Chapter 22 Chapter 21

While Westcliff went to talk to Sebastian, Evie went back to her room for a soothing bath, sprinkling the water generously with aromatherapy oils.After a long bath, her skin is hydrated and scented with roses.She put on one of Sebastian's silk-trimmed velvet gowns, with the sleeves rolled up several times, curled up in a chair in front of the fireplace and brushed her hair.The maids removed the tub, and one of them, Fanny, a dark-haired maid, stayed behind to tidy up the room, throwing back the sheets and putting the long-handled stove into the bedding. "Should I...shall I prepare your room, ma'am?" the maid asked cautiously.

Evie nodded and considered how to answer.The servants knew that even before her illness, she and Sebastian had separate bedrooms.They had never shared a bed together, not even for a night.Even though she wasn't quite sure how to express her feelings to Sebastian, she knew she didn't want to play games with him after everything was out.Life is fickle, there is no time to waste, and there is no guarantee that Sebastian will be faithful to her.She has nothing but hope -- and intuition.Although the man she had originally married was untrustworthy, this man was becoming possible. "I don't think so," she told the maid, continuing to brush her hair. "I'm staying here tonight, Fanny."

"Yes, ma'am. If you wish I would—" Fanny said nothing, her thoughts would never be known, and both of them felt Sebastian's tall figure enter the room.He stopped at the door, leaning his back against the wall and staring silently at his wife.The fire was very warm, but Evie felt goose bumps on her body, and a shiver of desire ran down her spine. Sebastian's posture is comfortable, his collar is open, and the black scarf hangs loosely around his neck.Fire flames danced over his graceful body, casting him in a golden radiance that seemed to belong to some ancient god.He hadn't quite recovered his strength yet, but the dangerous masculine strength that emanated from him still made her knees go weak.He was completely silent, but Ruju's gaze slid across her body at a tormentingly slow speed.Helplessly remembering the touch of the smooth skin under her fingers, and the hard and strong muscles under the loose-cut clothes, Evie blushed.

Fanny hurriedly put away the long dress that Evie had changed, and left the room in a hurry. Evie put down her hairbrush, grunted a few times and stood up, Sebastian kept staring at her, got up from the wall and walked towards her, stroking her arm with his fingertips, stroking the fabric of the nightgown back and forth.Evie's heart began to beat faster, and her skin tingled under the layers of velvet.She closed her eyes and let him pull her close, his lips fell on her eyebrows, temples and face.Such a soft touch, his passionate arousal - and hers - seemed to draw them into a blazing fog of desire.They stood for a long time, simply feeling each other's presence.

"Evie..." His breath blew through the thin strands of her hairline. "I want to make love to you." Her blood turned into boiling honey.Finally she stammered and struggled to reply, "I-I thought you-you never called me that." He raised his hand and traced her face with his fingertips.She accepted his caress meekly, and the fresh smell of lilac in his skin made her intoxicated like a drug. Sebastian reached down his throat, fumbled from under his shirt for the gold chain that held the wedding ring, and snapped the fragile clasp, sending the chain falling to the floor.Evie's breath came quickly.He took her left hand and slid the gold ring into her ring finger.Their hands are joined together, palm to palm, wrist to wrist, just as they were bound at the wedding.He lowered his head and whispered against her forehead, "I want to fill every part of your body... breathe the air in your lungs... imprint your soul. I want to give you more than you can bear." Pleasure, I want to have sex with you, Evie, even though I've never done it with anyone else before."

Now she was shaking so much she could barely stand. "Your wound - wound - we must be careful -" "You're worrying me." He gave her a soft but smoldering kiss.Letting go of her hand, he held her closer, pressing unmistakably so that she was completely against him from shoulder to hip.Evie wanted him so desperately that she almost scared herself.She tried her best to cater to his gently shifting mouth, clumsily but eagerly tugged at his clothes, making him chuckle. "Slow down," he whispered. "The night is just beginning...I'm going to love you all night long."

