Belle grinned up at him. “I detest your home’s design. You are aware that there are more colors in the world than brown, black, and white, aren’t you?”
“Leave,” Oliver said.
Belle sighed. “But I’m hungry. Surely, you wouldn’t chase me away before I’ve had a meal.”
Oliver growled.
Vita wondered what that was about, but then she was distracted by Remy. He was watching her and didn’t even bother to hide his hunger.
Vita lowered her gaze as her cheeks burned and her body heated. She fisted her hands on her lap and groaned low. It was so unfair. How could he have this effect on her even while she was angry?
“I’ll carry you out myself,” Oliver said. His voice was now heavy Welsh, which didn’t surprise Vita since they were very close to Wales.
Fascinating.
Vita moaned as if the very act pleased her. Or perhaps it was his voice. “I would leave, darling, but Mr. Trouble invited me to stay.”
“Noel,” Noel corrected.
Belle giggled. “But I like calling you Trouble.” Her eyes twinkled like stars.
Noel gave a short chuckle. “Call me whatever you want.” He was likely in love.
Oliver glared and then pivoted out of the room. “You eat and then you leave.”
Vita hoped Oliver didn’t actually toss Belle out, though she had a feeling he would. The only gentlemanly thing about him seemed to be his title.
She didn’t want Belle to leave. It was good having the company of another female. She wanted to talk to Belle and learn what was happening in London.
She stood and Remy was there to assist. His hand went to her elbow. She thought to pull it away, but then decided she didn’t wish to make a scene. But that was a lie. She’d missed his touch. So instead of pulling away, she glared at him so that he would know she was still at odds with him.
Remy smiled down at her. “You’re the prettiest thing I’ve seen in days.”
Vita wanted to curse him, especially when her cheeks began to sting. She nearly inquired where he’d been and what he’d been up to but refused.
Belle sighed as she took Noel’s arm. “With a home like this, I can see why beauty would be easy to spot. It’s just as dull at the weather.”
“The front door is still open,” Oliver shouted from somewhere down the hall. “You can walk right back out.”
Vita’s lips twitched.
Remy sat by her at the table.
Belle asked Remy immediately, “Have you found Dunst?” She was clearly aware of Remy’s plans.
How? Had he written her?
“Not yet,” Remy replied.
“I want my boys,” she said.
“Your boys?” Vita’s heart fell. “Your sons are missing?”
“Belle has no children, thankfully.” Oliver grinned as Belle shot daggers at him with her eyes. “She simply enjoys playing mother to the lost and broken.”
“There are displaced children,” Belle said. “I’m trying to make it right.”
Vita thought that admirable. She, too, wanted to make this right.
Belle turned to Oliver. “And have you found Husher yet?”
Oliver stared at her menacingly, and Vita thought he wouldn’t answer until he said, “No.”
Belle sipped her wine nonchalantly and said, “I might know where he is. I spoke to Raven.”
Vita didn’t know who Raven was, but both Remy and Oliver stiffened at the name.
Noel seemed just as lost.
“Where?” Oliver asked.
Belle blinked at him. “Oh, I forgot. Perhaps, if I get a good night’s sleep and have a few days to ponder on the matter I’ll remember eventually.” She smiled brightly then.
Oliver’s jaw muscles seemed to harden so tightly that Vita feared he’d snap off his teeth. “I will strangle—”
“Strangle?” Belle purred. “Not in front of the boy.” She batted her eyes salaciously at Oliver.
Noel straightened. “I’m not a boy. I’m sixteen.”
Belle touched Noel’s chin and said, “Of course, you aren’t a boy. How did I ever imagine otherwise?”
Oliver banged his fist on the table and both women jumped. “Are you at all capable of keeping your hands to yourself?”
“Where’s the fun in that?” Belle asked.
Speaking of hands…
Remy’s hand landed on Vita’s lap. His fingers gripped her thigh and Vita’s blood rushed south. Her heart launched into a full gallop. The effect was so quick that it made her dizzy.
She placed a hand over his and glared at him. “I’m still upset with you.”
Thankfully, Belle and Oliver were still bickering and not paying them attention.
Remy bent toward her. “I’m sorry. I was angry. I didn’t handle the situation well.”
She blinked. She was surprised.
* * *
Remy knew his words would catch her off guard because they’d caught him off guard as well. He’d been avoiding her for days. Not seeing her made it easier for him to focus, yet the moment he’d gotten word of one of Van Dero’s carriages heading to the house, he’d prepared himself for seeing her.
He’d warned himself not to get close and not let his eyes settle on her. He needed to find Dunst. He needed to keep her safe, and he’d do it without her permission.
He’d thought himself ready the moment he’d stepped into the drawing-room.
But there was no preparation for the sight of her.
Belle was right. The weather around Oliver’s property wasn’t the most pleasant. It covered everything in a bland gray.
The vision of Vita was like a buffet to the eyes and even worse, Remy knew the taste of her skin.
