Scandalous

by Jenna Petersen

  “Yes,” she said, hurrying to her feet in the hopes of distracting him. Although she, too, was surprised by the obviously instant attraction between their two houseguests, the last thing she wanted was for Dominic to cause some kind of a scene. “I did introduce Julia to the Baron.”

  “Very good.” He looked at his sister with wariness. “Julia, how good to see you. I trust your trip wasn’t too difficult.”

  Julia nodded, but her gaze remained firmly fixed on Adrian, as his did on her. “Yes.”

  Dominic arched a brow. “Yes, it was difficult, or yes, it was not?”

  His sister shook her head as if she was waking from a dream. Finally, she cast her gaze on her brother. “Dominic, there you are.”

  As she crossed the room to hug him, Dominic looked at Adrian. His stare darkened.

  “Yes, I’ve been here for some time,” he murmured.

  Julia blushed as she pulled away. “Of course. Katherine was just introducing me to your friend, Baron Malleville.”

  Her voice softened when she said Adrian’s name. Katherine couldn’t smother a smile, though Dominic’s deepening glower troubled her. Like Katherine, Dominic had obviously noticed the immediate attraction between his friend and his sister.

  Unlike her, he seemed less than pleased with the development.

  “Please, Lady Julia,” Adrian said with a dashing wink. “Your brother and I have been friends for an age. I insist you call me Adrian.”

  Katherine’s eyes widened. It was a forward request, though not entirely scandalous if the familiarity was limited to private situations.

  Julia blushed. “I don’t know, my lord—”

  Dominic clenched a fist. “It is entirely improper, Adrian, and you know it. I forbid such intimacy between my maiden sister and a known rake.”

  Adrian drew back. It was clear he hadn’t expected such a strong reaction, even to a bold request. Katherine grasped Dominic’s forearm in an attempt to soothe his sudden anger.

  “Dominic—”

  Adrian laughed, though it was a brittle attempt to ease the growing tension in the room. “Suddenly my friend is all respectability.”

  Julia smiled, though her gaze flitted nervously between the two men.

  Adrian stepped closer to her. “I suggest we call each other by our given names only when he isn’t present.” He winked conspiratorially. “What he doesn’t know couldn’t hurt him.”

  The comment was clearly meant as a jest, but Dominic shrugged away from Katherine’s hand and took a menacing step forward. “That will be enough, Malleville. If you cannot control yourself with my sister, I will ask you to leave. I won’t have you taking advantage of her advanced years and loneliness to amuse yourself.”

  Julia gasped as humiliated color filled her cheeks. “Dominic!”

  Adrian rocked back on his heels in surprise. Katherine couldn’t blame him. Adrian was flirtatious, but he’d never given any indication he would take advantage of any woman. Let alone the sister of a friend…or former friend if the confrontation continued as it was.

  Katherine rushed forward to keep Dominic from causing any more damage.

  “That’s enough.” She turned to Adrian and Julia. “I’m sorry, Dominic is obviously not himself. I’m sure he doesn’t intend—”

  “You don’t have to explain me to anyone.” Dominic turned his angry gaze on her. “I’m perfectly capable of saying exactly what I mean and don’t mean.”

  “I think you had better reconsider your words and your tone.” Adrian straightened to his full height with the disdain only a true aristocrat could manage dripping from every syllable. “You owe me, your wife and especially your sister an apology for your shocking lack of decorum. You have been acquainted with me long enough to know that nothing unsavory was happening here. If I was shocked and charmed by your sister’s beauty, that is certainly not any reason to accuse me of such lowly intent.”

  Julia looked up at her brother with tears sparkling in her eyes. She shook her head as she struggled with words she couldn’t seem to find.

  Dominic shifted as if some of Adrian’s response pierced his overly protective instincts, but he folded his arms defensively. “When I come into my parlor to find my best friend staring at my maiden sister with lust in his eyes, I will react to protect her. I have no intention of apologizing.”

