When she arrived at his residence, she was told by the august butler that the other guests had gathered in the drawing room for tea. Julienne went upstairs to her bedchamber to change her riding habit, but once she had done so, she suddenly found herself reluctant to face the company.

Flinging herself on her bed, she lay staring up at the canopy overhead, feeling restless and dissatisfied and more melancholy than she had any right to feel. It dismayed her how Dare could hold such power over her, no matter what he said or did.

After another quarter hour, however, she finally rose and left her bedchamber, intending to go below to join the company.

She froze when she spied Dare farther down the corridor. He was still in his riding clothes, and he had just emerged from a bedchamber that was not his own.

Dare froze as well. He had expected Julienne to be with the others. He'd paid the Covent Garden actress Fanny Upcott to keep Riddingham occupied while he searched the viscount's room, looking for any incriminating evidence. It was unfortunate that Julienne had discovered him in the act.

Dare set his jaw, knowing he could either try to bluff his way out or risk telling her the truth.

Still weighing the decision, he moved toward her.

"I suppose you have a good reason for being in Lord Riddingham's bedchamber?" she remarked when he reached her.

Meeting her puzzled gaze, he raised an eyebrow.

"How do you know which bedchamber belongs to Riddingham?"

"Because I've seen him entering it before. And pray don't think to avoid my question by changing the subject. What were you doing in there? You are far too wealthy to steal his possessions." When Dare hesitated, Julienne added tartly, "I doubt you want me to tell him that you have been rifling through his belongings."

It was clearly a threat, one that rankled Dare. Thinking to intimidate her, he stepped closer and braced one hand on the wall behind Julienne, deliberately crowding her. He could feel her soft bosom against his chest, her thighs pressed hard against his, and the sudden ache in his loins grew and spread to the rest of his body. Even more deliberately he reached up to splay his hand between her breasts and felt her heart jump against his palm.

Julienne did indeed feel intimidated. The neckline of her afternoon gown was not immodestly low, but she deplored the intensely wicked sensation of Dare's warm hand through the fabric, of his fingers brushing her skin above the bodice.

Taken aback, she stared at the sleek gold column of his throat and the pulse that beat there. Absurdly she wanted to bury her face in the curve in his neck and taste him.

Then he bent his head to nibble her lower lip. Every inch of their bodies touched, scorching her. Without volition, she parted her lips.

"Kiss me, Julienne," he murmured in his husky lover's voice. "Kiss like you mean it. Mold your lips to mine… plunge your tongue into my mouth…"

A moan welled up in her throat as he proceeded to show her what he wanted. Her lips burned beneath his deep, penetrating kiss, while her body turned molten. Yet even then, her mind was protesting violently, trying to comprehend the reason for his sudden sensual assault.

He was merely attempting to distract her… That was it, she thought, suddenly furious at his underhanded tactics.

Her heart hammered as she tore her mouth away. "How dare you-" she began, struggling to elude his grasp, but his mouth clamped down on hers, smothering her angry words.

Flames fanned out over her body, burning her, inciting her as his arms came around her. Somehow, though, she found the strength of will to resist his seduction. Her head reeling, she forced her hands between them and shoved at Dare's chest, finally making him break his hold and his kiss.

"Stop it! Just stop!" Her breath ragged, she glared up at him. "I want to know what the devil you were doing in those rooms."

His lips were still moist from kissing her, and she saw them press together in a tight line. "I'll tell you, but not here in the hall."

Opening her bedchamber door, he pushed her through and followed, shutting them in together.

Suddenly feeling skittish about being here alone with Dare, Julienne moved halfway across the room, out of reach.

"Well?" she demanded, still breathless.

"Riddingham could be a traitor," he said simply.

She stared at him. "What are you talking about?"

"Last year a nobleman calling himself Caliban wreaked havoc on our war efforts, smuggling stolen gold to Napoleon…"

Julienne listened in astonishment as Dare told her a shocking tale of murder and blackmail, and about the hunt for Caliban and a ruby-eyed dragon ring. That Dare himself might be involved in trying to rid the country of a traitor had been the furthest conceivable thing from her mind.

