To Defy a Duke: Dangerous Dukes Vol 1

by Wendy Soliman

  ‘I have received my share of propositions. None of them have tempted me.’

  ‘Then I am honoured, but even more ashamed of myself for handling it all wrong.’

  ‘Shush, people will hear us. We shouldn’t talk of this here, on a dance floor. We shouldn’t talk of it at all when you’re supposed to be…well, concentrating on other matters.’

  ‘Damn the other matters!’ he cried passionately. ‘I only care about you.’

  She swallowed. ‘But I offered myself to you, and you made it very plain you don’t want me.’

  ‘Can you have any idea how comprehensively wrong you are? I have never wanted anything more in my entire life.’

  ‘Oh, Eli.’ She shook her head. ‘I wonder why you asked me to come at all. I wanted to be your mistress. Now I know it would be a mistake.’ She met his gaze and held it as they swirled around the floor. ‘It would never be enough for me, you see.’

  He tightened the arm circling her waist. ‘Yes,’ he replied desolately. ‘I do see, only too well, because I feel the exact same way.’

  The dance came to an end. ‘Come this way,’ he said. ‘We will slip out the back of the ballroom and go somewhere private where we can at least talk to one another.’

  ‘All right. I will come with you.’

  With Athena’s hand on his arm, Eli led her away. He had almost reached the back of the room when Salter appeared at his side.

  ‘Forgive the intrusion, your grace, but you asked to be informed when Jessop had news for you.’

  Damn it, so he had. Of all the wretched timing. He briefly considered leaving Jessop to stew, but he still wasn’t entirely sure Athena would tell him the truth about her circumstances, and he was equally determined she would. Whatever else they could or could not be to one another, at least he could give her back her freedom, so she didn’t have to hide away from the world. Jessop’s news must be significant, or he wouldn’t have interrupted Eli in the middle of a ball. Yes, he would see him immediately. It would only take a moment or two. But what to do with Athena in the meantime? In whose care could he safely leave her? Harry obligingly stepped up to them at that moment, resolving the problem.

  ‘Harry, I entrust Mrs Defoe to your care for five minutes while I attend to an important matter. Guard her well or I’ll know the reason why.’

  ‘Oh, you can rely on me, big brother,’ Harry replied with an irrepressible grin. ‘I shall take the greatest possible care of her, never doubt it.’

  ‘Hmm.’ He sent a warning frown to Harry, and a heated smile to Athena. ‘I shall be just a few minutes,’ he said softly to her.

  ‘Take all the time you need. I shall be perfectly content with Lord Shelton’s company.’

  Eli rolled his eyes. ‘That’s what worries me,’ he said.

  Athena watched Eli go, wondering what could be so urgent that he must leave her almost as soon as she got here. He had seemed so determined to talk to her. Was his life always like this, and he had to put other interests ahead of his own? It was evident he was torn between whatever duty it was that distracted him and remaining with her. So she forgave him. It was so exhausting being in his presence, she almost welcomed this respite, and yet, also missed him already. Lord Shelton was a very adequate substitute, but no more than that.

  ‘You look exquisite,’ Lord Shelton said, bright eyes shining from behind his mask.

  ‘Thank you. And I rejoice in seeing you looking so well. Are the inhalations still working?’

  ‘Yes. I’ve cut them down to one a day and feel better by the minute.’ He shook his head, sending a shock of dark hair cascading across his brow. ‘It really is remarkable.’

  ‘Then I am glad.’

  ‘Would you like to dance?’

  ‘No, thank you. Not unless you wish to. I’m rather enjoying watching everyone. It’s not very often I attend such gatherings, you see.’

  ‘You’re a student of human nature?’

  ‘No, Lord Shelton. I’m merely inquisitive.’

  He laughed. ‘Come, let’s take a stroll instead then.’

  He offered her his arm and she placed her hand upon it. ‘Has the duke decided upon a bride yet?’ Athena forced herself to ask.

  ‘Oh,’ Lord Shelton replied, fixing her with a candid gaze. ‘I rather think he has.’

  ‘Then he ought to be kind to all four ladies and put them out of their misery.’

  ‘All five, don’t you mean?’

