Page 19 of What a Lord Wants

She’d expected to find him here tonight, and not as Vincenzo.

How had the scheming woman figured him out? He had no idea, and no choice but to remain to discover her endgame.

He snagged a fresh glass of wine from a passing attendant, then turned toward the gallery wall, to feign interest in the paintings until Constance made her way to him. Exactly as he knew she would.

Fortunately, he didn’t have to wait long. Ledford moved her steadily around the room, introducing her as Madame Devereaux, lately of Paris, which certainly made her appear far more exotic than what she truly was—a failed review singer and would-be courtesan, lately of Vauxhall and most recently of Arthur Ledford’s bed.

“Ellsworth, so good to see you.”

“Ledford.” He plastered a look of bored disdain on his face as he turned to face the pair. His gaze slid to Constance as he silently waited for Ledford to make the mockery of an introduction.

“Madame Devereaux, may I present to you Dominick Mercer, Marquess of Ellsworth? Ellsworth, this is Constance Devereaux of Paris.”

“I would have sworn she came from someplace decidedly more Yorkshire,” he muttered, drawing a surprised look from Ledford.

Constance ignored his comment and dropped into a low curtsy. “My lord. It is indeed an honor tofinallymeet you.”

He took her hand for a brief bow, then gladly let it drop. What game was she playing? “Words fail me, Madam.”

Her green eyes gleamed with mischievous delight. “Thank you for the compliment, sir. But I’m the one at a loss, I’m afraid. After all, it isn’t every day that I get to meet a marquess.” Irony dripped from her voice. She turned to Ledford. “Are you certain he’s a marquess, Lord Arthur?” Her lips curled up as she baited Dom. “He strikes me as someone completely different.”

Ledford blinked. Unable to follow the private subtext of their conversation, he bounced his gaze between the two of them, not knowing where to look for answers.

When Constance laughed, as if she’d made some kind of teasing joke, Ledford smiled awkwardly and offered, “Ellsworth is one of the exhibition’s most generous sponsors.”

“Oh?” Amusement danced across her face. “Does everyone know how deeply involved with the arts you are?”

Damn her.Dom kept his face carefully stoic, even as whatever few feelings he had left for her in his heart turned to ash.

She placed her hand on Ledford’s arm. “Be a darling and fetch me a glass of champagne?”

He raised her hand to his lips to kiss her fingers. Like a good little puppy. “I’ll only be a moment.”

When Ledford strode away just far enough to be out of earshot, Dom clenched his teeth and demanded, “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“IthinkI’m in the middle of setting myself up for life.” Her amused smile faded, and her voice turned to ice. “Wouldn’t you agree, YourLordship?”

He took her arm and pulled her around to face the paintings, so no one would see the wicked gleam in her eyes, or the pulsating fury in his. “How did you discover who I am?”

“I hired men to follow you and your valet.” She clucked her tongue mockingly in derision. “If you decide to continue this charade of yours, you really should let the man go. He doesn’t know the first thing about subterfuge.”

A mix of anger and dread tightened the muscles in his gut.

“I’d considered having them follow that light-skirt you’ve temporarily replaced me with.” She sniffed haughtily. “But she’s obviously not worth the expense.”

“Leave Eve alone,” he bit out.

“You’re not in a position to threaten me. If I were you, I’d be begging to find out what to do to appease me.”

Having no choice, he gritted his teeth and forced out, “What do you want?”

“A trade. Think of it as an exchange of goods. Isn’t that how all the upstarts are making their money these days and threatening the old guard of the peerage? Through trade?” She lowered her voice, “But you’d know that better than I, Domenico.”

His Italian name slithered through him. He repeated coldly, “What do you want?”

“You.”

Hell no.“We’re done, Constance. I was very clear about that.” He darted his gaze down the galley after Ledford. “Besides, you’ve apparently moved on.”