A Season for Scandal

by Golden Angel

  Someone jostled her, and Josie turned to snap at him when he grabbed the hand holding Joseph’s note and lifted it to his lips.

  “Such beauty, unparalleled…” His voice trailed from the terrible attempt at poetry, and he blinked drunkenly, trying to remember what he was saying. Josie had never seen him before, and she quickly snatched her hand away.

  “We have not been introduced, my lord.” She hurried off, her nose in the air and her heart pounding. What a cad, approaching her like that!

  Quickening her step toward the doors, she did not notice she no longer held the note in her hand.

  Elijah

  Now where the devil was Josie off to? Swanning through the ballroom, nose in the air, she did not even seem to notice how gentlemen’s eyes followed her through the room. His lips pressed together with a wave of disapproval. While he knew it was expected of a debutante to draw the attention of marriage-minded gentlemen, seeing her made him even less enamored of the process.

  She was the belle of the ball, garbed in a stunning pale blue gown that emphasized her bosom to the point of daring for a debutante and her blonde curls delicately piled into an elaborate array, pinned with winking sapphires. The same gem glittered at her throat and ears, bringing an extra sparkle to her already bright eyes.

  That was what the gentlemen of London saw. None of them knew what an unmitigated hoyden she was, the way she could race a horse, or the fact that she wore breeches when in the country. They only saw the Diamond of the First Water, the acknowledged beauty of the Season, and the demure lady looking for a likely match.

  Likely whoever married her would disapprove of the other side.

  For all she drove Elijah mad when they were in the country, and he was there to witness her exploits, he hated the idea of a stern husband denying her a part of herself. Which she was likely to get, as everything about the Season was set up to deceive a man into marriage with a woman he did not actually know. Though he wished his brother Joseph every bit of happiness with Miss Bliss, he wondered what secrets about the woman his brother did not know.

  There would always be something.

  He hoped his brother would find marital bliss since Elijah was depending on either Joseph or Adam to birth his heir. He did not intend to marry. The number of miserable couples among the ton had long ago convinced him that such a union was not for him.

  Seducing the bored, unhappy wives of the ton—usually not difficult—was a time-honored pastime for rakes, Elijah included. Now, as part of the Society of Sin, an exclusive club for certain like-minded individuals within society, he saw even more married lords and ladies living their own lives. The point of marriage seemed to be to produce an heir, and Elijah had brothers to fulfill that duty for him. Though there were a few happy unions around, it seemed like quite a gamble to make, and Elijah never bet anything he could not afford to lose.

  Which was why the idea of Josie married to some jackanapes who would not appreciate her vexed him, but there was nothing he could do about it. She was a young miss, and she wanted to be married. As long as she left his brother alone, it was not his business.

  However, finding his cousin Evie was his business, and Josie had received a note before leaving her circle of suitors.

  Watching from his point on the balcony, Elijah frowned when Josie made her way to the doors to the gardens—then walked out alone! Bloody hell. Was she trying to have her reputation ruined? Quite a few curious looks followed her out the door. Sometimes, he swore Josie did not have a lick of common sense.

  Unless… perhaps the note was from Evie, and she needed Josie. That was the only reason Elijah could think Josie might drop everything and rush out.

  Pressing his lips together, he hurried down the hall to the stairs, following her out. If his cousin was in the gardens, he was going to catch her and drag her back to his father, even if he had to throw her over his shoulder.

  Josie

  Hurrying away from the drunk lord, Josie’s heart was pounding when she stepped outside. The night air was cool on her cheeks, refreshing after the heat of the ballroom, and she sighed with relief. It was a crush inside.

  Glancing around the patio, she saw several couples and small groups milling about on the stones, but no Joseph. Moving to the top of the three steps that led down into the gardens, she saw a dark figure on a path to the right. Thanks to the large hedges, he was completely in shadow and would be invisible to those on the patio. It was impossible to see his features, but he was the same size as Joseph, and when she looked at him, he raised his hand in greeting, gesturing her to join him.

