To Defy a Duke: Dangerous Dukes Vol 1

by Wendy Soliman

  No, she couldn’t risk any harm coming to her defenceless sisters.

  She had one final weapon in her armoury. If necessary, she would go upstairs with Blake and allow him to do his worst. Bile rose in her throat at the thought of his hands pawing at her. But she would go through with it if she had to—anything to save the girls from a similar ordeal—but only if she couldn’t outwit him by playing upon his vanity.

  ‘How did you know where we were?’ she asked.

  ‘Oh, that was pure chance. I can’t take any credit for it really. I just happened to be in Brighton, playing cards with Baintree. He was complaining like the devil about having to come down here and watch Winsdale choose a bride. Terrible bore, he said it would be. Then he went on to mention Winsdale had almost killed himself, falling from his horse. He had heard all about it in a letter from his doting wife. Seems he was rescued by a woman who knew all about herbs.’ He cocked an indolent brow at Athena. ‘Does that sound like anyone you know?’

  ‘Do go on. I’m intrigued.’

  ‘Well, it just got better and better after that. Seems this paragon had also helped Shelton with his wheezy chest.’ Blake put his hand on his own chest and mimicked loud, exaggerated breathing. He appeared to think he was amusing, but he was the only person in the room to laugh. ‘Not only that, but Baintree’s wife was green with envy over a lace ribbon this miracle-worker had given to her sister. It was as though you were sending me a direct message, sweet Athena.’ He blew her a kiss. ‘Come and get me. I want you to really, Blake, but I don’t know how to reach you. And so, I simply wangled an invitation out of Baintree. He’s not the brightest spark in the tinderbox, so that was easily achieved since he treats the duke’s place as though it was his own.’

  Damnation, Athena had always known it would be a risk selling their lace. That’s why they had avoided putting the distinctive ‘C’ anywhere in the finished products, reducing their value, but helping to hide their identity. Choosing an area to settle where there were so many grand houses meant there was more likely to be customers for their wares, but the chances of being recognised increased exponentially. It was all Eli’s fault. If he hadn’t been disobliging enough to fall from his horse, practically beneath her nose, they would have been safe still.

  ‘You must be very proud,’ she said scathingly. ‘But how did you know about this place?’

  ‘Oh, I thought you saw me riding across the common when you were here with Winsdale.’ His eyes darkened with anger. ‘Or were you too taken up with what he was doing to you to notice?’

  ‘You didn’t follow us here through the woods, so how—’

  ‘The servants’ hall,’ he replied succinctly. ‘An endless source of useful information, I always find. My man simply asked if there was anywhere on the estate used for, er…shall we say, ducal assignations. You’re not his first, of course, my dear. Sorry if that knowledge oversets you, but there it is. They all knew about this place. It’s quite a family tradition dating back several generations, apparently. Having seen your wanton behaviour at the side of the barn, I knew the duke would be back for more.’ His eyes glistened with hostility. ‘It was simply a case of figuring out when. His mother had his daylight and evening hours accounted for. And so, I went to the trouble of rousing myself early and watching to see if he left the stables at first light. When he did, I knew where he would be. I wanted to believe you would not but, of course, I was wrong about that.’

  ‘Why would I not be?’ she asked, knowing it was dangerous to provoke him when he was clearly so jealous. But the alternative—having him run out of words and drag her upstairs—was even more unpalatable. ‘The duke is everything you are not.’

  He reached out and slapped the side of her face so hard that her head snapped back. The twins cried out, but Blake’s man flashed his knife at them and they quieted. Athena rubbed the side of her face, conscious of the tangy taste of blood on her tongue. He had split her lip open. Hot tears pricked her eyes, but she kept them in check. It absolutely wouldn’t do to show the slightest signs of weakness in front of this bombastic bully.

  ‘There, now you’ve made me hurt you. Why did you have to do that?’

