A cunning expression suddenly entered her clear blue eyes. "Of course!" she cried gaily. "Why hadn't I thought of that!" Her sour mood vanished as if it had never been, and now in perfect good humor, she sprang to her feet and fairly danced from the room.
But upstairs, as she sat behind a lovely little rosewood desk, her light mood vanished. A faint scowl on her lovely face, she stared at the empty sheet of paper. Composing the note to Dominic was not going to be a problem-she knew just what to write that would bring him on the run. Her problem was selecting a proper place for them to meet and naming a time that would ensure their privacy.
Nibbling distractedly on her quill, she sat there, lost in thought as she selected and then discarded several possible sites for the type of rendezvous she had in mind. It must be a private and secluded place; it must be romantic and it must be away from the immediate proximity of the house ... yet not too far away. With an ill-tempered movement, she threw down her quill and crumpled the blank sheet of paper. There was no point in writing the note to Dominic until she had determined their meeting place. With a disgruntled droop to her Cupid's bow mouth, she wandered from her bedchamber, busily casting through her mind for any place that might be even remotely suitable for Dominic's seduction. . . .
Deborah was not the only one planning a seduction, but whether Latimer wanted to seduce Melissa simply for herself or because she was Dominic's wife was unclear to him. He had worked very hard these past months to undo the damage he had inflicted by miscalculating Melissa's pride and spirit earlier, and during the past few weeks he had begun to hope that he had managed to restore at least some of her trust in him. It had been most difficult for him to act the part of a truly repentant friend eager to make amends, always having to hide the hatred and envy he felt for Dominic, always having to be careful to conceal the rage and resentment he experienced at the knowledge that she had escaped his grasp and married the one man he detested above all others. A slow smile suddenly curved Latimer's mouth. But it seemed that at last his meek manner and solicitousness were going to reap him the prize that he wanted.
Latimer's smile deepened. His sister had unknowingly helped his cause. Her blatant pursuit of Dominic had driven Melissa closer to him, and that more than any other reason was why he was willing to let Deborah continue her less-than-proper antics. If Deborah did manage to seduce Melissa's husband, so much the better; he would take great pleasure in providing the mistreated wife with an obliging shoulder to weep on, Latimer thought cynically. And if Melissa felt mistreated enough ... Latimer almost smirked. If he read the situation correctly, once Melissa learned that Dominic had actually bedded Deborah, he strongly hoped that she might be willing to pay her errant husband back in kind ... and he'd be standing right there with his arms held wide open!
Melissa's unexpected and thoroughly unwelcome marriage to Dominic Slade had come as a nasty shock to Latimer. He'd been so sure that he had her trapped, so positive that she would prefer giving herself to his attractive self rather than seeking some other means to meet his demands, that the news of her impending marriage to Dominic had left him dumbfounded. It was weeks before he could finally accept the fact that she had truly escaped him and that his wicked little plan of sampling her charms before informing her, with a suitable amount of regret, of course, that he had decided he really must have the money after all, had failed. He had been furious, and even the receipt of the money owed him had not lessened his irrational feeling of having somehow been cheated.
Time in Baton Rouge was growing short for Latimer. In keeping with the schedule that he had agreed to with Roxbury in London well over a year ago, he was to leave for New Orleans in a matter of weeks. If he was to have his satisfaction, it must be soon. And before he left there were several little items he intended to bring to pleasant conclusions, Latimer thought with a faint smile. Planting a prominent pair of horns on the arrogant head of Dominic Slade was only one of the delightful occurrences he had to look forward to before he departed for New Orleans. There was also the matter of the Franklyn boy....
Whistling softly to himself, Latimer rose from his chair and walked directly to his bedchamber. Selecting a rather fine white silk waistcoat decorated with tiny black polka dots, he began to dress for the evening's entertainmenta small, all-male dinner party at the home of a wealthy young bachelor, Thomas Norton, who lived just a mile from Baton Rouge. Royce Manchester was to meet him here, and together they would ride to the Norton house.
