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“But let us move on to the second act, shall we? We have already closed the curtain on the first, exciting as it was.”
“What is the second act?”
“It will be brilliant, I assure you.” Nick replaced the poker and came to stand near her, his handsome face alight with true amusement. “Alec will come breathing the fire of the righteous and I…” Nick’s smile chilled her. He crossed to a small table and picked up an elaborate box. The carved lid lifted to display a set of dueling pistols. “Alec and I have a score to settle. One long overdue.”
Cold fear clutched her stomach. “What would that solve?”
“Everything.” He shut the box carefully, his pale hand lingering on the lid and the gleaming mother of pearl inlay. “When my esteemed cousin arrives, he will have no choice but to fight me.” Nick slid his hand over the box with an almost loving gesture. “I have never lost a duel.”
Julia swallowed at his calm, certain voice. “Never?”
“Not once.”
“You cannot have fought very many, then.”
He quirked a brow. “Dueling is much more accepted on the continent. I fought my first one when I was only thirteen.”
Julia tried to swallow, but couldn’t. “So young.”
“Yes. He insulted my mother, called her a whore.” Nick shrugged. “Sometimes the truth is so unpalatable that it should never be said aloud.”
She wet her dry lips, the elaborate box seeming more menacing with every word Nick spoke. “Alec will not fight you. I-I cannot imagine he would agree to such foolishness.”
“How can he refuse? I left the ball with his willing wife.” Nick’s smile turned cruel. “Thanks to you, Alec will have no choice.”
Julia’s heart sank. She could picture how she must have looked, leaving the ballroom, Nick’s arm about her waist. Her cheeks burned at the thought. Tears threatened, but she held them at bay. There would be plenty of time for that once this drama was played out. She had forever to regret what would never be. Right now, she had to think. “Nick, don’t do this. I know, in your heart, you don’t want to hurt anyone.”
His smile slipped. “You know nothing about my heart.”
“But I do. I-I’ve spoken to you. Listened to you. You might not care about many people, but I think you once cared for your mother. That means something. And I think you must have cared what your grandfather thought too and—”
“Enough!” he said harshly, his expression shuttered. His mouth was white with anger. “I didn’t bring you here to listen to your theories on reforming lost souls, especially mine. There are more amusing ways to while away the time.”
Before she knew what he was about, he was beside her on the settee. His arm rested along the back, his fingers brushing against her shoulder in a suggestive manner. His broad shoulders blocked the warmth of the fire. Julia averted her gaze and glanced around the room. There had to be some safe topic of conversation that would enthrall him until she could figure a way out of this mess.
Her gaze fell on the table, covered with a cold repast. “Perhaps we should eat.”
He took one of her hands in his. “I have ever found innocence appealing. There is something unique in knowing one is first.” He leaned closer, slipping an arm about her shoulders, his fingers lightly caressing her bared skin. “Would I be your first? Or did my quixotic cousin manage to charm his way into your bed?”
Julia stood, heedless of the way it made her head spin. Whatever demons haunted Nick, they were out in full force tonight. “What we need is some food,” she suggested brightly, crossing to the table and slipping into the farthest chair.
Nick watched her through half closed eyes. “You cannot put me off forever, Julia.”
“You can’t wish to ravish me on an empty stomach. It could cause indigestion.” She began piling mounds of cold ham and sliced apples on her plate. Just for good measure, she took three pieces of bread and slathered them with butter, ignoring the quaver of her stomach at the sight.
He watched her for an amused moment before joining her at the table, claiming the chair beside hers. “Very well, but it only prolongs the moment. I will seduce you. If not now, then after Alec has been dispatched.”
Julia tamped down terror at Nick’s calm assumption. “Alec won’t come. You’ve made one mistake; he doesn’t care about me.”
“Have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately?” He leaned forward and traced the back of his hand down her cheek. “Those lips were made for sinning.”
Julia stuffed her mouth full of buttered bread. No man could kiss a woman with a mouth full of buttered bread. She hoped she looked every bit as repulsive as she felt.
