Lady Vivian Defies a Duke (22 page)

“
Romeo
and
Juliet
,” a high-pitched voice blurted out as he took a step forward.

Luke halted and searched the blur of faces around him, his sight landing on Johanna. Mr. Collier was by her side studying him shrewdly.

“I believe the answer is
Romeo
and
Juliet
,” she repeated. “Well done, Lady Vivian.”

His mother stood. “Yes, well done.”

She applauded and her guests joined in. The spell between Vivian and him was broken, and he donned his mask again.

Mr. Collier whispered something in Johanna’s ear and she blushed.

Luke gritted his teeth. The gentleman was becoming a nuisance in his household.

He made his way toward his mother’s companion while fixing Collier with a feral glare that should have the coward turning tail. Just as Luke expected, the gentleman made a hasty departure before he reached them.

He offered Johanna his arm. “Take a turn about the room with me.”

“As you wish, Your Grace.”

Satisfied Mother was occupying Vivian and she was safe, he led Johanna around the perimeter of the room. “Was Mr. Collier bothering you? I shall order his departure on the morrow if he is making a pest of himself.”

“He’s harmless.” Her fingers twitched on his arm. She was lying, but he couldn’t accuse her outright. Perhaps she was already caught up in Collier’s web of seduction. Luke couldn’t allow her to be destroyed by the man. She was as much Luke’s responsibility as his mother and sisters.

They stopped a fair distance away from the other guests so he could speak in confidence. “The man is far from harmless when given opportunity. I don’t wish you to speak with him again. Do I make myself clear?”

She blinked up at him, her eyes widening. “I—I believe I understand.”

“See that you follow my wishes on the matter. I shan’t have this conversation again, Miss Truax.”

Her cheeks flushed and she smiled. “I wouldn’t dream of displeasing you. Forgive me, Your Grace.”

He grunted in satisfaction. The matter was settled then. Now he could turn his attention to more pleasing topics. He spotted Vivian across the room chatting with Lady Eldridge and, from the looks of it, charming the prestigious matron.

“She is marvelous, is she not?” he said.

Johanna followed his line of sight and frowned. “If I may be frank, the lady plays you for a fool.”

“What the devil do you mean? Plays me how?”

She inclined her head to indicate they should move to the terrace. He signaled his consent and allowed her to proceed ahead of him by several seconds. No one appeared to be watching as he too slipped outside. He found Johanna at the far end of the terrace, hidden in darkness.

“I didn’t want to tell you in this manner,” she said.

“Tell me what?” Her stalling only served to claw at his insides, and he hated it.

“You asked if Mr. Collier was making a pest of himself. He was not. He made a discovery today, and he wasn’t sure if he should tell you.”

“Why come to you?”

She reached out to caress his arm. “We’ve enjoyed a close friendship, have we not?”

Luke pulled back from her touch. She likely meant it as a comforting gesture, as she had done on occasion in the months after his father’s death, but there was something different about her hand on his arm tonight.

“You were a compassionate friend when I needed one,” he agreed. “And I will always be grateful to you. But—”

“That’s the reason I cannot allow you to become a cuckold.”

“A cuckold?” His temper flared. “You’ve insulted my intended
and
me. This conversation is over.”

“Please, allow me to explain. When I came down to the foyer to meet Lady Vivian so we might walk to the stables together, I found she had already gone.”

He halted halfway to the door and spun back toward Johanna. “Alone?”

“She hadn’t even taken an escort.”

Luke’s fingers curled into fists. What had Vivian been thinking to leave the house without protection? Especially after he had warned her.

“I can only assume from Mr. Collier’s report she stole away to meet with a former…um…
lover
,” she finished on a whisper. “Mr. Collier suspected something untoward when he spotted the groom inside a stall where Lady Vivian had been standing when we entered the stables. It was clear he was not a castle servant when he didn’t know anything about the horses housed at Irvine stables. After some pressure from Mr. Collier, the man revealed he was a former groom under Lady Brighthurst’s employ. It seems he was asked to leave, and when Mr. Collier inquired into the reason, the man began to behave oddly. Mr. Collier asked what Lady Vivian had to do with him leaving and the man nearly ran him over escaping from the stall.”

