“Not this way, Landon,” he hissed. “Not yet.”
He drew in a few breaths to calm himself and managed to relax enough that Hawk released him.
“You heard me, where is Juliana?” Landon repeated.
“The chit got up on her high horse earlier today,” Trevington muttered. “And said if I wouldn’t let her and her sister go, then she would go become someone’s mistress rather than stay here.”
Landon stumbled back. Was that how far Juliana had been pushed? That she would turn to the life of a fallen woman in order to escape her father’s grip?
Then again… wasn’t that what he had already forced her to become?
He clenched his fists. “She left?”
Trevington turned on him with a little smile. “Don’t worry, Hawkins, I doubt she went to climb into some man’s bed right now. Though that would be like her, headstrong girl. Likely, she went to the park to walk.”
Relief moved through Landon, though it was only temporary. Until he actually saw Juliana and knew she was unharmed, he wouldn’t be able to rest. But for now, he had one thing to do for her.
“And what of her sister?” he asked quietly.
Trevington’s eyes flashed to his. “She told you about Evie, did she?”
Hawk let out a snort of outrage and Landon shook his head. “Yes, she did. Where is Evelyn?”
Trevington set his drink down on the table and looked Landon up and down. “What affair of yours is it, Hawkins? You don’t have any claim on Evelyn. Unless, of course, you’re willing to pay for the privilege.”
Hawk reached for him a second time, but Landon shrugged off his hand and made his way across the room to Juliana’s father in a three long steps. He had the man by the neck before he even realized what he intended to do and slammed him against the closest wall with all his force.
Trevington clawed for his throat as his eyes bulged and his feet kicked, but Landon didn’t release him as he moved in closer.
“Look, you disgusting bastard, if you ever speak that way about my wife or her sister again, I will personally see you dead before you take your next breath.” He squeezed Trevington’s throat harder and took enormous pleasure in the way the man turned purple.
“Let him go, Landon,” Hawk said from behind him, pulling at his elbow. “Let him go.”
Landon released his captive and Trevington fell in a heap at his feet. He gasped for air as he pulled at his shirt collar and stared up at Landon with wide eyes.
“Now, tell me where Evelyn is.”
Trevington stared at Hawk, like he thought he would save him, but Hawk only folded his arms. “You heard the man, Trevington. I wouldn’t take the chance of not revealing what he wants to know. My brother is an awfully powerful man now. I would wager he could easily escape charges if a bastard such as yourself turned up dead.”
Juliana’s father seemed to consider that for a moment, then he rasped out, “Sinclair took her to some obscure country estate in Devon. In the wild countries there. I don’t know the exact location. He promised to return her within a fortnight and it has been a week since she arrived there.”
Landon glanced at his brother. Hawk frowned. “By the time we reached her, Sin would be on his way to returning her home.”
“And is he a man of honor? Would he return her in the proper time?” Landon asked.
Hawk nodded. “He wouldn’t break his vow. If he said he would keep her but a fortnight, then a fortnight she will stay with him.”
“You have what you have come for,” Trevington said as he stumbled in an attempt to regain his feet. “Now go!”
Landon returned his attention to the bastard before him. “No. I do not have what I have come for. I came here to insure you would never again use your daughters as chattel for your debts. How much would it cost to buy them both outright, so you would not reclaim them?”
Trevington’s mouth gaped open. “You-you wish to buy my daughters?
Landon clenched his hands at his sides. “Please do not feign shock and horror at this request. You have sold them yourself, numerous times. You sold Juliana into marriage. You sold Evelyn for Sinclair’s pleasure. What am I asking is not any different than what you have done before.”
Trevington shook his head. “I-I do not know what to say, sir.”
Hawk snorted. “And now he is all false emotion. Perfect.”
Landon tended to agree with his brother’s assertion, but he didn’t answer it. Instead, he kept his gaze on Trevington. “Do not pretend that you haven’t placed a value on your daughters… at least in your mind. What is the sum?”
Trevington swallowed as he made his way to a chair on shaky legs. He sat, smoothing his stained and wrinkled shirt across his barrel chest with shaking hands.
“Five thousand pounds,” he said softly. “Each.”
Hawk let out a low whistle that Landon ignored. “Done,” he said softly. “You will have the funds deposited tomorrow in your accounts.”
“Landon!” Hawk exclaimed, but he raised a hand to silence his brother.
“There are, of course, stipulations to this bargain,” he said and realized with a start that he was using the same terms he had used when he struck his deal with Juliana a few days ago. What a difference those few days had made.
“And they are?” Trevington asked, still shaking from the thought of his ten thousand pound windfall.
“First, you will never speak of what you did to Evelyn to anyone.”
Trevington shrugged. “I won’t speak of it, but I can’t say what Sin will do.”
Landon folded his arms. “I will deal with Sinclair. Secondly, you will not make contact with either of your daughters for the rest of your days. After what you have put them through, it will be in their power to decide if they wish to gift you with their presence.”
“Never speak to them?” he repeated and his brow wrinkled.
“Ten thousand pounds should ease the pain of your loss, I’m sure,” Landon said.