Evie's legs were shaking and she tugged on his coat even harder. "I can't stand - I can't stand," she said miserably. She saw him take off his coat with a smile on his face, and heard his voice hoarse with passion. "Lie down on the bed, dear." Evie obediently obeyed, climbed onto the mattress, and half-reclined to watch him take off the rest of his clothes.Seeing the white bandages around his firm belly, her face tightened as she remembered how close she had been to losing him.He was so unimaginably precious to her...the hope of spending long nights with him filled her with joy bordering on pain.His weight lowered the mattress, and she turned to face him with only a layer of pajamas between her torso.She raised her hand to lightly touch his dark golden chest hair, stroking under the fluffy hair with her fingertips, and found hard muscles.

His lips moved on her face, and his hot breath sprayed on her skin, making her tremble slightly. "Evie...the last few days I could do nothing but lie in bed thinking I'd spent my life running away. I told you I didn't want a wife or a family and I didn't have children Interested. If you..." He hesitated for a long time, "but...actually...I want you to have my baby. I didn't know how much I wanted it until I thought there was no chance. I think ——" He paused, a self-deprecating smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. "Damn. I don't know what it takes to be a husband, or a father. But since you seem to have low standards for both, maybe I still have half a chance of pleasing you." He grinned at her mocking raise. , and then replied seriously. "There are many things I can do to prevent you from getting pregnant. But if or when you decide you're ready, I want you to tell me—"

Evie gags him with a kiss.For the next colorful few minutes, words were superfluous.She felt that she had fallen into the confusion of joy, and stood at the intersection of passion and desire. Her senses seemed to expand to the extreme, and all sounds, touches, and tastes were magnified by pain. Sebastian teased the edge of the nightgown that had half-faded her white body, and caressed her exposed breasts as softly as a moth's wings.Her nipples were swollen and tight, aching from his touch, and she moaned in relief when he finally took a hard bud into his hot, velvety mouth.In the beginning, he only flicked back and forth with the tip of his tongue deftly, making her plead incoherently to come forward.Little by little he gave her more, licking and sucking, until she felt her waist throbbing with each tug.

Her body was so sensitive that the velvet pajamas suddenly became unbearable, and Evie tried to take it off, tugging at the tangled fabric in frustration.Sebastian murmured softly, reached out to help her take off the sleeves, and then stripped the whole dress off her back and hips.A gasp of relief escaped the corners of her lips, and she arched close to him, wrapping her arms around his bare shoulders.His gentle hands caressed her delicate body, coaxing her fragile nerves to no longer tremble.She couldn't think or speak, only helplessly responding to Sebastian's caresses.He moved her limbs into a more revealing position, his lips moving slowly over her skin.

