by Dawn Brower
Ezra still wanted to kiss her. He should have lured her into the garden for some privacy. However, if he went through with anything like that, Graystone would kill him. “I think it is lovely.”
Her cheeks reddened as she glared at him. “Tell me something, Lord Carrolton,” she began. Her tone was filled with anger as she spoke. “Did this sweet-talk work with the widow in the garden?”
He jerked back at her words. “Pardon me...what?”
“She exited after you,” she told him. “Don't worry, I doubt anyone else saw the two of you or your timely exits. I knew to look because I overheard you in the garden. I left before I witnessed anything else.” Lady Theodora took a step toward him. “It was enlightening. It helped me see you more clearly.” She smiled, but there was no warmth in it. “I do hope it was...pleasant. She seemed eager to please you.”
“It's not...”
“What I think?” she finished for him. “It doesn't matter what I think it was. You don't owe me any explanations, but I do believe I must be firm on one point. I'm not yours any more than you are mine. We are nothing to each other.” She held her head high. “But I’ll tell you one thing, more for myself than for you: I prefer to be called Teddy. If you have to use my name, say that instead of Theodora.”
After that, she stormed past him, not giving him a chance to respond. He didn't try to stop her. Mainly because he didn't know what he'd say if he did. She'd given him a lot to consider. What did he want? Did he hope to win her, and if he did, what should be his next action?
Ezra smiled. He knew her full name now and could easily find her. She’d challenged him, which was her first mistake. He played to win, and she was the ultimate prize.
Chapter 6
Teddy was thankful that Billie had been ready to leave when she located her at the garden party. Apparently she had a delightful conversation with Lady Amelia, and they were invited to dinner later in the week. Somehow, Teddy had kept sarcasm from spilling out of her mouth. She couldn’t explain to her sister why she had no desire to attend that diner party. If she did, then she would have to tell Billie she’d left the party to explore the gardens. Something she’d explicitly promised not to do. Billie wouldn’t be happy with her, and Teddy had already been dealt a blow to the heart. She couldn’t bear any more pain or disappointment.
“Is your tea cold?” Billie asked.
“Hmm?” Teddy glanced in her direction but didn’t really look at her. She was too distracted.
“Teddy,” Billie said firmly. “What is so important that you’re ignoring every word I say?”
“Nothing,” she replied noncommittally. “I’m a little tired.”
Billie sighed. “I don’t believe you, but I am not going to make you tell me something you clearly do not want to.”
“Thank you.” Teddy tried her best to give her sister her complete attention. “I do appreciate your kindness.”
“Now you’re condescending.” Billie snorted. “Are you certain you’re tired? I was going to suggest a nap, but what I think you really need is some exercise to clear the cobwebs from your mind.”
Teddy frowned. Her sister might be correct. She’d been maudlin all day and staying indoors wasn’t helping her mood. “That is a suggestion I do believe I’ll take. If you don’t mind, I’m going to have my maid accompany me for a walk in Hyde Park. A stroll along Rotten Row might help.”
“I can go with you…”
“No,” Teddy said decisively. She waved her hand dismissively. “I need time to myself. I love you, but you’ve been hovering over me for days. Go annoy your husband. I’m certain he’ll enjoy your attentions.”
Billie’s lips twitched. “He might.”
“I do not want to know what idea you suddenly have regarding your husband.” Teddy put her fingers in her ears. “Say nothing.”
Her sister reached over and pulled on one of Teddy’s arms. “Stop being obtuse. As if I’d enlighten you on the details pertaining to the inner workings of my marriage. You are unmarried, and these things are not discussed with those that are still…innocent.”
“I’m not as ignorant as you believe me to be.” She hated that Billie was acting as if marriage made her more worldly. “You’re the one being condescending now. Since I don’t have to listen to your cryptic statements, I’m choosing to leave. Besides, my tea is cold.”
Billie threw her hands up in the air and blew out a frustrated breath. “That’s what I asked you.”
“No you didn’t,” Teddy insisted. “I’d have remembered that.”
