Today he took great pleasure in their reactions. One of his future brothers-in-law hailed him. He had hoped that would be enough, that Claudia’s family wasn’t shunning him, but society loved a scandal, the male side as well as the female.
“You seem hale this morning,” Darius said. “May I hope that means our sister is well? I’ll call on her later today.”
“Not only well, but finally, she has agreed to our betrothal. Consequent to the unfortunate accident, matters have moved apace.”
“You’re in luck then.” Darius headed for a leather wing chair by the wall that held bookcases. “Join me for a celebratory glass?”
“Willingly.”
Before they sat, Darius wrung his hand, man-to-man. “I think you’ll prove our sister’s making.”
“When your father returns to London, I’ll pay him a visit.” He took a sip of the excellent brandy the waiter had brought over on Darius’s signal.
The crystal glittered in the sunlight. Another good day. It would soon be time to repair to the country, only this time he wouldn’t be going alone.
“What about your parents?”
Another hurdle he wasn’t looking forward to. “Tomorrow. Believe me they’ll be delighted. I could marry—” He stopped, recalling where he was. White’s was a hotbed of gossip. If anyone realized his relationship with his parents was less than his usual fondness, they would start asking questions, and matters could escalate from there. He didn’t want Claudia thinking she was anything but his first choice. Even though his first choice would be not to marry at all. Failing that, he’d do his best to contain the situation.
“Tell me again,” Darius murmured. “Why did I allow you to talk me into having Claudia stay?”
“You could have removed her to your parents’ establishment.” He didn’t like Darius any better for pointing that out.
“Not when she was so ill.” She wasn’t, only distressed. It had hurt him to see her distressed, and he had no intention of allowing her any further reason for it. If he asked himself why, he could tell himself he liked her. Only that didn’t entirely explain the urge to protect her at all costs.
Marriage was a partnership, a business relationship. Love came elsewhere, if it came at all, and it was a fleeting emotion, soon past. However much he recited that to himself, he couldn’t believe it. The truth didn’t seem so clear-cut. Which was strange, because the truth was always clear-cut.
“Father should return tomorrow or the day after.” Darius stretched his legs in front of him, fully at ease, or so it appeared. “We can formalize matters then.”
He should visit his parents today and get the contract under way, before Claudia changed her mind. She was volatile, unpredictable, so he’d have to seduce her all over again.
Why did that sound so attractive? After he’d promised himself he wouldn’t repeat last night’s activities until he had a ring on her finger?
“I wanted to care for her,” he murmured. “That’s why I didn’t leave.” It felt good to admit that much.
Darius touched his glass to Dominic’s with a small chink. “Welcome to the family. We are notorious for marrying for love. Even when we’re sensible and start our marriages with an arrangement and a business agreement, somehow love rears its head again. Probably the most passionate family in the country.”
A dark figure entered the room and looked around. His gaze stilled on Darius and Dominic.
“Except for the Dankworths,” Darius murmured.
Someone else entered the room.
“I didn’t even know he was in the building,” Darius said in a louder tone.
Val was just behind the Earl of Alconbury. Dominic knew Alconbury by sight, but had never spoken to him. Alconbury was, next to his father, the Duke of Northwich, the principal member of the Dankworth family. Young, handsome in a kind of lean, dark way, and possessed of a restless energy that Dominic recognized, because he possessed it himself. It showed in the way he glanced around, taking in all the people in the room, the taut tension of his neck, and no doubt his shoulders under the fine but sober velvet coat he wore.
The earl moved with a spare economy at the same pace as Dominic. Although Dominic was dressed in his London clothes, which meant pale green and lots of lace today, his efforts to disguise his military bearing was becoming a losing challenge. He crossed one leg over the other, the cut steel on his shoe buckles catching the light merrily. He did not rise.
“Sirs,” Alconbury said smoothly. He nodded rather than bowed and waited by a spare chair.
Darius and Dominic didn’t invite him to sit.
“I believe I have to felicitate you.” He offered Dominic a smile. Dominic offered him one back. Not a particularly fulsome one. He put down his half-full brandy glass. Tension snapped in the air, and conversation around them dulled to a murmur.
“Thank you.” Dominic said and waited on events.
“I wondered if you were fully aware of certain matters,” Alconbury said with a smile. “I would appreciate a private meeting to discuss it.”
“What can you possibly know about me?” Dominic asked smoothly. “Sir, I have not, I believe, even been introduced to you.”
“We may rectify that easily enough,” Alconbury said, just as calmly.
Val stood just behind him, in a pose Dominic had seen before, but not in White’s. Val had his hand on his sword hilt, a sword he should have left at the door. To say bad blood existed between the two families was an understatement, by what Dominic was witnessing here. Used to assessing situations fast, he didn’t need advanced training in battle strategy to see this standoff could end at any minute.
By betrothing himself to their sister, Dominic had effectively joined the Emperors. That meant family, something he was not used to having. These two were watching for his interests.
Was Alconbury so dangerous? True, the man was big and powerful, but so was Dominic. “Sir, I have no history here. I appreciate your congratulations, but I fail to see what business it is of yours or what you would have of me.”