  The feel of his fingertips gently brushing against her sore face was almost worse than his violence. The man’s moods were as unpredictable as they were mercurial, which is what made him so dangerous. He was obsessive, and completely unstable. She thought of the knife, tucked into the back of her breeches, and the urge to use it had never been greater. But, of course, she couldn’t. The twins would pay dearly for her actions if she did.

  ‘When I saw you arrive at the dance tonight, I knew my opportunity had arisen. Otherwise, I would have been put to the inconvenience of leaving here at the end of the party, allowing you to think you were safe, and then coming back again to fetch you. So much better this way.’

  ‘And we wouldn’t wish to inconvenience you,’ Athena replied scathingly.

  ‘Enough words!’ he said in another abrupt mood swing.

  Without warning, he reached forward and grabbed her forearm so tightly he was bound to leave bruises. She almost laughed as the thought flashed through her mind. A few insignificant bruises would be the least of her problems. He unfastened her cloak and threw it at the twins to hold. His free hand moved behind her waist. He laughed as he withdrew the dagger from where he was supposed to find it and slipped it into his coat pocket.

  ‘So predictable, Athena. You almost disappoint me. Come.’

  His hold on her was so tight she had no choice but to follow him towards the door, her heart plummeting at the thought of what would soon follow.

  ‘Athena!’ the twins cried her name in unison, their eyes huge with fear.

  ‘It will be all right,’ she said, knowing it was very much not all right. ‘I shall be back directly.’

  One glance at their stricken faces, and she knew she couldn’t just give in like a wilting violet. She had to do something to gain the upper hand. In the vestibule, she noticed the front door still ajar. She had forgotten all about Boris. Dare she?

  Yes! Blake’s man wouldn’t really harm two innocent children, would he? She was about to whistle to her dog when Blake noticed the open door and kicked it closed. The sound of it slamming echoed through her head, an audible reminder of just how badly she had mishandled everything. Blake dragged her towards the stairs, telling her he was quite prepared to carry her up if she wasn’t willing to walk.

  Athena walked.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Eli forced his brother to sit before he collapsed through lack of breath.

  ‘Tell me what happened,’ he said, striving to remain calm.

  ‘Someone delivered a note to her in the ballroom. She thought it was from you.’

  Eli shook his head, fear trickling through him. Blake! ‘Why would I send her a note?’ he asked no one in particular.

  ‘I have no idea,’ Harry replied. ‘Anyway, I was distracted by someone while she read it. When I looked back her face was the colour of chalk, but she said nothing was wrong. It was just that she was hot.’

  ‘Hot people don’t go pale, Harry,’ Eli said in a tone of mild rebuke.

  ‘No, sorry, I didn’t think. I offered to take her outside for some air, but she said she needed the withdrawing room. I conducted her there, but could hardly go inside with her. I walked down the corridor, waiting. Next thing I knew a footman came up looking for her reticule.’

  ‘Her what?’

  ‘It would be easier if Blackmore explains.’

  Eli’s head groom came into the room, looking shamefaced. It transpired that Athena had duped everyone, and taken off in one of Eli’s curricles.

  ‘How long ago did she leave?’ Eli asked.

  ‘She must have at least a twenty minute start,’ Blackmore said, shuffling his feet uneasily. ‘I couldn’t come up here to look for her reticule, so had to find a footman to do it. He took some time looking, couldn’t find it, and well—’

  If Eli hadn�
�t been so worried about Athena, he might almost have applauded her cunning. Why, oh why, hadn’t she come to him as soon as she received Blake’s note? What had he done to make her take off in such a tearing hurry? He must have the twins. It was the only explanation. Then he recalled the men he’d set to guard the cottage and his fears subsided.

  ‘If Blake tried to get to the twins, your men would have intercepted him, Jessop?’

  ‘Er no, your grace.’ Jessop lowered his eyes. ‘They are no longer there.’

  ‘No longer there?’ Eli bellowed the words. ‘I gave strict instructions that a watch was to be kept on Mrs Defoe and her family.’

  ‘Begging your pardon, your grace, but you asked for a watch to be kept on Mrs Defoe. Since she was here this evening, I didn’t see any reason to keep the men there. They were needed here.’ Jessop looked shamefaced. ‘I apologise.’

