A Marriage Most Scandalous (Scandalous Ballroom Encounters Book 2) Read Online Free Page B

The light increased as she swung open a door and preceded him inside. “Follow me.”
    He obeyed, and found himself in a small but opulent chamber decorated in sensual shades of red. The plush carpet beneath his feet, oversized furniture, and scent of jasmine served to further enhance the comfortable, downright sexual feel of the room.
    She turned to face him, hands clasped behind her back. Candlelight caused her dark hair to gleam and brought out golden flecks in her irises.
    “Sit there, if you please,” she murmured, motioning toward a large, plush armchair just behind him.
    Eyeing her warily, he backed into the chair and sat.
    She crossed the room, took hold of a sheer, red curtain, and pulled. She moved from one end of the room to the other, using the curtain to block his view beyond it. The candlelight glowing on the other side cast a few shadows against the gossamer fabric.
    She turned and gave him a glance over her shoulder. “Enjoy yourself, my lord.”
     
     
     

Chapter Three
     
    One hour earlier …
     
    Cecily studied her surroundings with wide-eyed curiosity. The room she’d been ushered into appeared as opulent as any in a Grosvenor Square townhouse; yet, she remained aware that she stood in a house of sin. A brothel . Her parents would suffer an apoplexy to know it.
    Yet, she resolved to succeed in her quest for sexual fulfillment within her marriage. After leaving Penelope’s house that afternoon, she’d contemplated the best way to go about it. She couldn’t very well sit Sheridan down and tell him she’d been displeased with his performance in bed. Besides, she doubted she could ever find the words to properly express how, even though she went unfulfilled, she still loved him.
    Thus, her plan to accost him at Madame Petra’s bordello. When his friends had come to invite him out for a gentleman’s evening, she’d been thrilled. She might have been an innocent maid at the end of last season, but she knew this sort of evening typically ended with the men adjourning to a house of sin. If what Penelope had told her proved true, Sheridan would be looking to ease his urges at a place like this. If she knew her husband, Madame Petra’s would be his establishment of choice. The first son of a viscount would be accustomed to the best of everything, and that included whores.
    Whore . The word sent a little thrill down her spine when she met her own gaze in the gilt mirror. Reflected behind her was the decidedly sensual bedchamber with its massive, mahogany four-poster bed dressed with black curtains and red tassels. The silk robe she wore concealed the scandalous attire she’d been given. The deep, wine color of the material enhanced her coloring—bringing out the golden hue of her hair, deepening the tone of her blue eyes, and calling attention to her smooth, alabaster skin. She wore cosmetics for the first time, and found she liked their effect. Dark kohl enhanced her eyes, and rouge invited attention to her lips.
    Observing her appearance, she thought absently of the woman who’d aided in her transformation. She’d only come prepared to speak with the Madame and perhaps enlist her aid concerning Sheridan. A few months ago, she’d never have thought someone like her existed, or that she’d ever have need of her services. Yet, here she stood, several thousand pounds poorer. However, the Madame had come highly recommended. If she couldn’t help them, no one could.
    She hadn’t expected for Petra to be so warm and kind.
    The Madame had ushered her into a private sitting room, where she’d promptly rung for a pot of chocolate and tray of assorted cakes. In the plush, comfortable surroundings of the room done up in shades of black and gold, Cecily had felt instantly at ease. When Petra had urged her to tell her the problem, she’d told her everything—her and Sheridan’s whirlwind courtship and hasty marriage, as well as the troubles they’d experienced in the bedchamber.
    “I love my