by Tonya Brooks
“I should have known Lettice was behind this,” Nicholas growled as he paced the floor. “I swear, I'll make that woman rue the day she ever met me.”
Devlin had explained that Scarlett had met his former mistress and thanks to the spiteful bitch's lies, Scarlett had made his life a living hell for the past week. He should have known who was behind all the ridiculous rumors from the start, but in truth he hadn't believed the woman had the nerve to cross him to this extent. He'd choke the life from Lettice for this.
~~~~~
“As will I,” Devlin assured him. No one harmed a member of the Ashbrook family and walked away unscathed. For that spiteful bitch to spew her venom on Scarlett was more than he would tolerate. “I think shipping her off to the orient might be fair punishment.”
“I'll have her bags packed before...” Nicholas broke off as the door flew open and Scarlett's disheveled maid burst into the room.
“Your Grace,” she stammered and barely remembered to drop a curtsy. “Took... Lady... Green...”
Not having comprehended a word the woman gasped, but understanding that it was urgent, Devlin came around the desk and led her to a chair. “Sit down, Maddy,” he ordered gently. “Take deep breaths. Yes, like that. Good girl.”
~~~~~
Nicholas placed a glass in her hands and said, “Sip this slowly.” She took a large swallow, choked and began to cough. It would appear the maid didn't listen any better than her mistress.
Maddy drained the rest of the glass and took several deep breaths, but she didn't appear to be a bit calmer when she rushed to explain, “Your Grace, a man took Lady Scarlett. He stole her right off the street!”
“Good God!” Devlin exploded.
“What man? Did you recognize him?” Nicholas demanded, fury and fear fighting for dominance over his rational self.
“It was one of her suitors,” she replied. "The one... the one with the bad poetry.”
“Carstairs,” Devlin bit out.
“That's him,” the maid nodded vigorously.
“I'll kill him,” Nicholas vowed and had every intention of doing just that. By God, that puling whelp had to be a complete fool to try to steal his woman. He had no fear that Carstairs might actually harm Scarlett. The pup was too enamored of her to even consider such a thing. Not to mention the fact that Scarlett was capable of throttling him with little effort.
“You can have what's left,” Devlin growled.
“Oh, your Grace, this is just awful,” Maddy said as she began to wring her hands. “After they drove off, a street vendor told me that one of Lord Carstairs footmen had bought some apples from him to eat on the trip. He told the vendor they were going all the way to Gretna Greene!”
The two men exchanged a look. They both knew that Geoffrey was putty in Scarlett's hands. He'd do whatever she asked of him without a second’s hesitation.
“You don't suppose...”
“She'd better hope not,” Nicholas shot back grimly.
~~~~~
Scarlett felt as if she were going mad. She had repeatedly explained to the Viscountess that she had changed her mind and now wanted to marry Nicholas, but the woman just would not hear it. She had begged them repeatedly to take her home, but they refused to change their plans. Felicity was convinced that she was saving a poor, mistreated soul from a fate worse than death, and her darling boy was relishing his role as the gallant knight errant rescuing the damsel in distress.
She began to regale Scarlett with some of the more lurid exploits in Nicholas's past, not a one of which Scarlett could give credence to, so outrageous were the claims. Why the Viscountess even spoke disparagingly of Nicholas's mother simply because she wasn't English! Jacqueline had been born a royal princess for heaven’s sake, but to hear Felicity tell it, she was no better than a common French doxy who had trapped her brother into marriage. Unfortunately, it seemed Geoffrey believed every nasty lie she told.
By the time they made the first stop to change the horses, Scarlett was ready to scream bloody murder and walk back to town. God, she'd crawl the whole way on her hands and knees just to get away from those two Bedlamites. They were both insane and perfectly intent on making her the same. The only reason she hadn't already had a screaming hissy fit was because she didn't doubt the pair would have her bound and gagged if she did.
