If He’s Wicked

by Hannah Howell

  “Elderwood? He lives at a ducal seat?”

  “He is the duke, has been since the age of nine. I would appreciate it if you talked to no one about his gift. It is one that, if known of and believed in by others, could put him in great danger.”

  “I doubt anyone would believe me even if I sank so low as to betray this confidence.”

  “Probably not, but Modred already has the reputation of being a recluse. He does not need to be marked as some madman as well, or seen as a threat that needs to be eradicated.” Leo sighed. “Or even more frightening, taken by some enemy to be used against the country or the family or some other criminal venture.”

  “If he has such a gift, I am surprised he has not already gone mad. And I say if only because I have seen no proof. It is a lot easier to accept the gifts you and Chloe have than one that allows a man to see straight into a person’s mind and heart.” He frowned. “And if he can do that, I am astonished that you allow him near you. You hold far too many secrets for this country.”

  Leo shook his head and moved to pour them both some wine. “We do not allow or disallow. Our cousin visits us on the rare occasion he leaves Elderwood because he cannot see into our hearts or minds. He claims we have very thick walls. Many of our family do. But I am sure you can see what harm could be done if word got out about what he can do.”

  Julian grimaced as he accepted the drink Leo handed him and then sat down on his bed. “As you have said, the consequences would be dire. One can only pity him if he truly has such a gift. As you said, some feelings can be very ugly. So can some thoughts.”

  “And that pity would cut him to the bone. But enough about poor Modred. He returns to Elderwood now, and we have enemies to defeat.”

  Julian was more than willing to cease talking about the duke if only because he feared insulting Leopold with his continuing disbelief. It surprised him that he actually meant what he had said about accepting the gifts Leo and Chloe claimed to have. Doubt still simmered in his heart, but it was not as strong as it had been at the beginning. Alongside his increasing belief in their abilities was a lessening of his unease concerning such gifts. He was sure that he could not feel so accepting or at ease around the young duke, however.

  When Leo handed him a few papers, Julian attempted to read them but his thoughts kept straying. In his mind’s eye he could see Chloe held in a man’s arms, but it was not the duke who held her. It was he. That alarmed him, but he could not shake or ignore the image. He wanted it to be true too badly to do so. And that, he thought as he forced himself to concentrate on the job at hand, was dangerous. It appeared that he was walking a path that could lead him straight to everything he had sworn to avoid, and yet he could not seem to get off it.

  Chapter 6

  Chloe smiled to herself as she entered the house. She and Maude had had a very successful day at the shops. Even better, it was such a successful day that she doubted they would have to go shopping again for quite a while. That thought made her so happy she almost skipped up the stairs.

  Once she and Maude had put away the fabrics and other items they had bought, Chloe shooed her maid out of the room. She quickly changed into a softer, more comfortable gown and loosened her tightly pinned-up hair. Deciding she would retreat to the library and do some work on the household accounts, she headed out of her room.

  A familiar childish giggle caught her attention as she passed by the door of the room Julian was in. It had been two days since she had spent more than a few minutes in his presence at a time. She had needed time to consider the ramifications of what Modred had told her and if there was anything she could or should do about it. The fact that she had had no vision concerning what she should do about Julian and her growing feelings for the man was probably for the best. She did not want to be guided by anything more than her own wits and emotions. It was time to test her resolve to stand back and see if she could sense any hint of an attraction on Julian’s part. Checking on what Anthony was doing in his father’s bedchamber was as good an excuse as any to spend a little time in Julian’s presence.

  She rapped on the door and only hesitated a moment when his deep voice called out for her to enter. The sight that greeted her stole her breath away, although she did her best to hide that reaction. Julian was sprawled on his bed with Anthony tucked up at his side. Both of them looked as though they had indulged in a little tussling, for their hair was mussed and the flush of laughter still stained both their cheeks.

  What startled her most was that Julian was dressed. It was in an almost scandalously casual way, but he looked heart-wrenchingly handsome in his flowing, partly laced-up white shirt and snug black breeches and hose. His golden brown hair hung a few inches below his broad shoulders and she felt her fingers tingle with the need to touch the thick waves. Chloe could see a little of his muscular, smooth chest beneath the open neck of the shirt and she ached to touch that skin, to see if it felt as warm and enticing as it looked. It was obvious that even time away from the man had not dimmed her attraction to him in the least. The fact that he did not have any shoes or boots on made the moment feel strangely intimate.

  Forcing her attention onto Anthony, she smiled at the little boy, trying not to be jealous of how comfortably he was settled in his father’s strong arms. That was where he belonged, and she had to learn to accept that. Chloe knew that Anthony would always care for her and that she would never lose him completely. She had to find comfort in that. She was just finding it very hard to do so.

  “Have you been keeping your papa company?” she asked as she moved toward the bed.

  “Aye,” replied the little boy as he scrambled off the bed and hurried over to wrap himself around her legs. “I was telling him stories.”

  “Your best ones, I hope.”

  “My vewy best ones.”

  “Well, I do hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I believe it is time for you to go and clean up for your tea and for a rest.”

