Destiny of the Heart (Viking Destiny)

by K. Young

  "I will not be pushed out, Kristen."

  She shot to her feet and glared at him. "I said get out. I am done with these games of yours. The world does not revolve around you, Lord Shane, despite the fact that you would like it to."

  Derrick took two strides across the room and stood mere inches from her. She didn't back down, just as he knew she wouldn't.

  "And I said I'm not leaving. We're going to -"

  Kristen slammed her fist into his jaw hard enough for him to stagger several steps back. He looked at her in surprise. She glared at him angrily.

  "The next time I won't be so nice." She said threateningly.

  Derrick couldn't believe she had struck him, again. But, he smiled slowly. He had finally managed to ruffle her feathers, which meant that he was getting to her. He flexed his jaw and realized that she had hit him hard enough to hurt. And she thought that was being nice? He would hate to see what she could do when she wasn't being nice. He winced slightly, but was still impressed that his little Kristen was such a fighter.

  "I'll leave for tonight m'dear, but this discussion isn't over." He warned.

  Kristen crossed her arms over her chest and jerked her head toward the door. Her not so subtle way of telling him to get lost. Derrick chuckled softly but left. When the door closed, Kristen sank back into the chair and let the tears that she had been holding back flow freely. She cried herself to sleep there in the chair.

  Chapter 17

  The next morning Kristen and Mel left for the countryside. Over breakfast, Kristen told Mel that she had heard Mel stand up to Derrick and thanked her. Mel apologized, though she felt it prudent to point out that Derrick, despite his callousness, did care for her. There was no other reason that he would show up after what had happened the evening before. Kristen thought it was strange that he showed up, but she wasn't willing to put any hope in Mel's words.

  "We'll see." She said softly.

  Kristen filled Mel in on what had happened the night before with Lord Bard. Mel was outraged on her friend's behalf. How dare Lord Bard track her down and cause a scene as if he had some claim to her. Mel had thought him more refined than that, but she quite agreed with Kristen's assessment that he would not be the kind of man to marry.

  "Don't you worry, Kristen. There will be plenty of gentlemen at the country party. We'll get you a suitable list together." Mel said matter-of-factly.

  Kristen smiled but didn't comment. She decided it was best for her to walk in with as little expectation as possible. Instead, she enjoyed the drive and tried not to think about her problems too much. Mel fell asleep across the carriage and Kristen used the quiet time to read.

  When they arrived, Kristen was surprised to find the party was rather busy already. The hostess, Lady Sheffield met them at the stairs and beamed at Kristen.

  "Oh my dear, I'm so glad you have made it. All of these people are here to see you." She said excitedly.

  "Me?" Kristen asked nervously.

  "But of course! Everyone wants to be around the shining star of the season, and that is certainly you, m'dear." Lady Sheffield looked around conspiratorially and leaned in close. "There's even rumor that your beau Lord Shane will be in attendance this weekend." Lady Sheffield winked at Kristen.

  "Oh, no. He's not my beau, Lady Sheffield - "

  "Oh stuff! We've all seen the two of you together. Mark my words, if he's not thinking of marriage right now, he will be after this weekend."

  Lady Sheffield patted Kristen on the arm and moved off to greet her other arriving guests. Kristen looked at Mel and frowned. Her nerves were on fire, and she was of a mind to turn around and go home. Mel put a staying hand on her arm.

  "Kristen, we're not leaving. You can ignore him if he shows up and just focus on the others here this weekend."

  "Have you tried ignoring Derrick? One doesn't just ignore Derrick Shane." Kristen said miserably.

  If she were being honest with herself, she would admit that she didn't want to be focusing on other men this weekend, but without a commitment from Derrick, she needed to. And, with him there, that was going to be a difficult task indeed.

  "You're the one that doesn't want to pursue him, so you're the one who has to live with the consequences." Mel pointed out reasonably.

  Kristen nodded. "You're right. Come, we should freshen up before lunch."

