He carefully rolled onto his back. The movement made Alexius dizzy, and he had not even bothered to open his eyes. “I am not in the right mind for companionship. Be a good girl and go away before I smother you with this pillow.”
Alexius was lying. He did not have the strength for murder. All he could do was lie there and suffer.
“Alexius?” The cruel harpy pressed her thumbs to his bruised eyelids and forced them open. The filtered sunlight burned like hot pokers. “Are you awake?”
He yelped in pain and impatiently batted the woman’s hands away. “Christ, woman, cannot a man perish in peace?” he roared, and his stomach roiled.
Damp with perspiration, Alexius pressed his hand over his eyes and fought back the nausea. When he felt like he had triumphed over his overindulgence, he glared at the woman who was rubbing his stomach.
He blinked rapidly as his sister’s beautiful face and dark hair came into focus. “Belle? What are you doing here?” he asked, his voice rough.
His question seemed to surprise her. Belinda tipped her head to the side. “Who did you think—?” Her lips parted in a wordless O as she realized that her brother had not recognized her. She brought her hand to her mouth and giggled. “Oh, poor Alexius. How often do you wake up to an unfamiliar lady in your bed?”
“If I felt better, I would say not often enough,” he grumbled, and was rewarded with another giggle.
Since Belinda had no intention of letting him dismiss her, Alexius opened his eyes and realized he was naked. Someone, probably his valet, had undressed him. A tangled sheet covered him from the waist down. It still did not stop him from grabbing the blanket he had kicked aside in his sleep and dragging it over his bared torso.
“What time is it?” he asked, bracing himself up on his elbows.
“Eleven o’clock, I believe.”
Alexius yawned. “It is a tad early for a morning call, Belle. I thought you had a rule about leaving your bed before eleven?”
Suddenly recalling the reason for her visit, Belinda climbed up onto his bed. Her eyes sparkled with childish eagerness. “I could not wait. This little visit could have been avoided altogether if you had returned to my theater box after your confrontation with Lady Juliana and Lord Gomfrey.”
The indulgent expression on Alexius’s face vanished as the previous evening’s misdeeds flooded back.
Thoughts of Juliana.
“I told you that I had no intention of staying.”
His sister was blithely ignorant of Alexius’s mercurial mood and the distance his explanation had placed between them. She wiggled closer, and he shifted his legs to the left to make room for her.
“True.” Belinda pouted. “Nevertheless, after your brazen confrontation last evening, I had hoped that we might celebrate.”
She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. Belinda wrinkled her nose as the stale odor of sweat and brandy filled her nostrils. “However, you, my foul-smelling brother, had no trouble celebrating without me.”
Alexius scowled at her through narrowed eyelids. “What do want from me, Belle?”
“Tut-tut,” Belinda chided. “You are in a devil of a mood. And here I came to apologize.”
“Apologize for what exactly?” he asked warily, though he suspected he knew the reason for his sister’s cheeriness.
“Why, for ever doubting you, my love!” She practically crawled into his lap as she hugged him. “Now, do not give me that look. I know you have never broken your word to me. However, Lady Juliana was a cunning rival. After she stole Lord Kyd’s affections from me, I feared that you, too, had fallen under her spell. Can you believe I almost accused you of falling in love with the silly chit?”
The pounding behind his eyes worsened. Alexius shut his eyes as he pressed his fingers to his eyelids to stem the pain. “Your fears were unwarranted, Belle. Falling in love with Lady Juliana would have been very foolish on my part.”
And suicidal.
“I have often wondered, Sinclair, how can you tolerate being your sister’s whore?” Gomfrey’s snide question echoed in Alexius’s head.
Juliana despised him. He had made certain of it.
His sister pulled his hand away from his eyes and tenderly kissed each finger. “Oh, you were simply brilliant. And most unpredictable! No one could guess your intentions when you went charging over to Lord Gomfrey’s box in a jealous rage. Like everyone else, I sat agog wondering if you were going to toss Gomfrey off the balcony or merely bloody his face.”
