by EM BROWN
The thought of him so far away wrenched her heart, but what did she expect?
“Good tidings to you in your travels then,” Gertie said, the words sounding exceedingly lame in her own ears.
A muscle twitched along his jaw, and the pain in his eyes was like a stab into the deepest part of her. There was much more to be said, much more she wished to speak to him, but the words would not emerge.
“Felicitations to you—and to your family. I pray that you are happy, Gertie.”
She shut her eyes to keep back the tears. Ye Gods, she cried silently. She wanted to crumble to the floor. The weight of their collective misery was too much to bear.
“That is him,” a voice behind her said.
She opened her eyes to see Major Summers striding up to Barclay. He was trembling with rage.
“Lord Barclay,” Summers called out, “If you are a man, I demand satisfaction!”
Barclay assessed the man with cool eyes.
“And if I am not?” he returned blandly.
That had the effect of making the Major more furious.
“Then you, sir, are a coward!”
Gertie saw Phineas’ nostrils flare ever so slightly.
“I have been called far worse.”
“Will you or will you not be a man?” Summers demanded.
“My dear fellow,” Barclay said, retrieving his snuff box and flicking it open, “who the devil are you and why such an interest in my manhood?”
Summers straightened in an attempt to match Barclay’s height. “I am Major Summers, aide-de-camp to the Duke of York, and you, sir, owe me satisfaction.”
Gertie felt her stomach plummet. The man would not relent. His escalating volume was beginning to draw curious onlookers from the card room.
“I know you not; therefore, I cannot possibly be in debt to you,” Barclay returned as he inhaled a pinch of snuff.
“You know my wife,” Summers ground out between clenched teeth.
Gertie saw a faint flicker of recognition in Barclay’s eyes.
“Yes, I made her acquaintance at Vauxhall when she was with that fellow over there. Have you called him out as well?”
Gertie looked to see a young sergeant standing near.
“He did not attempt to seduce my wife!” fumed Summers,
“You have no evidence I attempted any such thing.”
“I had it all from the servants. They told me how you had suggested she spend some days at her sister’s house when her sister was conveniently absent. It was during a week when I was in Kent. I remember it well for it rained exceptionally hard for three days’ time.”
Gertie snapped to attention. The friend that Barclay had intended to see before he came upon her and her chaise ...must have been the Major’s wife.
“I know your reputation,” Summers continued. “I think many a husband would applaud me if I put a bullet through your head.”
“I would not disagree with your statement.”
“I demand satisfaction!” Summers cried, no longer able to endure being toyed with.
“And why should I give it?” Phineas asked haughtily as he took another pinch of snuff.
Summers looked ready to explode. “Will you be a coward then? Have you no honor?”
“In general, none.”
Summers took off his glove and threw it at Phineas. The glove knocked the contents of the snuff box onto Phineas and grazed his chin before falling to the floor.
Barclay brushed the snuff off his waistcoat and calmly returned the snuff box to his pocket. “Swords or pistols?”
“No!” Gertie gasped. She turned to the Major. “You are mistaken. Your wife is mistaken.”
“I believe the choice to be yours,” the Major sneered, ignoring her.
“I assure you I am equally comfortable with both,” Phineas said.
Summers stiffened. “Pistols then. Name your seconds.”
“Phineas!” exclaimed Robert, who had just returned.
Gertie did not notice him or any of the others that had gathered about them. She put her hand on the Major. “You are mistaken. You do not understand.”
“Madam, this is none of your affair!” Summers barked.
“My brother Robert shall be one,” Phineas replied.
Having no luck with Summers, Gertie turned to Barclay. “What are you doing?! Surely you are jesting...”
But he did not look at her. He kept his gaze upon Summers. A shiver went through her as she glimpsed the determination in Barclay’s eyes.
“Phineas, this is madness!” Robert cried. “Do you not remember that if you fight another duel–”
“I remember,” Phineas said brusquely.
“My seconds will inform yours of the time and place,” Summers said.
Phineas bowed. “I await our assignation.”
“No!” Gertie cried again, this time loud enough to command the attention of both men. “You will not fight this unnecessary duel.”
She turned to Summers, her hands clenched to contain her trembling. “You are mistaken. Lord Barclay was never with your wife—because he was with me. We—”
Phineas cut her off. “Gertie, no.”
He turned to Summers. “She knows not what she speaks. I will meet you where and when you wish.”
“He never had the opportunity to seduce your wife,” Gertie persisted. “We spent those three days, Lord Barclay and I, at the Four Horse Posting Inn. You may ask any who worked at the inn and they will attest to it.”
She looked to Phineas, who was shaking his head.
“She is a fool,” Phineas said to Summers. “She hopes to save my life by sacrificing her honor. But mine is not a life worth saving. Lady Lowry suffers delusions of grandeur.”
“I may be a fool,” Gertie returned, “but I suffer no delusions. I would not forget those three days with you for the world.”
Phineas closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, she thought she saw tears.
“It is not too late to retract,” he said to her. “Remember—you have much to live for.”
She shook her head. “Not without you.”
