And then I took her innocence.
“She’s remarkably talented. I had hoped my bookseller connections would prove fruitful, but alas, a lady composer does not instill the confidence and respect of her male counterparts.”
“Indeed.”
“Nor is her family encouraging her to seek out a profession. Lady Duncombe would rather see her daughters married according to their position.”
“Lady Juliana had mentioned her mother’s aspirations.” And yet Juliana had been deliberately silent about her private dreams, Alexius grimly mused, realizing he was angry again. It did not take much deduction to find the source. She had not trusted him to keep her secrets. He tucked his tongue between his teeth as the revelation found its mark. It stung, but the lady had excellent instincts.
“In spite of these obstacles, I am not discouraged,” the baron continued, oblivious to his companion’s dark thoughts. “In fact, I have considered approaching Lady Juliana with a business proposition of my own. I have been entertaining the notion of getting into the publishing business.”
Alexius glanced at the gentleman with new respect. “You want to publish Lady Juliana’s musical compositions?”
“Why not? I think it would be a profitable endeavor for both of us. However—” Kyd sighed heavily. “Your sister would not approve, which is why I must ask that you keep what I have told you in the strictest confidence. Belinda is already skittish of marriage. I doubt my aspirations to dabble in a trade would secure her affection.”
Juliana’s friendship with Lord Kyd had not been of a romantic nature. Like his sister, Alexius had been a jealous fool.
“You were afraid that Belinda would reject your offer of marriage if you became a publisher.”
Kyd sheepishly looked up at Alexius. “I love your sister, Sinclair, but I am not blind to her faults. She might seduce a man that she considered beneath her, but she would not willingly marry him!”
Chapter Nineteen
NOT LONG AFTER his enlightening conversation with Lord Kyd, Alexius was pounding his fist against Lady Duncombe’s front door. He had stopped at Nox only long enough to borrow Hunter’s phaeton. Thankfully he had not delayed Alexius by asking questions he had not been prepared to answer. He had not been as fortunate with Frost.
For reasons he had never quite fathomed, the earl had disliked Alexius’s relationship with Juliana. The night Frost and Juliana had literally stumbled upon Alexius and Nell in the Kempes’ parlor his friend had been trying to kiss the lady. Alexius had been so surprised to see Juliana, he had dismissed the incident. What had transpired before the couple had entered the room? Had Frost secretly coveted Juliana and his efforts had been spurned? Unscrupulous bastard! The notion of Frost putting his hands on Juliana had been enough to ignite Alexius’s temper.
“What do you want from me, Frost?”
“Did you enjoy yourself last evening?”
There was something about his friend’s casual question that prickled the hairs on the back of Alexius’s neck. “As much as any other gent, I suppose. I cannot recall much once we sat down to play cards. How much did I lose?”
“Then you do not remember Rose?”
“Rose?” The name summoned the image of an attractive whore with a wealth of red hair. “Is she not one of Madam V’s girls?”
“Since you shooed Dare and Saint away, I sent Rose over to your table to save you from your suicidal attempt to drink yourself to death.”
Alexius rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to piece together the fragments of the evening. He vaguely recalled laughing with the pretty red-haired woman. She had tried to help him back to the table. There was a good chance that he had tried to kiss her.
“You sent Rose to me.” It unnerved him that he did not remember what he and Rose did together. “Why?”
“Why not?” Frost argued back. “I thought you deserved someone who would desire nothing more from you than a playful fucking.”
Tantalizing images flickered in his brain. His mouth on a woman’s breast. A woman’s hand stroking his cock. Covering a woman and pushing up her skirts.
Had he bedded the wench?
“You had no right, Frost,” Alexius said, suddenly furious that he had been manipulated into bedding the whore. “Damn you! You knew Juliana was the woman I wanted. I was in no condition to—”
“I know. I would want to forget the details, too, if I had been caught in such an embarrassing predicament.”
Alexius could only gape at his friend. “What?”