He’d lost the fight to stay away from her.
He was waving his white flag. Even if she ended their courtship, he would not regret his decision to bend now, to show her that he needed her.
The hand that she’d placed over his tightened. “Are you going to let me leave the house?”
His heart raced. “No.”
She took his hand and flung it away. Then she turned toward the others. Her mouth was pinched.
He bent closer to her ear. “Can we speak after this? Alone?”
Her dazzling blue gaze caught him. “You have the unfortunate habit of doing far more than speaking when we’re alone. I’m not so naive as to forget that.”
He had called her naive and in the fight to be as honest as possible, he didn’t take it back. She didn’t know Dunst or the life people like him led.
But he did have the bad habit of touching her when they were alone.
But was the habit truly unfortunate? As he recalled, they’d both seemed to enjoy it.
Though it pained him, he said, “I promise not to touch you.”
She studied his face, and he couldn’t help but wonder what she saw.
He was a man ready to grovel for her, a man who’d never groveled for a thing in his life. He was used to leading, but he would follow her on hands and knees if all he got at the end was a smile.
As he found out more about Dunst, he couldn’t help but think of their age difference. Dunst was younger. Was there a possibility that she did, in fact, wish to marry a younger man?
“Have you had a pleasant time with Noel?” he asked.
“He doesn’t shout at me or throw my bed around,” she said. “So, yes, it’s been quite pleasant.”
“I didn’t throw your bed.”
“You slammed it on the floor.”
He had slammed it. “I’m sorry.”
She returned to her meal. “I’ll talk to you.”
He began to calm.
“But only in town. Not here.”
Remy cursed and moved away.
He would bend on many things but not when it came to her safety.
A glance in her direction showed she was glaring at him. “You can’t keep me here.”
He could and he would.
Her eyes flashed. She
must have glimpsed his determination.
She stood and left the room.
Remy followed.
She stopped in the hall and spun around. “I said I didn’t wish to speak to you.”
“Vita, I’m doing this for you.”
“No.” Tears built in her eyes. “You’re doing this for yourself. Do you think I prefer Dunst over you?”
He was starting to think so.
Her eyes flashed again. “Remy.”
He looked away from the astonishment in her eyes. “I don’t understand why the thought would surprise you. He’s young.”
“But I don’t love him.”
He looked at her again.
Vita began to back away and pressed her lips together.
Remy's feet moved without thought, tracing her every step as though she were pulling him by an invisible string. “Do you love me?”
“I didn’t say that,” she said.
But hadn’t she? In a way, it was what her words meant, wasn’t it? She loved him.
He trapped her against a wall. “Do you love me?”
She said nothing and lowered her gaze.
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.
She fought his hold but not really. A few jerks and then she relented.
He pulled her closer and breathed her in. She was soft and warm. She felt wonderful against him. It was where she belonged. “I don’t understand how you think I’ll ever let you go now.”
“It’s not your decision to make.”
It wasn’t.
But it was Van Dero’s.
∫ ∫ ∫
3 8
* * *
Remy pulled his head back to meet Vita’s eyes. “I’ve compromised you.”
Vita stiffed. “What?”
“You’re ruined. You have to marry me.”
She gaped. “I’m not ruined.”
He dipped his lips to her ear. “We slept together that first night. Don’t you remember?”
She shivered. Her hands were on his chest, and she tried to push him away. “Nothing happened. We slept. Nothing more.”
He could hear the fight in her tone. She was aroused, but she was determined to have her way all the same.
He loved her fight. Her bravery.
He couldn’t wait to make her his wife.
“If I spoke to Van Dero…”
“No.” She pushed harder than and he had to let her go. “Don’t speak to him. I don’t want you anywhere near him.”
How had he forgotten?
He couldn’t keep up the charade anymore. Van Dero would have to forgive him. “I work for the duke.”
“No, you don’t,” she told him. “I won’t let him have you.” She was gripping him now. “There is still time to untangle yourself from this situation.”
“Untangling myself from this situation means untangling myself from you. That isn’t going to happen.” He could never turn his back on her. Even if he’d never discovered the depths of her feelings, he would stay and fight for her.
Her expression was pained.
He cupped her face and decided he had to tell her part of the truth. “You think me some innocent soldier, but I’m not, Vita. You fear Van Dero, but there is much that others fear in me.”
“I won’t believe that,” she whispered.
“You should.” He needed more time with her. Perhaps that was the real solution to their problem. If he could get her to open herself and confess the whole truth of her feelings, perhaps she’d realize that marriage to Dunst was her worst idea yet.
It would mean he’d have to cease hunting for Dunst for the time being, but he couldn’t think of a better way to spend his time than with her.
He recalled her comment about finding her mother and remembered their conversation the day before that. “While in the drawing-room, you claimed that others thought your mother had run away. Does that mean you believe otherwise?”
Her eyes widened. “Yes. I think she was taken by her lover. I don’t think she wanted to leave me. I don’t think she wanted my brother to go with her either.”
