first being, he was extremely high-handed. They would never have imagined such a powerful man might be drawn to their dear but poor cousin. But he was utterly besotted with Sylvia. She was glad Wharton had done the honorable thing in the end and proposed a partnership of love and trust.

  It helped that Sylvia loved Wharton to distraction, too, and had declared him her perfect match in every way that mattered. Wharton’s respect for Sylvia’s opinions, even when they were the opposite of his own, had made it easier for Eugenia to accept the match in the end. With Sylvia’s marriage into an important family, though, Aurora and Eugenia were both under the continual scrutiny of the unforgiving ton forevermore.

  And members of the ton were easily provoked to spiteful tattling. Even women of her age, seven and twenty, came in for censure for misbehavior, real or imagined, all the time. It was fortunate she had no expectation of making a match herself, but she did worry about spoiling her younger cousin’s chances by putting a foot wrong.

  A hard rap on the door sounded behind them, and the butler sprang into action to admit a dozen titled gentlemen, wives, and bachelors who had been invited to follow them home. Lord Wharton liked to entertain.

  “Ooh, look. More company for tea,” Aurora crooned in obvious delight.

  Actual tea at th
is hour of the night tended to be in short supply for Wharton’s impromptu parties, but spirits and wine were always plentiful and far more popular.

  Eugenia glanced over her shoulder as a pair of late stragglers were admitted. Mr. Thaddeus Berringer, a dark-haired gentleman she’d admired from afar for a while, and Lord Sullivan, a former client of the Hillcrest Academy, strode into the chamber and looked about them, smiling.

  Eugenia uttered a happy sigh.

  The attendance of the Duke of Exeter’s heir would make the evening more enjoyable for her. Good-looking men were meant to be appreciated from all angles and from top to firm-muscled bottom.

  She leaned toward her cousin. “Lord Sullivan is here.”

  Aurora made an unhappy sound but did not turn to see. She had never hidden the fact that she thought little of Lord Sullivan.

  Eugenia sighed. “Why can you not be kinder to our former client?”

  “I have my reasons,” she said loftily.

  Sullivan was a nice man. Wealthy. Softly spoken when in the company of ladies. He had not been keen to marry the last time they had met, although he was being pressured by his family. She shrugged away her curiosity about Lord Sullivan’s arrival or situation. They were no longer in the business of helping gentlemen prepare to find a bride. Sylvia’s engagement had made continuing their work impossible.

  She resumed her discreet admiration of Mr. Berringer. “Do you think Exeter’s heir has a mistress yet? There is any number of ladies I know trying to catch his eye.”

  “All the ladies I know who have tried have been soundly rebuffed,” Aurora confided.

  That made Eugenia even more curious about him. It was no hardship to imagine he could have his pick of lovers. “Married or other?”

  “Married,” Aurora said with a heavy sigh. “It seems our Mr. Berringer has a severe dislike of becoming an adulterer, and he avoids marriage-minded spinsters, too.”

  “Society is overrun with both.” She chuckled. “Widows will be overjoyed if they figure out they have the best chance of becoming a duchess one day. But I like him all the more for his restraint when it comes to avoiding married women,” Eugenia murmured. “I dislike the idea of anyone coming between a couple, even if they are poorly matched.”

  “Do not disregard the appeal of illicit love,” Aurora warned. “He’s a man. He’ll find someone willing, I’m sure,” she said with a decidedly wicked laugh.

  He might, too.

  Thaddeus Berringer was handsome, of sober habits so far, and a duke’s heir. It was widely reported that the Duke of Exeter had settled funds and property on his heir last year. There would be no limit to the vices and scandals he might indulge in one day, if he had the money and the company of wicked friends. He had little influence yet, though, and did not appear overly ambitious. Everyone gossiped over the tiniest details about his days. She had heard he’d left Town two weeks ago, and everyone speculated that there’d been a falling out in the family.

  Utterly unfounded, most likely. She had borne witness to the Duke of Exeter and Thaddeus Berringer laughing together with pleasing frequency.

  But debutants constantly followed him around ballrooms, hoping to be noticed and singled out for attention. Little was known of his reputation with the ladies at all, which was likely why she found him fascinating.

  If he turned out to be as predictable as all other lords in society, Thaddeus Berringer would align himself with a woman of fortune and family in an attempt to gain power and influence over society, even before he became a duke.

  They flowed along with everyone else to the drawing room as conversation sprang up between guests. Aurora and Eugenia were largely ignored. They had neither fortune nor fame. Although Sylvia looked their way with an expression of longing, they knew better than to believe she would join them tonight. Wharton talked of politics a great deal at these sorts of things, or he flattered Sylvia outrageously. Neither Eugenia nor Aurora enjoyed such talk for too long, but Sylvia hung on his every word—as it should be.

  Besides, there were other topics that interested Eugenia and Aurora, which could entertain them for hours. Their favorite subject would shock prudish members of the ton.