  “Bloody hell,” she muttered under her breath, lifting her skirts to descend the few steps to the garden path. Joseph was lucky she loved him as she did. Otherwise, she would turn around and march back inside.

  Aware she was risking her reputation by disappearing into the hedges, she walked toward him, only to curse when he nodded in approval—and moved down another path! Her temper grew when she came to where he had originally stood and turned right to follow him.

  “This had better be important,” she said waspishly as she walked into the grotto where he stood under a tree.

  Stepping out from underneath the branches, the moonlight now on his face, the stranger grinned at her. The smile on his face was not pleasant. It was cruel. Malicious. Josie’s breath caught in her throat, her thoughts racing, sifting through her options in less than a second.

  Scream.

  Do not scream. You will be ruined.

  You are already ruined. Scream, so you are not harmed.

  Even if they only think he ruined you, you will be forced to marry him.

  I do not want to marry a total stranger who set a trap for me.

  “It is,” he said, his voice deep and threatening.

  Josie stepped back, then whirled to run, but he was faster. If she had been in breeches, she might have stood a chance, but her skirts hampered her movements as they swished around her, and he caught her arm in a cruel grip. She cried out, though not loudly, as she was hauled back against him. Harsh fingers gripped her breast, sending a shocking pain through her as he dug into the soft flesh. No man had ever touched her like this, so intimately, so callously, but she had not forgotten everything Evie had taught her.

  Josie, tall for a woman, threw her head back, hitting him on the chin with the back of her skull. Pain exploded in her head, but she hurt him as well. A small surge of victory rushed through her when he cursed, and his grip on her breast loosened. Twisting, she tore herself out of his grasp, turning and striking. He dodged the blow aimed at his face. Blast. She was out of practice—that should have landed.

  “Bitch.” He snarled, grabbing the front of her dress and yanking.

  This time, Josie shrieked, unable to stop herself as the fabric tore with a loud ripping sound. She felt the cool night air on her chest all the way down to her stomach. She gasped, choking back a sob, barely aware of the tears on her cheek as she tried to cover herself.

  Someone rushed by her, barreling into the man who had assaulted her. There was a flurry of fists, moonlight on dark hair… Josie blinked the tears away.

  There was a shout behind her, back toward the patio, and the two men broke apart. She could finally see her rescuer.

  “Elijah?” she whispered, almost unable to believe what she was seeing. Elijah was her hero?

  The villain ran off into the darkness of the gardens, and for a moment, Elijah looked to follow him, but Josie whimpered, and he paused. The shouts behind her were growing louder.

  Eyes falling to where Josie was clutching the tattered fabric of her dress, trying to cover her breasts, Elijah cursed. He shrugged off his jacket and wrapped it around her. Angry, dark eyes blazed as he glared down at her, mere inches from her tear-stained face. Despite the anger in his eyes, she was not afraid. Elijah was here when she was in trouble, the same way he had always been her entire life, getting her and Evie out of scrapes.

  She was in far more dire straits than an
y childhood trouble, but she trusted him to take care of it.

  “Not one word,” he whispered fiercely, tension vibrating through every line of his body. “Do not say one word. I will do the talking.”

  She did not have a chance to respond before there was a loud chorus of gasps behind her.

  Chapter 2

  Elijah

  Anger thrummed through his veins as he lifted his gaze away from Josie’s shocked countenance and tear-filled blue eyes. His pulse pounding in his ears, his body screamed for action rather than standing here and doing nothing. He should be chasing down the villain who had attempted to ravish her. He should be shaking her for being so stupid to come out to the gardens, in the darkness, alone. Or, better yet, turning her over his knee.

  Unfortunately, that thought reminded him of the flash of pale skin and creamy curves encased in her corset he’d glimpsed, and it sickened him. Not that she was grotesque, but he knew she would have never willingly chosen to display herself so blatantly to him. Yet he could not forget what he had seen, which made him feel as much a blackguard as the man who had assailed her.