“Go before I give in and smack you.” Her mouth formed a thin white line.
Had she asked her if tea was cold? She might’ve, now that Teddy thought about it. Billie had been talking, but she’d been barely paying attention. Her mind was stuck on one topic—Viscount Carrolton and his liaison with the widow. Somehow, she had to find something else to occupy her time and her thoughts. She stood and said, “I am going now. Do enjoy the surprise you have for your husband, and remember not to tell me about it.”
Teddy exited the sitting room before Billie did slap her. She’d overstepped and honestly didn’t care. Billie had become overbearing of late, and Teddy was tired of it. She went in search of her maid, who she found polishing her shoes. “Mary, I am going for a walk and need you to accompany me. Please meet me in the foyer in a quarter hour. I need to retrieve my wrap and bonnet.” There was a chill in the air, and she didn’t want to catch a cold.
After she had her wrap and bonnet, she went down to join Mary. Her maid was waiting for her near the front entrance. “Are you ready, milady?”
Teddy tied her bonnet in place, then nodded. “Let’s go.”
They walked in silence as they headed in the direction of Hyde Park. It was past the normal social hour when most of the ton decided to promenade, but there might still be some gentry in Rotten Row. Teddy didn’t normally walk in Hyde Park so close to the social hour. She didn’t want to see anyone or be noticed either. She wanted to be left alone, but today she needed to walk off her frustrations and get some fresh air.
They reached the park, and Teddy went down the path to the Serpentine, ahead of her maid. Teddy didn’t pay much attention to what her maid did and kept a bruising pace. She had an affinity for bodies of water. While she’d been honest when she told Lord Carrolton she didn’t swim, she hadn’t told him that she found ponds, lakes, and rivers soothing. The Thames was not pleasant to be around as the stench could be unbearable. She preferred the Serpentine.
“Lady Theodora,” a man said. “How fortuitous I should cross your path again.”
Teddy turned around and froze. It was the evil man again. What had Lord Carrolton called him again? “Lord Eaton,” she said coolly. “I assure you I do not return the sentiment. There’s nothing fortuitous about this meeting. What do you want?”
He took a step closer to her. Teddy took a step back until she was near the water’s edge. She wished she had someplace to retreat too. If she stepped back any farther she might end up in the lake. He sneered. “What I want, my dear, is what I was denied three years ago.”
“I do not know what you are referring to.” She held her chin high. “I owe you nothing.”
“That’s where you are wrong, my dear. You owe me a great deal, but I’ll settle with having you under me first. We can work out the rest later.”
Teddy swallowed the lump in her throat. As she’d told Billie earlier, she wasn’t ignorant of what happened in the marriage bed. The baron wanted to take her innocence, and she was certain he wouldn’t offer marriage first.
She glanced past him, searching for Mary and frowned. Her maid was lying on the ground beneath a tree. Teddy’s heart raced as she frantically searched for a way to escape. “What did you do to my maid?”
He took another step. “Don’t worry about the chit. Soon you’ll have other things to concern yourself with.” He snagged her wrist in his grasp. Pain shot through her arm.
“You’re hurting me.” Her
voice wobbled as she spoke.
Lord Eaton laughed. It was a menacing sound that chilled her. “You have no idea what pain is, but you will.”
Fear spiked through her. There was nowhere to go, and if she couldn’t free herself, he’d get what he wanted. What he’d started all those years ago…
Ezra had gone to pay a call on his Teddy, but the butler had informed him she’d already gone out. He could have gone inside and visited with Graystone and his wife, but chose to go looking for her instead. A walk…she couldn’t have gone too far. Hyde Park was nearby and a popular destination for promenading. Though he didn’t believe Teddy was the sort to want to participate in the normal social options the ton deemed acceptable.
As he reached Hyde Park, he rode through it with ease. His horse whinnied. The stallion wanted to gallop now that they were in a wide open space. Ezra patted him. “Not now Jupiter,” he said in a soothing tone. “We have a lady to find. Later, I’ll take you for a proper ride.” It had been awhile since he’d been in the country. Jupiter hadn’t adapted to town well. He’d have to take him to his ancestral estate and leave him there for the grooms to take him out more often. The horse calmed and Ezra focused on the path in front of him.