  With a cold nod, Dominic turned on his heel and stormed out of the room. Katherine helplessly watched him go. Why had he reacted so strongly to the attraction between his sister and his friend?

  She turned back to find Adrian pale and Julia only just holding back tears.

  “I’m so sorry. I have no excuse for Dominic’s behavior. He has been under some strain of late. I don’t know what work he’s doing here at Lansing Square, but it seems to consume him. I’ll speak to him. I’m sure when he calms himself and regains his reason, he will have sincerest apologies for you both.” She sighed when both looked at her incredulously. “Please, have some tea while I find him.”

  She hurried from the room without waiting to see her guests’ reactions. The damage to Dominic’s relationships had been done. She didn’t need to watch their faces to see that. But perhaps if she could make her husband see how foolishly he was behaving, he could salvage his friendships with both people. Because it was obvious they each filled a void in him.

  She turned toward the stairs and climbed up first one flight, then two, and finally up to the attic. If Dominic spent his days searching here, he might come here to disappear as well.

  From the sound of cursing when she shut the door behind her, she was correct in her assumption. Dominic stood by the far wall, his hands clenched at his sides. He drew in a deep breath, but it didn’t seem to reduce his frustration.

  Katherine hesitated, wondering at the intelligence of approaching a bear when he was angry. But when her husband dropped his hands to his sides, she knew she had to press forward and alert him to her presence. It was clear he needed her.

  “What are you doing, Dominic?” she asked softly.

  He spun at her intrusion and his skin darkened when he realized she’d witnessed his outburst.

  “Go downstairs, Katherine.” His voice was dangerously low. “Go downstairs before I do any more harm.”

  She sighed in relief. Already, he was aware of the folly of his extreme behavior. Keeping her voice gentle, she said, “Tell me why you reacted as you did.”

  He dipped his head, but she tilted her own, trying to chase his expression down.

  “You can’t tell me you didn’t see the way Adrian was looking at my sister,” he snapped.

  She felt her expression soften yet she tried to stay detached. “And you can’t tell me you didn’t see your sister return that gaze. It was as evident to you as it was to me that the two of them had an instant connection. An immediate attraction. But that doesn’t answer my question. Why would you behave as if they’d broken some law? Done something wrong because of some harmless flirtation? Why assume Adrian’s attentions were dishonorable?”

  He clenched his fists open and shut at his sides as he shifted his weight. “He was being forward.”

  She cocked her head. “Perhaps a bit. He was being playful. He was being Adrian. My goodness, the afternoon I met him he joked with me in a similar fashion. You weren’t angry then.”

  Dominic shrugged. “He shouldn’t behave in such a manner toward a spinster.”

  Katherine pursed her lips in exasperation. “Your sister has been alone for a very long time. Why would you want to deny her a chance at some happiness? Especially with a man who you’ve told me again and again that you respect and, dare I say, love.”

  He hesitated before he paced away. “Inviting him to our home was a mistake. He says things that only upset everyone. And now you’ve gotten involved and he has completely jumbled your mind.”

  She folded her arms. So this outburst was more about Adrian’s interference and advice than his attraction to Julia.

  “My mind is completely
clear. I think it is your mind that’s jumbled. If Adrian said things that upset you, I’m sure he only said them for your own good. The fact that you don’t like them gives you no right to behave in such an ugly fashion to a friend you’ve held dear for half your life.”

  She could tell by the way his face pinched in frustration that her words were sinking in. And yet he still fought them.

  “I never asked for your opinion, Katherine. I can handle my so-called friend in my own way and my own time.”

  The thin control Katherine had been trying to maintain over her temper snapped. “I never thought you would be so disloyal to a friend. And to think that I was starting to…”

  She stopped abruptly because the next few words out of her mouth were going to be a confession that she was beginning to care for him. Telling him that was the worst mistake she could make. Feeling it was even more terrifying.

  His eyes narrowed. “Starting to what, Kat?”

  She didn’t fail to notice his shift to her nickname, or the way her body softened when he used it.

