The Duke's Legacy (18 page)

Abbey’s childhood had come to an abrupt end at the age of ten. Since then she had been grappling with her grief, struggling to come to terms with the enormous responsibilities she’d had thrust upon her
and
trying to live up to people’s expectations. A weaker person would have buckled beneath the strain long before now and Sebastian’s respect for her strength of character intensified. In the eight years since the death of her parents, Sebastian suspected the first time she had shown the slightest signs of rebellion had been yesterday, and then only because he had persuaded her to transgress.

Fighting an inner battle with his conscience, he wiped the tears from her face with the back of his thumb. She responded by leaning her head against his chest. She was trembling but probably not because she was cold. He had promised himself he wouldn’t touch her again because once he started it would be deuced difficult to stop. Given their current situation he had little choice but to close his arms around her and envelope her within the heavy folds of his coat. She was cold and upset. The mood would pass, he’d sense when it did, and then he would release her.

Definitely, he would release her.

He could hold her but didn’t trust himself to look at her. He recalled how bad she was at hiding her emotions and if he saw even the slightest flicker of awareness in her eye then…well, his resolve wasn’t
that
strong. He searched for a question that would distract her—and him.

“Would you care if Evans was right about me?” he asked.

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Some of her former spirit was evident in her tone. “Our relationship is one of expediency. It doesn’t matter to me how you employ your leisure time.”

“Ah yes, so it is.”

“Lord Evans told me at the dinner table he has already sought my uncle’s permission to pay court to me.”

“How very bad-mannered of him to mention it.”

“That is what I told Lord Evans.”

Sebastian chuckled. “It’s what you expected, though, so it can’t have come as a surprise.”

“Yes, I suppose—”

“But?”

He placed a finger beneath her chin and tipped it upwards until she was forced to meet his gaze. What he saw there earned the curse he muttered beneath what little breath he had remaining. This situation would run out of control if he wasn’t very careful. Damnation, he absolutely shouldn’t be toying with inexperienced virgins—especially this inexperienced virgin—since she seemed intent upon furthering her amatory education.

But knowing it and forcing himself to release her from his embrace were two very different things. It was so damned comfortable with her body pressed against his and her head resting against his shoulder. She fit perfectly and might as well stay where she was for just a little longer. It wouldn’t do to send her back to the house before she had completely recovered her composure.

“I no longer know what to think about Lord Evans,” she admitted. “But I do know he doesn’t excite my passions.”

“I thought passion wasn’t part of your plan, child.”
Keep calling her a child and you might start to actually believe it
.

A charming blush crept up her cheeks. “Perhaps I was mistaken.”

“Oh, Abbey.” He expelled a heavy sigh. This was all his fault. “What am I to do with you?”

When she looked at him like that, her eyes still artlessly reflecting her blind faith in his abilities—when she all but admitted he had awoken her passions and aroused her curiosity—he was profoundly moved. Her sensuality was like a beacon, drawing him towards her with licentious intent, testing his resolve to the limit. It roused his jaded spirit, overwhelmed him with a torrent of protective feelings and reinforced his determination that no one would ever get close enough to cause her harm.

Realisation of what mayhem he had caused in her well-ordered life served to reinforce his own will. He simply would not make matters more complicated for her. He was rather pleased with his noble intentions, but unfortunately Abbey had other ideas. Before he realised what she was about, her arms had worked their way around his neck and her lips touched his. She tasted of apples, fresh air and everything that was pure, reaching an area inside him that no other female had manage to invade, removing a healthy wedge of his cynical attitude in the process.

Of course he returned her kiss. It took every molecule of his self-restraint to break it again before it could become more impassioned. They were both breathing heavily as he moved slightly away from her, their heated breath swirling above them and rapidly cooling in the frosty air. Sebastian knew that cooling his rising ardour would not be so easily accomplished. Framing her rosy cheek with his hand, he smoothed the hair from her forehead and smiled into eyes which had flown open in protest when he broke the kiss.