  Eli wanted to separate the man’s head from his shoulders, even though he had done nothing more than follow Eli’s instructions—a little too literally.

  ‘So we must assume he has the twins,’ Eli muttered to himself. ‘Salter, see if you can find Blake in the ballroom, although I suspect you will be unsuccessful. If he does happen to be here still, detain him, by force if necessary. Then arrange somewhere for Manning here to sleep. Have someone attend his wounds and give him something to eat. Jessop, you’re with me.’

  ‘Where are we going, your grace?’

  ‘To Whispers’ Hollow to see if we can find out what’s happened to Miss Moncrieff.’

  ‘I want to come,’ Harry said.

  ‘No, Harry, you’re in no fit state.’ Eli placed a hand on his shoulder. ‘Stay here and keep Mother happy. If she wants to know where I am, stall her.’

  ‘What shall I tell her?’

  ‘Anything you like, just so long as it isn’t the truth.’

  Eli and Jessop pushed through the throng, Eli ignoring anyone who tried to waylay him. He saddled Byron while Jessop sought out his own mount and they were cantering down the driveway within five minutes of Harry’s devastating news. Eli was furious with himself for putting her in danger, but more angry and disappointed with Athena for not running to him in her hour of need. Surely, by now, she knew he was at her service. Eli shook the thought away, accepting she must have had her reasons. Besides, getting angry would do no good. Angry people seldom made rational decisions, and so he forced himself to breathe deeply and calm down. What was done was done. They weren’t far behind her and would hopefully get to her before any harm came to her.

  They arrived at Whispers’ Hollow to find his curricle in front of the cottage, without the horse. He banged on the door and was greeted by Millie, looking decidedly wobbly on her legs, brandishing a frying pan. She lowered it when she saw who it was and sank into the nearest chair. She had a very large lump on the side of her head. Someone had hit her with considerable force, and Eli knew precisely who that someone had to be.

  Millie related all that had happened with commendable lack of emotion but great urgency, showing him the note that had started it all. Eli read it, curling his upper lip in disgust. At least now, he understood why she hadn’t come to him.

  ‘She took Boris with her,’ Millie said.

  ‘Ah, so she did one sensible thing.’ Eli prepared to leave again. ‘We will get them back, Millie, never fear. Remain here and we’ll send word as soon as we can.’

  ‘Don’t let her do anything rash, your grace. She’s like a tigress protecting her cubs when it comes to her sisters.’ Millie choked on a sob. ‘I dread to think what she would be prepared to sacrifice in order to save them. Blake is a deviant. He likes young girls, the younger the better. That’s why Athena wanted nothing to do with him and was so worried when she learned he had the twins.’

  Eli ground his jaw. ‘The only sacrifice being made this night will be Blake’s liberty. Come, Jessop, there’s not a moment to lose.’

  Blake dragged Athena into the master bedroom, where the curtains were closed and candles already burned. He had set his stage, fully expecting her to come. She had been hoping for darkness, but presumably he either wanted to look at her or didn’t trust her if he couldn’t see her. That was rather wise of him, since it definitely wouldn’t be sensible to trust Athena in her present frame of mind. She was angry, frightened, and determined, rather like a wild animal backed into a corner with no option left to it, other than to fight its way out. Eli hadn’t wanted her virginity when she gladly offered it to him. She was damned if she would sacrifice it to anyone else—especially not to Blake.

  She tried not to think about how differently she had felt the last time she had been in this room with Eli. On that occasion, she had desperately wanted to be seduced but had failed in that ambition. She wasn’t such an optimist as to expect a second failure, but she absolutely wouldn’t be subdued without a fight.

  Blake released his hold on her arm so he could push her with considerable force onto the bed. She fell there winded, temporarily unable to move. The pins holding her hair in place scattered, and it fell in a tangled profusion around her face. He looked down at her with a lustful expression as he threw off his coat and undid his neckcloth, casting that aside also. His waistcoat followed. Then he slowly unfastened his breeches. Oh God, this was really about to happen! She had to do something to slow him down.

