The Bachelor Bargain (Secrets, Scandals, and Spies)

by Michaels, Maddison

  Especially when such a union would be certain to raise eyebrows, with the very real potential of Livie being ostracized by her peers and her family. The thought made Seb furious. If anyone in Society dared cut her for marrying him, he’d ruin them with everything in his power, and they’d rue the day they’d even thought to snub her.

  As he drew closer to the lodge, he realized he might be getting away with his thoughts, because first he had to save Livie from a madman, and then perhaps if they both got out of the situation alive, he could think about how to protect her from the creatures who dwelled in polite Society.

  “If there really is a God up there, I hope you’re bloody listening, because I could really do with a miracle tonight,” he whispered aloud to the night. “I gave up believing in you a long time ago, after my mother’s death, and I know you’ve probably forsaken me after all I’ve done. But please don’t forsake Livie. She’s everything I’m not; she’s so good and kind and full of love. And I swear if you save her and get her out of this situation safely tonight, I’ll believe in you again, and I’ll even go to church. Not every week, but I’ll go.”

  The sound of a gunshot echoed into the night. It had come from the lodge.

  Seb broke into a run, a sensation akin to panic surging through him as he jumped over logs and wove around bushes. He couldn’t be too late again. Life couldn’t be so cruel.

  A minute later, Seb burst through the front door of the lodge, his pistol in front of him and his eyes desperately searching for Livie. His heart stopped when he saw a woman’s lifeless body lying on the floor, her head covered with blood.

  “Sebastian!” Livie’s voice called out, and it was the sweetest sound he’d ever heard.

  He swiveled his head to the right and there she was, sitting in a lone chair, with Clint standing next to her, his pistol held to her head. Damn bastard.

  “Good, you’ve finally decided to join us,” Clint said. “Now, drop your pistol and kick it to the side, or I will shoot her.” His hand tightened on the trigger, and for a moment Seb was scared the young man might accidentally press it in his show of bravado.

  Quickly, Seb dropped his pistol to the floor and kicked it to the side of the room. “Who’s the woman?”

  “Lady Chilton,” Livie replied. “She was the one who killed Alice.”

  “Why don’t you put your gun away before I hurt you, boy?” Seb’s voice was a low growl, and the pistol in Clint’s hand wobbled slightly. Good, he was slightly fearful of him; Seb would use that to his advantage.

  “Call me boy again and I’ll happily shoot you in the leg.” Clint’s voice shook in fury, but then he seemed to compose himself and plastered an odd smile onto his face. “It is time you showed me a bit of respect, Sebastian. I’m the one with the gun aimed at your whore’s head.”

  Seb smiled softly in reply, and he was satisfied to see Clint stiffen. He wanted to smash the man’s head into the wall for daring to call Livie that, but he moved not a muscle. “So, what’s all this for, then? Why have you betrayed me? I assume it’s for some sort of revenge. After all, Orestes’s main purpose was to avenge his father’s death. So did I kill your father?”

  “You don’t get to demand answers from me anymore!” Clint’s arm shook as he used the gun to emphasize his point, shaking it toward Sebastian. “You should be trembling in fear! I am the one in charge here.”

  “I haven’t trembled in fear since I was twelve years old,” Seb told him, very matter-of-factly. “So, am I right? Are you trying to avenge your father’s death?”

  “My father isn’t dead!” Clint howled. “But I am avenging him. I am Edward Flintock’s son.” He bowed to Seb with a flourish, being sure to keep his pistol trained on Livie while he did so. “I’ve been under your nose for a year. And you had no idea. Not very smart, are you now?”

  “Clint Kofsson?” Seb thought for a moment. “An anagram for Flintock’s son…that is clever. I didn’t even know he had a son. He never mentioned you in all the years I’ve gone and spoken with him.”

  “You speak with him?” Clint sounded confused.

  “Clearly you don’t know everything I do.” Seb raised a brow. “And, yes, about once a month, I will speak with him, more to terrify him and remind him I am always watching. He, in turn, mumbles barely coherent apologies, and he pisses his pants on most occasions I go.”

