The Offer (Baron 2)

Phillip looked over the sloping west lawn of M

oreland, watching the gray afternoon shadows lengthen into night. He turned at the sound of Richard Clarendon’s angry voice.

“Damnation,” Richard was saying to Charles, his dark eyes deepening as the frown of his forehead grew more pronounced. “Do you swear you’ve told me all of it? All right, I believe you. I’m going to put a bullet through that filthy bastard right now.” One thing about Richard, Phillip thought, watching him draw on his gloves, when he made a decision, whether in anger or in infinite calm, he acted immediately.

“Richard,” Phillip said, turning from the window, “stop this minute. I’m sorry, but unfortunately the old earl isn’t in any shape to take Sabrina’s side in this. He’s too ill to refute what Elizabeth and Trevor have claimed happened. Very simply, it is their word against Sabrina’s. And since she ran away, in the eyes of society such an action would point to her guilt rather than away from it.”

“Don’t be such a cold-blooded bastard, Phillip. You know as well as I do that Sabrina wouldn’t have a clue about seducing any man, much less that little fop I met at Monmouth Abbey. Good God, he made my skin crawl with his softness and prettiness.” He nearly shuddered with revulsion.

“Let me finish, Richard. The fact remains that Sabrina wasn’t raped. Also, even though I promised Sabrina I wouldn’t kill him, obviously that doesn’t extend to you. But please consider this. There is simply no other male relative to inherit the title. It’s Trevor or the earl’s line is extinct. I believe you need to think very clearly about whether or not you want to dispatch the little fop to hell before he’s had an heir off Elizabeth.”

That made the marquess thoughtful. Slowly, he began to draw the exquisite black leather glove off his right hand. He said slowly, “You know, that’s a powerful point, Phillip, and I think you’ve provided the answer. Once Elizabeth bears the heir, then I’ll kill Trevor. Yes, that’s a fine plan. I’d be a fool to tell him I’ll kill him once his heir is born. He’d never bed Elizabeth if he knew the consequences of her bringing a child into the world. No, it will be our secret, just between the three of us.”

“I agree,” Phillip said. “But when the time comes, Richard, we will discuss it again. You will not simply act alone. Do you agree?”

“No,” the marquess said.

“It might be ten years before there’s an heir,” Phillip said. “The world might be very different in ten years. Promise me, Richard.”

“Damn you, Phillip. Very well. I promise.”

“Yes, and another thing, Richard,” Charles said, “you really don’t want to have to escape to the Continent for killing the little rotter. Your father would likely offer himself in your place were you to do that.”

“More likely your father would claim he’d killed Trevor,” Phillip said. Both men knew that the Duke of Portsmouth regarded his son and heir as a god. Richard could do no wrong in his eyes. They both quite envied him his father.

“I’m blessed in my father,” Richard said at last. “Oh, all right. If we decide to kill the bastard after the heir is born, then it will have to be done in secret. I don’t want to have to leave England, and I sure as hell don’t want my father involved. And the both of you are right. He would involve himself. He would fling himself in front of a firing squad to save me.” He sighed deeply, then slammed a fist against a table, making its legs tremble. “But not to do anything to him galls me.”

“I know just what you mean,” Charles said as he walked to the sideboard and poured three brandies.

“I’ve got it,” Phillip said after he took a sip of the sinfully excellent brandy, doubtless smuggled from France. “I will go beat the little bounder to the ground. I won’t kill him. I’ll be very careful not to kill him in fact, but I’ll hurt him. I think I’ll break his nose. That will make women look at him and shudder.”

“That’s an excellent idea,” Charles said, tipping his snifter to Phillip’s. “I’ve heard that Trevor, married to Elizabeth only for a short time, is already bedding the comely maids at Monmouth Abbey. Yes, Phillip, break his nose, shove it off center, make him look like a gargoyle.”

“No,” Richard said, tossing his brandy down in one gulp. “I’m the one to marry her. I’m the one to avenge her even though it’s Phillip’s plan. Give me your plan, Phillip, and I’ll smash that bastard’s nose in within the hour.”

“She won’t marry you, Richard, so I’ll keep my plan.”

Charles stared at the two men, then he laughed. They both turned on him. “Actually, Sabrina doesn’t want either of you. I’ve known her since she was born. Thus it is my responsibility to avenge her. I’ll enjoy breaking his nose. How about his right arm as well?”

It was Phillip who began to chuckle. “We sound like a pair of boys, Richard. Cry peace. All right, Charles can break his nose.”

“Oh, very well,” the marquess said. “And his right arm as well, Charles. Don’t muck it up.”

“I won’t.”

“I don’t know,” Richard said slowly, frowning ferociously. “Perhaps I should go with you just to make certain you don’t make any mistakes.”

“Now if anyone should accompany me, it should be Phillip. After all, he’s the one who saved Sabrina’s life and nursed her back to health.”

If Phillip had been closer, he would have been tempted to break Charlie’s damned nose. Why the devil must he remind Richard about the role he had played in Sabrina’s case? He waited for Richard to explode. He’d been only momentarily sidetracked. No longer. Richard regarded him as much a rake as himself, though it wasn’t true.

But bless the fates, Richard had no chance to veer to this new fertile land. At that moment the library door was flung open and Teresa Elliott ran on graceful feet into the room, turned to Phillip, and threw her arms around him.

“Phillip! You’re alive, you’re well, you’re here at last. You should have been here when I arrived, but you elected to be different and to ride your own path. It wasn’t well done of you. Just look what happened. You found that wretched girl and had to hide yourself for five days. Five days, Phillip. It was unbearable without you here.”

Phillip set her away from him. She didn’t release her hold on his arms. He wanted to tell her that she’d reddened her lips too much.

Very carefully, he pulled away, catching her hands and holding her off a distance of a foot.