Surrender (36 page)

 
We will talk later," he promised through

his teeth.

 
There does not appear to be a great

deal left to say. If you will excuse me,

my lord?"

He moved reluctantly out of her way, his

eyes gleaming with frustrated anger.
 
Do

not be long in dressing for the trip, Vicky.

I want to get started as soon as possible.

We have a long drive ahead of us."

She did not bother to respond to that.

It took all her concentration simply to get

through the door without hurling some of

the cacti at his head.

Victoria was trembling with fury and

raw pain by the time she reached her

bedchamber. She walked into the room

to discover an excited Nan fussing with

several last-minute items.

 
Oh, there you are, ma'am. I've almost

finished. Albert says the last of the bags is

going into the coach now and the horses

are ready. You must hurry and change.

I hear his lordship just arrived and is

impatient to be on his way."

 
There is no rush, Nan. I will not be

going anywhere today. Please be so good

as to leave me in peace until I send

for you."

Nan's mouth fell open in shock.
 
What

are you saying, ma'am? His lordship has

already given strict instructions that we are

not to delay. He will be furious if he hears

we're dawdling up here."

 
Please go, Nan."

Nan bit her lip. She had rarely seen her

mistress in this mood and it was obvious

she was not at all certain what to do. She

opted to retreat for the moment.
 
Would

a dish o" tea help, ma'am? If yer not

feelin" well, I'm sure his lordship would

understand a short wait for tea."

 
I do not want tea, only some peace."

 
Dear me, there will be the devil to pay

for this bit o" nonsense," Nan mumbled

as she went to the door.
 
Men don't take

kindly to delays when they're waitin" to

set off on a trip, especially not them that's

used to givin" orders to fightin" men in the

field. Accustomed to havin" people jump

when they say jump, that type is."

Victoria watched the door close behind

her muttering maid and then she went

slowly over to the window. Jessica Atherton's

elegant carriage was waiting on the

street below. As Victoria watched she saw

Lucas escort his former love down the

steps and put her into the vehicle. He

ordered the coachman to be off, turned,

and stalked grimly back up the steps into

the house.

A moment later she was not surprised to

hear hurried footsteps in the hall outside

her room and the inevitable knock on

her door.

 
His lordship wishes to talk to you, my

lady." Nan's voice was muffled by the

closed door.
 
He says
 
tis terribly urgent."

Victoria crossed the room and opened the

door.
 
Tell his lordship I am indisposed."

 
Oh, please, ma'am, don't make me tell

him that. He is not in a good temper just

now, truly he isn't."

 
To hell with his temper." Victoria closed

the door in Nan's shocked face. Then she

went back to her post by the window to

idly watch the last of her luggage loaded

into the traveling coach Cleo had insisted

on loaning the newly married couple.

The next knock on the door was,

predictably enough, Aunt Cleo's.
 
Vicky,

dear, open up at once. What is this

nonsense? Your husband wishes to be

off without delay. Ex-military men are

not very good about unnecessary delays."

Victoria sighed and crossed the room

again to open the door.
 
Tell my husband

that he is free to leave anytime he chooses.

Tell him not to wait upon me as I shall

not be coming with him."

Cleo eyed her severely.
 
So that's the

way of it, is it?" She walked into the

room and closed the door.
 
I thought there

was something distinctly odd about Lady

Atherton's visit this morning. What in the

world did she say to upset you so?"

 
Did you know that Lucas once asked

her to marry him?"

 
No, but I hardly see that it matters.

Lucas is thirty-four years old. Stands to

reason you aren't the first woman he's

asked to marry him. Is that what has upset

you? Come now, Vicky, you are far too

intelligent to fly up into the boughs over a

minor fiddle like that. Whatever happened

between those two occurred years ago,"

Cleo said.

 
She was unable to accept his offer of

marriage because he did not have either

a title or sufficient financial resources to

suit her or her family."

 
Well, that is her problem, is it not?