Pleading a need to visit the necessary, they were more than happy to let her escape the confines of the carriage and enter the posting house with the viscountess's maid accompanying her. She was headed toward the door, intent on pleading with the manager to help her, when an arm snagged roughly around her waist and she was drawn back against a solid wall of muscle.
Dear God, what now?
Whirling around, she looked up into pale blue eyes flaming with all the fury of hell itself and sagged against him in relief. “Dev. Thank God,” she breathed against his shoulder and hugged him fervently.
~~~~~
“Don't thank him yet, minx,” he said in a soft voice that lost none of its menace. “You're not out of this mess yet.”
For all he knew, Scarlett could have staged this whole blasted thing as another vain attempt to get out of her engagement. He seriously doubted that she would have actually gone so far as to marry the whelp, but the scandal of her running off with another man would have allowed Nicholas to back out of the arrangement. It was exactly the kind of scheme his reckless sister would have planned.
~~~~~
That was when Scarlett became aware of what was happening behind her, and she gasped at the spectacle. Nicholas had dragged Carstairs out of the carriage and was soundly thrashing the younger man. The coachmen and footmen had all gathered around to watch the display and were placing wagers on the outcome. Lady Felicity had apparently fainted and was lying half in and half out of the carriage, the maid had run back to try to revive her mistress.
“Nicky won't kill him, will he?” She asked her brother anxiously. Not that she was particularly concerned about Carstairs health right then, she just didn't want Nicholas to kill his own cousin.
“Carstairs might wish he had before it’s over,” he said without an ounce of concern and lifted her up into his barouche.
Looking none the worse for wear, Nicholas joined them a few minutes later and Scarlett hugged him fiercely. “Nicky, thank God you came! How did you know? Bloody hell, those people are insane! D'you know they were actually taking me to Gretna Greene?” She paused just long enough to snort indignantly. “As if I'd marry Carstairs. It's no wonder he's an idiot. His mother is even more daft than Dex. I swear, I thought I was going to lose my deuced mind!”
Scarlett continued to babble on for several minutes in disjointed phrases, liberally interjected with complaints and curses, until the two men realized that she hadn't been party to this madness. Carstairs and his mother really had kidnapped her. No sooner than she ran out of things to say, Scarlett began firing questions at them, which by then, both men had calmed down enough to answer.
“You have to give Maddy a raise, Dev,” she said in fervent gratitude for her maid’s quick thinking. “A very substantial raise.”
Scarlett felt terribly guilty since she'd let everyone know how unhappy she was and that she wished desperately for a way to end the engagement, but she'd had no idea that Geoffrey and his mother would do something so outlandish. They had to have known such a foolish plan could not end well.
Even if they had reached Scotland, she never would have agreed to marry Carstairs, and if they had forced the issue, her brother would have had it annulled. After he killed Carstairs. At least his mother had had enough sense to provide them with a chaperone. This way, if word got out, and it probably would, at least no one could claim the viscount had compromised her.
Thank God for small favors.
Chapter Twenty Nine
Devil's Keep, England, 1812
Since the Ashbrook country estate was just an hour outside of London, and had a massive ballroom, the dowager duchess was holding an engagement ball for the
unhappy couple there. The family, Nicholas and a few of their friends went down that Saturday morning, and the rest of the guests would arrive that night for the ball.
To entertain their guests while Duchy was busy with the final preparations, Devlin had suggested a riding party and about a dozen people went down to the stables to choose their mounts. He was not at all pleased to discover that his sister was already there and about to ride out on her own. Scarlett was mounted astride her mare, complete with her breeches, as usual. A few of the women present were scandalized at her brazen manner.
Scarlett didn't give a damn.
Before her brother could take her to task, one of the groomsmen came running to tell them that a bear was mauling one of the stable boys. The bear had been sniffing around for a couple of weeks, so traps had been set out, and it had been caught in one. The fury and pain had caused it to attack the boy when he'd come upon it. The entire party rode down to the pond and dismounted on the opposite side from the bear.