Thinking of that, Latimer frowned slightly. He was just a little suspicious of Royce's apparent affinity for his company, though he could find no fault with the other man's manner. In London, Royce had clearly been aligned with Dominic, and on a few occasions that Latimer could bring easily to mind, Royce had been exceedingly cool and disdainful to him.
Naturally, it had occurred to him that Royce could be and was very likely spying on him, trying to catch him in the midst of some nefarious deed, and Latimer almost laughed out loud at the thought. The beauty of Roxbury's plan, and the only reason he had consented to take part in it, aside from the very generous benefits, was that it held, at worst, only a nebulous risk. He wasn't about to put his head in a noose for the amount of money Roxbury was willing to pay him!
Besides, he mused smugly as he wandered down the curving staircase which led to the entry hall of the house, why should he risk his neck when there were so many easier ways to make a fortune? Especially when there was such a ripe pigeon for plucking, like the Franklyn heir so close at hand? A cruel little smile tugged at one corner of his chiseled mouth. Tonight's party might very well see the turning of Mr. Franklyn's luck at cards....
Dominic was also attending the same dinner party this evening, but unlike Latimer, he was not looking forward to it. Of late, it seemed that he seldom had a moment alone with Melissa, and he had been planning on enjoying a quiet night at home with her. A quiet night alone together that might allow him to, at long last, solve the mystery that was his wife. Unfortunately, Royce had thrown a damper on Dominic's much-longed-for evening of domestic tranquility by insisting that he attend the Norton party.
The amber-gold eyes glittering with decided annoyance, Royce had said bluntly just three days ago, "You may have to endure Deborah's clinging embraces whenever you happen to attend the same function, but I am forced to be constantly in Latimer's company-and it is damned distasteful, I can tell you! The fellow's a nasty bit of goods that ordinarily I wouldn't pass the time of day with, and for the past six weeks or so, I've been acting as if he's my best friend-and so far all for naught, for what I've learned of his connection to Roxbury! I've wenched with him, gotten drunk with him, attended cockfights with him and generally made myself available to him, and it has not, believe me, been the most enjoyable time I have ever spent! The man's a black-hearted rogue! I do not find him either amusing or intellectually stimulating, and if I have to endure another evening dancing attendance on him, I may very well do him a violence!" Fixing a burning eye on Dominic, he had concluded, "The least you can do is attend the Norton party and share my misery."
Reluctantly, Dominic had allowed himself to be persuaded, and so it was that instead of the intimate evening he had hoped for, he found himself committed to several hours of male revelry. Zachary was also attending, and they had planned to ride together to the Norton house. Dominic had just reached for the starched white cravat which Bartholomew was holding when he heard the sound of Zachary's voice drifting up the staircase.
Zachary had arrived unfashionably early, but as he was used to running tame through the Slade cottage, it presented no problem. Handing his tall, curly-brimmed beaver hat to the waiting butler, he wandered into the small salon at the front of the house and was pleased to find his sister sitting comfortably on the sofa, a slim book of sonnets in her hand. From her position and dress, a delightful gown of jonquil muslin, it was obvious that she was remaining home this evening, and gently Zachary teased, "What is this? The most-sought-after young matron in the neighborhood
content to sit alone by her own fire? Do my eyes deceive me?"
- Laughing, Melissa put down her book and said affectionately, "Oh, Zachary, you dolt! Don't be ridiculous. You make it sound as if I am a gadabout of the worst sort. "
Lowering his long, elegant length into a nearby chair, Zachary replied with a smile, "Well, you must admit that we have been very gay these past months, even with all the war talk. It seems that since your marriage-and the disbursement of the trust-we have both become very popular! I do not think that I have spent two evenings home this month!"
Her heart swelling with love and pride, she surveyed her brother as he lounged in the chair. He looked very sophisticated this evening, the crisp white cravat intricately folded at his neck, the dark blue silk jacket fitting his broad shoulders admirably and the black kerseymere breeches lying snugly against his muscular thighs. He looked the very picture of a wealthy, indolent young aristocrat, and Melissa found it incredible to think that less than six months ago they had been frantic to keep a roof over their heads.
