by Bold, Diana
* * * * *
The clatter of carriage wheels beneath Kathryn’s window woke her from a fitful sleep. Her gaze flew to the clock on the mantle, and relief flooded her when she saw morning hadn’t yet arrived. Her entire plan centered on speaking with Daniel before Sutcliffe returned from the Manor.
She’d curled up in the window seat, awaiting her husband’s return, but had drifted off to sleep around midnight. It was one o’clock now.
Pressing her face against the glass, she peered down at the stables far below, relief washing over her when she made out Daniel’s slender form. Unfortunately, he’d brought a friend home.
She chafed at the necessity of waiting while he settled the stranger in one of the guest rooms. Nothing seemed to be going her way.
Sighing, she slid off the window seat and checked her reflection in the mirror, hoping she looked suitably seductive. Her bridal nightgown revealed every curve of her body, and her hair hung loose down her back in a waterfall of dark curls. Heated embarrassment flushed her cheeks, and her eyes were bright with excitement.
This had to work.
She couldn’t bear to think about what she’d do if it didn’t.
The conversation she’d had with her brother‐in‐law this afternoon had made her even more determined to stay in England. Talon Montgomery was simply too intriguing. He’d managed to take her mind off the matter at hand, and that was unacceptable. She couldn’t let him distract her. She couldn’t let anything interfere in her quest to win Daniel’s affections.
The low rumble of male voices in the hall outside her room made her hurry to the door. She pressed her ear against the wooden panel, straining to make out the words.
For the hundredth time, she wished she and Daniel had adjoining rooms. Even though his suite was directly across from hers, there was a chance someone might see her dressed so provocatively. She paced her room for another fifteen minutes, trying to build her courage, and then stole into the dimly lit hall.
She hesitated outside Daniel’s door then took a deep breath and entered, shutting the heavy oak panel behind her. Within seconds, she realized Daniel wasn’t alone.
Her husband’s nude body, lithe and golden in the flickering firelight, moved in sensuous tandem with another on the lavish, four‐ poster bed. A heavy, pervasive scent filled the room. Opium, she guessed irrelevantly, shocked beyond words by what she was seeing.
She’d known Daniel wasn’t faithful to her, but to have her suspicions proven on a night when everything dear to her rested on winning his cooperation… She put her hand to her mouth, trying to stem her soft moan of betrayal.
She must have made some sound because Daniel froze and turned to face her. His blue eyes widened, and he yanked on the down comforter beneath him, shielding his lover from view.
“Kathryn.” He held up a hand as though to ward her off. “What are you doing here?”
She shook her head, wondering if the heavy cloud of opium had managed to dull her senses. She wanted to stride forward, yank back the covers and confront them both. But for some reason, all she could manage to do was cross her arms over her chest and back away.
Before she could reach the door, Daniel’s lover sat up, flicked a lock of long blond hair out of his eyes, and gave her a charming smile. “Hello, Kathryn.”
Philip Carrington, the heir to the Earl of Stonebridge. Kathryn sagged against the wall, stunned. The enormity of what she was seeing undermined the very foundations on which her prim and proper life had been based.
Daniel’s lover was a man.
“I don’t understand.” Her voice shook as she realized how hopelessly naive she’d been. Why hadn’t she known this? How could she have been so stupid?
Daniel pulled the satin sheet around his waist and sat back against the headboard, rubbing the bridge of his nose. His light brown hair fell forward, obscuring his eyes. “I’ve failed you, Kathryn. I know it, and I’m sorry. But don’t judge me too harshly. I love him.”
“You love him?” Incredulous, she stared at the man she’d once hoped would love her. “Well, I’m sure that will be a great comfort to us both when we’re banished to the Carolinas.”
Daniel flinched. “Don’t you see? My father’s testing us. He wanted you to get my attention and it worked.” He cast a pained glance in Philip Carrington’s direction. “Can’t we discuss this tomorrow?”
Her nostrils flared at his easy dismissal of his father’s threats.