“You shoved Rose to the floor and passed out on top of her.” Frost shook his head in disgust. “We found you with your trousers unbuttoned, so I can only assume that you at least knew what to do with a willing female. Rose told me later that she was disappointed, too.”
“Oh, for Christ’s sake!”
It was ridiculous, but bedding another woman seemed abhorrent to Alexius. It seemed like a betrayal of Juliana, which made little sense, since she despised him and had chosen to remain with Gomfrey.
“You actually look relieved nothing happened.” Frost sounded surprised and vaguely disapproving. “Dare told us that you wanted to die in your bed, so we scraped you off the floor and dumped you in a coach.”
He was going to end up killing Frost if he remained. “We will discuss your helpfulness later, you selfish bastard. Lucky for you, I have to go.”
Frost followed Alexius down the stairs and blocked his way before he could head out to the stables. “My dear Sin, you know, you are ignoring all good sense by chasing after that fancy bit of skirt.”
“Do not talk to me about good sense when you sent an eager whore to take advantage of my stupidity. Oh, and another thing: Lady Juliana was never a fancy bit of skirt, as you so charmingly put it. My sister was wrong about her.” He stared starkly at his friend. “So was I, which means you were wrong about her, too!”
Alexius turned away.
“And what about Gomfrey?” Frost called after Alexius as he tried to make good on his escape. “Chances are, your precious Lady Juliana spent the night with Gomfrey pumping himself betwixt her luscious thighs.”
Alexius closed his eyes, hating the thought of Juliana in anyone’s arms except his own. Frost seemed to know it as well and was taking perverse pleasure in Alexius’s discomfort. He glanced back at his friend. “Then it is no more than I deserve for leaving her with the bastard.”
Alexius managed to clear four steps before the earl spoke again.
“One more thing, Sin. Something that I forgot to tell you last evening that you might find of interest,” Frost drawled; his nasty inflection had Alexius spinning back with a snarl on his lips.
“What?”
The earl was just itching for a fight, and if he persisted, Alexius was prepared to accommodate his friend.
Frost trailed a fine vertical crack on the plaster wall. “After your departure from the anteroom, Gomfrey was rather persistent in finding out what you and your lady discussed. Lacking your natural finesse with ladies, he was reduced to using his brutish strength to gain the answers he craved. I fear Lady Juliana’s face might have been slightly bruised by his persistence.”
“Damn him! I will kill him with my bare hands if I find a mark on her.” He took several shallow breaths. “Why did you not mention this sooner?”
“You seemed willing to let Lady Juliana go.” Frost crossed his arms and shrugged. “Why would I dissuade you from being sensible for once?”
Alexius raised his fist and pounded on the Ivers door again. He was still angry at Frost for not telling him about what he had witnessed between Gomfrey and Juliana. And then there was that business with Rose. Perhaps it was not in the earl’s nature to interfere in matters that were none of his concern; nonetheless, if he had told Alexius, he would have done something about it. Instead he and his friends had returned to Nox for a night of drinking and gambling.
His heart stuttered every time he dwelled on Juliana’s evening with the sadistic lord.
/> No, Frost was wrong. Juliana had been hurt and furious, but she would have never done anything so foolhardy as to remain with Gomfrey. Such petty revenge for Alexius’s slights would have been beneath Juliana. After he had departed with his friends, she would have insisted that the earl return her to her family.
The door opened and Alexius was greeted by the Iverses’ butler.
“Good afternoon, milord.”
The servant was polite, but he was not particularly friendly. Alexius did not consider the man’s cool manner toward him as a personal slight. A person could end up with a house full of unwanted visitors if one’s butler was too affable.
“Tell Lady Juliana that Lord Sinclair requires an audience with her.”
The butler did not step aside. “My apologies, Lord Sinclair. Lady Juliana is not at home.”
“To just me, or all of London?” he demanded belligerently. He had had some experience with confronting tetchy females.
“Lady Juliana and Lady Duncombe are out of the house, milord.”
Alexius caught himself before he sagged against the threshold. Juliana was with her mother. At least he did not have to worry that she was in Gomfrey’s hands. “And Lady Juliana’s sisters?”