Lucas has his title now. I fail to see how

all this affects you, Vicky."

 
Lucas inherited the title," Victoria said

coolly.
 
But there was apparently very little

money to go with it. Jessica explained that

his lordship came to the conclusion he

would be obliged to marry an heiress for

the sake of his damned title and he asked

his dear friend Lady Atherton to arrange

an introduction to a suitable female. Would

you care to hazard a guess as to just

which female of your acquaintance was

thus honored?"

Cleo's brows climbed in their character

istic gesture.
 
I'd sooner hazard a guess as

to just which female of my acquaintance

obligingly made herself a bed and now

complains because she must sleep in it.

If she has half the common sense I trust

she has, she will attend to the business

of making that bed a comfortable one for

both herself and her husband."

Victoria blinked at the unexpected lackof support.

She crossed her arms under her

breasts and stared at her aunt.
 
You do not

seem unduly shocked by all this."

 
Forgive me. I have already had to deal

with the shock of finding you in that inn

last night. One shock at a time is sufficient

at my age."

Victoria felt herself turning an angry

red. She looked away.
 
Yes, of course.

I am sorry for that. Far more sorry now

than I was when you first discovered us,

I assure you."

Cleo's face softened.
 
Vicky dear, I fear

you are letting yourself be unnecessarily

upset. I am not surprised to hear that Lucas

is not as well off as you had assumed. He

told me the truth this morning while we

waited for you to dress at the inn."

 
He told you he was marrying me for

my money?"

 
He told me he had asked to be

introduced to you because he was, to be

blunt, hanging out for an heiress. But he

said that he was marrying you because he

had become quite fond of you and decided

you would make him a very suitable wife

in every respect."

 
Fond of me. How very gracious of him,"

Victoria said.

 
Victoria, I shall be quite blunt with

you. I knew from the first that you were

probably bound to get into trouble with

stone vale. There is something between

the two of you that fairly crackles in

the air when you are in the same room

together. But I rather liked him and I

decided that if you were to risk everything

for a man, it might as well be with

him."

 
I am so glad you approve, Aunt Cleo."

 
There is no need to take that tone with

me. You are the one who brought yourself

to this pass."

Victoria looked down at the pattern of

the carpet and then raised her eyes to

meet her aunt's sympathetic, but unyielding

gaze.
 
You are right, as usual. Now I must

decide how to proceed."

Aunt Cleo softened her tone.
 
The first

thing you must do is change into your

traveling clothes. Lucas is determined to

be on his way this afternoon and I must

say I think he is absolutely correct. The

sooner you are out of town, the better."

 
I have no intention of going anywhere

with stone vale."

 
Vicky, you are being unreasonable. You

have no choice but to go with him."

Before Cleo could say more, there was

a desperate pounding on the door. Nan's

voice came clearly through the wood.

 
Forgive me, ma'am, but his lordship says

to tell you that if yer not so obligin" as

to come downstairs immediately, he'll be

obliged to come up here and fetch you

down."

Lucas would do it, too. Victoria did not

fool herself on that score. There was no

point in delaying the inevitable interview.

She stepped past her aunt and then, her

hand on the doorknob, she turned and

looked at Cleo.
 
I have certainly got myself

a most charming and gallant husband,

have I not? What bride could ask for

more?"

He was waiting for her in the library,

standing near the window that looked out

onto the garden where he had so often

waited for her at midnight. Victoria walked

into the room and heard the door close

very softly behind her. A respectful hush

seemed to have fallen over the household,

as if everyone was holding his or her

breath.

The entire staff, including her maid and

Rathbone, was moving with great caution,

she noticed. Lucas had only been her

husband for a few hours and he was

technically a guest under her aunt's roof,

but he had clearly established himself as

a figure of authority. No one wanted to

risk his temper. That was left for Victoria

to brave.

 
You sent for me, my lord?" she asked,

taking refuge in an icy, correct politeness.

He watched her come part way into the