Christian Seaton: Duke of Danger (Dangerous Dukes 6)

Not that Marcus was the one who had to bear the brunt of Lisette’s stony silence, that gentleman having chosen to ride ahead on his horse.

Lisette had not been silent either initially, of course, as she had once again reviled Christian with a list of insults that would have made a fishwife blush. After which she had fallen into this icy silence that was, quite frankly, causing Christian far more discomfort than his thigh.

Indeed, his thigh felt a little easier today, after the long rest yesterday and a night’s sleep, and he had even managed to dress himself this morning, with Marcus’s help, and eat a little of the breakfast brought up to his bedchamber.

Food that seemed to have settled uncomfortably in his stomach as the icy silence continued between himself and Lisette. ‘I am not the one who picked you up and placed you—’

‘Only because you are not yet well enough!’ Her eyes flashed with anger. ‘If you had been, I have no doubt you would have manhandled me as uncivilly as did Le Duc de Worthing.’

Christian gave a wince. ‘Please come and sit beside me, Lisette.’

‘Why?’

Because Christian badly needed to hold her in his arms. In truth, he had thought of doing little else since she had retired early to her own bedchamber the previous evening. No doubt with the intention of plotting and planning a way in which she might leave the inn and so avoid being made to accompany him and Marcus to London today.

When he had voiced that concern to Marcus, the other man had assured him that he had placed one of the inn’s servants outside the door of Lisette’s bedchamber to prevent such an occurrence.

‘Please, Lisette.’ Christian now patted the upholstered seat beside him. ‘Or I shall be forced to come to you,’ he added softly; after all, there was only so much space for Lisette to retreat inside his ducal carriage.

‘You will do no such thing!’ Lisette frowned at him. ‘I may not like you or your friend very much at the moment, but neither do I wish you any further harm,’ she acknowledged begrudgingly, having spent many wakeful hours of the night considering her position.

There was no doubting that Helene was indeed up to something nefarious during those late night clandestine meetings with her cohorts. Nor could Lisette change the fact that she was the other woman’s daughter.

Consequently Christian could not know with any certainty that Lisette was not in cahoots with the older woman and had only accompanied him to England in order to gain information to further her mother’s plot to undermine the English government and monarchy.

Which was not to say that Lisette in any way forgave Christian for deceiving her, only that she now understood it, in part.

Unfortunately for Christian, it was not the part of her that had been so attracted to this Duc Dangereuse.

Oh, yes, Lisette understood that sobriquet too now, having charmed Marcus Wilding into confiding in her when they dined together the previous evening.

Nor was she as self-confident and self-contained as she wished to appear in front of Christian. She felt completely vulnerable in this strange country amongst people she did not know. She also feared what was going to happen to her when she arrived in London.

She set her lips firmly in an effort to stop them from trembling. ‘What are your plans for me once we reach London, Monsieur le Duc? Am I to be locked up in chains until I reveal all to this man Maystone?’ Considering she knew absolutely nothing about Helene Rousseau’s plotting and planning, and so had nothing to reveal, that might possibly be for some considerable time.

‘I did not—I will not allow anyone to “lock you up in chains”, Lisette!’ Christian huffed his impatience.

She gave a shrug of her shoulders. ‘M’lord Maystone may have other ideas.’

Christian frowned his frustration for several moments, able to see the vulnerability in Lisette’s eyes that she obviously thought to hide from him with the lashing of her tongue. Just as he recognised the stubborn set of her mouth for what it was—a determination on her part not to reveal that vulnerability.

He gave up any idea of having Lisette come to him and instead made the move to join her on the other side of the carriage. Movement, along with the jolting of the carriage, that caused him considerable pain but which he chose to ignore. He was more interested in Lisette’s welfare than he was his own; he knew everything that had been revealed to her since they arrived in England must be more than a little frightening for her. Completely in character for the young woman he had come to know, she did not wish anyone to see that fear. Least of all, him.

Her eyes widened in alarm as she obviously guessed his intention. ‘You must not—’

‘I already am, my dear Lisette,’ Christian assured her as he sank down gratefully onto the seat beside her before turning to take her in his arms. ‘The “mountain” will happily come to you if you will not come to it,’ he murmured ruefully. ‘Lisette, please,’ he cajoled as she struggled in his arms.

Lisette had no strength to remain immune to the plea in Christian’s voice, her shoulders dropping their defensive stiffness as she stopped fighting him and instead sank down against him, her head resting on his shoulder and so allowing her to hear the steady beat of his heart. ‘I have done nothing wrong, Christian,’ she said huskily.

His arms tightened about her. ‘I know.’

‘Do you?’ She looked up at him.

‘Yes.’

‘How do you know?’

He gave a regretful grimace. ‘By the fact that you really did not wish to travel to England with me, but came only for my comfort. By the fact that you most certainly did not wish to travel to London today.’