The boy was mercifully semi-conscious, his body limp and covered in blood from the mauling. Several of the women fainted at the sight and a few of the men looked as if they might as well. Scarlett clapped a hand over her mouth to stop herself from retching when she saw the carnage and recognized the child. It was little Johnny, the head gardener's son. She'd been playing with him since he was a baby and it ripped her tender heart out to see the child suffering like he was. Her eyes filled with tears and she turned into Nicholas's arms, instinctively seeking comfort.
Devlin lifted the rifle he insisted Scarlett always carry in her saddle and took aim. The bear was sitting up in a slumped position; the boy was held in front of it in such a manner that only an inch or so of the animal's head was visible above the child's. From this distance, he couldn't get a clear shot at the beasts head to put him down. A missed shot could further enrage the bear and endanger the boy, or kill the child. Devlin couldn't risk going around to the other side of the pond for fear the bear would do further damage to the boy.
“If you miss, Dev, you may be doing the boy a favor,” Tony offered, since he too could tell the shot would not be an easy one.
Upon hearing that, Scarlett whirled around and placed her hand on her brother’s arm to stop him. “Let me do it.”
~~~~~
The Duke met her look evenly and lowered the rifle. He held it out to her and Nicholas grabbed it. “Dammit, Dev, if she misses...” If her shot missed and she killed the child, they both knew she'd never forgive herself.
“She won't,” he said with quiet confidence. “Scarlett is a better shot than any man here. She's his only hope.”
“It's all right, Nicky,” Scarlett said shakily, her beautiful face as pale as death, yet grim with determination, unshed tears welling in her terror filled emerald eyes. “You know I can do it.”
He did, dammit, but that didn't mean he had to like it. Scarlett was the boy’s only real chance of survival and she knew it. She'd always blame herself if she let someone else take the shot and miss. It was a case of damned if you do and damned if you don't.
~~~~~
Nicholas reluctantly released the weapon and Scarlett raised it to her shoulder. She looked down the barrel, took careful aim and prayed it was accurate. Johnny's life depended on it. The breath stilled in her lungs, she gently squeezed the trigger as a lone tear slid down her cheek.
The bullet pierced the bear’s skull just above the boys head, his big body falling backward heavily, the child falling back against him limply. Another woman fainted dead away. Dexter Pennington sank to his knees in relief. Everyone else stared at Scarlett in astonishment.
Devlin took the rifle from his sister and hugged her fiercely. “You did good, minx,” he said proudly.
Scarlett's insides were shaking like pudding and she still felt like she might retch. The incredulous looks she was receiving from their guests didn't help any. “Send for the doctor, Dev. I need to see to Johnny,” she said in a shaken tone and moved toward her horse. She made it three shaky steps before her head began to swim and darkness obscured her vision. Her last thought was, 'Damnation. I'm going to faint.'
~~~~~
Nicholas caught her when her knees buckled and lifted her into his arms. “See to the boy,” he told his friend and carried his fiancé toward a nearby grove of trees where he laid her gently on the soft grass and stretched out beside her. Several others came toward them to check on her, but he waved them away. Scarlett would not be pleased that she had succumbed to the vapors and having other people around would only make it worse.
~~~~~
Sometime later, Scarlett opened her eyes and stared up at the man staring back at her. “How do you feel, love?” Nicholas asked softly.
She bolted upright. “Johnny!” She said in horror as she remembered what had happened to the child.
“Is resting comfortably,” he assured her as he too sat up. “The doctor said he'll pull through nicely.”
Devlin had brought the doctor to give Scarlett any medical attention that might be needed and the man had suggested they let her rest quietly until she woke on her own. The elderly physician was well acquainted with Scarlett as he had tended to a good many of her scrapes and bruises over the years. It was his considered opinion that if a woman of her strong constitution had succumbed to the vapors, the least she deserved was the opportunity to recover peacefully.
She leaned against his side weak with relief. “Thank heavens,” Scarlett breathed. “He's such a wonderful child; I couldn't bear it if...”
