Free Pleasures of a Tempted Lady by Jennifer Haymore

she’d ever known.
    “Yes.” Jake snuggled closer to her. “But I like the way you love me better.”
    She kissed the back of his head but didn’t respond. She understood, but it made her uncomfortable that Jake favored her over his own mother. She supposed it was common among children who spent the majority of time with particular caregivers rather than their natural parents, but she wished it was different. She wished Jake had been able to heal Sarah like he’d healed her. She wished Jake could have known the true nature of his mother, of her sweetness and kindness, of how she’d kept Meg sane in the early days.
    But that would never be. Not now.
    She held him until he slept, taking deep, peaceful breaths beside her, and then she eased out of the bed and sat by the window, gazing down over the street below. It was not yet nine o’clock in the evening, and there were still a few pedestrians and dusty carriages making their way down the cobbled street.
    She needed a plan. In London, in the public eye, with her twin having the same name she did—
    She bowed her head, resting her forehead against the cool glass. Serena would be in grave danger. God, what was she going to do?
    If Caversham… or his brother… came across Serena, she would certainly introduce herself as the Countess of Stratford, not Meg, and so much time had passed that Meg and Serena probably weren’t as identical as they’d once been.
    Beyond separating herself physically from Serena, there wasn’t much Meg could do. By showing her face in London she would be plunging everyone she cared about into peril.
    Meg chewed on her lower lip. The best thing she could do was keep her reappearance as secret as possible. Maybe she could mislead him somehow—make Caversham think she’d escaped elsewhere. Or that she’d been lost in the storm. After all, the poor little jolly boat had barely made it through.
    A soft knock sounded at the door. Rising, she hurried through the small parlor area and answered it, not wanting to awaken Jake.
    Will stood at the threshold. She looked at him, one eyebrow raised, and he gave her a rueful smile.
    “I was worried about Jake. Did he settle in well?”
    It warmed her that he cared for the boy’s welfare. He had seemed to from the beginning.
    Her gaze wandered up his tall, strong frame, scanning the narrow hips and the way his waistcoat hugged his broad shoulders, until she met his dark eyes. A shudder started at the base of her spine, rushing upward in a warm flush.
    The way he looked at her—it had always heated her. That hadn’t changed.
    “He’s settled in just fine,” she replied.
    “He’s adaptable, that one.”
    She smiled, glancing over her shoulder at Jake. In the dim light, he was a small lump beneath the blankets. “He is.”
    “Well… I just wanted to check—”
    “Stay.” The word popped out before she had time to think about it. Her voice was breathless. She gave a shaky laugh. “Just for a few moments. It’s early yet, and I’m not tired.”
    “Neither am I.” He stepped inside, his movements tentative, and she shut the door behind him, then walked a few steps to close the door leading to the bedroom, leaving it slightly ajar so she could hear Jake if he awoke.
    She turned back to Will. “Please sit down.” She gestured to the chaise longue pushed against the wall beside the tall window. The room was too small to allow anything more than that one piece of furniture.
    He lowered himself onto the striped chintz and then gestured for her to sit beside him.
    Her heart began to pound. For the past few days, she’d kept her distance from him for a reason. She was afraid of getting too close, of remembering, of being confused by all those old feelings.
    “Sit.” The word was a soft command, and memories flooded through her. Will was kind, fair, and generous. A gentleman through and through, but he had been an officer in the Navy, and he knew how to command men.
    Meg lowered herself beside