  Mel smiled. She was still hoping that Kristen and Derrick found their way to each other, but she wouldn't push Kristen on the matter again. Still, her friend was nothing if not stubborn. Mel admired Kristen's willingness to continue forward when the path was difficult at best, but she didn't think Kristen would be able to ignore Derrick if he showed up. And, just like that, Mel was back to hoping he would show up.

  ***

  After freshening up, Kristen and Mel joined the other for lunch. It was a delightful arrangement with lamb, chicken, and pheasant for their meat selections, a spicy soup that Kristen found she rather adored, plenty of pastry puff and other sweets, as well as wine, bread, and cheese. It was arranged in a lovely spread around several large garden tables brought together so those in attendance could eat together.

  To Kristen's surprise, many of the eligible bachelors who had made the trip early were indeed interested in speaking with her. She found she liked a few of them, which helped to settle her nerves somewhat. And, so far, no sign of Derrick, which helped settle her nerves quite a bit. But, of the gentlemen she was getting to know, she was almost certain one in particular could catch her fancy if he was of a mind to do so. Although, something was holding him back a little, and that gave her a moment's pause.

  His name was Lord Jason Bentley of Pimbrook Way. He was an earl with several estates in and around Kent, and he much preferred the country life to that of the busy London whirl. He had heard of Kristen through several friends and was utterly delighted to make her acquaintance as he usually missed out on meeting any of the eligible women during their seasons. Kristen listened intently as he rambled on about himself. She wouldn't mind a little less talking, but at least she was learning who he was.

  As far as she could tell, he seemed interested in settling down which suited her needs perfectly. He wasn't in any debt and didn't need money, but he was a shrewd investor, so he was clearly alright with earning more. And, he was quite interested in boxing which Kristen perked up about immediately. It would be difficult for most men to accept that Kristen was capable of beating them senseless should the need arise. She thought the only reason Derrick accepted it was because he thought he could win...most of the time. But, she didn't delude herself into thinking that that part of her nature wasn't a turn-off for most English men.

  Lord Bentley was definitely at the top of Kristen's new list. He had made her laugh and was rather charming to boot. He invited her to play a game of cards with him later, and she accepted. And, after lunch when the men went inside to do whatever men do during these parties, the women sat outside and gossiped. Lord Bentley seemed genuinely interested in staying with her. When he finally left, Kristen turned to Mel.

  "Well?"

  "He's quite rich, not a scandal to his name, and no whispers of anything untoward. He seemed most interested in you, too. Very affectionate. I think he makes an excellent candidate."

  Mel's tone was like that of a solicitor being paid to agree with Kristen. While she wasn't wrong about his attributes, Mel still believed that Kristen belonged with Derrick. However, given the fact that Kristen was quite serious about not pursuing him, Mel had no choice but to go along with Kristen's decision. And since there was technically nothing wrong with Lord Bentley, she thought it prudent to point out that he was acceptable for the list.

  Kristen knew Mel didn't like Bentley or any of the other lords for her husband, but she appreciated that Mel was trying. She put on a bright smile, and the two of them went to sit with the other ladies, hoping to learn as much about the rest of the gentlemen as they could. But, when they walked over and sat down, Kristen found she didn't care for the topi
c of

  conversation at all.

  "And the poor Shane's. The middle one, Derrick, I think that's his name, is to be coming this weekend. But, dear me I do hope that Charlie fellow doesn't show. It's indecent if you ask me. Liking men. Such a respectable family - "

  Kristen tried to keep her mouth shut, she honestly did, but she happened to like Charlie.

  "And what business is it of yours what Charlie Shane likes or doesn't like?" Kristen blurted out.

  Mel pressed her lips together and rolled her eyes skyward. It was clearly going to be a long weekend. But, Kristen's comment had caused several of the ladies, including the one speaking, to shift uncomfortably.

  "Oh, Lady Kristen, do forgive me. I did not mean to speak ill of the Shane's. It's just that, well, Charlie's a queer fellow, don't you think?" She asked, laughing nervously.