  “That is a lie!” Edward yelled, pulling his pistol away from Livie and aiming it at Seb.

  Seb merely shrugged. “It’s not. So now that we’ve established the why, what is your plan? My men are already approaching the back of this place at the moment. You won’t get out of here alive, even if you do kill me.”

  He saw Livie slide her hand very softly into the pocket of her skirts where she normally kept her pistol. Clever girl. Obviously, Clint didn’t realize she also carried a pistol on her. After all, what duke’s daughter does?

  “I’m not worried about your men,” Clint scoffed, his attention focused solely on Sebastian. “I have my own men out there who will ensure they don’t interrupt us.”

  Seb felt a hopeless sense of frustration surge through him. Even though they’d all known it was likely to be a trap, hearing it was so, and that his men were going to be targeted, made him furious. Hopefully, they’d be on their guard.

  Just then, almost as if their conversation had been heard, two gunshots echoed from outside.

  “Excellent timing.” Clint grinned. “Looks like some of your men have been dispatched. Now I shall be able to focus on dealing with the two of you.”

  “Why don’t you put the gun down and fight me like a man,” Seb said with a shrug. “Then let’s see how well you deal with me.”

  Seb could see Livie slowly inching the pistol out of her pocket. If he could keep Clint distracted enough, she might have a chance of removing it without notice.

  “My ego is not like yours, Sebastian Colver. I have no need to prove myself to you.”

  “That’s because you’re a coward.”

  “I am nothing of the sort!” Clint raged.

  “Only a coward kidnaps a woman. Only a coward points a gun at an unarmed man.”

  Clint took in a deep breath. “You can bait me all you want, but I’m smart enough to know that physically I’d never be able to best you, but I have certainly bested you mentally. You had no idea I was a traitor.” He started laughing. “And I was right in your midst the whole time.”

  “True,” Seb conceded. “I never suspected you. Why would I? You are completely unimportant to me. I barely gave you a moment’s thought or notice.”

  The young man swallowed heavily. “Well, you’ll certainly give me thought after tonight, for I intend to do to you exactly what you did to my father. You can spend the rest of your rotten, miserable life thinking of me every day as I imagine my father does of you.”

  “Not very original of you, is it?” Seb shook his head in mock sympathy. “I, at least, didn’t steal the idea for such a punishment from someone else.”

  “Shut up!” Clint screamed.

  Seb took a step toward him.

  “Not another step!” Clint cocked the hammer of the gun. “If you think I won’t shoot, you would be deadly wrong.”

  “Yes, but if you kill me, you won’t be able to maim me and have your revenge, now will you?” Seb said.

  Clint looked confused. “Maybe knowing you’ll be suffering in Hell will be revenge enough.”

  “Perhaps, though you’ll be joining me shortly, when my men find you.” Seb shrugged. “You know how they hate a traitor.”

  “Yes, but they don’t know I’m a traitor now, do they,” Clint said smoothly.

  “Actually, they do.” Seb told him of what Tom had seen when he’d abandoned his post for a snack earlier in the evening.

  While Clint was swearing at Tom and the man’s stomach, Seb felt satisfaction as Livie fina
lly got the pistol out of her pocket and placed it gently into her lap, her hand tightening around the grip.

  “You’re lying!” Clint yelled. “Tom didn’t see me! No one saw me.”

  “Have you ever known me to lie?” Seb asked him, casually placing his hands on his hips, but in reality placing his right hand just slightly beyond his hips and around his back, to where his second pistol was strapped.

  Clint began to swear, and with his free hand rubbed his temple. “He’s ruined everything then!”

  Suddenly, the doorway to the back of the lodge burst open and Lance appeared, rifle in hand.

  “Livie, get down!” Seb yelled, yanking his secondary pistol from behind his back and aiming it at Clint.

  Livie dived for the floor and twisted to point her own pistol up at Clint.