Sutcliffe intended to do exactly as he’d promised, and now she didn’t even have the comfort of thinking she’d found a solution.
“By all means.” She reached behind her for the doorknob, her voice dripping with disdain. “I’m just your wife. Don’t let me keep you from what you were doing.”
“Kathryn! Wait!”
She ignored Daniel’s voice, intent only upon escape. Stumbling out into the hall, she ran straight into Talon Montgomery’s arms.
* * * * *
Talon had spent the evening in his father’s library, absorbing knowledge with greedy intensity. He doubted he’d ever again have access to the great works he found in Sutcliff’s extensive collection.
He didn’t head up to bed until well after midnight, so he was surprised when one of the doors lining the upstairs hall flew open and the woman he’d been trying to avoid spilled out into his arms. “Kathryn?”
Clad in an enticing ensemble of satin and lace, her hair tumbled loose and free over his arm. His gaze was immediately drawn to the expanse of creamy skin that swelled above the plunging neckline. He took a deep breath, which was a mistake, because her scent, an erotic blend of roses and vanilla, was more intoxicating than the brandy he’d imbibed earlier.
“Let me go.” She began to struggle, wrenching out of his arms as though he’d held her by force. Her chest heaved with some intense emotion, and her eyes were bright with unshed tears.
“What is it? What’s happened?”
Before she could answer, there was movement in the open doorway. Daniel stepped out into the hall, fumbling to belt his robe. Over his shoulder, a naked young man sprawled across a lavish four‐poster bed.
“This doesn’t concern you, Talon. I need to speak to my wife. Alone.”
Talon gave a soft curse, leveling his brother with a glare. This was the first time Daniel had deigned to speak to him since their father had introduced them last week. Tension hummed between them.
He glanced back at Kate, full of sympathy. She’d obviously made a desperate attempt to seduce her husband, only to catch him with his lover. What a shock that must have been. “Do you want me to leave, Kate?”
She made an inarticulate sound of dismay and stepped in Talon’s direction, apparently deciding he was the lesser of two evils. Talon sighed and put his arm around her waist, guiding her away from Daniel, entangling himself even further in her life.
“Which room is yours?” he asked, wanting to get her away from Daniel as quickly as possible.
She pointed to a door a few yards away opposite of Daniel’s. Next to his own, he realized in shock. They shared a suite connected by a common sitting room. Another of his father’s unsubtle ways of shoving the two of them together.
“Kathryn. Please,” Daniel whispered from behind them.
Talon glanced over his shoulder, sparing him a scathing glance.
Kate stiffened but didn’t turn around. Squaring her shoulders, she opened her door. “I have nothing more to say to you, Daniel.”
Her quiet dignity made Talon proud.
Daniel closed his own door with a gentle click, ending the conversation. Kate sagged briefly, and Talon glimpsed the effort this rigid control had cost her.
“Come.” He guided her into the sitting room and urged her to take a seat on the striped peach and green sofa in front of the fireplace.
She bent forward, the fall of her heavy, dark hair curtaining her face. Talon stood behind her, fighting an unfamiliar urge to offer comfort, to take her into his arms not as a lover, but as
a friend. He wanted to let her cry her heart out upon his chest.
“Ah, Kate,” he muttered at last, sitting down beside her. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”
“Am I the only one who didn’t know?” Her voice was surprisingly strong. “I feel like such a fool.”
“You’re not a fool. I’ll wager that until tonight you didn’t even know such a possibility existed.”
Her shoulders relaxed a bit, and she let out a shuddering sigh. “All this time,” she whispered, her voice a mere breath of sound, “I thought it was my fault. I thought there was something wrong with me.”
“You’re a beautiful, desirable woman. Daniel is probably the only man you know who doesn’t appreciate that.”
She lifted her head and pushed a lock of silken, chestnut hair back from her heart‐shaped face. He’d expected to see tears tracking down her cheeks, but her eyes were dry. “Thank you. You’re far too kind, but I needed to hear that more than you can know.”
