“I know what Leo is capable of,” Matthew said, turning the subject back around. “It’s why I asked him to train me to fight. It’s why I’m sitting here in this carriage with you now.”
“He trained you?” she asked, surprised.
“He’s still training me.”
Madison gasped and thought about all the times Leo disappeared during the day and in the evening. He’d said it was all business. “He’s been visiting you?” Behind my back!
Matthew sighed. “He’s been… helping me. He’s forgiven me for what I did to you and I forgave him for stuffing me into a wardrobe. We’ve been working together to find out who killed Judd.”
She couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of her tone. “I’m so glad you are friends.”
Matthew released another breath but said nothing, which was just as well, because their carriage stopped before her father’s home that very second.
Madison’s path to the door was blocked by Matthew.
“I’ll go out first. If anyone lurking outside is trying to hurt Edmond, it is best I am attacked before you.”
Remembering the severity of the situation, she nodded in the dark. “All right.”
Matthew got out and walked to the front door. The moment it opened, he came back for her and rushed her inside.
“Stay here,” she said in the foyer.
She followed her mother’s voice into the drawing room. The woman was rocking Edmond by the fire.
She looked up and frowned at Madison. “You’re back early.” The hour was not late by any means even though the sky was dark.
Madison moved closer and looked down at the baby in her mother’s arms. He slept peacefully. The boy did enjoy a warm body more than anything else. He was safe.
“Where’s Father?” Madison asked. Taking off her glove, she touched her son’s cheek.
“Asleep.” Lady Cumpterton smiled at her grandson. “Where’s Leo?”
Madison’s relief was replaced with pain. “He’s not here.” She swallowed. “Matthew is.”
“Lord Hivers?” Her mother’s eyes widened. “Why? I thought you said—”
Madison shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. He’ll remain by the door until Leo returns.” She took Edmond and said, “You should go to bed. I’ll lock up once we’re gone.”
“Are you sure?” Lady Cumpterton stood. “Perhaps I should wake your father. I know how you feel about Lord Hivers.”
Madison shook her head. “I’ll be fine.” Matthew hadn’t attacked her in the carriage and so far he hadn’t moved from the foyer. She supposed she could trust him for a little while longer.
Her mother kissed them both and then left.
Madison sat down.
An hour passed before she heard movement and then Leo stepped into the drawing room.
Her heart stood no chance against the sight of him. His expression was still distant, but she couldn’t help but remember the last time they’d been alone in her mother’s drawing room.
They’d spoken about love and happiness. He’d thrown that all away tonight.
“Matthew is gone. Let me get you home,” he said.
She stood, gathered Edmond’s things, placed her son in the basket, and met Leo at the threshold.
“Give him to me.”
She flinched at the coolness in his command. She thought she witnessed a flicker of emotion in his eyes, but as she studied him, she saw nothing.
Who is this man? She remembered his hot and cold manner from before. Would this be her life from now on?
“It will be easier for you to get in the carriage without so much in your hands,” he said for explanation.
Knowing he was right, she handed Edmond over and then went to the carriage.
Once the doors closed, silence came over them.
∫ ∫ ∫
4 0
* * *
Madison waited for Leo to say something. When he didn’t, she asked, “Did you find the culprit?”
“No.”
“Was there a culprit at all?”
“Yes. You’re not to leave the house unless it is with me. I’ll make certain that Mrs. Wilson and Mr. Trim are informed that they are not to give your identity or location to anyone.”
Fear rose within her. “What’s going on? What happened?” She hadn’t even looked Leo over when they’d been in her parents’ house.
She’d kept the lamp in the carriage out because she hadn’t wished to see the emptiness in his eyes, but she turned it on now.
She winced and had to adjust to the sudden brightness.
Then she found him and finally took him in.
Leo looked white. Edmond was on the floor to the side of them, still asleep. Leo had his hands braced on his knees. His body was still and perspiration glistened on his brow.
She looked his body over. “What happened to you? Where are you hurt?” She covered her mouth as she looked for blood. She searched his face for bruising. His brows were furrowed. Was that pain? “Leo…”
She went to his side of the carriage and touched his head. He felt cold even with the sweat. She pushed back his dark hair, realizing it was mussed. Had he gotten in an altercation? With his hair out of the way, she turned him to face her and searched his face for evidence of a fight.
She saw nothing. But his mouth was tight.
Her tone was no longer gentle. “Leo, speak to me. Where are you hurt?”
She met his eyes and saw the frustration in his glare. “Why are you being stubborn about this? Is this one of those men things where they like to pretend they are indestructible? Well, you’re not, so tell me how to help you.” Tell me if I can.
What if whatever was wrong was irreversible? What if she lost him?
Her lips quivered. “Leo…”
“It’s my back,” he whispered. His face was no longer a blank mask. The blue in his eyes was warmer, as though he’d woken from a long sleep. His brows were still pulled together.
“What happened to your back?”
“I was attacked and it was struck repeatedly.”