  Clint’s eyes darted wildly between them all. “This wasn’t meant to happen… This wasn’t my plan.”

  “It’s over, Clint,” Seb said. “Put down your weapon now, or we will shoot you.”

  The young man’s eyes widened as they swiveled between Lance and Seb, his pistol hovering somewhere in between.

  But then, strangely, Clint grinned as he turned his pistol down toward Livie.

  Chapter Fifty

  Chaos erupted in the room as guns were fired simultaneously.

  Livie watched as Seb dove toward her, covering her body with his as a bullet exploded into the wall behind them. For a moment, she lay there, dazed, as her ears echoed, with a strange ringing sensation buzzing inside them, making everything seem remote and far off.

  Seb pulled her into a sitting position and was yelling something at her, which she couldn’t quite hear beyond the ringing in her ears. She blinked, very grateful to see he appeared unharmed. Slowly, Livie glanced around the room. It was then that she caught sight of Clint lying on the floor, with a bullet hole in his forehead and a larger one in his chest. His eyes stared glassily up at the ceiling.

  She turned away from him and caught sight of Lance.

  He was standing, silhouetted in the doorway, with his rifle still in his hands but pointed at the floor. He was watching her and Sebastian, looking relieved.

  “I thought you were both goners for a minute there,” Lance exclaimed, wiping the sweat from his brow.

  “So did I,” Seb said with a hearty sigh as he helped Livie to her feet, before he turned around and faced Lance. “Are the men all right?” Seb asked, his eyes flicking though the back door to the forest beyond.

  “Aye, they rounded up Clint’s three men hiding in the bushes and have them trussed up at the back. Two of the three have bullet holes in their legs, but they’ll survive.”

  “Good. You might as well get them all back to the house,” Seb said. “And I suppose you’ll have to summon a local constable and inform them of what went on.”

  “The police?” Lance appeared baffled.

  “Yes, the police,” Seb confirmed. “I told you, Lance, fully legitimate is what we’re doing, so we’ll have to start reporting incidents like this.”

  “How frequently do these sorts of things occur?” Livie asked, her gaze swinging between the two men and not particularly seeing any reassurance from either of them.

  “Hopefully, not often, anymore,” Seb said. “Livie and I will be right behind you, Lance.”

  Seb strolled over to where Lance was still standing and clapped a hand on his arm. “And thank you, my friend. I knew I could count on you. You’re one of the few men I do actually trust.”

  Lance’s eyes narrowed. “You’ve always said you never trusted anyone fully.”

  “I did used to say that.” Sebastian’s eyes flicked over to Livie’s. “But then a very wise person told me it was a sad life not to trust anyone. And I’ve been thinking about that since and realized I actually did trust two people completely with my life. You and Rowan.”

  A slow grin spread across Lance’s face. “After all the shit we’ve been through since childhood, I sure as hell hope so! I’ll leave you two to follow.” Then Lance turned on his heel and strode out the door to presumably fetch the others and head back to the house. Leaving Livie alone with Seb and two dead bodies, but who was counting?

  “Come on.” Sebastian walked over to her. “Where’d the bastard put your cane?”

  Livie took in a deep breath, feeling safe and yet oddly vulnerable in his presence. “He threw it in the corner over there.”

  Seb retrieved it, then handed it to her. “Let’s get you home.”

  As they walked out of the lodge and into the forest, heading back to the house, Livie kept thinking about how grateful she was to have the whole ordeal behind her. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders, knowing that Clint and Lady Chilton were dead, and that Seb and she were actually safe.

  Although they still had to bring Lord Chilton to justice for his part in it all, but she could think about that tomorrow. Now she was just happy to be safe and alive, with Sebastian.

  Both of them were silent for several minutes, an awkwardness settling between them that had never been there before. Probably from her making a fool of herself the other day telling Seb she loved him.

  “I was terrified when I returned and you were missing,” Sebastian said.

  “You were?” A little seed of hope slowly blossomed. She didn’t like that he’d been terrified, but the fact he had been showed he cared. But then the reality of the situation intruded on her hope, because even if he did care, nothing could come of it, and her heart would break only further.