He thought perhaps he did know. He’d seen the look on her face when Sutcliffe had berated her for Daniel’s inattention, and he’d heard the terrible satisfaction in his father’s voice when he’d spoken of how his brother’s apathy had kept her off balance. But she was stronger than he’d thought. In fact, he’d never admired anyone more.
He cupped her lovely face in his hands. “I never say anything merely to be kind.”
And then he kissed her.
He told himself he was taking his plan of seduction to the next step, taking advantage of her vulnerability, but he knew it was a lie. He kissed her because she was beautiful and so badly in need of it, and because he was lonely and needed it, too.
Her lips were soft, pliant and warm beneath his. He deepened the kiss, tasting the honeyed sweetness of her mouth, catching her small sound of surprise.
Her hands came up to his shoulders, and he thought she was going to resist. But instead of pushing him away, she threaded her fingers into his hair, pulling him closer.
The kiss erupted from something gentle and sweet to something fierce, hot and damned near uncontrollable. Months of celibacy had left him on the razor’s edge of desire. His control slipped a little more with every passing second until his senses screamed with the need to bury himself inside her.
He pulled away with a curse. He couldn’t do this. Not yet. Not until he’d assured himself there was no other way to save his men.
She stared at him, her fingertips brushing her kiss‐swollen lips. His gaze dropped to her heaving chest and the tight dark buds her nipples made against the white lace. This blatant evidence of her passionate response nearly drove him back into her arms, but he managed to avert his gaze and regulate his breathing.
“I’m sorry,” he said at last. “That was unforgivable.”
She bowed her head. “I shouldn’t have invited you in. No wonder you thought I would welcome your advances.” She looked up, tears gathering in her beautiful emerald eyes. “Perhaps I wanted this to happen. Perhaps I wanted to hurt Daniel as much as he hurt me.”
It slayed him that he’d made her cry when she’d remained strong through Daniel’s betrayal. “I should go.” He strode toward the door that connected their rooms.
“What are you doing?” Her voice was breathy and soft, startled.
He gave her a guilty glance. “I’m right next door. I didn’t know this was your room until tonight. I’ll move farther down the hall if you wish.”
“No.” She leapt to her feet. “Please, don’t go.”
He paused, raising an eyebrow in question. If this was an invitation, he didn’t know how in the hell he was going to refuse her.
She bit her lip. “I’m afraid my husband doesn’t realize the gravity of our situation. He seems to think your father is merely testing us and has no intention of sending us away.” She lifted her gaze to his. “What do you think?”
He hesitated, but knew it served no purpose to lie. He owed her the truth, in this at least. “He’s already bought the tickets. I’m certain he wouldn’t have summoned me here if he didn’t need me to escort you.”
“Sutcliffe knows about Daniel’s… activities, doesn’t he? That’s why he’s sending us away. Because he’s embarrassed and knows Daniel and I will never have a child.”
That wasn’t quite it, but he gave an abrupt nod.
She closed the distance that separated them, her face somber and imploring. “I know I have no right to ask anything of you, but there’s no one else I can trust.”
He wanted to ask her what on earth made her think she could trust him, but he swallowed his protests and sighed. “What do you want me to do?”
“I want to go to my father. Now. Tonight. Will you take me?” It was the last thing he’d expected her to ask, and he frowned.
“Can’t it wait until morning?”
She shook her head. “I’m hoping he’ll intervene on my behalf and petition the church for an annulment. If I wait until tomorrow, Sutcliffe will be back, and he’ll never let me go.”
An annulment. He stared at her in surprise. If she succeeded, it would put her beyond Sutcliffe’s sphere of control. And what use would the earl’s bastard son be without a daughter‐in‐law to impregnate?
The thought of returning to prison threw him into a moment of blind panic. He wouldn’t go back. He couldn’t. He opened his mouth to deny her request, but when he looked into her lovely green eyes, he realized refusing her would make him no better than his father.