“Why do you think so?”
She stepped closer. “There was fear in her eyes, Remy.”
In order to think clearly, he had to turn away. Her nearness made it hard for him to concentrate. Her scent. Her beauty. It had been days since he’d touched her.
He took her hand. “Let’s go for a walk.”
Outside, the air was clean, far cleaner than London. It was the best thing about Oliver’s property.
The house’s exterior was just as dark as the interior. It was foreboding and Remy thought Oliver liked it that way. It kept people from thinking him a welcoming man.
He thought about Lady Bush again. “There aren’t that many peers in this area. I could ask if any of them saw your mother.”
“Could you?” She looked so hopeful that Remy felt terrible for calling her a liar earlier. She had come for her mother. Fifteen years of searching had led her here.
Was this the favor she’d wanted from Van Dero?
He would not stop until he found her. “I need you to tell me everything about that night.”
* * *
Vita was stunned.
He was listening. He was the first person who’d ever asked her to speak on what she’d seen. She’d only shared her idea with a handful of people.
No one had asked for details further than what she’d already given.
It made her feel exposed.
There was more. There were the letters that didn’t help her case but also the small conversations she’d heard between Holly and her lover that she still remembered.
“My mother was with her lover for a long time, I believe,” Vita said. “I witnessed them together many times.
“Do you remember his name?” Remy asked.
“Fontaine,” she said. “I remember, because my mother always said it as though it were a song and his voice was musical. I liked listening to him speak. His name is also in all their letters.” Even as a child, she’d been charmed by the French man.
“He was French,” Remy said.
“Oh, yes,” Vita said.
“My mother was French,” Remy said.
She smiled. “I suspected. Your name is not English.” It should trouble her that he was French. One could think she was following in her mother’s footsteps by wanting him. Her father might not like the idea of having a half Frenchmen as a son-in-law, but she didn’t care.
She lowered her gaze and remembered that she no longer planned to marry Remy. To do so would be selfish. Until another way to end this battle arose, she had to be resolved.
“You’re not your mother,” Remy said.
“What?”
“If you’re worried that you’re like her, don’t be,” he said. “I sense a great spirit of loyalty in you. You’re even willing to sacrifice your happiness for the welfare of others. I understand what drives you. I have repeatedly made that decision myself.”
“In war?”
He nodded. “And even after. The world can be a terrible place.” He brought her hand to his lips. “But it can also be a very beautiful one.” He caressed her with her eyes.
She breathed in slowly.
He cupped her chin. “Vita, I’ve been in Van Dero’s service for over a year.”
∫ ∫ ∫
3 9
* * *
Vita couldn’t believe what Remy had just said. Without a word, she turned and raced down the hall.
He caught her and spun her around. “Vita, listen to me.”
Her hand went up and smacked him across the face before she realized what she was doing. The action shocked her.
But not him. He simply stood there, his hold on her arm tightened. “I wish to explain myself.”
“All you’ve ever given me is lies. I wish to hear no more.” Everyone around her had lied to her.
For him.
She couldn’t trust anyone. She couldn’t even trust
Noel.
He’d taken everything. She didn’t feel safe. She didn’t know what was real and what wasn’t. It was almost as if her life were on a stage. Nothing was real. Nothing was as it seemed.
What if this were all some great plot to confuse her and drive her mad?
“Let me go,” she said. “Now!”
He released her then. “Vita…”
She spun away, made it to her room, and locked the door.
Yet she didn’t even trust the lock. She needed to get away.
“Vita, this was the final lie, I swear.”
He swore. She laughed. She was not a fool. She would not fall for his pretty words ever again.
She should have known a man as advanced in age as he would have experience with women, gifting her with words that meant nothing.
He must think her the most foolish woman in the world.
She was a fool to have ever believed a word he said.
She needed to escape.
She allowed her anger to grow so that she wouldn’t get lost in the pain.
She’d given her heart to a liar. Was Remy even his name or was it all the workings of Van Dero?
“You have to understand what life is like for me,” Remy said. “I’m a soldier.”
“A very good little soldier.” She was certain Van Dero was very proud of him.
“Vita?” Belle said. “Can I come in?”
“I don’t want to speak to you… whoever you are.” She trusted no one and no names.
“Vita,” Belle said. “That’s not fair. Let’s talk. Let’s set this messy situation to rights.”
A vulgar word slipped past Vita’s lips that sent the whole room into silence.
When the voices started up again, she moved to her window and opened it.
It was unfortunate that she was on the second floor. Otherwise, she’d have left.
“Open this door or I’ll break it down,” Remy said.
“Break it down and you’ll regret it,” she promised, and she swore it to herself that she would make him regret it. She didn’t know what she’d do, but even if it turned out to be something she regretted herself, she’d do it.
That was just how livid she felt at the moment.
A thump outside her window had her looking back out.
A Knight to Dare: (The Valiant Love Regency Romance) (A Historical Romance Book) Page 19