After an astonished moment, Nick threw back his head and laughed.
It wasn’t exactly the response she’d hoped for, but it was better than unbridled lust. The only problem she had now was what to do with all the bread in her mouth. Her stomach still roiled from the laudanum and her throat was tight with fear.
Chuckling, he said, “You always manage to surprise me. That is a rare quality indeed.”
Julia attempted to swallow. The lump stuck in her throat and refused to move. She choked, her eyes watering as the lump seemed to grow and grow.
A flicker of irritation crossed his face. “Pray do not try that old trick.”
She wanted to tell him she was not playacting, but she could make no noise, could barely move for trying to breathe.
As her distress increased, Nick’s amusement faded. “Good God, Julia!”
Though the roar in her ears, she heard his voice as if from a great distance. He thumped her firmly on the back, then again and again. After what seemed an eternity, the lump finally went down and sweet air rushed to fill her lungs. Coughing and sputtering, she wiped her eyes. Cursing, Nick poured her a glass of ale and handed it to her.
After several sips, her breathing settled into a more normal rhythm. She looked at Nick with a thankful sigh. “You saved my life.”
His eyes widened just an instant, uncertainty flickering across his face, but he quickly banished it. “Do not make me out to be a hero.”
“But you are.”
“Really?” He captured her hand and pressed it to his mouth, his eyes languorous. “Then show me your appreciation.”
Julia tried to regain her hand, but he held tight. “Oh, just stop it!” she said, suddenly tired with the whole debacle. All she had wanted was to sponsor a charity and look what had happened. She’d married a man who could not love her and been kidnapped by another who was determined to disgrace her, and now she’d almost died. Worse, it would have been the most ignominious kind of death—choking on buttered bread.
Her life was not going at all the way it should, and she was tired and sore and angry. She pulled on her hand. “Leave me be. My head hurts.”
He refused to relinquish his hold. “Julia, my love. You are a pragmatic woman. As such, you should be thinking ahead. Once Alec has lost the fortune, he will be unable to fund these projects of yours. I, on the other hand, will have more money than I know what to do with.” Nick turned her hand over and placed a warm kiss on her wrist. “I’m not interested in marriage, of course, even once you are a widow. But perhaps we can reach an agreement, one more suitable to both of our interests.”
“I don’t bargain with men who plan on killing my husband. He may be difficult, but he is my husband, after all.” And I love him dearly. She managed to keep her voice light, though her heart was anything but.
Nick chuckled, his fingers tightening on her wrist. “I see I shall have to be more plain in my intentions.” He yanked her from her chair and into his lap, her back scraping painfully across the edge of the table.
“Release me!”
His arms clamped around her, his hands tangling at her waist in the bronze silk of her gown. There was a determination in his gaze she could not deny. He was going to have her one way or another. Fine, Julia decided, her patience at an end, her anger roused as never before. Without an
other word, she wrapped her arm about Nick’s neck and kissed him. She didn’t just gently press her mouth to his, but avidly sought his kiss, arching against him.
Anything to keep his attention off her other hand, which had just closed around the metal cover for the ham dish. The cover hit his head with a distinct gong sound, and for an instant, she thought his eyes crossed. Then he sagged forward and tumbled both of them to the floor. Julia’s cheek hit the edge of the chair, and black spots wavered in front of her eyes.
She blinked them away and as soon as Nick’s grip loosened, she scrambled upright and made a mad dash for the door. Before she gained her freedom, hands closed around her waist, yanking her back. Julia kicked with all her might, but her slippered feet did nothing to the booted shins they met.
Nick’s hands bit cruelly into her arms as he turned her to face him. Blood dripped from his forehead and ran down his neck to darken his cravat with a red stain. “Stop it,” he hissed, his eyes sparking blue flames. “I don’t wish to hurt you.” He shook her with each word, his fury palpable.
Julia grit her teeth. “Leave me be!”
He yanked her to him, his eyes blazing into hers, his hands like iron bands on her bare arms as he hissed through his teeth, “The next time you attempt something that foolish, I will forget you are a woman. Do you understand?”