“If given the chance, I would have happily done both.”
Alexius hated leaving Juliana in the earl’s disreputable hands. Unfortunately, Juliana was too angry at him to be reasonable. She would not even explain why she had agreed to attend the theater with Gomfrey.
A shadow of concern passed over Belinda’s face. “For claiming Lady Juliana?”
“No,” Alexius said, annoyed by the reminder that Juliana had returned to the earl for comfort. “My unfavorable opinion of Gomfrey was set long ago when he solicited the Lords of Vice for membership to the club.”
Belinda clasped her hands together and brought them to her lips. “You blackballed him.”
Alexius shrugged dismissively. “The vote was unanimous. Gomfrey is a simpering ass. Even if he had fit our membership requirements, I would have blackballed him on principle.”
Belinda laid her cheek and palm against Alexius’s bare chest. “Then it is fitting that he gets your cast-off mistress. You did well, my brother. I had my opera glass trained on Lady Juliana’s face when you publicly rejected her. The despair and anger I glimpsed revealed more than any words could have conveyed. I daresay the lady was in love with you.”
Not any longer.
Alexius had killed Juliana’s affection as ruthlessly as he had claimed her innocence. He abruptly sat up, keeping his sister at arm’s length. “Then you must be well pleased with your mischief, Belle.” He seized the blanket and wrapped it around his waist. He climbed down from the bed, needing to separate himself from his sister.
Belinda nodded. “Indeed. After you and your friends left, Lord Kyd paid his respects and remained at my side the rest of the night.”
“And Lady Juliana?” Alexius could have bitten off his tongue for curiosity. He did not want to renew his sister’s animosity toward Juliana. His family had done enough. “Did she and Gomfrey remain?”
Alexius padded over to the far wall and tugged on the bell rope. If he could not go back to sleep, he wanted a bath. He would let his valet bully Belinda from his bedchamber. If he was lucky, perhaps, she would not remain for breakfast.
Belinda seemed content to remain on the bed. She stretched out, reminding him of a spoiled cat. “They remained for most of the play. Needless to say, it was apparent to everyone that Lady Juliana longed to flee her humiliating predicament. One of my companions wagered she would be in tears after her private discussion with you. But, alas, that cost me ten pounds.”
“I will cover your losses,” Alexius said absently as he retrieved his blue silk banyan from a chair.
Belinda’s friends were a cold, callous lot to think a lady’s tears made good sport. With the sheet knotted around his waist, he slipped one arm and then the other into the sleeves of the banyan. He turned his back to his sister and dropped the sheet. Alexius thought as he buttoned the front of his banyan that he could have told his sister that Juliana had more courage than most gentlemen.
However, any defense of the lady Belinda viewed as her rival would have only fueled his sister’s hatred. For Juliana’s sake, Alexius held his tongue. It was the least he could do.
Belinda idly wrapped an errant curl around her finger as she admired his back. “So tell me, what did you and Lady Juliana discuss in the anteroom? Gomfrey practically had to hold her up as they returned to their seats. I want all the delicious details.”
Alexius’s gaze collided with his reflection in the mirror before he hastily looked away. He was not particularly fond of the arrogant bastard
glaring back at him.
“Belle, my head hurts and I feel like I spent the night licking the plaster from the walls.” He ignored her outburst of giggling. “I have no further interest in discussing Lady Juliana with you or anyone else.”
His valet’s timely knock at the door spared Alexius from the argument that he and his sister were likely to have if she persisted. He walked over to the door.
“You have had your pound of flesh, my dearest sister. Be content with your victory.”
Alexius opened the door, successfully ending their unpleasant conversation.
Chapter Eighteen
WHEN A MAN could not find peace in his own house, he usually sought out his club. Once he had bathed and dressed, Alexius slipped out of the house through the servants’ entrance and hired a hackney coach, leaving Belinda waiting impatiently for him in the breakfast room.