Luke clenched his jaw to keep from yelling at her for repeating such nonsense. “That is speculation on Mr. Collier’s part, and I should call him out for spreading vile rumors about Lady Vivian.”

Johanna’s hands landed on her hips. “You cannot be that foolish, Luke. There is something suspicious about her. Why was she never given a Season? Why was she found alone today with a former Brighthurst servant? At least demand answers from her.”

“Say nothing of this to anyone else.”

“You must know I would protect your honor at any cost.”

His honor? “Lady Vivian hasn’t dishonored me.”

“But how can you—?”

“She has done nothing wrong,” he said on a growl. “And I won’t have rumors spread about the future duchess, particularly by those who wish to stay under my roof.”

Johanna emitted a small squeak and turned from him.

Instantly, he regretted striking out at her. She was acting as a true friend by bringing this to him, and he repaid her with surliness and threats.

He placed a hand on her shoulder. “Forgive me. I am grateful for your concern, but I know Lady Vivian. She is innocent of any wrongdoing.”

Did he know it with certainty? He had accepted Vivian’s halting kisses as proof of her inexperience, but perhaps he had simply taken her by surprise when he’d kissed her at the coaching inn. In further encounters, she had behaved boldly for a virgin.

Yet she was bold in everything she did. She ran three-legged races, challenged him to swimming competitions, and jumped horses over fences. He couldn’t use the quality he most admired as a basis to judge her purity. Did it even matter?

He gritted his teeth, hating the thought of her lying with another man, but even if it were true, Vivian was still the woman he had fallen in love with at Twinspur Cottage.

“We should return before it’s discovered we are missing. Please allow me to see you safely inside.”

Johanna complied with his request, but stopped outside the door and clutched his arm. “I only want the best for you. Have I ever done anything to make you doubt my regard?”

He pressed his lips tightly together. In truth, she had been a loyal and compassionate friend these past months. He had no reason to doubt her intentions, but Johanna didn’t know Vivian like he did.

She also hadn’t known how lost he had been since his father’s death, a rudderless ship traveling away from his destiny. His future had never lain beyond the horizon. It was here in England as protector and provider for the people he loved most. Vivian had shown him the truth of his heart’s longings. He wanted a family and roots. Not to tie him down, but to nurture his growth, to make him stronger.

“You have always been a steadfast friend,” he said. “I would never question your sincerity.”

“Thank you.” Her grip relaxed. “I’d never wish to see you come to harm. I would sooner die.”

He smiled and patted her hand, trying to break free of her hold without hurting her feelings. “I wouldn’t ask you to put yourself in peril on my account, but I’m grateful for your devotion. There are other ways you could serve me, however.”

“H-how? You need only ask and I’ll grant your wish.”

Her intensity caused uneasiness to churn in his gut. Gently, he removed her hand from his forearm. “I would ask you to befriend Lady Vivian as you have me. She will need a loyal companion by her side if Collier spreads his lies to anyone else.”

Her head lowered and she said nothing for a long time while she plucked at her glove. Each movement propelled him toward an awkward awareness of something he didn’t want to acknowledge.

“I have promised to do anything for you,” she said, not looking up, “and you make a request on Lady Vivian’s behalf.”

His gaze narrowed in on her slumped posture and her fingers picking at her glove again.
Damnation.
Did Johanna fancy herself in love with him?

She was beyond the age when most ladies married, but she seemed to hold fast to the romantic notions of youth. Luke blamed the gothic novels she favored. And he cursed his great-uncle again for leaving her without a dowry. She likely would have enjoyed becoming a wife and mother.

But not his wife. He had never thought of her in that light. She was family, like a sister and never anything more. He had been sure her regard was similar.

He suppressed a sigh, uncertain how to proceed while allowing her to maintain her dignity. He chose the coward’s path and pretended to notice nothing out of the ordinary.

“Lady Vivian is my intended,” he said softly. “I am compelled to see to her happiness. This is the reason I make a request on her behalf.”