The male's inquisitive fingers slid down between her legs, looking for the nectar in her aroused flesh (really...who let LK write elixir pinch?) His evil circles, smearing her wetness, Evie blushed and moaned as her fingertips played playfully at her entrance. "Sebastian...please, I can't take it anymore, I—" She couldn't go on, as he turned her back so her hips were back against him, they were like spoons Same fit together.His arms wrapped around her, making her feel safe and protected, as his soothing hands slid down and parted her legs. Evie trembled dizzily, feeling the pressure of his man, knowing he was entering from behind.Panting, she turned her head away and buried it in the strong arms around her neck. "Relax," Sebastian whispered, stroking the strands of her hair that fell behind her ears and between her throat, and kissing her bare skin. "Let me love you like this, sweetheart." His fingers caressed her, kneading her gently until she relaxed.His man's top teased her, only inserted a little, then pulled out just when she thought he was going to go all the way in.She began to rock against him, pressing her hips back.When he finally slid all the way inside her, she moaned loudly.There wasn't much movement in their positions, he just pushed deeply, and she arched her body in frantic stimulation. His chuckle brushed her curls. "You're in a hurry, Love," he whispered. "Don't be so proactive...let happiness come to you. Come, lean on me..." Holding her thighs, he pulled them over his knees so that her legs were further apart and her hips were half-closed with his.Evie whimpered as he slid deeper, his fingertips caressing her simultaneously to the rhythm of the male thrust. Lost, Evie tensed every muscle, waiting while he piled on her pleasure at a languid pace.He pushed her to the edge, then backed away, then pushed her closer, and closer, made her wait, waited, and finally culminated in a series of vibrations that made the bed shake. Sebastian pulled away from her body, still stiff.He made her lie on her back, her parted lips stroking up and down her flat stomach, her disheveled hair gleaming like pagan gold.Evie shook her head, dazedly refusing him to bend her knee and push it up. "Too tired," she said hoarsely. "I—wait a minute, Sebastian—" His tongue explored her salty wetness, easing the continued licking until her protests faded away.The gentle service of his lips calmed her and her heart returned to its normal rhythm. (There's such a thing? Believe it or not!) After a long, patient moment, he sucked and nibbled her swollen nub in his mouth.She convulsed violently under the nimble attack of his lips.He grabbed her thigh, slapped and rotated his tongue deliberately and quickly, driving her to a higher peak.It was as if her body was no longer her own, as if she existed only to feel the torment of pleasure.Sebastian... She couldn't cry out, but he seemed to hear her silent pleading, and his mouth did something in response, causing her to rush to one white-hot orgasm after another.Each time she thought it was over, but another wave of passion followed until she was so exhausted that she begged him to stop. Sebastian looked up, his eyes flickering on his face hidden in the shadows.She swayed to meet him, spread her legs, and wrapped her arms around his slender and powerful back.He pushed into her swollen flesh, filling her completely.His mouth came behind her ear, and she could barely hear his whisper amidst the strong beating of her heart. "Evie," his voice was muffled. "I want you...I want you again." "No." She said softly. "Yes. I need to feel you wrapped around me." She rocked her head slowly and in denial on the pillow. "I can't...I can't..." "Yes, you can. I'll help you." His hand fell to where they met. "Let me go deeper in you...deeper..." She sobbed helplessly, feeling his fingertips came to her buds, proficiently and subtly teasing her tired nerves.Suddenly she felt him slide deeper, and her aroused body opened up to accept him. "Hmm..." he snorted. "Yes, that's it... Ah, dear, you are so sweet..." He was between her bent knees, deep into the core of her buttocks, thrusting hard, sure, inside her.She wrapped her arms and legs around him, buried her face in his burning throat, and cried out when the last moment came, her inner muscles throbbing and tightening, bringing him intense and shocking satisfaction.Trembling in her arms, with his hands clasping the warm strands of her hair that flowed on the pillow, he gave himself completely to her, adoring her with every part of his body and all his soul. Evie woke up alone on the big bed, the first thing she saw was the light pink spilled on the snow-white linen sheets, as if someone had spilled red wine on the bed.Blinking sleepily, she propped up one shoulder and lightly touched one of the color blocks with her fingertips.It was creamy pink rose petals carefully picked from the flowers.Looking around, she found herself under a gentle rain of rose petals.She lay back on the fragrant bed with a smile on her lips. The night of passion is like a protracted