  Athena blinked. ‘I beg your pardon.’

  ‘Oh, don’t mind me. I expect—’

  A footman approached them and handed a note to Athena. ‘I was asked by a gentleman to give this to you, madam.’

  ‘To me?’ Athena assumed it must be Eli, playing some sort of game. ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘Quite sure.’

  ‘Oh, all right, thank you.’

  ‘Aren’t you going to open it?’ Lord Shelton asked. ‘It looks as though Eli has frightened off some ardent admirer who has been reduced to the written word.’

  ‘Really, Lord Shelton, you do have the most active imagination.’

  ‘I beg to differ. You see, I saw the expressions on the gentlemen’s faces when you were dancing with Eli. Every single one of them envied Eli his good fortune, including me. As to the ladies, I fear your popularity doesn’t extend to their ranks. That, of course, means you are an unmitigated success.’

  ‘Lord Shelton!’ She laughed. ‘Just to prove you wrong, I shall open the note straight away and allow you to read it.’

  But Athena was gripped by the most dreadful premonition. She knew it wasn’t from Eli and was equally sure it couldn’t bring good news. She had been so taken up by Eli, and now Lord Shelton, that she hadn’t even thought to look for Blake amongst the masked gentlemen thronging the room. How could she have forgotten herself to such an extent? Dear God, had she been recognised? She was foolish to have come at all. She had allowed her heart to rule her head, and she was now paying a heavy price for her momentary lapse.

  Someone touched Lord Shelton’s arm, taking his attention away from her. It was now or never. She had to know. Athena steeled herself to open the note and gasped, her worst fears realised. Inside were two silver crucifixes on chains—the ones Selene and Lyssa had received on their tenth birthday as gifts from their parents and always wore.

  Blake, it had to be Blake.

  He had known she was here all along and had been playing her as masterfully as the orchestra was playing La Boulangere. Something had happened to the twins—the worst possible thing.

  Blake had them.

  Quickly, Athena scanned the note.

  Come to the nest you visited yesterday with your lover. Come alone. Tell no one. If you are not here within the hour I will have them instead of you.

  The note wasn’t signed, but then it didn’t need to be. Blake had the twins and Athena didn’t doubt for a moment he would harm them, despoil them, if she didn’t offer herself to him instead. This time he held the winning hand, and she couldn’t afford to call his bluff. He had taken them to Amulet House, obviously, but how the devil did he know about that? Had he followed them there? No, they would have noticed someone, surely. Athena had spotted a lone horseman on the common land when she glanced out of the bedroom window, but Eli had told her people rode there so she thought nothing more about it. Yea gods, how could she have been so careless?

  Lord Shelton turned back to her and frowned.

  ‘Are you all right, Mrs Defoe? You have gone deathly pale.’

  ‘Just a little overheated,’ she replied, quickly pushing the note and necklaces into her tiny reticule, hoping he wouldn’t point out that overheated people didn’t pale. ‘It is so crowded in here.’

  ‘Then let us walk on the terrace.’

  ‘If you don’t mind,’ she replied, frantically trying to think of the best, the quickest, way to get away from there, ‘I first need to visit the withdrawing room.’

  ‘By all means. I will show you where it is.’

  P
romising to join Lord Shelton on the terrace in a short while, Athena waited a moment for him to clear the area and then dashed back down the corridor leading directly to the stables. The beautiful silver-grey cloak with midnight blue lining that Eli had given her to wear with the gown was where Salter had left it, draped in solitary splendour across a chair by the door. Not many guests arrived at such events by the side entrance, it seemed.

  She hastily put it on and covered her head with the hood, her mind working fast as she tried to decide how to get back to the cottage in a hurry. She must go there first. It was on her way to Amulet House anyway, since she had no idea how to reach it if she went through the village. She needed to satisfy herself that Millie was all right. Dear God, don’t let him have harmed dear, faithful Millie. She would satisfy herself on that score and learn anything she could from her about Blake’s state of mind. Not that there was much she didn’t already know. She was well aware what he wanted—what he had always wanted.

  Her.

  And this time there was nothing she could do to stop him because the alternative was unthinkable.