“I have been given strict orders that Lady Cordelia and Lady Lucilla are not receiving visitors this afternoon.”
There was no doubt that Juliana had told her family about Alexius’s connection and his true reason for seeking her out. Her sisters would not be pleased to see him. However, he could never resist a challenge. “I will wager you five pounds that the ladies will receive me.”
It was apparent that no one had ever tried to wager their way into the Iverses’ household. The very suggestion seemed to perplex the butler. “Lord Sinclair!”
“Tell them I have come to see their sister,” Alexius said, willing to take advantage of the breach in the servant’s composure. “If I am wrong, then you will have the pleasure of taking my five pounds and tossing me out onto the street.”
The butler measured him from head to toe. He still looked doubtful of Alexius’s reasons for confronting the sisters. “You will go peacefully if Lady Cordelia and Lady Lucilla refuse to see you?”
He placed his hand over his heart. “Lady Juliana is the one I want,” Alexius said, his voice ringing with sincerity. “I am merely concerned about the lady’s welfare, and hope her sisters can assure me that she is faring well.”
The butler seemed satisfied with Alexius’s answer. “Very well. I cannot invite you into the front hall, so you will have to make do with the front step.”
The door was firmly shut in his face.
Five minutes had passed when it occurred to him that he might have been duped by the butler. Alexius glanced up at the windows, wondering if the Ivers women were having a hearty laugh at his expense. If they were watching him, they were being very discreet. Alexius could not detect any movement at the windows.
The door abruptly opened again, and the butler stepped aside. “Lady Cordelia and Lady Lucilla will see you in the drawing room, Lord Sinclair,” the manservant said formally.
Alexius stepped into the hall, his gaze drifting to the upper landing of the staircase. It was empty. He buried the disappointment that he felt. It was ridiculous of him to think Juliana might have been waiting for him.
“I owe you five pounds, milord,” the butler said gruffly.
Alexius had no desire to relieve the man of his five pounds. The wager had been simply a desperate ruse to get into the house. “I will consider the debt honored if you answer my question truthfully. Is Lady Juliana at home?”
The servant shook his head. “I spoke the truth earlier when I said that Lady Juliana was not at home.” The butler hesitated at the large double doors to the drawing room. “The family is worried about her.”
Without giving Alexius an opportunity to respond, the man opened the door and announced him.
Juliana’s sisters were already standing, awaiting his arrival. The taller one was attired in a yellow morning dress, while the other sister complemented her sibling in light blue. Although their blond hair and fair complexions resembled Juliana’s superficially, neither lady could compete with her younger sibling’s grace and beauty. He bowed his head politely as he greeted each sister. “Good afternoon, Lady Cordelia. Lady Lucilla. Pardon my intrusion.”
Both ladies curtsied. It was Lady Cordelia who beckoned him to sit on the green sofa. “Pray be seated, Lord Sinclair,” she said crisply.
Her good manners were a poor disguise for the open hostility shimmering in the lady’s pale blue eyes.
“Shall I bring tea, my lady?”
“That will not be necessary, Gilbert,” Lady Lucilla replied, settling down in the chair across from Alexius. There was no warmth in her gaze or smile. “Lord Sinclair’s visit will be exceedingly brief.”
No one spoke until the butler had closed the doors to give them privacy.
Alexius sat on the edge of the cushion, half-expecting to be attacked by Juliana’s sisters. “Where is your Juliana?”
Lady Cordelia stood behind her sister; the pair of them were united in their dislike for him. “Precisely where you abandoned her, Lord Sinclair.”
He braced his palms above his knees. “It is a tad early for the theater.”
Lady Lucilla sat stiffly in her chair. Her hands were clasped together so tightly it should have been painful. “Let us put aside formality and pretenses, my lord. Word of your humiliating exchange with our beloved sister has reached our ears.”