"And you think Riddingham might be Caliban?" she said slowly at the conclusion of his story.

Where his gaze had been guarded before, Dare's eyes were now narrowed, watching her reaction. "He has the ring… although he claims to have won it at piquet. It's possible Caliban decided that keeping so unique an ornament in his possession was dangerous. He might have deliberately palmed it off on Riddingham to divert attention from himself, to throw us off the scent."

She frowned, hesitating to believe such accusations without proof. Seven years ago she herself had been unjustly accused of treason by Dare's grandfather, and she would never leap to condemn anyone else, no matter how strong the suspicions.

"Somehow I find it hard to believe that Riddingham could be a mastermind of espionage. He is quite genial and possesses exquisite manners, but I don't consider him particularly clever. I should think a traitor of the caliber you're suggesting would have sharper wits than I've seen of his."

"I've had similar thoughts," Dare replied. "But he's our only link to Caliban, and I have to follow his trail, no matter how far-fetched."

"Why you? I am frankly astounded that you would be involved in playing spy."

"Worthless fribble that I am?"

Julienne felt her cheeks flush. "I didn't say that. But you are known as the Prince of Pleasure. Your part in this seems just as far-fetched as Riddingham's."

"All the more reason for me to be the one to investigate him-because he is unlikely to suspect me. In fact, I invited him here so I could keep a close eye on him."

A startling thought struck Julienne like a blow; it took her breath away. "Is that why you decided to pursue me? So you could watch Riddingham?"

Dare's expression was shuttered. "Initially, perhaps. But he's no longer the sole reason. Once we made our wager, I realized how badly I wanted to win it."

Her thoughts whirling, Julienne raised a hand to her temple.

"Actually this house party allowed me to observe some of Riddingham's friends as well," Dare added. "He professes that both Ormsby and Perrine were in game when he won the ring. But nothing in their behavior thus far supports the possibility of either of them being Caliban. And I've searched their rooms and found nothing questionable."

Julienne still didn't respond as she tried to take in his extraordinary revelation: Dare had used her to get closer to his real target. Their entire wager had been a ploy from the beginning.

"So do you intend to warn Riddingham of my suspicions?" Dare asked when she was silent.

"Of course not," she said absently.

He raised a skeptical eyebrow. "You will have to forget this conversation ever took place. If you begin treating Riddingham any differently, you could give the game away."

Julienne's chin came up at that. "You don't need to instruct me how to play a role. I am an excellent actress."

"I know," he drawled mockingly, yet she couldn't help hearing the edge of bitterness in his tone.

When she gave him a sharp glance, he returned a dark stare, his gaze hot, piercing, accusatory. Suddenly Julienne was unbearably aware of the intimacy of being here alone with him.

"You needn't worry that I will give you away," she assured Dare as she brushed past him. "I plan to maintain the ridiculous charade of our wager."

She was about to open the door when his strong arms reached out to draw her back.

Julienne held herself rigid, not daring to breathe. "Let me go, please."

But Dare didn't release her. Instead his arms came around her shoulders. Her pulse leaping, Julienne bit her lip, deploring the way his physical presence engulfed her senses.

"It isn't a charade," he murmured. "I still want you, Jewel."

His breath stirred her hair and sent chills all over her. Even as she shivered, his warm hands slipped inside her bodice and began to play tantalizingly with her nipples.

Julienne squeezed her eyes shut, fighting the instinctive desire to flee for her life-and the deeper desire to surrender to his caresses. She wanted to melt against his warmth…

"My beautiful Jewel," he whispered in that erotic, masculine voice that never failed to bring her senses alive.

Oh, God, she thought, aching as his tongue traced the shell of her ear. His fingers tightened on her stiffened nipples, and she caught her lip between her teeth as a fiery spasm of pleasure shot down to her lower abdomen.

She shook her head, struggling desperately against her long-stemmed hunger. She hungered for physical warmth, for Dare.

"I want you," he repeated. "I want you hot and wild and burning with desire for me." His whisper filled her mind, his words a rich promise, husky, lavish with sensuality. "Say you want me, too, Julienne."