She nodded and curled her hands into fists.
“Sit down.” He almost threw her from him.
As soon as he released her, she swung at him with all her might, her fist connecting with his eye.
His head jerked back from the blow and he stumbled, tripped over a stool and fell. The punch did little more than anger him, for he rolled immediately to his feet and started after her, bellowing his rage.
But that second of freedom was all Julia needed, for she was out the door and into the hallway, running as fast as she could. From behind her came the thud of his booted feet, each step bringing him closer. Julia saw the huge oak door ahead and grabbed the handle, flinging it open…and dashed right into Alec’s outstretched arms.
Chapter 30
“My, my. What a charming tableau.” Nick’s voice rang cold and furious.
The pale dawn light gleamed along the barrel of a cocked pistol. Alec tightened his hold on Julia, his heart racing as he savored the feel of her in his arms. Her enticing scent drifted around him as he fought the desire to sink his face into her hair and never let her go.
There would be time for that later. Right now, he had a dog to neuter. “Bridgeton, I—” The growing light touched Nick’s face where blood glistened. With a heart grown even colder by fear, Alec managed to rasp out, “What happened to you?”
Nick’s gaze flickered to Julia, though he said with a careless shrug, “I ate something that disagreed with me.”
Alec said a short prayer of thanks that Lucien kept such fine horseflesh. Had it not been for Wexford’s lightly sprung chaise and prime set of chestnuts, Alec would have been too late. “A pity it didn’t kill you,” Alec returned coldly. “Nick, my wife and I would like to return home now.”
Nick’s gaze flickered insolently over Julia. “Neither you nor your wife has a say in this matter.”
Alec ground his teeth. Damn it all, he had not thought to be at such a disadvantage. But then, he hadn’t foreseen Julia bursting through the door in terror just as he approached it. At this very moment, the pistol from the box beneath the seat of Luce’s chaise was resting in the pocket of Alec’s greatcoat. It was their one and only hope.
Nick gestured with his pistol. “Escort her inside.”
Julia pulled back from Alec’s embrace to stare up at him. A smile trembled on her wide mouth. “I was afraid you wouldn’t find me.”
Alec refused to think what might have happened if he’d been a moment later. He drank in the sight of her. Her hair tumbled about her shoulders in a mass of tangles and framed her pale, strained face, the jaunty feather long gone. Her eyes shimmered above an angry cut along the curve of her cheek.
Lifting a hand, he gently wiped away the thin trickle of blood. Anger seethed through him and he glared over her head at Nick. “You will pay for this, Bridgeton.”
“Probably. But not today.” Nick aimed the pistol at Julia.
Fury clenched Alec’s jaw. “This is between us. Let Julia go.”
“So she can alert the authorities? That wouldn’t be wise. Besides…” Nick’s gaze flickered insolently over Julia, lingering on her breasts. “I have plans for her.”
Alec leapt at Nick, but Julia held his arm.
“Alec, no.”
Her voice poured icy cold over the red-hot rage that possessed him. He found himself looking into her eyes, lost in the calm warmth he found there. His mind worked once again and he examined her delicate features. Was she disappointed to discover Nick’s true character? Had her heart, so tender and true, been crushed by that horrible and unpalatable truth?
A swell of sympathy cut through the brittle edges of his own pain. He knew the agony of unreturned love, knew the disappointment of looking into someone’s eyes and seeing nothing but the reflection of another. He wanted so to ask her how she fared, yet before he could say a word, she leaned forward and whispered, “I hate to sound spiritless, but we should do as he asks.”
Alec squeezed her hand. She was right; now was not the time. “Lead the way.”
She returned to the hunting box, casting a reproachful glance at Nick as she went.
On entering, Alec noted the overturned chairs and an upended metal dome beneath the table. Fear clutched his throat. “Did he—”
“No.” A flicker of humor quirked her mouth. “I didn’t give him a chance.”
Relief flooded him. Thank God she had been spared. Unable to stop, Alec caught her to him and rested his cheek against her silken hair.