  Where the devil was Eli? Would he actually come, or had he become caught up in his mother’s entertainments and word of her difficulties hadn’t yet reached him? She hadn’t stopped to consider that possibility and tried not to dwell upon it. He had invited her to the ball, so he was hardly likely to neglect her for long. But such were the demands upon his time that he had left her to deal with an emergency, which apparently surmounted his need to be with her.

  Suddenly, Athena was no longer quite so confident he would come—at least not in time to save her virtue.

  She was on her own.

  ‘Do you have any idea how long I’ve waited to see you in such a position?’ Blake asked, looking down at her through smouldering eyes. ‘On your back, compliant, willing, ready for me.’

  ‘You have anticipated forcing me then, since it’s the only way for you to achieve that ambition. Even you can’t be so deluded as to imagine I am here willingly.’

  ‘Oh, you will soon change your tune.’ He smirked at her. ‘Once you discover what I have to offer you, you will be back for more. You’re a very sensual woman, Athena. That’s part of the attraction.’

  ‘Does it make you happy to use your superior strength to subdue a woman, or are you so used to having to do so, you no longer think about it?’

  He had the temerity to laugh at her. ‘You make me happy, Athena. You’re mine,’ he added aggressively. ‘I don’t care what Winsdale did to you. I forgive you for your lapse. He turned your head, I dare say, but will never touch you again. If you want your sisters to be protected, then no one will ever touch you except me.’

  ‘I don’t trust you to keep your word.’

  ‘You have no one to blame for that but yourself. I offered to do this the right way around. I was prepared to marry you against my family’s wishes and make generous provision for your sisters, but you laughed in my face.’ He wagged a finger beneath her nose, enjoying himself at her expense. ‘You should not have laughed at me, Athena. I shall punish you for that at a more appropriate juncture. But for now, you will just have to trust me when I say I will do right by the twins.’ He shrugged. ‘What other choice do you have?’

  ‘Your version of right and mine are two very different concepts.’

  ‘You are delightful when you’re roused.’ He shook his head. ‘Women nowadays are so compliant, whereas you…’

  Without warning, he swooped. Grabbing a handful of her shirt, he ripped it open, leaving her chest exposed, just the thin fabric of her chemise covering her breasts. She gasped, unprepared for the violence and speed of his assault, although she ought to have anticipated it. The cool air in the room caused her nipples to pucker. God f
orbid he should think it had happened because she desired him.

  ‘Ah, so beautiful.’ She flinched when he reached down and touched one of her breasts. ‘Did Winsdale take you? You might as well tell me. If he did not, then I shall be gentle, so it’s in your best interests to be honest.’

  Athena sent him a look of pure vitriol. ‘He did not.’

  Blake’s eyes glowed like molten lava. ‘I thought he wouldn’t go that far.’

  ‘I very much wanted him to,’ Athena replied defiantly. ‘Almost as much as I wish you would not.’

  ‘Why did he bring you here then?’

  ‘I’m sure he will tell you himself when he arrives.’

  Blake laughed. ‘He can’t leave the Park. This is his night to shine. Everyone knows it’s the evening when he will decide whom he wishes to marry. The whole place is alive with speculation, the candidates on the point of scratching one another’s eyes out in order to gain an advantage. It was dreadfully amusing to watch. Anyway, I don’t wish to overset you, my dear, but you are not so important to him that he will defy his mother’s wishes and walk out on his own party.’

  Athena very much feared Blake was right about that.

  ‘Now come.’ He sat beside her and, in another abrupt change of mood, caressed her sore face again. ‘Be nice to me and I will return the favour.’

  He bent to kiss her, his breathing short and excited as his lips touched hers. Athena bit his tongue when he tried to force it into her mouth. He howled and slapped her face again even harder. Her head exploded with the pain, bringing tears to her eyes. Far from deterring him, the bite appeared to spur him on, and his eyes glistened with anticipation as he lowered his body over hers.