  A violent rage consumed Athena and with it came a deathly calm. This thing would be over, one way or another, by the end of the night. No more running, no more hiding. No matter the cost to her, the twins would be safe. Blake could take her virtue, but he could never take her heart or own her in the way he had wished to for so long. He would know it, and it would infuriate him. He craved her total obedience and adoration. He was used to captivating women with his charm, money, and good looks, and his failure to impress Athena had resulted in this wretched obsession of his. If Athena had pretended to be taken in by him, perhaps they wouldn’t have reached this sorry state of affairs. But Athena wasn’t good at pretence. She knew what he was really capable of, what depraved depths he regularly trawled in pursuit of his pleasures, without caring about the lives he ruined in the process. Given that knowledge, she was incapable of treating him with anything other than total disdain.

  Now the time had come, as she supposed she had always known it would, Athena would do whatever was necessary to save the twins. Then she would wait for Blake to lower his guard and kill him the first opportunity she got. She would use her knowledge of herbs to poison him. No one would ever guess.

  Thus resolved, Athena walked sedately into the stable yard, forcing herself not to break into a run, even though Blake had given her little time and every second could be vital. She saw the curricle that had transported her there, the horse still between the shafts. She also recognised the groom who had taken care of Meg and walked up to him with a confident smile on her lips.

  ‘I’m ready to return to the cottage now,’ she said. ‘His grace said you would be kind enough to drive me.’

  The groom looked surprised by the request, but didn’t question it. ‘Very good, ma’am.’

  ‘Oh botheration. I’ve left my reticule on the table outside the withdrawing room,’ she said, ensuring the reticule in question was well concealed beneath the folds of her cloak. ‘How very careless of me. Would you be kind enough to fetch it for me?’ Please go yourself and don’t send someone else. ‘I shall just sit in the curricle and wait.’

  ‘Of course. I shall be but a minute.’

  Please take longer than that. The yard was alive with activity, which worked in Athena’s favour. All the grooms attending the carriages of the visiting guests were gathered together, chatting amongst themselves and completely ignoring Athena. As soon as Eli’s man disappeared inside the house she sprang into action. Picking up the reins, she encouraged the horse forward by slapping them sharply on its rump. With Meg this would have resulted in a reluctant step forward. Startled, this horse sprang from a standstill into a fast trot, almost knocking Athena backwards off the seat. She steadied herself and guided the horse down the driveway as fast as she dared to drive it.

  Her path was well lit with an extravagant number of flambeaux, but that wouldn’t be the case once she reached the track to the cottage. Still, one problem at a time. First of all, she needed to get out of the grounds without being challenged. She glanced up at the star-studded sky. It was a fine, clear night, the moon almost full, lending additional light. At least the elements were on her side.

  She turned out of the gates to Winsdale Park without mishap and set the horse to a steady trot on the track that led to her cottage, wishing she could go faster, and knowing it would be folly to try it. The track was full of potholes and divots. Meg’s sturdy hooves could cope with them, but this fine animal was altogether another matter, and laming one of Eli’s horses would achieve nothing but additional delay. The mask obscured her vision. She untied it and left it where it fell, her heart palpitating as she drew steadily closer to the cottage, and she wondered what she would find there.

  She pulled the curricle to a stop outside and jumped down. Catching her toe in the hem of her lovely gown in her haste, she heard it rip. With a strangled oath, she picked up her skirts and ran into the cottage. She found Millie stretched full length on the floor, groaning. Athena’s blood ran cold as she dashed up to her and felt her forehead.

  ‘Millie, talk to me. Are you all right? Where does it hurt?’

  ‘Millie blinked up at her, tears in her eyes. ‘Blake,’ she gasped. ‘He came. Took the twins. Couldn’t stop him. I tried.’

  ‘Shush, it’s all right. I’ll get them back. Can you stand?’

  Athena helped Millie up, and saw a large lump forming on the side of her head. She touched it gently and Millie winced.

  ‘I tried to bash him with a frying pan. His man grabbed it and bashed me right back.’ Millie looked furious at her failure. ‘He knocked me clean out, and when I opened my eyes the twins were gone. I couldn’t…couldn’t seem to get up.’