  But Kristen wasn't about to let it go. "Absolutely not. He has been nothing but kind to me, and I didn't find him to be queer at all. Perhaps if you think so, you should look at yourself and find what's queer within you." Kristen glared.

  Several of the other ladies gasped at Kristen's harsh words. The lady who had spoken turned a particularly bright shade of red and excused herself from the group. She looked rather close to tears as she left. Her friend gave Kristen a cold stare, but Kristen wouldn't be cowed. This is why she didn't like to stay in the parlor and drink tea with women. Horrible gossip mongers, the lot of them.

  "Well, I hope you're happy, Lady Kristen. You have managed to embarrass Lady Cecilia and the party has just begun." The Lady Cecilia's friend said.

  Kristen glanced at Lady Sheffield to see if she should just keep her mouth shut, but the woman looked positively excited. Kristen should have known. She would be the talk of every drawing room for months to come. However, Kristen had started this, and she would finish it.

  "Then perhaps your friend should have better sense than to wag her tongue in such mixed company." She said evenly.

  The woman gasped and then got up and humphed away. When she was entirely out of ear shot, several of the ladies turned to Kristen and congratulated her on getting rid of them. Apparently they weren't well liked in the group, but no one else had any cause to reprimand them. Since Kristen had an association with the Shane's, it was perfectly acceptable for her to speak on their behalf. Apparently, the Lady Cecilia had tried to win over one of the Shane’s and it hadn’t gone as she wanted. So, now she would randomly spout off nonsense about Charlie just to get attention. Kristen didn't like the insinuation of how she had a connection to the Shane's, but she didn't ask any more questions on the topic. Instead, she suggested they play charades, an activity most certainly designed to keep gossip at bay.

  ***

  After several hours of charades, where the ladies laughed and enjoyed each other's company, a rare occurrence

  in London society, the men came out and a game of cricket was set up. Kristen had never played, but was fascinated by how it worked. She stood on the sidelines and watched. When Lord Bentley made a goal, she cheered loudly for him. He seemed to enjoy the attention and bowed in front of her before running off to rejoin his team. Kristen laughed.

  "Did you really give someone a tongue lashing for speaking out against Charlie?" Derrick asked beside her.

  Kristen nearly jumped out of her skin. She looked at him and frowned, then returned her attention to the game.

  "I'd hardly call it a tongue lashing. She said some inappropriate things and I set her straight. How the devil did you hear about it?"

  Derrick noticed that she was doing her best to keep her eyes off him, which delighted him to no end. That is, until he saw the bloke she was keeping her eyes on. Lord Bentley. He decided he would ignore her question and needle her a little more.

  "Another candidate for your list?" He asked rudely.

  Kristen rolled her eyes at his tone. "I don't expect you to understand my motives, Lord Shane. You didn't have to come if it bothers you so."

  "Ah, but you were going to be here."

  Kristen turned to face him. "Yes, let's talk about that for a moment. Why are you so interested in following me around? Surely there are easier conquests available."

  She arched a brow and then turned her attention back to the field. Lord Bentley had noticed Derrick standing there with her and was giving her a strange look. She silently cursed Derrick and swore bloody murder if he messed this up for her again.

  "Easier perhaps, but none nearly as desirable." He teased.

  As Derrick waited for her to respond, the cricket match came to an end, and Kristen left him standing on the sideline so that she could run over and talk with Lord Bentley.

  "Lord Bentley, what a lovely match! You were amazing. You simply must teach me this game." She said.

  Lord Bentley smiled, though he spared a glace for the extremely angry Lord Shane standing not so far away from them.

  "I'd be delighted to teach you the game, Lady Kristen." He said as he offered her his arm.

  As they walked off the field on the other side, Derrick was seething. He didn't know why he couldn't just leave well enough alone. He didn't understand why her insistence that she wasn't the least bit interested only pushed him to want her more. And, he certainly didn't understand why the mere sight of her walking away with another man made him want to chase that man down and rip his throat out. In fact, if it weren't for Oliver's timely arrival, Derrick might have done just that.

  "Easy there, Derrick. Think she would have you after you ran off another potential husband?" Oliver asked.