  There was no time for self-recrimination, though.

  The gossips were already upon them. Somehow, he had to save both Josie’s reputation and himself… and he did not know if the latter would be possible if he managed the former.

  His mind raced as he met the stunned expressions of five members of the ton, including Lord Jarret, who despised Elijah’s father. His expression shifted to savage glee when he met Elijah’s gaze, realizing the position that Elijah was in.

  “Lord Stuart, how could you?!” The woman in the lead, Lady Carmichael, pressed her hand over her heart, fan already fluttering. She made no move to help Josie, though. Despite accusing Elijah of the attempted rape, her eyes were lit with the juicy tidbit of gossip.

  Despite his association with the Society of Sin, which was utterly secret, Elijah had maintained a spotless reputation, as had his brothers, for years. Some had called him priggish or even uptight, but it had not bothered him. The reputation had served him well, allowing him to be overlooked in situations where he needed to go unnoticed.

  “He did not. He saved me!” Josie’s outburst, well-intentioned though it was, made him want to shake her again. What part of ‘do not speak’ had she not understood?

  “Hush,” he said, glancing down at her. She gripped the jacket more firmly around her, keeping her gaze stubbornly averted. If she were his… The thought of spanking Josie into good behavior was not a new one, but given the circumstances and his glimpse of her nudity, it had taken on a very different, a very distracting one, and distractions were the last thing he needed.

  “She is right.” A shrill voice behind them, one which Elijah recognized, made him blink. What the hell? The Countess of Hachet—a waspish viper who had terrified the marriage mart as Miss Winifred Bellmont before her marriage earlier this year—shouldered her way through the small crowd with a sneer. While she was a beauty in face and figure, her personality was poisonous. She held up a small slip of paper as she took center stage. “His brother is the one who summoned her here. He must be covering for him.”

  “What?” Lady Carmichael gasped, echoing Elijah’s thoughts before snatching the paper from the countess’ fingers, causing Lady Perth to look disgruntled for a moment before she smoothed her skirts and threw her shoulders back haughtily.

  “My letter!” Josie surged forward, forcing Elijah to catch her about the waist as her hand came up, spreading open the jacket she was holding closed about her. Several gasps from the little group that had found them let him know he was not entirely successful in preserving her modesty.

  “What letter?” he growled in her ear, taking advantage of the momentary distraction while the others gathered around Lady Carmichael to see it.

  “The one your brother sent me,” she whispered. “Did you really think I came out for no reason?”

  “No, I thought you might be meeting Evie. Why on earth would my brother send you a letter?”

  “Maybe because he finally realized he is about to make the biggest mistake of his life,” Josie shot back, jerking away from him and tightening his jacket around herself. She averted her gaze again, and he could not tell if it was because she was ashamed to look at him, angry with him, or hiding tears. Out of the three, he thought he might prefer the anger.

  Jaw clenched against snapping back at her, he had an inkling of what she was talking about. He stepped away from her and quickly closed the distance between him and Lady Carmichael, snatching the letter from her hands. Lord Jarrett laughed, a sharp sound that dug into Elijah’s temper. It did not matter the dimness of the moon. There was enough light to see and recognize his brother’s handwriting.

  Josie

  “Oh, my stars… oh my word… what are we to do?” Josie’s mother moaned from her position on the fainting couch in their drawing room. A beauty in her own right, she managed to look stunning, even as she wailed.

  After Elijah had taken the letter, things had moved remarkably quick. He had sent away the little crowd with admonishments not to gossip and asked Lady Carmichael to retrieve Josie’s parents. Though Josie did not wish to be beholden to any of those gossips, Lady Carmichael had been the least objectionable. Josie had been relieved to see her parents, at least until they got home, and her mother had decided to have vapors. Though, for once, Josie could not argue that her mother was overstating the direness of her situation.