dream of some part.She couldn't believe that she would allow Sebastian to do something like that, the kind of intimacy she'd never imagined.In the sleepiness after passion, he held her in his arms, and the two whispered for hours.She even told him the story of the night she had become friends with Annabelle and the Bowman sisters sitting in the long row of chairs in the ballroom. "We made a list of promising candidates on our blank dance cards," Evie told him. "Lord Westcliff is first, of course. But you are last, because you're clearly not the type to marry." Sebastian laughed hoarsely, his bare thighs entangled with hers affectionately. "I'm waiting for you to ask me." "You won't even give me a glance," Evie replied sarcastically. "You're not the type to dance with a wallflower." Sebastian stroked her hair and was silent for a while. "No, I won't," he admitted. "I'd be an idiot for not noticing you. If I'd bother with you for even five minutes, you'd never run away." He began to seduce her as if she were still a pure wallflower, coaxing her into letting him Slowly making love to her until he finally entered her quivering body. Recalling the fiery intimate time, Evie finished her morning grooming in a trance, and put on a silk-trimmed wool dress.She went downstairs to find Sebastian, who would most likely be in his office reviewing last night's receipts.The club was empty except for a few employees who were cleaning and craftsmen who were busy laying carpets and painting woodwork. Walking into the office, Evie saw Sebastian and Cam sitting at the table facing each other. They were both clearing out the ledger, using a pen dipped in ink to outline some entries, and making marks on the long ledger.Both looked up as she walked through the doorway.Evie's eyes briefly met Sebastian, and it was difficult for her to remain calm in front of him after last night's love.He looked at her, and stopped mid-sentence, as if he had forgotten what to say to Cam.It seemed that neither he nor she was quite used to that feeling, it was still too novel and shocking.Muttering good morning to them, she asked them not to get up, and walked over to Sebastian's chair. "Have you had your breakfast, sir?" she asked. Sebastian shook his head, a smile flashing across his eyes. "not yet." "I'm going to the kitchen to see what's there." "Wait a minute," he demanded. "We're almost done." The two men discussed the remaining business, which was about the investment intention of the shopping bazaar to be built on St. James Street.Sebastian took Evie's hand on the table, studied the plan written in front of him, and absently rubbed her chin and ears with the back of her fingers.Although Sebastian was unaware of the inadvertent intimacy of the gesture, Evie blushed when she met Cam's eyes over her husband's bowed head.The boy looked at her derisively and dismissively, like a nanny who caught two kids playing a kissing game, and grinned as her blush deepened. Not paying attention to these details, Sebastian handed the plan to Cam, who immediately became mature and prudent. "I don't like the way it looks," Sebastian commented. "I doubt there's enough business to keep the whole bazaar going, especially the rents. It could be a white elephant in a year." "White elephant?" Evie asked. Lord Westcliff's voice came from the door. "White elephants are rare animals," replied the Count, smiling. "It's not only expensive but also difficult to keep. In the old days, if an ancient king wanted someone to go bankrupt, he would give him a white elephant." Walking into the office, Westcliff bent over Evie and kissed her hand, and then Said to Sebastian: "In my opinion, your assessment of the market is correct. I rejected the same investment opportunity that I encountered not long ago based on the same point of view." "No doubt we'll all be proven wrong," Sebastian said sarcastically. "Never try to predict women and their shopping behavior." He stood up and shook the earl's hand. "My wife and I are going to breakfast, and I would like you to come with me." "I'll have some coffee," Westcliff nodded. "Forgive me for coming uninvited, but I have some news to share." Sebastian, Evie, and Cam all watched the count intently, waiting for him to continue. "I finally saw Lord Belworth this morning, and he admitted that the pistol with which he shot St. Vincent was indeed originally his. He explained privately that he had given it to Clive Egan as a bribe about three years ago. A set of dueling pistols, sir, along with some heirloom jewels and other trinkets, to give him more time to settle his debts to the club." When mentioning the former club manager, Evie blinked in surprise. "So Mr. Egan harbored Mr. Brad?" "possible." "But why? Does that mean Mr. Egan hired Mr. Brad to kill me?" "We'll find out," Sebastian said solemnly. "I'm going to visit Egan today." "I'll go with you," said Westcliff quietly. "I've got somebody who can get Egan's address. It's not far from here, actually." Sebastian shook his head. "Thank you for your help, but I can't let you cause trouble by further