Phineas turned to Summers. “She fancies herself in love with me. Surely you can see that she is not of sound mind at present.”
But Summers had a strange look upon his face as he glanced between Barclay and Gertie.
“Yes, I fancy myself in love with you,” Gertie stated, feeling an odd sense of freedom as she spoke. “Will you disavow you feel the same?”
“For God’s sake, say you love her!” Robert exclaimed. “You know you do!”
“Robert, if you speak another word, I shall kill you ’an the Major leaves me standing,” Phineas said.
Emboldened, Gertie took a step towards him. “Will you dare deny that you love me?”
His voice was hoarse, but he replied. “I would deny it to my death, Lady Lowry.”
Gertie smiled as the tears rolled down her cheek. “You are ever the man that I love and more.”
It would be hard to put into words the look in his eyes, but she knew he loved her. And for the moment, the weight of sorrow that she had carried was lifted from her. Her heart was a caged bird set free, and it soared with joy.
“The Four Horse Inn, you say?” Summers interrupted.
Gertie nodded. This time Phineas did not refute her.
“It appears I was mistaken, sir,” Summers said to Barclay. He gave a curt bow. “Please accept my apologies.”
Grumbling to himself, he stalked away with his sergeant.
Gertie let out the breath she had been holding. Turning to Phineas, she curled her lips in a small and shaky smile. It was not until now that she realized the large crowd that had assembled around them, but she did not care that the world knew of her love for this man.
But from the corner of her eye, she saw Alexander approaching.
Chapter Nineteen
YOU ARE EVER THE MAN that I love. The music of angels could not have been more melodious to his ears. P
hineas stared at Gertie, her face bright with tears and full of love. He wanted nothing more than to crush her in his embrace and show her that his love could compare to hers. Was it possible to feel something greater than joy? He would have covered the distance between them and taken her in his arms, but a movement from the crowd stalled him.
He watched as Alexander approached, and he readied himself for what was likely to be his second challenge of the evening, but Alexander turned to face Gertie.
“Whore,” Alexander spat.
He pulled his arm back and struck her. She fell to the ground.
Phineas leaped towards Alexander but someone stepped in front of him and held him in place. He fought against the arms that held him.
“Unhand me!” he demanded. “I will throttle that bloody coward within an inch of his life!”
He heard his brother call his name, but his attention was pinned on Alexander. He would wring the little bastard’s neck...
“Touch her again and I will claw your eyes out!” the Marchioness cried to Alexander as she hovered over Gertie.
“Damn you! Unhand me!” Phineas growled as he felt himself being dragged away.
“Lord Lowry, I cannot tolerate such displays in my house,” Mr. Bennington admonished. “I hope you will kindly take your leave.”
Alexander, his face contorted in anger, stared absently at the host. He glared at Gertie, muttered ‘whore’ once more, and brushed passed the onlookers.
Phineas renewed his struggles as he saw his target leaving. He himself was pulled around the corner. Robert followed.
“You are in no state to confront him,” Lord Dunnesford said, barely able to hold off Phineas despite his strength. With all his effort, he thrust Phineas against the wall. “You would likely kill Alexander if you touched him.”
“Then I would die a happy man!”
“How will that help Gertie?”
Phineas ceased his attempts to cuff the Marquess of Dunnesford.
“I must see that she is well,” he said.
But the Marquess pushed him back against the wall. “My wife is with her now. She will see that she comes to no harm.”
“Gertie is with child–”
“I know. She will come home with us tonight. We will send for a doctor to see her.”
“Look here, I know your wife to be friends with Gertie, but you, sir, have no place in this affair.”
“I am doing what Gertie would have wanted—keeping you safe.”
Phineas threw aside Dunnesford’s arm. “I have no need for a protector.”
“Do not render her sacrifice useless by endangering yourself.”
Phineas, intending to walk away, paused. “Alexander is a bloody little cretin. I could dispense of him easily.”
“No doubt. And then what? Will you live in exile? Will you ask Gertie and the babe to join you? Is that the life you wish for her?”
“Phineas,” Robert pleaded, “do heed what Lord Dunnesford is saying.”
“And what life would she have with Alexander?” Phineas returned. “She will be safe when I have done with him.”
“If you would reconsider your situation in the light of day,” Lord Dunnesford proposed, “I promise you all in my power to assist you and Gertie. I speak not because I bear you any friendship—I had advised Gertie against you—but for her sake, my wife and I would undertake much to see her happy.”
As would I, Phineas thought to himself. He looked over the Marquess. The man seemed earnest, his rationale sound, but could he be trusted?
“I wish to know that Gertie is unharmed,” he said, still fighting back his desire to pummel Alexander into the ground. He would have risked exile for the opportunity to bludgeon the man.
“I will have word sent to you immediately,” Dunnesford assured.
Straightening himself, Phineas adjusted his coat and replied, “Very well.”
Robert let out an audible sigh.
“Go home,” the Marquess advised.
When they walked past the entry to the card room, the crowd had already disbursed. Neither Gertie nor Alexander remained.
Phineas allowed Robert to escort him home, but only because the latter knew better than to speak to him. Back in his apartment, Phineas allowed his valet to remove his coat and cravat, then waved the man off. He needed space and solitude to think.