She smiled at him and said almost wistfully, "Things are very different for us now, aren't they?"
Zachary caught the wistful note in her voice, and his own smile faded as he leaned forward, his young face intent. "You don't regret the marriage, do you, Lissa?" His eyes boring into her, he asked, "You are happy? I know that at first things were strained between you and Dominic, but . . . that is all in the past now, isn't it?"
His questions came as a surprise to Melissa, and for a long moment she hesitated in answering him. Did she regret marrying Dominic? Oh, no! her heart cried; absolutely not! But she did wish most passionately that the circumstances had been different, wished that she could have had a normal courtship, that she could have known that when Dominic asked her to marry him, it had been because he had wanted it and not because he had been compelled by an unpleasant set of incidents. Was she happy? A smile flickered briefly on her full mouth. There were times when she was ecstatically happy. Times when her happiness was almost tangible, so strong and bonedeep that she was certain she could touch it. But then ...
She sighed. Despite the odd affinity between them, despite all the thrilling glances they had exchanged lately, despite the warm smiles and sweet promises she thought she glimpsed in Dominic's eyes, she could not be certain that she was not deluding herself, that her powerful desire to believe Dominic was not a callous womanizer and that he had come to care for her was not simply clouding her judgment. As for there being any strain between them, it definitely was not in the past and would not be, she thought vehemently, until something was done about Deborah Bowden! For a brief second an alarmingly feral light glinted in the lovely topaz eyes, but with an effort she brought herself back to the present and her brother's waiting silence.
There had been few secrets between the siblings; they had always been completely honest with each other, and for those reasons, Melissa answered cautiously. "I'm not unhappy, Zach. I just wish . . . "
Her lack of words was eloquent in itself. His young face hard, Zachary reached across to grasp one of her slim hands. "Lissa, if there is something, anything I can do that would make things easier for you, you know you have only to ask."
A lump in her throat, she slowly shook her head. "There is nothing that you or anybody else can do-it is between Dominic and me."
Her words did not satisfy him and, his fingers tightening on hers, he said softly, "I've wondered often at the suddenness of your marriage-you went from disliking him one day to being his bride the next-and though I said nothing at the time, I was confused and troubled by it."
The two occupants in the little salon were so intent on each other that neither heard Dominic's steps as he descended the staircase, nor were they aware of his presence as he hesitated outside the doorway, reluctant to interrupt them. They were both so serious and absorbed in their conversation that he was on the point of turning away, of giving them a few moments more of privacy, when Zachary's next question stopped him cold.
"Lissa, did Josh force you to marry him? Was it because of that damned trust?"
A stout denial hovered on her lips, but she hesitated that split second too long and Zachary pounced on it. "It was because of the trust, wasn't it? What did Josh threaten you with that made you change your mind about marriage?" Zachary inquired sharply, his fine mouth taut.
Dismay obvious in her face, Melissa sat there staring at her brother, desperately trying to decide how much of what had happened that fateful night would be safe to tell him. Berating herself for not swiftly distracting him, knowing that he would not let up now until he had the entire truth from her, Melissa said carefully, "The trust did have some bearing on the marriage, but it wasn't the only reason that I consented to marry Dominic."
"Aha! I knew it!" Zachary crowed exultantly. "Not that I don't understand why he would make a good husband," he added fairly. "It was just that you'd turned down several other equally wealthy and"-a quick smile curved his lips-"equally handsome young men, and then, out of the blue, you agreed to marry a man you'd known only a few weeks."
Remembering those early meetings with Dominic, the way his presence could send her pulse racing and her heart pounding, she said dreamily, "Sometimes it happens like that ... time doesn't always make any difference to your emotions. "
"That may be," Zachary agreed, but with a definite cynical ring to his tone. "But you have to admit that there was something a bit suspicious about your sudden engagement and marriage to Slade. I want you to tell me the truth about it and not try to fob me off with all the little bits and pieces that you think it is safe for me to know."