“Oh, my love.” She’d been sitting quietly at home while he’d been going through all this. Tears blurred her vision. “Are you bleeding?”
“No, it just hurts to sit up.”
“Then lay down.” She moved off the seat and knelt in the space between the seats so she could assist his descent. With a hand on his back and the other cradling his head, she guided him and he adjusted himself slowly.
They lived on the other side of Oxford. The ride to their house would take some time. “You were going to sit there in pain during the entire ride?”
His eyes were closed as he murmured, “I’ve been in worse condition.”
“Well, not with me.” She brushed his hair back again and studied his face.
He was finally relaxed.
She ran her fingers over his brow, smoothing out the last of the tension she’d seen there. She wanted to hold him and wrap her arms around him, but she wasn’t sure if that would hurt him more or not. So she remained close.
She looked his body over again. His knees were bent. His feet were against the wall. His broad shoulders were too wide for the bench. She placed a hand there to give him extra support.
“When we get home, you are going straight to bed. I’ll try and go slow when I remove your clothes. I’ll need to take a look at your back. Should I put something cool on it or warm?”
“Both.”
She looked at his face again and found he was watching her. She put her free hand on his jaw. “Did you get to speak with Mr. Collins about the position?”
“No.” His brows were furrowed again. “Too much happened after you left. There was no time.”
“What happened?”
He shook his head. “Later.” Then he pressed his face into her hand again and closed his eyes.
She moved closer. Her arm rested on his chest and she felt the swiftness of his beating heart underneath her.
“I don’t
want you doing this anymore,” she whispered. “Teaching is a very safe position. This other thing… it’s dangerous.”
“It’s funny you should say so.” He opened his eyes. “The most dangerous thing I’ve ever done is love you.”
She turned her face so that she was more aligned with his. “What makes you say that?”
“I’m not sure your heart is big enough for both me and Judd.”
She was surprised. “What makes you say that?”
“Answer me honestly.” He paused, as if thinking better of his question, and then said, “If Judd were alive, if we found out that he didn’t die and instead was taken or something. If he came to you tonight, would you leave me?”
She blinked. “I think that a very silly question.”
“Because the answer is yes?”
She laughed. She truly believed he was joking, but when he didn’t even crack a smile, she frowned. “Leo, I would never leave you.”
“But you love Judd.”
She pulled in a breath to loosen the tightness in her chest. “I do, but I don’t love him like I love you. Perhaps, once upon a time, I did, but now I’m simply grateful that he gave me… that he gave us Edmond. But I’m not in love with Judd.”
Leo continued to watch her in the silence, searching for evidence of the truth.
“Leo.” She was growing angry that he would think such a thing. “What has brought this about?”
His expression was completely vulnerable now. “Tonight, you went on and on about how much you knew Judd and how Edmond wasn’t mine—”
“He is yours,” she insisted. “You saved us. You care for him just as I do.”
“You seemed to forget all about me while you spoke to Matthew. I began to think that I was simply a convenience in your life.”
She shook her head. “That isn’t true.” Her chest felt tight again.
She thought about the carriage ride with Matthew and hated to admit that the man had been right. Her rage had blinded her to just how much she was hurting Leo. “I’m sorry. The fear of losing Edmond makes me…”
He grinned slowly. “I love how much you love him. I’m a little jealous, actually. I wish someone loved me like that.”
“I love you like that.” She frowned. “While I rode away with Matthew, I was so angry with you. I couldn’t believe you’d send me with my enemy or have my enemy near my child. Yet at the same time, I feared losing you. You were so cold with me, I wondered if I’d see you again. I wondered if you’d disappear like you did last week.” Tears rushed down her face. “It hurt. The thought of being without you… it still hurts.”
He cupped her face. “I won’t leave.”
“You were going to, weren’t you?” she asked. “If you hadn’t been injured—”
“I won’t leave,” he said again.
She rested her head on his shoulder. “Am I hurting you if I lay like this?”
“No.” His hand rested on his stomach.
She reached out and took it.
Their fingers remained locked together for the rest of the journey.
∫ ∫ ∫
4 1
* * *
Leo rested on his front and tried to stifle his groan as Madison placed a hot towel on him.
She’d fussed over him the night before and then again this morning. He felt terrible. He wanted to help her with Edmond, but she grew worried whenever he tried to move.
She was worried about him.
A part of him wanted to fight the pleasure that knowledge brought him, reminding him that she was still in love with a dead man, but the other part of him didn’t care. She was his wife. She was here with him, and she wanted him to stay.
She’d been right last evening. He had planned to leave her once he’d seen her and Edmond home. He’d have gone to his brother’s without her and explained to his family that he’d only married Madison to spare her from scandal. But it wouldn’t have been the truth and he definitely couldn’t leave her now. He’d sworn he wouldn’t.
And he didn’t want to, not when she’d positioned herself on top of him and was currently running a mixture of hot rags and hot hands over his flesh.
The feeling was nearly good enough to make him cry.
It definitely made him hard.