She loved him.
He would have dwelled on that alone if he were not painfully aware of the difficulty she had placed herself in her attempt to save him. Once more Fate showed her ironic hand. The revelation that Gertie loved him should have brought naught but euphoria. Instead, it would bring about the very end that she had tried so hard to avoid.
“Your lordship, a woman is here to see you,” Gibbons announced.
“Send her away,” Phineas replied, unbuttoning his waistcoat and loosening his shirt to take a deep and full breath.
Gibbons nodded and left. Phineas poured himself a drink and sat down before the writing table. What was to be done now for Gertie?
Gibbons returned. “Pardon, your lordship, but she insists upon seeing you.”
Phineas frowned. He was in no mood for the Phillipa Summers and Sarah Farringtons of the world. He doubted he had even the patience for Lady Dunnesford.
“Send her away,” he repeated.
“But Lady Lowry said–”
“Lady Lowry!”
Phineas leaped from his chair and nearly knocked Gibbons over in his haste. He descended the stairs and did not slow until he saw her form in the vestibule. She was in full dress still. Upon seeing him, she threw back the hood of her ermine lined cloak. He hurried to her. The first thing he noted was the bluish mark upon her cheekbone, and suddenly he wished that he had not allowed the Marquess to dissuade him from giving Alexander a sound thrashing.
“Gertie.”
She flew into his arms. He embraced her close to his bosom, soaking in the feel of her safely in his arms. The moment melted away all the agony and the suffering of the past month.
She lifted her face and again he saw the bruise. “Phineas, I have been a fool–”
He cupped her face and kissed her. She had already said all that he had ever hoped to hear. The consequences of the evening could wait. For now he wanted only to revel in her presence and demonstrate the depth of his affection by exalting her body.
His longing matched by her own, she returned his kiss fervently. They devoured one another, their passions revealed by tender lips and ardent tongue. He tasted of her long and deep for his hunger for her had been made profound by the absence. She took in his mouth as if she needed the air from his lungs. The yearning in his groin raged in response. There was no honey sweeter, no wine more intoxicating, no Bedlam more maddening than the feel of her pressing against him.
Her lips were pink and swollen when at last he pulled away from her. He swept her and the heavy silk brocade of her gown into his arms and ascended the stairs. Once in his chambers, he untied her cloak. Not able to part long from the taste of her, he crushed his lips once more to hers, determined that she should feel every ounce of the passion he felt for her.
“Gertie, the days might as well have been years,” he murmured against her mouth.
“Had I but realized earlier...”she murmured in between his kisses. “Phineas, how I have missed you!”
“The past is gone. What matters is that you are where you belong.”
“Yes! I belong with you. Take me, Phineas!”
His cock swelled, but he hesitated. “But are you well? Did he hurt you much?”
“It surprised me more than it hurt. I am well. Only pray do not keep me waiting!”
She began to pull out the pins in her gown. He licked his bottom lip and assisted her with undressing the bodice of her gown. When she had shed her skirt and petticoats, he caught the swell of her belly beneath her corset. Seeing the direction of his gaze, she placed a hand there.
“The knowledge that you were the one that fathered the babe has provid
ed me the only source of brightness these past days.”
He cupped her face once more. “How is it you have grown in beauty since last I saw you?”
She sidled closer to him, grinning. “Lord Barclay, if you think that flattery will aid you in your seduction, you are gravely mistaken. For I am, before now, yours to take and ravish.”
Groaning, he smothered her with wet, heavy kisses. He trailed his mouth down her neck, taking mouthfuls of her smooth, taut skin. The pressure in his groin built with every whiff of her scent, every touch of her body. Pushing the chemise down past her shoulders, he showered kisses upon the skin laid bare. He had to remind himself not too grope her too roughly as she was with child, but it was no easy task to contain his ardor. He had been without her for far too long, a drought made all the more agonizing by the belief that he would never again possess her. He turned her around and began to unlace her corset, a task that forced him to slow that part of him that wanted only to throw up her chemise and allow his passions to rule his body.
“You’ve no need to unlace me, Phineas.”
“I would see your glorious body, my love,” he replied.
“I do not think I will take such care with your clothes,” she said impishly.
The corset fell to the floor, followed by the chemise. She stood only in her garters, stocking, and shoes. His gaze perused every inch of her nakedness. Even her distended belly looked seductive, and his cock throbbed in appreciation. He put his hand gently upon her abdomen. He had never had much of an interest in procreation before, but—and his cock was willing—he would have made a hundred babes with Gertie. She smiled up at him and he felt a blissful warmth flooding his chest.
She stepped towards him and rubbed herself against his crotch. He growled low in his throat and reached a hand to cup the bottom of a buttock. His hand closed about the flesh, remembering how her arse had quivered beneath his spanks. She pulled his waistcoat down over his arms and pressed her succulent mouth to the base of his throat. His cock reared itself against the constraining fabric of his breeches. With his waistcoat pinning his arms to his sides, his hands could not roam about her body freely. He was content to have her take the lead, knowing he would have his moment shortly.