She didn’t deserve to be sent away for Daniel’s sins. She didn’t deserve any of this.
“If I help you, will you promise not to mention it to my father?” If the earl didn’t know of his involvement, he couldn’t blame him for failing to give him an heir.
She nodded. “Just take me home. That’s all I ask. No one need ever know.
Chapter Five
Kathryn stared numbly ahead, lost in her racing thoughts. A thick, heavy fog surrounded the curricle like a wet blanket, smothering all noise and light. Only the pervasive stench of the Thames convinced her they were still in the city.
She never would have had the courage to attempt this journey alone and was grateful for the silent, reassuring presence of the man who sat on the narrow seat beside her. Talon handled Sutcliffe’s matched pair of bays with practiced ease, and she didn’t doubt his ability to use the pistol he’d slipped into his jacket pocket before they’d left the house.
He hadn’t said a word since they’d gotten underway. She wondered what he was thinking. When she’d asked him to come with her, she’d expected him to say no. But all he’d asked was that she keep his involvement a secret from Sutcliffe.
That had been an easy promise to make. If things went as planned, she hoped never to set eyes upon her father‐in‐law again.
Her gaze strayed to his hawkish profile and rested on the sensuous curve of his lips. The memory of those lips moving against hers caused a curious melting sensation in the pit of her stomach.
He’d kissed her, shown her such passion and tenderness. It was wrong, terribly wrong, for her to have let him, but she wasn’t sorry.
If he hadn’t, she never would have known what she’d been missing.
She might have drifted along with Daniel forever, growing more bitter and lonely with each passing year.
Marriage for love was almost unheard of among London’s upper crust. Everything revolved around wealth and titles. But even so, she’d seen the respect and regard that generally grew out of such circumstances.
If nothing else, at least a woman could count on children to love.
After tonight, she could no longer entertain the hope of wooing her way into Daniel’s heart and bed. If she remained married to him, she would die alone and unloved, far away from everything she knew.
The only solution was an annulment, she reassured herself, clenching her fists in the folds of her voluminous cloak. Still, she dreaded the thought of facing her father and telling him her marriage had never been consummated and t
he reason why it wouldn’t be.
Thomas Hayden was a mere viscount. He’d considered it quite a coup to marry his daughter to the heir of an earldom. He wouldn’t like the scandal this would bring to his name and wouldn’t relish the prospect of having her home again.
She sighed and closed her eyes, remembering her miserable childhood and the sullen, brooding man who comprised her entire family. They’d never had much to say to each other. In fact, he’d strictly forbidden any frivolous chatter.
Her head began to throb as she realized moving home wasn’t likely to be much better than the alternative. She would never find happiness in her father’s house.
“Have you changed your mind?” Talon’s deep voice intruded upon her melancholy thoughts.
She shook her head, trying to dispel the image of dining in silence with her father at opposite ends of a table meant for twenty. She’d always hated mealtimes.
He squeezed her hand, offering her the brief warmth and comfort of his touch. “You’re doing the right thing. I’m sure everything will be fine.”
She had a sudden, wild urge to fling herself into his arms. He was the only man she’d ever known who acted as though he cared what happened to her. She found it hard to believe she’d known him less than two days.
With effort, she managed to control herself. “I’m sure you’re right. It’s just daunting to take such a big step.”
He squeezed her hand again and his strong, white teeth flashed in the dark as he smiled. “It takes a remarkable person to outmaneuver my father. Lord knows I haven’t been able to do so.”
His words warmed her. She’d been starved for this, for praise and acceptance, for casual talk and the comforting clasp of a strong hand.
“Why couldn’t you have been Sutcliffe’s heir?” she asked without thinking. “We would have suited very well together, don’t you think?”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them. Not only had she brought up the taboo subject of his illegitimacy once again, she’d stirred the uncertain waters of the futile attraction they felt for one another. Even if she gained her freedom from Daniel, her father would never allow her to forge an alliance with someone like Talon Montgomery.