“So much beauty,” he murmured, barely conscious of speaking the words aloud.

He groaned at her artless expression, the invitation in eyes that sparkled with a rare combination of provocation and innocence. Fortunately Abbey’s dogs bounded up at that moment, almost knocking them both from their feet, and the mood was broken.

“Enough of this amusement,” he drawled. “The hour for luncheon approaches and the cold has made me sharp set.”

She astounded him by stretching out a hand and touching his face, eyes alight with a fiery passion as she uttered just one word. “Please!”

“No.” He turned away from her.

“That’s
so
unfair! You can’t leave me like this.”

“I apologise, I shouldn’t have—”

“Stop trying to be noble, Lord Denver. It doesn’t suit you.” She wagged a finger at him. “You have a lot to answer for.”

“I dare say, but—”

“I thought I’d be happy to live in ignorance, and perhaps even a passionless marriage, but
you
have changed all that. I was firmly of the opinion that emotional attachment was overrated but perhaps now I’m of a different frame of mind. I can’t actually say until I learn more and you,” she said, smiling up at him with supreme confidence, “are going to teach me.”

“No, I most emphatically am not.” Alarmed by her determination he attempted to move away from the tree, but short of literally pushing her aside there was no method by which he could extricate himself. “We should never have started this.”

“Sebastian, please!”

Her imploring expression and, more especially, the sound of his name slipping so naturally from her lips, almost persuaded him. She was right. He was to blame for her current state of frustration. He had never considered the matter before but it must be extremely vexatious for young ladies whose natures were as passionate as Abbey’s to be denied even a rudimentary education in an area that so intrigued her.

He felt sympathy for her plight but couldn’t risk prolonging this dalliance. Appearing to sense his hesitation she seized the moment, and his neck. She pulled his head downwards with considerable force and set her lips upon his. Her enthusiasm sent fire lancing through his veins, but guilt overpowered even that dizzying sensation and he pulled away from her, aware the only way to overcome her determination was to be cruel to her.

“Come, we’ll be late for luncheon.”

Her eyes flashed with bewilderment. “I don’t understand?”

“I am not going to seduce you, Abbey, and there’s an end to the matter.”

Her eyes were luminous with embarrassment. “You don’t desire me?”

Oh, darling, you have no idea!

“It’s not a question of that. I won’t be trapped so there is no point in trying.”

She gasped, shooting him a look of such injured confusion as to make him feel like crawling beneath the nearest rock. Being noble, he was fast discovering, wasn’t the slightest bit rewarding.

“If that’s what you thought my intention was then you have grossly overestimated your charms, sir.” She inverted her chin as she spoke, anger radiating from her eyes. “Come Marcus, come Marius.”

With her dogs at her heels she headed for the house. Sebastian let her go, knowing he had been to blame for the entire incident and was fully deserving of her displeasure. He should have known better than to try and comfort her when she became distressed, resulting in his adding to that distress with deliberately cruel insults. Not having been troubled by its existence for years, Sebastian’s conscience made its presence felt again for the third time in ten minutes.

What a farrago! Sebastian didn’t know his own mind at that moment. This inexperienced chit had turned his world on its head, stirring his passions until he thought he would go out of his mind—making him think the unthinkable. He vowed never to allow Abbey to gain intelligence of just how greatly her innocent curiosity had affected him. She was young and impressionable, almost half his age, and had no place in his life. Better she should despise him than learn the true nature of his feelings.

Abbey pointedly ignored him during luncheon, saving her smiles instead for Lord Evans. Sebastian tried to congratulate himself upon steering her in that direction, but his heart was having none of it. This situation was dangerous: very dangerous. He vowed to redouble his efforts to reveal the identity of her aggressor and put a safe and permanent distance between himself and the object of his desire at the earliest opportunity.