intervening. I doubt your wife will appreciate my allowing you to venture. I will go with Rohan." Evie began to object, knowing that Sebastian would be safer with Westcliff in this situation.Sebastian was just starting to recover, and it wasn't easy for Cam to stop him if he got hotheaded and did something stupid.Cam was his employee, after all, and he was at least eight years younger.Westcliff knows Sebastian much better, and has more power over him. But before Evie could say a word, Westcliff spoke. "Rohan is indeed a capable young man," the Earl agreed calmly. "So he should stay here to protect Evie's safety." Sebastian narrowed his eyes and was about to retort, but Evie reached out and took his arm, leaning against him softly and tolerantly, making him swallow his words again. "I prefer that," she said. Sebastian looked at her upturned face, his expression softened, making her feel that he would do anything in his power to please her. "Okay," he murmured reluctantly. "If Rohan's presence makes you feel at ease, so be it." Part of Sebastian's refusal for Westcliff to go with him to Clive Egan was due to some lingering awkwardness between them.It's definitely not comfortable being with a man for a long time and you kidnapped his wife at one point.The good spanking Westcliff gave him eased the discomfort a little, as did Sebastian's later apology.And the fact that he married Evie, and sacrificed himself so desperately for her, seemed to make the Earl view him with a cautious approval that might redeem their friendship in time.Their relationship, though, has taken on a new shape, and it may never quite return to its former ease. Once he wants to live without regrets, Sebastian can't help but think quite differently about his past behavior.What he did to Lillian Bowman was a mistake on so many levels.What an idiot he was to sacrifice his friendship for a woman he never really wanted.If he'd bothered to consider his options, he might have found Evie, and she was there, right under his nose. To Sebastian's relief, the conversation with Westcliff was friendly.The carriage passed through London's West End and drove towards the wealthy middle-class residential areas on the outskirts of the city.Clive Egan's address is one of many real properties in someone's name.Unhappy at the thought of how much Egan had underreported and swindled the club's profits over the years, Sebastian told Westcliff everything he knew about the ex-manager.The topic leads to the current financial situation of the club and the investment necessary to revive it.It was a pleasure to trust Westcliff, who had one of the most able financial minds in the country, to offer an insightful view of business.Neither of them overlooked that the discussions were very different now than they had been in the past, when Sebastian would only gossip about scandals and affairs, and always drew Westcliff's condescending lectures. The carriage stopped in front of a small paved square in a newly built residential area.All the houses were three stories high, and very narrow, not exceeding about fourteen feet in width.A haggard old kitchen maid answered the door and stood aside grumbling as they broke in.The house appeared to have been modestly furnished and furnished with off-the-shelf furniture usually rented out to unmarried middle-class professionals. Given that the entire residence has only three rooms and a storage room, it is not difficult to find Egan.The ex-club executive huddled in a large chair in front of the fireplace in the living room, which smelled strongly of alcohol and urine.A set of bottles line the ledges on either side, and more are piled in the center of the room.Egan looked at the two visitors with a dull-eyed expression of a million-year-old drunk.He looked exactly the same as when Sebastian fired him two months ago, bloated and scruffy, with rotten teeth, a big red bulbous nose, and reddish skin covered in spider webs of tiny blood vessels.Lifting his glass of stout to his lips, he took a swig and grinned, glaring at them with watery gray eyes. "I heard your guts popped out," he said to Sebastian. "But since you don't look like a ghost, I guess that story is a lie." "Actually, that's true," Sebastian replied, eyes icy. "But the devil doesn't want me." It was hard not to attack the bastard, thinking that Egan might be responsible for the attempted murder of his wife.It's just that he has the information they need to know, and that's enough to keep Sebastian in check. Egan let out a low chuckle and waved at the row of bottles. "Pour yourselves a glass, if you please. I don't often have such high-ranking gentlemen as my guests." Westcliff said calmly, "No, thank you. We've come to inquire about your last visitor. Mr. Joss Bullard. Where is he?" Taking another sip of spirits from the glass, Egan looked at him expressionlessly. "Why the hell should I know?" Pulling the custom-made pistol from his pocket, Westcliff spread it across the palm of his hand. The drunk's eyes bulged, and a purple color suddenly brushed across his face. "Where did you get