  ‘Come and sit down.’ Athena helped Millie into a chair, then grabbed a cool cloth for her to hold against her head. ‘I don’t have time to linger,’ she explained, untying her gown and stepping out of it, dropping it carelessly on the floor. ‘He sent me a note. The twins are at Amulet House. I have to go there, or…well, you don’t need me to tell you what he will do to them.’

  Tears spilled down Millie’s face. ‘I’m so sorry, lamb. I let you down.’

  ‘Nonsense. Blake’s been one step ahead of us all the time. I’m just glad you, at least, are okay. And so will the twins be. I shall make sure of that.’

  ‘Aye, but at what cost to you?’

  ‘Never mind that.’ Athena suddenly realised something was missing. ‘Where’s Boris? Why didn’t he warn you?’

  ‘He was outside, doing his business. I heard him bark once, then Blake and his man burst in, and I didn’t have time to think about him.’

  ‘Oh no!’

  Athena dragged breeches and a shirt out of her valise, thrust her feet into her trusty half-boots and went outside, calling to Boris. A pathetic whimper reached her from the outhouse. She opened the door and Boris slunk out on his belly, as though he knew he had failed in his duty. She stroked his head, and he winced, filling Athena with another wave of lethal rage. Of all the cowardly, dastardly…the ogre had struck Boris with something. Hard. It explained why he hadn’t come to the twins’ aid.

  ‘Come on, Boris, if you can walk you can come with me and get your revenge.’

  Still subdued, Boris licked her hand and followed her into the cottage.

  ‘I have to leave you now, Millie, time’s a-wasting. Will you be all right?’

  ‘I’m fine. It’s you I’m worried about. I just wish I could come, too.’

  ‘Don’t worry, I’ll take Boris, and a few other little surprises with me.’

  Athena took the dagger she always carried from her valise and stuck it in the back of her breeches. She also selected a couple of other, less obvious, weapons before donning her lovely velvet cloak again.

  Back outside, Athena swiftly released Eli’s horse from the curricle, removed all of its harness except for its bridle and leapt onto it, bareback. The driving reins were fa
r too long for riding, so she knotted them to the appropriate length, waved to Millie and pushed the horse forward. Boris loped along beside her, and then took the lead, as if knowing the horse needed help to see the track. Athena wished she had taken more note of the route Eli had followed, instead of enjoying the feel of his solid back and daydreaming about surrendering to him. Fortunately, there was only one spot in which she had to make a choice. Since common sense told her the left hand track would have led her straight back to the village it was an easy decision to make.

  The horse stumbled on several occasions, almost tipping Athena over its head. Fortunately, she was a competent rider and they both survived. Their pace, by necessity, was frustratingly slow. Moonlight filtered through the thick canopy of leaves in places, but without Boris trotting assuredly in front of them, she never would have been able to see the path.

  Surely, it had been more than an hour since she left the ball? Even if it was, Athena had to believe Blake wouldn’t actually harm the twins. If he did then he would no longer have any hold over her. That chilling thought brought her some comfort, and she pushed on through trees that seemed sinister, their shapes distorted, in the near-darkness. Branches brushed against her arms, scratching her, impairing her progress, but not halting it. Nothing would prevent her from reaching the twins, who must be truly terrified and wondering what was keeping her.

  She was starting to think she must have missed a turn somewhere, when she finally saw dim light in the distance. Amulet House. They had made it. Seeing no point in stealth, Athena made her way to the stable yard and put the horse in the first vacant stall she came to. There was a curricle in the yard, the horses still harnessed to it, and a riding horse, still saddled. She wondered what had happened to Mr and Mrs Walters. She hoped no harm had come to them, but couldn’t pause to look for them, not quite yet.

  ‘Right, Boris,’ she said, carefully touching the dog’s head. ‘Let’s go and find the girls.’

  She walked up to the front door and saw light spilling from behind the drawing room curtains, as well as from the master bedroom she had briefly shared with Eli. How long ago that seemed now. Her instinct was to go charging in with Boris and order him to attack. But they had somehow got the better of Boris once already, and her dog was weak from the injury he had incurred in that skirmish. It would be better to exercise caution.