He could not decide which one was more unpalatable: his sister’s gloating about Lady Juliana’s humiliation or the notion of adding food to his already unsteady stomach. If he had remained, he would have likely disgraced himself. The jostling drive to his club had done little to improve his weakened condition. Before he had reached Nox, he sharply ordered the coachman to halt. Alexius climbed down from the coach, deciding that he would feel better if he walked.
That was until he noticed Lord Kyd approaching him from the opposite direction. The gentleman touched the brim of his hat and bowed.
“Good day to you, Sinclair. It is a fine day for a walk,” Lord Kyd said with undisguised enthusiasm.
“Kyd.”
It was not the first time that Alexius had wondered why his sister craved this man’s good opinion above all others’. He was not the most handsome or the richest man Alexius’s sister had lured into her bed. In temperament, she and Kyd were complete opposites. The baron’s self-effacing nature was oftentimes grating, and he seemed too tenderhearted for Belinda’s ruthlessness. Nor did he seem worthy of the pain Alexius and his sister had caused Juliana.
The realization outraged Alexius. He was half-tempted to punch mild-mannered Lord Kyd in the face. What kept Alexius from physically taking his ire out on Kyd was the fact that the gentleman was blissfully unaware of what his fickleness had caused.
Alexius was, regrettably, not so fortunate.
“May I be so bold as to join you on your walk?” Kyd said, gesturing for Alexius to continue his journey to the club. “I have longed to speak privately with you for some time.”
He nodded. “I suppose you wish to discuss my sister,” Alexius said after a few minutes of silence.
The baron fussed with the alignment of his cravat. “Well, actually, I had hoped to speak to you about Lady Juliana.”
Alexius almost stumbled at the mention of Juliana’s name. Without thinking, he stopped and grabbed the other man by the upper arm. “I would not credit you for being a reckless man, Kyd. I planted my fist into the face of the last gentleman who wished to discuss Lady Juliana with me.”
“Ah, well,” Lord Kyd said, his face reddening with the realization that he was treading into dangerous territory. “You speak of Lord Gomfrey. I heard of what transpired between the two of you in the theater.”
And of the cruel exchange between you and Juliana.
The admission was unspoken, but the knowledge was visible on Lord Kyd’s handsome face. There would have been talk at the theater. Later, when the baron had paid his respects to Belinda, she would have naturally shared her amusement over Juliana’s humiliation without revealing that Alexius had initially approached the lady on his sister’s behalf. Alexius knew her well. Whether he was dubbed the hero or the villain by the ton, Belinda was content to let him bear the notoriety alone.
Alexius let his hand drop to his side. He resumed his casual stride, assuming that Kyd would follow. The gentleman caught up to him seconds later.
“Have you come to chastise me for striking Gomfrey?”
The thirty-five-year-old baron seemed taken aback by the question. “Goodness, no! The man is a scoundrel. It is the very reason why I wished to speak with you. Several people told me that Lady Juliana had arrived with Lord Gomfrey, and that was what prompted your heated exchange with him.”
“Among other things.”
Kyd sent Alexius an inscrutable look. “Forgive my impertinence, Sinclair. I was under the impression that you harbored a certain affection for Lady Juliana.”
Alexius’s throat tightened. “I did.”
“Then why the devil did you permit her to leave in the custody of Lord Gomfrey?” the baron demanded.
Alexius’s body jerked as if he had taken a stroke from a lash. It was the thought of Juliana in Gomfrey’s bed that had impelled Alexius to drink an ocean of brandy. “Although it is not any of your business, Kyd, no one coerced Lady Juliana to spend the evening with Gomfrey. She chose to remain with the bastard, even after I offered to escort her home to her family.”
The baron frowned and shook his head in denial at Alexius’s allegations. “No, I do not believe it.”
Neither had Alexius. His gaze narrowed on Kyd’s flushed, angry face. The gentleman looked almost as bad as Alexius felt. “You seem a trifle upset. Did you think that she would turn to you once her infatuation with me waned?”
Such news might even provoke Belinda into committing murder.
Lord Kyd blinked in response to the dangerously soft accusation. “Of course not! I consider Lady Juliana a good friend. Nothing more. My loyalties and affection belong to your sister, and have for some time.”
