The Deception (Baron 3)

He held her left wrist and released her right. He pulled a handkerchief from his waistcoat pocket and wiped his face. He said very softly, “You’ll pay for that. I’m accounted a handsome man, a good lover. Is it that damned duke? Yes, it is, isn’t it? He’s rich and titled, and that’s what little whores like you want. That would make me mo

re acceptable, wouldn’t it? No, don’t try to kick me or I’ll throw you over this railing. I care not that you won’t see to your next mission. They’ll find that letter in your reticule, and all will know you’re a traitor.”

“The only thing that would make you acceptable to me is if you were flailing at the end of a hangman’s noose.” “You little bitch, I’ll—” “Evangeline.”

Conan DeWitt dropped his hands and took a lazy step back. Evangeline looked up to see the duke stepping onto the balcony. She clasped her reticule tightly against her and quickly stepped around DeWitt. “Your grace,” she said.

The duke looked at Conan DeWitt, at Evangeline, whose face was pale as the white moon shining overhead, and wanted to commit murder. He said, his voice calm and dry, “DeWitt, may I ask what you’re doing here with my cousin? It’s very cold.”

He knew DeWitt, she thought, and took another step toward the duke.

“Yes, we were just discussing how very changeable the weather is in England. I was just telling Madame that she would catch a chill if she remained out here. I saw her coming out and wanted to meet her. She’s kindly been giving me her opinions of England and Englishmen. But now even I feel the cold to my bones. Your grace. Madame.” He nodded to both of them and walked away. The duke wanted to grab him, but he held himself back. Evangeline looked ready to collapse, she was so pale.

The duke had seen her leave the dance floor and go onto the balcony. He’d seen a man in a gray domino and mask follow her. He’d been on her heels as soon as he’d been able to get away from Lady Winthrop, who had wanted him in her bed since her best friend had wagered that she wouldn’t win him.

That damned pallor of hers. She looked as if she’d just been destroyed, flattened. He pulled her against him, just as Conan DeWitt had done. He said, his voice warm against her forehead, “Did he insult you? What did he say to you?”

She felt his anger pulsing over her. His large body was shaking. He was angry? She shook her head against his shoulder. “He said nothing. He just wanted to seduce me. I dealt with him, your grace,” she added, terrified that he’d go after DeWitt.

She felt him stiffen taut as a bow string pulled tight. “No, please, you were right about such an occasion as this. At least half a dozen gentlemen have tried to seduce me. There’s really nothing to it after the first three. DeWitt is a horrible man, but I would have shoved him over the railing if he’d tried anything. Who is he? How do you know him?”

“He hasn’t been in London very long. I met him through Drew. He’s Lord Hampton’s secretary, from the Lake District, I believe. He’s involved in all his lordship’s political maneuvering. Now tell me, why did you come out here alone?”

He tried to pull away from her, but she wouldn’t let him go. She stayed close, holding his lapels with her fists. “I wanted to be alone for a moment. There was nothing else. I saw that you were dancing. You were dancing with every lady here. You only danced with me once. Please, may we leave now?”

What the devil was going on here? He wanted to yell at her, but knew it wouldn’t gain anything. He said, “Very well. But you will have to release me.”

“I don’t want to, but I will.” She did release him but left her hands flattened against his chest. “Thank you,” she said, looking up at him. “Thank you for coming after me.”

She’d disarmed him. He had to shake his head. “Damn you, I came after you to beat you for being such a fool as to come out here alone. When I saw DeWitt follow you, I nearly threw my dancing partner into the punch bowl.” He gave her a smile that held still a bit of anger, and she saw it plainly since she knew him so well. But he hadn’t yelled or ranted or run after DeWitt and pounded him, thank God.

“Thank you,” she said again. She stepped away from him, her reticule held tightly to her chest.

He said from behind her, “DeWitt has a reputation that isn’t at all nice. I’ve heard it said that he likes to hurt women. He likes them at his mercy, both in bed and out of it. He was certainly wrong to follow you, wasn’t he?”

“I did spit on him,” she said, still so frightened and guilty that she wanted to fold up and let the cold freeze her to her soul.

“What would you have done if that hadn’t worked?”

“I would have kicked him in the groin. My father told me to do that, as an extreme measure to stop a man.”

“That would be the result, certainly. Now, if you would excuse me, I want to speak to DeWitt, teach him a very small lesson that would perhaps better his manners and his judgment.”

She grabbed his arm with strength she didn’t know she had. “No!” A black eyebrow arched upward. “No,” she said again. “Please don’t go near that man. He isn’t honorable like you are. I know it. He’s the kind of man who would laugh and smile to your face and slip a stiletto in your back the moment you turned away. No, don’t go after him. Please, forget him. Please.”

She looked distraught, even terrified. Because she was afraid for him? Evidently so. He was again disarmed, and annoyed.

“Please,” she said again. “I want to go home. Please don’t go after him. He’s not honest and good like you are. He’s an animal.”

The duke flung back his domino and took her arm. “Let’s fetch my mother, then, and we’ll leave.”

She laughed. “If you had a cutlass right now, the image would be perfect. Oh, dear, I’m actually laughing instead of shaking in my slippers.” “What damned image?”

“You looked like a pirate when you flung back the domino, the moonlight behind you.”

He groaned. “Listen to me. If I were a pirate, I’d be wise to have you flogged. No other woman has ever made me see myself as you have. Let’s go.”

An hour later, when he stopped at her bedchamber door, she said, “Do you remember your promise to me?”