Trevington bowed his head. “Very well.”
“And finally, you will never make any wager or bargain that involves them again.” Landon stepped closer and Trevington flinched. “If I hear of it, I will personally make sure you do not repeat it or anything else. Can you live with these terms?”
Trevington panted out a few breaths and looked longingly toward his bottle before he nodded. “Y-Yes, my lord.”
“Good. Make arrangements for the girls’ ladies maids to pack their things. I will send for them by the end of today. If they wish to continue to serve their mistresses, I will pay their wages. If not, then they are free to return to your home.”
Trevington stumbled to his feet as Landon and Hawk turned to go. “She-she never wanted to end your marriage.”
Landon froze. After all he had done, now Juliana’s father wanted to repair the damage. He slowly turned back and met the man’s eyes.
“It-it was my doing,” Trevington finished.
“I know,” Landon said. “And that is why you do not deserve to ever see her again. Drink yourself into oblivion, old man. I hope you choke on your libations.”
He yanked the parlor door open and stepped into the hallway. As Hawk shut the door behind them, Landon turned, ready to depart. But before he could take a step away, he caught a glimpse of something on the stairway leading to the family quarters.
Juliana sat on the stairs, her knees brought up to her chin, silent tears streaming down her face.
Landon rushed to her, dropping down before her as he grabbed her hands and clutched them in his.
“Are you hurt?” he whispered.
She didn’t answer for a moment, she tried to catch her breath past sobs. Finally, she shook her head. “N-no.”
“What is it?” he asked before he lifted her hands to kiss her knuckles. “What is it?”
She looked at him and her mouth turned up in a little smile that nearly broke his heart. “We’re free. We are free of him?”
He shut his eyes. She’
d heard his deal with her father. God, how he wished he’d known or he wouldn’t have been so harsh. Never in the world would he have wanted her to know what little value her father put on her life.
“Yes, you and Evelyn are free,” he said quietly.
She dropped her chin and freed her hands from his grip as she began to cry again. Without a word, Landon gathered her into his arms and carried her from the house.
“Come, Juliana,” he said softly, pressing a kiss against her temple. “I’m taking you home.”
Chapter Nine
Juliana stared at her reflection in the mirror and winced at what she saw. Her hair had come down from its careful style and her eyes were puffy. As she sighed, she caught a glimpse of Bianca Hawkins, the wife of Landon’s brother Hawk, staring at her. After they had arrived at Landon’s home, Hawk had fetched his wife.
She tried to give the woman a smile, but couldn’t manage it. She was too overwhelmed. First, she had been put in a guest room. Not Landon’s room, not the connected room to his that would one day be his wife’s… but a guest room.
Looking around, she admired the beautiful floral design of the furniture and the soft carpeting.
A very nice guest room. But still…
And that did not even begin to cover her upset. There was her father, her sister, the knowledge that she was no longer under the Trevington thumb. But also the knowledge that Landon now owned her and she wasn’t quite sure what that meant.
“Isn’t there anything I can do for you?” Bianca asked as she came and placed a gentle hand on Juliana’s shoulder.
She glanced up at the woman. There had only been a few occasions for her to meet with Bianca. Before her marriage to Hawk… and truth be told, even since… she had been subject to a wealth of gossip about her lovers and her appetites. Juliana had always been a little nervous around her, but now she felt warmth from the woman that put her at ease. Somehow… someway, this lady understood.
“No, thank you.”
“May I at least fix your hair since your maid has not yet arrived?”
Juliana glanced at herself in the mirror again and flinched. She did look a fright. “Very well.”
Bianca smiled as she began to search for the remaining pins in Juliana’s hair. “Men. A woman cries and they feel the world is coming down. They instantly require another woman to fix whatever they’ve done to the first one to make her weep so.”
Juliana bent her head as the brush began to make slow sweeps through her tangled locks. “Landon hasn’t done anything to make me weep.”
That wasn’t entirely true, but she wasn’t going to invite his sister-in-law’s censure.
“No. And to my surprise, he didn’t really want to leave your side, either.” Bianca smiled. “You are lucky. The Hawkins men are very good husbands. When he is yours, you will not want for anything.”
She started. “Landon-Landon will not be my husband,” she stammered, adding ‘again’ only to herself since Bianca didn’t seem aware of the truth.
“You think not?” Bianca asked, her voice suddenly soft. Her hands stilled in their work with her hair. “I see you want to deny what is right before your eyes. Certainly, I cannot judge that. I have been known to do it myself from time to time.”
Juliana stared at her hands as Bianca spun her hair up and fastened it with her hairpins. When she had finished, she put one hand on each of Juliana’s shoulders.
“Take a little advice from a woman who could have thrown away love because of fear. Don’t try to deny your heart. It is a useless exercise. And don’t try to assume you know Landon’s heart, either.” She smiled. “I don’t think any woman can truly understand a man’s feelings, even when she has been married to him for an age.”