  For the first time in her life, she was completely frozen and did not know what to do. She was still huddled under Elijah’s jacket, clutching it around her, with the tattered remains of her bodice beneath.

  I am ruined.

  She very much doubted there was any holding back the tide of gossip. She was ruined. Unmarriageable. Actually, that did not sound so bad, but everything that came with it… She would be shunned by polite society, as would her parents. She would have that guilt to go with everything else. She would forever be at the mercy of her father’s direction, then his heir’s, a distant cousin she had never met. Likely, her friends would never be able to speak to her again. Perhaps Mary, since she was married, if her husband Rex was amenable… but certainly not Lily until after she was married, not without risking her own reputation by consorting with a fallen woman, and only after her marriage if her husband was agreeable.

  All because Josie had been so hopeful Joseph would turn away from Miss Bliss and to her instead. A hope that had been in vain. She did not know how someone had so perfectly mimicked Joseph’s handwriting, but she no longer believed the note was from him. Why someone had sent it to her, she did not know… but she supposed it did not matter.

  “I shall never be able to show my face in public again…”

  Josie bit her tongue. She wanted to tell her mother, it was only her own life she’d ruined, but she knew that was not the truth. The ton was vicious. Her fall would affect both of her parents and any of her friends and family who did not condemn her actions.

  I should have known better than to go into a garden… by myself… to meet a man.

  Even if she had not been assaulted, making that choice was enough to ruin her had it become known.

  Knocking at the door made her jump. Was it Elijah? Back finally? Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her father’s head jerk up. He had been silent since they left the ball, which was not entirely surprising. He had always been quieter than her mother, but his complete silence made her very nervous.

  The sound of feminine voices, one of them quite strident, made her blink. A moment later, Mary, the Marchioness of Hartford, and Miss Lily Davis rushed into the room without waiting to be announced. Rex, the Marquess of Hartford, strolled in behind them, looking even more lion-like than he normally did. They were all still dressed for the evening, with Mary wearing a dark green gown that set off her strawberry blonde hair and eyes, and Lily still dressed as a debutante in pale lavender. Josie was shocked to see the latter there, especially without either he
r of her parents or godparents.

  “Oh, my goodness, Josie, we came as soon as we heard!” Mary rushed forward. It had been her voice Josie had heard, haranguing Martin, the butler, to let them in. Considering how quiet Mary normally was, that was a shock.

  “What are you doing here?” Josie’s gaze went back and forth between them, finally settling on Lily’s. “You know you cannot be here. I am ruined! You have to disassociate yourself from me.”

  “They heard? Did you hear that, Daniel? They heard! We are ruined!” Josie’s mother wailed louder, making Josie cringe.

  Sympathy suffused Mary and Lily’s faces as they sat on either side of her. Mary’s auburn locks were slightly disheveled, her green eyes flashing with emotion as she tried to rake her fingers through her hair before letting her hand drop when she met her coiffure. In contrast, Lily’s dark hair was picture perfect, as was her purple gown, and her expression was more solemn than angry.

  They each took one of Josie’s hands, and despite everything, Josie felt a little better. Though she wished Evie was there as well to make their foursome complete, having her two friends standing by her meant more than she could say.

  “Silence, Petunia.” Josie’s father’s voice cut through the air like a whip, shocking her mother into silence. Shocking the rest of them as well. Josie had never heard her father speak like that, even when her mother was at her most histrionic. Lily and Mary stared at him, along with Josie. “I will take care of this.”

  “I will go with you,” Rex said. “I need to have a few words with Lord Stuart myself.” He shot a glance at Mary that spoke volumes. Josie envied the close bond the two of them had. It did not seem to matter that they had only been married a matter of weeks—due to being caught kissing in the garden, nearly creating a scandal themselves—they clearly loved and understood each other. Being the Marchioness of Hartford had also given Mary a much-needed boost of confidence. Or perhaps being Rex’s wife had done that.