Nicholas slid his arms around her and hugged her. “You made sure it didn't,” he pointed out and pressed a tender kiss to her temple. “Never been so proud in all my life. It was a remarkable shot, kitten. Don't know that I could have made it.”
“It had to be done,” she said quietly.
“Yes, and fortunately you were brave enough to do it,” he pointed out. “Don't know of another woman who would have, even if she could.” Nicholas lifted his hand and stroked her cheek. “All that courage and still so beautiful.”
~~~~~
Warmed by his praise, Scarlett shifted her gaze from his and said in resignation, “I suppose my scandalous behavior will make the round of gossip.”
He shrugged negligently. “Don't really care if it does,” Nicholas denied. “You saved the boy’s life. Nothing else matters.”
She snorted inelegantly. “I doubt the ton will see it that way.” And then she decided to try to let him off the hook one more time. “You know, Nicky. You could use my unseemly behavior as an excuse to end the engagement.”
He actually laughed at that. “Not a chance, kitten.”
“Damnation,” she muttered in vexation. “Why won't you see reason? You know I'll only make you miserable.”
“You've certainly been trying to,” he agreed.
“I'm sorry, Nicky,” she said, genuinely contrite for all the hell she'd been putting him through. “I have been treating you abominably.”
“And doing it on purpose,” Nicholas injected.
“I never should have tricked you into compromising me,” Scarlett admitted. “Can you ever forgive me?”
“Nothing to forgive,” he denied and lifted her hand to his lips.
“But I've ruined your life,” she insisted.
~~~~~
“Is that what you think?” Nicholas demanded incredulously.
“Of course,” she nodded seriously. “Thanks to me, you're going to be leg shackled, and I know how much you despise the very idea. Why do you think I've been trying so hard to break the blasted thing? I'd never do anything to hurt you, Nicky. At least not intentionally.”
“I'll be damned,” he laughed in genuine relief.
“It's not that blasted funny,” she complained when he kept on laughing.
“Oh, but it is, love,” he assured her. “You see, you didn't force me into anything. Dev and I knew you were serious about getting yourself compromised and we... well, we decided to play along with your g
ame.”
~~~~~
She stared at him incredulously as comprehension dawned. “You mean you knew it was me?” Scarlett gasped.
“Never doubt it,” he agreed.
“And you let me... oh!” She exclaimed and punched him in the shoulder. “That was a bloody rotten trick, Nicky.”
“No more than you deserved,” he reminded her.
“So it was all to teach me a lesson,” she deduced and then a brilliant smile lit her face. Scarlett threw her arms around him and hugged him fiercely as she laughed in delight. “Then that means Dev never really intended for us to marry. The engagement was just my punishment.”
“Punishment?” Nicholas frowned.
“For my scandalous behavior,” she nodded and kissed his cheek. “Nicky, you were such a darling for playing along and I'm so relieved that I'm not even mad with either one of you.”
The frown deepened even more. “What the deuce are you talking about, Scarlett?”
“If it was all a pretense, then the engagement isn't real,” she pointed out happily. “How long were you planning to make me suffer before you called it off?”
“I have no intentions of calling it off,” he denied. “In case you've forgotten, I did compromise you. More than once.”
“Oh, bother. You did no such thing,” she denied. “I'm still a blasted virgin.”
“Dev would have had my head if I'd gone that far,” he said dryly. “I'm damned lucky he didn't try, anyway. I was only supposed to kiss you, you know.”
Heat suffused her abdomen as she recalled what else he had done. “That's what he gets for convincing a notorious rake to compromise his sister,” she informed him.
“Actually, I was the one who did the convincing,” he confessed, much to her amazement. “Don't you ever listen to gossip, love? I've been after you for years.”
Scarlett laughed at his nonsense. “Oh, Nicky, I'm truly sorry,” she managed to say. “I started that ridiculous rumor.”
~~~~~
“You did?” He asked in surprise.