There were not a lot of people in the park. Most of the ton had probably departed so they could start preparing for their evening entertainments. Some ladies took an hour to bathe and dress for balls. Gentlemen usually went to their clubs to avoid their wives or whatever females they had in their lives. Ezra would probably have gone to his club if he hadn’t developed a slight obsession with Teddy.
He kept going along the park until he neared the Serpentine. There was a cool breeze that brushed over him. He frowned at the sight of a woman lying underneath a tree, then glanced again toward the lake. Beyond the tree was a man and a woman, and they didn’t appear to be having a pleasant conversation. As he neared, he recognized both of them and then pressed his knee into Jupiter’s side. He would get his gallop after all. When he reached the tree, Ezra slowed the horse down, and once he came to a stop, he slid out of his saddle and rushed forward. Panic seized him, and he couldn’t do anything to calm the anxiety crushing every part of him.
“Let me go,” Teddy demanded. She sounded scared, and Ezra wanted to pummel his uncle for hurting her. “I’m not asking again.”
“What do you think you’re going to do?” His uncle laughed. “Nothing. That’s what will happen. Come with me now, and we’ll settle this in private.” He was going to kill his uncle. How dare he put his hands on her.
“I do believe the lady asked you to release her,” Ezra drawled. “Please do as she asks.” His temper was barely contained. He couldn’t give in to the urge to hit his uncle, at least not yet. If he did, Lord Eaton might shove Teddy into the Serpentine. She'd told him she didn’t swim, and her dress might hamper any efforts on her part to try.
His uncle turned to him and said, “Stay out of this, boy. It has nothing to do with you.”
“It has everything to do with me.” Teddy needed him, and that empowered him. He hated that his uncle had decided to do this to her, but he was grateful that he had been there to come to her aid. “She is mine.” He growled the words out, but Ezra had never meant anything more in his life. Until that moment, he hadn’t realized how deeply he felt it. This was more than an obsession. He cared about her, and that shocked him.
“Is that so?” His uncle lifted a brow, then casually shoved her into the river. “Then she’s yours to save, isn’t she?” He nodded at Ezra and sneered. “Good luck, boy. You’re going to need it.”
Teddy sank into the river and didn’t surface. Terror spiked through him. His heart beat heavily in his chest and his breathing became frantic. Ezra didn’t bother to pull off his jacket or boots. He didn’t have time, and he prayed it wouldn’t prevent him from rescuing her.
He dived several times until he found her and dragged her to the shore. Ezra lifted her onto the ground and crawled up beside her. She coughed up water and spit it on the grass. “Thank…you…” Her teeth chattered as she spoke. “Cannot…swim…”
Ezra lifted her into his lap and rocked back and forth. He had to reassure himself that she was all right. His uncle, the coward, had taken off. Ezra would take care of him later for what he’d done to her. “I lost years off my life when he pushed you in.”
“I'm not yours,” she said decisively. “Never yours.” Her teeth chattered as she spoke the words.
He chuckled lightly and kissed the top of her head. “You are,” he said with a conviction he felt in his soul. “Don’t worry…we have time. I’ll prove it to you.”
“Take me home,” she ordered. “I don’t need you to do anything for me.” She tried to pull herself out of his arms, but she was too weak. Teddy met his gaze. “Let me go, Lord Carrolton.” Her tone was soft, but firm.
“Ezra,” he told her. “I do believe it’s past time we dropped formalities. You did give me permission to call you Teddy.”
Her mouth dropped open as if she were going to argue with him, but she must have decided against it. She likely recalled their last conversation. “Formalities are important to observe.”
“In public, yes, I agree.” He grinned. “But, Teddy dear, there is no one here to see or hear us.” An idea formed in his mind. One he probably should ignore, but he wasn’t strong enough. “And I do believe you asked me to kiss you once. It’s time I honored that request.”