Melissa started at his words, her eyes growing very wide. How did he ... ?
As if reading her mind, Zachary smiled gently. "Lissa, I know you probably better than anyone in the world and I know precisely how your mind works. You and I have been through much together, and if there is one thing I
have learned about you, it is that you have always tried to protect me from the worst." He grimaced ruefully. "I am no longer a child, Lissa. I will always be your younger brother, but I hope that you will not continue to shield me from certain possibly unpleasant things that I should know. "
"Oh, Zack!" she cried distressfully, "I never meant to-"
"I know, sweetheart, but as you've told me often enough, the burden sometimes becomes lighter if it is carried by two instead of one. Now tell me the truth and quit trying to protect me."
Anxiously her eyes searched his; she wanted terribly to tell the truth to someone but was afraid to do so. Huskily she asked, "If I tell you the truth, do I have your solemn promise that you will do nothing rash? That no matter how ugly or sordid something is, you will not provoke a duel?"
Zachary drew back slightly, obviously not liking this trend of conversation. A frown between his heavy black brows, he asked half angrily, half wryly, "And if I won't promise, you won't tell me what really happened?"
Her expression worried but determined, Melissa nodded. "Either I have your promise or this conversation stops immediately." Tensely she waited for his answer, knowing that if he agreed to her terms, though he might rant and rave and plead to be given back his promise, he would keep it. But without that promise . . . She trembled slightly. Without his promise, he would storm out of this room in search of Latimer, murder in his heart.
Zachary eyed her suspiciously for a long moment and then slowly and with obvious reluctance he nodded his dark head. "You have my promise."
Wanting to make positively certain that he could not maneuver around those simple words, she said clearly, "I have your promise that no matter what I tell you, you will neither take nor plan a revenge and that especially you will challenge no one, no matter how dastardly the deed, to a duel."
His jaw clenched and the topaz eyes so like hers glit tering angrily, Zachary gritted out, "I promise to everything that you have just said!" Resentment getting the better of him, he added in a grumbling tone, "But I think it's damned unfair what you hav
e asked of me!"
In the doorway, Dominic still stood motionless, one part of him appalled at his blatant eavesdropping, the other too riveted by the conversation to move. His breath suspended in his chest, his heart pumping with quickening excitement, he waited, torn between dread and eagerness for Melissa's revelations.
As soon as Zachary had given her the answer she wanted, Melissa nearly went limp with relief. And now that the moment had come, she seemed unable to control her tongue, the words flooding out as she relived those awful days leading up to the night in Dominic's room. She gave only the barest details, but watching Zachary's face darken, watching the fury grow in his golden-brown eyes, she was inordinately thankful that she had extracted that promise from him.
"That bloody bastard!" he burst out wrathfully. "I'd like to get my hands on him!"
Alarmed, Melissa dug her fingers into his palms. "You promised! You said no matter what!"
He gave a bitter laugh. "You have my word, my dearand even though it would give me great pleasure to rip out his liver, I will not. But how I am to be civil to the bastard is beyond me! Lissa, you little fool! You should have told me!"
"And have you go out and instantly challenge him to a duel? Possibly lose your life? What would that have accomplished?"
Sending her an impatient look, he muttered, "Will you stop trying to protect me? We could have faced his threats together-at least you wouldn't have been alone." When her expression did not change, he added heavily, "Oh, don't worry, I've given you my promise and I shall not - challenge him. Now tell me the rest, although some of it I can guess myself. It was because of Latimer that you offered to sell Folly to Dominic, wasn't it?"
Melissa nodded and once again picked up her tale, telling of the note from Latimer demanding that she meet him at the inn, of her decision to do so and why. It was not an easy story to tell and it became even more difficult when she came to the part of the mistaken room and Dominic's entrance into the scenario. She faltered only slightly at the part of waking up and finding herself in bed with Dominic, but then hurried on past the embarrassing moment of being discovered by Royce and Josh. Bleakly she told Zachary of Josh's threats to remove him from her care if she did not agree to the marriage.
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