  “N-Nothing,” she stammered as she turned away. She couldn’t let him see the emotions she couldn’t seem to control.

  “You have no idea what I’m trying to do here.” His voice was suddenly tired.

  “And why is that?” she asked, daring to face him again. “Don’t pretend the secrecy between us is entirely my fault, Dominic. You’ve shut me out. You refuse to tell me what you’re looking for. Is it because it’s illegal? Immoral? Dangerous?”

  He shook his head. “None of those things. And I would be wary of accusing others of keeping secrets, my little Kat. You are no better in that regard. You hide yourself away as much as I do.”

  Katherine actually felt the blood drain from her face in a slow slide. “I do not.”

  He moved closer and his body heat and presence hit her like a wall. “Then tell me about your parents. How did they die? Tell me about your childhood. Tell me anything of importance about yourself and your past.”

  She opened her mouth as she tried to find words. He had no idea just how tempting his angry demand was. In her heart, she knew Dominic was the one person who would understand the pain of being alone. And if he took her into his arms, she also knew she would find comfort there.

  But that would mean telling him more than her past. It would mean admitting how much she’d come to care for him, despite her battle to keep that from happening. He could take away the power she so desperately needed to keep her demons at bay. As much as she desired it, she could never allow him into her soul as she dared to allow him in physically.

  “My parents died. That’s all there is to say.”

  Sudden tears stung the back of her eyes, threatening to rush to the surface if she kept looking into her husband’s face. In a desperate bid for self-protection, she turned away. But not before she saw his disappointment.

  “Well, then we are at an impasse, aren’t we?” he said softly, no heat left in his voice. “As it always seems to be between us.”

  “I suppose so,” she said as she turned to leave the room. At the door, she paused. “But you know as well as I do that your troubles have nothing to do with Adrian and Julia. And you owe them both the courtesy of an apology.”

  Before he could answer or argue, she fled the attic and hurried downstairs. She had to get away from the enticement Dominic presented to much more than just her body. The temptation he put on her heart was far more dangerous.

  Chapter 12

  K atherine wrung her trembling hands one last time as she approached the sitting room door. If her husband refused to make peace with his sister and the Baron, she would have to do it for him.

  Was the door closed? Nearly, though she didn’t remember shutting it behind herself when she slipped away to follow Dominic to his hiding place upstairs. She frowned. Technically, Julia and Adrian shouldn’t have been alone with the door ajar only the tiniest crack, but if Julia had been crying, she could understand why her sister-in-law might desire privacy from prying eyes.

  With a shake of her head, she gently tapped it open. Adrian and Julia stood facing each other in front of the fire. The Baron had one of Julia’s hands in his own and he murmured words too soft for Katherine to hear. But they made Julia smile and blush as she broke eye contact.

  Yanking the door back to its original position before the pair saw her, Katherine drew in a ragged breath. Apparently the ugliness of Dominic’s outburst hadn’t changed the attraction between Julia and Adrian. In fact, it seemed to have brought them closer.

  She could only hope Dominic would recover his senses and accept it if the two took their relationship beyond a brief touch of the hand and a whisper.

  She cleared her throat loudly and coughed several times, then opened the door again. As she expected, the two immediately separated. Julia returned to the settee, eyes shining and cheeks pink with pleasure, while Adrian fiddled with the items on the mantel. Both looked as guilty as children caught laughing at Sunday services.

  “Did you find Dominic?” Julia asked as she smoothed her skirt uncomfortably.

  Katherine nodded. “Yes. Though I doubt he’ll come down. Whatever he thinks he saw between you distressed him. I think he needs some time to gather his thoughts.”

  Adrian frowned. “Dominic has always been volatile.”

  “Always,” Julia agreed with a small smile for the Baron. “But he’s fair underneath it all. I’m sure he’ll calm down soon enough and we will be able to discuss this with civility.”