Alconbury shifted his position and glanced at Val. No affable society gentleman, this. Val could have changed places with a St. Giles ruffian, from his pose and the fierce expression on his face, brows drawn together, mouth straight. “I have information you might find useful. That is all. My father is like to get in touch with you.” He touched his fingers to his forehead and let a smile quirk the corner of his lean mouth. Val’s implied threat and Darius’s stillness did not concern Dominic in the least. If Alconbury wanted an open exchange, White’s was far from the place to do it.
“Does it put my lady in danger?” That was all he cared about. If Claudia was imperiled, he’d meet this man anywhere he chose.
“By association.” Alconbury shrugged, the shoulders of his coat shifting easily, displaying the power a lean man could conceal if he was tall enough and his tailor a good one. Clearly Dominic wasn’t the only one ordering his tailor to minimize his form. “Do not complain that nobody warned you. I’m warning you now.”
A threat? Dominic couldn’t be sure. Perhaps Dominic would seek him out. Perhaps he’d be killed. He had no idea.
Alconbury regarded him, his dark eyes unreadable. “I will bid you good day, sir.” He turned and left.
Beside Dominic, Darius let out a long breath. “Well, what was that about? By association?”
“She’s already associated with us,” Val said. “He must mean you, Dominic. What have you done to upset the Dankworths?”
“Absolutely nothing,” Dominic said, but inside he wasn’t so sure. He hadn’t led a snow-white life, God knew. Did that mean he’d made an enemy of the Dankworth family without realizing it?
The Dankworths were the enemies of the Emperors primarily because of their stance on the Jacobite question. Although rumors were that the initial disputes had begun at least a generation earlier. In any case, it appeared far more personal than a political dispute. A convoluted history, and probably one nobody had all the answer
s to. One mystery too many for Dominic.
He wanted answers, and one person had them. He got to his feet. “I would appreciate a word with your cousin Julius,” he said. “If he has a moment today, bring him to my house. I’d call on him, but I want Claudia to be present.” If she wasn’t, she might never forgive him. Already he knew her well enough to predict that.
She’d only make him tell her, and he would.
After bowing, he left the club and went home.
When he returned to his house, Claudia was there. She sat in the parlor at the front of the house, wearing a cream silk robe. Her hair gleamed in the afternoon sun, sparking fire where the rays caught it. He wanted to see her on his estate, sitting on the bench under the big oak by the east side of the house, enjoying the summer.
Big with his child.
No! He banished that particular notion as soon as it appeared, denying his pleasure at the momentary vision. Children were not possible, the way matters stood at present.
Until he knew the truth.
Now he could bend to her and kiss his bride-to-be with the full knowledge he was doing something totally acceptable. He kissed her. “Where is your sister?”
“She is resting. She said she didn’t sleep well last night.” A sweet blush rose to her cheeks. “Dominic, she came into the bedroom to see if there was anything I wanted, and she saw us asleep together.” Her voice dropped. “Naked.”
Dominic’s cock stirred, readying for another round. The temporary satiation of his appetite was not fated to last very long. This woman had revived an urge he’d kept strictly under control for the last few years, and she’d done it unwittingly. Now it was out and unfettered. The urge offended his strong sense of self-control, but he could do nothing except endure. If she spent another night in this house, he’d do it again, because he couldn’t keep away from her.
When she curled her arm around his neck and tugged him back, that was all the persuasion he needed. Instead of moving away, he took a seat on the sofa by her side and drew her into his arms, kissing her again. She tasted of all the things he’d ever wanted, and some things he hadn’t known he wanted. He didn’t even have words for them yet.
For now he could enjoy holding her, the silk of her gown slipping under his hands. She wore a pair of stays underneath, but light ones, so the heat of her body caressed his palms. She responded to his kiss with eagerness, caressing his tongue when he slid it into her mouth and sucking gently, the way he’d shown her last night. He guided her close to him, his arm about her shoulders, careful to avoid the bandaged part, and drew away from the kiss smiling. He hadn’t smiled so much in years. Perhaps he could truly find some happiness and even better make her happy in return. He could willingly devote his life to that.
“When do you plan to return home?” he asked. “Even though this will be your home soon.”
“Yes.” She cuddled close. “My father is due home tomorrow. When I was hurt, my mother sent him a message. He will turn around directly, or so she said. She wrote me a note. She wants me home today, now I’m better.”
Lady Strenshall had paid her an anxious visit yesterday, and it was only Claudia’s obvious exhaustion and Binney’s tender care that persuaded her to allow her daughter to remain. Today, Claudia was up, happy, and dressed. No further reason for her to stay.
“I went to Doctor’s Commons this afternoon. We should have a special license tomorrow.”
She grasped his hand. “I know we said we would do this, but you told me you intended to marry nobody. Can you tell me why?”
“Yes, I must.” He caressed her hand with his thumb, stroking along the soft skin. “I invited your cousin Julius to come, since he has some answers for me, but your brothers will probably arrive first. One thing we must decide upon, sweet Claudia, is what to do with that house you inherited.”
“The one in Hart Street?”
“The very same. Will you agree to sell it?”