The baron’s indignation was genuine. It quelled Alexius’s jealousy as effectively as water on a fire. He certainly could not condemn the man for laying his allegiance at Belinda’s feet. Had not Alexius done the same?
“I am in love with your sister, Sinclair,” Kyd confessed, shooting several wary glances in Alexius’s direction as if attempting to assess his companion’s reaction to the declaration. “If you think to issue a challenge, it is unwarranted. I am not seeking your blessing, or Belinda’s hand in marriage. After Gredell’s heavy hand, your sister is content to remain unfettered.”
Alexius merely lifted his brows. Very few people knew of Gredell’s abuse toward his wife, and all of them would have feared retribution for turning Belinda’s torment into casual gossip. The only way the baron might have learned the truth about the details of her disastrous marriage would have been from Belinda.
“You understand Belle better than most.”
“It is my goal that one day I might change her mind, and that she will have me,” Kyd confided, “though I would consider it a personal favor if you did not share my aspirations with your sister.”
“And where does Lady Juliana fit in your aspirations?”
The baron cleared his throat, clearly stalling as he pondered how to answer Alexius’s question. “Before I reply, I must beg another favor of you.”
“Have a care, Kyd,” Alexius warned. “I have a nasty habit of calling in such favors.”
“I asked not only for myself, but for Lady Juliana as well. I am breaking a confidence, and it does not set well with me.” The baron removed his hat and threaded his hand through his hair. He settled the hat back in place. “Last evening, Belinda was vague about what transpired between you and Lady Juliana. I can only assume that Lady Juliana’s decision to remain as Lord Gomfrey’s companion for the evening means that she has cut her ties with you.”
“If you are asking me, did we argue about Gomfrey?” Alexius’s exhalation was a bark of laughter. “I can assure you that we did in a very public manner. As you know, my family is not known for their discretion.”
Kyd halted abruptly and stared at him. “Then perhaps it would be best if I said nothing more about Lady Juliana. I admire her. Respect her. I would not want to be responsible for hurting her or adding to her burdens.”
“Lady Juliana is fond of you, too. To be honest, I have had the devil of a time wondering about the secrets between the two of you.”
Ho
w could he tell Kyd that his quiet friendship with Juliana had driven Belinda into a jealous rage? Instead of confronting her lover, she had simply turned to her protective brother and begged him to help her gain her revenge against her rival.
Kyd was too compassionate to appreciate Alexius’s and Belinda’s ruthless nature that had been honed by their father. It was one of the reasons why Alexius thought the man was all wrong for his sister. The man was too sensitive and often appeared weak. Alexius doubted the man would be honored by his lover’s cruelty toward a lady he viewed simply as a friend. No, if the baron learned the truth, it might be the one thing to drive the man away from Belinda.
Several months ago, Alexius might have relished doing just that under the guise of protecting his sister.
Not today.
Perhaps Belinda deserved to be punished for her selfishness and her cruelty toward Juliana. However, Alexius did not have the heart to hurt her when his sins were much worse. He had never been one to dwell on his mistakes or feel guilt or regret. At five and twenty, he was becoming intimately acquainted with the dour sentiments.
Alexius shifted his gaze to a passing wagon filled with barrels of ale. “In spite of last evening’s debacle, I have no desire to hurt Lady Juliana.” He shrugged. “Well, any more than I have.”
The baron took a deep breath as he silently debated whether or not Alexius was trustworthy. If this discussion had occurred a week earlier, he would have been insulted by his companion’s reluctance.
“This is not common knowledge; however, since her arrival, Lady Juliana has been discreetly seeking a publisher for her musical compositions,” the baron explained, keeping his voice low. “She asked for my assistance, and regretfully, I have not had much success.”
Alexius did not deserve the relief that loosened the knots in his gut. Juliana had tried to explain what music meant to her. He, on the other hand, had been too busy tempting her into an affair to truly listen to her. “She once played one of her compositions for me.”
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