that?" he gasped. "Brad fired it the other night," Sebastian said, trying to maintain his poise even though every nerve was singing rage now. "While I doubt there's anything close to the function of a brain in the useless pig's head currently resting on your shoulders, you should also be able to appreciate that you've been implicated in an attempted murder. Would like to have a good time at the jail in Fleet Ditch Long-term stay? That can be arranged about—" "St. Vincent," Westcliff warned quietly in a low voice, as Egan choked out in exasperation. "He must have stolen it from me!" Egan yelled, spilling his drink on the floor. "Stolen bastard—I didn't know he took it. It wasn't my fault, I tell you! I don't want anything but a peaceful life. Blind!" "When was the last time you saw him?" "About three weeks ago." After drinking the wine in the glass in one gulp, Egan picked up the bottle on the floor and drank like a hungry baby. "He's been coming around a lot since he left Jan's. He has nowhere to go. They wouldn't even let him sleep in a mental hospital when the herpes started kicking in." (Funny way of saying it, turns out Brad cursed Cam pox on you! As a result, you have grown up...) Sebastian and Westcliff exchanged a quick look. "Herpes?" Sebastian asked skeptically. Many different diseases can cause herpes. "which type?" Egan stared at him contemptuously. "Insanity. Syphilis that turns a man insane. There were signs before he left Jane's...speaking dull, face twitching...nose cracked and slumped. You must be blind to notice. " "I don't usually check the physical appearance of my employees up close," Sebastian said sarcastically, while racing through his mind.Neurosyphilis is a nasty disease transmitted by sexual contact that causes what doctors call "paresis."Eventually it leads to madness, occasional partial paralysis, and horrific skin ulcers, including on the soft tissues of the nose.If Brad was indeed a victim of neurosyphilis, it was terminally ill and hopeless.But why would he focus on Evie while insane? "Now his intelligence may have degenerated." Egan said unhappily, raised the bottle and took another big gulp numbly.He closed his eyes briefly against the burn of the liquor, his jaw drooping on his chest. "The kid came the night the shooting was fired and yelled he'd killed you. He was shaking every arm and leg and complaining about the noise and the pain in his head. His head was full of hallucinations and confused thoughts. Already insane .So I hired a guy to take him to the Asylum for the Incurably Afflicted—it was at the tax post in Knightsbridge. Brad is there now, either dead or dying. It's true that he died. What a fucking kindness." Sebastian's tone was more anxious than sympathetic. "Why did he try to kill my wife? God knows she never did anything to hurt him." Egan replied sadly: "He always looked down on her, poor little bastard. Even when he was a child, every time Evangeline came to the club to play, as long as Brad saw Jenner happily taking her, he Will be sullen and throw temper tantrums all day long. He'll make up jokes about her..." Egan paused, a reminiscing smile flitting across his lips. "Fun little one, she is. Freckled, shy, and round like a dolphin. I hear she's a beauty now—although I can't really imagine—" "Is Jenner his father?" Westcliff interrupted calmly. The sudden question shocked Sebastian, and he listened attentively to Egan's answer. "Probably. His mother, Mary, went around swearing that he was." Egan put down the bottle carefully, fingers interlaced on his protruding beer belly. "She's a prostitute in a brothel. The luckiest night in her life was when she played the horn for Ever Jenner. (MD, I don't know if the translation is correct...) He likes Mary, so he pays the madam to put her She wrapped it up. One day Mary came to him and said she had a big belly and the baby was his. Jenner was a soft heart and just assumed she was innocent. He provided for her for the rest of her life, and when the baby was old enough He came to work at the club. Mary died many years ago, and when she was about to die, she told Brad Jenner that he was his father. The kid confronted Jenner, and Jenner told him whether it was true or not, it would be Be a secret. He doesn't want to admit that Brad is his kid. First of all, you can never say he's a beautiful kid, and besides...Jenner never cared about anyone but his daughter. He wants Evie to have him after he dies Everything. Brad resented Evie, of course. He thought that without her, Jenner would treat him like a son, do more, give more. He was probably right about that. Egan frowned sadly. "When she brought you to the club, my lord, Brad was already getting herpes... the beginning of his madness. A tragic end to a miserable life." Glancing at them with sullen satisfaction, Egan added: "If you want to take revenge on a poor lunatic who has gone mad, you can find him at Tottenham Hospital, and make yourself as comfortable as you can, my lords—but if You ask me, the creators of Brad have arranged for the worst punishment a man can afford."