  Derrick snorted. "She's not going to marry him."

  "How do you know?"

  "He's...he's...she's just not, alright?!" Derrick blustered.

  Oliver smiled. "Very well. At any rate, Scott said I had to come to this bloody boring affair to keep an eye on you, so do me a favor and at least make it interesting. Though, not too interesting mind you. I'll not be getting into trouble on your behalf."

  "Good God, how the devil did he find out I was here?"

  Oliver shrugged and gave him a lazy grin. "It's Scott. How does he know anything about any of us? But, he does."

  Derrick shook his head and walked away from his brother. He would like to know why Scott felt the need to continually interfere with his life. Perhaps it was best to leave Kristen to her marriage and seek her out sometime later, perhaps when she realized just how miserable her life was in a loveless marriage with some prat who didn't know his head from his ass. But, as before, he couldn’t stomach the idea of her marrying someone else, and she wouldn’t if he had anything to say about it.

  Chapter 18

  Derrick let the day pass without incident. He had already decided that he would let Lord Bentley know the lady was unavailable during that night's hunt. But, he certainly didn't like how he felt that evening at dinner when Kristen deliberately brushed past him and sat between Lord Bentley and another lord Derrick didn't know. He frowned but kept his seat. Mel joined him at the table and smiled warmly at him.

  "Having a good time, Derrick?" She asked quietly as she unfolded her napkin and laid it across her lap.

  "Not particularly." He admitted.

  "Then why'd you come?"

  Derrick shrugged and sipped from his wine as he continued to watch Kristen from the corner of his eye. Mel grinned.

  "You're creating quite a stir with your continued presence at these affairs, and your subsequent behavior toward the men who show the least bit of attention to Kristen. People are talking, don't you know."

  "Are they?" He asked in a bored tone.

  Mel reached under the table and pinched his arm. He jumped slightly and glared at her, but Mel wasn't worried.

  "Don't you take that tone with me, Derrick Shane. I love you like a brother because of Guy, but Kristen is my best friend and has been my whole life. I'm telling you she needs to settle her future. Do stop trying to mess that up for her."

  Derrick frowned. "Does she owe someone money?"

  Mel wrinkle
d her nose in disgust. "Heaven's no. She has more money than all the Shane's put together."

  Derrick was surprised. He wondered if she were poor because she seemed to be only interested in the wealthier lords, but he had seen her dresses and jewels and knew they had cost a fortune, so he had dismissed that. He supposed a woman with money didn't want to support a lord in debt, so her interests made sense. But, what sort of trouble could a woman who had money and the means to take care of herself be in?

  "I don't understand what kind of trouble she could be in, and why she is in such a hurry." Derrick insisted.

  "No, you wouldn't because you are only thinking of yourself and what you want. Have you even considered what it is she wants?"

  Derrick was embarrassed. Truth be told, he hadn't actually put much thought in what she wanted. He knew she didn't want to get married, which still left him baffled, though she had offered the option to him. That had taken him by surprise, and he automatically responded with 'no' because that was his standard response whenever marriage was brought up. But, the more he thought about it, the more he realized he might not mind being married to her. He had never truly been opposed to marriage, he just didn't care for fortune seeking twits who ran the moment they learned the truth about Charlie.

  Derrick didn't see Kristen as a fortune seeker, nor was he positive she would run when she learned about Charlie. Especially after he heard about what she said to Cecilia Renault. That woman was nothing but trouble, so Derrick was eternally grateful to Kristen for stepping in and defending Charlie. Still, Derrick had a hard enough time handling her constant set downs, despite their attraction to one another. He didn't want Kristen to loathe him. But, realizing that he hadn't responded to Mel, he cleared his throat.

  "Honestly, no."

  "I thought not. But, you do want her?"

  "Yes." He looked around, hoping no one was listening to their conversation, inappropriate as it was.

  "But not as a wife?" Mel asked slowly.

  Derrick snapped his eyes to hers, the denial on the tip of his tongue. But, he swallowed it and instead shrugged. "I don't know."