  “Any brother might behave in such a fashion if he felt his sister were in danger of being ill-used. Especially by a friend.” She focused a long, pointed stare from one to the other. Both were unable to hold her eyes for more than a moment.

  Adrian cleared his throat uncomfortably. “I see what you mean, Mrs. Mallory. And I intend to talk to Dominic as soon as I believe he won’t engage in fisticuffs with me upon sight. But I wonder if there might be more to his anger than just a normal brotherly protectiveness?”

  Katherine tilted her head. “Such as?”

  It was Adrian’s gaze that pinned her this time. “Perhaps he’s upset because he feels he has little control over his own heart.”

  Katherine started as she realized Adrian was referring to the relationship she and Dominic shared. To the confusing emotions that lapped beneath the surface whenever they came in contact with each other.

  “Men rarely feel those tender emotions, Baron,” Katherine said as she turned away to face the fire. “They don’t love, they possess. And when they grow bored, they abandon.”

  Julia drew in a sharp breath at Katherine’s bitter rendition of romance. “Perhaps some men,” Julia said. “But not Dominic. No matter what he’s”—she paused and her eyes darted to Adrian—“done, he would not do that. He knows what it’s like to be alone. To be deserted.” Julia returned her dark gaze to Katherine. “Like you do, I’d wager.”

  Again, her friend’s words cut Katherine as deeply as a knife. With a little gasp, she paced away from the couple. Her marriage had not been a subject she intended to broach when she returned to the parlor. How had this discussion turned so quickly out of her control?

  “You two must excuse me,” she said, ignoring the tears that stung her eyes. “My head is beginning to ache and I think I shall retire early. Julia, ring for Matthews when you’re ready to retire. He will show you to your chambers.” She gave the two a brief nod. “Good evening, Julia, Baron.”

  Before either of them could respond, she gathered up her skirt and hurried away. Flying upstairs, she closed herself into her chamber and leaned back against the doorway as she took a few panting breaths.

  Julia and Adrian had given a voice to the thoughts that had plagued Katherine for the past few weeks. That Dominic Mallory wasn’t much different than she. That he could understand her pain, her loneliness, in a way she didn’t dare contemplate.

  She found herself standing by the door that adjoined her private chambers to the bedr
oom she shared with her husband. Slowly, she pushed the door open and looked at her husband’s bed.

  Their bed.

  With a sigh, she slipped inside. She drew his pillow up to her face and breathed in the faint smell of his skin that lingered on the linen.

  It took all her strength to fight her own growing feelings. If Adrian and Julia were right, and Dominic was beginning to have those same emotions for her, she had no idea how she could keep up the walls she’d erected between them.

  Or if she even wanted to anymore.

  Dominic looked into the sitting room as he drew in a few short breaths to calm himself. His sister was perched on the edge of the settee, stitching on a piece of needlework. Though she appeared to be concentrating on her stitches, he could tell by the way she jabbed the needle through the fabric that she was still highly emotional. His initial reaction was to leave her to fret a bit longer. Anything to avoid a confrontation with the only family member with whom he still had any semblance of a relationship.

  But if he hid, that relationship could be irreversibly damaged. No, he had to swallow his cowardice and do something he hated to do. Admit he’d been wrong.

  He came into the room and with no precursor mumbled, “I’m sorry.”

  Julia glanced up from her needlepoint with a surprised gasp, but when she saw it was he who had interrupted her sewing, her eyes narrowed. She gathered her composure by pressing the needle through the material and set it to the side. She was silent as she did so, letting him stand in the doorway like an idiot as he waited for her acceptance or denial of his apology.

  “Sit down,” she finally said as she motioned to a chair beside her. Her voice was unreadable.

  With a short nod, he did as she requested, though the chair felt uncomfortable beneath the weight of his regret.

  Julia’s voice was free of emotions, but her eyes were filled with pain. It put him to mind of the long, hurtful days of his childhood, before he put weaker emotions away. His sister had often been the one to comfort him when he faced off with his brother or Harrison Mallory.