  Chloe had to bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from laughing when Anthony shuffled out of the room as if he was headed to the gallows. When she turned to look at Julian as she shut the door behind the little boy, she lost that control the moment she saw the grin on his face. They both started laughing at the same time, although she noticed that Julian winced a time or two, proving that his injuries were still a little tender.

  “The boy has a talent for theatrics,” Julian said as he sat up and moved to the edge of the bed, bringing him close to Chloe.

  He had missed Chloe’s visits even though he knew he should not have. Julian knew he should have used the time to push her out of his mind, but, instead, he had spent far too much time thinking about her and wondering why she was not visiting him as often as she had before. Just hearing her laugh had brought back all the wanting he had thought he had begun to cure himself of. He stood up and stepped close to her, drawn by the way a thick lock of her hair had tumbled forward, freed of the binding she had tied it back with. Even as a voice in his head told him that he should step back, that he should not touch her even in passing, Julian reached forward and gently pushed that lock of hair behind her ear. And a very pretty ear it was, too, he thought.

  Forcing himself to look up from her lush mouth, he met her gaze and felt himself become lost in the rich depths of her inky blue eyes. Julian began to lower his mouth to hers, ignoring the loud warnings in his mind. For too long he had wondered what she would taste like and he could no longer resist the temptation she presented. The way her eyes widened told him that she knew what he was about to do but she made no move to stop him. He was both disappointed and exhilarated by that.

  Chloe knew Julian was about to kiss her. She also knew she ought to push him away, to sternly remind him that he was a married man and then walk away as fast as she could. Instead she leaned toward him, hungry for the touch of his mouth. She had never been kissed and she knew she wanted him to be the first even if, once the kiss ended, the reality of their situation made them both retrea
t.

  The moment his lips touched hers, Chloe knew she was in trouble. As he brushed his mouth over hers, he slid the fingers of one hand into her hair and she shivered from the strength of the desire that roared to life within her. It was wicked to kiss a married man, but she was going to do it. Cautiously, afraid the slightest move on her part might make him come to his senses and pull away, she placed her hands upon his chest. He released a soft moan and increased the press of his lips against hers. And then, quite suddenly, the kiss was no longer a simple, brief taste, just a naughty satisfying of curiosity.

  Her senses reeled as he nipped her bottom lip and, when she gasped from the heat that roused, he slipped his tongue into her mouth. Chloe was startled by the invasion for barely a heartbeat before the stroking seduction of his tongue robbed her of the last of her tepid resistance. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave herself over to the heady delight of his kiss. She did not think that anything had ever felt as good or tasted as sweet.

  When Julian abruptly pulled away, she heard herself make a soft, inarticulate sound of protest. She opened her eyes to look at him and found him staring at her in horror. A stab of pain nearly made her gasp but then she noticed that he looked a little flushed and he was breathing as hard as she was. It was not distaste that had made him stop but good sense. Chloe inwardly sighed, disappointed that he had found the good sense she had so readily cast aside.

  “S’blood, but you are so damnably innocent,” he muttered as he grabbed her by the hand and dragged her to the door.

  Chloe suddenly found herself out in the hall, the door to Julian’s bedchamber shut behind her. She shook her head as she struggled to regain her wits. When she ran her tongue over her lips, she could still taste him and felt something clench low in her belly. He was right to stop what they had been doing, but she wished he had not regained his senses so easily.

  Absently fixing her hair, she started down the stairs. That kiss had accomplished more than making her heart race and her wits leak out of her ears. It had made a decision for her. After two and twenty years of having no interest in a man, she was now deeply interested, and she would see where that might lead her no matter what the consequences.

  She was so lost in her thoughts about how she might make Julian cast aside his scruples that she almost walked into Wynn, who stood at the bottom of the stairs. “Were you looking for me?” she asked him.

  “You have a visitor.”

  The man spoke in such a tone of doom that Chloe felt a shiver of alarm. Everything about Wynn implied that some enemy had breached the walls of Leo’s home. What troubled her was that the only enemies she could think of were Arthur Kenwood and Lady Beatrice. There was no reason for either of them to come to Leo’s residence, however. She was sure that Leo would have warned her if he had had even the smallest suspicion that the murderous pair had discovered his meddling in their affairs.

  “Who?” she asked, pleased that she did not sound as uneasy as she felt.

  “Lady Evelyn Kenwood, the dowager countess of Colinsmoor.”

  “Oh my God,” she whispered in shock. “Does Lord Kenwood know?” Even as she asked the question, she knew the answer. Julian would not have been playing with Anthony and then kissing her if he had known his mother was in the house.

  “Nay. The countess only just arrived. I put her in the blue salon.”

  “Lord Wherlocke?”

  “Gone out, miss. T’ain’t sure when he will be back.”

  Chloe looked toward the small room where disaster now lurked in the form of Julian’s mother. She did not think the woman suspected that Julian was still alive and hiding upstairs, but Chloe could think of no other reason why the woman would be waiting in Leo’s blue salon. Yet, if the woman did know the truth, Chloe doubted she would be sitting quietly in the parlor.