“I have little doubt that Juliana told you what happened, and that you both view me as the vilest of villains,” he said, injecting the proper amount of contriteness. “However, there are certain details that I was not aware—”
“We have not seen Juliana since she ascended Lord Gomfrey’s coach last evening,” Lady Lucilla blurted out the startling news.
Lady Cordelia’s mouth curled into a thin, unpleasant smile. “Unfortunately, we have not lacked for visitors this morning. The first one arrived before we had finished our breakfast. Needless to say, we had lost interest in finishing our meal once we had learned of your intimate connection to Lady Gredell and what you had done to poor Juliana.”
“Gomfrey did not escort Juliana home?” Alexius did not give a damn about their lost appetites or their dismay over learning that Belinda was his half sister. He wanted to know why Juliana had not returned home to her family.
“Poor Juliana.” Lady Lucilla removed the lace handkerchief she had tucked into the cuff at her wrist and dabbed her eyes. “And to think that she fancied herself in love with you.”
“Now, now, Lucilla,” Lady Cordelia said soothingly as she touched her sister on one shoulder in a gesture of comfort. “Lord Sinclair made fools out of us all. Juliana was too innocent to understand evil has many disguises and some can be quite handsome and very charming.”
Alexius knew he was being baited, and he refused to lose his temper. “I will happily tender my apologies to your sister if you will tell me where she is.”
“She will not believe you.”
“Neither do we,” Lady Lucilla added defiantly.
“Gomfrey has Juliana,” Alexius said flatly. He glowered at both of them. “Why the devil did your mother not summon a constable to search the bastard’s house when your sister did not return from the theater?”
The silence in the drawing room was oppressive.
“It was one of the conditions.”
“Cordelia, we were not supposed to speak of it. Maman said so.”
“What conditions?” Alexius said through clenched teeth.
The sisters stared at each other wordlessly, debating whether they should tell him the truth.
“Tell me!”
Lady Cordelia bit down on her lower lip. She sighed. “It all started with Maman’s gambling debt to Lord Gomfrey.”
Alexius pinched the bridge of his nose. Although gambling was not his passion, he had experienced unpleasant nights
when the cards had not favored him. “I take it her losses were heavy.”
“More than she could pay,” Lady Lucilla sadly interjected.
Her sister nodded in agreement. “Lord Gomfrey insisted that she settle her debt immediately.”
“Your mother surrendered Juliana to pay her debt to Gomfrey.” Alexius swore and jumped to his feet. He began pacing the room. “Bloody hell! And you both think I am the devil for trying to protect my sister.”
Lady Lucilla lifted her head; her pale green eyes were clouded with confusion. “Why would—”
“Not now,” he snapped, causing both of the ladies to cringe. “What was the bargain struck between Gomfrey and your mother? And why the hell was Juliana chosen instead of one of you?”
Lady Cordelia gripped the back of the chair she was using as a shield. “Do you think that we are so cruel as to sacrifice our own sister? We love her. Lord Gomfrey chose Juliana. He told Maman that if she could not pay off the debt, then he would take Juliana as his mistress.”
“He will consider the debt satisfied at summer’s end.” Lady Lucilla sniffed into her soggy handkerchief.
Alexius froze as he recalled the sense of betrayal he had felt when he had confronted Juliana about Lord Gomfrey.
“Is this true? Have you gone to this braying ass willingly?”
“If you understood me at all, Lord Sinclair, you would already have the answer.”
Her calm reply had seemed cryptic last evening, and that had only spurred his temper. Now Alexius understood what she had been trying to tell him. If he had trusted her at all, he would have instinctively known that she would not have sought out the earl willingly.
“Oh, Juliana. Why did you not come to me?”
Alexius had not realized he had spoken the question aloud until Lady Cordelia replied, “We were forbidden to speak of the bargain to anyone. It was one of the conditions. Everyone had to believe that Juliana cast you aside for Lord Gomfrey. According to Maman, the earl was most insistent on that particular point. If we failed, he threatened to reveal Maman’s gambling habits to the ton. He knew our family would have been ruined by the scandal. Any hope of marrying—”
All Night With A Rogue Page 17