  Eugenia drew her younger cousin along, circling those gathered. She leaned close to Aurora to whisper, “Who would you have?”

  “Tonight…” Aurora pursed her lips briefly, a small smile emerging as they strolled about the chamber considering the choices before them. “I think I should like tall, dark and,” her eyes lit up, “mysterious.”

  Eugenia scanned the crowd again. Tall, dark, and handsome was in plentiful supply. Mr. Berringer was present, and Eugenia’s interest had become sadly fixed of late on him—the unobtainable man. But then a new man caught her eye—a stranger to Wharton’s late-night gatherings who seemed to match Aurora’s description. “I wonder who he could be?”

  “Who cares who he is. It’s what he can do for a lady that is the real question.”

  Eugenia hid a smile and discreetly observed the fellow, from the top of his perfectly tousled dark hair to the nicely formed bulge in his black satin breeches. “He seems quite well turned out. Meyer?”

  “No, he wears a Weston creation, I believe.” Aurora made an approving sound as she twisted a lock of hair around her gloved fingers. “Delightfully fitted garments, one and all. I swear I can estimate his measurements even from here. I wonder if our cousin has the time to introduce us.”

  Sylvia had her back to them and was laughing in Lord Wharton’s company.

  “Patience, cousin. Anticipation is half the reward.” And it did not do to appear too eager at these sorts of gatherings. Some gentlemen took exception to women they considered forward, and all men gossiped as well as women. If they put a toe out of line, they could find themselves on the outs very quickly with this persnickety set. That might impact Sylvia’s standing in society, too.

  Aurora pouted. “But am I not deserving of a reward as enticing as he appears to be?”

  “Rewards might have to wait until Sylvia is actually married, and we can be ourselves again,” Eugenia said, reminding Aurora of their mutual decision to be on their best behavior. Eugenia appreciated a well-proportioned man as much as Aurora did. But the way they had pursued pleasure before Sylvia’s engagement was markedly different to how they could do so now.

  There were many delights Eugenia had forbidden herself. Dalliances with anyone connected to the Marquess of Wharton’s family were a risky venture. She might talk of hope of seduction, but that was as far as she dared imagine for now. And since they mingled almost exclusively with Wharton’s set of friends, opportunities for trysts were virtually nonexistent.

  A woman joined the mystery man, capturing his arm and full attention. She clung to the man with a proprietary air, so it seemed clear he belonged to some lucky woman. A wife?

  Aurora sighed sadly. “Sometimes wondering is more enjoyable than discovering the truth that a man might be married already.”

  “Indeed, it is.” She flashed a conciliatory smile in Aurora’s direction. “We can still observe and imagine.”

  “Indeed, we will, cousin,” Aurora promised.

  A call rang for everyone to move along to another room where refreshments had been laid out, and they followed with the masses again into the long gallery. After Wharton and Sylvia’s engagement had become common knowledge, they had all been pressed to come and live under Wharton’s not unsubstantial roof. Not for his benefit but for his mother’s health and happiness. Lizzy, the Marchioness of Wharton was still recovering from her breast surgery and remained in a delicate state of health in her chambers upstairs.

  They had come along with Sylvia to cheer up the marchioness, distract her from the pain if they could. Neither task was easy, but none of them minded very much. Out of the three of them, Sylvia was most often in her future mama’s company. The marchioness had a dry wit Eugenia found compatible with her own, and she didn’t mind feeding the older lady harmless tidbits of gossip discovered dur
ing their outings.

  But their new lives were not confined to sitting by the marchioness’ bedside every day. They had been invited to make themselves at home. Sixteen bedchambers, a ballroom, a vast library, a dining room, and a long gallery were now their playground. They were to enjoy themselves at any of Wharton’s impromptu gatherings as if they were family already, too. They could drink and entertain their friends as much as they liked.

  Until the marchioness’ strength returned, the wedding ceremony had been delayed indefinitely, so they lived in wait for that happy day to come.

  Eugenia smiled, knowing her evening was likely bound to be long, but the view always pleasurable. The opulence of the marquess’ home had been startling at first, but she’d grown accustomed to gilt everything, and even being introduced to members of the king’s family, too. The marquess and his mother kept a large circle of acquaintances from all walks of society, and close friends tended to drop by at all hours.

  However, despite Eugenia’s love of conversation, she was often relegated to the sidelines due to circumstances beyond her control. First, she was a woman, considered by society as dependent on Wharton’s charity because of Sylvia’s future elevation to marchioness.

  Second, she was considered a bluestocking sort of woman. She had been the driving force behind the Hillcrest Academy—managing the accounting and negotiations for their little enterprise. No one seemed quite sure what to make of their ties to trade. But she had been told that an unmarried cousin of a future marchioness could not possibly earn her own way in the world without facing criticism from all quarters. The Hillcrest Academy was no more.