A Promise of Tomorrow (5 page)

He entered the club but waved off the servant who greeted him at the door and kept his hat. The rooms were thick with conversation and smoke as he passed several tables in search of his nephew. He was hailed here and there byacquaintances lounginginplushchairs or waiting their turn at the tables, but he gave only the briefest of greetings before passing on. He was tired, and he felt the beginnings of a headache coming on now that he was in the crowded, smokefilled rooms.

He finally found Andrew near the back at a small table. Relieved, he made his way around the table, attempting to quietly draw his nephew’s attention. When he came close enough to recognize some of his nephew’s opponents, he caught sight of the young man sitting directly across fromAndrew and nearly forgot why he was there.

The very person he’d been trying
not
to think about for the past few hours was sitting at the table not ten feet from him, and for the second time that night, allthoughts ofhis familyfled fromhis head.

He rolled his eyes heavenward in a plea for strength and gritted his teeth. For God’s sake, his evening with Elias was supposed to sate his passions, not send them raging out of control. Yet here he was again devouring the lad with his eyes like he was a banquet spread before a starvingman.

Oh dear lord, get hold of yourself before someone sees the way you’re staring at him
.

At least his reason didn’t completely desert him, and this time, when thoughts of carrying young men off in carriages came to mind, they brought himback to the roomwith a jolt, reminding himthat his brother-in-law’s carriage was waiting outside for himto discharge his commission. With that thought held firmly in mind, James was finally able to tear his thoughts away from the distraction at the table and focus onhis nephew.

Andrew must have followed the other player’s gaze, because his eyes met James’s over the table and widened. When James gestured to the front doors with his head, Andrew closed his eyes and grimaced. His tablemates must have taken note of his reaction, because curious gazes turned in James’s direction, and some nodded and chuckled quietly, perhaps surmising the reason for his appearance.

The first part of his charge accomplished, James moved a discreet distance from the table and leaned back against a paneled wall, waiting for them to finish their play. There were plenty of other gentlemen close by who’d be more than willing to sit in, so James knew his nephew would be able to extricate himself from the game witha minimumoffuss.

The wait didn’t bother himin the least. It gave hima chance to calm himself and hopefully allow some of his blood to return to his head. It wasn’t easy. More than once, temptation won out and his eyes strayed back to the youngmanacross fromAndrew.

The young beauty continued to play but seemed preoccupied, glancing worriedly between him and Andrew. By this James finally surmised that he must be the infamous Mr. Allen, the friend that Andrew was trying to help with his dunderheaded scheme. The thought did not give him comfort. He wondered what could have happened in the few short hours after he left the ball. Why did Allen need to leave London, and where was Victor Weir?

These questions and more plagued him as he continued to watch the play. He was surprised to note how well Allen played despite his distraction, and James had to admit he was impressed. Fromthe look ofhimhe couldn’t be much older thanAndrew, yet he was holding his own quite well against several older gentlemen at the table. Though
that
thought made him grimace the moment it popped into his head. The “older”menat the table were close to his ownage, so what did that make him?

He’s your nephew’s friend, for God’s sake, barely half your age. Show a little restraint
.

James was becoming disgusted with himself. Perhaps going to see Elias had beena bad idea after all. It certainlyhadn’t helped.
James glanced around the room, hopingfor a distraction. It was a bad idea, for in doing so, he couldn’t help noticing more than one man’s attention drifting back to that table over and over. Apparently he wasn’t the only man in the room so affected, and the surge of jealousyhe felt at that realizationcaught himoffguard.

James closed his eyes this time.
That’s enough
.
You haven’t even met the man, and already you’re feeling possessive? Collect your nephew and go home before you make a fool of yourself.

The round concluded, and Andrew and Mr. Allen stepped away from the table, each giving their apologies. James turned and moved toward the front doors without looking to see if they were following. The thought that the youngmanmight be joiningtheminthe carriage sent equal parts anticipation and anxiety coursing through him, addingto his self-disgust.

Out in the street, he walked to the carriage and climbed in without a word. The other two followed shortly after and settled onto the seat opposite him. No one broke the silence, for which James would be eternally grateful. The carriage took off as soon as the footman climbed on, and in short order they were on their merry way home.
F
OR
Kyle, it was the longest and most uncomfortable carriage ride he had ever experienced. Any other night, he would have thrilled at the beauty of the carriage itself, positively the finest he’d ever been allowed to ride in. But the pleasant haze fromthe brandyAndrew had shared with himonly an hour before was gone, and the pain fromthe jostling ofthe carriage was forcibly reminding himofthe nightmare his life had become.

As he tried to find a more comfortable position on the bench, he felt the strange, empty calm he’d managed to maintain slipping away and the reality of his situation, and Victor’s betrayal, descend on him. His stomach twisted, and he broke out into a cold sweat as he struggled to hide his reaction from the other two men in the carriage.

Oh please, someone say something
, he pleaded mentally. Neither man had spoken since they’d left the club, and the silence was becomingdeafening.

He was so close to comingapart now. Whenhe’d beenplaying at the tables, he’d been able to distract himself. But now, with the strange, intense mansittingacross fromhimandAshtonsittingsullenly next to him, obviously in trouble, his composure was slipping away at analarmingrate.

He looked back and forth between the two other men, hoping to distract himself, and in the light from the passing streetlamps, a detached part of his mind finally realized why the older man had seemed familiar at the ball. It was obvious that he and Ashton were related. They had the same warm brown hair and eyes, the same strong nose and chin, but there the similarities ended. Ashton was nowhere near as imposing as his relation. The older man’s head nearly brushed the roof of the carriage, and his shoulders and chest were so broad Kyle felt sure the man could break him in two if he wished to. The thought sent a strange shiver throughhim.