She stepped toward the door with a smile. “I will report to the gentlemen that you are no longer weeping and let Landon know that you are taking some time alone to think. But I beg of you not to wait too long. Men can be quite fragile, especially those as desperately in love as my brother-in-law seems to be.” With that shocking statement, Bianca tipped her head in goodbye and left Juliana alone with her tangled thoughts.
Rising on shaky legs, Juliana moved to the window and looked out. The sun was beginning to set in the distance and sent a wash of violet, pink and orange across Landon’s beautiful gardens. She pressed her head to the glass as thoughts and emotions assailed her from every side.
There was so much to think about, so much to resolve, but she was afraid to go downstairs and face Landon. She was terrified that he would demand she become his mistress to repay her debt.
And almost equally terrified that he would not.
She folded her arms as she forced some calm back into her shaking heart. After five years of enduring hell of varying types, she could not turn coward now. All that was left to do was to face Landon. Only then could she determine her next move.
*
Landon frowned as he looked at his brother and sister-in-law. They stood in the corner of his parlor by the window where Juliana had first stood when he found her waiting for him. Their heads were together and they whispered conspiratorially. From time to time, one or the other glanced over at him, then they immediately went back to their conversation.
Every moment that passed on the clock grated on his nerves, yet he could not make a move. Juliana needed this time to recover her nerves. And he had no choice but to let her come to him in her own time.
He could only pray that she would do so.
From behind him, the door opened and Winston stepped aside. He motioned to someone in the darkness of the hallway. “Here you are, Your Grace.”
Landon clenched the slippery crystal of the drink in his hand as Juliana stepped into the room. Her blue eyes were dark as they swept across the room just briefly, then settled on him with a focus so intense that he almost turned away from it. He wasn’t sure he was ready to face her pain or the possibility of her anger.
“Good afternoon,” she said and her voice cracked slightly.
He gave an awkward bow. “Juliana.”
She turned to Hawk and Bianca with a tight smile. “I-I’m sorry to be rude, but might I have a moment with Landon?”
Bianca sent a smile to her husband as the two of them made for the door. “Of course. Hawk and I were just thinking about a walk in the gardens.”
Hawk shook his head as if to say they had not been, but he followed his wife out nonetheless with only a smile of encouragement for Landon. Then the door shut behind them and Landon found himself alone with Juliana. His wife. Still his wife, despite her attempts to end the union. Despite his attempts to forget its existence.
He motioned to a chair beside the fire as he crossed over to the poorboy. “Would you like a drink?”
“No,” she said softly, though she did take the offered seat. “I don’t think it’s wise to have my emotions dulled. They have been dulled too long, I think.”
He nodded and released the bottle. Turning, he faced her. His heart throbbed with anticipation, but he waited. Waited for her.
She drew in a harsh breath. “I want to be sure I heard correctly when I went to the parlor in my father’s home today. I want to be sure I understand what has transpired.”
“I will answer your every question to the best of my abilities,” Landon said softly.
God, how he wanted to touch her. To take her into his arms and soothe away the lines of worry around her mouth and eyes. But her posture and demeanor showed him she would not accept that comfort. Not yet, at any rate.
“Did you buy my freedom and that of my sister for the sum of ten thousand pounds?” she asked. Her eyes lifted and snagged his.
He held her gaze, though it hurt him to see her raw emotions so painfully displayed. “Yes.”
He held his breath as he awaited her response. Her anger at his heavy-handedness. She got to her feet and slowly approached him. Her shoulders trembled and her eyes were soft with tears. But she did not strike out at him with words or a slap.
“Thank you,” she whispered, her voice broken. “Thank you for that sacrifice. I know you did it for me. For Evelyn.”
He brought his arms around her and brought her close, smoothing his palms over the curve of her back as he savored this embrace as if it was a lifeline.
After a moment, she drew away. He let her go with reluctance and once again, awaited his fate. She swiped away renewed tears and stiffened her jaw.
“You realize, of course, that I cannot ever repay that debt. At least, not with money. But-but I do not wish you to think I won’t repay it somehow.”
He shook his head as pain spiked through him. “I do not expect repayment.”
“But I must,” she insisted. “Or I am no better than my father. I am yours now.” She caught her breath. “And I shall do anything you desire.”
Landon swallowed hard for her words inspired such a large range of fantasies. But one sprung forth before all others. Only one that could satisfy the debt fully in his mind. But he almost feared to say it.
Reaching out, he caught her hand and raised it to his cheek. “There is only one method of repayment that will be satisfactory.”
She shut her eyes as her fingers curled against the stubble on his cheek. “Yes?”
“I want you as my wife. Again.”
*
Juliana’s eyes flew open and she jolted back, but Landon clung to her hand and would not let her retreat. She stared at him and he held her gaze with even focus.
“You cannot be serious,” she whispered, though her heart screamed at her not to call his bluff, but to agree. Still, she had to know that his offer was real. She didn’t think she could bear being as close to heaven as she had once been and then have it snatched from her as it had been in Scotland.
“I assure you my lady, I am completely serious,” he said, a smile tilting his lips. “If you ask my brother, he will probably report that I am never anything but serious.”
Jess Michaels Page 25