Johanna glanced up, her head tilted at an angle while she studied him. “You are promised to each other, and you are a man of your word.”

“I am.”

She nodded slowly as if allowing the truth to sink in. “I believe I understand now, Your Grace. And I will do whatever I can to assist you.”

Tension drained from his shoulders and he offered her an easy smile. He hadn’t wanted to hurt her by spurning her. It was a relief to be spared the difficult task. “You have a generous heart, cousin, and you will be rewarded for your service.”

She curtsied then opened the glass door to slip inside.

He waited several minutes before he went inside, too. He needed to speak with Vivian at once. They were no longer at Brighthurst House where she could wander away without an escort. He didn’t relish the thought of taking her to task, but she must understand she couldn’t run about at will.

His heart softened the moment he spied her among a group of ladies eagerly vying for her attention. Vivian listened with a bright spark in her eyes, and she laughed like only she could, by fully giving over to the act. The ladies responded with beaming smiles of their own.

His resolve faltered. She appeared so happy, and she clearly had been accepted into the fold. She deserved a night to celebrate her victory. Tomorrow would be soon enough for him to gently scold her.

Collier was standing a short distance from Vivian and her newfound friends, watching him with keen eyes. He smirked, and a fresh wave of anger swept over Luke. Warning the man against spreading lies about his intended needn’t wait another minute.

Luke stalked toward him. “Join me in my study, Mr. Collier. We have matters to discuss.”

Collier shrugged. “I can’t imagine what, but as you wish, Your Grace.”

The other man kept Luke at a distance as they wound through the stone corridor then up the curved staircase. Silence reigned over the deserted areas of the castle except for the sharp echo of their footsteps.

A fire burned in the hearth inside his study, and he used the flame to light the candles of a candelabra before carrying it to a side table. Collier hung back at the door.

“Come inside.”

“Perhaps you should tell me what this is about first.”

Luke made his way to the sideboard and poured two glasses of brandy. “Let’s be civilized about this, shall we? Share a drink with me while we discuss our business.”

He rounded the settee, took a seat, and held one of the glasses out for Collier. The man rolled his shoulders then sauntered across the room to accept. He took a swig of his drink then lowered into a chair.

“Miss Truax informs me you are spreading lies about Lady Vivian, and I want it to stop.”

“I confided in Miss Truax only. That hardly warrants an accusation of spreading lies.” Collier studied Luke over the rim of his glass as he downed his brandy. “I didn’t say anything that was untrue.”

Luke’s fingers tightened around his glass. “You insinuated something untoward happened between my betrothed and a former employee. I won’t allow an insult such as that to go unanswered.”

Collier laughed. “Would you call me out? Little good that would do after everyone has heard your wife-to-be is a trollop. There will still be whispers.”

Luke slammed his glass against the side table. “If you so much as utter her name to anyone, I’ll—”

“You’ll what? Beat me bloody and humiliate me in front of my friends?” Collier jumped to his feet and flung his arms wide. “Will you make me a laughingstock again and a whipping boy for every hot-tempered jackass with a gift for violence?”

That day came back to Luke in rapid flashes. It was after his return to Oxford. Often in those first weeks back a blinding anger had possessed him. It was unreasonable and demanded vengeance on anyone unfortunate enough to step into its path. Luke’s blood had boiled and seared his veins as it pulsed through his body, triggered by anything. Or nothing. He most regretted those days when he had lacked command over himself, but he couldn’t change the past.

“I offer you my deepest apology, Collier. Something came over me that day and I was as powerless to stop it as you.”

Collier’s eyes flamed black with hatred. “Do you think an apology will appease me? I want you to pay for what you did.”

“Then make
me
pay. Not her. If you want to humiliate anyone, it should be me and only me. Vivian is innocent.”

Collier bore his teeth. “I will hit you where it most hurts. You will receive no mercy from me, just as you showed me none.”

Luke rose from the settee and towered over the other man. “Tomorrow at first light, I want you gone. If you dare to speak of Lady Vivian to anyone, I
will
beat you bloody. And I won’t have any regrets this time.”