The silence in the carriage continued until Kyle felt sure he would break under its weight when, finally, Ashton came to his rescue.

“Were Mother and Father really angry, Uncle?” he asked meekly, confirmingKyle’s supposition.

 

The man across fromthemsimply raised his brows and glanced brieflyinKyle’s directionbefore returninghis gaze to Ashton.

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry.” Ashton blushed. “Uncle, this is my friend Mr. KyleAllen. Mr. Allen, please allow me to introduce youto myuncle, Lord James Warren, Viscount Sudbury.”

“Apleasure to meet you, Mr. Allen,” a surprisingly deep voice murmured.

“The pleasure is mine, my lord,” Kyle replied. His voice was much weaker than he had intended, perhaps due to what the other man’s voice was doingto his innards.

Lord Warren continued to frown sternly at his nephew for another few moments before he raised a hand to rub his forehead. Then, like the suncuttingthroughthe clouds, his face split into a smile, and he chuckled, causingKyle to catchhis breath.

“Ah, nephew, don’t look so glum,” Warren said, clapping Ashton on the knee. “You know it’s not the gallows or the pillory for you. You’ll face your mother’s wrath, serve your sentence, and be back out withyour friends inno time, I’msure.”

His brief glance at Kyle set his heart pounding, and all he could do was stare at the man. Warren’s teasing and merriment had transformed his face from simply handsome to nearly breathtaking. Lines had appeared at the corners of his mouth and eyes, showing that he must smile and laugh often, and the warmth radiating fromhis voice and eyes spilled out into the rest of the carriage, making Kyle’s skintingle.

Of a sudden, all he could think of was basking in that warmth, ofwhat it would feellike to have that smile directed at him.

Where did
that
come from? And what is
wrong
with me?
he wondered for the hundredth time that night.
After everything that has happened to me, how can I be thinking such things?

He closed his eyes and leaned a little further back in his seat, hoping his heart would slow and the pounding in his ears would cease. He felt miserable, sick and confused to the point where he wasn’t evencertainofwho he was anymore.

I’m just tired
, he decided.
It’s just the shock and worry that has me thinking this way. What Victor did to me….
Kyle’s mind flinched away from the memory, and he sat further back in his seat, tryingto think ofsomething,
anything
else.

They arrived at their destination before Kyle could finish collecting himself, and Warren stepped out without waiting for the footman. Ashton followed, stepping into the street before turning to look back as Kyle hesitated inthe doorway.

“Ashton, wait,” Kyle said shakily. “I… can’t go in with you.” His words stumbled to a halt under Lord Warren’s raised brows, and Kyle kept his eyes firmly fixed on Ashton before he broke out into tears and shamed himselfinfront ofthem.

Ashtondidn’t seemto know what to sayas he looked up to the house and then back at Kyle. But he gathered his wits quickly and responded, “Oh, ofcourse, Allen, I understand completely. Youmust be done-in after… well… I’m, I’m sure the coachman will take you wherever you wish to go.” There was a question in his eyes, if not in his words.

“Thank you so very much for allyour assistance, Ashton. I will, of course, send word when I’m settled, to both you and your sister. Thank her for me as well, will you? I don’t know what I would’ve done ifit weren’t for your kindness.”

Ashton just looked at him for a moment and then nodded his understanding, much to Kyle’s relief. He didn’t look happy about it, but his new friend wasn’t goingto fight himonthis.

Thank you. It will be better for everyone if I leave now and let you get back to your lives. I’ve caused enough trouble with my stupidity and weakness.

“Good night, my lord. Good night, Ashton,” Kyle said, nodding to both men and retreating back into the carriage. He was sure there was more he should have said or done, but he couldn’t think, and he needed to get awaybefore he fellapart completely.

As the footman closed the door, Kyle instructed himto tell the coachman to drive out the northern end of the square and up four more blocks. He had no idea where he was. Victor’s rooms were nowhere near this part of town, and he hadn’t been in London long enough to familiarize himself with other areas. He was too tired to think, and he was running on the last shreds of his strength as it was. He only hoped his instructions were enough not to inspire concern or suspicioninthe servants.

When the carriage stopped, Kyle was let out in front ofanother row of townhouses. He waved the coachman off when he would’ve waited, which he was sure would seem suspicious, but he didn’t know what else to do. After the coach turned the corner, he headed into a smallpark he’d seenfromthe carriage window.

Finding a secluded corner as far away from the street as he could, Kyle hunched down against a tree and wrapped his coat more tightly around himself. The late summer nights were still quite warm, but he couldn’t seemto shake the chillthat had settled into his bones. Wrapping his arms around his knees, he began to shiver uncontrollably as tears stung his eyes. He didn’t have the strength to stop them anymore. He’d used what little he had left keeping his composure in front of Ashton and his uncle, and now he was limp withexhaustion.

With no defenses left, the memories he’d been fighting swamped him, images of Victor’s cold, almost inhuman face in the dark, memories of being all but dragged to an empty room, forced over the back of a couch, and held down while Victor…. Kyle’s stomach revolted and he stumbled onto his knees, retching in the bushes before falling back against the tree. Alone in the dark, he relived every moment of Victor’s betrayal in painful detail, too weak to do anythingmore thanwhimper.

He didn’t know how long he stayed like that before exhaustion finally claimed him and he surrendered into a blessedly dreamless sleep. It wasn’t until he woke, several hours later, shivering and damp, that he realized Ashtonstillhad his purse.

Chapter 4

 

J
AMES
hadn’t slept well at all, despite how tired he was. After the carriage had pulled away, taking Mr. Allen with it, Andrew and he had climbed the stairs and let themselves into the house. He had put his arm around his nephew’s shoulder as they had made their way directlyto the drawingroom, where Andrew’s parents waited.