“I would rather not. I’m warming to the idea of having a place I can call my own, even if it is a house of ill-repute.”
“Witch,” he said with some feeling, and kissed her again for that.
He would prefer to lose himself in her, but he was determined to have one matter at least sorted out. “If I give you one of my houses in the settlement, will you give me yours in exchange?”
“What kind of house?” Leaning against him, she traced a line along the pattern embroidered on his waistcoat, twisting vines. Down, down, she went, and since it was a long waistcoat, she would finish in his lap. “Tell me.”
He swallowed and concentrated. “A small town house in London. It’s near Red Square and one of my aunts used to own it. You may have it on the same terms as you have this one. As long as you promise not to allow it to become a house of ill repute or a place where traitors meet.”
She smiled, dimples indenting her cheeks. “Very well, on those terms.”
He breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s dangerous for you to even own the house. Your name associated with it will cast all your relatives into the shadows. What possessed the woman to give it to you?”
“I don’t know. I hardly spoke to her, but she said in her letter that she wanted a spirited youngster to own it. It may be a coincidence. She might not have known.”
He told her with his snort what he thought of coincidences. “They sometimes happen, but not like that. Not falling into place so neatly. I will get to the bottom of it, but you need not concern yourself.”
She stiffened in his arms. He loosened his hold on her, in case he was hurting her. “What is it, my sweet?”
“You will not put me to one side. You will not!”
Ah, he’d made a tactical mistake there. If he carried on explaining, he’d only dig a deeper hole for himself. He did the best thing in the circumstances. He apologized.
The door bell clanged in the middle of his apology, which had turned to something much more interesting. He barely had time to help her tuck in her fichu before a gentle knock on the door announced the entrance of his butler. The man held three cards on his tray, the corners all turned down, to indicate the owners were waiting for an answer.
“Let them in,” Dominic said.
Val, Darius, and their magnificent cousin Julius entered. While Dominic wore his elaborate city clothes as a mask, Julius, Lord Winterton, wore his like a flag declaring war. He flaunted his masculinity from clothes in the most outrageous colors and wigs so snowy white they seemed made of spun silk. He was no exception today, making Dominic’s green twilled silk almost ordinary.
Even Dominic would have balked at wearing that particular shade of yellow, so pale it was almost white, defying the sooty streets of London to stain it. How he kept it smut-free remained a miracle society sometimes wondered at, but he never gave the explanation to everyone. Add to that a tall, strong frame he made no attempt to conceal, a fashionable nipped-in waist and slender hips, invariably circled by a sword-belt. Julius Winterton was an unmistakable figure.
Dominic rose and bowed, and then defiantly took his seat next to Claudia.
Julius stared at her from blue eyes under hooded lids. “Do you return home soon?”
“Today,” Darius said firmly. “For the last two days she’s been cared for by Livia and Dominic’s servant, one of the best damned surgeons I ever saw.”
“I see.” Julius took a seat, every movement graceful. “Any more and shocked rumor will turn into outright scandal. It’s hard to overcome that, though I fancy if any family can do it, we can.”
Val chuckled and took a seat on the sofa across from where Claudia sat with Dominic. She sat up straight, hands in her lap, the perfect example of a graceful society lady. Five minutes ago, she’d been in his arms, her breasts all but exposed, kissing him like a courtesan. He was proud of her.
“Where are you going from here?” Julius asked.
“I visited Doctor’s Commons today. I should have a license tomorrow.” His heart sinking, Dominic leaned forward, resting his
arms on his knees as if ready to spring up and leave. How he wished he could. “I was hard put to know what name to put on the license. I have learned too much recently about my beginnings. I find it hard to reconcile the truth with what I have been led to believe all these years.”
Julius raised a brow but didn’t appear surprised. But then, little surprised Lord Winterton. “I have undertaken research of my own. So that we are not talking at cross purposes, tell me what you know.”
“That my parents, who were engaged in diplomatic activity before and at the time of my birth, were not in Paris as they always said, but in Rome. That I was not born Dominic, Lord St. Just, but an unnamed baby, the child of one Maria Rubio.”
Darius’s curse almost drowned Val’s gasp.
Julius held up a restraining hand, not taking his attention from Dominic. “Go on, if you please.”
“That’s it. My father was named on the certificate my parents showed me, but I don’t know if it’s true. She may have used his name because she was his mistress.”
“Name him.”
Julius’s command was unequivocal. Dominic couldn’t look at Claudia. “James Francis Edward Stuart, sometimes known as the Old Pretender.”
The name fell like a bomb into the room. Darius leaped to his feet, his hand going to his sword belt, though what he meant to do with his weapon remained to be seen. Val went to his sister’s side and put his hand on her shoulder.
Claudia’s muffled sob came to Dominic through everything else. He’d hurt her. Regrets filled him, sinking his stomach. He should have told her, but he’d been too much of a coward to do it.
At least now she’d know why he couldn’t marry her. “My parents bought me from Maria Rubio. They gave me a birth certificate they’d bought in France. I’ve known for years that they were traitors to the Crown, after I found a letter referring obliquely to the affair. They assure me they have not betrayed their country for a long time now, and I found no proof that they did.”
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