“Charming,” came Nick’s mocking voice. “Pray be seated.”
It was all Alec could do to keep himself in check. But one look at Julia’s pale face and he loosened his hold and led her to the settee. Once there, Alec pulled her back into his arms.
Nick shut the door and approached the fireplace. Resting his shoulder against the mantle, he regarded them with a somber stare, the pistol never wavering.
Alec forced himself to meet his cousin’s gaze. “You should get something for that cut. It’s bleeding profusely.”
Nick cast a dark glance at Julia. “I am sure it is.”
She sniffed. “Nick and I had a disagreement.”
Though she appeared angry, Alec was relieved to see no other emotion on her expressive features. Was it possible that Lucien was right? That Julia’s heart had not been touched by his corrupt cousin, but only her ready sympathy? But whom, then, had she loved for four long, anguished years?
Nick gingerly touched the lump on his forehead. “I have to commend you, Cousin. Your wife is as exciting as she is lovely.” His insolent gaze rested on Julia and Alec’s hands curled into fists.
Julia tugged on his arm. “Pray, don’t let him provoke you! He wants to fight a duel.”
“Silence!” Nick’s face darkened and he turned to Alec. “You have no choice. You either fight or…” The pistol lifted in a suggestive manner toward Julia.
Alec’s hands itched for the feel of his own pistol, still tucked safely away in his pocket, but he dared not risk Julia’s safety. “The executors will never release the funds to you after this.”
“Why not? The will stipulated nothing concerning my behavior.” A satisfied smile curved Nick’s mouth. “Only yours.”
Julia leaned forward. “Forget this silly duel and let us go.”
“I can’t, my dear. Alec will not let me leave here alive.” The blue gaze flickered to Alec. “Will you, dear cousin?”
Alec met the cold stare with one of his own. “You will never again harm Julia.”
She tugged urgently on his coat. “Alec, Nick saved my life.” At Alec’s disbelieving look, she added, “I was choking on some bread and he saved me.”
To Alec’s amazement, Nick shifted, looking decidedly uncomfortable. Catching Alec’s gaze, Nick shrugged. “She is no use to me dead.”
“I would be of just as much use to you dead as alive,” Julia corrected. “You used me to get Alec here; that was my one and only purpose. Though you may wish us to think otherwise, it says something that you didn’t let me die when you had the chance.”
Nick’s face reddened. “Enough of this! Alec, it is time to bring this farce to an end. I have a lovely brace of pistols for our meeting. Shall we take this outside?”
Alec rose.
“No, Alec!” Julia caught his hand, rising to stand beside him. “He has never lost.”
“Neither have I.” Alec removed his greatcoat and slipped it around Julia. Her eyes widened when she felt the weight of the pistol in the pocket. He leaned close under the pretext of kissing her cheek to whisper, “Get away when you can.”
She sent him a mutinous glare, but held her tongue.
Placing a hand on Julia’s elbow, Alec led her past Nick. Just as she drew even with him, she stumbled, her foot catching the long hem of the coat.
Nick had been reaching for a narrow box carrying the dueling pistols when Julia fell. He immediately reached out a hand to steady her, the barrel of his weapon momentarily lowering.
It was the moment Alec had been waiting for. He lunged, knocking Nick’s pistol from his hand. It skittered across the floor, spinning wildly and coming to rest by the hearth.
Nick dove after the lost weapon, Alec right behind him. End over end, the two men scrambled wildly. Julia started forward, the weighted swing of the greatcoat reminding her of her own hidden weapon.
Slipping her hand into the pocket, her fingers closed over the cold metal. The men fought on, oblivious to their surroundings, to her, to everything. Taking a great breath, she moved to stand by the decorated box that held the dueling pistols.
Hand shaking, she pulled her own pistol from the greatcoat pocket, pointed it at a great metal caldron that hung beside the fireplace and, squinting, took aim and fired.
She missed the cauldron by several feet, the bullet striking the hearth mere inches from the two men. A shower of dust and shale exploded into the air, raining white powder and shards of stone across the men and the floor.