Her eyes widened at his words, but Ezra didn’t give her time to object. He lowered his mouth to hers and pressed his lips down lightly. It was a chaste kiss. Enough for him to entice her, and hopefully desire something more passionate later. Ezra didn’t want to scare her away. She’d already had enough terror from his uncle.
He brushed her wet hair to the side Her bonnet had fallen back in the water. “Let’s take you home now. I wouldn’t want you to catch an illness from this. Later, when you’re dry and had time to compose yourself, we’ll talk. I want to know why Lord Eaton acted as if he owns you.”
She shook her head. “No.”
“Yes,” he said confidently. He didn’t like how resolved her denial seemed to be, but he’d change her mind. He could be persuasive when necessary. “He needs to understand he can’t harass you. He won’t stop unless someone he’ll listen to tells him to stop.” Ezra stood and then helped her to her feet. “It’s either me or Graystone, but you should know even if you choose to tell your tale to the duke, I will be involved.”
“I need to check on my maid,” she said. She could change the topic of conversation all she wanted, but he would not let her get away with it for long. He would ensure his uncle never hurt her again. “Lord Eaton did something to her. After I’m certain she’s all right, I want you to escort us home.” Teddy didn’t argue with him, so he assumed she was done quarreling. At least he hoped so. Graystone would want to know why she was soaked to the skin. He’d follow her lead for now, but if she didn’t confess to him, Ezra would ensure she told someone. He hoped she would trust him. Either way though, his uncle deserved a beating, or perhaps something worse. Teddy’s tale would determine the course of action.
Chapter 7
Teddy sat on her bed, closed her eyes and then took a deep breath. Lord Carrolton, Ezra, had saved from the evil baron. Lord Eaton had attempted to abduct her, and if he had… She didn’t fully understand why the baron had wanted to take her with him. That night, so many years ago, he’d attempted to force himself on her, and it seemed as if he wanted to finish what he had started then. Why he thought she somehow owed him something, she didn’t know. When he couldn’t take her with him, he’d pushed her into the Serpentine. Probably so he could escape Ezra’s wrath. He’d been so angry.
Now he wanted her to tell him everything. She wasn’t certain she could. To tell Ezra how Lord Eaton had hurt her years ago, and what he intended to do to her now… Teddy swallowed hard. It was embarrassing, and it made her anxious. If she could, she would avoid Ezra for as long as possible.
He wouldn’t allow her to do so for long though. He would go to Zachary and tell him about it, and then she’d have to tell them both everything.
A knock echoed through the room, the door opened, and then Billie stuck her head inside. “How are you feeling?”
“You might as well come inside,” Teddy told her. “We’re not going to converse with you half in, and half out of the room.”
Billie entered the bedchamber and closed the door behind her, then walked over to sit with Teddy on the bed. She stared at Teddy with concern etched on her face. Her forehead was crinkled as she frowned. “I still cannot believe you fell into the Serpentine. Thank heavens that Lord Carrolton was there to save you.” She held her hand over her chest. “I don’t know what I would have done if…” Billie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I cannot lose anyone else. Do you hear me? Don’t scare me like that ever again.”
Guilt filled her for worrying her sister. “It’s not as if I intended to take an unexpected dip in the lake,” she told Billie. “You know I can’t swim. I promise to be more careful in the future.” If Billie had all the information, she’d be far more scared. Teddy had never told a soul what had happened three years ago. She’d been so embarrassed. Her father had known, of course, but then he died, and therefore couldn’t tell anyone her shame. Not that she believed he ever would have.
“I know you didn’t purposely fall into the lake. That is ridiculous.” Billie waved her hand. “It’s…” She let the word trail off. “You know what I mean.”
“I do,” Teddy said, and then smiled. “Quit worrying. I’m all right.”
Billie crossed the room and hugged her. “I know you are. I do. It helps that I can reassure myself that you are.” She stepped back and cupped Teddy’s cheek in her palm. “Are you ready for tonight?”