  “I best go see what she wants. Did you offer her a drink? Something to eat?”

  Wynn nodded. “Gertie took in some tea and cakes. I was going to get his lordship down here when I saw you.” He shrugged his wide shoulders. “I know the man is supposed to be dead, but I thought he might have some idea of what I should do.”

  “Do not tell him. I think Leo wants to continue the ruse a while longer. This could be something completely benign, a request for help with some charity or the like. Just stay here and I will go and see if I can find out anything.”

  Chloe approached the door of the room where the dowager countess waited, trying to untie the knot of unease tightening in her belly. Since she did not know why the woman was here, she could not even plan what to say to her. Closing her eyes, she tried to see what she was about to face, what the outcome of this confrontation might be, but there was nothing. It was clear that her gift was going to leave her to stumble around on her own. It was doing that with alarming frequency since Julian had been brought into the house.

  She stepped into the room and tried to return the smile the elegant woman on the settee gave her. All she could think of for a moment was that now she knew where Julian got his incredible green eyes. That and the fact that she had just been kissing the son this poor woman thought dead. Shaking free of her wild thoughts, Chloe curtsied to the woman.

  “M’lady,” she said. “I am Chloe Wherlocke, Lord Wherlocke’s cousin. I am afraid he is out and may not return for some while. Mayhap I can be of help?”

  “Mayhap you can,” Lady Evelyn said. “Please, join me. I have but a few questions concerning my son Nigel.”

  “I fear I have never met the man, m’lady,” Chloe said as she sat down, pushing down the fear that something had happened to Julian’s brother.

  “I wondered, but my questions concern the person who has become his aide-de-camp. Do you know him? Bened Vaughn?”

  “Ah, aye, I do. He is a cousin of ours. I am not sure what you wish me to tell you about him, though. He is a good soldier.”

  “So Nigel has told me in the few letters we have received from him. Nigel also implied that, when he sold out, he wished to bring the man back with him. Now that Nigel is to become the earl”—for a moment Lady Evelyn’s voice wavered and grief twisted her features—“he will be returning to England soon and bringing the man with him.”

  Chloe clutched her hands tightly together. She desperately wanted to comfort the woman, wanted to ease the terrible grief she had just glimpsed in Lady Evelyn’s face. Worse, she wanted to tell her the truth immediately. In all of their planning, she had never really considered what Julian’s mother would suffer. It was not wrong to keep all of their attention fixed firmly upon keeping Julian and Anthony alive, but that did not ease Chloe’s sudden guilt over the pain that plan had caused this woman.

  “Bened is a good man, m’lady,” she said quietly. “I know him, although I confess that I do not know him that well, as I was but a child when he joined the army. However, about all I can think of that may be considered a fault in the man is that he is very somber.”

  Lady Evelyn smiled. “That is probably a very good thing, for Nigel can be very high-spirited and, I fear, a little reckless.”

  “Well, no one would ever accuse Bened of being reckless.”

  Before Chloe could say anything else, Wynn peered into the room and signaled that he needed to speak to her. Assuring Lady Evelyn that she would return in a few moments, Chloe hurried out of the room. The look of worry on Wynn’s broad face caused Chloe’s stomach to drop into her slippers. She should have known that such a pleasant, successful morning at the shops would carry a price. It was turning into a very high one, however.

  “What is wrong now?” she asked the man.

  “We cannot find the wee lad.”

  “Dilys?”

  “She thought the boy was settled down in his bed, but he slipped away right fast. She has been looking everywhere.”

  Chloe bit back a curse. “He has to be round here somewhere. He was in with his father only moments ago.”

  “The boy is quick.”

  And it might have been a lot longer than sh
e realized, for there was no denying that kissing Julian had scattered her wits. “Still, how far could he have gone? I will look upstairs and the rest of you can search down here and in the garden.”

  Knowing that she could not leave Lady Evelyn alone for long, Chloe raced up the stairs. Even as she searched the rooms, she cursed herself for ever having played hide-and-seek with the child. She knew that was what Anthony was doing right now, and there were far too many ways for a child to slip from room to room in Leo’s passage-ridden house. When she found him, she would do her best to make him understand that such games could not be played unless everyone was told first.

  It did not take long for Chloe to grow concerned. She had no sense that Anthony was in any real danger, but she had to acknowledge that her gift had been far too quiet of late. Anthony had not even slipped back into his father’s room. She did her best not to reveal her growing worry to Julian as she searched his room, but she could tell by the look on his face that he had not been fooled by her glib explanations. It had been even harder to get him to stay put and not join in the search, but that could not be allowed. The guest she had threatened him with would probably recognize him even if all she heard was his voice, although she could not tell him that.

  A brief conference with the others who were searching for Anthony revealed that there was only one room that had not yet been searched—the one holding the dowager countess of Colinsmoor. Although she told herself not to be concerned, Chloe had a sinking feeling in her heart. There were ways the boy could have slipped by everyone and gotten into the blue salon. She started toward the room, all the while praying that all she would be doing in a moment was claiming a small household crisis and sending Lady Evelyn on her way.