  “I was,” he confirmed. “If you can believe it, I actually made a bargain with God to keep you safe.”

  “I thought you didn’t believe in God.” He was slightly uncomfortable and perhaps even uncertain. She’d never really seen him appear that way before. He was always filled with innate confidence.

  “I lost faith in God when my mother was taken.” He paused. “But he came through for me today.”

  “He did?” She stepped over a small branch. His hand automatically came up to her elbow to assist, and his touch, as always, sent a delicious shiver through her. Livie locked away the feeling in her heart. A memory to cherish long into the future.

  “Yes. He saved you. And I promised I’d start going to church if he did.”

  “You? Go to church?” She could only imagine the looks all of the clergy would give the Bastard of Baker Street if he attended. Livie couldn’t help it and she chuckled lightly, her mood lightening at the thought of Sebastian attending church.

  “Is that such a funny prospect?”

  “A little,” she admitted. “Though I’m laughing more at the looks on the clergy when you attend. It will be very entertaining. I wish I could see it.” She took in a deep breath, knowing she never would.

  “Feel free to come. I intend to go only occasionally, but you know how I always keep my word.” He winked at her.

  “Unfortunately, I do.” Her heart fell slightly. The man did keep his word, which meant when he’d told her earlier that he had no intention of ever caring for someone else again, as he’d promised himself he wouldn’t, then he wouldn’t. And it was probably just as well, in any event. To know he loved her and they could never truly be together would be heartbreaking.

  Seb looked taken aback for a second. “You’re not happy I keep my word.”

  “Not particularly. Though it probably is for the best, as nothing could come of it.”

  He paused slightly, confusion clouding his expression. “I don’t understand.”

  She couldn’t help but thrust her cane harder into the dirt as she stomped along the ground, the upset she was feeling starting to manifest. “Don’t you remember our last conversation?”

  “The conversation when you told me you were in love with me?” He paused. “That conversation?”

  Olivia raised her chin and plastered on he
r blandest expression. “Yes, that’s the one.”

  “The one when I was being a complete ass?” he replied. “The one when I should have told you the truth of how I was feeling, too, instead of hiding behind my fears? That conversation?”

  Livie’s heart kicked up a notch and she licked her suddenly dry lips. “Don’t, Sebastian. Please don’t.”

  “Don’t do what, Livie?” Gently, he took her hand in his own and stopped walking. “Tell you how I really feel?”

  She paused, too, and turned to face him. A part of her desperately wanted to hear what she thought he might say, but another part of her, the sensible part, knew that if he did so, it would only make saying goodbye to each other all the harder. “Don’t. You were right to tell me I was foolish. That nothing could ever be between us. I know that now. And I should never have burdened you with my feelings. It was a mistake.”

  “No. I was the one in the wrong, Livie.” Sebastian raked his fingers through his hair. “I was too scared that if I said the words, that you would be taken from me. And then when you were taken, anyway, I realized I should have told you. I should have told you the truth, that I love you, Livie.” His voice was husky, and his eyes looked so vulnerable as he stood there, staring at her. “I’ve been falling in love with you since you sent me that first letter of yours demanding a meeting with me.”

  His words sent an equal measure of joy and sadness through her. Was what he said true? And even if it was, what did it matter when nothing could come of it.

  “And as much as it scares the hell out of me,” he continued, “I’m going to love you for the rest of my days.”

  The whole world seemed to disappear before her, and all that was left was her and Sebastian, and such an ache in her heart. “You can’t.” Her words were but a breathless whisper as she stared into his eyes and saw such candor in them.

  “I can and I will.” He paused and took in a very deep and unsteady breath. “I don’t confess to know how it’s going to work between us. I don’t pretend at all that it’s going to be easy, because it won’t be. We both know better than anyone how very different our worlds are. But I know together we’re stronger than when we’re apart, and that together we can handle anything life or Society tries to throw at us.”