He idled the afternoon away playing piquet with some of the gentlemen. Lord Evans didn’t join in the game and Sebastian wondered if he had chosen to remain with the ladies— an excuse to stay close to Abbey. Had he not heard some suggestion muted during luncheon that he should read aloud to them? Unwilling to take any further chances when it came to her safety, Sally and Hodges had orders to keep her under surveillance at all times and not to leave her unattended for a moment.

Afternoon turned to evening and Sebastian started to feel uneasy when Abbey hadn’t appeared in the drawing-room by the usual hour. He stood in the hall, glanced up at the empty staircase and wondered what to do. Common sense told him that if anything had happened to her, Sally or Hodges would have informed him. Even so, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right.

“I need to go and find her,” he said aloud.

Just as he placed one foot on the bottom stair he heard a rustle of skirts at the same time as the light fragrance he associated with her reached his nostrils. He glanced up and there she was, just about to descend the stairs. Sebastian expelled a sigh. She was all right after all, but still his unease persisted. She looked particularly lovely in a peach-coloured gown of embroidered brocade and Sebastian couldn’t seem to look away. Devil take it, he didn’t
want
to look anywhere other than at her!

She saw him observing her and he doubted whether she could mistake the admiration he was making a poor fist of concealing. When she treated him to a brief scornful glance and then looked away as though he was beneath her notice, Sebastian’s suspicions were confirmed. He had foolishly given her cause to entertain expectations he could never fulfil and she had every right to feel humiliated and slighted. But instead of falling into a fit of the sullens she had already recovered her spirit and was ready to exact revenge by torturing him with this instinctively provocative display of her femininity.

She could have no notion of just comprehensively she was succeeding, Sebastian decided, grinding his teeth in frustration. He stood spellbound, continuing to drink in the sight of her as she progressed towards him. With a ghost of a smile directed somewhere above his head one small, prettily-shod foot appeared from beneath her froth of lace petticoats. Toe pointed daintily, she took a slow step downwards. And then the other foot followed suit. Abbey appeared intent upon prolonging the moment, presumably because it must be obvious to her that her captive audience was incapable of tearing his eyes away.

Another step downwards and he saw a tiny smile flirting with her lips. As the little witch got closer, so his discomfort increased. Sebastian ignored it, reminding himself that he only had himself to blame for the torture she was inflicting upon him.

Lost in a world of lascivious thought, his brain was slow to realise the piercing scream which suddenly rent the air had actually come from Abbey. He could only watch in helpless frustration as she tumbled the rest of the way down the stairs, landing in a tangle of limbs at his feet and lying there, completely motionless.

Chapter Thirteen

Everyone streamed out of the drawing-room, stopping just short of Sebastian as he bent over Abbey.

“What happened?” Bevan asked, rushing to Sebastian’s side.

“She fell,” he said curtly, feeling for a pulse. “Keep back everyone. Give her some space.”

Sebastian’s own breath came in short, jagged bursts, fear rendering his movements ungainly. Her pulse was strong and after what seemed like an eternity her eyes opened. She blinked, clearly dazed and disorientated, but very much alive. Relief washed through Sebastian.

“Are you all right?” He supported her raised head as she struggled to sit up. “Stay where you are for a moment. Give yourself time.”

“Yes, I don’t think I’m harmed.” She wiggled her limbs and winced. “What happened?”

But he could see from her shocked expression she already knew. Another attempt had been made on her life—not just in front of her relations, but in his presence, too. Had she descended the stairs at her usual rapid pace, knowing she was inexcusably late, the accident could have been so much worse. Sebastian suspected she had only slowed down when she became aware of him prowling in the hall below her. She had put the amatory lessons he had tried not to conduct to good use and staged a provocative display for his benefit. That included trailing her hand along the rail—something she probably wouldn’t normally bother to do—and was able to hold on to it as she tumbled, breaking the worst of her fall.

“Abbey, my dear…” Bevan appeared lost for words.

“I think she’s all right,” Sebastian said. “Just give her a few minutes to recover from the shock.”

“But what happened?” her aunt asked.

Very good question
. “Can you stand?”