She leaned forward and pressed her warm curvy form against his skin. She brushed a kiss his cheek and asked, “How are you feeling?”
He grinned. “I love you.”
She laughed. Her mouth brushed the corner of his upturned lips. “I suppose that means you feel very good.”
“I feel wonderful.”
“I have a surprise for you,” she whispered.
That got him curious. If there was anyone that could surprise him, it was her.
“What is it?”
She leaned away and he missed her. But then her fingers were working over his skin again. “You’ll see.”
His surprise was in the bathing room. It was an actual bath and large enough to accommodate a man of his size. Steam rose from the water. Leo got in. The heat was like a stinging kiss to his flesh, but the pleasure was worth the pain.
Madison left him to bathe alone for a while, and then returned to replace some of the water with fresh water.
He narrowed his eyes at her reddened complexion. Some of her hair was clinging to her cheeks and forehead. She had an empty bucket in hand. “Next time you do this, hire a servant.” He didn’t like seeing her do the work of a scullery maid.
She smiled and knelt down by him. “It’s all right. A little labor is good for my body. Most days I tire of carrying Edmond too quickly.”
“He is growing heavy.”
She smiled. “I like doing this for you.” Then her eyes burned. “Besides, I don’t like the thought of anyone else seeing you naked anyway.”
He chuckled and touched her cheek. He pushed her hair behind her ear. “How did you get the tub in here?”
“Mrs. Wilson is tending to the baby in the front room. Mr. Trim and his son helped. Yes, his son knows who lives here, but he swore he wouldn’t say anything. He’ll keep our secret.”
Leo sighed. “Once three people know a secret, it is no longer a secret.”
She frowned. “Is that so? Who says?”
“I do.” He wrapped his arm around the back of her neck and pulled her in.
Her hands went to his shoulders that were just above the water as they kissed. Then she pulled away. “I want to know what happened last night.”
Last night was the last thing he wanted to talk about. In fact, he didn’t want to talk at all. “Get in the tub.”
Her mouth fell open. He might have growled the words. But his wife smiled and then did as instructed.
* * *
They were both relaxing on the bed sometime later. Madison had a leg thrown over him.
His body felt renewed. The pain was completely gone. He was leaning over her with an elbow propping his head up. “The men of The Circle who were at the party were attacked last evening.” He hadn’t wanted to tell her the truth, but she’d find out eventually.
Madison’s eyes widened. “Are they…?”
“Dead. Everyone but Lord Anson. I made it just in time to save him.” He lifted her chin. “You saved him.”
She shook her head loose of his hold. Her arms went around him before she buried her face in his chest and began to cry.
He held her and thought back to what he’d seen that night. It had taken a moment for his eyes to adjust to the light in the room. He’d looked around and hadn’t seen anything out of place.
Then his eyes had found the bodies.
Anson had been knocked unconscious in a corner. It was likely Leo’s knocking that had spared him a similar fate as the others.
Leo rubbed Madison’s back until she was finally able to speak. “How did they…?”
“Poison. The murderer would have got away with it had I not interrupted. He’d had the bodies positioned around a table as though they’d been play
ing cards. There was a flask in one man’s hand. Glasses by the other men with only a splash of brandy.”
She frowned, her eyes red. “I don’t understand.”
“It had been staged so that anyone who found the men would think that one of the lords poisoned the others and himself. Or maybe he did, I don’t know. That’s what I’m trying to figure out.”
“But you don’t have time,” she said. “You’ve your brother’s summons to answer.”
“Which is why I’ve invited Lord Anson to follow us.”
Madison’s mouth fell open. “You think the murderer will follow?”
“It’s likely.”
She sat up and tilted her chin down to meet his eyes. “But you’d put others in danger.”
“We’ll be fine.”
Her gaze swept over his face. “You seem so sure about this. Why are you so confident that no one else will get hurt?”
Leo smiled. “Because the people my family invite are not your average aristocrats. They’re deadly. Anyone thinking of getting away with an offense on my brother’s land with an array of assassins walking around is a fool.” Venmont Hill was the safest place for them at the moment.
“Assassin?” She frowned. “You know such people?”
I am such people.
Her eyes widened and Leo thought his face told her the truth. He tightened his hands on the sheets to stop himself from reaching out to her. He told himself that if she pulled away. he would let her go. He wouldn’t stop her. He’d give her time and space and hopefully, maybe she’d eventually come back to him.
But she didn’t pull away.
Instead, she fell back against the bed and moved closer.
Her fingers went to the back of his neck and then up and through his hair. “That explains... everything.”
He closed his eyes and placed his hand on her hip. He squeezed her as his pulse quickened and he hardened. He could never have enough of her. He caught fire with her touch. He lost his mind at her gentle words. He struggled for air. He struggled to speak. “What’s everything?”
Her breath caught as though the fire in his lions had jumped and spread through her. “Why Matthew would ask you to train him. Why you can be the most charming man I know in one minute and then the coldest.”
The Long Awaited Lord Page 20