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.”
“And 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 arrived.”
Julia tamped down terror. “Why bother? 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 felt tight from the fear she held at bay.
Chuckling, he said, “You are an absolute delight.”
Julia attempted to swallow. A 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. “Don’t 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.”
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 a glass of ale and handed it to her.
After several sips, her breathing settled. She looked at Nick with a thankful sigh. “You saved my life.”
His eyes widened just an instant before his mouth curved in a contemptuous smile. “Do not make me out to be a hero.”
“But you are.”
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 seemed 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. “You should be thinking ahead, Julia. 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. “Perhaps we can reach an agreement.”
“I don’t bargain with men who plan on killing my husband.”
He chuckled. Then, before she could determine his intent, 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 another word, she wrapped one arm about Nick’s neck and kissed him. She didn’t just gently press her lips to his, but avidly sought his mouth, 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.
As soon as Nick’s grip loosened, she scrambled upright and dashed to the door. Before she gained her freedom, though, 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. “I don’t want to hurt you.” He shook her with each word, his fury palpable.
Julia
grit
her teeth. “Leave me be!”
He held her away from him but did not release her arms. “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.
“Now, come and sit down.”
As soon as he released her, she swung at him with all her might.
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.
"My, my.
What a charming tableau
.“
Nick’s voice rang cold and furious.
Alec tightened his hold on Julia. The pale dawn light gleamed along the barrel of the dueling pistol pointed directly at them. All Alec could think
of
was the fact that Julia was safe.
Thank God he had borrowed Lucien’s chaise for this wild journey. Not only were the chestnuts a prime set, but the duke kept a loaded firearm in the box beneath the seat—a weapon that now rested within the pocket of Alec’s greatcoat.
Nick gestured toward the door. “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 come a moment later. He drank in the sight of his wife and tried to assure himself she was well. 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. “Damn you to hell. You will pay for this.”
Nick aimed his gun at Julia, his gaze narrowed with meaning. “A stray bullet can bring more agony than an intended one. Move, Alec. I don’t have all day.”
Fury clenched Alec’s jaw, but he forced himself to speak calmly. “This is between us, Nick. Let Julia go.”
“And allow her to alert the authorities? That wouldn’t be wise.”
Alec considered launching himself at Nick in the hopes Julia could escape, but her hand tightened on his arm. He knew she would not leave. Alec examined her delicate features to see if her heart had broken to discover Nick’s true character.
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.
To his surprise, Julia 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. “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 hair.
“Charming,” came Nick’s mocking voice. “Pray be seated.”
It was all Alec could do to keep himself in check. But after one look at Julia’s pale face, he loosened his hold and led her to the settee. Once there, Alec pulled her back into his arms, grateful she didn’t protest, but allowed him the luxury of holding her.
Nick shut the door and approached the fireplace. Resting his shoulder against the mantel, he regarded them with a somber stare.
Alec raised his brows at the sight of the blood dripping slowly down his cousin’s forehead. “What happened to you?”
Nick cast a dark glance at Julia.
She sniffed. “Nick and I had a disagreement.”
Though she appeared angry, Alec was relieved to see no other emotion on her expressive features. He wondered suddenly if Lucien had been right. Perhaps 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. “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.”
“1 can’t, my dear. Alec would never let me leave here alive.” The blue gaze flickered to Alec. “Would 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.”
“What!”
Nick shifted, looking decidedly uncomfortable. “It was nothing. She choked on some bread.”
Struggling to comprehend the twisted thread of conversation, Alec turned to Julia. “Then how did you hurt your cheek?”
Julia lifted a hand to her face, grimacing when she touched the cut. “I hit it on the edge of the table when I was trying to escape.”
Alec found himself staring at the dome that lay in dented splendor in the corner before casting a glance at his cousin. “Good God.”
Nick picked up a slim wooden box. “Don’t waste your pity on me. Let’s end this farce and choose our weapons.”
As Alec rose, Julia caught his hand. “No, Alec! He has never lost.”
Alec removed his greatcoat and slipped it around Julia. Her eyes widened when she felt the weight of the gun. He leaned close under the pretext of kissing her cheek to whisper, “Get away when you can.”
She sent him a mutinous glare, but before she could say anything, Nick moved to the door.
“Though I am usually the most sentimental of
men, that
is quite enough.” He gave a mocking bow.
“After you.”
Alec placed a hand on Julia’s elbow and led her past Nick. Just as she drew even with him, she stumbled, her foot catching the long hem of the coat. Nick immediately reached out a hand to steady her. The gun wavered.
It was the instant Alec had been waiting for. He lunged. The weapon skittered across the floor, spinning wildly and coming to rest by the hearth.
Nick dove after the lost weapon, Alec right behind him. The box containing the other dueling pistol hit the floor with a loud crack. End over end, the two men scrambled desperately. Julia started forward, the weighted swing of the greatcoat reminding her of the hidden gun.
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 deep breath, she withdrew the gun and pointed it at a great metal caldron that hung beside the fireplace. Squinting, she 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.
Alec and Nick froze,
then
turned toward her, their faces a comic mix of hope and terror. Before either could move, Julia retrieved the dueling pistol from the box at her feet. She cocked it and pointed it at Nick.
He started for the lost pistol that lay so close at hand, but Julia stepped forward. “I don’t want to shoot you, but I will.”
Nick halted, his gaze narrowed on her face. Then, with a wry smile, he gracefully gained his feet, hands held palm up.
“Easy, Julia.
It fires easily.”
Alec stood and cautiously touched his swollen eye. “You should have thought of that before, Bridgeton. Now that Julia—”