Read Online Dark Obsession by Fredrica Alleyn - Free Book Online Page B

suggestive remarks from her host, whether this was the way the family always behaved or if the presence of Sir Matthew had brought about some kind of change.
    After the delicious fig-fritters, the men tucked into stilton and port but Annabel sat back and sipped at her orange muscat dessert wine. This wine was new to her and she decided she’d get David to try it.
    At last the meal was over, and they withdrew to the library again for coffee, although now the evening was clearly drawing to a close and Tania kept looking at her watch.
    ‘What’s the matter?’ whispered Crispian as he passed behind her. ‘Are you bored?’
    ‘A bit. Mother hogged Sir Matthew’s attention, and you hardly said a word to me,’ she hissed.
    ‘How can I when Pa’s about? You know how he feels about us! Tell you what, why don’t we go to the stables later, have ourselves a different kind of party?’
    Tania’s eyes gleamed. ‘Even better, why don’t you get our house guest to come along and look at the horses? She’s pretty worked up already. I think Sir Matthew’s had an effect on her. She might even enjoy herself once we persuade her to join in!’
    Crispian looked startled. ‘Is that wise? Suppose she says something to your mother?’
    Tania’s lip curled. ‘Not scared, are you? What could she say? That she’d joined us for a threesome and felt Mama ought to know?’
    Crispian could feel his own excitement growing, but it was always this way with Tania. She didn’t seem to have any sense of self-preservation, and sometimes he wondered what would become of them both.
    ‘Go on,’ Tania urged him. ‘It will be fun.’
    ‘Okay,’ he said swiftly. ‘Leave it to me. You go on ahead in about twenty minutes, get things prepared, and then I’ll bring her round a bit later on and we can “bump into each other”!’
    Tania laughed excitedly. ‘Heavenly!’
    ‘Crispian, I thought you were going to fetch another bottle of port,’ said his father. It was evident that he was irritated.
    Crispian deliberately caught Annabel’s eye and gave her an intimate smile. ‘Sorry, Pa, forgot. Annabel, let me show you where our cellar is.’
    ‘Annabel doesn’t need to know her way to the cellar,’ Lady Corbett-Wynne said sharply. ‘I’m sure she has no interest in it whatsoever.’
    Annabel hadn’t, but the blood coursing through her veins had more than a passing interest in Crispian, especially since it was plain that for this evening at least, Sir Matthew’s charms were being directed at his hostess and not his fellow guest.
    When Tania finally slipped out of the room only her stepfather noticed her go, and he merely gave an inward sigh of relief. She unsettled him. Normally he would have found her blatant sensuality highly erotic, but the knowledge that his son was besotted with her when he was meant to be out and about finding himself a wealthy wife took the edge off her charms.
    In any case, he sensed that she wouldn’t enjoy the kind of sex he liked, and she lacked the fragile allure of her mother. If he had his way he’d get her married off, but to his annoyance his wife stood firm over that, telling him that she had no intention of pushing her daughter into the kind of mistake she’d made.
    Eventually the day’s activities and a long evening of heavy drinking took their toll and Marina, who was listening with rapt interest to Sir Matthew’s description of his latest equestrian acquisition, despite having no interest whatsoever in her husband’s horses and having long since given up riding, gave a tiny polite yawn behind her hand.
    Immediately Sir Matthew looked at his watch. ‘Good Lord, is that the time? I must be on my way. Thank you both for a delightful evening. It’s been a long time since I’ve had such agreeable company.’ He took Lady Corbett-Wynne’s hand in his, letting his fingers caress her palm.
    She shivered, but didn’t remove her hand, merely smiling politely. ‘We enjoyed it too,’ she said